2004-2006POP MUSIC
Host Pete Fornatale and performer Garland Jeffreys share perspectives on Jeffrey's musical upbringing, his collaborations with other artists, and the resonance of his music following the World Trade Center attacks
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| 01:02:08 128.88 |
[pre-interview conversation] Peter Fornatale: I was gonna ask you at some point - I put Jack Benny's picture - do you have something in common with Jack Benny now
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| 01:02:21 141.76 |
Garland Jeffreys: I have a band now it's called the Coney Island Playboys
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| 01:02:29 149.75 |
Garland Jeffreys
Spanish Town (Mic check)
(live)
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| 01:10:07 607 |
Peter Fornatale: Hello again everyone and welcome to another edition of mixed bag radio. This is Pete Fornatale at the Museum of Television and Radio in New York City with my special guest, an old friend Garland Jeffries
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| 01:10:21 621.55 |
Garland Jeffreys
Spanish Town
(live)
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| 01:18:31 1111.54 |
Peter Fornatale: Garland Jeffries accompanied beautifully by Alan Friedman on a live version of a song from an album that many of us still hold dear to our hearts the Ghost Rider collection from the mid 70s - Wow, that's hard to believe - that's Spanish Town. Garland I know that you put snippets of autobiography in a lot of your songs is Raffaela your mom's name
Garland Jeffreys: My grandmother's name. My grandmother, she was in a way like my mother, she was really the matriarch of the entire family, you know, and an incredible woman who unfortunately I didn't get to spend much time with, because she passed early. But she is, you know, still is like a, in a way a muse for me, you know, very special in my life. Peter Fornatale: Your mother had you when she was very young. Yeah. And her musical tastes was very eclectic. Garland Jeffreys: Oh, yeah. I mean, well, she you know, she grew up I guess my mother was 16 that she had me. So being a teeny bopper. In those days. She was really listening to people like Stan Kenton. Eventually she started listening to the music that she heard. I mean, that was when I was a kid was Stan Kenton and Louie Armstrong was big in my house but the music that was played in my house was on a regular basis was Count Basie and then eventually, artists like Ella, Dinah Washington, Frank Sinatra you know, my, my father was a fan of the big bands loved, like Stan Kenton, right that kind of that kind of music. But jazz was was a dominant in my house. And then finally I I started to hear other things on the radio you know, like Frankie Lymon and the teenagers. |
| 01:20:35 1235.71 |
Garland Jeffreys emulating Frankie Lymon
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| 01:20:49 1249.52 |
Garland Jeffreys: All that music that came out of the 50s, including Jean Vincent, including Jerry Lee Lewis, including Little Richard, the Drifters, the Harptones, the Clifftones, you know, Clyde McPhatter. Oh, yeah. You know, Jackie Wilson, Jackie Wilson, was fantastic. Not too many people even know who he is. He has a shame. Absolutely amazing. You know, I mean, he was as good as James Brown, maybe better.
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| 01:21:36 1297 |
Peter Fornatale: What's the first record you bought?
Garland Jeffreys: It must have been Frankie Lime. Why do fools fall in love? Sure. That was it. I guess it was about 12 - 11. You know, we didn't have a lot of extra money around those days. |
| 01:21:54 1314.24 |
Peter Fornatale: Former Mayor Dinkins used to refer to the city as a beautiful mosaic the melting pot, so to speak. If that's the case, you are and have been a one man mosaic. You have strain you have strains of Caucasian, African American, Puerto Rican, right. And it's a touch of Cherokee as well.
