Bill Payne & Paul Barrere; (Interviewed by Scott Muni)
Many thought the death of Lowell George in 1979 would mark the end of Little Feat. And indeed, it did for seven years, until the remaining members ended up jamming together and decided that they could make it work after all. In this interview, Paul Barrere and Bill Payne talk to Scott Muni about how their decision to reunite came about, and how they've maintained the Little Feat sound on their new Let It Roll album and tour, even with the new lineup. There are also some insightful comments about how the music industry works and, coming from veterans like these, their hope in the face of it is very reassuring, even 20 years later.
00:25 - Current line-up of Little Feat
01:45 - Maintaining the Little Feat sound / roots in Little Richard
03:36 - The Let It Roll tour / a continuation (not a reunion)
04:58 - Little Feat getting back together in 1986 without Lowell George
06:49 - Logistical considerations for playing together again
08:00 - The laurels of the rhythm section
10:14 - Intro to "Let It Roll"
10:57 - Using back catalogue material on tour
12:46 - Intro to "Fat Man in the Bathtub"
13:35 - The album's success / continued touring / working on a new album
14:45 - Getting some extra mileage out of Let It Roll / intro to "One Clear Moment"
16:10 - Keeping the current lineup together for the next album
18:04 - Lack of a new great band amidst a slew of reunions / new "patrons of the art"
21:30 - Guns N' Roses, U2, Tracy Chapman, Natalie Merchant, Melissa Etheridge / no progression to rock n' roll
23:35 - The problem with major record labels: not taking chances
26:30 - Faith in new acts getting their material heard
26:54 - Outro