Michael Goodman, the current world’s best singing drummer, a certifiable Bard of the Big Apple, is, among other things, a Beatles scholar. Presently at work on his long-awaited Complete Edition of Cover Versions of Beatle Songs, he took some time out to answer a few Beatles/Fiery Furnaces questions, from a computer at a branch of the Brooklyn Public Library.

THE FIERY FURNACES WEB SITE:
How many Fiery Furnaces songs are Beatles Plagiarisms? Which ones are they? More importantly, do the Fiery Furnaces do a good job as Beatles Plagiarists?
Certainly all “Rock” bands, certainly any ’studio-as-instrument’ bands, are Beatles Plagiarists to some degree? Or perhaps you feel otherwise.

MICHAEL GOODMAN:
“Ex Guru”, “Widow City” and the original all-sitar/backwards guitar version of “Chief Inspector Blancehflower”. But whereas, you’re right about “studio as instrument” process being inherently Beatle-derivitive (and screw anyone who says otherwise), I always think of the Furnaces more in the Les Paul/Mary Ford vain.

TFFWS:
Tell us your feelings about the Live at the Hollywood Bowl project. How does it compare to the new Fiery Furnaces’ album Remember (on which you, for nearly an hour, Star as percussion soloist), for instance? In other words, tell us about the importance of recordings of cheering or applause on Rock records, “live” or otherwise. Surely, this is a very important topic. Surely, one cannot imagine Sgt. Pepper’s without the cheers. Tell us, what do they indicate?

MG:
The Hollywood Bowl album, well, the story goes that George Martin had to blow hair dryers on the tape in order to rescue the precious Beatle performances contained thereon. He also had to utilize studio trickery in order to raise the volume of the Beatle music above the deafening sound of screams, as if The Beatles were playing to a crowd of 747 jets. With this new Fiery Furnaces album, “Remember”, Jason’s computer had to undergo a similar drying process in order to rescue some of these precious Fiery Furnace performances contained therein. It was touch and go there for a little while, I “remember” a motel room in Ohio where we were moping ’round like the dog died, pretty much resigned ourselves to the fact that the tour’s recordings were sticky and wet and we’d never hear them again. But, with “Remember”, we’re all happy again! And we get to feel a continuum with The Beatles! Also, like the Hollywood Bowl album, studio trickery has been employed to raise the volume of the Fiery Furnaces’ music above the sound of the screams (or, in the case of some shows, the sound of the aggressive mob. In fact, on some of the songs on the album, you can now practically hear a pin drop!! How’d they do that? We’ve come so far!

TFFWS:
If Eleanor had to be in the Beatles, who would she replace? Why?

MG:
George. She’s already got a Strat. George ‘68. When he was clean shaven. Think about it. Just take George out, and put Eleanor in, playing her Strat.

TFFWS:
Is it true that John Lennon’s genius as a vocalist often hid his shortcomings as a lyricist? Or is such a question not at all sensible for the songwriter who writes for him or herself?

MG:
What kind of rock and roll blasphemy are you asking me????!!!!

TFFWS:
What is the Beatles’ longest tune (I mean longest tune, not longest track)? Is it Fool on the Hill? Are Fiery Furnaces’ tunes too short?

MG:
That is an excellent question. Is it “I’ll Be Back”? You know, you might be right, it might very well be “Fool On The Hill”! (sings to self, “da-da-dada…..da da dada daaaa”). It IS a long, damn tune! That McCartney! Mr. Melody. Are Fiery Furnaces’ tunes too short? Bah, they’re all too short! Always leaving you wanting to inhabit them for a little while longer, even if they’re already 8 minutes long. When “Widow City” cuts off like that, it’s like a slap in the face. Couldn’t we just stay there a little while longer, Matt? Fade me out? Let me say goodbye? Oh, hey, my computer time is up here, gotta run!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 13th, 2008 at 8:37 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.