Anil Prasad’s Innerviews: Music Without Borders – Extraordinary Conversations with Extraordinary Musicians.
Like Victor Wooten writes in his foreword of the book: ‘He (Anil) wanted to make sure the reader completely understood me’. This is exactly the case if you read the thourough 14 page interview with David Sylvian in this book. The interviews were taken in April 1999 and July 2003. Recommended.
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, JOE ZAWINUL, VICTOR WOOTEN, BÃLA FLECK, MCCOY TYNER, ZAKIR HUSSAIN, BILL BRUFORD AND AND 17 OTHER LEGENDARY MUSICIANS REVEAL UNIQUE, IN-DEPTH INSIGHTS
FOREWORD BY VICTOR WOOTEN
Twenty-four of the world’s most renowned musicians share incredibly candid, in-depth thoughts on the joy and pain of the creative process, their careers and aspirations, conflicts and collaborations, and the realities of today’s music business in Innerviews: Music Without Borders, the first book by acclaimed music journalist Anil Prasad.
Artists featured in the book include some of the greatest names in jazz, rock, world music, hip-hop, and electronica: Jon Anderson, Bjørk, Bill Bruford, Martin Carthy, Stanley Clarke, Chuck D, Ani DiFranco, Bela Fleck, Michael Hedges, Jonas Hellborg, Zakir Hussain, Leo Kottke, Bill Laswell, John McLaughlin, Noa, David Sylvian, Tangerine Dream, David Torn, Ralph Towner, McCoy Tyner, Eberhard Weber, Chris Whitley, Victor Wooten, and Joe Zawinul. Wooten contributes a foreword to the book. Some of the evocative topics explored include:
- Bjork on the chaos of her creative process
- Stanley Clarke on saying no to Miles Davis
- Bela Fleck on journeying to Africa to discover the roots of the banjo
- Bill Laswell on the drama of producing difficult artists
- John McLaughlin on turning the tables on the jazz police
- McCoy Tyner on the deification of John Coltranev
- Tangerine Dream on electronica transcending technology
- Joe Zawinul on inventing the original hip-hop beat
Prasad established Innerviews (www.innerviews.org), the Internet’s first and longest-running music magazine, in 1994. He is celebrated for his special ability to get his subjects to confide and reflect in ways they rarely do with other interviewers.
The book is receiving rave reviews from media and musicians alike:
“Anil Prasad is like a great musician. The way he expresses himself through his own art-his writingÂcauses readers to feel inspired, as if we’ve learned about ourselves, as well as the subject of the interview.”
Victor Wooten
“Prasad gets artists to share their deepest thoughts about a wide range of topics, from spiritual inspiration and motives to compositional methods. A fascinating look at the thinking of contemporary artists.”
Christian Science Monitor
“The most probing, revelatory music journalism I’ve read in quite some time is Prasad’s Innerviews. The book sets the bar for getting musicians to speak candidly and thoughtfully about their work and relation to the world.”
Ottawa Citizen
“Prasad has a reputation for incisive, substantive journalism. His comprehensive approach yields fascinating insights even artists themselves sometimes find surprising. Essential reading for thinking fans.”
Guitar Player Magazine
“Prasad’s concise and to-the-point direction leads diverse artists to expound on subjects for which they are truly passionate. Seek out Innerviews and support writing that allows artists’ voices to be accurately heard.”
No Depression
“The conversations are unusually intimate and candid, with the artists sharing thoughts on their creative processes, careers and aspirations, today’s music business and other topics. Fascinating stuff.”
Jazziz
“Prasad does splendid interviews with an amazing mix of musicians in Innerviews: Music Without Borders. He takes the artists’ work seriously and meets it on its own terms, which is a sign of true generosity on his part.”
Vijay Iyer
“One of the most fascinating reads on the creative process of some of the most exciting contemporary musicians working today. Those who love individualistic, genre-smashing artists will cherish each and every one of these interviews.”
Michael Shrieve
