14 Comments

Terrific interview. Really enjoyed it although I was never in the camp of knowing much about Mellencamp beyond his radio hits, all enjoyable and catchy. I’m not sure what to make about his persona; he comes across as a bit of a cranky old geezer but his passion and seriousness for his art (music and painting) and yearning to connect with his audience is evident. I didn’t know he painted and went to check it out. I was impressed by his evident influence by the Austrian Expressionist and obvious homage(s) to Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt. Your interview also brought out the difficulty in being a serious musician who tours relentlessly for the live gig where the lyrics and music (should) mean something beyond playing to just another packed-in beer crowd and audience chatter. I’m thinking that’s why Springsteen so coveted his solo story and performance dates. I note that Mellencamp also went from initially dismissing your conversation as just a necessary interview with an uniformed music critic to respect and real engagement. Nice work!

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Thank you. That's a very nice way to look at it.

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Wow- I read this and you have risen several steps on the pedestal Alan. He’s a curmudgeon ( imho) and you kept your cool and persisted to get a terrific interview. Kudos!!!

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Thank you. It's never about me, or shouldn't be. My job is to get them talking and keep them talking.

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Hey Allan found this gem of your friend Butch

https://youtu.be/lFE1qrqLLRo

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Nice. Thanks,

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Great interview. I found this much more interesting than the actual article, though I understand why it had to be presented that way. Kudos to you for showing the rest, even the parts where he pushes back on you a bit.

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Well, totally different. For one thing, 10,000 words versus 1200 and no obligation to explain things clearly, but I knew this was good and wanted to share it in full when the time was right and I had some time to deal with it.

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Absolutely. Different audiences too, I’m sure.

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Vastly different! I enjoy the challenge of explaining a legend's career to people who may know nothing about it, while also striving to convey insight to the most hardcore of fans. Working on one as we speak.

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That was a fantastic interview Alan. I saw him at Hara Arena in Dayton ~1984 and again at a couple of Farm Aids in Hershey (2012) & Hartford (2018). Interesting guy, and a helluva talent. You pulled some things from him I’d never heard before - thanks for sharing!

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Thanks bob

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Superb interview. It seemed initially he was being his grumpy old man persona but you reeked him in. Great question. Wish it was even longer. And yeah I’m a fan of his

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thanks. art. I did trim a bit. i should add back!

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