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Elliott Randall Interview - Page 2
Back to Page 1 of Elliott
Randall's interview..
Access Rock: You would have liked doing that gig?
Elliott: In terms of it being a commercial venture,
it would have been spectacular - loads of money. I would have had another
sort of exposure with another very popular act. Back in the early days of
Saturday Night Live I was hired as a consultant for the show, and John and
I did a lot of hangin' out together; we were pretty good friends. I just thought
that it would be too crazy and I daresay dangerous, if you get my drift.
Then I turned down Toto. Jeff Porcaro and David Paich offered
me the opportunity to be a founding member. I'd known Jeff since he was a teenager.
He was a dear friend, I absolutely love his musicianship, and I had him playing on a
lot of my stuff. He'd stay at my house in New York, I'd stay at his house in L.A.
I sort of wish I hadn't passed on that one.
Access Rock: Yah, they were an amazing band.
Elliott: They certainly were. Another turndown story -
I had been in Sha Na Na for a year. Are you familiar with them?
Access Rock: Not too much.
Elliott: The group began in 1969, it came out of
Columbia University (New York City). It was a spoof group on fifties music.
There were originally twelve guys - three guys in gold lamet suits up front, and
players and more singers. Their performance at the Woodstock Festival brought
them to the fore, and they had a good ten or twelve year run. They had a
wonderful stage show. It was really set up to entertain the audience. We had a
dance contest, all sorts of silly gags, and we dressed funny. Audiences just ate
it up. I was with them from mid '74 to mid '75 and I quit right as the group was
negotiating a major league T.V. series! But, you know, interestingly enough as
much as I loved the entertainment portion of it, with all due respect to my friends
in that group, the musical end of it really never delivered for me. While I love
that era's music, I didn't think that it was played great. So, again, I would have
made loads of dough on the T.V. show, but I would have been playing music which,
in terms of its delivery, was a bit embarrassing. You know, I've always tried to
keep a relative but friendly distance from musical acts. For example, I played on
and off with the Doobie Brothers for many years. As a friend and
'guest' I had the benefit of not being subjected to the direct 'nutsness' I would
have as an immediate member of a family. Also, in my 6 year stint with Saturday Night Live,
I think, 'Gee, maybe if I had pushed I could have been involved every single week,
and been a part of the band as well as being the musical consultant. But then who knows!
I've been fortunate enough to have been able to stick my toe into lots of different pools.
Access Rock: Other ensemble playing?
Elliott: Orchestras! It's really beneficial to one's musicianship to have the
experience of playing with large ensembles - like a full classical orchestra. You feel part of the
well-oiled, many player machine. To do it right, your ego has to be
over the "me" stuff, and, I'll say it again - to properly service the material. Playing with
Liza Minelli for a while was another great ensemble experience - playing with a band of superb
be-bop musicians.
Access Rock: How do you like having MP3.com as
a record label?
Elliott: It's a very good showcase. These days, the
internet serves as a wonderful promotional tool. I use it for that a
lot. Then there's my own personal website (www.elliott-randall.com)
which I use in pursuit of another one of my passions - education. I was
extremely fortunate to have the three guitar teachers that I did when
I was young. They were totally generous and giving of information, and
I feel that it behooves me now to pass it on. Music is one of the most
basic ways that culture speaks. If you can contribute to the well-being
of the world though your music, then you are doing what you've been
put on Earth to do! (laughs) A little bit of my old hippie philosophy
for you. I also like to be able to share with people where my music
has come from. Your earlier observations about my roots being in blues
and R&B are absolutely right. Curiously enough, I didn't think
all of that much of the 'real straight traditional' blues when I started
hearing some of the older, blues legends. Guys like Albert King; I'd
think: 'What's the big deal, he's just been playing seven or eight riffs
all night long'. It took me a while to realize where it was coming from
and how truly beautiful it is - how much feeling went into those notes!
That was a real big step for me. Now, bordering on blues, Jimi Hendrix
really was quite the spectacular musician and performer. He always played
with such passion.
Access Rock: So you got to see him play a lot?
Elliott: We were friends - we used to jam together at Steve Paul's 'The Scene',
a late-night performance club in midtown Manhattan, back in the late sixties. I learned a lot hangin'
out with him.
Access Rock: He was a really cool guy.
Elliott: He was. But he had the problems that many young
celebrities have. He was such a huge icon; and he'd often feel confused about
the people who were hanging out with him. He'd wonder if they were really his friends...
Access Rock: I see on your web site how much work
and consulting you did with midi(musical instrument digital interface).
Elliott: Well, I feel a bit like one of the people who worked
on the atomic bomb project. There are times where the use of MIDI and digital
sampling are good. If you're a composer, and you can't afford to hire an an
orchestra to hear your composition played, then the new technologies are absolutely
great, and of course for songwriting demos they're fine. But on the other hand,
these same technologies have put a lot of good musicians out of work. Speaking for
myself, I still prefer to play with live musicians - in real time.
Access Rock: And new projects?
Elliott: I've recently re-recorded "Reelin' In the Years' -
but a completely different approach. While it pays homage to the original,
it's not would I'd call a "cover version". We recorded it over a long piece of time,
and in all sorts of interesting places. I had Bernard Purdie and Chuck Rainey who
have played with everyone from Aretha Franklin to Steely Dan, a great English
gospel keyboardist, and a bunch of young Celtic musicians. Bill Whelan, composer of
"Riverdance" turned me on to some wonderful young players... and my friend
Hamish Stuart, from Average White Band, is singing. Different parts were recorded in
New York, Texas, Florida, London, and Ireland. It was real fun to do, and we're now
working on marketing strategies. Needless to say, the online world holds more and more
promise for artists - music, visuals... all sorts of promise for new innovative
multimedia ideas... very exciting!
Back to Page 1 of Elliott
Randall's interview..
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