Post by jacksonvillekid on Mar 11, 2007 17:50:53 GMT -5
Classic Rock Revisited Presents an Exclusive Interview with.........
LEON WILKSON OF LYNYRD SKYNYRD
Leon: Good Morning Jon. Leon Wilkenson here at your service!
Jon: I’m taking over for a friend of mine today. We had a few questions we wanted to throw at you!
Leon: Okay.
Jon: I listened to your new CD, The Edge Of Forever and I’m glad to say it sounds like the classic Skynyrd of the 70’s!
Leon: Thank you very much. It’s not that were trying too but it’s not that were not trying to if you know what I mean! Were sticking to our grass roots and everything and of course we’ve got Billy Powel, Gary Rossington and myself from the old Skynyrd so I’m sure we sound a little like the Skynyrd of the 70’s. With the material and lyrics, I know what your saying. Especially the song Working.
Jon: That’s one of the greatest songs on the album. It’s aimed right at the blue collar majority of this country.
Leon: Lyrically and musically.
Jon: How is it touring with ZZ Top?
Leon: Fanf**kingtastic! The Reverend Billy, Frank and Dusty! Bass, drums and a fuzzy guitar! I love it. I’m a big ZZ Top fan. Our tour manager’s name is Rick Howe (Leon goes to say How How How How ala ZZ Top La Grange!) ZZ Top Have a really good album out now called Triple X. Look forward to hearing that one!
Jon: You were in the band from the beginning weren’t you?
Leon: I’ve been in the band since Feb of 1972. I was in before Pronounced and then left but I was back before Second Helping. The first song that we cut when I came back was Sweet Home Alabama.
Jon: How did the three guitar lineup come about?
Leon: I left the band and they hired Ed King from Strawberry Alarm Clock to play bass and my life long buddy Billy Powel they brought in on piano. Ed King did some guitar overdubbing during Pronounced. After they finished the album, they found out I was back in Jacksonville working in a ice cream factory called Farm Best Dairy Products. Of course I kind of liked that job cause I had all the ice cream products I could eat! Anything on a Popsicle truck! I could grow my hair and hang out with the other guys. We worked down in a tank where it was 30 degrees below zero! Fortunately they sent Billy and Bob Burns over to drag me over to where Ronnie was fishing. They told me they had finished the Pronounced Lynyrd Skynyrd album and that Ed King really did not want to be a bass player, he wanted to play guitar and that they did not have time to look for another bass player, so they wondered if I would oblige them and come back. I said ‘when do we start practicing, in 5 minutes?’ Ronnie told me to cast his fishing pole over by them little tads, so I took the fishing pole and cast it where he told me and he said, "I guarantee in less that a minute, you will catch a fish. Immediately....boing went the line and I reeled the fish in and I said, "damn Ronnie, how did you know that crap?" We considered it an omen and he said, "I’ll see you at rehearsal tomorrow." So that’s how the 3 guitar line up started. Plus groups like Buffalo Springfield inspired us with their 3 guitarists.
Jon: Speaking of that, I see you have a new song called Gone Fishing....
Leon: Oh yeah. If you want to talk fishing that’ll be okay! Actually, I just got married last November so I wonder if they wrote that song for me!!
Jon: I see the originally set the interview up on the anniversary of the plane crash, so we can understand why we did not complete it that day!
Leon: I’m glad that we got through that. We reformed in 1987, ten years after the crash. The first time we performed in public after the plane crash was as Volunteer Jam with Charlie Danials around 1979. I was having to have orthopedic surgery and I could not perform on bass. His bass player played. Gene Odom was pushing me to get out on stage saying for me to get out on stage and hold my arm up cause this was my gig too! I said alright Gene and I stepped out onstage and held my arm up. My hair was kind of short at the time and everyone was looking at me like, ‘whose this idiot’ so I said, ‘f**k this crap and I went over and got on the drums and played Call Me The Breeze. Then they played Freebird for the first time and I remember how emotional it was for me to stand there and feel the impact of it. Luckily, that was the only time I had to do that. We played Free Bird instramentally in the Rossington-Collins Band until Johnny decided it was time for him to start singing it. We were in California and Johnny decided that he was going to sing it. Anyway, I was standing outside the venue and I saw this little bird fluttering around like it’s wing was broken. I walked over there and I saw it had something wrapped around it’s leg like a peice of brush or something. So, I reached down there and I plucked it off and this bird shot off in the sky like a bullet. That night, I heard Johnny sing Free Bird for the first time, so that was emotional plus I had litterally set a bird free that day at sound check! It was a double, tag team indemnity on me!
Jon: It sounds like it had a lot of meaning.
