1 00:00:01,080 --> 00:00:04,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Taking a Walk podcast, where host Buzz 2 00:00:04,680 --> 00:00:08,600 Speaker 1: Night delves into stories of passion and resilience in music creation. 3 00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: Find the podcast on all platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 4 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:19,480 Speaker 1: along with iHeart and the podcast playground. Now, imagine if 5 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 1: you're an artist that releases a project in nineteen seventy nine, 6 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 1: it fails miserably, only to be discovered years later, it 7 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 1: goes viral and is now the subject of a new 8 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:34,960 Speaker 1: movie starring Casey Affleck. The movie is Dreaming Wild, based 9 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: on the incredible story of Donnie and Joe Emerson. And 10 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:41,880 Speaker 1: Donnie is next with Buzz Night on Taking a Walk. 11 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:45,640 Speaker 2: Hi, Donnie, how are you, my friend? 12 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:46,600 Speaker 3: Dude? How are you? 13 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:47,879 Speaker 2: I'm doing excellent. 14 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:53,479 Speaker 4: I'm walking around my backyard here in Carlisle, Massachusetts. I'm 15 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:56,560 Speaker 4: watching a bunch of hummingbirds having a fight at the 16 00:00:57,640 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 4: at the feeder. 17 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 2: They're vicious with each other. They're very territorial. 18 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, yeah, they are so. 19 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:09,479 Speaker 4: Donnie, walk our audience through your wild ride in life. 20 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 4: That is such an unbelievable story. And Dreaming Wild, well. 21 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:17,760 Speaker 3: They can't do it in just a few minutes. I 22 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 3: can only give you this summary of the film. Okay, 23 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:25,000 Speaker 3: which in theorist today AMC theaters, possibly some regal theaters 24 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 3: as well, but four hundred and some AMC theaters. So 25 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 3: I wanted to go out and see this film because 26 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:37,000 Speaker 3: this film is about faith, family, redemption, forgiveness, moving on. Okay, 27 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 3: don't give up on your dreams. I wrote this. I 28 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:46,479 Speaker 3: did this record in nineteen seventy eight, seventy nine in 29 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 3: a rural area, thirteen kids in my class. So you 30 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 3: can put the scenario there. Okay, seventeen hundred acres were 31 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 3: lost because we put all our efforts into this album. 32 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 3: It gets shelved because we never got anywhere with thirty 33 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 3: two years later, the record goes viral, goes viral, it 34 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 3: gets placed. Some of the big songs on the record, 35 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 3: like Baby, gets placed in multiple films. It created the 36 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 3: interest of Bill Pohlad Jim Burke. Jim Burke who did 37 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:21,360 Speaker 3: the Green Book beating up to about five years ago, 38 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 3: they approached us to do this film called Dream and 39 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:28,360 Speaker 3: Wild around my family's life, my life, the struggles we 40 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:32,040 Speaker 3: had of getting the record out and losing the farm, 41 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 3: and the paradigms between two different time periods coming together. 42 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:43,840 Speaker 3: Matthew seventy nine, coming together to twenty eleven and how 43 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:46,800 Speaker 3: I had to struggle with that. And now the film 44 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 3: is coming out. It's unbelievable, great music in it. Bow 45 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 3: Bridge is playing my father, Zoey Dashel playing my wife, 46 00:02:55,600 --> 00:03:03,080 Speaker 3: Nancy Kasey affleck Oscar winner, unbelievable actor Walton Goggins playing 47 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:04,799 Speaker 3: my brother. You know what you're playing me at a 48 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 3: young age. Jack Grazer playing my brother. New song in 49 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 3: the film, But when a Dream is beautiful, which fits 50 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:17,360 Speaker 3: everybody about how they go through life, you know, and 51 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:20,000 Speaker 3: they give up on their dreams. Don't give up on 52 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 3: your dreams. Your journey is your dream. I just want 53 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 3: you guys to know that. 54 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:28,240 Speaker 4: So were you at a point when this all sort 55 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 4: of went viral and started growing. Had you been at 56 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 4: a point where you wanted closure of all that time? 57 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 2: What was your mindset? 