1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:04,080 Speaker 1: Taking a Walk. You need to have two hundred and 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:08,480 Speaker 1: fifty thousand followers before we even think about listening to 3 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:09,880 Speaker 1: your music on Buzznight. 4 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:13,240 Speaker 2: And welcome back to the Taking a Walk Podcast. We 5 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:16,600 Speaker 2: love a good conversation and today we have a rare 6 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 2: privilege a true musical trailblazer Jerry Harrison. You know him 7 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 2: as the creative force will help drive talking heads into 8 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 2: uncharted territory, and later he sharpened his producer's edge on 9 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 2: landmark albums for bands like Live and The Verb Pipe. 10 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 2: Jerry's career is a long road of innovation, from his 11 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:43,960 Speaker 2: Harvard Art School days to shaping anthems that still pulse 12 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:48,040 Speaker 2: through speakers everywhere. So join us as we step into 13 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:51,600 Speaker 2: the mind of an artist who has never stopped evolving. 14 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 2: Jerry Harrison will take a break and be right back 15 00:00:55,480 --> 00:01:01,840 Speaker 2: on Taking a Walk. Boy, this is a real thrill 16 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:05,640 Speaker 2: having Jerry Harrison on the Taking a Walk Podcast. Hello, Jerry, 17 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 2: glad to be here. So we're going to talk about 18 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 2: this great fortieth anniversary celebration of Stop Making Sense, which 19 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:19,039 Speaker 2: is so outstanding and what a movie. But first, since 20 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,200 Speaker 2: we call this this little podcast Taking a Walk, Jerry, 21 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 2: is there somebody living or dead, you wish you could 22 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:31,039 Speaker 2: take a walk with And where might you walk with him? 23 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,000 Speaker 1: Well, it'd be hard not to say. You wouldn't want 24 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 1: to take a walk with Robert Johnson. You probably would 25 00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 1: go down to the crossroads. Although if all of the 26 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:51,560 Speaker 1: rumors are true, maybe that's a risky, risky business. But well, 27 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:58,480 Speaker 1: you know, Mozart's and Beethoven and anything so off limits, 28 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 1: I guess seems the mode. I would have Having seen 29 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: Jimmy Hendricks a few times, I certainly would have loved 30 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:07,400 Speaker 1: to have met him or to have been able to 31 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 1: play a show with him. I my engineer E. T. 32 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:17,440 Speaker 1: Thorngren had a band called Bulldog, and he was They 33 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: were the first horn band before the Electric Flag and 34 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:24,240 Speaker 1: before the Paul Butderfield blues Band and Blood, Sweat and 35 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:29,840 Speaker 1: Tears added horns, and Jimmy Hendricks came to jam with 36 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 1: them at Steve Paul scene in New York, which I 37 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:35,800 Speaker 1: always thought that was a pretty cool claim to fame. 38 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 1: It's like, yeah, Jimmy came to jam with our band. 39 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:41,359 Speaker 1: I love that. 40 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:46,080 Speaker 2: That is pretty That is pretty outstanding. Now, have you 41 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 2: gone through writer's block yourself? And do walks help break 42 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 2: out of a writer's block if you have gone through those. 43 00:02:56,360 --> 00:02:59,680 Speaker 1: Well, I'm a big believer in walks. I live in 44 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 1: an area where the hiking is really great. I live 45 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: across the street from Mere Woods, and so one of 46 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 1: the reasons I moved here actually was I figured I 47 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:13,120 Speaker 1: would start doing that. So yeah, I think that walks 48 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:17,799 Speaker 1: are very sally, you know, just good for you in 49 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:25,639 Speaker 1: so many ways. There's a study that somehow walking has 50 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 1: a unique ability of sort of staving off dementia. That 51 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 1: although all forms of exercise, of course are good for 52 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 1: you for this because of oxygen and using of your muscles, 53 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 