Session Start: Wed Feb 26 1997

<GaryD> Hi, folks, just want to let you know what's going on tonight.  Mike will be joining us
shortly...but in a different way than usual.  Mike is one of those unfortunate people who is
restricted to AOL and therefore can't actually access IRC himself.... HOWEVER... I happen to
have both an ISP and AOL.  And right at this moment I'm not only in this room with all you folks,
but I'm also in a conversation via AOL with Mike Keneally right at this moment.  My assistant
tonight is Kenzak...  Say hello, Ken...
<Kenzak> Hello Ken.
<Kenzak> Sorry, I couldn't resist.
<GaryD> Ha, ha.  Anyway, please send your questions to Mike in a private message to Ken.
Ken will then put the question up for everyone to see and I'll paste the questions to Mike
Keneally and then paste his responses to the room.  So that you'll know when Mike is talking vs.
when I'm talking, all his statements will be preceeded by his AOL name which is BoilThat.  Like
this...
<Boil That> Hello, all.  Keneally here.  I'm genuinely pleased that you've opted to stop by this
evening.  I hope we can make things run smoothly.  I will answer any question whatsoever.  Most
of the answers will be true.
<Kenzak> From "fwelf" Who were those guys on the bogus disk 1 of "Half Alive"?
<GaryD> LOL, I'll bet that's a popular question!!!  I know two of my customers got that
'Collector's item'
<Boil That> I still haven't heard it, and as far as I know Immune has not been informed by
the pressing plant who the fake "BFD" were.  I'm looking forward to getting a copy!
<Boil That> Were they any good, Fwelf?
<fwelf> They sounded like a "speakasy" band of the 30's IMO
<Kenzak> from "Drew50" Are you going to release the tar Tapes?
<Boil That> Other projects keep taking precedence, but I have every intention of releasing
them on CD.  I hadn't expected it to take so long to get the next studio album completed after
"Dust Speck" ("Mistakes" and "Half Alive" being sort of "special" projects, not new Keneally
albums to me).  I want to get at least two more new albums released, plus possibly another
Mistakes album, before I dip so heavily into the archives.
<Kenzak> from "XTC" Any thoughts on Tony Williams passing? He was one of the true
greats!
<Boil That> Utterly tragic.  I had just put on a Miles CD when Joe Travers called to tell me.
The "Plugged Nickel" box is my favorite single musical thing in the world.  My friend Lyle
Workman had recently been working with Tony; I haven't spoken to him yet, but he must be
devastated.  There are times when I feel that Tony was the greatest drummer who
ever lived.
<Kenzak> from "anilp" The Grammy Awards are running concurrently with this online
chat. What do the Grammys mean to you Mike?
<Boil That> They mean an organization  which nominated the "Broadway The Hard
Way" album for "Best Original Cast Recording".  That pretty much says it all.
<Kenzak> from "fwelf" I picked up XTCs "Lemons & Oranges" today and noticed you
got a "thank you". How'd you hook up w/them?
<Boil That> Andy and Dave attended a Frank Zappa show in Birmingham, England
in 1988, at Scott Thunes' request.  Scott and I hung out with them after the show, and Andy
mentioned that they'd be recording in LA later in the year if we'd care to drop by.  I was living in
San Diego at the time but I drove up virtually every weekend to stare at them.   I recorded one
tune with them, called "My Train Is Coming", still unreleased.  I see them whenever I'm in
England, or whenever they come here.
<GaryD> from "Chere" I live in Brazil and I would like to know if Mike Kennealy will
be with Steve Vai.
<Boil That> Yes, indeed.  I've been in his band since August and will remain in his band for
the rest of the touring, which could conceivably last until September or later.
<Kenzak> from "XTC" I know you did something for a Gentle Giant tribute CD... Can you
recommend a good GG album for us ignorants? I haven't really checked them out !
<Boil That> My personal fave is "The Power And The Glory", although a lot of
first-timers find it too abstract.  "Free Hand" or "Interview" are great places to start.
<Kenzak> from "Chet1" Hi Mike...great "angry" show in Indianapolis...what was your "favorite"
country that you played on the recent part of the tour?
<Boil That> Thanks, Indianapolis was a very necessary show for us.  I adored
Australia.  My first time, believe it or not, and it was absolutely gorgeous.  The
people were magnificent as well.  I could stand to spend a lot more time there.
<Kenzak> from "StudioTan" All right... I'm not sure if you can get this message or not, but
anyway...I'd like to ask - Who came up with the idea of covering 'Twist & Shout' in Steve Vai's
show (including the infamous Japanese melody 'Kimigayo')?
<Boil That> Steve decided to play "Twist And Shout".  I understand he's played it live before
this tour, with his last band.  The idea was to insert the National Anthem of each country we
visited into the end of "Twist And Shout", but this got altered as we went along (eg. we played
"Waltzing Matilda" instead of the National Anthem in Australia.  Steve also committed the faux
pas of all time by launching into "Matilda" at the New Zealand show.  I attempted to enter my
amplifier at that moment).
