1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,519 Speaker 1: This is Alec Baldwin and you're listening to Here's the Thing. 2 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:10,840 Speaker 1: That's the classic opening chords of These Eyes by the 3 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:15,000 Speaker 1: Guess Who. It was their breakout hit, number one on 4 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:19,280 Speaker 1: the charts and a perfect showcase for the complex arrangements 5 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 1: and incredibly versatile voice of frontman Burton Cummings. These Eyes 6 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 1: cry every night, Oh you, these are told. It was 7 00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 1: nine and for a while the guests who were as 8 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 1: big as it gets, and if you're Canadian, they're even bigger, 9 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:06,760 Speaker 1: the first huge Canadian rock and roll act, paving the 10 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:11,040 Speaker 1: way for border crossing superstars from Arcade Fire to Justin 11 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:15,720 Speaker 1: Bieber and Nickelback. It was a long road from rec 12 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:18,720 Speaker 1: hall rehearsals in Winnipeg to the top of the world, 13 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: though even at thirteen, the precocious Commings got a taste 14 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:27,280 Speaker 1: of glory when he wasn't in home room bands. When 15 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: they reach a certain level of fame, everything changes. I 16 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:34,400 Speaker 1: know when I was in my first band, I was thirteen, fourteen, 17 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 1: fifteen sixteen, still living at home. We were treated like 18 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: the Beatles. Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday night, it was 19 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:43,720 Speaker 1: like a whole other world. And Monday morning back to 20 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:47,720 Speaker 1: high school and back to normal, back to earth. When 21 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 1: you at that level, it's wonderful. It's all music. It's 22 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: not business yet, it's not pressure yet, it's not peer pressure. 23 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: It's just pure fun for the sake of the music. 24 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 1: Then I got into the guests who I just I 25 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: wasn't quite eighteen yet. The guess who was already huge 26 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: in Canada. They had had shaken all over and they 27 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:09,480 Speaker 1: had toured with the Turtles and Dionda Mucci, and they 28 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:13,679 Speaker 1: had toured with Chuck Jackson and Maxine Brown and all 29 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:16,520 Speaker 1: these famous people to be the King's Men doing Louis Louis. 30 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:18,600 Speaker 1: And they had toured with all these people, and they 31 00:02:18,639 --> 00:02:21,000 Speaker 1: phoned me. I was still seventeen, and they asked me 32 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 1: to join the band. You grew up with your mother, mother, mother, 33 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 1: and grandmother. My dad was a useless drunk who beat 34 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 1: the hell out of my mother when I was about 35 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 1: ten months old. It was a bitterly cold night in Canada, 36 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 1: Christmas time, about thirty below. She grabbed me, blood all 37 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: over her, ran down the street a half a block 38 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: to where my grandparents lived and got me out of 39 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:49,359 Speaker 1: that hell. You remember that, I remember, seriously, I do. 40 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 1: I wasn't even a year old yet, and I remember 41 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:53,760 Speaker 1: when the police came. My mother was covered in blood 42 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:57,920 Speaker 1: and my grandmother and grandfather were freaking out. And I 43 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:01,480 Speaker 1: remember it was Christmas time and the police. I was 44 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 1: crying like crazy and the policeman gave me a tiny 45 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:06,680 Speaker 1: little candy cane. And they say, you can't remember stuff 46 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:09,360 Speaker 1: past two or three years old. That's not true. I 47 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 1: remember it very very clear. He gave me a little 48 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: candy cane to stop me crying. And I never saw 49 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:16,680 Speaker 1: my dad again till I was about twenty three, and 50 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 1: I only saw him once, and he was a pathetic drunk. 51 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 1: Even twenty three years later, he was a pathetic and 52 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 1: came back Alec I had a wall full of gold records. 53 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:29,919 Speaker 1: He came back when I was twenty three and asked me, 54 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:32,520 Speaker 1: can I get you something? Do you need a pair 55 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:37,800 Speaker 1: of pants? That's you know what what Mark Twain's Mark 56 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:41,000 Speaker 1: Twain said once the difference between fiction and fact is 57 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:45,440 Speaker 1: that fiction has to make more sense, you know. That's 58 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:48,000 Speaker 1: for me, that night was like playing a really bad 59 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 1: part in a soap opera. It was awful. But when 60 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:52,880 Speaker 1: you were a child and you're growing up with your mom, 61 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 1: your musical from the get go. When from when you're 62 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:58,480 Speaker 1: a little kid. Bless my mom's heart. She started me 63 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:01,880 Speaker 1: on lessons when I was five. I've and so by 64 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 1: the time I was eight or nine, I play. I 65 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:07,520 Speaker 1: played piano. I was a piano pianist from day when 66 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: I took classical lessons. You know. I at one time 67 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 1: I could play Rockman and off Beethoven. Whatever you put 68 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:14,360 Speaker 1: in front of me, I could site read it the 69 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:16,960 Speaker 1: way you and I can read words. Can't do that anymore. 70 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:19,279 Speaker 1: I used to be able to, but I can't do 71 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:21,520 Speaker 1: it anymore. But I you know, the funny thing was, 72 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:24,839 Speaker 1: I had a wonderful piano teacher, but when I started 73 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:27,720 Speaker 1: falling into Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino and a 74 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: little Richard, I wanted to be a pounder, you know. 75 00:04:30,839 --> 00:04:33,839 Speaker 1: And she was so against that. Man. She she wanted 76 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:39,000 Speaker 1: to straight ahead Beethoven and rockmaninoff and you know, for 77 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 1: release and all the wonderful classics. So there's nothing wrong 78 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: with that, but man, I wanted to I wanted to 79 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:46,800 Speaker 1: rock a bit, you know. She was against that. You 80 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:49,480 Speaker 1: did play the sacks. I played sacks. Yes, I learned 81 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:52,279 Speaker 1: how to play sacks. I bought a sacks. I bought 82 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: a sax for twenty bucks from a guy in West 83 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:57,039 Speaker 1: Caldonan in Winnipeg, and I figured out the fingering. And 84 00:04:57,080 --> 00:04:59,480 Speaker 1: I listened to Johnny and the Hurricanes and the Rebels 85 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:02,039 Speaker 1: and some of the other saxophone groups and figured it 86 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 1: out myself. Now here's a weird thing. I didn't know. 87 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:08,359 Speaker 1: Nobody ever bothered to tell me that the fingering was 88 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 1: the same on a flute. So years later, we're doing 89 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:14,160 Speaker 1: this record cause she's come undone, which got a lot 90 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:18,120 Speaker 1: of airplane. There was a flute solo in the middle Undone. 91 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:21,880 Speaker 1: That's me on flute, and and and the funny thing 92 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:24,040 Speaker 1: was I had been playing sacks for a few years already, 93 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:27,200 Speaker 1: and we were opening a Yamaha store in Winnipeg and 94 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:29,159 Speaker 1: they were selling flutes, and there was a flute in 95 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:32,039 Speaker 1: the glass case. So Randy Backman, the famous Randy Backman, 96 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:34,240 Speaker 1: taking care of business. You ain't seen nothing yet bt 97 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:37,719 Speaker 1: O parts. At that time, he and I were together, 98 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 1: and he after the guests. Yeah, but he and I 99 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:43,920 Speaker 1: wrote These Eyes and all those things together. So we're 100 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:46,800 Speaker 1: sitting waiting, waiting to do our show at this Yamaha 101 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:50,120 Speaker 1: store and there's a flute in the glass case, and 102 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:52,960 Speaker 1: we love this group called Traffic. They had a flute 103 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:55,440 Speaker 1: player named Chris Wood and we love Jethro telling me 104 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 1: flute was coming into rock and roll. So Randy says, look, man, 105 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:02,039 Speaker 1: you of Traffic, and Jethro told there's a flute right there. 