Q: Is there anyone in the industry you would like to work with that you havent to date?

Stevie Winwood and Peter Gabriel are the first artists that jump into my mind, but I'm sure there are others.

Q: How much Japanese do you know how to speak?

I'm fluent in about 10 languages as long as I'm ordering food, but my language proficiency drops off sharply when the sushi is removed.

Q: Articles about you mentions alot of Disco albums and tv commercials you performed on in the late 70's and early 80's can you name a few?

I played on Idris Muhammad's "Turn This Mutha Out", and with an Italian disco group called "Change"; I played on literally hundreds of other disco sessions (it was the dominant style of pop music in the late 70's when I began recording in New York). A lot of those sessions run together in my mind, since there were usually no "artists" in the traditional sense; the sessions were producers with songs, and then if the project was successful they would form a band later.

Q: Was that you singing on the Jarred Subway Sandwich commercials two or three years ago?

That was yours truly, who introduced Jared to the world with a Howlin' Wolf-style boogie blues. It played on the Super Bowl about 3 or 4 years ago, and was probably my largest exposure as a jingle singer.

Q: You've produced all of your solo CDs..what does that mean and or involve? What are the advantages and disadvantages to that?

Basically it means that I'm responsible for presenting a finished product to the label with the money they gave me. The amount of creative freedom can vary greatly from label to label; with my current company I have complete artistic freedom (to choose songs, personnel, recording techniques, etc.). I'm not adverse to having someone else produce me, but quite frankly, my budgets haven't allowed that kind of expenditure yet. I think that certain producers (like Quincy Jones and P. Diddy, to name two) have star quality, and the projects they produce get more attention from labels and radio that something that I would do myself. However, I can do WHATEVER I WANT, which is pretty cool.

Q: You haven't played in New York in about a year and a half, what's that all about?

I guess it's a combination of many of the places that I used to play in New York going out of business, and a greater interest for what I'm doing in Europe and the Far East. I think we'll be doing some kind of CD release gig in late summer or early fall, so be on the lookout for it. I apologize to my NYC fans-I miss you guys !

Q: The live in Japan Hiram Bullock Band/Edgar Winter CD was mentioned a while back at your website, will it come out soon? How about offering it thorugh the Itunes store online via your site?

As soon as the deal for that CD is done, I'll be offering it everywhere I can. It was done about 6 years ago, so it's time to get that loaf out of the oven !

Q: The BigWorld Records "Live in NYC" series is a favorite, did you, Kenwood Dennard and Jaco Pastorius ever actually sit down and rehearse in a studio or discuss material ahead of time?

No, we never discussed much, and, as I recall, never rehearsed. The arrangements were organized in soundchecks. When we began the gig Jaco had no bass or amp, so we could only rent the equipment for the day of the gig. We did draw on a long history of common musical knowledge; I'd known Jaco since 1973.

September 2001

Well, OK, I admit it-a little "grass has grown under my feet" since my last Rumor Control update. I’ll revise, rephrase, and revamp this little "Q & A", but the Bullockian Lounge in the place to ask your own personalized "Q’s" and get my "A’s" in real time.

Q: Is it true that you started to play guitar to "meet more girls"? Did it work?

A: I played bass in my high school rock band (like a million other teenage boys). One day our guitarist, who was slightly older and looked like Eric Clapton, passed out while in the middle of the solo on "Mississippi Queen" (he said later that he was "tired"). Immediately, ten girls jumped up onto the stage, stroking, consoling, and otherwise "reviving him". At that precise moment I decided to switch to guitar. As for the second part of the question, the answer is yes.

Q: Did you have a lot of sex because of being a musician?

A: In short, yes (but I'm not sure of much of that was due to being a musician or if I was just doing my part to aid the sexual revolution). To "flesh out" that answer (no pun intended), the social climate of the times must be taken into account. I reached puberty and early adulthood at a very special time in the history of human sexuality; after the pill, and before AIDS. Basically speaking, that was the impetus behind the "sexual revolution". I wasn’t having sex with "groupies", hookers, or "loose women"-it was a time when "regular people" were having casual sex without giving it a lot of forethought, and being a traveling musician, I was a perfect candidate, since I wouldn’t be around later to "ruin the reputation" of person involved. In hindsight, I’d have to say that sexual promiscuity has a LOT of pitfalls-social, emotional, and spiritual areas are all affected.

Q: What was Jaco Pastorius like?

A: He was actually a great guy, but suffered from what is known today as bi-polar disorder. Back then, the treatment options weren’t as sophisticated as they are today, and the side effects of the drugs they gave him were so negative that he refused to take his medication. He also had an alcohol problem, which functioned in tandem with his other disorder. On the up side, he was a genius musician, and a loving and FUNNY guy (even in the depths of his decline, he was still funny). Everyone that knew him has a "Jaco story"; I have many, but I’m not going to go into them here-see me at the Lounge.

This should provide some "fat" to be "chewed", so to speak. See ya at the Lounge!

As those of you who’ve seen the first installment already know, some of the questions are repeats, and all of the answers are true (truth is the antidote for rumors). Perhaps in the next revision we’ll address my social life (a hotbed of rumors, no doubt). Yikes! If there's something you really want to know, either catch me live, or go over to the Bullockian Lounge. Questions with really broad interest may end up on this page; perhaps I can stop a rumor before it starts.

2000

Q: What happened to that beat-up old guitar of yours?

A: Update on that story-I thought it was sold to a wealthy "collector", but it turns out the guy who bought it is a player in Seoul, Korea. I’m really happy with my "Fukuoka guitars", made by Ryuou Motoyama in Fukuoka, Japan-maybe one day we can have a meeting of "old & new"; it would be interesting.

Q: What kind of strings do you use?

A: DR handmade strings-gauges 10,13,17,26,36,46; the style is the "Tite-Fit" type (gotta love that!).

Q: Still playing with David Sanborn?

A: I played with David in mid-April in Germany; he was a guest with Marcus Miller Band, of which I was a part. It was a good reunion-to put it in Dave’s words, it was "comfortably familiar". I dig the guy; it was pleasurable onstage and off.

Q: Is it true that you were once a heavy drug user?

A: Yes. That is a long and hard road, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. While there’s a lot of self-knowledge that can be gained (once you’re out of it, and looking back), there’s a high price to be paid physically, emotionally, and spiritually. In short, it’s an ass-kicker.

Q: Do you use real life as inspiration for your songs?

A: Yes, but it’s not always literal; in other words, sometimes it’s somebody else’s life I’m writing about. Sometimes the "real life" situation is just a starting point, and I embellish and "flesh out" the character or story, so if you know me and you think a certain song is about you, you’re probably right!

You've read the rumors, now hear the music