Do you know this face? To millions of Alan Parsons fans around the globe, certainly, but others might have an "aha" epiphany after reading this.
Parsons musical appeal spans from progressive rock to classical to symphonic rock, from Pink Floyd and Beatles fans to audiophiles. Parsons just published his wealth of knowledge in "Alan Parsons Art & Science of Sound Recording" (book and DVDs). He also recently released his new album "Livespan" and the single "Fragile."
This 11-time Grammy nominated icon is currently busy prepping for his 2015 Alan Parsons Live Project tour that will stretch across the globe.
The Beatles "Abbey Road" and "Let It Be" and Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side Of The Moon" are just a few of Parsons' career-defining albums as a recording engineer. An estimated 50 million copies of "Dark Side" were sold, which placed it in TOP 100 Billboard Charts (1973 to 1988). Parsons was directly responsible for some of the most notable aspects of the album, which garnered him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.
As a composer, performer/musician, producer and engineer, The Alan Parsons Project earned him commercial and critical acclaim for such Billboard Top 40 hit singles as "Eye in the Sky," "Time" and "Don't Answer Me," to name just a few among a long list of other considerable successes.
If you take another look at this Renaissance man, you may also see a resemblance in his eyes to that of actor Oliver Reed. That's because they are cousins. Having those performing genes, it seemed only natural for Parsons to venture into the acting arena himself, which he's easing his way into.
HNGN: What about you do you want the public to know about you that maybe it doesn't?
AP: So many people know the songs and know the music, but they don't put a name to it. Like what has become known as the Chicago Bulls theme ("Sirius" from the "Eye In The Sky" album), they don't associate it with my name. When we play concerts, we start a tune and you can just see it on their faces, "Oh wow, I didn't realize that was Alan Parsons!"
HNGN: The "light bulb" of recognition moment.
AP: (Chuckles) Yes that's right.
HNGN: Does it bother you?
AP: Yeah, it's a bit frustrating that there's such familiarity to people, yet they don't know or associate it with my name. That's partly my fault because I never sort of came out of my shell as it were, until we started playing live in the mid '90s. It was never expected that I would be on a live stage. The Alan Parsons Project was designed to be a studio outfit.
HNGN: How did that feel to you when you first went onstage live?
AP: Oh, it was amazing. I distinctly remember we did our first show in Germany, I think it was Hamburg, we played the first song and they applauded. I went, "Wow, they actually like it!" It was a great feeling. Everyone else in the band had been doing it for a while (performing live), but I had not. Not since my teens had I played in front of an audience in a band.
HNGN: What's the reason behind the five-minute minimum of complete silence before you start your show? No music, no announcement...
AP: I think it makes for an anticlimax if the house music gets dipped down and then the show starts. I just like to build a little bit of atmosphere through silence. I always try to make our appearance a sort of an event...a grand entrance.
HNGN: If you could collaborate with any musician living or past, who would it be?
AP: I've always admired Pete Townsend's songwriting. I'm a huge fan of the Who... I would have loved to have recorded him maybe as a producer or engineer.
HNGN: Your beautiful wife Lisa, who also handles the extensive touring logistics and business, indicated you take interest in the home goings-on, like having a hand in the landscaping. Are you very hands-on?
AP: I do some things. I take care of the pool. We don't have a pool guy...Landscape lighting and things like that, but in terms of hard gardening and things like that, (chuckles) getting my hands dirty, no, I don't have anything to do with it. Which is surprising because my father was a very knowledgeable and active botanist.
HNGN: Things about yourself you like the least or the most?
AP: I'm quite proud of my temperament. I very rarely lose my temper. But when I do, you'll know it. What I like least about myself is my ability to overeat and over drink. I love good food and wine.
HNGN: I understand you have a keen interest in magic.
AP: Yes. It's frustrating I don't have enough time to do it. Lisa thinks my biggest weakness is email! I think the whole world has that "disease." Can't go more than an hour without checking email.
HNGN: What are your pet peeves?
AP: Sales calls. Incompetence on the phone.
HNGN: If you could have dinner with anyone in the world past or present, who would it be?
AP: I think I've been asked that question only once before. John F. Kennedy. Such a tragedy that befell him. It's just the sheer aura of the man...the ability to do what he did. I would just want to talk to him...to know him. Wouldn't want to talk politics.
HNGN: Do you believe there is a higher power guiding you along in life?
AP: That's a difficult one. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I'm not religious, but I'm not an atheist either. I'm just agnostic. I often say to myself, "why do all animals and humans have two eyes? Two legs or four legs...why does every living creature have a nose or a mouth?" It just makes you think that there is some superior power. Whatever religion you are, there's always music, which is the common denominator in all religions. Music is what drives everything.