106 00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:04,360 Speaker 1: Why don't you learn how to play it? I said, 107 00:06:04,400 --> 00:06:06,960 Speaker 1: but I don't know the fingering. The Yamaha guy says, well, 108 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:09,440 Speaker 1: the fingering is the same as a sax. I said, 109 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:11,560 Speaker 1: you're kidding me. I grabbed it as soon as I 110 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 1: got the aperture right and could make a note with 111 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:15,520 Speaker 1: my lips. I played it on stage that night. Oh 112 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 1: my goodness, you had an instinct as a musician, you said, instinct. 113 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:22,599 Speaker 1: Backman bought me a little book about chords, and he said, 114 00:06:22,839 --> 00:06:25,880 Speaker 1: you damn well learned how to play rhythm guitar. And 115 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:28,679 Speaker 1: about three weeks later I was playing rhythm guitar. Mcgever, 116 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:32,400 Speaker 1: you're like the mcgui music. Get it all done. I 117 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:36,040 Speaker 1: just I like all instruments. I would love to be 118 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 1: able to play a trumpet or a horn, but I 119 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 1: just don't have the lips for that. But Chet Baker 120 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:44,640 Speaker 1: and stuff like that. When you're seventeen years old. Now, 121 00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:47,960 Speaker 1: granted you're you're you're mostly in Canada, performing in Canada. 122 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:50,200 Speaker 1: When you guys don't break out into the US, into 123 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:52,880 Speaker 1: your how old sixty nine? I was a twenty These 124 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 1: Eyes when These Eyes came out, I was twenty, so 125 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:57,400 Speaker 1: that was a monstrous record. And when when when you're 126 00:06:57,400 --> 00:06:59,240 Speaker 1: in the band in your seventeen years old, the first 127 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:01,240 Speaker 1: thing they asked you to was what played keyboards and 128 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:05,279 Speaker 1: woodwins and everything. I joined basically as a piano player 129 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:08,640 Speaker 1: and a background singer because they still had chat Allen 130 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:10,960 Speaker 1: in the band of the front man. And he he's 131 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:13,160 Speaker 1: saying shaken all Over, which was a pretty big hit. 132 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:15,720 Speaker 1: Right when he left? Why did he live? He went 133 00:07:15,760 --> 00:07:19,280 Speaker 1: back to university. He wanted to He didn't trust show business, 134 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:22,040 Speaker 1: you know, And I had my teachers tell me the same. 135 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:25,200 Speaker 1: Can you believe it? Alec, my my high school principle, 136 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:29,080 Speaker 1: told me show business isn't a profession. Can you believe that? 137 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:34,240 Speaker 1: They did have a point. That's a dinosauric type. I 138 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:36,240 Speaker 1: said to you know what my response was, I said 139 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:39,120 Speaker 1: to him, tell that to Frank Sinatra or Elvis Presley, 140 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:42,840 Speaker 1: or Paul McCartney. But show business isn't a profession. But 141 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:45,800 Speaker 1: he was ridiculous. But you also have the great pleasure 142 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:48,400 Speaker 1: of music is something that you can you can enjoy 143 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: completely on your own. Burton Cumming is considered a keyboard 144 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:54,360 Speaker 1: at home and get real pleasure and real joy from 145 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:57,560 Speaker 1: myself out playing music. Music can be very self fulfilling 146 00:07:57,640 --> 00:08:00,320 Speaker 1: and it's it's very very cathartic sometimes time. So if 147 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:03,520 Speaker 1: I'm stressed or something. Sure, Now when you're seventeen and 148 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:05,360 Speaker 1: they call you and you come in and do that, 149 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 1: then he leaves to go back to university, are you 150 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 1: the front man? Then they can be suddenly I'm singing everything. 151 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:14,320 Speaker 1: Were you a singer prior to that? Well acquire as 152 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:16,480 Speaker 1: a boy in the yes. As a matter of fact, 153 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:18,840 Speaker 1: I was in the Anglican Church choir for three or 154 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:22,760 Speaker 1: four years. My real training, if you could call it training, 155 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:25,680 Speaker 1: my vocal training came in high school. I did the 156 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:30,120 Speaker 1: tenor lead in HMS Pinafore and the following year was 157 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 1: trial by jury. And as you would know as an 158 00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:37,080 Speaker 1: acts are a huge, huge undertakings. It's not just a 159 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:39,960 Speaker 1: bit of singing. It's you know, I am poor in 160 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:42,800 Speaker 1: the essence of happiness rich only in never ending unrest 161 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:45,200 Speaker 1: and me there meet a combination of antithetical elements at 162 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:49,679 Speaker 1: eternal war with one another objective influences, you know Gilbert 163 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:52,319 Speaker 1: and Sullivan. Man, it was pages and pages of dialogue. 164 00:08:52,720 --> 00:08:55,760 Speaker 1: Then you'd break into a song. So I did all 165 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:59,520 Speaker 1: that at fifteen and sixteen. That's pretty good training. So 166 00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:01,559 Speaker 1: they knew you good thing when you came on board. Oh, 167 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:04,360 Speaker 1: I think so, and the and the Devrons before I 168 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:06,280 Speaker 1: was in the guests who the Devrons? We were? We 169 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:08,439 Speaker 1: were kind of breathing down their neck. But we were 170 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:11,559 Speaker 1: the young guys in town in Winnipeg, so there was 171 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:13,960 Speaker 1: a nachalon and we had worked our way up to 172 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:17,320 Speaker 1: probably be in the second or third best next to them. 173 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:19,280 Speaker 1: They were so much better than anybody else. Now, can 174 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:21,360 Speaker 1: you I don't want to, I don't want to treat 175 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:23,520 Speaker 1: you like some kind of a jukebox here, but can 176 00:09:23,559 --> 00:09:26,360 Speaker 1: you play for us? We just so, it just so happens. 177 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:29,480 Speaker 1: We have a keyboard, beautiful. That thing in front of 178 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:32,040 Speaker 1: you is a yama. No, can you play for us? 179 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:35,400 Speaker 1: What's the song you would play when you were with 180 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:39,920 Speaker 1: what was the name of the group Devrons? Playing oh, well, 181 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:44,080 Speaker 1: we were we we did all kinds of stuff. Um 182 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:48,520 Speaker 1: I I would try and do things that other singers 183 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:51,080 Speaker 1: weren't singing. In other words, I would try and do 184 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:59,160 Speaker 1: something like this. They asked me how I knew my 185 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:11,520 Speaker 1: true of them was true. Ones reply, something here inside 186 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:19,000 Speaker 1: cannot be denied, stuff like that where they're not everybody 187 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:21,200 Speaker 1: has the chops to get those notes, you know what 188 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:24,880 Speaker 1: I mean, Or or things like, um oh, those Walker 189 00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:29,440 Speaker 1: Brothers records. Remember the Walker Brothers. If you really love 190 00:10:29,559 --> 00:10:37,280 Speaker 1: him and there's nothing I can do, don't try to 191 00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:40,640 Speaker 1: spare my feeling. Just tell me that went through. And 192 00:10:40,679 --> 00:10:43,040 Speaker 1: I was trying to do the more complex songs and 193 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:48,199 Speaker 1: ballads and everybody else was just doing and bone him 194 00:10:48,200 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 1: and ron I was trying to make