INTERVIEW WITH BARRY GOUDREAU (italian version)
by Giancarlo Bolther

Can you tell me about the making of the new album with Brad?
I had gone through a long period of writers block when I came out of it and started writing again.I had a couple of songs together when I called Brad and asked him to come over and sing them for me. WE were both pleased with the results. Brad took some unfinished tracks with him and started to work on lyrics. It took 2 years to complete because of his commitment to Boston.

For some reasons it seems a third RTZ album (quite the same musicians), why did you choose to not use RTZ logo again?
Most of the CD is Brad, myself and David Stefanelli. I brought in the other members of RTZ for guest appearances. I never considered it a RTZ CD.

Can you tell me more about the songs? Is it all new material?
All the material was written for this CD, none of it was leftovers.

A song that surprised me a lot was Out Of My Hands, something like Blue Oyster Cult (Cultusaurus Erectus era) meets Boston, a lot of mistery and dramatic feelings, really a great tune...
Most of the material was pretty light , I guess my age was showing! so I was looking for something heavier to round it out. I had a couple more tunes that were heavier,but they didn't get completed.

Your new album is self produced and it’s not distribuited by a major, why that choice?
We released the CD ourselves to retain control over it. A website seemed the best way to connect with our fans (www.barrygoudreau.com).

Which are your expectations from it?
Our only expectation was that people would find the website get involved in it and enjoy the new material.

Do you will promote the album with a tour? Will you play in Europe?
We have been doing some dates in the Northeast [US]to promote the CD. WE have no plans at this time to go overseas, but if offered we would consider it.

Why don’t you ever made a live album? Don’t you have some good live material to do a live album, maybe a DVD (eventually to be distribuited throug your web site)?
We are hoping to do a live DVD at the end of the dates we are now doing. We will post details on the website.

Why did you leave Boston, what’s really happened?
Tom was unhappy with the way my solo album was promoted. He called a group meeting and told us he would no longer work with me.

Can you tell us what kind of person is Tom Scholz in your opinion? Are you still in touch with him?
I haven't spoken to Tom for 15 years. I have no idea what he may be thinking.

Have you listened to the Boston albums made without you? What do you think about them?
I have bought all the Boston records since I left and listened to each once. I enjoyed 3rd Stage but the rest do nothing for me.

Which are the best memories about the Boston years? And which are the bad ones?
The early years with the band were great, everything I ever imagined. WE were all friends and having the time of our lives. Its unfortunate it didn't last.

You weren’t credited on the first two Boston album as songwriter, but listening to your solo album I’ve thinked that you may have been involved into the writing process of these songs?
Although Tom wrote all the songs, we were involved in the recording and production.

In your projects you usually play with other members from Boston, is that a kind of nostalghia, a ghost that never dies or a lot of music that still must to be played?
Brad and I have a great understanding of one another and keep coming together to write. Although I see Sib and Fran often, we haven't worked together since Boston.

Have you ever thought to play again with Boston?
If the situation was right I would consider working with Boston again, but I don't see that happening.

In the ’80 you realized your first solo album, were you happy with it?
I was happy with the solo record at the time, but looking back I would have taken more time on it.

The sound of that album was heavly influenced by Boston, why did you want to play that music again?
At the time I was still in Boston, my likes dislikes and influences were still the same.If I had known that it would be my first record outside of Boston I would have approached it differently.

Why don’t you made a second solo album?
I didn't do another record because I realized I enjoyed working in a group and wanted to do that again.

Hashian has contribuited to your first solo album and then disappeared; Sheehan disappeared too after Don’t Look Back. These are the only two guys we don’t have news about, are you still in touch with them? What was happened to them?
I see Fran and Sib all the time, we're still good friends. Neither have done any musical projects since Boston. They decided to go out on top.

Orion The Hunter was your second project and the album was another great opus in the melodic rock history, but the band split, which were the reasons?
I enjoyed working with Fran Cosmo and the band, but it was a real struggle.When it came time to start a new record, the band fell apart.

Fran Cosmo started with you and then went on to sing with Boston, instead Delp left Boston to join RTZ, but today he sang with both... your ways were always crossed, there is something like a brotherhood or it is something else?
I guess you need to speak to Scholz about this one. He hired Fran to replace Brad when he left to record RTZ, than brought him back to tour.

RTZ was a new start, a new brillant and interesting project, but you made only two albums (one of them realized postumous)... did it was another hole in the water?
WE had a good run with RTZ, but we never realized the success we could have. After an album and tour we were faced with finding a new label, with the success of Nirvana and others there was little interest from labels in resigning us. Also Brad was back with Tom.

Can you tell us about your collaboration with Lisa Guyer? Did you wrote some music for her or did you made only a guest appearence? Are you planning new projects together?
Lisa and I wrote the music together. See is currently in the touring band with Brad and I along with the members of RTZ.

In the ’80s melodic rock were really popular, but today the artists that play that music are very underground (for example the last Journey album Red 13 was a self produced mini CD), what do you think about that?
Acts from my era are doing the same thing I am doing, that is finding ways to connect to the fans of our genre.

Your musical carrer is 30 years long, what is changed in the music world and how much are you changed as an artist and as a person?
What has changed is music is becoming disposable. Labels aren't interested in careers just hit records.i.e. $

Looking back to your musical carreer, do you believe to be more luky or more unluky?
I think I was very lucky early on, than not so lucky.

Which were the worst times of your life? And the happiest ones?
Some of my best memories were the early days in Boston. Worst memories would be when that ended.

11 September changed everything in our lives, what do you think about and what's your opinion about the war in Iraq?
"What you leave behind" was written after 911. It speaks for itself.

Have you ever though to leave the music world?
The music business is all I've ever known, I have no plans to change that.

A salute to your italian fans?
Thanks to all our fans in Italy we appreciate your continued support and interest!!

GB

Review (in italian): Delp & Goudreau

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