Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Lynn Goldsmith twice on Revenge of the 80s Radio: once on her career as a photographer and director and once about her alter ego Will Powers. During those discussions we talked about Goldsmith’s upcoming exhibits and shows. One of them, “Rock and Roll,” begins October 2nd at the Jenkins Jonathan Gallery on East 26th Street in New York City. The show runs through November 25th and kicks off with a reception on the evening of October 2nd at the gallery. More information can be found on the Jenkins Jonathan website.
Goldsmith is one of the world’s most recognized and honored photographers and has done work with several legendary artists as The Police, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and The B-52s. She is also an accomplished director, songwriter and performer. More of Lynn’s work is available on her website.
The podcast is up for this week’s Revenge of the 80s Radio Show. During the program, Andy Taylorand I having a brief discussion on his new book: Wild Boy: My Life In Duran Duran. Our review can be found here; our discussion leads off the second hour of the show. We also play a new track from Taylor called “Mad Dogs and Englishmen.”
In our short time on the phone together, we focused on Taylor’s time in Duran Duran and the book. He talked candidly about working with his band mates as well as each of the times he left the group and his reasons. While we had limited time to talk, he seemed to be extremely happy with his life, career and the choices he made with little or no regrets. Taylor’s book is as much about life in general as it is about his own career and reflections.
In addition, we have music from several other 80s era artists including Captain Sensible, INXS, Eurythmics and Love & Rockets.
Former Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor‘s recently-released memoir, Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran, tells not only of his life and career, but his side of what went on between himself and his band mates before and after each of their breakups. Industry publications and internet discussions put out several conflicting reports based on what they had heard, but this book marks as the first time Taylor himself came out to expose at length his own point of view on what had happened. While fans of the chart-topping British Band will have a huge majority of the copies, the book might also serve well to younger aspiring musicians who might want to learn ahead of time about what goes on behind the scenes in the business.
Taylor introduces his book at the time of the Live Aid concert in 1985, which is sort of the “‘zero hour” of his life’s epiphany. Fans of the band know the story about how the band did not play together for some time before that and Taylor was also performing with the Power Station. He discusses those life changing moments in the prologue and goes more in-depth later in the book. After that, Chapter One takes the reader into the first event that shaped his life and way of thinking: the day Taylor’s mother left him and the family when he was eleven.
While Taylor’s memoirs span his life and career with the obvious focus on the Duran Duran years, he prepares the reader will with the story of his life and years as a musician touring military bases before meeting the core of the mega-star band leading him into a world of fame and fortune and, in his opinion, too much fun. He describes the excessive partying and the effects of alcohol and drugs on his life and the band which was common in that world. He also describes clearly how he learned the ways of the music business, who runs things and how to take control of his own music in the later years. All of this came to a head after the Live Aid concert, when he decided to not only quit drinking but leave Duran Duran. Taylor writes how the decisions made then were best for him and how he changed as well. He also discusses his family life, musical career after the eighties and why he agreed to join in the reformation of Duran Duran only to leave again years later.
Many disgruntled band members might use a book or the media to denigrate or “trash” their musical partners. Taylor, however, did not go out of his way to trigger readers’ minds into thinking ill of the other Duran Duran members and handlers. He did offer honest assessments of each of them in his chapters that offered fans to form their own opinions on each situation. He described several good traits about his co-workers but allowed each of their own actions (from his point of view) to tell their stories from creative arguments to dealing with producers to disrupting behavior at a Rolling Stones studio session.
As for the second run of Duran Duran in the new millennium, while rumors and innuendo swirled around Taylor’s departure a few years ago, Taylor broke his silence on that in the book.
While he does focus on the low points of working with Duran Duran and life as a pop star, he also stresses the good times and rewards. He is far from regretful and indicates in the book that he has grown from every experience he has had from his boyhood on through to today. He is still putting out music; we will feature a 2008 track called “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” on this week’s Revenge of the 80s show as well as a brief talk with Taylor on the book. It is not only essential for the Duran Duran fan but also for people who want to get into the business. Andy’s insight and unique perspective on many sides of the industry would serve as good preparation for years to come.