58 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 3: Well? I just wanted to move on. I wanted to 59 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 3: move on. I didn't want to go back to that 60 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:42,760 Speaker 3: time period. I mean I did, and I didn't. I 61 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:46,040 Speaker 3: wanted to, but but I had to do my best 62 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:49,280 Speaker 3: to wrestle without all that. Now, that's what I'm saying 63 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 3: about this film. It moves ahead and it pulls people 64 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 3: together like when a Dream Is Beautiful to Fong. You 65 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:57,880 Speaker 3: know that we wrote and sang together in the film. 66 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 3: Nancy and I wrote together in the film for the film, 67 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 3: actually specifically for the film. It just explains why, you know, 68 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 3: you got to you got to bring both together and 69 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 3: move on together. You know, you got to have some 70 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:11,680 Speaker 3: of the past to go to the to the present 71 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:14,960 Speaker 3: and the present in the future. It's all that wrestling 72 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,560 Speaker 3: with all that, you know, you know, leaving things behind them, 73 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:21,279 Speaker 3: moving ahead. And want people to go out and see 74 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:22,960 Speaker 3: this film. I really do. I think it's going to 75 00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:25,400 Speaker 3: change their lives. It's going to give them a different perspective. 76 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:27,240 Speaker 3: The song is going to give him a different perspective 77 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 3: way differently because to be asked to do this almost 78 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:34,839 Speaker 3: now forty some years later, it's unbelievable journey. So go 79 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:38,160 Speaker 3: out and watch the film, h go download the when 80 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:40,679 Speaker 3: a Dream Is Beautiful song. I think you'll be amazed. 81 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:45,480 Speaker 2: What about your brother, Joey, what's his perspective. 82 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:53,120 Speaker 3: On all this? His perspective, Well, Joe, Well, it was 83 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:54,880 Speaker 3: tough for him at first because he wanted me to 84 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:56,680 Speaker 3: go back to you know, you know, it's going to 85 00:04:56,760 --> 00:04:59,039 Speaker 3: do the old music and everything and I'll honor the 86 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:02,200 Speaker 3: old music, but you have to move ahead. And he 87 00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:06,159 Speaker 3: finally realized that he's doing his own music now I 88 00:05:06,279 --> 00:05:08,640 Speaker 3: help him. I'm helping me actually produce a new album 89 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 3: for him. We've come to wrestle with this thing. Obviously, 90 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:15,640 Speaker 3: we're thankful for all the old music that has brought 91 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:19,720 Speaker 3: us up to this point. He's one hundred percent behind me, 92 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:23,480 Speaker 3: and I'm one hundred percent behind him, just in different 93 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:26,320 Speaker 3: time periods. Right now, even right now, he's on the 94 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:29,040 Speaker 3: farm still and I'm in New York promoting and then 95 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:31,920 Speaker 3: I'm back. You know, we've been in LA working there 96 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 3: as well, performing performing the songs. But he's on the farm. 97 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:40,919 Speaker 3: You know, he's always been on the farm and me, 98 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:43,080 Speaker 3: I've been playing for forty five years. 99 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:46,279 Speaker 2: So during all this, you never stopped playing. 100 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 3: No, I never stopped playing at all. I take it 101 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:53,960 Speaker 3: very seriously. I don't give up just is. You know, 102 00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:58,080 Speaker 3: you can't keep your jobs up if you're going to 103 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:00,599 Speaker 3: stop for a year. It's hard, you know, three months. 104 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:02,480 Speaker 3: You got to keep playing as much as possible, keep 105 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:06,120 Speaker 3: writing as much as possible, even when you don't want to. 106 00:06:06,279 --> 00:06:09,120 Speaker 3: And I think I was groomed for this moment, because 107 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:10,520 Speaker 3: there's no way I could handle it when I was 108 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 3: a younger age. I don't think I could appreciate it 109 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:14,200 Speaker 3: as much as I do now because I know how 110 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 3: hard this takes to do for different aspects of the 111 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 3: film production to lifetime right and everything. I know how 112 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:22,640 Speaker 3: it works now. 113 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:26,600 Speaker 4: So I feel like at the time in seventy eight 114 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:30,920 Speaker 4: seventy nine when you guys created this, that your influences 115 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:36,560 Speaker 4: were kind of you know, in that Pablo Cruise sound, 116 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:40,160 Speaker 4: maybe Hall of Notes and maybe even a little Chuck 117 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:47,000 Speaker 4: Mangione kind of influence. Am I right about about those influences? 