Garland Jeffreys: Exactly. I mean, my my father, my grandfather, side. In my childhood, one of the beautiful things that happened in my house is that it was it was the house was totally open to all kinds of people. And my uncles were my idols, you know, they had friends from everywhere, you know, mainly jazz was a big was a big sort of connecting force in those days, you know, like I said, my mother had me at 16. So, I mean, that was in the 40s. And in the 50s. And, you know, they were these all night poker parties, you had all kinds of people coming through, you know, I grew up in a neighborhood where was Jewish, a Chalian, on either side of me where we live Chinese, Afro American, we didn't we didn't really say Afro American. In those days, black is what we say, you know, it was a mixture of people. And I love the fact that that was my beginning. I love it because I carry it into my life. It's always been my life. |
| 01:23:47 1427.02 |
Garland Jeffreys: I went to college, you know, I had the opportunity to study in Italy. I was interested in art and art history. But when that was all over, I don't think the academic world was for me. I really went back to what I really wanted to do from the very, very beginning. I mean, I was singing in school plays in the first grade. Second grade I was already doing that I was already a performer and so so when the time came from came for me to really make a decision what I want to do I just went right back to music and it's very interesting being who I am, you know, my background, my racial mixture, my my past the music that went through my house at all comes out, as you said, in my music, and I really, as I look back now, I really am glad that that so yeah
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| 01:25:03 1503.61 |
Garland Jeffreys: when I started, sort of really performing my first performing live probably was just playing in bands in the village, East Village and also on coffee houses and playing with friends of mine, like Lou Reed is a buddy of mine have been has been for many years and, and then eventually putting some of my own bands together. Granted, switch being one of them. I only have good feelings about all that. I mean, what a great time to be a musician or start becoming a musician in the 60s. It was just a different world than it is now. You know, I don't know how it would be for me if I started playing now, you know, you know, it was just a different kind of world. I mean, Allen's here, my guitar player, and friend, we were able to play everywhere, he would accompany me and I would sing and play, play. We play in church basements and lunches, lunch crowds. And we play obviously every club in the village, you know, and play with a band and play as a duo. And, and in a way, this is what I'm doing right now. This is what I've made a decision to do right now. Which is a whole discussion in itself. But to be simple about it. I have recaptured for myself the pleasure and the joy of performing again. I mean, there's no way I could sing Spanish Town, which is now almost 30 years old. Yeah. Without feeling that I love this thing. Sure. And it is not a night that goes by that I'm singing that song where I don't enjoy it. You know, it's always a challenge. You know, because it's a story you know, it's but I love performing. And I think performing is what really separates the men from the boys in the end. love writing songs, love making music and what a great way of expressing yourself.
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| 01:27:19 1639.67 |
Peter Fornatale: Alan was telling me that after the group broke up and you had made the decision to go solo and there was the first album on Atlantic there was a song that kind of kicked the whole thing off. What was it? And are you still doing it?
Garland Jeffreys: Yeah, we are doing it. We're doing it a lot. It's a song called She Didn't Lie. It was on the first solo record. And the people who played on that track - Dr. John, the wonderful Paul Griffin who played piano on Like a Rolling Stone, and he's passed away, what a fantastic artist, Bernard Purdie on drums, Chuck Rainey on bass - It was a fantastic experience. |
| 01:28:11 1691.55 |
Garland Jeffreys
She Didn't Lie
(live)
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| 01:32:18 1938.24 |
Peter Fornatale: Once again Garland Jeffries accompanied by Alan Friedman, and a live version of She Didn't Lie. You know, we mentioned some of the elements of your music earlier Garland, the ethnic mix, the cultural mix, but there's also an urban sensibility that has come out is in so many ways. The pulse of this city of your birth is in your music. And, and that was never more so than on one of your signature songs, also, from the Ghost Rider album, but before we play it, I do want to ask you, were you a tough kid? Did you have to be a tough kid and your circumstances?
Garland Jeffreys: I think I'm pretty streetwise. I think it came from my, my background, my past, you know, but I wasn't, you know, I wasn't in a gang or anything like that. I mean, there were there were those kinds of situations around. But I escaped all that. Fortunately, you know, there's a song that I've written that's going to be on the new album that I'm working on. It's called Race record. You know, when I think about the lyric as I was singing yesterday's, fortunately, I haven't had it so bad. Others like me have had a much worse cruel than a crime to be cruel and a crime to be treated this way, in the new age, but it feels like 50 years in reverse. But the point is that I think I you know, when I look back on the kind of upbringing I had, I'm fortunate to have had the family that had protected me from a lot of that stuff. Peter Fornatale: I'm a city kid myself. There is no song to me that captures the city in the summer - Apologies to John Sebastian on this one - There is no song that captures the city in the summer, more than Wild in the Streets. You can you can feel the heat. You can see somebody coming out with a wrench to open the hydrant. It still works like crazy as it did when it first came out. |
| 01:36:05 2164.95 |
Peter Fornatale: Garland Jeffreys from the Ghost Rider Album - Wild in the Streets. This is Pete Fornatale on mixed bag radio. [Commercial break, studio conversation about Billy Joel's appearence on Dateline]
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| 01:38:17 2297.65 |
Peter Fornatale: Pete Fornatale back with you on mixed bag radio with my special guest Garland Jeffries. We were talking about the early days and to borrow another expression from John Sebastian, you met Bruce Springsteen in your scuffling days. How did that come about?
Garland Jeffries: I think we all put out albums around the same time our first solo records. And I think Bruce and I met at the Record Plant or one of the studios. We also met at Max's Kansas City back in those days, and also had come to hear me play - I remember performing at the stone pony and he came down to hear me play and we just had no connection from then. From time to time we'd bump into each other. I remember one particular night he was playing at the garden actually. And I was with a friend of mine from Paris who has since become a friend of his and he had dedicated a song to me at the garden which was really a nice kick. It was fun. Recently, about a year and a half ago, we reconnected after a long time of not seeing each other and we started talking that he had heard the buckwheat record and was very taken by the record. That was very, very nice. Some of the things He said to me, and then when he decided to do these Christmas shows, guess that's the end of 2002 was oh, at the end of 2001. He invited me to come and perform. And he specifically had two songs from the from from the, from the buckwheat album that he wanted me to do a moonshine in the cornfield, and welcome to the world. And I said, Well, how about we include New York skyline as well, you know, so. So we did those shows, those shows were really a lot of fun, you know, with Bruce Hornsby, and Elvis Costello came and of course, his band and Max's band from from his TV show and, and the crowds have great. And that's how we've reconnected again. |
| 01:41:09 2469.09 |
Peter Fornatale: To stay with Bruce, for a minute, you've become involved in a project with Bruce.
