tv Overheard With Evan Smith WHUT November 5, 2013 8:30am-9:00am EST
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swift and madonna makes millions. >> they're not having the same conversation. >> right. >> when you were in a band years ago, not amy mannsolo artist, the touring back then, as you say a different environment, different climate for record sales, different record industry, rate? >> it's interesting, we still didn't make money then -- [laughter] >> but for a different reason. >> i have to ask, what happened then? >> you know, some of this is like weird management stuff, too. but back in the day, in the days of like the record labels, the major labels, you would get tour supports so you would go on tour and that was to promote the record and the record would sell and the record company would make a lot of money but for some reason our managers didn't want to take tours so we drove around in a van sharing rooms and it
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was kind of off. >> i was hoping you would say romantic? >> no, not romantic at a. it was also like a very grueling experiences so that was the worst of both worlds. the best was when i finally got off the major label system and when i toured and sold records but money from the records actually went to me. >> imagine that. >> yeah, there was a period of time i made money, i was able to buy a house and have a place to live. so i had -- you know this is most. >> it's not everybody for everybody. everybody has this idea that touring is glamorous and no. >> come along, come along and see. [laughter] >> all you have to do is come on
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one tour. >> do you like sleeping in a bus which is essentially one room with eight guys then you will enjoy touring. >> i have got a deal for you. laugh. >> you mentioned back when people bought records. i went looking this week to remind myself of all that i enjoyed so much over the years. i don't own charming. spotify is a great service, no. >> yeah. >> so sometimes the way the distribution of the music happens this days and actions of a, quote, record business that we used to know one, there are obstacles to people getting assess to all of your stuff. >> spotify disability pay artists money. >> and you have a beef with them. >> i couldn't not have a beef with them. >> you've been vocal about this subject if recent years. >> i think it should be voluntary to give pay way stuff and to give away a single as a
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proproa promotional device becae they it costs a lot of money to make a record. it seems againstmy interests to give it to an entity that then people can get it for free. that seems crazy. i understand before you buy a record you would like to hear some of it. it's streaming all over the place. it's not hard to hear a lot of the record before you buy it. >> if you want to hear something there are places to go. >> yeah, it's pretty easy. >> right. >> i really just can't bring myself to give away my music. >> the economics of this new distribution system really doesn't work for the majority of artists for the reason you're saying. >> it's virtually for free. you might make 14-cents or something. >> let's agree that is something but we're told all the time one
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of the things about digital distribution of music and the fact that people have assess to all these files but the music business is benefiting because people are buying more records arizona arizonaas asa result of. do you have the idea that some of the services would stream your music and not provide revenue is meaningful, to tell them to take me off this, i don't want to be on there? >> you just don't -- that's why. >> but there is stuff of yours on these services. >> i haven't had a conversation with my manager, to take over about that. i just had that moment last year, i don't feel good about making a record and immediately giving it away or maybe after a year, putting it on or something like that.
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but i don't have a sort of form lated plan or policy about it. i spend a lot of money making records and i don't feel good about it. >> i'm surprised more people don't talk about it, more people in your position don't talk about it openly. >> i feel like there's a tide turning. i think spotufy when itirst came out, the word was it's a sudescription service and this s great. >> it didn't happen. >> my remark to you before we got an here, that i fell old in discovering how long until tuesday was. i want to ask you intelligently because i'm not saying boy, are you old. [laughter] >> i feel somehow you are. [laughter] >> inside joke, you wouldn't be the first one to accuse me of that. but in reality, i remember
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listening to that music but i was surprised to discover that the band started in '82, '8. in '82, '83. >> probably '82, '83. >> that feels like a long time ago. >> maybe '84, '85-issue. >> the voices carry song became voices carry video that for a generation of people getting to be my age, your age, we remember you as one of the first mtv, when it actually played music as opposed to the crap they have now, you were one of the early mtv icons. >> yeah, we were there not at the very beginning. >> was that a positive experiences, that period of time in that band someone. >> yeah. i mean, it was interesting
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because i wasn't away for -- you couldn't really see unless you saw people in concert then it was the first ways to see what a band looked like or maybe saw them perform. >> but i'm wondering, about the mtv aspect and more being in a band as opposed to a performer who had a bands, touring with them, the does between that. you obviously moved quickly and have not gone back took replace where it's your show. >> true, but i just am starting up a project where it is a band. >> ok, talk about that. >> i'm doing a collaboration but we've been on tour for the past year and have become really good friends and started writing. i think partly because the business is to weird, that it
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gives you a kind of freedom like maybe if my records or anybody's records were selling like hotcakes you would think, i should make another one of my own records. but it's like, let's do this one project. >> why not? >> c yeah, why not do a collaboration. you can't even spend time thinking is it something that we'll sell or promote. >> because what does that mean? >> it almost doesn't matter, right. >> so we're doing this project and i'm playing base and he's playing guitar. it's a power trio. so it is a band. i'm in a band but the record will probably come out in february and then i'll do a band tour. >> right, you'll call it something else? >> the boat. >> that's a nice name. the collaboration reminds me to acts you about your past collaborations because i remember when you worked with
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rush you did writing with elvis costello. i remember a collaboration with matthew sweet. >> i know, we were talking about this. i can't remember what it was. >> i feel like it dreamt it or it actually happened. >> i know we were on tour together. i think he opened for me back in the day. >> what's interesting to think of you in the context of other people because they love you, and drivandy partridgwe and this great. her stuff is great. that must be a wonderful thing to have people that accomplished and just to openly be talking about how much they love your stuff. >> you know, they never said it to me directly that way. [laughter] >> i'm hearing it from you there surely i'm not breaking the news of this. for years there's a cultivating demand.
