Best of 2015: Musoscribe Interviews
To date, I’ve had the honor and pleasure of conducting more than 250 interviews. This year alone I did nearly fifty. And while it’s risky to pick favorites – I can honestly say that I’ve enjoyed every single one – a few stand out from the rest. Here are five of ’em.
Anton Barbeau
I’d been a fan of his work for years, but somehow had never gotten round to scheduling an interview with the Sacramento-born Anton Barbeau. But as plans firmed up for a trip to Europe with my wife and son, I saw a perfect opportunity to sit down with Ant on his adopted home turf: the Kreuzberg neighborhood of Berlin. His album Magic Act (set for release in 2016) is one of the focuses of the interview, but we discussed a great deal more than that over coffee.
Shuggie Otis
He was a child prodigy who worked with his dad (the great bandleader Johnny Otis), Al Kooper, Frank Zappa, and others. But he faded way after a string of amazing (if idiosyncratic) albums. Unlike, say, his contemporary Sly Stone, Shuggie Otis is back in a big way. Shuggie doesn’t grant many interviews, so this one was quite a score for me. The feature originally appeared as a cover story in Stomp and Stammer magazine, with photos that my wife and I took when we saw Shuggie in concert.
Karl Wallinger
I like to tell the story about the time Karl Walinger and his group World Party forced my car off the road. In 2015, I got the chance to interview him, not to mention to see him live onstage for the third time.
David Torn
Torn eschews the term avant garde when describing his music, but there’s no denying its spontaneity and experimental nature. I chatted with him ahead of his 2015 house concert, an intimate gathering like few others.
Les McCann
This one took some doing, but thanks to a mutual friend who gave me the home phone number of the soul-jazz great, I enjoyed one of the most enjoyable (and important) interviews of my career to date. Les McCann is funny, candid, inspirational, and one helluva musician.
I look forward to 2016’s interviews; I’ve already lined up a few that I’m bursting to tell you about. But…not just yet.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4000-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he is co-teaching a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: 40 Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.