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The Catalyst interviews: Highlights of 2022
The primary purpose of the daily arts section is, true to the core mission of the Catalyst itself, to illuminate and promote the creative talents and activities of our local artists, musicians, theater people, et al. A rising tide raises all boats in any community, and having thoughtful, thorough arts coverage on a regular basis helps everyone understand – and appreciate – what’s going on in that world, a world that’s key to the continuing growth and success of the entire St. Pete/Tampa/Clearwater area.
Still, this reporter’s lengthy career has always included interviews with famous people who happen to be visiting, for a local performance or other purpose. It’s fun to include these conversations, in between bread-and-butter Catalyst stories, every once in a while.
Here are my favorite celebrity interviews from 2022.
10. Alan Cumming (March 31)
Tony-winning actor, singer, comedian and Scotland-born man-of-the-world Alan Cumming dished on his one-man show, his past and upcoming projects (a broad palette of stuff) and his two memoirs, the first of which detailed years of physical and emotional abuse by his domineering father.
I had to tell this story – and I realized, with all the response, that in telling your story, revealing your truth and your authenticity, you really help people. Just by the very act of doing that, because it makes people feel they’re not alone. And it makes people realize that well-known, successful people can have gone through the kinds of things they’ve gone through. And they can go on and live a happy life.
I just think there are, unfortunately still, so few people that really talk about the darker sides of their lives. Being truthful and authentic is a big thing in my life, always, as an artist.
9. Daryl Hall (July 25)
John Oates was barely mentioned during this eye-opening conversation, in which the Philly soul-singing legend – half of one of rock’s most successful duos – seemed intent on … well, taking the (well-deserved) credit.
There’s a lot of misunderstanding about what Hall & Oates is. And was. I wrote most of these songs. Almost all of them. And I wrote some of them with a little bit of John’s help, and some of them where his name’s on it and it shouldn’t be. It was sort of that Lennon & McCartney thing. And some of the most important songs, I wrote with the Allen sisters, Sara Allen and Janna Allen. This has been my project, from about 1974. With notable exceptions, of course. But there it is. I’ve been a solo artist in hiding for a long time.
8. Craig Ferguson (Oct. 18)
One of Scotland’s wittiest exports talked about his introduction to standup comedy, his first serious American job (as an actor on The Drew Carey Show) and his decision to leave a lucrative gig as a late-night talk show host because he had tired of making loony fun – with jokes contributed by his staff writers – of celebrities in trouble.
If you’re an actor, you say the words, that’s the job. But I think if you’re a comic, and the job is that, then you kind of have to say your own words. Or you’ll go crazy … And a lot of the targets I’d had up until that point on late night, I hadn’t even heard of these people. And I was saying things about them. And look, I’m not perfect – you do five shows a week, we did 250 shows a year when I was in late night … jokes get through and you go ‘I wish I hadn’t said that,’ but it is what it is.
7. Gregory Porter (June 7)
The California crooner with the silky-smooth voice (like Luther Vandross singing in unison with Al Jarreau) explained the synthesis of styles that he’s made uniquely his.
To synthesize it all, it’s really the Black American musical experience. But I’m approaching all of it as a jazz singer, though. And I could say the same thing: I’m approaching all of it as a gospel singer. I just don’t draw any distinctions, stylistically, in the devices that I use. Something that needs to be delivered in a soulful, powerful way, the gospel sound comes out. When there’s a refinement of the lyric, when there’s a poetry that suggests a classic jazz delivery, then that’s the voice that I use. It’s the appropriate sound for the appropriate moment. Every instrumentalist has the ability to do that. And I just do it with my voice.
6. Rufus Wainwright (Oct. 1)
The Canadian singer/songwriter has a massive cult following all over the world for his unique, commercially-risky projects including a song-for-song recorded cover of Judy Garland’s Live at Carnegie Hall album, an original opera and a collection of Shakespeare sonnets set to music. He’s also a gifted singer and, yes indeed, songwriter.
I don’t know that it’s so much that I’m fearless, I think I seek out danger. {Laughing}. I need there to be some sort of risk involved. I certainly have fear, but at the same time I seek out danger and I like it to be something that really electrifies me – and that is conquering the odds. I’ve always had to do what I want to do, for better or for worse.
5. Jay Leno (Jan. 29)
The comedian and longtime host of the Tonight Show was straightforward in his assessment of show business, and why the specter of the Conan/Letterman/Late Night Wars debacle (in which he was painted as the Bad Guy) doesn’t keep him up at night.
