John Waite – When You Were Mine
When You Were Mine
Imaginary Girl
Let’s Get Out of Here
Suicide Life
Just Like a Woman
Bluebird Café
I-95
Show Me How To Love Me
Valentine
Have You Seen My Friend?
All I Want for Christmas
Walter Sear’s studio west off Times Square. In the ’40s. This was the high water mark. I’d been fascinated with the idea of going completely against the grain and this was going to be it. I used to arrive early. I would wake up at dawn and I’d make Earl Grey tea, burn some incense and play mid-period Dylan or Fairport Convention. I even had the Brian Jones Presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka album. I’d been reading a lot about Hank Williams and driven south to New Orleans and then back through Ohio to NYC. I listened to really odd obscure country stations and saw America through the windshield. Slept in motels or in the back seat of the Jeep Cherokee. “Suicide Life”, “Imaginary Girl” and “Bluebird Café”, not to mention “I-95”. It’s a simple song of freedom and it feels like deja vu; Ti Jean knew about it and John Lennon sang it too. It’s the ringing bell of truth and free speech on the radio. It’s there in the constitution, its little sisters called rock and roll and she’s alright! I’ve never done anything better since. I had my friends play on the record who were the best there was. I was burning the candle at both ends as they say but firing on all cylinders. It is my America.
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