This week, former Duran Duran and Power Station guitarist Andy Taylor checks in for a brief chat about his new book, Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran. A review of the book will be posted later this week on this site. We will also feature a new track from Taylor: “Mad Dogs and Englishmen.”
Goldsmith made state-of-the-art videos for three singles: “Adventures in Success,” “Smile,” and “Kissing With Confidence.” The latter was a U.K. chart hit featuring Carly Simon on lead vocals. We talk about Will Powers’ origins, evolution and the future of the Will Powers Institute. Goldsmith found the character to be a truly inspirational one for many as it took off on its own international Adventure in Success.
For the Will Powers project, Goldsmith had help from several friends in the music industry who wanted to be a part of it including Simon, Todd Rundgren, Nile Rodgers, Tom Bailey and Steve Winwood. Also, during the interview, Lynn Goldsmith and I talk about:
How she decided to present the Will Powers idea at a session in NYC
The technology behind the Will Powers videos
Will Powers philosophies and inspirational affirmations
Why Goldsmith used a vocoder for the Will Powers voice instead of her natural one
Plans for the future of Will Powers and the Will Powers Institute
More on her photography and upcoming shows and exhibits includingr Lynn’s “Rock and Roll” exhibit at the Jenkins Johnson Gallery, in Manhattan October 2-November 25.
The interview with Will Powers kicks off the second hour of the show. We also feature music from several other artists including The Time Bandits, Kate Bush, Squeeze and Blancmange.
Here is a heads-up to fans of Strawberry Switchblade: every once in a while, Rose MacDowall sells some old clothes and/or memorabilia from her days in the band on eBay. She and a friend who helps with some of her internet presence will normally announce what’s up for auction on their MySpace Blog.
At the time of this post, they are currently auctioning off a blue-with-black-polka-dots dress from the Switchblade era.
Also, I would like to take advantage of this post and direct you to a truly masterful site on all things Strawberry Switchblade: www.strawberryswitchblade.net. It is the definitive resource for all things SS, including interviews with MacDowall, Bryson and their producers as well as a history of the group, lyrics, mp3 music downloads, rare articles and more. Merrick, who pilots the site, is also the brains behind the equally brilliant Dust In the Stylus blog.
Lynn talks about the beginnings of Will Powers as an idea of hers she gained the confidence to present one night at a session with some great musicians and producers. Soon, Lynn produced Dancing For Mental Health and put her overall plan for Will Powers in place.
From the album, Goldsmith released three singles with videos: “Adventures In Success,” “Smile,” and “Kissing With Confidence” (the latter featured Carly Simon on lead vocals and charted in the U.K). Each project was technologically ahead of their time with the use of computer imaging, choreography and charming but meaningful self-help messages. Dancing Form Mental Health has recently been re-released and is available through CD Baby.
The Will Powers Institute is still around; the website can be found here, which includes a blog with musings and inspiring messages from Will. During the interview, Goldsmith talks about her future plans for the Powers character.
We also talked about some upcoming photography shows for Lynn, including her “Rock and Roll” exhibit at the Jenkins Johnson Gallery, in Manhattan October 2-November 25.
Our Will Powers interview will lead off the second hour of the next Revenge of the 80s Radio Show (check your local radio affiliate for times); the live webcast/broadcast will be this Friday night 7-9pm Eastern US time; our podcast will be available on this website starting Saturday morning.
According to her MySpace page, Annabella Lwin was recently in the studio recording a track for her upcoming benefit CD to aid victims of the devastating Cyclone Nargis in May.