1: but I think there's something about walking. And I my 54 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:46,560 Speaker 1: theory is that just when we stand up, we're actually 55 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:50,400 Speaker 1: just always correcting ourselves from falling over, and that this 56 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 1: is a really complicated task for the because we're because 57 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 1: we stand on two legs out four, we have an 58 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: enormous amount of sensors in our feet that are feeding 59 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 1: the brain as well as the appropriate receptive receptors, the 60 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 1: sense of balance in your ears, all combining to just 61 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:16,600 Speaker 1: keep you upright. So if you on a walk, especially 62 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 1: on uneven surfaces, you're really really activating that whole network. 63 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:24,920 Speaker 1: And I think that that enervates a great deal of 64 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 1: the brain. And I think that in whatever way it is, 65 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:34,680 Speaker 1: that that perhaps keeps the brain more alive, more healthier, 66 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:37,239 Speaker 1: and that it affects all the other parts of brain 67 00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 1: activity that are nearby. 68 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 2: Thinking of the fortieth anniversary and reflecting on stop making 69 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:48,559 Speaker 2: sense when you go back in time and you think 70 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:52,120 Speaker 2: first of all of the choice of the theater that 71 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:59,240 Speaker 2: ultimately became the final destination. What was that whole process 72 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 2: creatively like and collaboration wise like with the band members 73 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:07,720 Speaker 2: obviously and the great Jonathan Demi. 74 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:13,440 Speaker 1: Well, it was a remarkable experience because we filmed it 75 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: in the end of nineteen eighty three. We then went 76 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:19,560 Speaker 1: off and did some festivals in Australia and New Zealand 77 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:22,720 Speaker 1: and then came back. By that point they had set 78 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:26,680 Speaker 1: up the editing system using this unique for the time 79 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 1: period multi camera editing system using Sony Betamax's that hal 80 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 1: Ashby had invented. That was out. I think it was 81 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:39,960 Speaker 1: in Malibu, but it could have been some place between 82 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:44,159 Speaker 1: Malibu and Santa Monica. And so it allowed Lisa Day 83 00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 1: and then Jonathan to have every shot, every camera simultaneously. 84 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:54,000 Speaker 1: Up these Steinberg editing tables I think had a maximum 85 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:56,400 Speaker 1: of four, and we had more cameras at different times 86 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:00,280 Speaker 1: as well as they were wearing out film, and so 87 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:02,080 Speaker 1: this was a way that there had been a transfer. 88 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 1: You would never do your final edit that way, but 89 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 1: you could pick shots and go like, oh, that looks 90 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:11,080 Speaker 1: good or this is good and stuff like that. David 91 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:13,000 Speaker 1: and I were the only ones who stayed in LA 92 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:16,599 Speaker 1: for the mix, the mix of the of the music, 93 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:19,960 Speaker 1: as well as watching them do the edit, and we'd 94 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:22,960 Speaker 1: kind of stop by, I'm not sure if it was 95 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:25,920 Speaker 1: daily or every other day or something like that, and 96 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:29,880 Speaker 1: just kind of check on the process, and Jonathan and 97 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:33,400 Speaker 1: Lisa would ask questions like do you remember something great 98 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:36,719 Speaker 1: that happens here, or look at this great shot of 99 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:41,080 Speaker 1: Alex or Tina looks so cute, or I love the way. 100 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:43,960 Speaker 1: I remember one suggestion I made that there was a 101 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:48,159 Speaker 1: place where we were losing some kind of sink or 102 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:51,839 Speaker 1: something and an adjustment had to be made, and I 103 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:56,239 Speaker 1: remember suggesting that we cut to Tina looking at Chris 104 00:06:57,080 --> 00:06:58,600 Speaker 1: so