Famous Musicians you have emailed and got a response

Todd Rundgren's wife answered a question of mine,

Toots Thielesman's management passed on a message to me.

Al Kooper, a couple of times I think

Kind of lame topic I know but someone might have a good story to share.

 

I bought a book from Steve Priest (Sweet) once ordered from him personally off his web site (Are you Ready Steve - hilarious book), he e-mailed back letting me know he got the order then I started getting updates from him personally daily. Greetings, I had to run to the grocery store today, ran out of eggs should get your book in the mail tomorrow....signed the Vicar. Greetings, I totally spaced out your book today, should get it in the mail tomorrow.......signed the Vicar. Greetings, my dog is sick today should get your book in the mail tomorrow.....Signed the Vicar. Greetings...........The dog is better now but I went to sign the book and realized I don't have a sharpie! Should get it in the mail tomorrow.......signed the Vicar. Greetings, I mailed your book today, when you get it and read it let me know what you think. .......signed the Vicar.
Then one Day I went online to check his website and it was gone. Later I was on Andy Scott's website and there was a message about Stevie......Something to the effect of "Stevies web sight has been taken down........Steve, alcohol and the internet were not a good mix!"

 

al is great about that. he's a member here by the way.

 

Tommy Thayer (KISS) even if it was one word (thanks!)
Richard Fortus (Guns N Roses, Love Spit Love, Dead Daisies) - had a great back and forth last year for about two weeks
Dean Garcia (Curve) after I sent him something in the mail

I think there have been some more...I've found if you are respectful and are really interested in something people will respond to you. Twitter is actually fantastic for this too.

 

carol kaye - 'the wrecking crew'

 

Peter Frampton

 

Bill Nelson may be only semi-famous but he has been hosting his own BBS for years. He interacts with fans all the time, lets it all hang out, gets annoyed sometimes, etc. I think it's very cool of him to put himself out there and I think the fact that he does is why he has been able to continue to have a music career when a lot of his peers have shuffled off into the sunset.

 

Terry Kirkman of the Association
Mike Botts of Bread
Kenny Hodges and Stuart Scharf (producer) of Spanky and Our Gang
Sidney Barnes and Judy Hauff of Rotary Connection
Jim Wasson of The Love Generation
Barry Whitham of Herman's Hermits
Van Dyke Parks
Lenny Waronker
Gene Parsons of the Byrds

 

Among others:

Al Kooper
Hugh Hopper (RIP) sent me a thank you note once when I reviewed one of his CDs
Louie Shelton (studio guitarist/Seals & Crofts producer)
Several people who have worked with Frank Zappa including Mike Keneally, Arthur Barrow, Ed Mann, Scott Thunes

 

6 or 7 years ago: Graham Edge....about a Moodies reunion LP. He basically responded w/ "we're waiting to see where the industry lands."

 

Bill Stevenson of Descendents/ALL. Right after Everything Sucks came out. I was over the moon to get a response back from one of my heroes.

Also Mike Watt, years ago. I think he's maintained a pretty accessible Internet presence over the years.

I wished I had communicated with Pete Townshend when the Eel Pie site was up and he was doing the Lifehouse Method thing. That's just about the only instance I can think of where an Actual Rock Legend stepped over the barrier and communicated with fans one-on-one, at least sort of resembling a regular human interaction.

 

Bruce Kaphan and I exchanged a few emails about his "Slider" album. Nice guy.

Off topic, but every writer/novelist I have ever emailed has responded to me. Musicians, not so much

 

Kim Mitchell
Ron Sexsmith

 

Back in the Prodigy days (remember that?), circa '92, I had a relatively lengthy back-and-forth with Robert Poss from Band of Susans. Some really interesting info regarding his/their relationship with Sonic Youth, and also about (ex-bandmate) Page Hamilton from Helmet, as I recall. He even sent me a couple of CDs of theirs. Seemed like a good guy.

 

I first emailed Roger McGuinn way back around 1991 when I found him on Compuserve. I asked him for an address so that I could send him the longbox for Younger Than Yesterday for him to autograph. He responded with his management's address so I sent him the item in a SASE. A few weeks later it arrived with a personalized autograph which I since have framed. About 15 years later, I had the good fortune of seeing Chris Hillman perform locally where I had him add his autograph to the cover as well.

Several years ago I had a brief conversation in a Byrds' mailing list with Les Fradkin (Beatlemania, and others) who I believe is a member here.

 

Eric Singer (Alice Cooper/KISS) and a very nice email from Brian May.

 

Marketa Irglova. I wrote her how I loved her vocal harmonies, and she responded with a lovely, unexpectedly long message where she stated that layering the harmonies is her favourite part of the recording process. Great person, I love her

I also wrote to Norda Mullen of the current Moody Blues touring line-up, I wrote a song based on an expression which I found on her website and I shared the lyrics of the song with her. Her response was very warm. I'm a lucky guy

 

Watt is probably the most laid-back, approachable musician ever to have been signed to a major label. this is a guy who will guest on teenagers' self-produced hardcore albums if they live near pedro and ask nicely.

 

Back in 1998 the guitarist in the band I was in bought a Rickenbacker electric 12 string. After about a month with it, he was really frustrated that he couldn't get the sound he wanted from it, which was basically Roger McGuinn's sound. So he e-mailed McGuinn, and asked him if he would be willing to share the secrets of his guitar tone. McGuinn responded the next day, told my friend to buy
a certain compressor, and tweak his guitar and amp settings this way and that, etc... My friend did what McGuinn suggested, and the guitar sounded like a million bucks.

 

HENRY ROLLINS !!!

I asked him why was it that he had never released a live Rollins Band dvd, to which he responded it was too damned expensive. I'm still in awe.

Several others from more underground bands.

 

It wasn't a personal email but Bob Welch answered a question that I had posted during a Q&A that he held in conjunction with the Fleetwood Mac related site, The Penguin. This would have been in November, 1999.

 

Long story, but one time Ed Crawford asked for *my* number with the aim of starting a project. That one's still a feather in my cap, even though it never panned out.

 

Whats his user name?

 

Not QUITE on topic but in the same vein, I once made a cold call to Roger McGuinn's wife. It was only as the conversation continued that I began to realize to whom I was speaking. She didn't need what I was selling but I enjoyed speaking with her. Never let on I was a fan of her husband's.

She was extremely pleasant and nice. And this was a cold call!

 

I've e-mailed back and forth with a few about their Wikipedia articles - Wendy Carlos, Happy Rhodes.

But nothing tops when Kate Bush called me.