TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

Philip Ward posted this on Facebook, but hasn't done here yet I don't think.  Even Swarb wrote "A great interview".  He's not wrong...

http://www.innerviews.org/inner/boyd.html

Nice one David.

Thank you for that,essential reading.
(I'm drooling even more about the Troubadour tapes now.Love the bit about Jimmy's reaction to R.T.)

Nowt to do with me...just reposting it.  But, I'm very much looking forward to the Hitchcock album...  :)

I just skim-read this, but there's so much interesting stuff, I'll have to go back and read it properly.

Cheers, David.

Jules

Seconded, thanks for posting !  :)

The qwholer site is worth an explore - Anil Prasad is a great interviewer and has years of archives.

Great interview - but (pedant alert) I think it was Bill Bryden, rather than Bryson, who was behind a lot of Ashley's NT stuff!

Fantastic - thanks.

Next task, we need to steal those Ledport Conzeplin tapes.....

Very good indeed, thanks for posting.

I've always been keen to hear the Fairport/Zeppelin tapes. Now I know that we'd also be able to hear the 'thug' Peter Grant calling a waitress a 'f**king bitch' for trying to do her job - and that it's Boyd's 'favourite memory' of the night - I've gone off the idea somewhat.

Why would anyone in their right minds, hungry for success notwithstanding, want a thug like Grant for a manager?   :(

Jules

Beats me, but he certainly got things done for Zep, a lot of managers were less than tactful, around then and probably now as well, i give you the piece of work that was Don Arden.
   Eppy seems to have been the exception to the rule but look at the terrible deals he did for the fabs on merch/publishing etc

This interview did remind me to unwrap "Way To Blue - The Songs Of Nick Drake". Listening to that now and very enjoyable it is.

Given the way they were screwed, I suspect that the Kinks wish they had someone that robust.

Lovely daughter though, eh?  ;) :)

I'm far from convinced Grant was a thug.  Saw him once just a few months before he died at the 100 Club watching The Pretty Things.  He was thin as a rake, but still had presence (no pun intended).

From wiki: However, although there were media reports of his heavy-handed, intimidating tactics, Grant's biographers Lewis and Pallet suggest that "he was generally held in high esteem by those with whom he came in contact."[2] In the words of John Paul Jones, "Peter was a very sensitive man. He was a very, very smart man. People just think of his size and his reputation, but actually he never had to use his size. He could out-talk anybody ...

He could also act the heavyweight when he needed to. Especially with Promoters holding back a larger cut than agreed previously.

I would counter-argue that no "sensitive man" would talk to a waitress like that.

Jules

Thanks for posting David.

Great interview indeed.

It's especially nice to see his effusive praise of so many members of the FC family (Mattacks, Pegg, Swarbrick, Hutchings) that aren't often mentioned, because Joe Boyd is usually asked to discuss only three people (in order - Nick Drake, Sandy Denny, and Richard Thompson).

I've only read it the once, but one of my reactions on reading it was to think to myself...he doesn't mention Swarb, does he?  So, does he?

I don't think he does, as far as I can recall.

Jules

It says Bryden.

Yes, Swarb is mentioned - flatteringly - in the Led Zep story, singing Banks of Sweet Primroses.

It must have been corrected then, 'cos it definitely said Bryson when I read it yesterday!

Yes it did.Or at least, it said Bryson when I read it.

I'd never heard of the 1970 L.A. Fairport/Page/Plant jam until I read this interview.  Now I'll lay awake nights thinking how pleasant it would be if those tapes could somehow be officially released while knowing it's likely to never happen.

In whose interests is it to withold them?

The artists?....if they're not impressed with the quality.