Garland Jeffreys: the funny thing about it is that a whole bunch of artists were invited to be part of this tribute to Bruce. And all the money has been raised. From the album's release, for the Kristen and Cara Foundation, and the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, every royalty every penny goes to them. In fact, the distributors and the record company involved - Schoolhouse Records - They've donated all their monies from this a great portion of their monies. So it's a real bonding and banding together of players. Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, Dan Byrne. you may see Cindy Bullins, Dion, you know, I mean it Pete Yan. So many great artists involved. Elliott Murphy. So it's a tribute for Bruce we're all doing songs of Bruce. And I had not signed on right away once I was invited. So when it came to the pickings, you know, it's like eating over, you know, like picking over a dead carcass. All the good songs were taken. I wanted to sing mansion on the hill, you know, and Billy Bragg chose that one, you know. And then I saw that nobody had recorded streets of Philadelphia. And I love that song. I think personally, that's one of his best songs. By the way. I sent an email out to everybody. I claimed this song and keep it hands off. So I'm really proud of this version of it. Peter Fornatale: The Tribute is called Light of Day and here is Garland's contribution Streets of Philadelphia on mixbag radio. |
| 01:44:06 2646.7 |
Peter Fornatale: Being a veteran at this, it seems as if you're coming back at it all with with renewed enthusiasm and excitement, what do you attribute that to?
Garland Jeffreys: I think, like you said earlier, I am a lifer. And even though I, at times I have been frustrated with a big record company syndrome, and in in a certain way, caught up in it myself. I think that I discovered that you know that I missed it so much. Not that but miss the songs, miss the performing in front of the crowd, you know, and I've truly missed that. And I've been performing again for the last year and a half and the fans have come out wherever we play they show up and it's fantastic. Just fantastic. I love you to come to one of the shows, you know, it is just wonderful. Whether we're playing as a duo, you know, as on the show today, or, or playing with the band is just fantastic. The fans have been egging me on they, you know, some of the things they say and the emails, I get the responses. Delicious. |
| 01:45:31 2731.53 |
Peter Fornatale: You also in this new environment have to find new ways of getting yourself out there. The internet is certainly one of those ways. In fact, anyone who wants to know more about Garland - where he's been, where he's going, what he's up to - can just dial up www.garlandjeffries.com. And another another venue these days is visual media and you've got an exciting project coming up in the fall here
Garland Jeffreys: Well what I'm doing is I'm saying yes to almost anything that comes my way. And in that instead of deciding what it is before it happens, I'm in it. And Wim Wenders, who's a friend of mine for a long time, asked me to sing one of the songs that he supplied me with a bunch of songs choose a song It's a song of Skip James it's part of this blue series called The Blues that Martin Scorsese and Wim have spearheaded which include a film by Wim called the soul of a man, one by Marty, Clint Eastwood has done has directed a movie, Mike figures who did Leaving Las Vegas, Charles Burnett has done one and two other directors and I think this is going to be a fantastic series starts it I think you know actually I'm saying I have to stop for a second I'm saying this is going to be a fantastic series |
| 01:47:48 2868.25 |
Garland Jeffreys: this is the song Wim asked me to do it's called the Washington DC Hospital Blues by Skip James.