<Kenzak> from "Banger" For Mike: Hello! Are you using any special circuits in your
guitar to get that amazing tone or is that just because of the EMGs?
<GaryD> I sense Mike has a long answer for this one.  Non-techies look out.
<Boil That> The EMG-SA's are the primary culprit, but much assistance has been lent by the
installation of a 2-Tek bridge.  I'm a dope so I can't describe in precise physical terms what the
bridge does, other than to say that it enhances the acoustic properties of an electric guitar and
brings added clarity to each note.  Also the guitar is green and has a sparkly pick guard, which I
truly believe helps the sound.  (Quiz: is this last sentence true or not?)
<Boil That> That particular Strat (it's a Clapton) also has the 25 db boost, remember.  And,
as all the guitar magazines like to say, most of the tone is in the fingers.
<Kenzak> from "anilp" Sadly, Kevin Gilbert is no longer with us. How would you like
him to be remembered?
<Boil That> As a brilliant songwriter, vocalist, musician and producer.  I'd recommend that
anyone buy his "thud" album and play "Shadow Self" as loudly as possible - make the neighbors'
walls rattle.
<Boil That> I wish I'd exploited his services more thoroughly when he contributed to "hat."  I'd
been planning to ask him to co-produce some tracks on the next album.  Sigh.
<Boil That> I also treasured his friendship, and wish our schedules had allowed us to spend
more time together.  I miss him a great deal.  His track on the Gentle Giant tribute CD is
amazing.
<Kenzak> Mike, have you had any luck getting your music transcribed. I know I bailed out, but
after hearing "Half Alive" and "Soap Scum" I've gotten a new perspective on your music.
Perhaps I'll take on the task again.
<Boil That> Steve's manager has suggested that she might have a word with the folks at Hal
Leonard about doing Keneally folios.  But that still doesn't address the question of who will do the
transcribing.  I haven't touched on the issue at all, there's been so much going on.  The post is
still open.
<Kenzak> from "Chet1" Did you steer clear of sickness on the recent leg unlike Mike and Rich?
<Boil That> It's impossible for me not to get sick on the road, but on this tour I just had a little
cold for a couple of days.  I had no ill effects from the Taiwan dinner, in fact I thought it was
spectacular.
<Kenzak> from "RRios" Mike, what is your
favorite work with FZ?
<Boil That> If you mean of the work that I was on, then that would be the second half of disc
two of "Make A Jazz Noise Here", plus "Lonesome Cowboy Nando" from "YCDTOSA Vol. 6".  My
favorite FZ work, period, is the original "We're Only In It For The Money".
<Kenzak> from "JoeD" Random Trivia Question: To whom did you dedicate "The
Unhappy Monologist?"
<Boil That> Glad to hear your disc one works!  Ah, it's dedicated to a monologist about
whom I heard a tale involving public masturbation and sex with papayas (hence the title "Warm
Papaya" on "The Mistakes"), thus I'd prefer not to reveal the name.
<Kenzak> I'm taking a 30 second break - nature calls.
<GaryD> LOL
<GaryD> In the meantime I'll back up to a couple questions I think we missed.  from
"Drew50" Are you going to release the tar Tapes?
<Kenzak> I'm back.
<GaryD> Ooops, no, we did that one.
<GaryD> I meant Drew's other question from "Drew50" How was the Asian Tour? Anything
"different" happen?
<Boil That> A lot of stuff happened.  I kept a hugely detailed journal and have begun typing it
up for the Keneally Page.  I hope to have it on line before we leave for South America.  Check in
at http://www.moosenet.com/keneally.html pretty soon.
<Kenzak> from "|Spider" What's your favorite song to play live, Mike?
<Boil That> That's a good question.  I don't know if there is any one answer.  For different
reasons I love playing "Top Of Stove Melting", the "Day of the Cow" trilogy (which we just call
"The Cowlogy"), "Lightnin' Roy" and "'Cause Of Breakfast".   I think those four are tied for first.
<Kenzak> from "Drew50" What's Beller been up to?
<Boil That> Best way to find out the answer to that question is to stay tuned to "Life Of
Bryan" on the MK Page, but I don't know if he's done one lately.  He's in an interesting phase of
his life right now, but I'd rather he put it in his own words, so keep checking the Page for Beller
updates.
<Kenzak> Bryan posted 5 acts a few weeks ago.
<Kenzak> from "Culo" If you had John McLaughlin and Allan Holdsworth on the edge of a cliff...
and you HAD to push one of them, who would you, and why? :)
<Boil That> I would push both of them away from the edge of the cliff.  If it was pre-ordained
that someone needed to die at that moment, I'd sacrifice myself.
<GaryD> I want to do an old one we skipped from XTC...
<Kenzak> I'll find it.
<Boil That> By the way, I'm seeing Allan this Saturday, and I sincerely hope that particular
scenario doesn't come up.
<GaryD> Here it is.  from "XTC" What's your favorite Keneally song and why? Mine is
'The Desired Effect'!
