DENNIS ELSAS ARCHIVES

Welcome to the Elsas Archives – my personal collection of classic interviews, favorite photos, and memorable moments in radio history. With over thirty five years on-the-air at WNEW-FM, WFUV and Sirius I’ve worked with an amazing group of musicians, artists and friends.

Take a look around, listen in and come back again to see what we’ve added.

For more information regarding the complete interviews and/or use of the materials please contact archives@denniselsas.com
 

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Jerry Garcia - The Grateful Dead
When I met up with Jerry Garcia for a PM Magazine TV interview in a NY hotel room in late Fall 1984, the Grateful Dead were about to celebrate their 20th anniversary. The band had already begun to attract a second generation of Deadheads — extremely loyal fans who may have been too young to experience the 60’s firsthand, but were determined to embrace the experience in every way possible.

Jerry was in town to play a show with John Kahn at the nearby Capitol Theatre in Passaic, NJ. It was just one of several side projects he would often pursue. Relaxed and happy, it was surprising and sad when just a few months later he entered a difficult period that lasted nearly two years plagued by drug and health issues. Happily he and the band recovered to record 1987’s In the Dark, the album that would provide them with their first (and only) Top 10 single “Touch of Grey” (and the introduction of Cherry Garcia ice cream). “The long strange trip” would continue for almost eight more years until his untimely death in August 1995.

The Beatles Invade America
America met the Beatles for the first time on February 7th, 1964 and from that day on, the music world and my life were never quite the same. Beatlemania erupted that chilly afternoon as they arrived at New York’s Kennedy Airport, and continued to build momentum as the next week’s events unfolded. I was glued to my AM radio following their trip to the Plaza Hotel, their appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, on-the-air with Murray the K, traveling to Washington DC and Miami, and performing at Carnegie Hall. It was a story I always wanted to revisit in detail complete with rare broadcast audio and exclusive interviews. I had the opportunity to do just that with the award-winning documentary I created: It Was Forty Years Ago Today – The Beatles Invade America. Listen here for an excerpt or here for the complete one-hour show. .

John Lennon

Without question, my most memorable interview and on-air experience to date, was on September 28, 1974, a Saturday afternoon I spent with John Lennon.

I had met him just a few weeks before at the Record Plant recording studio and casually asked him if he’d like to come up to the station to talk about his forthcoming album Walls and Bridges.   I doubted anything would come of it, since none of the Beatles had ever visited our station before.  When he showed up eager to talk, bringing with him some obscure 45’s he wanted to share with the audience, I didn’t know what to expect.

What began as an opportunity to promote the new album, turned into two hours of rare Beatle stories, insights into his immigration struggles, and John as the DJ, introducing and commenting on all the music, commercials and weather.  Highlights from the interview were used in the Beatles Anthology and various documentaries.  The complete show is part of the permanent collection of the Paley Center For Media (formerly the Museum of Television and Radio).  This moment was, and still is, one of my favorites.

Elton John
Elton John was a frequent and welcome guest at WNEW-FM in the 1970’s.  One of his most historic visits happened November 29, 1974, the day after Thanksgiving, when he stopped by to co-host my show.  The night before he had performed at Madison Square Garden and welcomed a “surprise” guest on-stage.  Though no one could have imagined it at the time, it would turn out to be John Lennon’s final concert performance and we discussed how it happened.

Pete Townshend
Meeting Pete Townshend in the 1970’s, I was pleasantly surprised when he told me he often listened to my nighttime show.  I wondered how that was possible, as he was living in England at the time. Pete explained that he had tapes of WNEW-FM sent to him regularly and that he often listened to my show while driving his daughter to school.

Being a huge Who fan, that was a great image to enjoy.

We met up again several times since then and it was on his June 16, 1993 visit to promote his solo project Psychoderelict that he revealed the secret behind all those smashed guitars.

Clarence Clemons - The E Street Band
The first time I met Clarence Clemmons was backstage at New York’s Bottom Line in August 1975 during his historic series of performances with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.
In 1985 I did a TV profile about him for PM Magazine spotlighting his solo career. When we sat down again in Feb 2004 he was working on some solo projects, but still very much a pivotal member of Bruce’s band and firmly established as one of the defining saxophone players of rock n’ roll. We talked about all of these things and he shared the wonderful story of the night forever immortalized in Tenth Avenue Freezout when “the Big Man joined the band.”

Ronnie Wood - The Rolling Stones

There are a lot of different ways to celebrate New Year's Eve, but I'll always remember 12/31/82 as the one I got to spend with Ron Wood. Stopping by my show to promote an upcoming appearance, Ron and his entourage were clearly in a holiday mood. With a rock 'n' roll lineage that includes the Jeff Beck Group, the Faces, and the Stones he had some great stories to share, plus a comment about their upcoming album Undercover that made me hope the FCC wasn't listening.