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| 01:47:58 2878.28 |
Garland Jeffreys
Washington DC Hospital Blues
(live)
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| 01:51:53 3114.03 |
Peter Fornatale: Garland Jeffries, accompanied by Alan Friedman. That's the song Garland contributed to the blue series coming to PBS this fall. Look for it. It's the episode directed by Win Wenders soul of a man. Garland will also be appearing here in New York at Joe's Pub on October 17 18th, and 19th. And I'll have more with Garland from the Museum of Television and Radio right after this...back with you on mixed bag radio with my guest Garland Jeffries. We were talking earlier about you are known as a very intense songwriter very, very personal songs, very meaningful songs. But occasionally, you can just stand up there and have fun and rock and roll with the best of them. And that certainly occurred, I think it was on the escape artist album, What possessed you to take on Question Mark and the Mysterians
Garland Jeffreys: that's a terrific song. You know, I mean, it's a very basic kind of chord structure. Nothing, nothing special in that sense. But we were performing it as a band at the time live and also in a soundcheck enjoying it, as you say, you know, just having a good time and we decided to try it. And you know who's on that recording? I mean, it's a fantastic. You have G.E. Smith is playing guitar, a couple of E Streeters, Danny Federici on Oregon. You have Roy Bittan on piano. And on the from the Rumor you have Graham Parker's Steve Goulding on drums and Andrew Bogner on bass and Alan Friedman on guitar |
| 01:54:08 3248.05 |
Garland Jeffreys
96 Tears
(live)
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| 01:58:13 3493.01 |
Peter Fornatale: You tell a lovely story in your official biography about a certain action that connects you to your father going in that direction, but also to your daughter going in the other direction... It's something to do with with cookies and milk
Garland Jeffreys: Hardwired. I love that, but I think I gotta let it go. I don't feel like I could do it justice. Peter Fornatale: The follow up question was going to be what are your hopes for the future? What are your hopes for the kind of world that your daughter and her kids might grow up in and live in? Garland Jeffreys: You know, it's funny, Peter, it's a powerful thing to talk about because I never thought I would be a father. I never really, you know, I never really you know, being a musician, and performing all the time and, and, and being wrapped up in that as a writer and an artist. Basically, I never thought I'd be a father and, and my wife of 22 years and I decided the very last minute we looked at our clocks, we look down at our watches, we said we better get to work, baby. And here was this little lovely thing. It came out Savannah Ray. She is just an incredible child. And I guess every father feels that way about their child. And when when, when the World Trade Center happened, you know, I mean, when that when that whole incredible event took place. I remember that I had taken her to her first day of school that day, I guess it was the 11th, right, the 11th. And I drove her up to school. And she was already in class. It was, was it a Monday or Tuesday or Tuesday, and I and I came home. And I was trying to park my car. And I ran into a friend of mine. He said did you hear and this was before the second plane hit. And then we looked at the smoke. And to make a long story short, I was in the house with my wife. And the things that I was thinking about was what's happening? I mean, I think everybody, everybody in New York certainly was thinking about that. And my poor kid, we walked 95 blocks that day, to pick her up at the end of school. You know? And, you know, I think ever since that day, I've been concerned about, you know, what kind of world is she going to grow? I've thought about, you know, I've thought about should we move? Should we go to a different country, which I've thought about many times. But I love New York, I have to say New York, you know? I mean, you put it really well. I mean, I am a New Yorker, I am the New Yorker, you know, Mr. New York, if you will. And I just don't see myself leaving here. And I love the fact that she's here in the city. Having a life my daughter and having an education to say this girl is already equipped. You know? So in one way, how do you protect yourself from these things? And do you do you I wouldn't say people who leave the city, I wouldn't call them people who run away, I wouldn't even bother to say that's a choice that people make. I just feel like I'm on top of her. My wife and I are watching her carefully. We spent a lot of time what you know what, I'm not an absentee father. I don't. I'm playing and performing. But I am really with her. You know, and she, I mean, she has a really, she's having a great experience as a child being parented by us. You know, just as the best I can say, you know, so I mean, I don't want to change anything really, you know, I mean, if something disastrous happens, I just would have to live through it. Whatever what happens... Peter Fornatale: there is a particular song of yours that took on a new resident resonance after the tragedy, how quickly did you make that connection and realize it grown? Garland Jeffreys: it was interesting, because the summer prior to this event, I was performing. I did a couple of concerts out on the island. One was a benefit concert for a friend of mine. I did it with Paul Simon and Dr. John, I put the concert together. And Alan, Alan joined me in we had it was really nice. And everybody's always loved the song, you know. And then this event happened. And I started to continue performing and continue to do the song. And while I realized, of course, the connection, I mean, I didn't realize the impact until there was the response came from the audience. And the response, there have been many responses, or quite positive when we did it, you know, when we did the song at Bruce's shows - actually he was playing guitar on that song at that time - The response was just a beautiful one. And I met some people afterwards moving through the crowd and at different different parts of the show. And people came up to me and hugged me and put their arms around me. And what a beautiful song. It's so nice. I mean, it was very emotional at the shows. Very, very emotional. It had a had a feeling that was, you know, it was tense, it was intense, and it was loving and beautiful. So all those things, you know, and I'd love to try to do to do a version of it for you here. |
| 02:05:20 3920.33 |
Garland Jeffreys
New York Skyline
(live)
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| 02:10:36 4236.6 |
Pete Fornatale: and that just about does it for this edition of mixed bag radio. My thanks to Garland Jeffries and Alan Friedman for being our guests. Thanks also to Bill Kohlar, Chris Hall and Bruce Raines. Special thanks this week to Ken Beck and Chip Kristarella at the Museum of television and radio in New York City. For more information about our programs, please visit our website at WWW.mixedbagradio.com. Thanks for listening. And thanks for doing that. Wow Wow Wow.
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