The Joe Jackson Interviews

David Gray The Music that Made Me. Gray on Dylan, Morrison, Springsteen, music, art and death

As a music interviewer, it is always a joy to meet someone who speaks with passion, insight and intelligence about their heroes. Here, David Gray, in part one of a two podcast series, does so when it comes to Bob Dylan, Van Morrison. and Bruce Springsteen. If you love music, as I do, this is well worth a listen, guys!

Gene Pitney talks about Hello Mary Lou the classic song he wrote for Ricky Nelson

It was a joy for me, as a life-long fan of Gene Pitney, to meet and interview the man in 2002 for a radio series I was presenting on RTE, Ireland's national radio station. Here is a clip where we talk about his recording of It Hurts To Be In Love, by way of leading into a chat about Hello Mary Lou, one of my all-time favourite songs. If you like it too, check out Gene's story about the song and who it may have been about! 

 

 

George Benson talks about recording with Sinatra the astounding Mack the Knife. A Joe Jackson singles Podcast

One of the great joys during an interview with a singer or musician is when I get to ask them about a recording I love. What follows, as part of what I call my singles podcast because they last less than five minutes is me discussing one such song with one such musician. By the way, if you want to gain access to the full tapes for personal use or professional use contact me via my website joejacksoninterviewer.com. But here we have George Benson talking about the staggering recording Sinatra made of Mack the Knife. 

From Elvis In Memphis. George Klein, Elvis's buddy, traces the King's musical journey from Sun Records to the Memphis sessions in 1969

I am a lifelong Elvis fan who, after Elvis died, in 1977, began writing a book about growing up as an Elvis fan and how much his music meant to me, especially tracks set on tape in Memphis in 1969. I never finished the book, but here is part of an interview I did with George Klein. Look at it t his way. In 1969 George told Elvis during dinner at Graceland, that he should record in Memphis and this little interview was recorded during my dinner with George in Memphis more than a quarter-century later. How cool is that. The podcast is my tribute to George who himself died in 2019. RIP George Klein. 

Tom Jones. "I was propositioned by Joe Meek." Tom talks about the so-called "gay mafia" in 1960s British pop.

I have uploaded five podcasts thus far based on my three in-depth interviews with Tom Jones. In this clip from the 1992 interview, Tom revealed for the first time that he was propositioned by record producer Joe Meek and that he at one point thought that performing sexual favours for men was "the only way" to break into Britsh showbusiness" in london and decided "if so, I am headed back to Wales."  

Sinead O Conor 2001 Remembering. Sinead talks about the media, her childhood, mother and abuse

Sinead once asked me, not long after this interview took place if I would be interested in working with her on her biography. However those exchanges came to nothing, I am glad to say, because I prefer memoirs written by the person they are about, - as in Sinead's new book, Rememberings. She says she's not doing any more promo for the book, so I hope this podcast inspires some people to actually buy Rememberings. 

Charlies McCreevy 1989. His most controversial interview. "I like Maggie Thatcher's balls but she's a tyrannical bitch!"

Charlie McCreevy said in 2017 that the highly controversial interview we did in 1989, "captured Fianna Fail in Flux and going through an identity crisis." In this radio show, I made based on the interview, we discuss McCreevy being "the nearest thing to Satan" as far as some Fianna Fail fanatics were concerned, Charlie Haughey- "I'm as arrogant as he is" - and how Fianna Fail can avoid "vegetating in the bogs of history."

Leonard Cohen on I'm Your Man and the quest to sing and speak with a voice that is true.

In my eBook, Hallelujah: A Conversation with Leoanrd Cohen, I tell the tale of how meeting LC, my lifelong hero, led to me deciding to become an interviewer to track down more of my heroes to talk with. This clip is from our second interview, and he tells me about the structure of songs like First We Take Manhatten, recites a "discarded" verse from the original version of I Can't Forget, and we talk about the quest to "speak" in a voice that is true. Podcasters take note! 

Tony Joe White on Elvis going "out there" singing his song Polk Salad Annie. And being at the For Ol' Time's Sake and I've Got a Thing About You Baby recording session in Stax.

I became an Elvis fan when I was nine, and a fan of Tony Joe White when I was eighteen. So it was heaven, twenty or so years later, to sit and chat with Tony Joe about Elvis's "out there" live version of Polk Salad Annie and the sessions that led to Elvis recording other Tony Joe White songs such as For Ol' Times Sake and I've Got a Thing About You, Baby. A view from the inside! 

 

 

 

 

 

"Tom Jones, if you can't tell me the truth about this, don't say anything." Tom talks about his extramarital affairs and his love for his wife Linda.

This is the final part of a trilogy of podcasts I uploaded to mark the release of Tom's latest and greatest album, Surrounded by time, on which he looks back over his lifetime of eighty years. In 1992, when rumours were rife that his wife Linda had finally had enough of his extramarital affairs, I pushed him on this issue, which we had discussed during a previous interview. Tom, to his credit, didn't flinch or draw back from any question and he was honourable enough to fall silent in the end rather than tell me lies. I have interviewed 1,400 celebs, he was more honest than most and totally free from bull....t!