1
00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:00,920
Speaker 1: Taking a Walk.

2
00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:04,000
Speaker 2: This friend of mine, John Imick, send me a video

3
00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,720
Speaker 2: of these guys, the Bang Geeks, playing hard of the

4
00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:10,440
Speaker 2: Sunrise and it kind of freaked me out how good

5
00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:13,560
Speaker 2: they were. So I got in touch with Richie. I said,

6
00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:17,560
Speaker 2: let's go on tour and he said, is that Johnson

7
00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:19,640
Speaker 2: for sure? I said yes, it is.

8
00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:23,640
Speaker 1: Welcome to the Taking a Walk Podcast podcast where Buzz

9
00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:28,280
Speaker 1: Night talks with musicians about their creative process, their influence,

10
00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:32,400
Speaker 1: and their latest projects. Today, a returning guests to the

11
00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:35,760
Speaker 1: Taking a Walk Podcast and one of the titans of

12
00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:39,920
Speaker 1: progressive rock, John Anderson, the former lead singer of Yes,

13
00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:43,760
Speaker 1: out touring with the band Geeks and creating a new

14
00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:48,239
Speaker 1: album called True. Here's Buzz with the great John Anderson

15
00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:50,360
Speaker 1: on the Taking a Walk Podcast.

16
00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:54,240
Speaker 3: Welcome back to one of our favorite guests of all

17
00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:59,280
Speaker 3: time on Taking a Walk, mister John Anderson. Congratulations on

18
00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:03,880
Speaker 3: Anderson and the band Geeks and new music True on

19
00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:05,680
Speaker 3: Frontiers Music.

20
00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:07,760
Speaker 4: Hello John, Hey there, Buzz.

21
00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:11,560
Speaker 3: So when we last spoke, you had been doing dates

22
00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:12,880
Speaker 3: with the band Geeks.

23
00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:14,000
Speaker 4: You were having a blast.

24
00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:16,640
Speaker 3: You were in the process I know, of creating this

25
00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:22,400
Speaker 3: Gem which I bloody love, and tell me about the

26
00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:27,280
Speaker 3: process of creating this with Richie Costellano. I love saying

27
00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:32,080
Speaker 3: the name Castellano too, and the band Geeks, I love

28
00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:34,319
Speaker 3: the record excellent.

29
00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:40,399
Speaker 5: Well, basically, this friend of mine, John Imick, sent.

30
00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:44,160
Speaker 2: Me a video of these guys, the Bank Geeks, playing

31
00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:47,160
Speaker 2: hard of the Sunrise, and it kind of freaked me

32
00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:49,680
Speaker 2: out how good they were. So I got in touch

33
00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:54,120
Speaker 2: with Richie and I said, let's go on tour and

34
00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:57,800
Speaker 2: he said, is that Johnson for sure? I said, yes,

35
00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:02,160
Speaker 2: it is, and we went on tour for twelve gigs

36
00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:06,320
Speaker 2: and they actually worked on so many great yes pieces

37
00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:06,880
Speaker 2: of music.

38
00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:08,480
Speaker 5: We did the.

39
00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:10,119
Speaker 2: Tour, and at the end of the tour, I said,

40
00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:13,640
Speaker 2: let's make an album as well, because this sound just

41
00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:16,920
Speaker 2: like Yes. They're happy, they're grateful, they're thankful, just like me.

42
00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:22,799
Speaker 2: So we'll make this album and we started. Originally the

43
00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:27,000
Speaker 2: idea was I sent some song ideas to Richie because

44
00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:31,639
Speaker 2: he's the kind of organizer producer of the band, and

45
00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:36,160
Speaker 2: we co produced the whole thing together using Zoom and

46
00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:39,200
Speaker 2: the way we did it. I sent him some music,

47
00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:43,080
Speaker 2: he sent me some music of his, and then after

48
00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:47,880
Speaker 2: a week or so, he sent me some incredible productions

49
00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:52,680
Speaker 2: of counties and countries, and I realized this guy, Richie

50
00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:57,440
Speaker 2: is a very talented guy, and so we bounced.

51
00:02:57,080 --> 00:02:57,760
Speaker 5: Off each other.

52
00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:02,560
Speaker 2: But we got together with the musicians on the Tuesday

53
00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:06,160
Speaker 2: just to sort of two or three hours of chatting

54
00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:09,399
Speaker 2: about the music, chatting about where we're going, what could

55
00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:13,920
Speaker 2: be doing, etc. And it reminded me of the seventies

56
00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:18,639
Speaker 2: me working with Yes, because I was always very crazy,

57
00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,519
Speaker 2: like let's try this kind of a piece of music now,

58
00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:24,760
Speaker 2: and all we're doing that music now, but try And

59
00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:29,440
Speaker 2: thankfully the guys in the band, Chris and Steve and

60
00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:30,960
Speaker 2: Rick and.

