Geoff Downes was a key part of two monumental moments on MTV. As a member of The Buggles, he was in the first video ever played on MTV in August 1981 with Video Killed the Radio Star. In 1983, he and his fellow Asia bandmates were part of the first live satellite broadcast of a concert on cable TV.

As the current keyboardist in YES, he's about to embark on a tour to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Close to the Edge and they will play in it its entirety. Just before our interview, we learned of the tragic passing of long time YES drummer Alan White and we discuss Geoff's friendship with Alan, what Close to the Edge meant to him as a college student and why he's looking forward to the tour.

We also discuss the Asia in Asia box set being released June 10 which captures that amazing moment in time from December 1983 when Asia were bounced off of satellites around the globe to entertain the MTV generation. After our interview, The Wolf & Action Jackson will review Close to the Edge ahead of The Wolf seeing them play it live in Royal Albert Hall in London on June 21.

@asiageoff

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