I think it was a drum synk because it 105 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:00,839 Speaker 1: was a particularly the ones that you would notice that 106 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:04,040 Speaker 1: and lips and I said we'll kind of way to 107 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:07,960 Speaker 1: Teena because she's always looking at Chris, and then you 108 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,320 Speaker 1: can come back with the adjustment and that did work. 109 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:15,720 Speaker 1: I'm sure that you know David is filled with suggestions 110 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:18,400 Speaker 1: and store things he made, but it was a very 111 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:24,760 Speaker 1: friendly and positive atmosphere. And having been on projects, albums, 112 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:29,400 Speaker 1: movies that go on for a year, you never can 113 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: work continuously for a year without getting a certain burnout 114 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:37,440 Speaker 1: at a certain point, and a break is required just 115 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 1: to recharge your batteries. And usually when you come back 116 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:44,200 Speaker 1: from the break, you feel refreshed, but you also feel like, Okay, 117 00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:46,800 Speaker 1: now I need to get up to speed again. And 118 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:50,920 Speaker 1: this project, we went straight from filming it frankly all 119 00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:53,240 Speaker 1: the way to playing it at the Florence Film Festival 120 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:57,040 Speaker 1: without a break, and we just went pushed straight on 121 00:07:57,160 --> 00:08:00,480 Speaker 1: through and we could see the endpoint and it was 122 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 1: close enough that we didn't feel like we needed that 123 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:06,440 Speaker 1: And that was really special because I think, particularly in 124 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:08,880 Speaker 1: the world of film, that it's just such a long 125 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:12,200 Speaker 1: process that you have to you know, sometimes there's the 126 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:13,880 Speaker 1: things like what we have to wait for it to 127 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:16,320 Speaker 1: be developed, and that's going to take for all of 128 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:19,480 Speaker 1: these reels that'll take this amount of time or the 129 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:22,320 Speaker 1: mixer's not ready so we have to wait. But this 130 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:24,680 Speaker 1: one just kept on going and we kind of made 131 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:27,520 Speaker 1: this early deadline of the Florence Film Festival in the spring, 132 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:32,320 Speaker 1: and that was very exciting. We also mixed it twice. 133 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:36,199 Speaker 1: We had been informed that there was someone who had 134 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:39,680 Speaker 1: experienced mixing music as well as films who we hired, 135 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:44,600 Speaker 1: and then David and I hated it and we basically 136 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:47,240 Speaker 1: got rid of him and did it again much being 137 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:50,600 Speaker 1: much much more involved ourselves. And this was back in 138 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:56,200 Speaker 1: the day where we had transferred this to digital Sony 139 00:08:56,440 --> 00:08:59,199 Speaker 1: twenty four tracks that just a digital twenty four tracks 140 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:03,480 Speaker 1: had just come out, because we knew in the process 141 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:06,120 Speaker 1: of filmmaking there's a lot of copying that goes on 142 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:10,080 Speaker 1: and we didn't want to lose quality. So once it 143 00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:12,319 Speaker 1: was in digital, we could do digital transfers and it 144 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:15,520 Speaker 1: would be the same. You have to put up with 145 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:18,880 Speaker 1: the harshness of the converters of the beginning of twenty 146 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:21,160 Speaker 1: four tracks, but we were able to compensate for that. 147 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:25,040 Speaker 1: But we had mag reels, which is sprocketed audio that 148 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:28,600 Speaker 1: had sunk to the picture by what sprocket hole. You 149 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:33,280 Speaker 1: put it in not by simpty, more modern methods, and 150 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:35,520 Speaker 1: there were, you know, so guys in white coats hooking 151 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:37,760 Speaker 1: up all these different things, and then these reels and 152 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:40,160 Speaker 1: a guy from Houston who had bought two of these, 153 00:09:40,679 --> 00:09:42,520 Speaker 1: two of the first machines to be in the country, 154 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:45,360 