118 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:49,679 Speaker 4: And what do you influence by now? 119 00:06:50,839 --> 00:06:53,760 Speaker 3: Well? Absolutely it was influenced by all those you know, 120 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:56,240 Speaker 3: you hear it in the record. You hear it, You 121 00:06:56,279 --> 00:07:01,320 Speaker 3: hear Brett, you hear Chuck MANGIONI you hear Stanley Clark. 122 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:04,599 Speaker 3: You hear a lot of things in there. Because I 123 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:07,960 Speaker 3: had one radio station that I listened to a tractor 124 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,400 Speaker 3: in nineteen seventy nine, so I listened to Eddie Arnold. 125 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 3: So there's country for the aspects of it too that 126 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:16,680 Speaker 3: I moved ahead as well, you know, because I grew 127 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:19,640 Speaker 3: up on Eddie Arnold, Hank snow Earnest Tubbs. You know, 128 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:23,640 Speaker 3: Lionel Ritchie the big influence on my life. You can 129 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:28,440 Speaker 3: hear that in the song dream Full of Dreams. And 130 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:31,920 Speaker 3: you know, even now, I'm influenced by other artists that 131 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:35,440 Speaker 3: inspire me, that moved me ahead as well in the 132 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 3: production that I've heard so far, you know, I mean 133 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 3: when you listen to The Weekend, I love how the 134 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 3: ambience and that's all filled in. But that's all old 135 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:49,080 Speaker 3: school too, but you're going to hear their influences you're 136 00:07:49,120 --> 00:07:52,480 Speaker 3: in the film right now that are kind of current 137 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:55,200 Speaker 3: as well. You know, when we did this last ending 138 00:07:55,240 --> 00:07:58,080 Speaker 3: credit song again when a Dream was beautiful as the 139 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 3: title song of that that we performed and played for 140 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:04,720 Speaker 3: the film. Nancy and I, you just got to realize 141 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 3: that you got to evolve. You just have to. You 142 00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:09,800 Speaker 3: can't keep going back in the past. I do old 143 00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 3: school recording around all this stuff. I try to keep 144 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:13,800 Speaker 3: true to myself. 145 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:18,920 Speaker 4: Any regrets that you have going back many many years, 146 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:21,240 Speaker 4: you wish you could have done something differently, whether it 147 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:24,280 Speaker 4: be you know, about the process, or with your dad 148 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:25,000 Speaker 4: or anything. 149 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:29,840 Speaker 3: No, I don't have any regrets. I really don't. In fact, 150 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 3: I'm taking those you know, like I remember, I'm I 151 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:34,880 Speaker 3: was only fifteen sixteen, you known, you know, I'm a kid. 152 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:37,640 Speaker 3: But in the process of recording, I don't have any 153 00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:40,480 Speaker 3: regrets because you learn as you go, and I've taken 154 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:42,720 Speaker 3: all those skills now and brought them up to twenty 155 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:46,640 Speaker 3: twenty three old school, old school techniques that have been 156 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:50,040 Speaker 3: basically buried for so many years and for many people 157 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:53,280 Speaker 3: understand it in this day of cutting and editing in 158 00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:57,559 Speaker 3: digital that I that I know how to do, and 159 00:08:57,679 --> 00:08:59,839 Speaker 3: I know how to do it at a pretty high 160 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:02,880 Speaker 3: life level. So I don't really have any regrets because 161 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:04,120 Speaker 3: that's what's brought me here today. 162 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:08,520 Speaker 4: And it was the record collector Jack Fleischer that really 163 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 4: ignited this, right yes. 164 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:13,760 Speaker 3: Yes he was. And you know he looked at this, 165 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:15,360 Speaker 3: you know, the album and he thought it was kind 166 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:17,080 Speaker 3: of you know, kind of interesting, you know, the two 167 00:09:17,160 --> 00:09:21,199 Speaker 3: suits and that old vibe and then yeah, and he 168 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:23,520 Speaker 3: showed it to a record collector and this and that 169 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:27,199 Speaker 3: and another record collector, and then it went viral. It 170 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:29,400 Speaker 3: went viral, and then it got into tons of films. 