61
00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:34,000
Speaker 5: All the guys, Bill and Alan and you know.

62
00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:37,040
Speaker 2: They always actually said, Okay, John, we'll try it out.

63
00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:38,840
Speaker 4: So here we are.

64
00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:40,760
Speaker 5: Fifty years later.

65
00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:45,800
Speaker 2: Performing Yes music from fifty years ago and then making

66
00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:50,200
Speaker 2: an album that all intents and purposes sounds like Yes

67
00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:51,400
Speaker 2: in my mind.

68
00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:55,280
Speaker 4: Anyway, I think you're absolutely right. I think True is

69
00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:57,360
Speaker 4: in so many ways.

70
00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:01,600
Speaker 3: It's, you know, the Yes album that Yes fans have

71
00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:06,040
Speaker 3: really been looking out for, right, And what are some

72
00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:07,440
Speaker 3: of your favorite tracks?

73
00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:10,600
Speaker 4: I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours. Well.

74
00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:15,120
Speaker 2: It started off the first song I sent to Richie

75
00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:19,120
Speaker 2: was True Messenger, that I'd written with a good old

76
00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:19,960
Speaker 2: friend of mine who.

77
00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:21,360
Speaker 5: Does music for South Park.

78
00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:26,359
Speaker 2: Then I sent him Counties and Countries, which originally was

79
00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:29,360
Speaker 2: just me on guitar with some keyboards in the background,

80
00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:34,000
Speaker 2: and he made it into a solid production. So that

81
00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:37,000
Speaker 2: was the breakthrough for me. When he sent me Counties

82
00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:40,440
Speaker 2: and Countries, I went, Richie, you're a producer.

83
00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:43,400
Speaker 5: It's amazing.

84
00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:48,240
Speaker 2: And then got into doing other songs, of course, and

85
00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:52,160
Speaker 2: I loved a couple of songs I wrote ten years

86
00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:56,040
Speaker 2: ago with a friend built me an Ocean, and then

87
00:04:56,320 --> 00:05:00,920
Speaker 2: I sent Richie a small chant sort of thing which.

88
00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:02,200
Speaker 5: Became Once Upon a Dream.

89
00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:04,599
Speaker 2: So these are the kind of things you know, you

90
00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:09,000
Speaker 2: send little two minute ideas and then Richie would open

91
00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:10,680
Speaker 2: them up a little bit here and there with his

92
00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:16,520
Speaker 2: bass and guitar and drum great drummer in the bangings Andy.

93
00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:21,080
Speaker 2: Because we would reconnect the following Tuesday, we could start

94
00:05:21,279 --> 00:05:25,120
Speaker 2: going through and building it more so it took us

95
00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:29,479
Speaker 2: about two months doing these Tuesday zooms, and I think

96
00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:31,719
Speaker 2: we were on the path to get in the album

97
00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:38,600
Speaker 2: the nine songs eventually, and that's how we did it.

98
00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:42,520
Speaker 3: It's I gravitate to those epic songs myself, like like

99
00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:46,839
Speaker 3: Once upon a dream and you know counties and countries

100
00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:52,719
Speaker 3: in particular. Yeah, well, to me, once upon a dream

101
00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:56,360
Speaker 3: in its own way, hearkens back to another one of

102
00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:59,680
Speaker 3: my you know, all time yes favorites, and you and

103
00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:03,000
Speaker 3: I a bit. I don't know if I'm really cool

104
00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:05,640
Speaker 3: sounding what I love about the album too.

105
00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:09,480
Speaker 4: It's one of these sort of you know, cover to cover.

106
00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:13,159
Speaker 3: You know, it really flows in the sense of the

107
00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:17,120
Speaker 3: way albums you know used to flow. I don't think

108
00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:20,359
Speaker 3: they flow that way anymore. Was that intentional that it

109
00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:21,279
Speaker 3: flows like that?

110
00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:23,240
Speaker 5: I think we just stopped.

111
00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:27,960
Speaker 2: They needed a last song after a certain amount of time,

112
00:06:28,320 --> 00:06:30,960
Speaker 2: and I said, I do actually actually have this song

113
00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:32,080
Speaker 2: which is opposite to this.

114
00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:32,680
Speaker 5: It's just a.

115
00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:36,720
Speaker 2: Short song called thank God, thank God I'm here, thank

116
00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:37,479
Speaker 2: God I'm home.