John Fogerty –
Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Revival was one of the most successful bands of the late 1960’s and early 70’s. 

Their leader, John Fogerty, emerged as a performer with one of the most distinctive vocal and guitar sounds in rock ‘n’ roll.  Many of the songs he wrote and recorded became not only rock classics, but also political touchstones of the period. 

Disbanding the group in 1972, he went on to pursue a solo career and continued making memorable music.

Despite his success, there were lengthy legal battles with his former record company and bandmates that made it difficult for him to embrace CCR’s legacy. 

In 2005 John finally made peace with his past symbolized by re-signing with his former record company (Fantasy Records, now under new ownership).  His latest CD for the label, Revival was released in October 2007.

We spoke in the fall of 2004 and again in 2007 about his latest releases, and of course that classic Creedence sound.

John Mellencamp

“I Need a Lover” by John Cougar (not Mellencamp at the time) was one of my favorite records of 1979. I became friendly with John, introduced him to NY on-stage at the Bottom Line and the relationship grew throughout the years. Combining commercial success with social activism (and helping to establish Farm Aid), John’s never been shy to speak his mind on a variety of subjects. When we sat down to discuss his 2003 album Trouble No More, he offered some surprising insights into how he viewed his own celebrity and we shared a mutual passion for an old 45 RPM single.

Levon Helm - The Band
Levon Helm is an American treasure. Beginning as a drummer with Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, later working with Bob Dylan and then as a founding member of the legendary Band, he has always been regarded as a "musician’s musician."

He’s also an accomplished film actor with critically acclaimed performances in Coal Miner’s Daughter and The Right Stuff.  His book This Wheel’s on Fire provided an insiders look into the Band’s storied history.

In 1996 Levon was diagnosed with throat cancer and his distinctive singing voice was silenced.  When he stopped by for a live studio visit in November 2000 he sat in on drums with a local band, The Electrix, unable to sing, but lighting up the room with his energy and enthusiasm.  We spoke about his history, the dawn of the new century and since it was Thanksgiving weekend, reminisced about The Band’s farewell performance, dubbed The Last Waltz.

Today Levon’s voice and health have rebounded and he’s recording and touring again. His sold-out series of Midnight Ramble Sessions at his studio in Woodstock consistently draws a stellar list of all-star performers and celebrities.

Joni Mitchell
For the generation that came of age during the emergence of the folk-rock singer-songwriters, Joni Mitchell has always been one of the most influential and admired performers. With legendary songs like "The Circle Game" and "Woodstock", defining albums including Clouds, Blue, and Ladies of the Canyon, and genre breaking excursions into jazz and beyond, Joni has never stopped evolving as an artist.
We spoke in the fall of 1985 as she was promoting her latest album Dog Eat Dog. She was gracious and open and happily receptive to my questions regarding some earlier Joni classics including "Both Sides Now" and an obvious DJ favorite about the radio

Paul Simon

As a student at Queens College in the mid 1960’s, I started to hear rumors that one half of a new folk rock duo that was getting airplay, was a recent graduate of our school. The alum was Paul Simon who along with his partner Art Garfunkel had grown up in nearby Forest Hills and would soon become known worldwide.  By the time they split up in the early 70’s, I was on-the-air at WNEW-FM and introducing their solo projects to my listeners.  Paul especially was trying out new musical genres and he was my in-studio guest on September 8, 1986 to discuss his latest project, the ground breaking album Graceland.

Seventeen years (and one day) later on September 9, 2003, Simon and Garfunkel announced their long awaited reunion.  It was called the Old Friends tour, based on a song title that was part of their classic Bookends album.  I arranged for a live radio broadcast of the event over WFUV live from The Bottom Line club and here are highlights from that press conference and performance.

Rick Nielsen - Cheap Trick
Rick Nielsen and Tom Petersson first recorded together in 1968 as the band Fuse with limited success. Returning to their home town of Rockford, Illinois in the early 70’s, they joined with drummer Bun E. Carlos and vocalist Robin Zander to form Cheap Trick. Their 1977 debut album was well received in the US, but in Japan they quickly became superstars. Capturing the energy and excitement of their live shows, the album At Budokan (released initially only in Japan in 1978, and in the USA in 1979), provided the spark for their American breakthrough.

Nearly thirty years later the original group is still recording, touring and supported by a loyal and enthusiastic fan base. The band is heard nightly around the world with the theme to tv’s The Colbert Report and That 70’s Show.

In this 1980 conversation with Rick Nielsen, we discuss the early days of opening for Kiss, their Japanese appeal, and several of their greatest hits.

Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks is truly an original, a one of a kind, and one of the few entertainers to win an Oscar, a Tony, an Emmy and a Grammy. I had the opportunity to talk with him at length on March 27, 1978. He was promoting an album that featured both the soundtrack to his latest film High Anxiety and musical highlights from his earlier movies billed as his “Greatest Hits.”

What a night - spending the evening as the straight man with the original “Two Thousand Year Old Man”, creator of Get Smart and the director/writer of Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles and so many more. Of course we talked about The Producers and it’s interesting to hear what he thought the future of it might be, more than two decades before it became one of the most successful Broadway shows ever. As the interview began, it was obvious he had gotten some background information on me that still makes me (and my Mom) smile. .

Grace Slick / Jefferson Airplane

The “voice that may have launched a thousand trips”, Grace Slick is best known for her work with the Jefferson Airplane.  As the Airplane morphed into the Starship in the 70’s, Grace continued to record with them, while also releasing solo albums.  By the 80’s the band had become an on-again off again act, but during her visit to my show on Feb 8, 1984 promoting her new album Software, she recalled one of their biggest hits.

Woodstock - Richie Havens and John Sebastian

The Museum at Bethel Woods – the story of the Sixties and Woodstock has just opened at the site of the legendary 1969 Festival, in Bethel, NY.

The music, culture and politics that defined a generation unfold through a series of state-of-the-art multi media exhibits and interactive displays. The concert itself is recreated through a stunning audio and visual experience. I’m very proud to be featured as the “Voice of Rock History” throughout the Museum.

On May 28, 2008, just before the Museum officially opened I hosted a presentation for the worldwide press with Richie Havens, John Sebastian and Vernon Reid. Richie and John, two of my favorite artists and original Woodstock performers, recalled how they wound up as part of that amazing weekend.

Meatloaf

In 1977 the words Meatloaf suddenly became recognized as something other than what’s good on the menu.  With the amazing success of “Paradise by the Dashboard Light”, Meat (or Mr. Loaf as the NY Times once referred to him) and his songwriting partner Jim Steinman had created an instant rock classic.  Shortly after the release of the original Bat Out of Hell we sat down in a NY recording studio to discuss it.
 

Nearly thirty years later (Aug 17, 2006) Meatloaf and I would sit-down again, only this time it was at WFUV as he was just about to release Bat Out of Hell 3.  You can hear the entire show here…

Donovan
Donovan Phillips Leitch was born in Scotland in 1946 and moved with his family to the outskirts of London when he was ten. With Scotish and English folk music as his early influences, he dropped out of art school to pursue life on the road as a musician. His early success with the acoustic based songs "Catch the Wind", "Colours" and "Universal Soldier" had some calling him the British Bob Dylan. Joan Baez and Pete Seeger introduced him to American audiences at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.

Teaming up with successful pop producer Mickie Most, Donovan’s records took on a new sound and he had his first #1 hit with “Sunshine Superman” in 1966. It was the same year that he became the first well known British pop star to be busted for possession of marijuana. With the follow-up hit Mellow Yellow and it’s line "electrical banana is gonna be a sudden craze" fueling the myth that smoking dried banana skins could make you high, Donovan was labeled as a poster child for the hippie drug culture that had emerged. Though he would eventually move past that image, it did serve as part of the inspiration for one of his most memorable songs "Season of the Witch". We talked about it when I interviewed him in July 2004 promoting his latest album Beat Café.

Bev Bevan - ELO
ELO, the Electric Light Orchestra, one of my favorite bands were in the midst of one of their most creative periods when I welcomed their drummer Bev Bevan to the studio on December 5, 1977.  Though Jeff Lynne would emerge as the group’s leader, it was Bev who had become the group’s spokesman.  We discussed their origins as the Move, breaking new ground with orchestral rock, their graphics and album covers and a strange coincidence from the previous summer.

It was ELO that was spinning on the turntable during my show just a few months earlier on July 13, 1977 when a major blackout crippled the New York area.  Here’s how it sounded at WNEW-FM when Scott Muni and I returned to the airwaves the following day.

Ronnie Lane - Small Faces
Ronnie Lane was a musician loved and respected by his peers, though never as well known as the famous musicians he played with.  He was an original member of the Small Faces that ultimately became Faces joined by Rod Stewart and Ron Wood.   Leaving the Faces in 1973 he formed Slim Chance and they toured as a rock n roll circus.  He teamed up with Pete Townshend and released the critically acclaimed Rough Mix LP in 1977.  When Ronnie was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, his friends including Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck organized and performed the ARMS concerts, launched to raise money to fight the disease. On April 17, 1987 he was in NY to appear with a new group he was working with called The Tremors.  We talked about all of these things and even learned the truth about “Itchycoo Park.”

Ian McLagan was a good friend and fellow band mate of Ronnie’s in the Small Faces and Faces.  I got his take on some of the same subjects when he and his Austin, TX based group the Bump Band stopped by WFUV in November 2004.

