BRAIN/BOC: interview w/ Deborah Frost

[Hall, Russell J]

        We're in the process of putting together
        some dates now.

        We're planning to go to Seattle and maybe do some
        other West Coast dates in the fall.

No! East Coast; EAST coast!  New Haven, Boston, Hartofrd, Worcester, Nashua!
Something East of the Apple!  God I sound pathetic.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: John A. Swartz [SMTP:jswartz at MITRE.ORG]
> Sent: Monday, May 01, 2000 9:48 AM
> To:   BOC-L at LISTSERV.SPC.EDU
> Subject:      Re: BRAIN/BOC: interview w/ Deborah Frost
>
> > Interview With Brain Surgeons' Deborah Frost from music street
> > journal.
>
> I need to get this linked up to my tBS website...  I hope Albert will
> have a chance to elaborate a bit more on parts of the interview here.
>
> > Some good news and bad news alike innit, but such is life.
>
> Yeah - bummer to hear that it seems Pete and Billy may not be playing
> with them in the future.  2 great talents.  I haven't heard too much
> lately about Billy's health.  I'm sure if the news was 100% good we
> would have heard more, and that it may not be easy for those who really
> know them to discuss his health.  I continue to hope and pray for the
> best.
>
> > In fact, both
> > Pete and Billy were around only sporadically for "Piece of Work", so I
> > just had to do it. Live, I am the guitar player now. It's a challenge.
>
> How much did Deb play guitar on PoW?  Electric?  Acoustic?  Any leads?
>
> > And I'm also playing bass on
> > some songs, which I never realized I would enjoy so much.
>
> Did Deb play bass on PoW, or is she just doing this live?
>
> > During the long lay-off, Pete
> > decided he was quitting music completely, sold all of his equipment,
> > without even telling us. He also got married and had a child-- which, I
> > suppose, in his  mind, doesn't seem compatible with playing. It is
> > really a shame, because he's an incredible musician, but it's his life,
>
> Well, I can empathize with having to give up things when you get married
> and have kids - if you're a busy person before getting married and hope to
> be dedicated to your family, something's got to give.  Still, I find it
> somewhat
> surprising to hear that Pete got rid of all his equipment.
>
> >  Deborah Frost:If you are referring to songs that Albert wrote
> > earlier in his career, of course we play them. A better question
> > might be why the band that tours as BOC irregardless of who's
> > playing on any given night so heavily relies on the material and
> > contributions of someone who's been gone for almost 2 decades.
>
> LOL - Deb ain't mellowing with age, is she?  ;-)
>
> Still, without meaning to be a BOC-apologist, I think the answer is
> fairly simple.  While Albert may have been responsible for a lot of
> material that BOC continues to play, that material was made what it is
> by BOC "the band" in those days-gone-by via the band's albums and live
> shows.  Black Sabbath didn't stop playing all the old songs when Ozzy
> left; Pink Floyd, despite not having Roger Waters in the band for years,
> recenlty released a live box set featuring music from "The Wall", which
> relied heavily on Waters' input; and if Paul, George, and Ringo ever did
> a "reunion tour", I'm sure that they would play numerous songs co-penned
> by the late John Lennon.
>
> One would still like to see BOC "mix it up" more, but they have always
> relied on a fairly limited sampling of their catalog to play live.
> Recently, their have been some hints as they added "Teen Archer" and
> "The Subhuman" to recent setlists - and then of course there was that
> period about 3 years ago when Eric's voice was problematic and Buck had
> to sing 90% of the setlist.  Otherwise, however, there are few
> surprises.  I think they should try and feature the newer material more,
> but I suppose they find that risky?  Unfortunately, it's harder to win
> new fans with older material exclusively, rather than trying to branch
> out a bit and expand the fan base.  The irony is that the demands for
> new material and setlist variety is coming from the "die-hard" fans...
>
>
> > In some cases, Albert feels that the
> > songs were never done justice on record-- which may be due to a poor
> > choice of producer or a rushed recording schedule or compromises that
> were
> > made to appease colleagues at the time. It's a chance to get it right
> now or
> > to re-interpret them.
>
> Does this mean we'll soon hear the definitive version of "You're Not the
> One I Was Looking For"?  ;-)
>
>
> > And people just really love hearing Albert play and sing them.
> > And he does them better than ever. He's the rare rock musician who's
> > really increased his chops and expanded his vocabulary,
>
> Absolutely!
>
> > rather than so many
> > performers who rely on the oldies are essentially going through the
> > motions, and whose core audience has dwindled down to the faithful few
> > who are basically there out of some nostalgia for their youth rather
> than
> > to be challenged by anything new or demanding.
>
> Of course we all know to whom she is referring...  ;-)
>
> > It takes a long time to digest. But
> > anyone of any intelligence and taste who listens to it agrees it is
> > great.
>
> Thanks for the compliment!  :-)
>
> >
> > Deborah Frost:We are working on an album and a concert to honor the
> > memory and music of Helen Wheels,
>
> Any news on this project?  While I'm excited about the prospect of this,
> obviously there are deep feelings about this amongst the participants.
> This project is surely a labor of love and meant to honor the passing of
> a dear friend.  As such, we as fans really shouldn't put any demands on
> this product - of course, there is curiousity...
>
> > Music Street Journal:What was the last concert that you attended?
> > Deborah Frost:Blue Oyster Cult at the Bottom Line
>
> Kind of an ironic ending to the interview - after Deb has some strong
> words (as always) for "Albert's old band", it just happens to be the
> last band she saw live.  Timing is everything, I guess...
>
>
> John