our band a 195 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:56,920 Speaker 1: little bit different. And I noticed that we were getting 196 00:10:56,960 --> 00:11:00,920 Speaker 1: more female attention from these big ballads because not everybody 197 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:04,400 Speaker 1: can do. I mean, you saw what what Elvis fans. 198 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:07,000 Speaker 1: They would go lose that. And I read what you 199 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:10,760 Speaker 1: wrote about love songs when they recorded American Woman, those 200 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 1: ballads or what Live on Forever. Well, the funny thing 201 00:11:13,920 --> 00:11:17,280 Speaker 1: was these eyes. I mean, that's a goodness gracious. Can 202 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:23,000 Speaker 1: you imagine being a twenty year old white boy from Winnipeg, Canada, 203 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:26,920 Speaker 1: from the Prairies, and you have this monstrous record called 204 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:31,840 Speaker 1: These Eyes. In nine. Radio is still segregated at this point, 205 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:36,760 Speaker 1: very very segregated. What happens? Junior Walker and the All Stars, 206 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:40,400 Speaker 1: one of the biggest acts on Motown, record These Eyes, 207 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:42,600 Speaker 1: and they have their own hit version of it the 208 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:46,720 Speaker 1: same year as ours. Randy Backman and I were flabbergasted. 209 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:49,200 Speaker 1: This is a hero of mine. He had Shotgun and 210 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:51,640 Speaker 1: Shaken Finger Pop and Cleo's Mood, and he had a 211 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:54,920 Speaker 1: million hit records of what does it Take to Win 212 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:58,560 Speaker 1: Your Love for Me? This was Junior recorded your song. 213 00:11:58,679 --> 00:12:00,880 Speaker 1: He did These Eyes and he is went top ten 214 00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:04,240 Speaker 1: in Billboard the same year as ours because he got 215 00:12:04,240 --> 00:12:08,040 Speaker 1: played in urban areas where our whitebread version didn't necessarily 216 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:12,320 Speaker 1: move in. So when you're with the first band, the Devrons, 217 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:18,560 Speaker 1: are you songwriting them? I tried and tried and tried. 218 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:20,960 Speaker 1: From the time I was fourteen or fifteen, I tried 219 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:24,400 Speaker 1: to be a songwriter. I was so enamored with First 220 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:26,800 Speaker 1: of all, before the Beatles, in the British invasion, there 221 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:29,920 Speaker 1: were wonderful writers. You know. Jerry Goffin Carol King, Thomas 222 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:33,760 Speaker 1: and Schumann, Lieber and Stoller, Bert Back, Iraq and Hall David, 223 00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:37,760 Speaker 1: all these incredible songwriting teams. And I was such a 224 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:41,959 Speaker 1: fan of the writers. Then when I got a little older, 225 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:43,960 Speaker 1: I was more of a fan of the writers that 226 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:46,960 Speaker 1: that's sang their own stuff. And then Bob Dylan came 227 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:52,040 Speaker 1: along and he was all his own incruis Paul Simon, Yeah, 228 00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:55,000 Speaker 1: and then you know Paul and John, I mean, forget it, 229 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:59,120 Speaker 1: And that's that you're downgrading yourself as a writer when 230 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:01,520 Speaker 1: you get into the guests who in these huge monster songs. 231 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:03,640 Speaker 1: If you're these beautiful songs, did you write them with 232 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:06,400 Speaker 1: with with with Randy? Yeah? Randy and I we wrote 233 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:09,319 Speaker 1: these Eyes in about twenty eight minutes. It wasn't you 234 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:12,040 Speaker 1: got more skillful at writing songs. And I think we 235 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:14,560 Speaker 1: were good for each other because he was a guitarist. 236 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:17,160 Speaker 1: I was a pianist, so the yin and yang bounced 237 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:20,680 Speaker 1: off each other. I would show him piano riffs sometimes, 238 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:22,760 Speaker 1: he would show me a guitar riff sometimes. And we 239 00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:25,160 Speaker 1: did a song called No Time, which was a very 240 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:27,840 Speaker 1: big record, and I know that one too. I love 241 00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:30,840 Speaker 1: that one because I'll tell you why Alex you sang 242 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:33,319 Speaker 1: no Time? Well, yeah, and I mean your voice is 243 00:13:33,520 --> 00:13:38,440 Speaker 1: all over the way to better things. I found myself 244 00:13:38,520 --> 00:13:42,160 Speaker 1: on Wings. It's a good record, and Randy had this 245 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:44,800 Speaker 1: great riff. He was playing rude doo doo doo doo doo, 246 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:48,199 Speaker 1: and he started singing no Time left for you, and 247 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:51,160 Speaker 1: I sang over him like a round on my way 248 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:53,960 Speaker 1: to you can't do both at once, No time left 249 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:58,120 Speaker 1: for on my way to No Time. Yeah, So I 250 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:00,079 Speaker 1: sang over him like a round and he liked the 251 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:02,160 Speaker 1: way that sounded, and I worked on the lyrics for 252 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:04,080 Speaker 1: a while, but there was no piano on that record. 253 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:07,600 Speaker 1: See that's a guitar song. And that's when we started 254 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:10,920 Speaker 1: getting taken a little more seriously as a band. That's 255 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:13,880 Speaker 1: when Rolling Stone finally gave us a nod and said, well, 256 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:17,120 Speaker 1: maybe they're not the Ohio Express. So maybe they're not 257 00:14:17,800 --> 00:14:21,880 Speaker 1: you know, the Ohio Express. You've got great references. So 258 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:24,160 Speaker 1: when you sit down and you do these Eyes does it? 259 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:27,160 Speaker 1: There's obviously the opening notes of that on a keyboard, 260 00:14:27,280 --> 00:14:30,560 Speaker 1: and we did the songwriting begin there were the song 261 00:14:30,680 --> 00:14:34,440 Speaker 1: begin Interesting thing about these Eyes I'm the piano player, 262 00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:37,640 Speaker 1: but that piano riff was Randy's, and I always thought 263 00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:40,080 Speaker 1: I was so impressed that a guitar player could come 264 00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:51,840 Speaker 1: up with those are very clever chords for a guitar 265 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:55,120 Speaker 1: player playing on piano. And but he wanted to call 266 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:57,600 Speaker 1: it these arms, you know. So we worked on it, 267 00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:00,560 Speaker 1: and I had that energetic part in the left, that 268 00:15:00,920 --> 00:15:04,040 Speaker 1: energy that was all mine. I've seen a lot, a lot, 269 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:10,640 Speaker 1: but I've never gone with you and kept taking it 270 00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:13,240 Speaker 1: up a whole tone by the time it got up 271 00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:16,360 Speaker 1: with so you're seven, So you're seventeen years old? And 272 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:18,920 Speaker 1: where are you playing when you're with the guests? Of 273 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 1: the guests, who was playing where? Predominantly in those early days, 274 00:15:22,960 --> 00:15:25,560 Speaker 1: a lot around Winnipeg. We would sometimes go as far 275 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:28,360 Speaker 1: east as Canora, hundred and thirty miles into the province 276 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:31,480 Speaker 1: of Ontario. We flew in nineteen sixty seven. We went 277 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:34,640 Speaker 1: to England. It was February. I just turned nineteen, and 278 00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:37,360 Speaker 1: the whole thing fell apart when we got to England. Now, 279 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:40,280 Speaker 1: the great part was we were in swinging London in 280 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:43,720 Speaker 1: the sixties. Nineteen sixty seven in London, are you kidding? 