I have the same friends I had in high school, I’ve been married to the same person for 42 years. That’s what it is: If you think people in show business are your friends, ask them for a ride to the airport. They’re not gonna give it to you. These are acquaintances. They’re all show business acquaintances. And that’s fine! I don’t mean that to sound cold. It’s just the reality … If you have five real friends, you’re way ahead of the game. You don’t fall in love with a hooker, OK? That’s what show business is.
4. Sandra Bernhard (June 10)
An icon for the global gay community, Sandra Bernhard – actress, comedian, singer, author and podcast host (it’s called Sandyland) – is always blunt and straightforward. Which is probably why there’s no one else quite like her. We discussed her appearance in the then-upcoming Netflix special Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration.
I do what I do. I don’t really do, like, gay humor, per se – I never have – but there’s a couple things that work. And it was fun. It was good company. Is it important? I don’t know if it’s important. It’s Netflix! Any of these outfits are going to jump on the bandwagon. I don’t know how groundbreaking it is. It’s just part of, y’know, Black! Latina! Asian! Gay! Women! Everybody gets to be a part of the comedy extravaganza.
3. LeAnn Rimes (June 22)
The country music superstar is also a podcast host – Wholly Human is dedicated, she said, is dedicated to helping people understand themselves. She’s had a few serious bumps in the road – personal, familial, financial – and she believes those events, along the years of introspection that followed, made her a better person as she approached her 40th birthday.
I mean, I hope we can all say that. I go back to the human experience – we can either remain the victim our whole lives, or we can grow and learn from our experiences. I wouldn’t be where I’m at without those experiences. So I look back and I … Would I wish some of them might not have happened? That I wouldn’t have to have experienced them? Of course. But I don’t regret things. I’m able to look back on my life and say “OK, I understand why it happened.”
2. Herb Alpert (Nov. 28)
Popular music in the 1960s meant a lot more than the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Stones and Motown. In fact, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass sold more records in 1966 alone than any of them. Alpert’s happy, snappy, trumpet-led instrumentals were an essential ingredient of decade’s spirited soundtrack. His Tijuana Brass TV specials were ratings favorites – Alpert was one of the era’s biggest multi-media stars.
It was a confusing time for me, because I’m an introvert. I’m a card-carrying introvert. So that kind of exposure kinda threw me for a loop for a moment. I didn’t know quite how to react to it. And then when people were saying ‘He’s a nice-looking guy, that’s why the music is good,’ that threw me too because I just wanted to make music that felt good for me, and I didn’t want to compromise. I could’ve made the ‘Lonely Bull’ record sideways and then done a couple variations on that, but I didn’t. I wanted to see how far I could take the sound.
Rebecca Lovell, left, and Megan Lovell are Larkin Poe. Image is a screen grab from the Larkin Poe YouTube covers channel.
1. Larkin Poe (April 6)
Georgia sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell front the roots-rock band Larkin Poe (there’s nobody in the group with that name), playing a rich, swampy hybrid of rock, blues and country. They are both accomplished guitarists; Rebecca does most of the lead singing, while Megan plays fierce lap-steel. On their YouTube channel, the sisters play – from their living rooms – everything from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Hall and Oates to Henry Mancini to Led Zeppelin, with disarming reach and charm.
Said Rebecca: It was a very intentional move to keep ourselves fresh. Because it’s a rut I think musicians can sometime fall into, particularly touring musicians, is that you’re not refreshing your well. You’re not continuing to learn. When we were teenagers we were learning Jimi Hendrix solos, and learning Allman Brothers tunes. You’re starting to get your chops up. But at a certain point there is this danger of a plateau. So between the two of us we decided we would commit to learning new songs together.
And it was also very fun. It’s become something that we truly look forward to, and we love being able to connect to people on social media. And particularly with the pandemic, I don’t think we understood what a saving grace that cover series would actually become. Because it gave us something to do, it helped keep us sane. We were able to continue to connect with people, in spite of the deep isolation that so many of us experienced.
Other Catalyst celebrity interviews in 2022:
Rodney Crowell
Manhattan Transfer
Elizabeth Cook
Don Felder
John Waite
Rupert Holmes
Al Jardine
Steven Wright
Patterson Hood
Paul Reiser
Patrick Wilson
Melanie
Martin Barre
Kathleen Edwards
Susan Cowsill
