The Great Song Adventure

The opening music in this episode is the exquisite and mesmerizing title track from Mitchell Froom's new full-length album Ether featuring spectral keyboard performances plus several guest vocalists. June 5th, 2019 Santa Monica Top Photo by Paul Zollo This year also saw the release of Monkeytree , an EP of fiercely adventurous studio wizardry co-created with Froom’s current recording partner and engineer, David Boucher. Photo by Paul Zollo June 5th,...

Marvin Etzioni and Willie Aron met at Aron’s Records in 1978. Willie was 15 years old and Marvin was a clerk in the record shop. They soon found they shared a love of the same records, starting with The Who "Live At Leeds" and a great friendship began that led to them singing together. By the early ‘80s, Marvin met Ryan Hedgecock and Maria McKee and first mentored them and then recruited Don Heffington to play drums and founded Lone Justice. They signed to Geffen Records, released their...

Episode 30 Chuck D “Everything in the past has to be processed for the present and the future.” - Chuck D June 4, 2019 Ventura, California The Great Song Adventure is proud to present a brand new interview with Chuck D. Chuck D loved radio and television broadcasting growing up. Born Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, in Roosevelt, Long Island, Chuck D's parents were both political activists. As the leader of Public Enemy, he helped create politically and socially conscious hip hop...

Episode 29 SONNY WEST The Great Song Adventure is proud to present this interview with Sonny West, legendary friend of Buddy Holly and co-writer of two classic Buddy Holly hits, "Rave On" and "Oh Boy." He wrote both with Bill Tilghman and Norman Petty, and recorded them first himself for Atlantic in 1958. Buddy Holly recorded both songs later that same year. He recorded "Oh Boy" at Norman Petty's studio in Clovis, New Mexico with Petty producing and engineering, as on many Buddy...

Episode 28 BOB DYLAN Part II The Great Song Adventure is proud to present this, the second half of our archival interview with Bob Dylan, conducted by Paul Zollo in May of 1991 for SongTalk, the journal of the National Academy of Songwriters. The Great Song Adventure is produced & hosted by Louise Goffin & Paul Zollo. Engineering by Elijah Wells. Audio enhancement and mastering by Ian Sefchick at Capitol Mastering. This was the first and only interview with...

Episode 27 BOB DYLAN The Great Song Adventure is proud to present this archival interview with Bob Dylan, conducted by Paul Zollo in May of 1991 for SongTalk, the journal of the National Academy of Songwriters. It was the first and only interview with Dylan to focus entirely on songwriting. It was the promise of that focus which Dylan appreciated, and one of the main reasons he agreed to do this interview. Here is Zollo on this conversation with Dylan: Back in the...

Episode 26 Peter Asher IN THE HISTORY OF POPULAR MUSIC, there are certain figures who were true catalysts, and brought together key people who went on to create classic, timeless music. Mama Cass and Van Dyke Parks were catalysts, as is our guest on this episode, Peter Asher. But for Peter, as he relates in this episode, for him that catalyst was primarily Kootch, AKA Danny Kortchmar, our guest on Episode Three. Kootch was instrumental in not only creating much of this music as a...

Episode 25 Carole King Part Five The Great Song Adventure is happy and proud to present this, the final installation of our five-part series of episodes with Carole King. photo by Jim McCrary On the morning after the first interview conducted by Louise and Paul, Carole - who is Louise's mom - told her daughter she had more to say. So they sat down again, and Carole shared much more, extending into our fourth episode, and this final one. It's a remarkable conversation, in...

Episode 24 Carole King Part Four Carole King is talking about the joy inherent in the act of songwriting, and how crucial it is for songwriters to embrace now only the outcome of writing a song, but the process itself. "The doing of it," she said, "must be the reward." The Great Song Adventure is very happy to bring you this, part 4 of our 5-part series of episodes with Carole King. The previous three episodes, all of which are available here also, were conducted by Paul and...

Episode 23 Carole King Part Three Photo by Elissa Kline. The Great Song Adventure is happy to present this, the third part of our five-part series of episodes with Carole King. Photo by Elissa Kline. Conducted in her daughter Louise's home right before Thanksgiving, 2018, Carole King opened up about all aspects of her life and work more than she ever has before. There is much here on working with her husband and Louise's dad Gerry Goffin, and both the greatness and...