281 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:45,960 Speaker 1: I was the bag of nails one night in Soho 282 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:48,320 Speaker 1: and I'm playing a slot machine. I'm having a brown nail. 283 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:50,520 Speaker 1: It's the guy next to me with pretty long here. 284 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:53,240 Speaker 1: I didn't really look up, and I'm playing a little more. Finally, 285 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 1: after about ten minutes I turned. I looked as Bill 286 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:58,760 Speaker 1: Wyman from the and he's just in a pub, Alic 287 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:02,080 Speaker 1: in a pub having a drinking a break. We did 288 00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 1: a little film with The Who in some club, but 289 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:08,160 Speaker 1: that was the real British Invasion days and I was 290 00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:11,280 Speaker 1: only nineteen and I was taking it all in. When 291 00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:14,080 Speaker 1: you come back the scope of the guests who brought 292 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:18,720 Speaker 1: We came back in sixty seven beaten, beaten and ashamed, 293 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:21,120 Speaker 1: and I was ashamed to leave the house for a 294 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:25,040 Speaker 1: week because everything had fallen apart. We plodded on through 295 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:27,480 Speaker 1: that summer of sixty seven. We were just about ready 296 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:30,040 Speaker 1: to break up as a band, and along come CBC 297 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:34,240 Speaker 1: Television Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that they offer us a weekly 298 00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:39,280 Speaker 1: half hour show for thirty six weeks. Yeah, and that 299 00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:41,440 Speaker 1: saved us. We got out of debt, paid for our 300 00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:43,840 Speaker 1: lovely silk suits, which we were still trying to pay off, 301 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:46,040 Speaker 1: paid for our lovely amps, our new guitars. You did 302 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:50,000 Speaker 1: thirty six half hour shows. So that's eighteen hours of shows. 303 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:52,520 Speaker 1: What do you play for eighteen hours? Every week? We 304 00:16:52,640 --> 00:16:54,640 Speaker 1: did what was ever on the charts. We weren't writing 305 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:57,120 Speaker 1: a lot of our own stuff. Cover to Van Morris. 306 00:16:57,200 --> 00:16:58,840 Speaker 1: When we went to New York for a trip, we'd 307 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:01,040 Speaker 1: come back and we do so by the Everly Brothers 308 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:02,760 Speaker 1: because we had seen them in New York. We do 309 00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:05,879 Speaker 1: Van Morrison because we saw him whatever was on the charts. 310 00:17:06,080 --> 00:17:08,440 Speaker 1: We had to learn about twelve new songs every week. 311 00:17:08,840 --> 00:17:11,160 Speaker 1: You know. We at one point, Alec we were doing 312 00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:14,280 Speaker 1: four one hour shows a night, and I was doing 313 00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:18,119 Speaker 1: all the singing. We do six sixty minutes ten minutes off. 314 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:21,640 Speaker 1: My secret was I was eighteen nine, have a very durable, 315 00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:25,800 Speaker 1: durable voice. Still smoked cigarettes, I drank beer. I did 316 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:28,600 Speaker 1: a lot of the wrong things for a singer. You're 317 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:32,760 Speaker 1: saying those songs you smoked cigarettes. But but here's the thing. 318 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:36,119 Speaker 1: I sang all the time. So it's like running, always 319 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:38,600 Speaker 1: jumping or the pole vaulting if you're doing it all 320 00:17:38,680 --> 00:17:41,840 Speaker 1: the time. They were always in tune. So what year 321 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:44,840 Speaker 1: do you go to the next spot where you're you're 322 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:47,520 Speaker 1: in the US market and you're gonna interesting story so 323 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:50,320 Speaker 1: we did the television for one year. Okay, we got 324 00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:52,560 Speaker 1: we got great chops from that because we had to 325 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:56,239 Speaker 1: read read some music and all the different we were 326 00:17:56,280 --> 00:17:59,199 Speaker 1: doing things from the fifth dimension to to Van Morrisson. 327 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:01,199 Speaker 1: What did you do from the fifth mention? Oh? Up 328 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:05,239 Speaker 1: up in a way, paper cup, paper cup, very very 329 00:18:05,320 --> 00:18:10,120 Speaker 1: sort um. Last night I didn't get to sleep bad. 330 00:18:11,359 --> 00:18:14,920 Speaker 1: And uh we had some great great records. Man, so 331 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:20,320 Speaker 1: sweet blindness and h I love great down to the 332 00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:24,840 Speaker 1: stone pick. So I will tell you this. We did 333 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:27,800 Speaker 1: the TV show for one year. They wanted us back 334 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:31,880 Speaker 1: the second year. We said absolutely, this is steady money, 335 00:18:31,960 --> 00:18:36,320 Speaker 1: no traveling, right, we're in our hometown. Second season starts 336 00:18:37,080 --> 00:18:39,480 Speaker 1: the producer, bless his heart, he said, I know you 337 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:42,240 Speaker 1: and Randy are writing some songs together. You've got a 338 00:18:42,359 --> 00:18:45,840 Speaker 1: national audience here, captive audience every Thursday at five thirty 339 00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:47,520 Speaker 1: for half an hour. Why don't you do a couple 340 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:51,800 Speaker 1: of your original songs on the show, as Irony would 341 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:55,120 Speaker 1: have it, as Cinde Cinderella stories are written this way. 342 00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:57,440 Speaker 1: One of the ones we chose to do was These Eyes. 343 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:01,320 Speaker 1: Our producer, Jack Richardson, who lived in Toronto, whom we 344 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:04,520 Speaker 1: had not really met yet happened to be watching the 345 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:07,000 Speaker 1: show that day and heard the song and believed so 346 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:10,639 Speaker 1: much in the song, Alec he mortgaged his house to 347 00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:13,560 Speaker 1: fly us to New York and record our first album 348 00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:16,800 Speaker 1: for our ce A. And after These Eyes everything changed. Well. 349 00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:18,760 Speaker 1: And when you first performed in the U s. Where 350 00:19:18,800 --> 00:19:20,960 Speaker 1: did you go? I mean in a big venue? Well, 351 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:24,000 Speaker 1: we we did. We started off in New York at 352 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:26,399 Speaker 1: the Felt Forum. We weren't able to sell out the 353 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:28,840 Speaker 1: entire Madison Square Garden, but there's a great place called 354 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:31,240 Speaker 1: the Felt Forum where the Doors played there and the 355 00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:33,840 Speaker 1: Kiss at the beginning of it. So we started at 356 00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:37,480 Speaker 1: the Felt Forum. As things got bigger for us, we 357 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:40,200 Speaker 1: started playing some of those big festivals. And I'll tell 358 00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:42,719 Speaker 1: you that people ask me sometimes, what's one of your 359 00:19:42,760 --> 00:19:45,040 Speaker 1: greatest memories of the career you've had. I'll be seventy 360 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:48,159 Speaker 1: this year, so I've got a lot to remember. The 361 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:52,680 Speaker 1: Seattle Pop Festival, Alec May of sixty nine. We got 362 00:19:52,760 --> 00:19:55,640 Speaker 1: to play all three nights. It was eighty thousand people. 363 00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:57,760 Speaker 1: Now at that time that was a lot of people. 364 00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:01,240 Speaker 1: We only had These Eyes it on the strength of 365 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:03,520 Speaker 1: one hit record. We got to play all three days 366 00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:08,040 Speaker 1: listen to this, The Birds, the Burrito Brothers, Bo Diddley, 367 00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:11,000 Speaker 1: I Can, Tina Turner, Frank Zappa and the Mothers, the 368 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:16,359 Speaker 1: Jefferson Airplane, It's a Beautiful Day, The Young Bloods, and 369 00:20:16,480 --> 00:20:20,240 Speaker 1: The Last Night, led Zeppelin and the Doors, both on 370 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:23,080 Speaker 1: stage back to back. So you go there on the 371 00:20:23,119 --> 00:20:25,639 Speaker 1: strength of one song, as you say, what are some 372 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:28,959 Speaker 1: of the songs? The other songs? Right? So what are 373 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:30,480 Speaker 1: some of these some have named a couple of the 374 00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:32,879 Speaker 1: other songs. There weren't these big heads, because you have 375 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:35,840 Speaker 1: a lot of songs that I remember that are beautiful songs. 376 00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:39,560 Speaker 1: No Time and Undone, and we had a huge record 377 00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:41,960 Speaker 1: called Clap for the Wolfman, which was a bit of 378 00:20:42,040 --> 00:20:44,720 Speaker 1: a novelty. But we had been on Midnight Special so much. 379 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:48,080 Speaker 1: I got to be very good friends with wolf Man Shark, 380 00:20:48,119 --> 00:20:50,520 Speaker 1: and he was a fascinating guy. We stayed up late 381 00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:54,119 Speaker 1: a few nights, drank beers till toasting the sun coming up, 382 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:57,040 Speaker 1: and I couldn't get enough of hanging with him because 383 00:20:57,040 --> 00:20:59,480 Speaker 1: he knew everybody. He knew all my heroes personally, he 384 00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:02,480 Speaker 1: knew d Ain't Eddie and Bobby Darren and all these 385 00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:05,120 Speaker 1: people that you know. The early days of rock and roll. 386 00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:08,879 Speaker 1: So his stories were endless, and after being friends with 387 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:12,080 Speaker 1: him for a while, I came up with these lyrics 388 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:14,560 Speaker 1: Clapped for the wolf Man. It went top five in Billboard. 