171 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:33,960 Speaker 3: It's it's it's being looked at for other things right now. 172 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:39,000 Speaker 3: I mean, it's been in so many And yeah, the 173 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:42,560 Speaker 3: music's just transcending people's lives. I know this film's going 174 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:45,840 Speaker 3: to transcend a lot of people's lives as musicians, artists 175 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:50,560 Speaker 3: as well as just a hard working American people, our world, 176 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:53,880 Speaker 3: people all around the world that a family, faith, redemption, 177 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 3: forgiveness is where it's all at. And don't keep up 178 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:00,440 Speaker 3: on your dreams. Don't give up on your dreams. That's 179 00:10:00,480 --> 00:10:02,760 Speaker 3: why we wrote that song, when a Dream is Beautiful. 180 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:05,920 Speaker 3: You can get it on Spotify. By the way, it's 181 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:08,439 Speaker 3: dropped as well. You can get that today as well, 182 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:10,720 Speaker 3: the soundtrack Donny. 183 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:13,560 Speaker 4: Isn't it wild thinking about in today's day and age 184 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:18,680 Speaker 4: if if you had put that music out, you could 185 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:22,600 Speaker 4: have uploaded it to you know, one of the platforms, YouTube, whatever, 186 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:25,640 Speaker 4: and it would have had a shot to take down 187 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 4: the life of its own back then in that regard, 188 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:30,080 Speaker 4: isn't it wild thinking about the shifts in time? 189 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:33,000 Speaker 3: Well, I don't know if it would have been grasped 190 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:38,520 Speaker 3: on because we've been integrated with technology that has taken 191 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:41,439 Speaker 3: us away from the field of music for the last 192 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:50,679 Speaker 3: twenty years. Okay, and the underground following following was getting 193 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:55,800 Speaker 3: tired of that. Okay, and that's what you have to have, 194 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:57,880 Speaker 3: something to pull you away from something to know what 195 00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:03,120 Speaker 3: really is real. Okay, and that music I did back 196 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:06,199 Speaker 3: then was real. The one takers on that thing. It's 197 00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:10,040 Speaker 3: all about field, It's all about just expressing yourself. And 198 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:12,880 Speaker 3: we've been taught up in all this other music and 199 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:15,599 Speaker 3: either art not saying it's not that or whatever it is. 200 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:19,760 Speaker 3: But there's something to be said about purity. It's just 201 00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:23,360 Speaker 3: being being, you know, throw yourself out there and see 202 00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:26,679 Speaker 3: what sticks and what happens, and they grasp hold of that. 203 00:11:26,840 --> 00:11:30,199 Speaker 3: And hopefully the film is going to show people that 204 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:33,240 Speaker 3: and give them hope that you know, you don't have 205 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:35,960 Speaker 3: to be conformed to what you've been told or whatever. 206 00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:39,320 Speaker 3: You can be you and live your dream. 207 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:44,040 Speaker 4: And the last perspective that you could maybe give Donnie 208 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:47,240 Speaker 4: for any aspiring and dependent artists listening to this. 209 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:52,079 Speaker 3: Just don't give up. Be thankful for what you have. 210 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:56,319 Speaker 3: You know, all your gifts come from God. Try to 211 00:11:56,520 --> 00:11:59,720 Speaker 3: try to live and be thankful. Don't be so hard 212 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:01,560 Speaker 3: on you yourself, and don't be hard on other people 213 00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:04,959 Speaker 3: while you're going through your art. Don't don't be so 214 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:07,719 Speaker 3: harsh on people that that that that don't get you 215 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:11,520 Speaker 3: how you how your art needs to be portrayed. Just 216 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:15,599 Speaker 3: be thankful and and have fun with your music, have 217 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:17,400 Speaker 3: fun with your life, because it's a gift you'll live 218 00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:18,360 Speaker 3: here on this earth. 219 00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 2: Hey Donnie, congratulations on everything. I'm so happy for you. 220 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:23,960 Speaker 3: Thank you so much. 221 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:31,120 Speaker 1: Taking a Walk with Buzznight is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, 222 00:12:31,679 --> 00:12:33,839 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts.