Interviewer: Lazlo Farnsworth, London Independent 6-14-2010
L.F. Good to see you again Hurricane!
H.D.T. You as well Lazlo. Its been awhile.
L.F. It has. How has things been going for you and the Hurricanes since the last interview?
H.D.T. Very well, thanks. A few hiccups in my life in general, but I'm still here and so is Sonja.
L.F. Hows the book? Did you publish yet?
H.D.T. As we speak Lazlo, it's being prepped, edited and tuned up in England for a release this year. So is the Johnny & The Hurricanes Anthology C.D. That is coming from the Netherlands. Converted to digital from the masters, Im told it sounds very good. I haven’t heard it yet personally though. Both "SAX MAN" and the Anthology C.D. ought to come out around the same time.
L.F. By all accounts and the other interviews Ive read with you lately, its going to set the "record" straight. Sorry, but I HAD to say that!
H.D.T. You Englishmen do have an odd sense of humor, don’t you? Oh well, I guess ever since you lost the Revolutionary War here, you cant take a joke, so you make them!
L.F. Hey now! Salt into old wounds is not good!
H.D.T. You know Im just kidding with you. We love the English. And your "muffins"! I know, I know. But, it was my turn!
L.F. That brings up a question I had. Rock and Roll went from Instrumental songs, to Rock-billy songs, to Instrumentals back and forth all throughout the beginnings. How did that position Johnny & The Hurricanes for their records and the follow-ups? I mean to say, you never had a singer right?
H.D.T. Nope. Unless you count those 2 girl backup singers Johnny put into the group in the 80's. That didn’t work. And you cant count John as a singer. He tried, but failed miserably at it. Sorry John, truth hurts. So, he did try to just play what he was known for: Instrumentals. The only time anyone sang in the group was during a many-set multi-night engagement while covering tunes to just get thru the nights.
L.F. Was there any you can remember when there were vocals?
H.D.T. Actually, yes. Funny thing though. I have a distinct memory of John singing 2 songs. "Sea Cruise" and "You're Sixteen". The only song he would let me sing was "Locomotion" by Little Eva.
L.F. So! There was some vocals after all!
H.D.T. There were some. "SAX MAN" was with vocals. And "Saga of the Beatles too". And of course, some cover songs like I mentioned. And, Ive said it before. We all tried for years and years to get him to release different tunes and different styles of music, but he wouldn’t. Fear of success I guess. It would’ve worked. John was a hell of a jazz saxophonist too. I always felt if you can play, and play well, you should stretch out and spread your wings on stage. Those times when John played something like that, he soared. I learned a bunch from John. A lot. Just not about singing.
L.F. Why do you think musicians get pigeon-holed into a certain vibe or style of music?
H.D.T. Its as I said earlier. I think a small degree is fear of failure. After all. The Hurricanes recorded 2-3 minutes at the most tunes for A.M. radio. I don’t think there was any place what-so-ever for them when F.M. came along. F.M. brought about album-rock and much longer cuts and tracks than the public was used to at the time. Look at "In da gadda da vida". It was I think 17 minutes long or so. You could put 6 or 7 of the Hurricanes hits in that time frame! Imagine! We could play 7 of our hit records before that song was even finished playing! The transition of vinyl to 8-track to Cassette to C.D. to MP3 killed off a lot of 'one-hit-wonders". Thats another point too. There weren't any 'hit' records anymore that you heard all day every-day over and over.
The closest Johnny ever got to having a long song was when he would make a medley of some of the hits for the performances or a track on C.D.
L.F. Can you think of one of those?
H.D.T. Off the top of my head, one that comes to mind is "Go Johnny go" It has 5 or 6 in that medley and is the title song off the album by the same name.
L.F. Each time we speak, I start thinking of a million more questions I'd like answers to. I guess Ill just wait for "SAX MAN" to hit the stores.
H.D.T. There is a new quite lengthy cover article…I think some 21 pages, in this summers edition of "Pipeline Magazine" from the U.K. Quite good, very informative about who did or didnt play on what and when, and how certain earlier songs came about. Johnny's life story will be found in "SAX MAN'. I hope you and your readers will enjoy it. It was both a labor of love and a thorn in Sonja's and my sides. But now it is what it is, and tells it like it was. From Johnny's viewpoint, it was something that had to be written to clear the air. And he had a lot of explaining to do to a lot of people. I hope we were able to do that for him, through him and his dairies and current interviews such as yours here Lazlo. Thank you for listening.
L.F. It always our pleasure, Hurricane Duane. To speak with those who started it all, and were there in the beginning, is always fascinating, and a history lesson itself.
H.D.T. Well sir, its as I said in the liner notes of "SAX MAN". About the start of hit records for Johnny & The Hurricanes. Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Richie Valens died in that plane crash in 1959 and the world was never the same. The Hurricanes were on the same tour circuit that year right behind them and that crash! So it really was the "Birth of Rock and Roll" and the "Day the Music Died". And "Beatlemania" was still 3-4 years away yet. So many changes back then it was hard to keep up. We just kept learnin' and playin' as they came on the radio. Its what kept us good and tight as musicians both on stage and in the studio.
L.F. Again, many thanks Duane for your insight into the early days. We anxiously await "SAX MAN" and the Anthology C.D.
H.D.T. Your welcome. Anytime Lazlo. Its always a pleasure.