389 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:16,240 Speaker 1: It was kind of a novelty little thing. But we 390 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:19,720 Speaker 1: didn't see it coming. We didn't see American Woman coming. 391 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:22,960 Speaker 1: We didn't see it coming number one in Billboard for 392 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:27,240 Speaker 1: three weeks. I I never would have even imagined like 393 00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:31,280 Speaker 1: every band in their early days of success, Uh, they 394 00:21:31,359 --> 00:21:33,679 Speaker 1: get robbed, they make deals with people. Did you get 395 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:36,680 Speaker 1: rich off these songs? You don't know. We lost a 396 00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:41,720 Speaker 1: lot of money to bad business managers and the producer 397 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:44,360 Speaker 1: and his company had all the publishing on the first 398 00:21:44,400 --> 00:21:47,040 Speaker 1: few songs, so we didn't really When I left the 399 00:21:47,080 --> 00:21:49,680 Speaker 1: guests who I didn't have that much? I really didn't. 400 00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:52,880 Speaker 1: When did you move to my life? For nine seventies six, 401 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:55,760 Speaker 1: I moved here and I did my very first album. 402 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:59,160 Speaker 1: I got to my manager, Laurence Safer got me hooked 403 00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:03,320 Speaker 1: up with Richard Ry. Uh, fantastic producer who did Carly 404 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:06,680 Speaker 1: Simon and the Pointer Sisters and god knows how many 405 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:10,240 Speaker 1: big hit records he did. So he did my first album. 406 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:13,040 Speaker 1: He did Stand Tall and I'm Scared was another song 407 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:16,600 Speaker 1: on there, and that was fantastic working with him. Now 408 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:18,720 Speaker 1: along the way, did you get married, if any kids? 409 00:22:18,880 --> 00:22:22,560 Speaker 1: A fact? I'm married. I got married in eighty one. 410 00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:25,480 Speaker 1: I guess it was. Yeah, we're still married. No kids neither. 411 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:28,800 Speaker 1: My wife's a homeopathic doctor. We're far too busy. The 412 00:22:29,119 --> 00:22:31,920 Speaker 1: dogs are enough to look after. We have two dogs. 413 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:35,440 Speaker 1: We've always had two dogs through the years, and we're 414 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:38,639 Speaker 1: both far too busy. And you know, some people they 415 00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:41,359 Speaker 1: have kids before they realized they don't want them, and 416 00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:44,040 Speaker 1: then it's too late. We talked about this ages ago, 417 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:47,359 Speaker 1: and I don't I don't. You know, people say, oh, 418 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:49,879 Speaker 1: don't you didn't you want to have a kid in it? 419 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:53,760 Speaker 1: What about your legacy? And you know what, that's never 420 00:22:54,320 --> 00:23:03,439 Speaker 1: can't keep me awake at night night when there's nothing 421 00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:10,760 Speaker 1: here except my old pianos. I'd almost give my hands 422 00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:34,240 Speaker 1: to make you seem my henway, something you're feeling right now, 423 00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:42,040 Speaker 1: it's selling Burden Cummings. Rock and roll didn't dominate popular 424 00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:44,960 Speaker 1: music in the nineteen sixties. It was still a huge 425 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:49,160 Speaker 1: appetite for easy jazz and big orchestras and herb opera 426 00:23:49,320 --> 00:23:53,080 Speaker 1: satisfied it in nineteen sixty six, his tea Juana Brass 427 00:23:53,359 --> 00:23:57,480 Speaker 1: outsold the Beatles. We had a command performance for the 428 00:23:57,560 --> 00:23:59,760 Speaker 1: Queen of England. We played there in the band Sea 429 00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:03,639 Speaker 1: were Brass. Yeah. Band sounded great. And then meet Prince 430 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:06,680 Speaker 1: Charles who said heavoly record in the in the den. 431 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:11,840 Speaker 1: Herb Alpert's stories from his sixty years of making music 432 00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:21,440 Speaker 1: on Here's the Thing Dot Org. This is Alec Baldwin 433 00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:54,439 Speaker 1: and you were listening to Here's the Thing Church Dates. 434 00:24:54,960 --> 00:25:07,120 Speaker 1: She's go, She's rost. She's Burton Cummings main songwriting collaborator 435 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:10,280 Speaker 1: in the early years of the Guests, who was Randy Bachman, 436 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:14,560 Speaker 1: the band's guitarist. Their collaboration changed the sound of the 437 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:18,639 Speaker 1: late sixties, but their differences in temperament ended up pulling 438 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:23,800 Speaker 1: the band apart. Today the men have reconciled. Here's Bachman 439 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:29,200 Speaker 1: alongside Cummings as they're inducted together into the Canadian Songwriters 440 00:25:29,359 --> 00:25:32,720 Speaker 1: Hall of Fame. Grateful to meet this guy who was 441 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:34,879 Speaker 1: born to be wild when I was born to be mild, 442 00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:38,320 Speaker 1: and together we put something I think that was kind 443 00:25:38,359 --> 00:25:41,080 Speaker 1: of magical and I'm really thrilled with that. But it 444 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:44,160 Speaker 1: took a long time to get back there. We fell 445 00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:49,119 Speaker 1: out Randy, Um, Randy turned Mormon in sixty six. Now 446 00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:51,720 Speaker 1: where is he from original He's from Winnipeg. When how 447 00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:54,360 Speaker 1: did that happen? We should turn in Regina. We spent 448 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:57,520 Speaker 1: the whole summer of sixty six in Regina. How about 449 00:25:57,560 --> 00:26:00,680 Speaker 1: their seven guys in two hotel rooms? Or in one room, 450 00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:04,560 Speaker 1: three and another? We played every single night that summer. 451 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:07,359 Speaker 1: We'd drive to some tiny town, play for a hundred people, 452 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:09,879 Speaker 1: pack up our stuff, drive back to that same hotel 453 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:14,000 Speaker 1: the whole summer. That was my introduction to the luxury 454 00:26:14,080 --> 00:26:18,440 Speaker 1: of the rule. Two months of absolute hell. But it 455 00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:21,520 Speaker 1: toughened us up, and it toughened my voice up. But 456 00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:26,719 Speaker 1: Randy married a Mormon girl in sixty six, and everything 457 00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:29,159 Speaker 1: changed between him and me and between him and the 458 00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:31,119 Speaker 1: rest of the band. First of all, now he wouldn't 459 00:26:31,119 --> 00:26:33,400 Speaker 1: he wouldn't ever have a Coca cola again, or cup 460 00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:36,359 Speaker 1: of coffee, nothing with caffeine. He would not want us 461 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:38,520 Speaker 1: to have a cigarette within fifty feet of the bus. 462 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:41,399 Speaker 1: You couldn't have alcohol. You couldn't do this, You couldn't 463 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:42,720 Speaker 1: do that. You can't do this, you can't do that. 464 00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:45,440 Speaker 1: And Randy just turned into a scout master and that's 465 00:26:45,480 --> 00:26:49,440 Speaker 1: not cool and kind of the opposite of that. Before that, no, 466 00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:51,560 Speaker 1: he I mean, it wasn't a wild man. No, it 467 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:53,720 Speaker 1: wasn't a wild man. Heed. He'd have a vodka and 468 00:26:53,800 --> 00:26:55,920 Speaker 1: orange juice with you and maybe smoke a pipe. But 469 00:26:56,160 --> 00:26:59,440 Speaker 1: but suddenly he was this task master and it just 470 00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:02,240 Speaker 1: got it just got ridiculous. You know, we were still 471 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:05,880 Speaker 1: writing songs, but the joy and the love was gone 472 00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:08,480 Speaker 1: out of it. And then he tried to convert the 473 00:27:08,560 --> 00:27:10,960 Speaker 1: rest of the guys in the band and taking it 474 00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:12,880 Speaker 1: want on us to come to the temple with him. 475 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:14,760 Speaker 1: You know, hey, man, I'm I'm the easiest guy in 476 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:17,119 Speaker 1: the world to get along with, but you're not going 477 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:20,679 Speaker 1: to convert me to some new religion, you know, because 478 00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:24,119 Speaker 1: you are. And and as close as Randy had and 479 00:27:24,280 --> 00:27:26,879 Speaker 1: I had been, it was over at that point. He 480 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:31,159 Speaker 1: just got completely immersed in the Mormon thing. From that 481 00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:33,320 Speaker 1: point on, How long do you stay together before your 482 00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:36,119 Speaker 1: break up? Oh it was still rather three years. I 483 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:39,280 Speaker 1: mean we he met her in sixty six. The whole 484 00:27:39,440 --> 00:27:44,920 Speaker 1: thing kind of fastered over. So while you're making it, 485 00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:49,480 Speaker 1: while you guys are really busting with her, you split 486 00:27:49,560 --> 00:27:53,160 Speaker 1: up with Brandy what year seventy? Who replaces him? Kurt 487 00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:56,800 Speaker 1: Winter and Greg Lescue the two best guitarists in our 488 00:27:56,880 --> 00:28:01,800 Speaker 1: hometown back in Winnipeg, and I immediately thanking the music gods. 489 00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:04,639 Speaker 1: I immediately had a new writing partner in Kurt, and 490 00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:08,240 Speaker 1: you have success with him as well. I I wrote 491 00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:11,399 Speaker 1: Share in the Land by myself, but with with him. 492 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:14,040 Speaker 1: Kurt wrote hand Me Down World. He came into the 493 00:28:14,119 --> 00:28:16,760 Speaker 1: band and Hand Me Down World followed up American Woman, 494 00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:20,080 Speaker 1: and those words are still pretty good today. Anybody here 495 00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:23,920 Speaker 1: see the sky weeping tears for the Ocean? Man, that's 496 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:28,640 Speaker 1: forty seven years ago, and that's still pretty pretty powerful. 