I didn't notice you exiting the Dick Van Dyck. Hope the little sprout was okay. If he/she was okay, give the monkey a clip around the ear for spoiling your evening, when he/she is old enough to be clipped.

Can't say that there's anything too mysterious about doing a cover of anyone's tune; you just record and release and someone in the record company has to make sure that the publishing royalties go to the writer in question. Most writers don't know it's happened 'till either their publishers inform them or they read about it somewhere.
But talking of the Jackson's, or at least the Gloved One, he owns a lot of the Beatles catalogue and it's always struck me as strange how when you hear a Beatles' tune used on a TV advert, it's always some hack jingle singer doing it, never an actual Beatles record. I wonder if this has anything to do with said Gloved One wanting some ridiculous royalty rate for the use of the original, or what. Wouldn't surprise me if this is the case — I would expect M. J. to be consumed with greed, wouldn't you? I must ask someone who knows about publishing what the deal is with this.

As for me not putting "I Want You Back" on an album, well, it was done on a whim, as these things often are — basically for a b-side or something — and recorded in-between albums and certainly would not have fitted on anything I was doing then (this would be around the time of "Sparks," and you'd have to be nuts to think a frivolous, fun tune like that would be appropriate for that album). Hope that answers your question.

I know you didn't have a question, but thanks to you and all at the Van Dyck; seems a lot of people who attended haven't seen me for 20 years. Where have you all been? Oh, yeah, of course — growing up, getting a life, behaving like adults. Correct!

Sounds feasible some day. I'll pass your info on to my booking agent for future reference.

I did a four gig tourette of Virginia somewhere's in the '90's, yes, and I believe Norfolk was part of it. I recall a fish restaurant with two rooms, one of which — a long rectangular affair — had a tiny stage tucked away in the gloom at the far end. Weird joint, but pretty packed, as it happens. There was no dressing room and the owner asked me and my soundman to sit out in the car in the lot before showtime, warning us to keep the doors locked on account of how dangerous it was to hang around in a parking lot in that part of town at night! There were airforce people at the gig — one headshaven chap gave me his card which was very crudely designed, sporting a drawing of two nasty looking fighter jets crossing each other like a crucifix or something. A girl in the audience gushed at me after about how incredibly goodtimey my music used to be (she kept attempting to smack me about the face with a battered vinyl copy of "Heat Treatment") and how serious it had become. She blabbered on and on rather annoyingly at this amazing phenomenon. (Qualifying point: I could be imagining all this, you know {not a question}, but it seems all too real to me right now, in the brightness of my minds eye.)

No, I did not have the energy to check out Steve's stuff before the show, but the whole thing seemed to work quite well.

And now here's a damn funny thing! Check this out: a vaguely familiar face appeared in front of me as I dragged my guitars and stuff into the Bottom Line for soundcheck on the first afternoon of my shows with Forbet. I remembered him straight away, and there he was playing bass in Steve's band. His name is Gary Soloman. He was the guy who did my sound on that four date tour of Virginia that you speak of!! I kid you not! I knew that he was a bass player when I hired him for that little tour, but someone had recommended him as a soundguy, and as he lived down I-87 on the way to Olde Virginee, which made things very convenient, I called him up, found he was available, and hired him! Coincidence? Or something far more sinister (creepy organ music....etc., etc.......)

I've been doing Peter Green's "World Keep On Turning" from Fleetwood Mac's eponymous first album (at least the UK version). As I recall, he did it solo on acoustic guitar.

Can't say I've ever disliked any of the kinks' '60's singles. Never bought an album though — too commercial; their records seemed designed for AM hit radio.

I have been wracking my brain for a cappella ideas but nothing's appealing. Seeing as these clubs I've been playing lately always seem to have Ritchie Havens either coming or leaving around the times I'm appearing, I thought of doing "Freedom," but I think the lyrics might stump me.

I think I'm three times smaller than you, is all.

Hey, Eddie. Check the tour page for tour plans.

You may have a point there, but, y'know — I'm just monkeying with words, and the ones that roll out that sing well are usually good enough and if I subjected my stuff to that kind of intense scrutiny not much would get done.

Billy and Michael Finell (sax player — he is arranging things) are in the band. Don't know the other guys' names. Check tour page for details.

Damn, I should know this poser, but it's not coming. Here's one for you: Which British comedian immortalized the expression, "Naff off, Godber" in his '70's TV sitcom?

People are posting my rantings in different areas of the Net? Ouch. I really should have a copyright notice on them. But maybe I should trust people not to use them out of context? They wouldn't do that, would they (not a question).

Thanks for the digging of "Loose." I've forgotten what it's like.

