Though recorded in order to promote his solo album, Tribes, this interview has enough material about his songwriting process and his opinions on other musicians (both as artists and as people) to make this a timeless representation of the man behind Elton John’s lyrics.

00:00 – Preconceived notions of how a song should sound, ballads vs. up-tempo pieces 00:55 – Writing lyrics as an artist, playing guitar to aid in writing 02:05 – How his writing has matured over the years, hopefully aging gracefully 04:25 – Is “Friend of the Flag” autobiographical? Patriotism and values 05:45 – Notoriety and recognition, being in the spotlight, getting mobbed in public 07:25 – The double-edged sword of his affiliation with Elton John 08:30 – Assembling a band of friends for the record, going back to his roots, being treated as a new artist 09:40 – Making another record after Tribe / possibility of playing live 10:20 – Native American theme on the record, what the word “tribe” means to him 11:35 – The Americana of Tumbleweed Connection 13:00 – Writing from the first person point of view, taking on the role of characters in his songs 14:40 – Alternative career plans / getting into songwriting, actually having a record out 16:00 – Anticipation and excitement for the record / going to the record store 17:00 – “Billy Fury” as the ideal of a 70’s power pop rock star in England 18:30 – Working with (and being friends with) Alice Cooper 19:30 – The Band may just be the greatest group of all time 20:25 – Respecting the lyrics of Elvis Costello, King of America 20:55 – Van Morrison as his solo singer idol 21:15 – Personal feelings about John Lennon 21:50 – Being buddies with Eric Clapton 22:20 – Writing the lyrics before the music

In 1984, at the age of 44, Tina Turner finally scored her first #1 hit with “What’s Love Got To Do With It.” It had been a long time coming. She first achieved success with her ex-husband, Ike, in the 1960’s. After spending many difficult years in this abusive personal and professional relationship, she finally left him in the middle of a tour in 1976. She then worked incessantly, partly because she needed to pay off her debts to the concert promoters of the 1976 tour, but failed to have a significant impact as a solo artist.

The justice served by finally having a #1 single after so many years of struggle and perseverance act as the main thematic element of this interview with Lisa Robinson. Besides the substantial amount of information about her story and her newest album, Private Dancer, this interview is worth a listen if only to share in Turner’s excitement in finally having made it to the top.

00:00 – How Tina stays in shape and maintains her voice 01:41 – Her first number 1 single / eventual justice 02:25 – Thoughts on her competition 03:10 – Never having doubts 03:47 – Her dream 04:45 – Finally performing her own songs 05:07 – Why she was able to make a comeback album 06:03 – Why the album was the best one she ever made 06:52 – Appeasing different generations of fans 07:55 – The importance of breaking free of Ike 09:18 – Changing her career direction towards rock and roll 09:58 – Writing her own songs: using her inspirations and experiences 11:19 – How she started writing 11:51 – The racism still present in America vs. Europe 13:10 – “Private Dancer” by Mark Knopfler 14:04 – Initial impressions of “What’s Love Got To Do With It” 16:04 – Acting / the two sides of Tina Turner 18:03 – A ride through the charts with “What’s Love Got to Do With It” 19:32 – What set “What’s Love Got To Do With It” apart from the competition 20:58 – Not knowing what makes a hit record 22:05 – Reminiscing about an old live recording 22:41 – Videos as a contributing factor to her success

When this interview was recorded in 1983, many thought that Joan Jett had achieved rock stardom through puppetry. Her all-girl teenage punk band, The Runaways, was considered to be the money-making gimmick of industry man Kim Fowley, and many believed her manager and songwriting partner, Kenny Laguna, was pulling the strings to her solo career.

Perhaps as a response to this general view, Jett paints a very different picture here, stressing to Lisa Robinson and the radio audience that she had always done things her own way. And while the absence of eloquence could be used as evidence for either side of the debate, her stories of career struggles, her reports of rigorous touring, her insistence on not being in it for the money, and her apparent love of rock n’ roll (sorry) all speak to a do-it-yourself, hard-working mentality.

00:00 – Avoiding boredom on tour 01:11 – Writing more complex songs / “learning” slide guitar 02:16 – Catching up on sleep / being tested 03:43 – Original reaction to The Runaways / hypothetical current reaction 04:56 – Dismissing the rumors of Kim Fowley’s role with The Runaways 05:39 – “I Love Rock N’ Roll” / British television / The Arrows 07:10 – Difficulty in obtaining a record deal 07:48 – A warning for the music industry / how much power the fans have 09:13 – Playing in East Germany for kids starved for rock n’ roll 11:05 – Misconception of Joan as a puppet: Kenny Laguna, importance of the Blackhearts 13:09 – The new record (Album) 13:46 – Growth heard in the new album due to incessant gigging 14:35 – The perks of admitting mistakes on stage 15:12 – Maturation through discerning who’s out to take advantage of you 16:07 – Wearing glitter to elementary school 16:42 – Not being a “freak;” not being “normal” 17:54 – Potential for making a movie in the future 19:35 – The Baltimore Orioles 19:57 – Making and spending a lot of money / building a fan base in Europe 21:37 – Not having time to spend money 22:32 – Attempting to learn German and why 23:57 – How the Blackhearts approach ballads 25:09 – Challenges that she faces / slide guitar / rhythm guitarists being overlooked 27:23 – Avoiding depression 28:38 – Kenny Laguna helping to build her confidence 30:30 – Still getting nervous 31:14 – Being hated at some shows 31:35 – (Not) receiving credit for breaking barriers for women in rock / her guitar sound.

This succinct chat between Lisa Robinson and Rod Stewart takes place 20 years after the latter became a professional musician. Pressed for time, the two talk about whatever pops up, resulting in topics that vary greatly in scope.

00:00 – The future: cutting down on touring / raising kids / moving back to England 00:42 – What has been lost from living in America 01:09 – Why he didn’t do the Arms tour / resentment 01:54 – Still nervous after 20 years 02:48 – The British aversion to Madison Square Gardens [sic] 03:37 – Stage design / moving on stage 04:14 – A thrill and a job

Recorded a few months before the original line-up of The Pretenders would fall apart, Chrissie Hynde seems very comfortable with Lisa Robinson here, revealing much about the interaction between her personal life and her public persona. The main themes are how far she had come and how fate may have shaped events. From being a shy Ohio girl to being considered a prima donna, or from trying to catch a glimpse of the Kinks after a concert to trying to make a relationship with Ray Davies work while touring, this chat provides a wonderful behind-the-scenes look at a story of the rock n’ roll dream.

00:00 – Playing the guitar just well enough 01:09 – Not being one of the guys 01:39 – Bands backing up the singers 02:44 – What happened to Akron, OH / getting out of Akron 04:20 – The meaning behind “Brass In Pocket” 04:51 – A feeling of destiny 05:37 – Best aspect of the career 06:02 – Working out a relationship with Ray Davies 07:01 – “The Adultress” / prophetic songwriting? 07:49 – Being sober / the old drinking days 09:05 – Working around “that time of the month” 10:09 – Being considered a prima donna / rules for a sound check 11:00 – First “meeting” with Ray Davies 11:52 – Invasions of privacy / being recognized 13:25 – Getting over stage fright / losing vocal inhibition