497 00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:33,400 Speaker 1: Anybody here see the noise, see the fear and commotion. 498 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:36,680 Speaker 1: I think we missed it. Anybody here see the sky 499 00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:40,960 Speaker 1: weeping tears for the ocean? Yeah, Kurt had these great 500 00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:43,360 Speaker 1: so he He had another song called bus Rider, which 501 00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:45,400 Speaker 1: was on our Share of the Land album. Kurt and 502 00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:49,280 Speaker 1: I wrote a song called Albert Flasher. Not long after that, 503 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:52,760 Speaker 1: Kurt and I wrote a song called Heartbroken Bopper. We 504 00:28:52,880 --> 00:28:55,560 Speaker 1: had another one that went Top twenty called rain Dance. 505 00:28:55,760 --> 00:28:58,080 Speaker 1: Don't you want to rain Dance with Me? Don't you 506 00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:01,320 Speaker 1: want to rain dance. It was a great song, Thief. 507 00:29:01,360 --> 00:29:04,560 Speaker 1: He said to Don the Baker, can you show me 508 00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:08,480 Speaker 1: how to make another bun on? And I'm still sitting 509 00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:12,920 Speaker 1: with my next star, never saying where'd you get the gun? John? 510 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:16,640 Speaker 1: Don't you want to rain dance with me? So we 511 00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:18,880 Speaker 1: we had a bunch of records that we did very 512 00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:22,760 Speaker 1: very well, another one called Star Baby Um, and we 513 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:26,080 Speaker 1: kept getting asked back on Midnight Special. So that's how 514 00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:28,520 Speaker 1: I knew we were doing okay because that was a 515 00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:31,320 Speaker 1: live show. You had to play live on there. But 516 00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:33,360 Speaker 1: share the land you wrote together? Where the land I 517 00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:36,400 Speaker 1: wrote myself. That was a big, big record for me. 518 00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:38,880 Speaker 1: And there was a song that begin. They still call 519 00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:42,680 Speaker 1: it one of the anthems of the hippie era. But 520 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:45,120 Speaker 1: but how does this song like that begin? Have you 521 00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:49,120 Speaker 1: been around? Have you done your share of coming down 522 00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:55,920 Speaker 1: different things that people do? Nice, nice way to start it, 523 00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:57,960 Speaker 1: But you gotta have that hook, you know. So it 524 00:29:58,080 --> 00:30:00,600 Speaker 1: was there was the hook. Maybe I'll be there to 525 00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:04,720 Speaker 1: shake it hand, Maybe I'll be there to share the land. 526 00:30:04,920 --> 00:30:10,080 Speaker 1: They'll begin anyway when we all live together. We're talking 527 00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:14,480 Speaker 1: about together now. That one came quick, about twenty minutes 528 00:30:14,520 --> 00:30:18,400 Speaker 1: half a now you're kidding me. I don't see. I'm 529 00:30:18,440 --> 00:30:21,240 Speaker 1: not one of these Carol King guys, and don't don't 530 00:30:21,280 --> 00:30:24,080 Speaker 1: misconstrue that. I think she's a genius. I love Carol 531 00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:27,520 Speaker 1: King's work. But there's there's these writers, you know, they 532 00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:30,720 Speaker 1: get together at twelve noon and oh it's only ten 533 00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:33,400 Speaker 1: to twelve is it time to be brilliant yet? Oh, 534 00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:36,680 Speaker 1: we'll get together and we'll write on Saturday at six pm. 535 00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:40,040 Speaker 1: I've never been one of those flying at if it's 536 00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:42,520 Speaker 1: not If it's not happening, I will not sit and 537 00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:45,440 Speaker 1: try and force it. On the other hand, at three 538 00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:47,120 Speaker 1: thirty in the morning, and if I wake up and 539 00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:49,720 Speaker 1: I got it, I'll run to the piano and recorded 540 00:30:49,760 --> 00:30:52,160 Speaker 1: and write down lyrics and stuff. So I've never been 541 00:30:52,200 --> 00:30:55,160 Speaker 1: one of those guys that forces it, and I've done 542 00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:58,000 Speaker 1: over thirty albums by not forcing it. Who were some 543 00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:00,600 Speaker 1: people that you worked with like that, that you played 544 00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:03,160 Speaker 1: with them? Open for them, they open for you. Eventually, 545 00:31:03,200 --> 00:31:05,240 Speaker 1: doesn't matter who did you dig, who did you like? 546 00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:10,880 Speaker 1: We did you like anybody that? Anybody that's my age 547 00:31:11,080 --> 00:31:14,240 Speaker 1: that has any music in them. The Beatles blew everybody away. 548 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:17,520 Speaker 1: I mean it was It's It's almost silly to talk 549 00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:19,840 Speaker 1: about the Beatles in the same breath as anyone else. 550 00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:22,640 Speaker 1: They were that far above everyone else. I really do 551 00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:26,560 Speaker 1: transform themselves much. And and you think of this, Alec. 552 00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:29,800 Speaker 1: They weren't even together for seven years. They changed the 553 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:32,520 Speaker 1: entire world. The length of your hair and my hair 554 00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:35,920 Speaker 1: today has something to do with the Beatles. The Beatles 555 00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:38,320 Speaker 1: came along, and then the Stones, the Kinks, the Zombies, 556 00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:41,680 Speaker 1: Manfred Man, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Eric Burton 557 00:31:41,760 --> 00:31:44,880 Speaker 1: and the Animals? Are you kidding me? Did you? And 558 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:48,040 Speaker 1: Randy right undone He wrote that, He wrote, I I 559 00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:50,520 Speaker 1: changed a bit of it, but I mean, basically it 560 00:31:50,640 --> 00:31:52,440 Speaker 1: was it was really his, and I didn't want to. 561 00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:55,520 Speaker 1: I didn't want to put my name on Those are 562 00:31:55,640 --> 00:32:00,760 Speaker 1: very nice chords. She's coming. She didn't know where she 563 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:04,800 Speaker 1: was headed. Fun Ran I found what she was headed. 564 00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:14,200 Speaker 1: Fun It was too late. It's a good song. No 565 00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:20,600 Speaker 1: time for us, summer friend, no time father, love you sin. 566 00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:26,360 Speaker 1: She's unchanged and so did right. You need not wonder 567 00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:31,680 Speaker 1: why when you guys really really shut that up. You 568 00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:36,600 Speaker 1: need not wonder that was going to God God cat 569 00:32:36,760 --> 00:32:40,680 Speaker 1: got out of time. When you when you guys would rampa, 570 00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:42,800 Speaker 1: Were you the only one singing or did you guys 571 00:32:42,840 --> 00:32:45,080 Speaker 1: get all? We all they all background, So we all 572 00:32:45,200 --> 00:32:47,080 Speaker 1: jumped in and I would do the lead vocal and 573 00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:50,120 Speaker 1: then I would join them to reinforce the background vocals 574 00:32:50,200 --> 00:32:53,440 Speaker 1: as well, because at that point things had just changed 575 00:32:53,520 --> 00:32:56,080 Speaker 1: from eight track to sixteen track. This is when I'm 576 00:32:56,160 --> 00:32:59,080 Speaker 1: talking historically now, and it was also all of a sudden. 