[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

JAE Interview w/House of Blues



For you completists, attached file is a transcript of an interview done in
March from House of Blues.  

Mick Noland
OnlineHost:  Copyright 1996 House of Blues; licensed to America Online, Inc.

OnlineHost:  Your host is Norma II (AOLiveMC13!)

OnlineHost:  We're here with JOHN ENTWISTLE, the musician best known as a
bass player for THE WHO.  John launched his own solo career in the 70's and
is currently working on a trilogy of books which will chronicle the
adventures of The Who.  Welcome online, John Entwistle!

AOLiveMC13:  Welcome to AOL, John!

JnEntwistl:  Hello there.  The whole band is here.  Steve Luongo, drums;
Godfrey Townsend, guitar; Alan St. Jon, keyboards; and of course, John.

AOLiveMC13:  Are you ready for some audience questions?

JnEntwistl:  Yes.

AOLiveMC13:  Here is the first question:

Question:  Can you discuss the difficulty in creating a name for yourself
when your current work is so often compared to the work you did with The Who?

JnEntwistl:  No.

Question:  Can you recall the first time you guys actually realized that you
had made it?

JnEntwistl:  Made money or became successful?  There's a big difference.  We
became successful before we made money.

Question:  "Who's Next" is a classic, one of my all-time favorite albums!
Can you talk about what you remember about making that album?

JnEntwistl:  I remember recording at Mick Jagger's empty house with a mobile.
I think we did 3 separate recordings of the album -- one in New York, one
with the Stones' mobile, and one at Olympic Studios with Glyn Johns.  At
least by the last one, we knew the songs.

Question:  Do you ever get to the VA Beach area?  I play in a Who cover band
here and would love for you to check it out.

JnEntwistl:  All I need to hear is someone else playing The Who's songs.  We
didn't play VA Beach.  Maybe this summer.

Question:  John, I recently had the pleasure of seeing you perform with Ringo
Starr and his All-Starr Band this summer.  What was the best part of being in
this tour?

JnEntwistl:  The end of it.  Just joking.  It was hard work, but some of it
was fun.

Question:  Which do you think was the best of The Who's albums?

JnEntwistl:  "Live at Leeds."  It was the closest to The Who sound.

Question:  Is there any one specific performance (concert) with The Who that
stands out above all others?

JnEntwistl:  All the concerts on the 1976 tour of America.  They were all
good, and we were at our peak.

Question:  Hi, John!  2 quick questions -- first, do you ever down-tune your
bass during a song, and second, how did you get the nickname "The Mayor of
Ealing?"

JnEntwistl:  I was the first one to buy a house, and it was in Ealing
(Question 2) and (1) only when Roger decides to play a song in E flat.  I use
a hip shot on my E string, which I tune to D.

Question:  John, I once saw a story on "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" of
your amazing guitar collection.  How many do you currently have, and which is
your favorite?

JnEntwistl:  216.  My favorite is one I pieced together from smashed basses.
I used it on "Live at Leeds" and "Tommy."  I called it "Frankenstein."  It's
a Fender Precision.  Pink now, but it started as Sunburst.

Question:  Do you listen to any music that is around today, and if so, what?

JnEntwistl:  My girlfriend acts as DJ for me.  I never seem to know the names
of the bands.

Question:  John, do you have a title yet for the trilogy of books you're
writing?

JnEntwistl:  Who Won, Who Too, and Who Free.

Question:  John, please tell us what is a "typical" day for you?

JnEntwistl:  Sleep and drink.  Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.  Ask me about a typical
night.  Sex and sleep.  Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.  Mmmmmmm.

Question:  Any chance of the remaining members of the band touring again or
recording a new album?

JnEntwistl:  NO.

Question:  John, I really thought the cover art for "By the Numbers" was
great.  Are you doing any more?

JnEntwistl:  I did the artwork for the tour book, the liner notes for the new
CD, and the cover art.  I've got a series of lithographs coming out of my
cartoons of different rock stars.

Question:  John, if it would have been impossible for you to become a
musician, what other profession do you think you would have chosen?

JnEntwistl:  An artist.

Question:  When did you begin to make money?

JnEntwistl:  6 months after the "Tommy" album was released.  Before that, we
were 1/2 a million dollars in debt.

Question:  Did you know that younger audiences enjoy your music?

JnEntwistl:  I found out through the Internet.

Question:  I've read you have one of the largest bass collections in the
world.  How many do you own?

JnEntwistl:  215 basses and guitars.

Question:  Do you guys still get women?

JnEntwistl:  More than you ever will.

Question:  When you last toured with Roger, you did a version of "My Wife"
that rocked as hard as anything I've heard The Who perform.  Does your new
band play it the same way?

JnEntwistl:  Better.  Because I'm in control of the tour.  It rocks a lot
more.

Question:  What inspired you to write "My Wife?"

JnEntwistl:  My wife.  I had an argument with my wife and stormed out of the
house, and wrote the song while I was walking the dogs.  They were Scottish
Deerhounds, so the song was fast.

Question:  John, I'll be at the show Saturday in Golden, CO.  What can we
expect?

JnEntwistl:  Rain, partly cloudy.  "Heaven and Hell," "Success Story," "Had
Enough," "Boris," "My Wife" etc.

OnlineHost:  If you joined us late, we are talking to The Who's bass player,
John Entwistle!  To send John a question, use the Interact icon/Ask a
Question feature on your screen.

Question:  I'm really looking forward to your books!  When will they be
released, and how do they compare to other books written on The Who?

JnEntwistl:  They're true!  As soon as I can finish the first one, it'll be
released.

Question:  In what ways have you departed musically from the earlier days of
your career?

JnEntwistl:  I got better.  It would take an hour to answer the question.

Question:  For thirty years I have marveled at the bass line in "Summertime
Blues."  If you could please tell me, what inspired you to come up with it,
did you play it with pick or fingers on the original recording, and do you
use the same technique today?  Thanks!

JnEntwistl:  I used a pick.  I suppose I play it the same today.  A little
more complicated, maybe.  It just happened.

Question:  Did you start playing the 6-string, and if you did, do you find a
major difference between that and playing bass guitar?

JnEntwistl:  I removed the top 2 strings from one of Pete's old cello
guitars, and then I made my own bass.

Question:  John, do you prefer studio work or touring?

JnEntwistl:  Touring.  Being in the studio, to me, is like the difference
between masturbation and sex.

Question:  What kept Keith Moon going all of the time?  What was it like to
room with him in the early days?

JnEntwistl:  He didn't go most of the time.  He snored.

Question:  What the heck was with that song "Boris the Spider?"

JnEntwistl:  I made it up on the spur of the moment because Pete asked me if
I'd written my second song for the second album.  It was written completely
off the top of my head.

AOLiveMC13:  The time has really slipped by -- we have time for one final
question:

Question:  What do you think of these "bootleg" discs of former concerts?

JnEntwistl:  Some of them are better than ours.

AOLiveMC13:  Thanks for being with us online this evening, John!

JnEntwistl:  Thanks for showing up.  Come see me at the shows.  I'm the one
on the left.  Bye.

AOLiveMC13:  Thanks to the audience for your great questions.  Good evening!

OnlineHost:  Copyright 1996 House of Blues; licensed to America Online, Inc.