Speaker 1: named John Moran, and all of us at what was 155 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 1: called at that point Warner Hollywood had been actually built 156 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:53,600 Speaker 1: by Mike Todd, Elizabeth Taylor's husband, the guy who did 157 00:09:53,679 --> 00:09:57,520 Speaker 1: around the world in eighty days, big time movie producer, 158 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:02,360 Speaker 1: and then it became a actually it became it's called 159 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:05,880 Speaker 1: the Lot, And when we did the restoration, we actually 160 00:10:05,880 --> 00:10:08,800 Speaker 1: were back there again, not in exactly the same room, 161 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:11,760 Speaker 1: but it would had come full circle. I mean, we'd 162 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:14,440 Speaker 1: done most of the mixing at a studio called Hensey Sound, 163 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 1: but we did final touches there where we could see 164 00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:21,000 Speaker 1: it where the film is forty feet away from you 165 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:23,640 Speaker 1: and the speakers are thirty five feet away from you, 166 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:26,360 Speaker 1: and thettle there's things a little bit different than when 167 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:27,320 Speaker 1: you're in a smaller room. 168 00:10:28,679 --> 00:10:31,480 Speaker 2: I remember seeing it for the first time, and you know, 169 00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:33,760 Speaker 2: we had never seen anything like that in terms of 170 00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:39,920 Speaker 2: a concert presentation like that. The only maybe other reference point, 171 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:43,920 Speaker 2: at least I personally had it with a concert film 172 00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:49,280 Speaker 2: probably was the last waltz. I guess what was your 173 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:54,720 Speaker 2: other perspective on concert films any that you sort of 174 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:58,160 Speaker 2: thought of when being in the middle of this that were, 175 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:00,960 Speaker 2: you know, favorite concert films or were there none? 176 00:11:01,559 --> 00:11:03,320 Speaker 1: Well? I think that it was more things we took 177 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:06,040 Speaker 1: away from seeing concert films that we didn't want, which 178 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:10,800 Speaker 1: is we didn't want conversations. I kept remembering there's a 179 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:14,280 Speaker 1: film called the Film about Jimmy Hendrix where there's other 180 00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:17,960 Speaker 1: there's other takes of songs that was not in Monterey 181 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:21,560 Speaker 1: Pop from his performance at Monterey Pop, and he's right 182 00:11:21,679 --> 00:11:23,960 Speaker 1: in the middle of something really exciting, and the cutaway 183 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:25,840 Speaker 1: to talk to two guys he went to high school with, 184 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:27,760 Speaker 1: and what Jimmy was like in high school. It's like 185 00:11:28,559 --> 00:11:30,880 Speaker 1: what I wanted to see the rest of that song. 186 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:32,880 Speaker 1: So we said, like we just wanted to be just 187 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:37,120 Speaker 1: the music. I was also very much wanted to somehow 188 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:41,360 Speaker 1: enter the sort of special realm that the Rocky Horror 189 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:46,480 Speaker 1: Picture Show held, which was something that you could watch 190 00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:49,680 Speaker 1: over and over again. And we succeeded in that Stop 191 00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:52,720 Speaker 1: making sense after its first theatrical run then became a 192 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:56,760 Speaker 1: staple of you know, a late a later in the 193 00:11:56,800 --> 00:12:01,000 Speaker 1: evening film shown at a local cinema where people basically 194 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:03,400 Speaker 1: thought of it as a concert and danced, sang along, 195 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:08,280 Speaker 1: watched favorite parts. But very often, and this has happened 196 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:11,400 Speaker 1: with the re releases too, depending on where it's being shown. 197 00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:14,440 Speaker 1: You show it in an imax theater where everything is 198 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:16,880 Speaker 1: so much larger than you've ever seen it. You're kind 199 00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:19,440 Speaker 1: of glued to looking at it. But you go to 200 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:23,160 Speaker 1: a lot of these other smaller theaters they sometimes don't 201 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:25,240 Speaker 1: do this around some they set it up with a 202 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:28,920 Speaker 1: pa as if it's a concert, and people dance, and 203 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:31,400 Speaker 1: that means you know, your back's to the screen some 204 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:35,640 Speaker 1: of the time, and you know that's just fine. 205 00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:41,000 Speaker 2: So you were really closely associated here with this newly 206 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 2: restored work, and it sort of goes into this fascination 207 00:12:47,760 --> 00:12:53,079 Speaker 2: that you've always had with the beautiful dynamics of sound quality. 