Seeing as you ask what I think of Costello in a fairly sensible manner, I'll give you a few opinions.
"My Aim Is True" is one monster album. I'll never know how he managed to use that Californian soft rock band Clover to such amazing effect. Some of the Rumour guys (Brinsley and Bob, I think) were mad on that band and we (they) actually invited them to the UK in 1976 to open for us on a college/university tour (this, of course, was well before "Aim" and the invention of Elvis). Although I could vaguely appreciate Clover's accomplished musicianship, I didn't really see what my musical cohorts were making such a fuss about. I guess Clover were an American sort of "pub rock" band and I just didn't "get" that type of music at all (still don't, in fact). But, from what I understand pub rock might be, if there is such a thing as incredible pub rock, I'd say "Aim" would be it. It's like pub rock with an extremely irate genius thrown in the middle of it. I also loved "Armed Forces." "Trust" is a little beauty, too.
Lots of other great stuff. He's an unbelievable lyricist, no question.

Haven't liked any of his collaborations much, though. That McCartney thing seemed like Beatles/McCartney by numbers and I can't say that I have the reverence for Baccarach that would give me the appreciation for that pairing. Sounds really overstuffed to me. I heard the string quartet album in its entirety on the bullet train between Tokyo and Osaka, funnily enough. They were playing it over the headphones system — most incongruous! A marvelously irritating piece of work, I must say! Haven't even heard of the "polka album." Can't wait!
But whatever Elvis does, I have great admiration for his complete reckless daring. Why should he make another great rock record when that's always within his capabilities? It's fun finding out what kind of nuttiness he's up to next. And It's entertaining seeing Costello get up the critics' noses. At least he's not a superstar and therefore beyond criticism, which some/one singer/songwriter(s) who are (is) supposed to be vaguely in a similar bag to the both of us seem(s) to be (think about it, Batman).
(I heard a Costello track the other day on the radio called "Hidden Charms" which was a real beauty. Sort of jazz-pub rock; I've heard this a couple of times lately. Is it new?)

Don't really know him, to answer another part of your question.

And I can't say I could actually dazzle you with my "masterful grasp of every musical genre," as you put it.
While there are multi-influences that do come into my work, they are not overt. They are — at least in the case of the more surprising and obscure ones — very difficult to spot. They are subtle to the point of secrecy. Like, no one would ever know that Jack Bruce's "Tickets For The Waterfall," from his masterwork "Songs For A Tailor," is the inspiration for "Stick To Me (the song), musically and to a large extent lyrically. People just think it's r and b! Because it had a horn section on it, they thought it was like Southside Johnny or something. Most listeners only see the surface and therefore do not see the "masterful grasp" of other musical ideas, if not exactly genres. There are clues all over my stuff, but the surface occludes them.
As far as actual genres go, I can't say that I am exactly enamored by that many. Classical music usually feels like tiny aliens are sawing at my eardrums, for instance. I'd like never to hear ragtime again. Jazz, I feel, is usually done by bland yet histrionic musicians who could do with sticks of dynamite inserted in them. Surely all that "alternative" appreciation for Tony Bennet was a campy joke? Baccarach was brilliant, but what's brilliant about brilliant elevator music? Zydeco does not make me want to shake a leg. And all that "world" stuff makes me turn the dial. I could do without do-wop, too. This craze for Irish stuff drives me nuts. Most theater songs are hideous to me, although I was once heavily into Harry Warren and Al Rubin's songs in those Busby Berkeley musicals. Here again, "White Honey" and "Lady Doctor" were heavily indebted to that stuff, but all people could hear was Van Morrison. Not that he didn't play a goodly part in their conception, he did. But there's more to it than meets the surface-seeking eye.
There are always some great songs in every genre, but I just don't see myself becoming so immersed in any one style that I'll do a whole album of say, Inuit whaling songs. One never knows what's around the corner exactly, but I think I'll keep my more esoteric or less obvious influences buried in indecipherable code.

Movies and actors, you ask? Now you're using my head. Hard to know where to begin. The quality of actors/actresses past and present is so far above that of most rock 'n' rollers operating now my list could go on a bit.

Okay, here's some favourite movies:

Alien (The first hour is so spellbindingly awesome — some of the greatest work ever committed to film, and the rest of it's incredible, too)

The Big Lebowski (Marvelously funny. While we're on the Coen's, let's add "Fargo" to the list)

The Entertainer (Sir Lawrence shows 'em how it's done)

The Time Machine (Love those Morlocks and that whole remarkable idea of the sirens luring the Eloi into the air raid shelters eons after the war is over)

Glengarry Glenross ( "Blistering," to use a movie review word)

Bladerunner (Now that "Matrix" thing was fun, but rather spoiled by Laurence Fishburn's hammy performance and dialogue. Bladerunner doesn't put a foot wrong)

A Christmas Story (Only a scrooge wouldn't love it)

Scrooge (The musical version with Albert Finney. Normally, I can't stomach musicals [whoops, I'm forgetting "West Side Story"], but this'll warm the cockles of yer heart)

Naked Lunch (Lots of sick fun via the classic Burroughs book)

Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory (My God, it's another musical. Great Wilder and those little Oompa Lumpa fellows do me in)

The Producers (Talking of Gene Wilder. I could watch this forever)

The Manchurian Candidate (Hello Frankie)

Dr. Strangelove (Cannot be beat)

And on and on............

