As promised in this thread I am reporting back on my interview with blues legend B.B. King. I talked to him today by phone from his motel room in Seattle. He is appearing in the circulation area of our newspaper Sunday, and the local promoters, working through House of Blues, were able to put me in touch with his management in New York, and they put me in touch yesterday with the tour manager, who had me call this afternoon at a specific time to his hotel room.
My apologies in advance for the lameness of some of my questions, and the inexcusable failure to follow up logically on some of the earlier answers. I’ve conducted a lot of interviews in my radio and newspaper career. (The day before, it was with the governor of our state) but I was fanboy flummoxed when talking to Mr. King. Fortunately, he’s used to that, and was patient and gentlemanly throughout.
My thanks to the Dopers who contributed questions; sorry I didn’t use all of them, but some of you will recognize yours in the following transcript:
Can you tell us about your first guitar?
My very first guitar was a little red Stella. I don’t know what company made it, but it was a little red Stella, about two and a half feet long.
And how old were you?
I was about 11.
Did you start out playing the blues?
Well, no, not really. I started out playing gospel.
Just to switch subjects, did you ever wonder what have happened if things had been different and you’d ended up staying with the radio station being a disc jockey
I didn’t quite understand your question.
My understanding is you were a disc jockey at WDIA for a while.
Yes, from 1949 to 1955.
Did you ever wonder how it would be if you’d just stayed as a disc jockey instead of making so much good music?
No, I never thought of that.
A lot of people are celebrating your birthday next month. I understand you have a new record coming out.
Yes we have a new CD coming out. Hopefully, it will be ready just about in time for my birthday [Sept. 16]
I understand some pretty special people will be joining you for that
Yes, some very good people.
[That would include Van Morrison, U2, and Sting]
You’ve played with so many people. Is there anybody you haven’t played with that you’d like to?
I can’t think of anyone I wouldn’t want to play with.
You’ve played so many gigs in so many places, what was the worst one that ever happened to you?
I can’t think of many, but places where it was cold. It’s hard to play when you’re shaking. I guess I’ve played a lot of places like that.
Unfortunately, a lot of our best blues players are gone on. Is there one of them, or several of them, you have missed the most?
Not really. I miss them all. I think of most of them that have gone on, I miss most the ones that I knew.
you relax and play just for your own amusement, do you play songs by musicians other than yourself?
Do you have any particular artist that you like to listen to?
[COLOR=Navy]Anybody that plays is going to play something I like. Everybody I hear has something I like. When I buy CDs, I don’t buy it for the CD. I buy it for one or two tracks on it I like.
You’re like all of us in that respect. I was going to ask you about your museum. Does it feel strange to have a museum in your hometown?
No, it doesn’t feel strange. I feel happy about it. I think it will be influential for young people who want to know about the origin of the blues. The more we know about it, the better we can listen. It can be educational.
You also have a new book - part two of your autobiography coming out. What interesting things will we find in that book.
will find more detail in this book.
Did it take you a long time to put that together?
Not really, because I have a writer who is putting it together. I do the talking, and he does the writing.
Working for a newspaper, I wish I could have somebody write my stories and all I do is talk them.
Well, you’ve got time yet. [laughs]
In all the interviews you’ve done, has there ever been a question you wished someone would ask you but they never have?
I don’t think so. There have been many interviews and many questions asked. I can’t think of one that I wanted them to ask and they didn’t.
How do you feel about the music you play now as compared to the way you used to play it? You’ve been playing “The Thrill is Gone” for decades. Do you try to put something different on it each time you play?
I don’t play it the same way i used to play it. Now each night when I play it, I play it like I feel, not the way I did when it was recorded., and that way, it’s always fresh.