SPEAKING WITH PAUL BARRERE (part1)

paul barrere

I had the fortune to share some q/a with one of my favourite musician: Paul Barrere, the man that still represent (with Bill Payne) the LITTLE FEAT! This is the interview. I liked it. Thank you Paul. From the heart.

Hi Paul: LITTLE FEAT is a great story of real American music. You passed through 40years of music, adventures, bad and good days, and are still here with fans everywhere. What do you think about all of this if you look back?

PAUL BARRERE: I AM AMAZED THAT IT HAS LASTED SO LONG, AND IT’S REALLY A TESTEMENT TO THE MUSIC WE PLAY, IT’S SO ENJOYABLE AND ALWAYS NEW AND FRESH FROM NIGHT TO NIGHT I NEVER GROW TIRED OF PLAYING THESE SONGS-THE ROAD ITSELF CAN BE A CHALLENGE NOW THAT WE ARE OLDER, BUT FOR THE 2 HOURS ON STAGE IT MAKES IT ALL WORTH WHILE – WE ARE TRULY LIKE A FAMILY WE’VE KNOW EACH OTHER SO LONG ……

Have you ever had the perception that your music was loved everywhere, also …. here in Italy?

PAUL BARRERE: I KNEW THAT THE FEAT WERE LOVED ALL OVER THE WORLD, WE HAVE GOTTEN FAN LETTERS FROM JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE, AND EVEN HAD A TOP 10 SONG IN SOUTH AFRICA ONCE, RECEIVED AWARDS FROM GERMANY AND JAPAN, AND JUST FROM TOURING GOT TO KNOW OF OUR POPULARITY, BUT SINCE THE INTERNET THAT FAN BASE HAS BROADENED AS WE GET LETTERS FROM EVERYWHERE ON OUR MYSPACE AND FACEBOOK SITES … I ALSO KNOW THAT FOLKS WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN TO AMERICA DO GET A PICTURE OF WHAT OUR WORLD IS LIKE THROUGH OUR MUSIC, ALTHOUGH SOMETIMES I THINK ITS NOT THE BEST PICTURE YOU COULD HAVE OF OUR LIFESTYLE, CERTAINLY LITTLE FEAT HAS NOT BEEN IN FAVOR WITH SOME OF OUR POLITICAL LEADERS IN THE PAST, BUT OVERALL ITS FLATTERING TO KNOW WE HAVE THESE FANS ALL OVER

Have you ever lived moments in which you though “Now everything ends. No more music, no more art, no more band”. If yes: what keep you always on the road? Strong belief in yourself? Friends? Wife? Lovers? Faith? The power of music?

PAUL BARRERE: I THINK WE ALL FACE MOMENTS LIKE THIS, FOR ME THEY’RE ALWAYS FLEETING AND NEVER TO SERIOUS, I LOVE PLAYING MUSIC AND EVEN IF LITTLE FEAT WE’RE TO END I WOULD PLAY ON, AS A MATTER OF FACT FRED TACKETT AND I PLAY WITHOUT THE BAND A COUPLE TIMES A YEAR, USUALLY IN THE UK AND NORTHERN EUROPE, WOULD LOVE TO COME TO ITALY AND FRANCE SOMETIME BUT SO FAR SPAIN AND THE NEDERLANDS HAVE BEEN THE ONLY SPOTS ON THE CONTINENT THAT WE’VE DONE OUR DUET … I HAVE A GREAT WIFE WHO KNOWS OF MY LOVE FOR PLAYING MUSIC AND SHE ENCOURAGES ME TO DO SO SINCE IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY, AS I GET OLDER THE TOURING GETS HARDER, JUST THE TRAVEL PART, BUT I STILL LOVE IT …. PERHAPS THE FINAL TIME WHEN I THINK EVERYTHING ENDS WILL BE WHEN I CHECK OUT FROM THIS PLANET AND MOVE ONTO THE NEXT!

Lowell George: which are the best memories that you have of him and with him?

