The Roscoe Beck Q&A - A Must Read

News about Leonard Cohen and his work, press, radio & TV programs etc.
Post Reply
User avatar
DrHGuy
Posts: 311
Joined: Fri Dec 28, 2007 1:37 pm
Contact:

The Roscoe Beck Q&A - A Must Read

Post by DrHGuy »

Roscoe Beck With Double Espresso in Caen
Roscoe Beck With Double Espresso in Caen
Yes, I know - I think everything I post is a must read, but this is different. I would describe Roscoe Beck's comments and anecdotes found in this article in the same way (albeit with perhaps a tad less enthusiasm) even if they were published elsewhere.

Roscoe Beck On Leonard Cohen, The World’s Quietest Band, “Jenny Sings Lenny,” & More, the Q&A with Roscoe Beck, may well be the most entertaining, enlightening, and enjoyable of the interviews posted at my Heck Of A Guy site.

Roscoe's responses are smart, articulate, insightful, and laced with humor. (Even the photos he supplied at my request are outstanding.) I submit the following excerpt as no more than one typical example (rather than the best) of his answers:

DrHGuy: What is the most surprising thing that you’ve seen or heard during a performance or rehearsal?


Roscoe Beck: Another moment in 1979, I believe it was in Oslo, though I’m not quite sure… in the middle of our concert program one evening Leonard paused for a moment and seemed to be engaged in a thought. He stepped to the microphone and spoke, “My musicians here tonight are members of a band, Passenger… they have music of their own, and I’d like for you to hear some it now…” With that, he walked off the stage catching us completely by surprise and wondering what the heck to play…
What can I say? Roscoe Beck is a delight, and his interview is a treat for anyone with an interest in Leonard Cohen's current and previous tours or the process of performing music in public.

Roscoe Beck On Leonard Cohen, The World’s Quietest Band, “Jenny Sings Lenny,” & More, the Q&A with Roscoe Beck can be found at http://1heckofaguy.com/2010/09/27/rosco ... enny-more/
Last edited by DrHGuy on Tue Sep 28, 2010 3:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
cpl593h
Posts: 176
Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2008 1:27 pm

Re: The Roscoe Beck Q&A - A Must Read

Post by cpl593h »

as ever, the good Doctor's prescription hits the spot and leaves me feeling much better.

Thanks very much.
User avatar
neo
Posts: 373
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 3:17 am
Location: Vienna

Re: The Roscoe Beck Q&A - A Must Read

Post by neo »

Thank you very much for this interview DrHGuy! I really enjoyed it a lot!
User avatar
Joe Way
Posts: 1216
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2002 5:50 pm
Location: Wisconsin, USA

Re: The Roscoe Beck Q&A - A Must Read

Post by Joe Way »

Wonderful interview, Allan! Your questions are always very well thought out and bring insightful answers. I had the pleasure of speaking with Roscoe Beck prior to the Nashville concert last year and I totally agree how engaging, animated and witty he is. He took the time as he did with you to carefully explain in layman's terms what he was striving for when he designed his bass.

Joe
"Say a prayer for the cowboy..."
ladydi
Posts: 2325
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2008 11:14 pm

Re: The Roscoe Beck Q&A - A Must Read

Post by ladydi »

Dear Allan,

Once again, thank you SO much! Roscoe is without a doubt the most amazing musician/musical director/arranger etc etc...in addition to being a genuinely sincere and warm person! He is always accessible; graciously and generously giving of his time and attention to each and every person. For those not familiar with his blues and jazz works, I would suggest checking him out...including his album "Walk On".

Thanks again!!
Diana
User avatar
imyourwoman
Posts: 59
Joined: Fri Aug 08, 2008 12:14 am

Re: The Roscoe Beck Q&A - A Must Read

Post by imyourwoman »

I'm hanging on to Roscoe's final words as if they were an orange crate in the flood...
User avatar
mutti
Posts: 2048
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2009 3:25 am
Location: somewhere in the Pacific Northwest

Re: The Roscoe Beck Q&A - A Must Read

Post by mutti »

Thanks Allan Dr. Heck and thanks Roscoe for a great interview and sharing your thoughts and memories with us.
It was awesome to read! Great insights...
Mutti/Leslie ;-)
1988 Vancouver
2009 Victoria/Seattle/Almost Red Rocks/Las Vegas/San Jose.
2010 Sligo x 2/Victoria/Vancouver/Portland/Las Vegas x 2.
2012 Austin x 2/Seattle/Vancouver/Montreal x 2.
2013 Oakland x 2/New York City x 2/Winnipeg...
User avatar
IrishMar
Posts: 303
Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2008 8:40 pm
Location: Dublin

Re: The Roscoe Beck Q&A - A Must Read

Post by IrishMar »

Roscoe Beck certainly is a delight. Thank you for yet another wonderful interview Dr. Heck.

Marie
2008 DUB3 LDN Helsinki LDN Paris MAN
2009 NYC Boston Weybridge DUB4 Belfast Lisboa Bratislava Barcelona Chicago LV SJ
2010 Zagreb Sligo2 Berlin Ghent2 Firenze Marseille Katowice Bratislava Victoria Vancouver LV2
2012 Ghent2 A'dam2 Helsinki DUB4 Verona Paris2 Boston2
2013 NYC Brussels Prague Vienna Zurich MAN
User avatar
Patrycja
Posts: 142
Joined: Wed Feb 25, 2009 5:55 pm

Re: The Roscoe Beck Q&A - A Must Read

Post by Patrycja »

A very insightful and enjoyable interview. I really love knowing more about the behind-the-scenes decisions and thought processes that go into creating and sharing music. So glad we got a glimpse. Thank you for sharing.
Will... If It Be Your Will
danslenoir
Posts: 240
Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:48 pm

Re: The Roscoe Beck Q&A - A Must Read

Post by danslenoir »

All things do of course, but the end of the tour is not something any of us really want to think about at the moment. We all hope this one won’t be the last.
Given that Lille was going to be my last show, I take some solace in this. Let's hope they still feel that way after the new album has been released, assuming Leonard remains in good health of course :)
MaryB
Posts: 4017
Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2008 5:40 am
Location: Columbus, Ohio USA

Re: The Roscoe Beck Q&A - A Must Read

Post by MaryB »

Allan - you hit the nail on the head when you say 'A Must Read'. So much fantastic information garnered by the most well thought out questions. Thank you!

Warmest regards,
Mary
1993 Detroit 2008 Kitchener June 2-Hamilton June 3 & 4-Vienna Sept 24 & 25-London RAH Nov 17 2009 NYC Feb 19-Grand Prairie Apr 3-Phoenix Apr 5-Columbia May 11-Red Rocks Jun 4-Barcelona Sept 21-Columbus Oct 27-Las Vegas Nov 12-San Jose Nov 13 2010 Sligo Jul 31 & Aug 1-LV Dec 10 & 11 2012 Paris Sept 30-London Dec 11-Boston Dec 16 2013 Louisville Mar 30-Amsterdam Sept 20
Post Reply

Return to “News”