577 00:32:59,080 --> 00:33:01,520 Speaker 1: It was a big change. You had sixteen tracks instead 578 00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:04,200 Speaker 1: of eight, so you could spread more over the drums 579 00:33:04,240 --> 00:33:06,600 Speaker 1: to have better drum sound. You could double your vocals 580 00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:08,840 Speaker 1: with the Now you can have a hundred tram. I 581 00:33:08,880 --> 00:33:11,760 Speaker 1: mean now it's it's all different and a lot of auto. 582 00:33:12,360 --> 00:33:15,840 Speaker 1: We used to drive five miles to Minneapolis to record 583 00:33:15,960 --> 00:33:20,280 Speaker 1: in four tracks. Now, when you you go solo, what 584 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:21,960 Speaker 1: was that like for you? Did you miss being in 585 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:25,320 Speaker 1: a band? Terrifying? I've talked to Neil Young about this too, 586 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:27,960 Speaker 1: when he left the Buffalo Springfield and went solo on 587 00:33:28,160 --> 00:33:31,680 Speaker 1: his first few solo albums, and he Kneels from Winnipeg too. 588 00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:33,640 Speaker 1: We all grew up at the same time, me and 589 00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:35,760 Speaker 1: Backman and Neil Young, and we all used to play 590 00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:38,560 Speaker 1: the same little coffee houses so there was some kind 591 00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:41,160 Speaker 1: of energy in Winnipeg, Alec. Something was going on there 592 00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:44,840 Speaker 1: because it's just a dot and well he's you know, 593 00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:50,480 Speaker 1: we love him, Oh he's uh if if Gordon Lightfoot's 594 00:33:50,480 --> 00:34:02,200 Speaker 1: favorite singer were Rod Stewart, Maggie something to say the 595 00:34:02,360 --> 00:34:07,000 Speaker 1: rock and roll but oh Maggie, I wish I never 596 00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:13,600 Speaker 1: seen your did you did you do much acting because 597 00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:15,960 Speaker 1: you said to perform one film. I actually got to 598 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:18,960 Speaker 1: work with Paul Sorvino. We did a film called Melanie 599 00:34:19,160 --> 00:34:22,560 Speaker 1: Glennis O'Connor, starting it, shot it. We did the interiors 600 00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:24,960 Speaker 1: in Toronto and the exteriors here because it was supposed 601 00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:26,759 Speaker 1: to take place in l A. And I did a 602 00:34:26,840 --> 00:34:29,640 Speaker 1: racquetball scene with Paul Sorvino, which is you know, I 603 00:34:29,719 --> 00:34:32,359 Speaker 1: brag about that a lot in the film. It's about 604 00:34:32,400 --> 00:34:35,080 Speaker 1: two minutes. It took four days that we didn't want 605 00:34:35,080 --> 00:34:37,640 Speaker 1: to go on and do more of it. I well, 606 00:34:37,760 --> 00:34:40,920 Speaker 1: why I couldn't. You were in natural the voices you 607 00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:44,360 Speaker 1: do sitting around You couldn't take the sitting around us 608 00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:47,560 Speaker 1: to God. You act for you. You act for three minutes, 609 00:34:47,600 --> 00:34:50,279 Speaker 1: you play cards and eat for seven hours in a 610 00:34:50,360 --> 00:34:52,720 Speaker 1: twelve hour day. You act for about I mean, honest 611 00:34:52,760 --> 00:34:55,279 Speaker 1: to god, I drove me. I've got O C. D. 612 00:34:55,440 --> 00:34:58,640 Speaker 1: And I'm very energetic and it made me nuts. I 613 00:34:58,760 --> 00:35:01,279 Speaker 1: can go on stage and keep you interested for two 614 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:04,080 Speaker 1: hours as long as I have this. You know, I'm 615 00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:06,279 Speaker 1: not an actor. When you say you win solo when 616 00:35:06,320 --> 00:35:10,080 Speaker 1: it was terrifying, Well, because you're used to the you're 617 00:35:10,160 --> 00:35:12,400 Speaker 1: used to the cocoon of a band, you know, and 618 00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:15,000 Speaker 1: and and and then suddenly you're a solo guy and 619 00:35:15,080 --> 00:35:18,759 Speaker 1: it's hired guns tour by tour. It's not really your 620 00:35:18,880 --> 00:35:23,000 Speaker 1: band anymore. You're hiring guys just for that tour, so 621 00:35:23,239 --> 00:35:27,200 Speaker 1: the emotional connection is never quite as strong. And then 622 00:35:27,239 --> 00:35:29,759 Speaker 1: you don't see them anymore. But when you're in a 623 00:35:29,880 --> 00:35:31,920 Speaker 1: real band, you're gonna see guys all the time, but 624 00:35:32,160 --> 00:35:34,359 Speaker 1: you know you hire them by the tour. It's different, man, 625 00:35:34,560 --> 00:35:36,759 Speaker 1: It's it's the things change. You wanted to be in 626 00:35:36,840 --> 00:35:39,359 Speaker 1: a band again. I've had the same band now since 627 00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:46,320 Speaker 1: Millennium Night two thousand. Uh. Yes, yes, uh, we just 628 00:35:46,440 --> 00:35:49,520 Speaker 1: call ourselves the Burton Cummings Band. That's perfect. But I've 629 00:35:49,560 --> 00:35:52,279 Speaker 1: had the same guys for fifteen years, so it's um, 630 00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:56,000 Speaker 1: it's the best of both worlds. Are you still writing? Oh? Absolutely. 631 00:35:56,320 --> 00:35:59,040 Speaker 1: I had a new album, new album. It was two 632 00:35:59,080 --> 00:36:01,640 Speaker 1: thousand and eight, two thousand and nine. It was a 633 00:36:01,680 --> 00:36:04,600 Speaker 1: double album's nineteen songs. I wrote everything on it myself. 634 00:36:05,400 --> 00:36:08,080 Speaker 1: I'm still oh. And I have a poetry book that 635 00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:10,759 Speaker 1: has just come out. Actually, I brought one for you, 636 00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:13,840 Speaker 1: a book of poems, fifty two poems that I've worked 637 00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:17,400 Speaker 1: on over the last nine years. It's it's serious poetry, 638 00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:22,040 Speaker 1: it's it's about all different things. And I've always loved poetry. 639 00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:25,880 Speaker 1: I wrote it in school. I was always encouraged the writing, 640 00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:29,239 Speaker 1: you know. So I I'm a creative guy, stay up 641 00:36:29,320 --> 00:36:32,280 Speaker 1: late at night, I Google, I read endlessly. I'm building 642 00:36:32,320 --> 00:36:36,200 Speaker 1: a man magnificent music library. I have three hundred and 643 00:36:36,280 --> 00:36:39,160 Speaker 1: seventy five thousand songs in my hard drive now. It's 644 00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:45,240 Speaker 1: two point four years of music continuously, all with proper artwork. 645 00:36:46,360 --> 00:36:49,680 Speaker 1: It's a Smithsonian. Oh my god. And did you ever 646 00:36:49,760 --> 00:36:54,240 Speaker 1: want to stop? Have you ever said? No? Not even retired, 647 00:36:54,320 --> 00:36:57,040 Speaker 1: just walk away from it and like, I don't want 648 00:36:57,040 --> 00:36:59,000 Speaker 1: to say Palett Cleanser, but something like that where you 649 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:02,920 Speaker 1: just kind of per yourself and reset. Never did that. 650 00:37:03,520 --> 00:37:06,320 Speaker 1: I did it once. My My manager was shep Gordon 651 00:37:06,480 --> 00:37:10,280 Speaker 1: for years, and when he first got his place on Maui, 652 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:13,160 Speaker 1: he was still here in bel Air all the time. 653 00:37:13,560 --> 00:37:15,719 Speaker 1: Summer of seventy seven, he said, why don't you go 654 00:37:15,800 --> 00:37:18,440 Speaker 1: over and stay in the house for a while. So 655 00:37:18,560 --> 00:37:22,200 Speaker 1: I stayed for eight weeks. And it's it's beachfront and Maui. 656 00:37:22,400 --> 00:37:25,080 Speaker 1: That place has been on Lifestyles of the Rich and famous. 657 00:37:25,160 --> 00:37:27,879 Speaker 1: It's remarkable. I had a maid cooking for me, making 658 00:37:27,920 --> 00:37:30,440 Speaker 1: me fresh taboui. In the morning. I'd go out in 659 00:37:30,520 --> 00:37:32,760 Speaker 1: the front yard and pick a mango off the tree 660 00:37:32,880 --> 00:37:35,120 Speaker 1: and then go down to the water for a while, 661 00:37:35,239 --> 00:37:38,520 Speaker 1: and you know, it was wonderful. It was wonderful. So 662 00:37:38,640 --> 00:37:41,160 Speaker 1: briefly you walked away, Yeah, for that one summer. But 663 00:37:41,280 --> 00:37:43,600 Speaker 1: honest to god, I'm I'm an O C D guy 664 00:37:43,719 --> 00:37:45,600 Speaker 1: with a lot of energy and I don't like to 665 00:37:45,719 --> 00:37:50,360 Speaker 1: be too idle when you perform live. Now, when you 666 00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:53,440 Speaker 1: go in front of an audience, Now, how does it feel? 667 00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:55,880 Speaker 1: Does it feel the same in general? Is it always 668 00:37:55,920 --> 00:37:58,400 Speaker 1: the same? You know, there's a lot of times alec 669 00:37:58,520 --> 00:38:01,000 Speaker 1: I will be on stage. It'll be a Saturday night, 670 00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:07,480 Speaker 1: it'll be about nine o'clock and it'll take back fifty 671 00:38:07,600 --> 00:38:10,759 Speaker 1: something years to the same feeling I had in the North. 672 00:38:10,880 --> 00:38:15,200 Speaker 1: It's nine o'clock on a Saturday. There you go. Uh, 673 00:38:15,320 --> 00:38:17,040 Speaker 1: you know it's it's honest to God, I get that 674 00:38:17,160 --> 00:38:20,400 Speaker 1: same feeling that I did when I was fourteen, you know, 675 00:38:20,600 --> 00:38:23,840 Speaker 1: fIF fifty five years ago. So when you perform, you 676 00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:29,000 Speaker 1: still get excited. Oh absolutely, I'm nervous too. Really, I'm 677 00:38:29,080 --> 00:38:32,080 Speaker 1: honest to God. My hands still sweat, My heart rate 678 00:38:32,160 --> 00:38:34,520 Speaker 1: goes up. You see me about two minutes before I 679 00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:36,680 Speaker 1: go on stage of my hands are dripping with sweat. 680 00:38:36,760 --> 00:38:38,920 Speaker 1: And I'm always worried of I got the chops? Have 681 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:41,080 Speaker 1: I got the vocal chops? Tonight? Am I gonna hit 682 00:38:41,160 --> 00:38:45,400 Speaker 1: the notes? Everyone? I've talked to pretty big people about this, 683 00:38:45,560 --> 00:38:49,160 Speaker 1: Tina Turner, Rod Stewart. They still get nervous. I think 684 00:38:49,239 --> 00:38:53,120 Speaker 1: if you really care, you get nervous. You don't care, 685 00:38:54,200 --> 00:38:56,520 Speaker 1: and you don't give a ship movie to always say 686 00:38:56,560 --> 00:38:58,640 Speaker 1: we we we'd walk out and go, we'd wonder is 687 00:38:58,680 --> 00:39:00,560 Speaker 1: this the night it's went it to me? What do 688 00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:02,239 Speaker 1: you mean? Go? Is this the night they find out 689 00:39:02,280 --> 00:39:04,799 Speaker 1: that I don't really haven't got it? This the night 690 00:39:04,840 --> 00:39:07,200 Speaker 1: they find out the truth about That's the same basically 691 00:39:07,320 --> 00:39:10,040 Speaker 1: you're paraphrasing what I just said exactly. Is this? Am 692 00:39:10,080 --> 00:39:11,759 Speaker 1: I going to have the chops? You know? What have you? 693 00:39:11,840 --> 00:39:14,279 Speaker 1: What have you done for your voice to maintain them? 694 00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:16,160 Speaker 1: And ovously or someone who's your voice is like this 695 00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:20,759 Speaker 1: clarion sound. I think, you know, honestly, very simply, um 696 00:39:22,440 --> 00:39:27,680 Speaker 1: quit smoking. I finally quit tobacco. Quit tobacco, UM about 697 00:39:27,760 --> 00:39:30,840 Speaker 1: five or six years ago. That that long ago. No. 698 00:39:31,120 --> 00:39:33,960 Speaker 1: I smoked for fifty years, over over fifty years. But 699 00:39:34,440 --> 00:39:37,520 Speaker 1: you know what's funny, I'm all my favorite singers were smokers. 