D o u g G o o d m a n : T o u r M a n a g e r
E x t r a o r d i n a i r e.
AG
:Basically, my rst question is that a lot o people seem to be conused about your connec-tion to Ch apel Hill. A lot o people seem tothink you went to high school here. Can youclear that up a little?BF: Yeah, I lived in Chapel Hill in 1993 and Ididn’t go to any school at all here, and then Ilet in 1999, so I was here six years. AG:OK, and that’s when you started playing inthe clubs in the area?BF: Yeah, well, I mean, I had played in the areabeore because I used to live in Winston-Salemand everyone always traveled to play at theCat’s Cradle. AG:So you grew up in Winston.BF: Yeah, I grew up in Winston. AG:Tat’s cool, I grew up in Kernersville. Iknow that area.
Apparently he didn’t care.
BF: I’d been living in New York beore I livedin Chapel Hill, so it was really — I just wantedto move back to North Carolina, and I thoughtthat Chapel Hill made more sense than Win-ston-Salem or me. AG:Yeah, I can see that. Not too much goeson in Winston.BF: Yeah, well, I mean, REM used to recordthere a lot. AG:I didn’t know that.BF: And there was this band (unortunately, Icould not understand what he said here) whoat that time were probably the only band tohave national notoriety or North Carolina thatI can think o. Tey made the New York imes“op Five o the Year” or al-bums list. AG:Wow.BF: And they were doing pretty well. And all o this was pretty original music, as well, and it’sstill, all that crowd went around the REM cir-cle. Tere was a lot o music there, and I think in retrospect it was as good as anywhere else.Chapel Hill is a bit more organized. AG:How did you learn to play the piano? Iheard some story about a carpenter gave yourdad a piano or something?BF: Yeah, he was a carpenter. Can you hold on just a second? I’ll get right back.
He put me on hold.
BF: Sorry about that. My mother was drivinginto town, and she needed directions. AG:I see. Chapel Hill’s kind o conusing. Socoming to Chapel Hill is kind o like cominghome?BF: Yeah, yeah, it is or me because I spent moreo my, you know, good years here, I think. AG:I heard that you divide your time between Australia and ennessee? Is that correct?BF: Yeah, about three months per year in Aus-tralia. But I was living in Australia or aboutthree and a hal to our years. We moved back over. AG:And you moved to ennessee?BF: o Nashville. Yeah, to rent a studio there. Icouldn’t tour very easy rom Australia. It’s a 22-hour trip. It made sense to just come back. AG:When you go on your tours, does youramily ever come with you?BF: Not that oten, no. Depends on the tour. AG:Do you usually writeyour music or lyrics rst?BF: I usually start out with music, and lyricscomes ater that.
An airplane took over Folds’s phone. Or, at least,that’s what it sounded like.
AG: Was there an airplane?BF: Hello? Can you hear me? AG:Yes, I can. Sounds like you’re kind o busy.
A bus ran over Folds. At least, that’s what it sounded like.
AG: What are some inspirations or your mu-sic?
Te airplane grew louder.
BF: You still there? Hello?
Te signal died.
Robin: Is it windy outside? AG:I don’t think so.
We sat quietly.Robin suggested I call him back.He called me back.
BF: We got cut o somehow. AG:Are you walking somewhere, or driving?BF: I’m walking. AG:Are you in Chapel Hill?
Leave a Comment