Leon: Very true. Yes. As a matter of fact, I was out walking around this morning and I saw a bunch of Seagulls so I went and got some bread and fed them. It’s amazing how those birds flew right to me. I mean, I was all dressed in black and looked like the damn unibomber! I walked across the bridge and got some bread from the breakfast people and gave it to the birds and they really did appreciate it.
Jon: I noticed on the album there is a song about talking care of this world, it sounds like your at least trying to take care of some of the birds anyway!!
Leon: When were done talking, I’m going to have to go feed them some more! The song is called Today’s Yesterdays Could Be Tomorrow’s Good-byes. Everybody has their place in God’s universe to lend a helping hand. Right now, I’m reading a book called Finding Your Way Home by Mealody Beaty. It’s a spiritual book that I highly recommend to everyone.
Jon: How has the road changed in the last 30 years?
Leon: It looks a lot different through these sober eyes than it did through Jack Danials and other crap 10 years ago! It’s great to be getting up and going to breakfast!
Jon: Where are you at right now?
Leon: We are in Chicago. Beautiful city. Where are you?
Jon: We are in Wichita.
Leon: As a matter of fact, I have a first year wedding anniversary in Wichita. Wichita is a cool city! I’d love to meet you in Wichita. That would be cool!
Jon: Do you think you can get Hughie to play Green Grass & High Tides?
Leon: You’ll see him do that for sure. With Ricky in the band we will be playing Train Train. Ricky and Hughie are two guns smoking, not to mention Gary Rossington. My buddy Billy Powel and I are the book ends for Lynyrd Skynyrd. It’s a kick ass package!
Jon: What’s in store for Lynyrd Skynyrd in the new millennium?
Leon: Have you ever know us to put our an album that did not kick the last ones ass?? You can expect that and hold us to it! Don’t settle for less. Get your ass up to Wichita, I want to meet ya and have ya see the show. Skynyrd still backs themselves up live. Check out that little old band from Texas! I’m a big ZZ fan. I’m promoting everything! Eat a pork chop sandwich while your listening too it!
Jon: We don’t support many new bands.
Leon: They did not grow up on the good stuff like we did but thank God the music is still alive though Skynyrd and ZZ Top. There will be no rap at this concert! Rap is crap! You just tell em that Leon sent ya and we will see ya in Wichita!
Jon: We thank you for your time and we thank you for keeping rock and roll alive!
Leon: We that you for your contribution in doing this! Have a diamond day!!
www.classicrockrevisited.com/interviews99/Leoninterview.htm
(This is a cool site....lots of interviews and other neat stuff here)
LEON WILKSON OF LYNYRD SKYNYRD
Leon: Good Morning Jon. Leon Wilkenson here at your service!
Jon: I’m taking over for a friend of mine today. We had a few questions we wanted to throw at you!
Leon: Okay.
Jon: I listened to your new CD, The Edge Of Forever and I’m glad to say it sounds like the classic Skynyrd of the 70’s!
Leon: Thank you very much. It’s not that were trying too but it’s not that were not trying to if you know what I mean! Were sticking to our grass roots and everything and of course we’ve got Billy Powel, Gary Rossington and myself from the old Skynyrd so I’m sure we sound a little like the Skynyrd of the 70’s. With the material and lyrics, I know what your saying. Especially the song Working.
Jon: That’s one of the greatest songs on the album. It’s aimed right at the blue collar majority of this country.
Leon: Lyrically and musically.
Jon: How is it touring with ZZ Top?
Leon: Fanf**kingtastic! The Reverend Billy, Frank and Dusty! Bass, drums and a fuzzy guitar! I love it. I’m a big ZZ Top fan. Our tour manager’s name is Rick Howe (Leon goes to say How How How How ala ZZ Top La Grange!) ZZ Top Have a really good album out now called Triple X. Look forward to hearing that one!
Jon: You were in the band from the beginning weren’t you?
Leon: I’ve been in the band since Feb of 1972. I was in before Pronounced and then left but I was back before Second Helping. The first song that we cut when I came back was Sweet Home Alabama.
Jon: How did the three guitar lineup come about?