Actors? Let's start with the entire principal cast of the aforementioned "Glengarry Glenross." Awesome.
Hard to go wrong with De Niro, isn't it (not a question).
Gary Oldman's done some monster work (in "Sid And Nancy," a couple of times I thought it actually was Sid Vicious). Gary's been lumbered with some average movies lately, though.
David Thewliss is not a common site but usually turns in a great performance.
Jeff Bridges always delivers and Michael Douglas is killer.
I dunno........Malkovitch and Jeremy Irons are usually on the case.
Even though it's hard to take him seriously cos of his looks and stardom, Tom Cruise in that "4th of July" movie was actually brilliant.
Michael Caine is rarely shabby.
Gary Sinese.........
And there are scads of character actors on both TV and Film whose names I don't know who are masterful.

Actresses? Both those girls in "Boys Don't Cry" are unreal.
Hard to go wrong with Meryl, really.
Christ, even Cher's good!
Uma Thurman's good.
That lady who played the Queen in "Elizabeth" put in some good work.
Don't forget Dame Judy.
Have you seen Angela Lansbury in "The Manchurian Candidate"? Forget about it.

Look, I could keep remembering names all night. The point I'd like to make, is that the level of talent with actors and actresses is so far above that of singer/songwriters and pop groups it's hard to end the list. I mean, when an actor wins an Oscar, it's usually someone quite amazing, whereas the opposite is true with the Grammy's. Same goes for big commercial success. Gyneth Paltrow, for instance, has a natural talent and uses it with conviction and great skill, but Mariah Carrey abuses her God-given vocal chords by making records that consist of histrionic posturing largely comprising of scales sung over unenterprising tosh that we are led to believe are compositions. Taking two personalities whose huge commercial clout makes them household names and tabloid figures, Bruce Willis is actually an actor of great accomplishment and surprising subtlety and depth, whereas Garth Brooks is a wholly undistinguished singer and reeks of hammy insincerity as a performer.
The disparity between the two mediums is shockingly wide. The pop end of things perks up a little when you get down to people of more modest, even obscure, commercial achievement, but if I knew all the names of actors/actresses both well- and lesser-known that I think are excellent in both TV and film, the list would be long, whereas in rock 'n' roll it would give me a headache trying to think of a top five.
As for the standard of Hollywood movies.....well, that's where the actors are often let down by the material. But you know that old story.

I don't really have a fave American city — it depends on the weather and the time of year. I prefer small towns these days — places where parking your car is not something that could lead to a nervous breakdown.

There are exactly 156 card-carrying members of the Communist party I say 234 card-carrying members of the Communist party in pop music today and I sir am not one of them. (I thought the pink looked nice with my drapes, honest.)

There's a joke here, but I'm not gonna stoop to it.

Actually, there is a fierce appreciation of much '70's "rootsy" music in various pockets of Europe/Scandinavia. Nothing too commercially viable, but enough to give artists a few gigs to play and maybe get a record release when in America/UK all they are greeted with is a stunning lack of interest. I'm playing Sweden with a guy who has worked with Dave Edmunds, Micky Jupp (don't ask me who he is, I just heard his name before) and others. Sweden used to be a more lucrative place to play but has changed along with the rest of the world, and taking a band in there is a tough financial proposition, therefore, it's good to have a pool of musicians who are into this stuff and want to back artists of rockin' credibility.

Madrid, you'll be interested to know, has a large following for '70's British "new wave," and obscure one-hit wonders of that genre can pull a club-sized audience there but do poorly elsewhere. Maybe they can even get their records released there easier than in other parts of the world, too. It wouldn't surprise me.
When I played Madrid a few years back, I was pleased to see a packed house of mostly younger people. Quite shocking, actually.

'Tis in the mail.

I played New York's Bottom Line recently and was told that George Stephanopolis (yeah, something looks dodgy about that spelling) was in the audience. I was on a double bill with Southside Johnny so he probably came to see him. Anyhow, I did this unrecorded song of mine called "It Takes A Village Idiot." In light of his recent book, I wonder what he thought of it?
About '94 I played LA's House Of Blues and Pamela Anderson appeared almost under the lip of the stage dancing away. I didn't know it was her until someone told me later (never seen Baywatch), but the entire audience became uninterested in me and the band as soon as she appeared. 1500 people just stared her way. Luckily, she made her way to the front only near the end of the show.
There's plenty of others, as you say, but I can't think of anything anecdotal to recount concerning them.

"Quirky at best" eh? Well, David Burns' voice is quirky at best. Umm.......there's others who have made a living out of it without sounding too traditional. So why not go on regardless? If people are just too put off, you'll eventually get with the program and stick to keyboards. Until then, if you enjoy singing keep right on doing it.

As for my voice, it was thin, wan, and had no projectionality (got to be a word) until I was 24. And it's only just now getting really good. But people thought that my voice was pretty good even when it was only a shadow of what it became, come to think of it.

And thanks for knowing my songs enough to do an impromptu version of "Chambermaid." Hell, if you got the bridge even close, that's more that Rod could muster.

I'm just about to leave for Italy, so I have no time to browse previous Q & A's for my answer to this question which I have dealt with before. Sorry about that. Hope you can find the time to scan thru them. Thanks.

Later.....................GP