Mannyacs

Back-up Vocal~ Over the years, I’ve read a variety of music magazine interviews with famous record producers. In most cases, the discussion centers around the technical aspects of their job. They will talk about how they recorded various instruments and their approach to compression, EQ, mixing and the importance of capturing the right moment in guitar, drums, bass, etc. The really great producers will even reveal the work they do to bring out the best in a musician, by getting them to change their mindset before that one magic moment is committed to tape. Thus, we can learn the origin of what we now know as a classic solo or vocal performance.

But, that tends to be as far as it goes. Because the band or artist get viewed as the center of attention, the world at large may be much less interested in how the producer helped them to craft the mood behind a song that speaks to the fans. We rarely get a peak into the personal life of the genius behind the soundboard. Most people just don’t care. I think by now, it’s pretty clear to long-time readers that I’m not “most people”. I love interviews with producers. Especially since some of the livelier ones, will take a “making-of-the-album” documentary as the perfect opportunity to talk “out of school” and wax eloquent about their views on the shenanigans within their chosen trade. Still, only a select few of them seem to cross that line. 

The folks at “Zoop Magazine” have pages to fill. So, they felt it perfectly within their wheelhouse to break the traditional mold offered in the print medium and pose a few more introspective questions to their subject . As a result, they were more than ready to take a slightly unorthodox look at our boy and unleash their findings on an unsuspecting public.

I could not resist another Shout-Out to Lou Diamond Phillips. Several months ago, I had driven my dad to a doctor appointment. While sitting in the waiting room, I was leafing through a copy of Santa Fean magazine. Because, my man Lou was on the cover. He has starred in several productions filmed there over the years, and he embellished upon his love for a variety of facets of its culture and history. That stuck with me and I found a way to infuse it into this particular creation.

This Comic was a blast to make. As a writer, it afforded me the chance to “let my freak flag fly”.  Because….at day’s end, let’s recall that Tully never answered a single one of the above inquests. Soxx and Hapler did.