117
00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:40,359
Speaker 5: Maybe that would be a nice end ending to the album.

118
00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:43,800
Speaker 2: And Richie loved it, and we recorded that in a

119
00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:49,120
Speaker 2: couple of days. And as you say, it all fits together,

120
00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:51,800
Speaker 2: all the all the parts make it work.

121
00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:55,559
Speaker 3: Tell me how much fun you've been having performing live.

122
00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:59,680
Speaker 3: The reviews have been sensational. I know you guys are

123
00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:02,320
Speaker 3: going back out on the road, but tell me the

124
00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:04,279
Speaker 3: enjoyment you're having performing live.

125
00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:09,480
Speaker 2: Well, it's magic because you know, we have the introduction music.

126
00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:11,280
Speaker 5: When people come in, there is music.

127
00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:13,960
Speaker 2: Playing and it's what I used to play in the

128
00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:17,960
Speaker 2: seventies and it was it's music by vangel It's called

129
00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:21,840
Speaker 2: Creation Dumont. It's a very relaxing piece of music. So

130
00:07:21,880 --> 00:07:25,160
Speaker 2: everybody's sitting down waiting for the event, you know. And

131
00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:28,960
Speaker 2: then we put on the end of Stravinsky's Firebirds Suite

132
00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:31,600
Speaker 2: and it's a perfect build up.

133
00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:35,440
Speaker 5: For a band to come on stage. Your haven't notice great,

134
00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:38,920
Speaker 5: it's like and it works.

135
00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:42,280
Speaker 2: And by that time, but I'm on stage, starts singing,

136
00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:46,320
Speaker 2: I'm locked in. We're on tour, We're doing a show.

137
00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:49,200
Speaker 2: The audience are having a great time. The next song

138
00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:52,800
Speaker 2: is perpetual change, and then we do close to the edge,

139
00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:58,320
Speaker 2: of course, so I'm already locked into the way the

140
00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:03,200
Speaker 2: band are playing it ticlously good and the audience get it.

141
00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:07,800
Speaker 2: And as I say, the show is exciting for us

142
00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:13,119
Speaker 2: to perform because this is music from fifty years ago.

143
00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:16,640
Speaker 5: Here we are and I.

144
00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:18,680
Speaker 2: Think we'll just carry on doing this for the next

145
00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:22,520
Speaker 2: two or three years. But we'll probably next summer we'll

146
00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:26,200
Speaker 2: probably be doing the Yes epics and classics and then

147
00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:30,920
Speaker 2: true the new album. I hope fingers Cross will be

148
00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:31,480
Speaker 2: doing both.

149
00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:34,440
Speaker 4: Oh I love it now.

150
00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:38,720
Speaker 3: Okay, So speaking a live performance, everybody these days is

151
00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:43,840
Speaker 3: talking about the Sphere and the performance you know out

152
00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:47,600
Speaker 3: there in Vegas, and I know you went to see

153
00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:49,640
Speaker 3: you too at the Sphere.

154
00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:53,160
Speaker 4: I would love to hear your take on that performance

155
00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:55,079
Speaker 4: and the venue. Well.

156
00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:58,800
Speaker 2: The neat thing about the Dome is that I've been

157
00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:03,199
Speaker 2: talking to another company that was creating another dome, another

158
00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:09,359
Speaker 2: project on using the dome idea with Roger Deanism projected

159
00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:12,560
Speaker 2: and I said, yeah, I'd do that, and then you

160
00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:16,079
Speaker 2: don't hear for them again for a year, and then

161
00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:17,400
Speaker 2: I heard about.

162
00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:19,120
Speaker 5: The YouTube of the dome.

163
00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:23,800
Speaker 2: And it's interesting that when Yes first started, you know,

164
00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:30,200
Speaker 2: I have some papers from those days, and the gate

165
00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:35,120
Speaker 2: to play was the Marquee Club in London. So Tuesday

166
00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:39,520
Speaker 2: would be YouTube, Wednesday would be Yes, Thursday would be

167
00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:42,120
Speaker 2: a big star like Keith Emerson's band, which was the

168
00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:46,920
Speaker 2: nice And then I got in touch with the guy

169
00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:49,960
Speaker 2: at YouTube and we went, Me and my wife and

170
00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:52,560
Speaker 2: a couple of friends went to the Dome and it

171
00:09:52,679 --> 00:09:57,800
Speaker 2: was a magical experience, very very As much as I

172
00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:01,679
Speaker 2: would love to do that kind of thing. You're surrounded

173
00:10:01,679 --> 00:10:06,439
Speaker 2: by visualization and it's so deep and strong and powerful

174
00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:11,960
Speaker 2: and me it's a billion dollar Marque Club, it is,

175
00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:15,480
Speaker 2: and it surrounds you and it comes and goes. The

176
00:10:15,559 --> 00:10:18,520
Speaker 2: sound was great, the edge, you know, we just know

177
00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:21,600
Speaker 2: the Edge from those early days at the Marquee Club.