The storm ravaged the singer’s birthplace of Yangon, Myanmar, Burma — killing many and destroying several homes. Lwin’s site editor reveals some big names involved in the project:
It was a magical night at a recording studio in the hills of Los Angeles. Annabella on vocals , Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols) on bass, Frankie Infante, (0riginal Blondie guitarist), Randy Cooke, (drummer for Dave Stewart), and Musician/Producer Michael Bradford (Kid Rock, Uncle Kracker, Terence trent D’arby, Tricky, Dave Stewart) at the helm.
Our Revenge of the 80s Radio Podcast for this week (9/12) is up and available at the end of this post. We featured music from Dexy’s Midnight Runners The Little Girls, an early selection from Icehouse, a track from King’s Bittersweet album *the second and final one from the band), The Tom Tom Club and a Wall of Voodoo live track from The Ugly Americans in Australia. Andy Prieboy, who led the band at the time, has recently released some new music.
I want to thank everyone for their feedback, it is always nice to hear from you. Also, anyone with requests can either comment anywhere on thie blog or e-mail me: radio@revengeofthe80sradio.com.
Wall of Voodoo fans might still argue these days on who was better as their lead singer: Stan Ridgway or Andy Prieboy. In truth, it is impossible to compare the two because they are two very different performers who each were the face of two very different bands. While both men are master storytellers, Ridgway’s style was more Southwestern Americana and experimental while Prieboy’s was an interesting mix of Vaudeville and L.A. new wave. With that, new wave fans would be better off not comparing them but honoring both of their contributions to music.
Prieboy has been working hard in the studio and recently updated his website with three new creations: the singles “Bands,” “Somebody Somewhere,” and “Pricks Up Front.” There is also a one-take solo performance of “Somebody, Somewhere” to round out a four track CD called “Amdy Prieboy: 4 New Tracks” Each one of these is a creative manifestation of the artist’s trademark combination of early 20th century energy and complete honesty.
In “Bands,” Prieboy tells a story as a man who left his home for a passionate affair that quickly turned into a boring rut. While it might be a classic story of mistaking passion for love, the character finds his next relationship as something of a turnaround in more than one way. Prieboy masters the tongue-twisting chorus with precision:
This band that band every damn band
Every damn band known to either god or man
This band that band every damn band
Every damn band known to either god or man
“Somebody Somewhere” is reminiscent of something out of Wall of Voodoo’s Seven Days in Sammystown album (Prieboy’s first with the band). It plays like a waltz while Prieboy adds a dramatic tone to the lyrics as a man who is increasingly desperate to fund his soul mate.
“Pricks Up Front” might very well describe the true state of how the world is today.
Every rock star, movie star, president, pope or czar
In essence are pubescents shouting ‘Grandpa- Look at me!’
And must be overcompensated for an ego once deflated
In a narcissistic injury ‘tween ages one and three.
As they go grabbin’ up the Grammy or the Emmy or the Obie
And go blabbing their baloney to a dazzled peasantry
Don’t ya feel like a stunted underpaid grunt?
A cello leads Prieboy and his backup singers similarly to how “Psycho Ex” was put together (and as masterfully) with a twist of a whimsical tone that actually emphasizes the portrayal of the plight of the frustrated hard-working American who can not seem to get ahead no matter how hard he or she tries. While this is what I got out of this great piece of vintage Andy Prieboy, his website explains the song’s origins in different (but relatable) terms:
The song is set at a sound check where the road crew explain to a disenchanted rhythm guitarist why he and his fellow band members will never get as much attention or credit as their lead singer.
In addition, Prieboy also explains on his site that “Pricks Up Front” was originally created to be a part of his critically-acclaimed play “White Trash Wins Lotto.”
Hopefully soon we will be hearing more from Andy Prieboy, who works out of his “Malibu Ghraib” studio. For now, I strongly recommend picking up this short CD or downloading them from his website. Fans will not be disappointed, but those new to Prieboy’s creations might need to prepare with a dose of some of his earlier work.
