As Lisa Robinson states in her introduction for this interview, Rod Stewart may be the quintessential British rock and roll singer. The discussion that follows confirms that it’s true, as the two talk about his love fashion, money, women, and nights out with the boys. The editing contained here leaves behind statements stressing Stewart’s flamboyance and conceit, leaving us to wonder if the splicing results in a misrepresentation or if he really does have one of the biggest egos in the business.

00:23 – Response to the criticism for “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” 00:57 – Blondes Have More Fun as a departure from rock and roll 01:50 – The most embarrassing thing he’s ever done (as a result of being in love) 02:44 – Reasons for moving to Los Angeles 03:37 – Other British tax exiles 04:13 – Being rich 04:44 – A new generation of concertgoers 05:07 – How rock groups maintain staying power 05:32 – Enjoying fame 06:22 – Doing what he wants on stage 07:10 – The range of Stewart’s song selection / importance of lyrical content 08:15 – Things that Rod is good at / the best voice in rock and roll 08:32 – Stewart’s imitators (voice and hair) 09:28 – Nights out with “the boys” and why his wife (Alana Hamilton) objects 10:30 – How home life is going / the division between home life and band life 11:18 – Perspective gained from being a father 12:09 – How rock and roll “changed the world” 13:22 – Frightened of Armageddon / Rod’s history as an activist

Recorded for an episode of Inside Tracks with Lisa Robinson, this interview focuses on the subjective side of Ray Davies’ career. This entails some revealing stories about what was happening on the scene when The Kinks first broke through as well as some vulnerable moments when Ray talks about loneliness and his relationship with an unnamed woman (Chrissie Hynde).

00:00 – Writing while depressed and lonely 00:33 – Knowing the strength of one’s songwriting 00:56 – Recording “Lola” (4 times) 01:08 – Recording “You Really Got Me” 01:55 – Swinging Sixties bands jealous of The Kinks 02:54 – Swinging Sixties bands looking down on The Kinks 03:30 – Misunderstood sense of humor / being lost for words 04:14 – Continuing to blow it / trying to cool it down / being a misfit 05:23 – On-stage demeanor / theatrical influences 07:06 – Having a relationship as a rock star 07:46 – A quick philosophy / the importance of a sense of humor

This rapid-fire Q&A session with the entire Big Country band was recorded just before their first extensive US tour.

00:00 – “In a Big Country” 00:17 – The secret behind Big Country’s success 00:35 – Optimism in the face of abject disaster 01:08 – Bringing a Scottish sound to the US 01:24 – “Harvest Home” lyrics as a mistake 01:56 – Saying “Sha” too much 02:13 – “Fields of Fire” / “Guns of Navarone” 02:41 – Plans for the live show 03:03 – Differences between US and UK audiences 03:31 – Plans for the future

Concert impresario Bill Graham, the namesake of this website, was once referred to as a mix between Mother Theresa and Al Capone. In this 1989 interview with Scott Muni, there is only evidence of the former. The two chat almost entirely about 1967’s Human Be-In, an event that helped to shape and define the San Francisco scene and the Summer of Love.

00:00 – Intro to the Human Be-In 01:09 – No rule book / young people in San Francisco 01:35 – A success in trust / a dangerous word 02:12 – Birth of the Summer of Love 03:15 – Some of the performances, the flower paratrooper 03:51 – How many people were there 04:01 – The local talent 04:36 – The pride 05:01 – Running overtime 05:38 – Crowds cleaning up after themselves 06:49 – New Year’s Eve with the Grateful Dead 07:42 – Some new talent / some good reunions 09:08 – Some praise for Bill Graham / outro

Outtakes 10:10 – Other performers at the Be-In 11:00 – A Jerry Garcia sighting? / a great guy 12:49 – Musicians in the Bay Area 13:20 – Recent developments in Bill’s life / racquetball