178
00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:28,400
Speaker 2: And he's such an beautiful guitar player. He creates an

179
00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:32,040
Speaker 2: orchestra with his guitar. You know, you notice that when

180
00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:36,720
Speaker 2: you see it's just a bass, guitar, drums and good

181
00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:39,080
Speaker 2: old Bono having the time of his life.

182
00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:42,679
Speaker 5: You know, I would do it, of course I'd do it.

183
00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:47,079
Speaker 2: And again, you could just fill it with Roger Deanism,

184
00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:49,439
Speaker 2: you know, if you're going to do seventies sort of music,

185
00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:52,320
Speaker 2: which is what we do. But it's funny that I

186
00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:55,800
Speaker 2: was always interested in that idea, sort of all in

187
00:10:56,120 --> 00:10:58,760
Speaker 2: three D, three D without glasses.

188
00:10:58,840 --> 00:10:59,800
Speaker 5: That's what I used to say.

189
00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:03,680
Speaker 4: Isn't an amazing how everything comes full circle?

190
00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:04,520
Speaker 1: Right? Oh?

191
00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:09,240
Speaker 5: Yeah, it's true. So yeah, next year, who knows.

192
00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:15,480
Speaker 2: If the energy is willing that we can do a

193
00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:21,000
Speaker 2: world tour doing the Yes Classics and the True album,

194
00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:23,200
Speaker 2: because you got I think you can't just do one

195
00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:25,120
Speaker 2: or two songs from the True album. You have to

196
00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:28,720
Speaker 2: do the whole album, and I'm excited to be able

197
00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:29,679
Speaker 2: to sing.

198
00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:34,560
Speaker 5: Once upon a dream and so, fingers crossed, it will happen.

199
00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:39,000
Speaker 4: Absolutely. You never want to sit idle, so I know.

200
00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:43,360
Speaker 3: Besides, you know, working true and going out on the road.

201
00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:46,880
Speaker 3: You've always got a number of things project wise up

202
00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:47,959
Speaker 3: your sleeve, sir.

203
00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:50,400
Speaker 4: So what else are you are you working on?

204
00:11:50,760 --> 00:11:55,360
Speaker 2: Well, I made the big mistake listening to my son

205
00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:58,600
Speaker 2: who ten years ago said you should do a follow

206
00:11:58,679 --> 00:12:02,160
Speaker 2: up to Elias son of Elias Dad.

207
00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:05,920
Speaker 4: I said, okay, So I.

208
00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:09,680
Speaker 2: Started working on that five ten years ago and I'm

209
00:12:09,679 --> 00:12:14,760
Speaker 2: still working on it. And at the same time I

210
00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:18,880
Speaker 2: started working on another piece of music. It's kind of

211
00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:21,600
Speaker 2: I call it opus Opus. I was gonna call it

212
00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:26,240
Speaker 2: opeless opus. It's going to be called Opus Opus and

213
00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:29,360
Speaker 2: it actually works, and it's three hours long. But I

214
00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:33,080
Speaker 2: don't know anybody who wants to hear three hours of

215
00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:37,000
Speaker 2: me twiddling along with sound effects and things like that.

216
00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:41,160
Speaker 5: I'm talking about nothing. But I can't say that now.

217
00:12:42,360 --> 00:12:48,000
Speaker 3: But you cannot say that because mister Anderson, you were

218
00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:52,080
Speaker 3: at the top of the Prague Rock Mountain.

219
00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:53,880
Speaker 4: In my view, sir, and.

220
00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:59,120
Speaker 3: It's such a pleasure to connect with you again on

221
00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:04,079
Speaker 3: Taking a Walk. Congrats on True and congrats on the road.

222
00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:08,480
Speaker 3: And I'm indebted for the music you continue to grace us.

223
00:13:08,360 --> 00:13:11,280
Speaker 4: With Search Tasmas. I wish you well. All the best

224
00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:12,360
Speaker 4: to you, John, see you soon.

225
00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:15,840
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a

226
00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:19,800
Speaker 1: Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends

227
00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:23,360
Speaker 1: and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking

228
00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:27,280
Speaker 1: a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

229
00:13:27,520 --> 00:13:29,800
Speaker 1: and wherever you get your podcasts.