PAUL BARRERE: ONE OF THE FIRST IS IN 1969 WHEN HE WAS JUST STARTING LITTLE FEAT AND ASKED ME TO AUDITION AS THE BASS PLAYER .. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS A GUITARIST AND THAT I DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO PLAY BASS REALLY .. HE TOLD ME “WELL ITS TWOI LESS STRINGS”  WE ALL KNOW THAT IS NOT THE ONLY DIFFERENCE AND I FAILED THE AUDITION BADLY, BUT I THOUGHT THAT WHEN THEY GOT ROY ESTRADA TO COME OVER FROM THE MOTHERS THAT THAT WOULD BE THE REAL GLUE TO THE SOUND …. I ALSO TOLD THEM AT THE AUDITION IF THEY EVER WANTED A SECOND GUITARIST THAT I WOULD LOVE THE CHANCE TO DO IT, AND GOT THAT CHANCE 3 YEARS LATER IN 1972, AND WE WENT ON TO MAKE DIXIE CHICKEN AND I WAS THRILLED TO BECOME A MEMBER OF WHAT I BELIEVED TO BE THE BEST AMERICAN ROCK AND ROLL BAND GOING …  AND ONE OF MY FONDEST MEMORIES OF HIM WAS BEING AT THE RECORDING SESSION OF THE MAKING OF THEIR FIRST RECORD AND HIM DOING A SOLO ON THE SONG WAIT TIL THE SHIT HITS THE FAN, AND HE WAS DRIVING THE PRODUCER CRAZY, NEEDLESS TO SAY THAT VERSION NEVER MADE IT TO THE RECORD BUT I LOVED HOW HE WAS STICKING IT TO THE PRODUCER … LOWELL WAS BRILLIANT …. HE WAS MY MENTOR AND INSPIRATION

The Dixie chicken version from Live from Neon park was gorgeous! It’s a suite with a mixture of American different musical traditions. How do the band create that version of the songs?

PAUL BARRERE: DIXIE CHICKEN IS ONE OF THOSE SONGS THAT HAS TO EVOLVE FROM YEAR TO YEAR, AND THAT VERSION IS JUST ONE OF MANY, WE LIKE TO INCLUDE JAZZ, DIXIELAND, BLUES, FUNK, COUNTRY BLUES OR WHAT EVER WE CAN DIG UP TO MAKE IT INTERESTING FOR US TO PLAY, AND THUS MAKE IT INTERESTING FOR OUR FANS TO LISTEN TO … ACTUALLY AS OF LATE SOME OF OUR MORE ARDENT FANS HAVE WANTED US TO GO BACK TO PLAYING IT LIKE THE ORIGINAL RECORD AND NOT JAM SO MUCH, BUT WE LOVE HAVING THE ROOM TO IMPROVISE EVERYNIGHT AND EXPAND OUR OWN INTEREST LEVEL … FOR A MUSICIAN THERE IS REALLY NO BETTER FEELING THAN BEING CREATIVE ON THE SPOT, I KNOW THAT’S HOW ALL THOSE GREAT JAZZ MUSICIANS FELT PLAYING THE SAME BOOK NITE TO NITE – CHANGE THE TEMPO, THE FEEL, USE THE MELODY AS  AN ANCHOR BUT ALLOW FOR SOME FREEDOM TO LET THE MUSIC SOAR THROUGH YOU – REALLY LIKE HEAVEN WHEN IT ALL WORKS ….

I think Willin remains one of the more emotional song in the rock history. I always hear it with a deep feeling about love, loneliness, destiny. After long years and thousands gig, do you feel anything when you play it? I mean: is it possible for an artist to feel something about a song after years and years?

PAUL BARRERE: OF COURSE I HAVE FEELINGS ABOUT THIS SONG, AND LOVE TO PLAY IT, IT IS NOT ONLY ABOUT ALL THOSE FEELING YOU DESCRIBE IN YOUR QUESTION BUT ALSO HAS A BIT OF HUMOR ABOUT IT AND THE LIFE OF A TRUCK DRIVER-LOWELL USED TO SAY TO THE AUDIENCE “IF YOU GOT IT, A TRUCK BROUGHT IT” AND THAT’S SO TRUE STILL TO THESE DAYS, AND I’M SURE IT’S THE SAME IN EUROPE … COMMERCE IS REALLY DRIVEN BY THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY, EVEN IF ITS JUST THE SMALL TRUCK THAT OFF LOADS GOODS FROM TRAINS, YOUR STORES WOULDN’T BE STOCKED WITHOUT A TRUCKER BRINGING YOU THOSE PRODUCTS … TRUCKERS ARE A UNIQUE GROUP OF FOLKS, THAT’S WHY TRUCK STOPS ARE SO INTERESTING, AND NOT ONLY IN THE USA BUT ALL OVER THE WORLD

(part two: wait a moment…..)