Off The Beaten Track Interviews

Kirsty MacColl was simply a marvelous person, a joy to interview and be around as well as an accomplished songstress. Michael interviewed her in 1990 at Island Records in New York. Michael used Chris Blackwell’s office (which Chris hardly ever used). Kirsty was visiting New York with her then husband, Steve Lillywhite, the noted producer of U2, The Pogues and others, and he was present for the entire interview. Kirsty once referred to Steve as a ‘knob twiddler’. 

Kirsty’s most recent album, Kite, had been produced by Lillywhite, and the main purpose of the album was to establish Kirsty as a serious singer and songwriter. She co-wrote several tracks, two with Johnny Marr of The Smiths, and several with Pete Glenister, an English guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work with Alison Moyet. David Gilmour of Pink Floyd is a guest player on the album. 

Kirsty MacColl, estranged daughter of British folk icon Ewan MacColl, had been characterized as a novelty singer. This was primarily due to an early hit entitled “There’s a Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis”. The song was reworked for the American market, substituting ‘Truck Stop’ for ‘Chip Shop.’

Listen as Kirsty talks about her life and her music, about singing and touring with The Pogues, about stage fright and about life in general in this free ranging interview. Michael recalls the biggest distraction from using Blackwell’s office was the decor. By New York City standards, it was a huge office and filled with items Chris had acquired from his travels around the globe. The office was a study in world art and culture, tastefully displayed.

A decade after this interview, Kirsty MacColl was tragically killed in a boating ‘accident’ while vacationing with her two sons in Cozumel, Mexico. Kirsty and her boys were attending diving classes in a restricted, boat-free diving zone when the space was violated by a high speed motorboat. Kirsty saw it first and pushed her oldest son out of the way, saving his life while sacrificing her own. She was hit by the boat suffering massive injuries and died instantly.

Guillermo Gonzalez Nova, multimillionaire president of the Commercial Mexicana, a huge, corporate grocery chain, was eventually charged with recklessly operating a water craft. Immediately after the incident, Nova claimed a subordinate had been at the helm and paid a small fee in lieu of a prison sentence. Witnesses insist that Nova was driving which was confirmed by the subordinate when he said he was paid to take the blame in an admission years later.

The MacColl family, spearheaded by Kirsty MacColl’s mother, launched the Justice For Kirsty campaign, raising money and pursuing Mexican government officials to take punitive measures against Nova. Despite years of trying, Nova was never brought to justice and died at 92 in 2009.

Kirsty MacColl’s true legacy was cut short. She was only 41 when she died. What she left us is a wide and varied catalog of work worthy of attention. In conversation she was animated and sparkly. Take a listen.

This interview was conducted at Island Records New York City offices, coordinated by the publicity crew at Island, which included Kathy Kenyon and Stephanie Seymour.

Wendy MaHarry profile coming soon. This interview was conducted on July 25th, 1990, at a hotel on Soldier's Field Road in the Back Bay section of Boston. Later that night, she would open for fellow A&M artists The Blue Nile at the Paradise on Commonwealth Avenue.

Michael was apprehensive headed into this interview. He had interviewed Ian Matthews 10 years earlier, and it wasn’t the best of experiences. Ian was up tight and defensive. “Shake It” was all over the radio, it was the height of the disco era, and despite the success of his latest single, Ian Matthews was in anything but a good mood. Michael remembered that interview as being more of a confrontation than a conversation. How would this one go?

Despite having been out of the limelight for an extended period, and having only 75 or so people show up for this show at Boston’s Paradise, Ian Matthews was downright joyful. He seemed much more comfortable in his own skin, he was largely calling the shots regarding his own career and repertoire and he seemed very content. The Paradise was converted into a cabaret with tables and chairs. Those 75 present got one helluva show! If Ian Matthews was one bit pissed at the low turnout, you’d never have known it from the performance he gave. Given the energy that came off that stage, one would have thought it was an SRO crowd!

Michael had been drawn to Ian Matthews’ early work, including his tenure in Fairport Convention, his surprise hit with the cover of the Joni Mitchell song “Woodstock” with Matthews’ Southern Comfort, his solo work and a quirky little side project called Plainsong.  The constant in all of this work was the voice. Michael felt Ian Matthews had one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music.

And so, a conversation took place this time. Discussion covers much ground of the Ian Matthews career, including that errant interview from 10 years past. The primary focus at the time of this exchange was Ian’s album “Walking A Changing Line.” It was a collection of songs from a contemporary songwriter named Jules Shear (Funky Kings, Jules and The Polar Bears, solo releases and Reckless Sleepers) done in a quasi-New Age presentation (lots of airy synths)...with vocals. It was the first album on the noted New Age label Windham Hill to feature vocals. 

As a side note, Windham Hill was founded in Palo Alto, California in 1975 by Will Ackerman, who named the label for Windham Hill Farm in southern Vermont. That farm had been a place of solace for Ackerman as a child. Windham Hill’s biggest success story was new age pianist George Winston. Winston’s album “Autumn” was Windham Hill’s best selling album. The label is now inactive other than occasional reissues and is now owned by Sony/BMG.