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>> i work with people and it's fun to collaborate with people. it's not always that easy because you're kind of talent matrix don't always match, but i mean, i'm interested to see how difficult peopldifferent people. all those people you mentioned, they're great song writers. >> elvis costello interests me. your songs sound to me a lot like his songs sounds to me, his older songs. >> hefly iheavily in tune. >> it seems like stuff related. what were were the circumstances. tell us about him that we might not know? >> we wrote two songs together and they were done by mail,. >> by mail.
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>> pre-email file. >> send them off and he sends it back with a lot of words, yeah. [laughter] >> and sort of extra additional interesting ideas. then it's like kind of done. >> isn't that great. >> it's amazing. >> easy to work with, no problem. >> like those things in the back of a comic book, put your lyrics to music. it's a bit like that, like working with ted, i'll write a chunk and go, i don't know what to do with this, hand it off to the next person. >> how to did you end up performing with lee and rush? >> i didn't really know rush's stuff. >> really? >> yeah. like i knew who they were but i wasn't a fan, that wasn't my thing. although every musician i know is. >> people don't want to admitting it like super loud but if you get them in a conversation they'll say it?
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>> they are now. i think the stigma of being a prague man has passed. now it's kind of nerd chic, it's come back around. >> liking rush is cool. >> how to that come around? >> they just called me up. i don't know know who heard my stuff. it's a call songed time stands still and they wanted a female voice and gety lee was singg, thinking, man, his falsetto is so high. >> he has a sigh voice. >> he has a lovely lady's voice. [laughter] >> it was fun. they're super nice, very funny. neil was not the funniest one but yeah gett dwrr is pretty fun, very sweet. >> can i ask you about the paul anderson film magnolia for which you did the song and academy award nomination.
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(applause). >> talk about an uncompromising artist, somebody with a vision of how his art is realized. what is that like? the guy has vision, right snt. >> how. >> how did that cla collaboratin come about? >> at that point we were really good friends. so his girlfriend at the time, we spent a lot of time together, a lot of time together. and i feel like that kind of came out more from just conversations that both of us had about various things like topics and themes in the movie. and i was writing the new record and playing him stuff and he was about to start working on his new script and i had given him a tape of things that i was working on. i think he was listening to it while he was writing.
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so the collaboration kind of came while he was writing. >> it was a huge success, the music. the film was a success in its own soort sort. but the music was undeniably successful. >> and certainly it was nominated for an oscar and at the ceremony and everything. >> more recently, and many years later, i found a video of you on the internet performing save me at the white house. >> yes. >> how is that? that must have been just a trip. >> i mean, that was really like obviously to play at the white house is its own -- you know it will be thrilling going in. what i didn't -- >> i think they're big music fans. i think obama is a bit of a
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nerd, so i don't know how much -- i don't know how extensive his music is. >> he sings pretty good at a al green. >> i was blown away by that. but you can tell michelle is very, very excited about the idea of having art, any kind of art in the white house and promoting a culture of art and having art in school. >> so this is all part of the same initiative? >> yeah. the occasion was they were sort of celebrating poetry and had a bunch of poets and there was a seminar in the afternoon for students where there was a question an and the poets were talking about their process and i was part of that. god bless somebody to mying i'm close to being a poet but i'll take it.