Episode 22 Carole King Part Two Photo by Mark Baptiste Carole King is explaining that long before writing famous songs with Gerry Goffin, she wrote a lot of "bad songs" first. As an example, she offers this lyric she wrote herself: 'I know I am the right girl, the right girl for you, ooh ooh ooh, and you, ooh ooh, are the right boy for me too.'" She then added, "I needed help. And God sent me Gerry Goffin!" The Great Song Adventure is happy and proud to present this, the...

Episode 21 Carole King Part One The Great Song Adventure is happy and proud to present this, the first of a remarkable five-part series of episodes with Carole King. Today is the eve of Carole's 77th birthday on February 9th, a perfect time to present this expansive and intimate conversation, and to celebrate one of the great lives in songwriting. Conducted in her daughter Louise's home right before Thanksgiving, 2018, Carole opened up about all aspects of her life and work,...

Episode 20 Fred Tackett Part Two Born in Arkansas, Fred Tackett is best known for being a member of Little Feat. A remarkable musician - he plays guitar, mandolin and even trumpet - he’s also performed with many other great artists, including Bob Dylan during his Born Again tour, and on his albums Saved andShot of Love. Fred at home. Photo by Louise Goffin. Fred (on the left) with Bob Dylan on his Born Again tour, 1980. Photo by William McKeen. The list of other...

Episode 19 Fred Tackett Part One Born in Arkansas, Fred Tackett is best known for being a member of Little Feat. A remarkable musician - he plays guitar, mandolin and even trumpet - he’s also performed with many other great artists, including Bob Dylan during his Born Again tour, and on his albums Saved and Shot of Love. Fred at home. Photo by Louise Goffin. Fred (on the left) with Bob Dylan on his Born Again tour, 1980. Photo by William McKeen. The list of other...

Episode 18 JOACHIM COODER Part 2

Episode 17 JOACHIM COODER Part 1 Parenthood, as Joachim Cooder explains, means a lot to him, and has informed all his music. It's the same for his father - the legendary Ry Cooder - who not only raised his son in a remarkable house of music, where living legends came constantly to make music, but specifically set up his most recent tour to provide Joachim with sufficient income to raise his two little kids. Joachim has not only played drums live and with his dad on many...

EPISODE 16 Josh McClorey of The Strypes Josh McClorey (photo by Jude Palmer) The Strypes started when they were still pre-teens. They grew up in love with American rock & roll and blues in Cavan, Ireland, where they started playing music at the age of 12. Their first performance was at a school Christmas party when they were only 15. But they had tremendous energy, reverence for the real blues, knowledge, passion and drive. Soon they were performing all over town, wowing...

Episode 15 Mike Stoller Part 2. Mike Stoller at Home, August 2018. All Photos by Paul Zollo The Great Song Adventure had the glorious privilege of interviewing Mike Stoller, one of the world's most legendary living songwriters, at his beautiful home high in the hills above Los Angeles, summer of `18. With his partner, Jerry Leiber, who mostly wrote lyrics as Mike mostly wrote the music (though this overlapped at times), he's the writer of countless classic songs, songs which are all...

Episode 14 Mike Stoller Part I August 7, 2018. Interview by LOUISE GOFFIN & PAUL ZOLLO All Photos by PAUL ZOLLO "Stand By Me," "Is That All There Is," "Kansas City," "Poison Ivy," "Jailhouse Rock," "Spanish Harlem," "Love Potion #9," "Hound Dog." All songs by Mike & Jerry. Better known as Leiber & Stoller. Mike & Jerry in their office on Sunset Boulevard, 2006. "Well, you know," Mike Stoller said back in 2006, "sometimes when you're being interviewed you...

Episode 13: Chrissie Hynde Part II. From the archives, recorded in 2009. Now the reason we're here As man and woman Is to love each other Take care of each other When love walks in the room Everybody stand up Oh it's good, good, good Like Brigitte Bardot From “Message of Love” “I just didn’t want to be a waitress,” she said in answer to why she chose this path. It’s a path she followed from the concrete climes of Akron to England, where she started The Pretenders....