208 00:12:54,840 --> 00:12:59,240 Speaker 2: When was that fascination of sound quality for you first 209 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:01,680 Speaker 2: fed in your in your life? 210 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:04,760 Speaker 1: Well, I think that I when I went off to college, 211 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:09,120 Speaker 1: I was thought I might be a scientist, and then 212 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:12,040 Speaker 1: I got involved and thought for a while I was 213 00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:15,160 Speaker 1: going to be in well, a visual artist and maybe 214 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:19,880 Speaker 1: a filmmaker, an architect. I wasn't afraid of technology, and 215 00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:23,679 Speaker 1: I think that all of us learned a lot being 216 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:26,680 Speaker 1: in the studio, particularly you know, working with Tony was 217 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:30,880 Speaker 1: very interesting. But Tony was the sort of engineer par excellence. 218 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:33,880 Speaker 1: It was like he twisted the knobs, didn't have much 219 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:36,559 Speaker 1: interaction with the music, and had a guy named Lance 220 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:40,480 Speaker 1: Quinn who worked on the first album. But Tony was 221 00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:44,079 Speaker 1: sitting there reading airplane magazines because he had an airplane. 222 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:47,600 Speaker 1: Half the time. It just got frustrated when things got 223 00:13:47,679 --> 00:13:52,679 Speaker 1: slower slow, Lance, Lance, go do that, will you? You know, 224 00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:54,560 Speaker 1: it would take me too long to figure it out. 225 00:13:54,640 --> 00:13:57,439 Speaker 1: Let them finish it. So but when we started working 226 00:13:57,440 --> 00:14:01,520 Speaker 1: with Eno Eno, you know, Re introduced the idea that 227 00:14:01,559 --> 00:14:04,200 Speaker 1: the studio is an extension of your instrument, and that 228 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:08,960 Speaker 1: the whole studio is you might say, part and parcel 229 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:11,560 Speaker 1: of a chain of events that starts with what you're 230 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:13,960 Speaker 1: playing in the room, but goes into the control room 231 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:16,520 Speaker 1: and an effect can be put on it, and then 232 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:20,160 Speaker 1: you record that to tape. You know, it took a 233 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:22,800 Speaker 1: great deal of trust with us to work with Brian 234 00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:26,640 Speaker 1: to kind of come in and have him adulterated what 235 00:14:26,680 --> 00:14:29,080 Speaker 1: you had played in the studio and be okay with it. 236 00:14:29,640 --> 00:14:31,880 Speaker 1: I know that Divo didn't like that very much, and 237 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:35,160 Speaker 1: I think other bands. So, you know, as creative as 238 00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:38,600 Speaker 1: Brian was, it wasn't like nowadays with pro tools or 239 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:42,920 Speaker 1: these other digital audio workstations where you can record both 240 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:46,920 Speaker 1: you could record any aspect in the chain and have 241 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:48,200 Speaker 1: them all simultaneously. 242 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:52,760 Speaker 2: So it's an amazing run here. Not only of the 243 00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:57,400 Speaker 2: fortieth anniversary celebration has stopped making sense, but there's all 244 00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:03,320 Speaker 2: sorts of milestone things going on regarding talking heads, milestones, 245 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:08,720 Speaker 2: the new Psychokiller video, reissue of more songs about buildings 246 00:15:08,760 --> 00:15:13,200 Speaker 2: and food, also your work with the live performances of 247 00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:19,200 Speaker 2: Remain in Light with Adrian talk about and reflect on 248 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 2: the legacy of the band and how going through all 249 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:26,320 Speaker 2: these moments kind of puts a different spotlight on it 250 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:26,640 Speaker 2: for you. 251 00:15:28,040 --> 00:15:32,400 Speaker 1: Well, I mean, it was not predictable to us, but 252 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:37,360 Speaker 1: we seem to have created a music that doesn't seem 253 00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:42,359 Speaker 1: to It's pretty ageless. It doesn't go out of fashion exactly. 