700 00:39:38,200 --> 00:39:41,200 Speaker 1: Think of a guy like Roy Orbison saying like a bird, 701 00:39:41,760 --> 00:39:44,960 Speaker 1: you know, saying like a bird all the time. Chain smoker. 702 00:39:45,560 --> 00:39:48,960 Speaker 1: Never would have thought when I was in the Devrons, 703 00:39:49,040 --> 00:39:51,680 Speaker 1: we got to open for Roy Orbison's about nineteen sixty 704 00:39:51,719 --> 00:39:53,920 Speaker 1: four sixty five and Winnipeg, I wasn't even in the 705 00:39:53,960 --> 00:39:56,160 Speaker 1: guests who yet we got to open for Roy Orbison, 706 00:39:56,200 --> 00:39:58,239 Speaker 1: and of course I stayed later and I wanted to 707 00:39:58,320 --> 00:40:02,200 Speaker 1: talk to him after the show. Alec He's sitting talking 708 00:40:02,280 --> 00:40:07,320 Speaker 1: to me with Red Marlborough's. One of the strongest cigarettes 709 00:40:07,360 --> 00:40:10,520 Speaker 1: there is, lighting one off the other chain smoking one 710 00:40:10,560 --> 00:40:18,120 Speaker 1: of this is the guy that's saying rawly lonely. But 711 00:40:18,880 --> 00:40:20,920 Speaker 1: did you have to adjust the key you singing some 712 00:40:21,040 --> 00:40:24,520 Speaker 1: of the songs? Um? You know what? We do everything 713 00:40:24,680 --> 00:40:29,680 Speaker 1: down one half step that's not bad for forty years, Um, 714 00:40:29,880 --> 00:40:32,080 Speaker 1: we're still doing most of the songs. It's just a 715 00:40:32,120 --> 00:40:35,080 Speaker 1: half step down. And that that wasn't even me so 716 00:40:35,280 --> 00:40:37,360 Speaker 1: much as my band they like to do things a 717 00:40:37,360 --> 00:40:39,759 Speaker 1: half step down because they have their own singer. They 718 00:40:39,840 --> 00:40:41,520 Speaker 1: do a lot of gigs when I'm not around. They 719 00:40:41,560 --> 00:40:43,080 Speaker 1: have their own singer and he does a lot of 720 00:40:43,120 --> 00:40:45,200 Speaker 1: Beatles and Zeppelin and stuff way up, and he needs 721 00:40:45,320 --> 00:40:48,840 Speaker 1: that extra half step down, and I must submit. You know, 722 00:40:49,400 --> 00:40:52,080 Speaker 1: songs like Stan Tall and these Eyes they're a little 723 00:40:52,160 --> 00:40:55,600 Speaker 1: tougher to do now forty plus years later, but that 724 00:40:55,719 --> 00:40:59,120 Speaker 1: half step allows me to. I'd rather do the songs 725 00:40:59,320 --> 00:41:02,399 Speaker 1: a little How to stand tall sound half stepped down? 726 00:41:02,520 --> 00:41:06,439 Speaker 1: Oh goodness, let me see well sometimes late at night 727 00:41:07,800 --> 00:41:15,400 Speaker 1: they never been this blue. I never knew the meaning 728 00:41:15,800 --> 00:41:19,760 Speaker 1: of a heart ache, But then again, I never lost 729 00:41:19,840 --> 00:41:22,760 Speaker 1: a love before. You're waiting for me to go away 730 00:41:22,920 --> 00:41:30,279 Speaker 1: up there, no no stands all, don't you far, for 731 00:41:30,400 --> 00:41:36,160 Speaker 1: God's sake, don't go do something foolish? All you're feeling 732 00:41:36,280 --> 00:41:47,000 Speaker 1: right now, silly human pride. No, no, no, no, hey man, 733 00:41:47,160 --> 00:41:48,960 Speaker 1: I'll sell you something. A lot easier is like this 734 00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:57,600 Speaker 1: clap for wolf Man. He gonna rate your record high. See, 735 00:41:57,640 --> 00:42:01,080 Speaker 1: that's a lot easier. You sing to know and people go, 736 00:42:01,400 --> 00:42:03,920 Speaker 1: I know who that I know that song? You know 737 00:42:04,400 --> 00:42:08,880 Speaker 1: if you sing you know. Sometimes later at night you 738 00:42:09,040 --> 00:42:11,160 Speaker 1: sing that song and people go, I know who that is. 739 00:42:11,320 --> 00:42:14,080 Speaker 1: You know, they know your whole thing. And you are 740 00:42:14,120 --> 00:42:17,560 Speaker 1: a great, great, great musician, and you are a great singer. 741 00:42:17,719 --> 00:42:20,200 Speaker 1: I'm very humbled by this, and I was my pleasure 742 00:42:20,280 --> 00:42:22,640 Speaker 1: to be here and see you, really and truly. I 743 00:42:22,719 --> 00:42:24,840 Speaker 1: didn't know that you knew all the songs and stuff, 744 00:42:24,840 --> 00:42:33,320 Speaker 1: but lonely, feeling deep inside fund the corner where I 745 00:42:33,400 --> 00:42:37,280 Speaker 1: can hide. No sugar tonight, and with coffee, no sugar tonight, 746 00:42:37,440 --> 00:42:41,040 Speaker 1: and I tea no sugar to stand beside me, no 747 00:42:41,239 --> 00:42:45,279 Speaker 1: sugar to wrong. Wouldn't be no dunder down under round 748 00:42:45,680 --> 00:42:56,959 Speaker 1: dud dud down under round under Burton Cummings. I still 749 00:42:57,040 --> 00:42:59,879 Speaker 1: had more questions, so I called him up to hear 750 00:43:00,040 --> 00:43:02,719 Speaker 1: how life on the road feels when you've been doing 751 00:43:02,800 --> 00:43:06,399 Speaker 1: it for forty years and when everyone wants to hear 752 00:43:06,719 --> 00:43:10,279 Speaker 1: the same four hits. You know. The thing is, I've 753 00:43:10,320 --> 00:43:14,120 Speaker 1: been asked a million times through the decades. Don't you 754 00:43:14,200 --> 00:43:17,359 Speaker 1: get tired of singing the same songs over and over? 755 00:43:18,000 --> 00:43:22,000 Speaker 1: Maybe some people do, but I certainly don't. And here's 756 00:43:22,040 --> 00:43:25,960 Speaker 1: the thing, don't. Don't people remember how hard it is 757 00:43:26,080 --> 00:43:29,080 Speaker 1: to get a hit record in the first place. I mean, 758 00:43:30,040 --> 00:43:33,239 Speaker 1: the odds are stacked against you, no matter who you 759 00:43:33,360 --> 00:43:36,680 Speaker 1: are as far as getting a hit record. So why 760 00:43:36,719 --> 00:43:40,560 Speaker 1: would I why would I even think twice about not, 761 00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:43,000 Speaker 1: you know, not wanting to perform them for the rest 762 00:43:43,040 --> 00:43:45,200 Speaker 1: of my life. I'm thrilled to get out there and 763 00:43:45,320 --> 00:43:49,040 Speaker 1: sing the songs that everybody knows. Yeah, exactly, exactly, we 764 00:43:49,120 --> 00:43:50,480 Speaker 1: know what. Like you said, that's a very good point, 765 00:43:50,840 --> 00:43:52,920 Speaker 1: how hard you worked to get a hit in the 766 00:43:52,960 --> 00:43:54,680 Speaker 1: first Well, I mean, it's the thing is that the 767 00:43:54,760 --> 00:43:57,080 Speaker 1: odds are stacked against you, and and and that was 768 00:43:57,200 --> 00:43:59,480 Speaker 1: back then when a lot of people had hit records. 769 00:43:59,520 --> 00:44:02,960 Speaker 1: There are a lot less people today having to have 770 00:44:03,080 --> 00:44:06,440 Speaker 1: a hit single. Today, it's like jumping through hoops. It's 771 00:44:06,440 --> 00:44:10,719 Speaker 1: almost impossible. Yeah. Well, it's also like classical music, anything good, 772 00:44:10,800 --> 00:44:14,439 Speaker 1: anything great, like you know, Beethoven's Fifth that doesn't matter. 773 00:44:14,760 --> 00:44:16,440 Speaker 1: You're not gonna listen to it every day, but you 774 00:44:16,480 --> 00:44:19,400 Speaker 1: can come back and hear it again and appreciate what 775 00:44:19,520 --> 00:44:22,400 Speaker 1: it has to offer, whether it's beautiful music or rock 776 00:44:22,520 --> 00:44:24,520 Speaker 1: music or whatever. You Now, the other question I have 777 00:44:24,719 --> 00:44:26,640 Speaker 1: is I looked at your book of poetry that you 778 00:44:26,760 --> 00:44:29,160 Speaker 1: gave me, which was very nice. I appreciate that. But 779 00:44:29,280 --> 00:44:31,880 Speaker 1: the question that I have is that how do you 780 00:44:32,000 --> 00:44:37,000 Speaker 1: distinguish what's poetry and what's lyrics? Well, that's a that's 781 00:44:37,040 --> 00:44:41,759 Speaker 1: a very good question too. They are completely two separate universes. 782 00:44:42,200 --> 00:44:46,360 Speaker 1: When I'm writing a song, I'm already thinking of melodies 783 00:44:46,440 --> 00:44:49,680 Speaker 1: to go along with whatever the lyrics might be. Whereas 784 00:44:49,760 --> 00:44:53,719 Speaker 1: with poetry, it just has to stand by itself. It 785 00:44:53,840 --> 00:44:56,560 Speaker 1: doesn't have the backing of a band with drums and 786 00:44:56,680 --> 00:45:01,400 Speaker 1: guitars and melodies and you know, uh, the same shading 787 00:45:02,120 --> 00:45:06,280 Speaker 1: that uh poets. Poetry just has to stand as words 788 00:45:06,320 --> 00:45:09,640 Speaker 1: on paper. So I when I'm writing poetry, it's a 789 00:45:09,680 --> 00:45:14,280 Speaker 1: completely different thing. I'm I'm hearing it as I write 790 00:45:14,360 --> 00:45:17,880 Speaker 1: the poems. I'm hearing them in my own head. And 791 00:45:18,040 --> 00:45:20,560 Speaker 1: that's the way when someone reads a poem, they're hearing 792 00:45:20,600 --> 00:45:23,720 Speaker 1: it in their own voice. You know, whereas with songs 793 00:45:23,840 --> 00:45:27,160 Speaker 1: it's it's a completely different situation. The lyrics have to 794 00:45:27,200 --> 00:45:29,240 Speaker 1: marry to the two. You've got to put two things together. 795 00:45:29,600 --> 00:45:31,960 Speaker 1: It's more than just words on paper, whereas with the 796 00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:35,320 Speaker 1: poetry they have to the words have to be very strong. 797 00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:37,640 Speaker 1: They have to convey some kind of a message that 798 00:45:37,840 --> 00:45:41,160 Speaker 1: makes the reader think something. And you find with poetry 799 00:45:41,200 --> 00:45:43,439 Speaker 1: you can do whatever you want. It's a different world, 800 00:45:43,600 --> 00:45:47,480 Speaker 1: you know. Songwriting and poetry two different worlds completely. I 801 00:45:47,640 --> 00:45:50,719 Speaker 1: like both. I wouldn't say I prefer one over the other, 802 00:45:51,320 --> 00:45:54,319 Speaker 1: but I've probably had more experienced writing songs because I've 803 00:45:54,360 --> 00:45:57,280 Speaker 1: done over thirty albums and written most of the stuff myself. 804 00:45:58,200 --> 00:46:01,440 Speaker 1: Have you ever thought about singing your poems? Um? No, 805 00:46:02,239 --> 00:46:05,960 Speaker 1: they don't lend themselves, so they don't lend themselves to 806 00:46:06,120 --> 00:46:42,319 Speaker 1: vocal season change. You need not, you need not time. 807 00:46:48,320 --> 00:46:51,640 Speaker 1: He'll always be known as guests who front Van Burton Cummings, 808 00:46:51,960 --> 00:46:55,000 Speaker 1: but don't overlook his poetry. That book he gave me 809 00:46:55,440 --> 00:46:59,080 Speaker 1: sold out. This is Alec Baldwin and you were listening 810 00:46:59,120 --> 00:47:01,920 Speaker 1: to here's the thing to