INTERVIEW WITH ANTON BARBEAU FROM TheCelebrityCafe.com ARCHIVES
DM) How did you get your start in music?
AB) I was a music lover straight out of the womb, probably even before that. My very first memories are of listening to my parents Beatles records. They also had Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Diamond, The Doors and such. Jumping ahead a bit, when I was 13, my dad bought me a Casio keyboard. I started writing songs immediately, ripping off everyone from Buddy Holly to Gary Numan. You can probably guess how those songs sounded!
DM) What was the first Beatles song you remember hearing?
AB) "I Want to Hold Your Hand" though, my folks had "Sgt. Pepper," "Hard Day's Night" and a copy of "Rubber Soul" "borrowed" from the library, so I heard all sorts of those songs as a kid. I was too afraid to listen to "Rubber Soul" until I was about 8 years old. The album cover freaked me out too much!
DM) How so?
AB) It freaked me out almost the same way it does today! Freaky, stretchy heads and eyes that maybe knew too much but didn't care at all. And the suede, man! Of course, a few years later and I had to have a jacket like theirs.
DM) How does your live show differ from your recorded music?
AB) I think it was "Brian's Song" plunked out on my grandmother's upright piano. The first song I ever performed live was called "Take the Bottle From the Baby." It was quite a fast little tune, and I dropped my pick the first verse, so by the end of the song I had rubbed my fingers raw, smearing blood across the pick-guard and strings. As they say, the kids loved it!
DM) Blood across the strings? Is this a common occurrence?
AB) No, fortunately! And it's a bit ironic that I originally switched from playing keyboards to guitar because guitar was more physically comfortable. Anyway, I'm certainly no great guitarist, but I can usually make it through the set-list these days without injury.
DM) What was the first song you ever remember playing?
AB) The live show varies from night to night, based on my mood, the crowd, my band and so on. Sometimes I'm really on ... playing well and responding to what's going on in a way that feeds off itself. I have a lot of nervous energy, and this kinda gets sprayed all over the audience. If I'm having an off night, hopefully I can recognize it quickly enough and just focus on getting the songs across. It's hard sometimes, though, because I really respond to everything going on around me.
As much as I enjoy doing gigs, I'd always rather be in the studio. I'm much more focused and relaxed. I'm always in there, playing with sounds and trying to maintain the balance between the song and the recording of the song. The difference between enhancement and over-production is sometimes very slight. I still try to draw upon my nervous "on" energy when I'm recording, and I get off on getting something in one take, but if it takes ten takes to get it right, that's fine with me.
DM) When were you most nervous during a show?
AB) There was a "songwriter's circle" show filmed for local television that featured two other songwriters and myself. We each did a song and then the next person would play. There wasn't much chemistry between us -- though charming flashes of egotism on everyone's behalf -- the lights and cameras zooming in and out of our noses didn't make for a very comfortable show. We couldn't see the crowd past the stage lights, but it was easy to feel how unpleasant an experience it was on their end too. Just thinking about that show makes me want to drink lots of water.
DM) Have you noticed if your stage presence has improved over time?
AB) I told a recent audience, "I used to be charming, now I'm just enigmatic." To actually answer your question, yes. I think I'm sharper and more consistent in regards to playing my songs. And I try to judge quickly whether my humor is connecting with the crowd ... if it is, then great. Maybe I'll rant a bit and we'll all giggle. If my between-song banter isn't working, hopefully I know quick enough to just shut up and play. It really does come from an odd place in me, the whole stage presence bit ... I can't ever predict what kind of show it's gonna be, I can only do my best to respond and react.