Ian Matthews is relaxed, conversational and at ease talking about his long and varied career, both as an artist, and as an A&R (artist and repertoire) guy. He did stints at both Island and Windham Hill. Ian Matthews makes it abundantly clear that he’s in it as an artist for the long haul, wherever that road might lead.

This interview was recorded May 10, 1988 at The Paradise in Boston, Massachusetts. Eldridge Hill of Windham Hill Records helped to coordinate this interview.

This interview was conducted and recorded by Michael Thurston for his syndicated radio program Off The Beaten Track on November 2, 1988 at Nightstage in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The interview coincided with the release of Chicago Line by John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. The interview was coordinated by the publicity staff at Island Records in New York, which included Kathy Kenyon and Stephanie Seymour. The band that night featured the incredible guitarist, Coco Montoya.

A trained and gainfully employed graphic designer, John Mayall introduced the world to many fine musicians via their various tenures in The Bluesbreakers, his "hobby" band, including the likes of John McVie, Mick Fleetwood and Peter Green (the seedlings of Fleetwood Mac) Mick Taylor, Keef Hartley, Aynsley Dunbar, and interestingly, The Bluesbreakers provided the initial meeting place for Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce who would later team up with Ginger Baker to form Cream. After a year, Mayall ditched the day job and pursued the blues full time, at the ripe old age of 30.

John Mayall passed away on July 22, 2024 at the age of 90. He leaves a legacy and love for the blues that went to his core. He is often referred to as "The Godfather of British Blues". Many consider Chicago Line his return to prime form in the late 1980s, as he gathered some old mates together to put The Bluesbreakers on the road again. Please enjoy this conversation as John Mayall tells the tale. 

James Montgomery is one of the first artists to appear on Off The Beaten Track, initially appearing shortly after the show's inception in 1975. The very first interview Michael Thurston conducted with James and his band was in 1973 when the band played Lyndon State College in Lyndonville, Vermont and Michael interviewed them for the campus newspaper, The Critic. Theirs has been a lifelong friendship which continues to this day. 

James Montgomery is a Detroit boy who migrated to Boston to go to college (BU), finding himself smack dab in the middle of a heathy and diverse music scene. Boston was home base for The James Montgomery Band for a long time. For the past couple of decades, James has called Newport, Rhode Island his home. 

This interview was conducted for Off The Beaten Track to coincide with the release of Live Trax, James Montgomery's live album from 1983, which features Barbara Holiday, Wayne Kramer of the MC5, Bobby Chouinard of Billy Squier's band, The Uptown Horns and the late T.J. Tindall, the producer who helped pioneer the Gamble-Huff Studio sound. The album was recorded live at Trax in New York City.

To put this interview in context, James Montgomery was 13 years into his career, and this was his first live album. It was James' opportunity to present a few new tunes and provide live versions of fan favorites from his previous albums and long touring career. This interview was one of the few interviews recorded in Michael's home studio in Barre, Vermont, rather than out on the road.

James is still touring and recording today. His projects now also include documentary film. James was instrumental in fundraising and development, production and promotion of "Bonnie Blue: James Cotton's Life In The Blues", a biopic tribute to one of Montgomery's mentors, blues legend James Cotton. Cotton, who got his start with Muddy Waters, became a key influence for Montgomery, and the two performed many shows together. (The picture in the upper left captures James and James in such a show. This image appears on The James Montgomery website. James Cotton also sat for an interview with Off The Beaten Track and we will try to make that available at a future date.)

"America You Kill Me" is a documentary about James Montgomery's youngest brother Jeff, who can best be described as a LGBTQ warrior. Jeff Montgomery, who died in 2016 at age 63, fought valiantly for personal rights in his native Detroit, and his groundbreaking work resonated far beyond The Motor City. James Montgomery is the Executive Producer of this film, while John Montgomery, Jeff's other older brother is the Producer. Suffice it to say, this film is a labor of love.

The other older brother, John Montgomery spent many years as a record promotion man, including National Promotion Director for FM Radio at Warner Brothers in the mid 1970s, and then Vice President of Sales and Promotion at Sire Records from the late 1970s into the early 1980s. John is also a restaurateur and has spearheaded Woodhull Freedom Foundation for the last 20 years. Woodhull Freedom Foundation is an advocacy group that fights censorship, promotes personal sexual freedoms and advocates for privacy protections. John Montgomery was also instrumental in getting Jeff to open up and tell his personal story, and that narrative became the centerpiece for "America You Kill Me."  As it turns out, all three Montgomery brothers, James, John and Jeff are legendary.

Enjoy this engaging and entertaining piece of 1983 history as James Montgomery tells the story of how Live Trax came into being...and don't be alarmed, there might be an expletive or two, and a good laugh along the way.