<GaryD> For those of you who haven't heard "The Desired Effect"  I have a soundbite
of it at <http://www.artist-shop.com/immune>
<Boil That> Thank you!  I tend to like the ones which come closest to what I'd imagined when
I wrote them.  To that end I love the studio recordings of "Spoon Guy", "Natty Trousers" and
"Career Politicians".
<Boil That> "Ennui (prelude)" turned out great also.
<Kenzak> from "|Spider" So is Egg Zooming going to be on your next studio album? I
cant wait to uh...compare your approach to mine.
<Boil That> I was writing it out during the tour.  It's going to be a monster.  Yes, it's on the
next album.  The very last chord that was in the "Guitar Player" transcription may have a note
added to it in the recorded version.
<Kenzak> from "Drew50" Have you heard Dweezil played with Pat Boone? See what
you're missing!
<Boil That> I did hear about the Pat Boone sessions.  Oh, what might have been...
<GaryD> Just to let you know folks, Mike's been on for over an hour already.  He'll
be with us for about another 15 minutes so if you've got questions, send'em now.
<Kenzak> from "Dioni" I know you're a great fan of the Cohen Bros., why is that
admiration so great?
<Boil That> Their sensibilities mesh perfectly with mine.  I agree with every single choice
they make.  The tone of the films is always just staggeringly RIGHT to me.  I also adore their
dialogue, and the performances they elicit from their actors are rarely short of miraculous.  Every
single actor in "Fargo" was spectacular.  I could go on... I love them.
<Kenzak> from "Chet1" any future plans with BFD you can let us know about?
<Boil That> I'll be taking them ("them" being me, Bryan and any one of a variety of
drummers) into the studio whenever I'm not on the road.  Bryan, Joe Travers and I recorded a
batch of stuff last month, and I'm going back to the studio next week to do overdubs on that
material and get a new batch started.  We need an infusion of new material before we tour again,
and the Vai thing will continue for a few more months, so it'll be a while before BFD hits the road.
When we do we may have added a member or
two.
<Kenzak> from "Kenzak" One guitar player to another, is the secret really the ring
finger?
<Boil That> It's all about that finger, baby.  Actually it's about the corresponding toe, but
that's kind of complicated to explain.
<Kenzak> from "Guerra" What did you learn from your experience with Henry Kaiser?
<Boil That> Jeez.  I learned to be astonished by him every other minute.  The thing that most
tickled me was watching him play that stuff, and occasionally wondering just how appropriate it
was to the song - then listening back to the tape and finding out just how
SPECTACULARLY appropriate it was.  He's one of a kind, completely unafraid.
<GaryD> Well, it's 10:30 EST.  I think we'll take one more question and then
Mike's gotta hit the road.
<Kenzak> from "Guerra" What's the worst thing about being Mike Keneally ?
<Boil That> Not being able to spend every waking minute bringing my ideas to life.  But the
stuff I get to do when I'm not doing that - for instance, touring with Steve - is not really so bad.  In
fact, it's a lot of fun.  I'm a lucky guy.
<GaryD> And with that, I want to thank Mike for being with us tonight.  If any of you want to
check out Mike's solo work, come to The Artist Shop.  We have a special page set up for Mike
with Soundbites and everything at <http://www.artist-shop.com/immune>
<Boil That> I think we're done now.  Please feel free to email me if you've got more
questions, and keep checking the Keneally Page for stuff - that address again is
http://www.moosenet.com/keneally.html.  This was fun, there were a lot of good questions.  We'll
do it again sometime.  See you later!
<GaryD> And I promise I will get a log of this chat posted throughout the net in various places.
And we'll find a website home for it as well.  I'll put up a link to it from our IRC page at
<http://www.artist-shop.com/irc.htm>
<GaryD> Special thanks goes to Kenzak for his assistance tonight.  Take a bow, Ken.
<Kenzak> Thanks to all.
<GaryD> Ok, now I'll unmoderate the room so you all can chat about Mike, music or
whatever!!!
<GaryD> But before I do that, just want to tell you a funny thing.  Just ten second ago Mike
called me to tell me that after he'd typed up his last statement his computer crashed!!!   How's
that for timing (LOL)
<GaryD> OK folks, the room is open!!!
<Mike][> Gary, how is the Artist Shop doing these days?
<GaryD> Pretty good.  We just got Christopher Franke of Tangerine Dream to join us.
<GaryD> And we've got some other new artists on board who will become evident as soon as I
can get their pages up.
<Drew50> Any Keneally collectors out there e-mail for trades
<Guerra> Thank you very much Gary ! It was a blast, as always !
<Guerra> Bye !
<GaryD> You're welcome Guerra.  Glad to have you here.
<Guerra> Thanx ! Chao !
<Drew50>                    |^^^^^^|
<Drew50>                    |         |
<Drew50>                    |         |
<Drew50>                    |   (o)  (o)         ________________________
<Drew50>                    @      _)     __/ Keneally Rules Man!               |
<Drew50>                     | ,___|     /__                                                  |
<Drew50>                     |       /      \                                                      |
<Drew50>                     /___\         \_______________________    |
<Drew50>                    /         \

Session Close: Wed Feb 26 1997