RE: (TV) Listening to RQ's VU tapes as we speak.

["Scott Simpson" <SSimpson@nyc.rr.com>]

On a lighter note, Mr. Reed is happy.  Here is an update from my freshman
year roommate, music journalist Martin Johnson, who interviewed Sir L last
Friday.

Scott, NYC.  (_PS the autograph would have been for moi)

I gave up on the autograph before I even left the apartment.
 
Around 9 I got a call from his publicist.
 
"Can we move the time up a little""
 
Sure, I figured.  I had a 12:30 interview too, so I offered to move 10:45 to
10:20.  Originally the photographer was going to go first, but I figured
this way I could reverse the order.
 
A few minutes later, Annie, the PR person called again.
"Oh forget about this, let's keep the regular schedule."
"Uh, okay."
"He wants to do it right now; I told him that wasn't feasible; there's you,
the photographer; hell, I'm not even dressed."
 
Anyway, I got the cafe, St. Ambroeus on West 4th St. in the West Village,
around 10:35.  Annie strolled up a few minutes later, followed a few seconds
later by Ari Mintz (Columbia '82), the photographer assigned to the story. 
Ari says he's found an ideal backdrop to shoot, less than half a block away.
Annie cringes.  She explains that Lou isn't going to want to go more than
twenty feet to shoot the photo.  She's been coaching me on what to ask and
not ask Lou.
I had wanted to photographer to go first, first because Ari has other
assignments to get to and also since Lou has a photography book out, I
thought he'd get interested in Ari's gear.  I had suggested to Ari that he
bring his fanciest digital to shoot Reed, and he did.  
Annie hears my plan, and sighs.  She and I have worked together for nearly
10 years.  She gives this look that says if this doesn't work, you're
fucked.  
Priscilla, Lou's personal assistant, arrives a few minutes later and says
Lou will be along shortly.  She frowns about the idea of shooting down the
block.
About 11, Lou comes ambling across the street.  Ari asks him about going
down the street to shoot, as the light there is better than the light in
front of the cafe.
"Let's do it after we eat," he says offhandedly. "The light will be the same
in half an hour, right," and starts into the cafe.  Ari corrects him
pointing out that the angle of the sun will change.  Lou looks back at him,
and Ari raises his camera a little.  Lou catches a glimpse of it.
"Wow," he says. "Someone is being nice to you." Ari turns the camera toward
the spot where he wants to shoot, Lou follows and they talk shop about
photography for the next ten minutes while Ari shoots him.  Lou gets so
enmeshed in the process, that he spots another backdrop further away and
asks Ari to shoot a couple of more in that setting too.  
 
We get back to cafe; Lou's pumped. He's got Ari's card.  
We sit down order some breakfast; I make sure my rig is working while Lou
and Priscilla chat about a Noon appointment.  He looks to me and seems to be
closing up again.  I figure I better skip the warm up questions and jump
right in. "Isn't Carnegie going to murder your band's sound?" "How are you
going to navigate it? Just have you and Jane [Scarpantoni, a cellist and
longtime bandmember] duet?"
He smiled broadly.  It's interviewing 101, talk to stars about their craft,
not their stardom.  Lou launches into a big thing about sound and space and
creating separation and parallels between Carnegie and the opera halls of
Europe and you know where there's really good sound, the new big dance clubs
here in the city it's not all 50 foot woofers, there's great separation and
differentiation and you know some of that music...
 
At that point my only worry was that he'd clam up when I had to flip the
tape.  I shot a raised eyebrow at Annie. 
Lou never really stopped talking; Annie and Priscilla nearly had to drag him
out of the cafe so that he could make his Noon thing.
 
I'll send you a transcript of the interview.  I'm certain that it will be
substantially longer than the story itself.
 
-MJ
--------------
To post: Mail tv@obbard.com
To unsubscribe: Mail majordomo@obbard.com with message "unsubscribe tv"