 |
| The Adrian Interview Part 2! |
| 6. David Bowie approached You about joining him on his World tour immediately after the Zappa tour ended and not only did you complete yet another major World tour, but you then appeared on Bowie's "Lodger" album (my personal favorite) during perhaps the most innovative period of Bowie's career. Your impact on the album is felt quite heavily! What was it like for You to work on that album (You worked with another pretty darn good drummer named Dennis Davis!)? AB: It was in fact my first "studio" experience and don't forget Brian Eno and Tony Visconti were involved as well. Even the studio setting on the shores of Lake Geneva Switzerland was stunning. In keeping with Eno's idea of creating "planned accidents" I was never allowed to learn the songs or hear them beforehand but was instead instructed to simply play as soon as I heard something in the headphones. I wasn't allowed to know what key or tempo or to play the track more than three times before they moved on to the next track. It was designed to catch my initial reactions. And yes, Dennis is another one of the great drummers I've been fortunate to work with. No wonder I can't think of myself as a drummer! 7. You just completed another successful tour with King Crimson once again and the band shows absolutely no signs of slowing down at all.It seems that the well never runs dry as far as new ideas and arrangements. How does the band manage to maintain such high energy and freshness after all of these years? AB: We work within a surprisingly set range of musical preferences: chromatic and symmetrical scales, tempo areas of 104 and 165, and overlapping time signatures make up most of what people know as King Crimson music. This is true as far back as say RED because these are the preferences of Robert Fripp. Like a twisted game of scrabble the challenge to the band is to make new words with these few letters and fortunately we're four adventurous players so the game remains intriguing. 8. Yourself and the Bears have just finished up a new album and the touring has begun. How does it feel to get back to your roots and hit the clubs with this great band again? AB: I could write paragraphs or even paradiddles about the experience but suffice to say the Bears are that rare combination of lifelong friendships and shared tastes which makes for the most fun four adult men can have without their wives. Despite the fact that most clubs are not fit to spit in, we have a ball and play some very exciting shows. 9. Adrian, I am sure you get asked this question more times than you care to remember, but is there any advice that you have for young musicians that are serious about devoting their life to their music? AB: Play, absorb, and learn anything and everything which appeals to you with as much passion and perserverence as possible. Do this every single day for 25 years and by then you'll know if it worked out. 10. My last question is actually a territorial one because I know that you are a native Kentuckian like Me! Do you get much of a chance to visit your hometown very often? Of course, Florence, KY does have the most recognizable water tower I have ever seen! AB: When the water tower was first built on the perimeter of the newly-planned mall, they painted FLORENCE MALL in big letters on the tower but the city decided against that so they simply painted over the outer legs of the M, changing it to FLORENCE Y'ALL....Sigh... I have on occasion re-visited some of the sights of my youth and still have many friends who live in northern KY. |
|
 |