254 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:47,720 Speaker 1: It is very sort of stands by itself and therefore 255 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:52,240 Speaker 1: works really well in different time periods. I do think that, 256 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:56,680 Speaker 1: and this is something that David Byrne noticed. I think 257 00:15:56,720 --> 00:15:59,040 Speaker 1: that if you look back ten years ago or fifteen 258 00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:03,560 Speaker 1: years ago, we would be pigeonholed into music of the 259 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:06,000 Speaker 1: eighties or music of the seventies, and there would be 260 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:10,840 Speaker 1: radio shows. There's serious channels based upon what decades something 261 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:14,720 Speaker 1: happened in or a movement new wave or punk or 262 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:19,040 Speaker 1: something like that. So there were labels put on us. Nowadays, 263 00:16:19,640 --> 00:16:22,520 Speaker 1: people listen to playlists and there are people that are 264 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:25,200 Speaker 1: well known. There are people who create interesting playlists, and 265 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:26,800 Speaker 1: you know, a lot of times they have a theme, 266 00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:30,040 Speaker 1: you know, dance music or you know, fun to listen 267 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:32,840 Speaker 1: to or easy listening to, or great driving music, or 268 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:37,160 Speaker 1: you know, whatever they want, whatever description they put on it, 269 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:43,280 Speaker 1: yacht rock, yacht rock exactly. But we now will be 270 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:48,240 Speaker 1: introduced into a playlist with far more contemporary artists than 271 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:52,320 Speaker 1: we were back fifteen years ago. And so I think 272 00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:55,920 Speaker 1: that actually our audience started to get younger, and a 273 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:59,240 Speaker 1: new audience started to sort of appreciate us. Some of 274 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:02,800 Speaker 1: it of course, children of people who grew up loving 275 00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:05,400 Speaker 1: us and introduced their kids to us in the same 276 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:09,359 Speaker 1: way that you know, lots of people introduced their children 277 00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:12,359 Speaker 1: to the Beatles or the Stones or other music that 278 00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:14,479 Speaker 1: sort of has really stood the test of time, and 279 00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:16,720 Speaker 1: we were one of the bands that luckily has done that. 280 00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:21,640 Speaker 2: When you reflect on the current times where a sense 281 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:27,840 Speaker 2: of independence for musicians is a necessity these days, what 282 00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:30,840 Speaker 2: advice would you give to someone seeking to find that 283 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:33,560 Speaker 2: independence as an artist of any type. 284 00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:37,879 Speaker 1: Well, the unfortunate advice i'd give is you have to 285 00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:40,840 Speaker 1: be very good at social media, or someone who works 286 00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:45,600 Speaker 1: with you does, because it appears to be the key 287 00:17:45,720 --> 00:17:50,040 Speaker 1: to unlocking an audience, the key to allow to getting 288 00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:53,320 Speaker 1: any outside force or record company, but it could be 289 00:17:53,359 --> 00:17:57,560 Speaker 1: a publisher or any other of these institutions that have 290 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:00,679 Speaker 1: traditionally been there to help develop a person his career. 291 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:04,000 Speaker 1: It always helps if you have a great live show, 292 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:08,680 Speaker 1: and people will sometimes build their audience through local markets 293 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:11,199 Speaker 1: getting bigger and bigger. I mean the people that are 294 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:14,399 Speaker 1: famous for this are Big Head Todd, who I produced, 295 00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:17,480 Speaker 1: Dave Matthews, who I almost produced. But there was a 296 00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:19,679 Speaker 1: band called the Pat McGee band that I produced from 297 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:25,640 Speaker 1: Virginia that started by just being really good, and they 298 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:28,880 Speaker 1: were the band in a certain area that people would 299 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:30,520 Speaker 1: hire and that people would want to go see on 300 00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:33,520 Speaker 1: New Year's Eve, and you know, and they made a 301 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:36,240 Speaker 1: living doing that because Todd did a very interesting thing. 