Randy Bachman –
Bachman-Turner Overdrive

When Randy Bachman was my guest on December 7, 1974 – his group BTO (Bachman-Turner Overdrive) had emerged over that year as one of the most successful new bands of the era.  Having just scored their first number one hit with “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet”, they were in New York to play a sold out show at an unusual venue. 

They were booked as the first group (and maybe the last) to play the NFE – a short-lived attempt in re-opening the legendary Fillmore East.  As Randy explained it to me, the last time he had played in New York (four years earlier) had been at the original Fillmore, as a founding member of his earlier band the Guess Who.  He liked the idea of returning to the same place to celebrate BTO’s success.  We talked about a lot of their music, including this song (released just six months earlier) that was already taking on an anthem-like status.

Flo and Eddie / Turtles

Flo and Eddie are actually Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan, but they’re better known as the lead vocalists of the Turtles.  When the group split in the early 70’s, Mark and Howard took on the identity of Flo and Eddie, began touring with Frank Zappa and created a whole new act that incorporated rock satire with their music.  Their annual Christmas week shows at New York’s Bottom Line became a Holiday tradition and so did their visits to my show.  During their appearance in December of 1978 they recalled how they were participants in a bit of rock n roll history forever immortalized in a Deep Purple song.

Dan Fogelberg

I was really saddened to learn of the recent passing of Dan Fogelberg (12/16/07) at age 56 of prostate cancer.  Beginning with his first album Home Free in 1972, his music and voice had a great quality that seemed to reflect a loving and  positive approach to life.  Speaking with him in September 1987 at WNEW-FM, we discussed his then current release Exiles, life on the road in New York, and the story behind the holiday classic "Same Old Lang Syne."

Rick Derringer / McCoys
Rick Derringer with his band The McCoys had a # 1hit with “Hang on Sloopy” in 1965.

He went on to work and play with Johnny and Edgar Winter in the 70’s, and produced Edgar’s biggest hit “Frankenstein.”  In 1973 his solo career took off with “Rock n Roll Hootchie Koo” and on April 11, 1975 he stopped by WNEW-FM to promote his new album Spring Fever.  Among the many things we discussed, was his decision to re-record “Sloopy.”

Eric Burdon – The Animals

The Animals from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, were part of the musical “British Invasion” of the mid-sixties, and responsible for some of that period’s greatest hits.

The original lineup of Eric Burdon, Alan Price, Chas Chandler, Hilton Valentine, and John Steel, were only together for two years.  Alan Price left in 1965 and Chas Chandler departed the group in 1966 after which he helped to establish the career of Jimi Hendrix as his manager.

Eric, the distinctive lead vocalist, would remain as the band’s leader and together with a successful solo career would continue to keep the group’s name alive.

Throughout the years there were several attempts to reunite the original members and in 1983 a full reunion finally occurred.   They recorded a new album Ark, and went out on tour.  They visited my show on July 22, 1983, having played the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, NJ the night before and preceding a show that night at the “Dr. Pepper at the Pier” Concert Series in Manhattan. 

I spoke with Eric about their biggest hit.

Darlene Love - the Phil Spector Christmas Album
She’s been a Blossom, a Crystal and even part of Bob B. Sox and the Blue Jeans, but Darlene Love’s voice always stands out on its own. Working in the sixties with producer Phil Spector she sang lead on “He’s a Rebel”, “He’s Sure the Boy I Love”, “Today I Met the Boy I’m Going to Marry” and perhaps the best known song from his legendary holiday album A Christmas Gift for You - “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”.

During the seventies she worked as a back-up singer and raised a family. In the eighties and nineties she appeared on Broadway in Leader of the Pack and Grease and in the Lethal Weapon movies playing Danny Glover’s wife. She appeared in 1986 on Late Night with David Letterman to sing her Christmas song and has returned every year since at Dave’s special invitation to ring in the holiday season. We spoke about that tradition and more on December 18, 2003.

Rosko

Zacherle

Dressed as an undertaker, John Zacherle became known as “The Cool Ghoul”, hosting horror movies on television in the late 1950’s and early 60’s.  Known just as Zacherle, his outrageous presentation and unforgettable laugh were far more entertaining and memorable than most of the films he showed.  He even had a national top ten hit single with the great novelty song “Dinner with Drac” in 1958.

In the mid to late 60’s he hosted Disc-O- Teen, a TV dance show on a small UHF station in New Jersey.  He joined WNEW-FM in 1967 as a truly unorthodox radio morning man, before switching to late nights.  In 1971 he joined WPLJ, and became a fixture of NY rock radio over the next ten years. 

On Halloween night, 1997 I was lucky enough to have him as my special guest on WNEW-FM.

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