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so it was very interesting and very inspiring to hear the poets talk about their process and what poetry meant and how they work and everything. but what was more inspiring was to see -- you toe, michelle obama give a speech about the influence of art and education. it kind of got me thinking, what is the point of art? i think i always thought it's like a little thrill that you put on after you get everything else in place. it really started me thinking about the impact and importance of art and what it does mean to a community, that it's almost kind of what defined a civilization? i really have these sort of profound moments of change about how art is a transforming experiences and then even though i do what i do, i don't know, you don't like to call yourself an artist. >> it's har to think in the most
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what the significance of the work is but there is significance. >> but you almost can't think about your art or work being significant because it's not up to you what kind of impact it has on other people. >> right. of course, the trip to the white house resulted in what i think is one of the funniest jokes. jay carny, the white house press secretary is in a band? >> yeah, and tone dwre tony blan a band together. they're always looking -- i think they change the name of the band every year. my suggestion was. >> the best, the best -- what was the name? >> the michelle baughm har n overdrive laughter >> so great. >> one one of other suggestions, really, was the joints chiefs of stash. >> we caw touch that.
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>> no, no, we won't touch that. >> i love that michelle joarn drive thing. i'll laugh myself to sleep. let me hasks you were the episode of portlanding as it seems to be your next start turn. (applause). >> everybody talks about this. >> a lot of people ask me to clean their house now. [laughter] >> i thought you were amazing playing amy mann. you and fred are friends. >> yes. >> that's how this came about? >> he lived in l.a. before he moved to new york before he did s & l. i'm a big comedy nerd and most of my friends are comedians. >> so an opportunity to be one of the great comedians of the modern era. >> also, i trust fred's sense of
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what funny is and i was like tell me exactly what you want me to do, whatever you think is funny. i won't try to be funny. i'll try to be the state man. >> his idea? >> yeah, carry had that experiences that she hired a cleaning service and the person that came to clean was somebody that she had just seen in a bad perform. [laughter] >> it was very strange. she felt like suppose somebody came and you were a big fan of them, how would that work? >> the thining thing thinking i, sometimes you need to be a cleaning pen to make your payments, right, to pay your bills, right? the business is what it is. just to think that might be the case. but it was wonderful and really funny. and that show is amazing. >> they're a joy. >> quickly, you're working on
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another record? the boat wit have a record out in spring? >> we just about finished it. i think i will sit on my label. we're thinking about february and yeah. >> done with yourself is a solo artist for the moment. this is where your energy is going. >> yes, for the next -- at this point, i can kind of just do whatever i feel like doing. >> i promise i'll look into the record on spotify. [laughter] >> kidding. thank you for being here, fun to talk to you and good luck and hope all goes well with the tour. (applause). visit our website at klru.org to find conversations to interviews and an archive of past episodes. >> the first ones i wrote were terrible and you know, i didn't know what i was doing.
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it takes a lot of practice. you have to really work at it but one thing that helps you is having a template and vision off things. you'll never write great lyrics if you don't care about lyrics. >> fipped by the fsi foundation, improving the quality of life within our community and from the texas board of he'll specialization, board certified attorneys in your community, experiences, respected and tested. also, by hilco partners, texas government affairs consultancy and the global healthcare consulting business unit, hilco health and by the alice cleburg reynolds foundation. viewers like you, thank you.
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our subject is going to be technology. -- boy, have lives been changed by technology. i just bought a kindle. i cannot say i love it, but it is convenient. one of the nice things is, you finish your book, you do not have to go to the bookstore to buy another book. you can buy it on the device. but i used to work in a bookstore, and i thought of all the lovely people put out of work, the printers, the binders, the paper makers, the paper buyers, the wholesalers, the whole lot. of the booksin going all the way by truck to the bookstore. this is destructive technology. it probably has many virtues and we will adjust for it, and new employment will appear, but at the moment, we as a nation, and the world, for that matter, is being shaken up by new
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technologies. i have assembled some of the brightest people i know to will keepis, which we under the general heading of how we live now. panel ready to go to the heart of the issue of how we will live tomorrow. we will be right back after these titles, and you will meet these people and think about how you live now and how you used to, until we come back. >> whitehousechronicle is houseed -- "white inonicle" is produced
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association with howard university. and now your host, llewellyn king. ati like to put my guests up the american guesthouse, a very special bed-and-breakfast, very comfortable, very clublike. you meet such interesting people when you stay somewhere like that, rather than in a hotel. look it up on the net. american guesthouse. a delightful place, very central, run by excellent people who give you service on top of service. your own particular taste in things. i promised you a great panel, and here they are. hello, linda, it has been a while since you have been on. >> it has. >> nice to have you back. >> i am glad you missed me. >> indeed. we are not getting any further into that. regular viewers of this program main -- may understand some of this.
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now a freelancer, you are university. the >> i do some health-care sector advising. i write a column. should i age my safe -- telling you that i was at the coronation? i was a young and very inexperienced, distant employee of life magazine. a i should tell you i also do column and oversee a website. >> so we are not going to get you a job. >> i have a job and am living on inherited wealth. [laughter] >>
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