302 00:18:37,080 --> 00:18:40,960 Speaker 1: I did their third record with Resignation Superman on it 303 00:18:41,119 --> 00:18:43,879 Speaker 1: and also Boom Boom Boom their cover of it that 304 00:18:43,960 --> 00:18:46,959 Speaker 1: I got John Lee Hooker to be in it, and 305 00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:50,439 Speaker 1: I actually got asked his manager, who like myself, is 306 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:52,560 Speaker 1: from Milwaukee, if he would be in a video, and 307 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:54,320 Speaker 1: they said, well, yes, you'd have to pay him, but 308 00:18:54,359 --> 00:18:57,240 Speaker 1: he would. And had we done that video he died 309 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:01,879 Speaker 1: about a month later, it would have and NonStop play 310 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:04,760 Speaker 1: and that would have been a huge album for them. 311 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:09,080 Speaker 1: But after that record or maybe another one, their contract 312 00:19:09,119 --> 00:19:11,760 Speaker 1: with Giant Records was up and they decided that they 313 00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:15,919 Speaker 1: would become a regional band, fire all the other people 314 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:17,760 Speaker 1: that worked with them that I don't know if they 315 00:19:17,760 --> 00:19:20,639 Speaker 1: had an agent or if they did it themselves, and 316 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:23,600 Speaker 1: they kept eighty to ninety percent of the money they made, 317 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:26,840 Speaker 1: and if there was a song or something like that 318 00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:28,919 Speaker 1: that looked like it could be a national hit and 319 00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:30,960 Speaker 1: someone they could do a one off deal with it. 320 00:19:31,359 --> 00:19:33,480 Speaker 1: And of course then a little later we moved into 321 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:37,280 Speaker 1: the iTunes world where singles we went back to the 322 00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:40,680 Speaker 1: fifties model of singles dot albums. So they were really 323 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:45,439 Speaker 1: quite prescient in a way, saying we're okay that we 324 00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:48,760 Speaker 1: can sell out Red Rocks three days and we can 325 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:54,359 Speaker 1: play all over the West, and we're popular in California. 326 00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:56,920 Speaker 1: We do a swing through California every year, and every 327 00:19:56,960 --> 00:20:00,359 Speaker 1: two years we do an East Coast swing, and they 328 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:02,840 Speaker 1: make a really handsome living doing it that way. So 329 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:06,399 Speaker 1: I'd say that, like, be independent, think about how you 330 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:08,680 Speaker 1: can do it. Look to your own strengths. If live 331 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:11,399 Speaker 1: shows are your strengths, really really work on that and 332 00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:16,000 Speaker 1: hire someone else to try and entice people with all 333 00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:20,560 Speaker 1: of the various formats with social media. I was championing 334 00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:23,520 Speaker 1: a very young guitar player named Matt Jaffe who's from 335 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:26,840 Speaker 1: Mill Valley. He was sixteen when I started working with him, 336 00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:31,840 Speaker 1: and he wrote these kind of sophisticated songs. And I 337 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:35,080 Speaker 1: had done a number of records for Daniel Glass, who 338 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:39,000 Speaker 1: has Glass Note Records but used to work at Artibus Records. 339 00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:43,240 Speaker 1: He said, we're now in the business of getting people 340 00:20:43,320 --> 00:20:45,960 Speaker 1: from second to home. We're not in the business of 341 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:48,840 Speaker 1: getting you the first space or second So his advice 342 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:52,359 Speaker 1: to Matt, and this is ten fifteen years ago. Is 343 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:57,400 Speaker 1: you need to have two hundred and fifty thousand followers 344 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:02,240 Speaker 1: before we even think about to your music. Well, it's 345 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:04,680 Speaker 1: even further in that direction. So that's my advice. 346 00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:09,000 Speaker 2: Incredible Jerry Harrison, so grateful to have you on Taking 347 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:12,359 Speaker 2: a Walk. Folks should go to Jerryharrison dot com to 348 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:15,560 Speaker 2: find out where to find you with this great celebration 349 00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:19,480 Speaker 2: of stop making sense. Thank you Jerry for everything you bet. 350 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:23,400 Speaker 2: Thanks thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking 351 00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:27,040 Speaker 2: a Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your 352 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:30,360 Speaker 2: friends and follow us so you never miss an episode. 353 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:35,000 Speaker 2: Taking a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 354 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:37,480 Speaker 2: and wherever you get your podcasts.