KooperKast

We talk about topics ranging from the Tommy Flanders cab ride to Al’s ongoing popularity in Japan and maybe that Japan is the best place to get certain Al Kooper albums.

We ramble on about his solo albums, and then to Skynyrd. We ponder on whether this new notoriety will help get his 4 CD box set published, about hearing from friends as far back as The Aristocats, from even before The Royal Teens.

We talk about the breadth of Al’s career, starting out as a 14 year old, leading to a career if over half a century in music. We touch on how he might have stayed as a planet in Dylan’s solar system, but he wanted to be at the center of his own creative life, which took him then to things like Blood Sweat and Tears and Supersession and a lot more.

We chat about how just plain happy the news makes Al, whether he can make the ceremony in Brooklyn (not in Cleveland), a sweet listener story, and a bit about how the podcast and the new website came about.

We talk to Al about getting The Call from the Rock and Roll Hall of fame and how he never expected it, but it makes him genuinely happy.

 We answer questions about the idea of Kooper movie, about maybe not sending Al your demos, life in Queens in the old days, and a short interview with Nilly the Dog who is our canine commentator.

We answer questions about working on Dylan’s album Under the Red Sky,  Al getting tweaked with musical feedback from Dylan, life around Clive Davis at Columbia, and the great percussionist Bobbie Hall. Of course, Nilly the Dog follows each segment with canine input of her own.

We answer questions about Gary Rossington and Lynyrd Skynyrd. As always, Nilly the Dog ends each segment with her dogged thoughts.rossi

 We answer questions about Willy Clark and Clarence Reid, the Ron Wood tribute concert to Jimmy Reed, and the sound of soul music in the 70s. Nilly the Dog concludes each segment with some brief pooch dog thoughts.

We answer listener questions including: how not to go about playing This Diamond Ring, how Al might want to be remembered, the infamous phone call with Mom and Dad, and about doing one of his solo albums as a live concert. After each segment Nilly the Dog adds some brief thoughts of her own.