Leon: I left the band and they hired Ed King from Strawberry Alarm Clock to play bass and my life long buddy Billy Powel they brought in on piano. Ed King did some guitar overdubbing during Pronounced. After they finished the album, they found out I was back in Jacksonville working in a ice cream factory called Farm Best Dairy Products. Of course I kind of liked that job cause I had all the ice cream products I could eat! Anything on a Popsicle truck! I could grow my hair and hang out with the other guys. We worked down in a tank where it was 30 degrees below zero! Fortunately they sent Billy and Bob Burns over to drag me over to where Ronnie was fishing. They told me they had finished the Pronounced Lynyrd Skynyrd album and that Ed King really did not want to be a bass player, he wanted to play guitar and that they did not have time to look for another bass player, so they wondered if I would oblige them and come back. I said ‘when do we start practicing, in 5 minutes?’ Ronnie told me to cast his fishing pole over by them little tads, so I took the fishing pole and cast it where he told me and he said, "I guarantee in less that a minute, you will catch a fish. Immediately....boing went the line and I reeled the fish in and I said, "damn Ronnie, how did you know that crap?" We considered it an omen and he said, "I’ll see you at rehearsal tomorrow." So that’s how the 3 guitar line up started. Plus groups like Buffalo Springfield inspired us with their 3 guitarists.
Jon: Speaking of that, I see you have a new song called Gone Fishing....
Leon: Oh yeah. If you want to talk fishing that’ll be okay! Actually, I just got married last November so I wonder if they wrote that song for me!!
Jon: I see the originally set the interview up on the anniversary of the plane crash, so we can understand why we did not complete it that day!
Leon: I’m glad that we got through that. We reformed in 1987, ten years after the crash. The first time we performed in public after the plane crash was as Volunteer Jam with Charlie Danials around 1979. I was having to have orthopedic surgery and I could not perform on bass. His bass player played. Gene Odom was pushing me to get out on stage saying for me to get out on stage and hold my arm up cause this was my gig too! I said alright Gene and I stepped out onstage and held my arm up. My hair was kind of short at the time and everyone was looking at me like, ‘whose this idiot’ so I said, ‘f**k this crap and I went over and got on the drums and played Call Me The Breeze. Then they played Freebird for the first time and I remember how emotional it was for me to stand there and feel the impact of it. Luckily, that was the only time I had to do that. We played Free Bird instramentally in the Rossington-Collins Band until Johnny decided it was time for him to start singing it. We were in California and Johnny decided that he was going to sing it. Anyway, I was standing outside the venue and I saw this little bird fluttering around like it’s wing was broken. I walked over there and I saw it had something wrapped around it’s leg like a peice of brush or something. So, I reached down there and I plucked it off and this bird shot off in the sky like a bullet. That night, I heard Johnny sing Free Bird for the first time, so that was emotional plus I had litterally set a bird free that day at sound check! It was a double, tag team indemnity on me!
Jon: It sounds like it had a lot of meaning.
Leon: Very true. Yes. As a matter of fact, I was out walking around this morning and I saw a bunch of Seagulls so I went and got some bread and fed them. It’s amazing how those birds flew right to me. I mean, I was all dressed in black and looked like the damn unibomber! I walked across the bridge and got some bread from the breakfast people and gave it to the birds and they really did appreciate it.
Jon: I noticed on the album there is a song about talking care of this world, it sounds like your at least trying to take care of some of the birds anyway!!
Leon: When were done talking, I’m going to have to go feed them some more! The song is called Today’s Yesterdays Could Be Tomorrow’s Good-byes. Everybody has their place in God’s universe to lend a helping hand. Right now, I’m reading a book called Finding Your Way Home by Mealody Beaty. It’s a spiritual book that I highly recommend to everyone.
Jon: How has the road changed in the last 30 years?
Leon: It looks a lot different through these sober eyes than it did through Jack Danials and other crap 10 years ago! It’s great to be getting up and going to breakfast!
Jon: Where are you at right now?
Leon: We are in Chicago. Beautiful city. Where are you?
Jon: We are in Wichita.
Leon: As a matter of fact, I have a first year wedding anniversary in Wichita. Wichita is a cool city! I’d love to meet you in Wichita. That would be cool!
Jon: Do you think you can get Hughie to play Green Grass & High Tides?
Leon: You’ll see him do that for sure. With Ricky in the band we will be playing Train Train. Ricky and Hughie are two guns smoking, not to mention Gary Rossington. My buddy Billy Powel and I are the book ends for Lynyrd Skynyrd. It’s a kick ass package!
Jon: What’s in store for Lynyrd Skynyrd in the new millennium?
Leon: Have you ever know us to put our an album that did not kick the last ones ass?? You can expect that and hold us to it! Don’t settle for less. Get your ass up to Wichita, I want to meet ya and have ya see the show. Skynyrd still backs themselves up live. Check out that little old band from Texas! I’m a big ZZ fan. I’m promoting everything! Eat a pork chop sandwich while your listening too it!
Jon: We don’t support many new bands.
Leon: They did not grow up on the good stuff like we did but thank God the music is still alive though Skynyrd and ZZ Top. There will be no rap at this concert! Rap is crap! You just tell em that Leon sent ya and we will see ya in Wichita!
Jon: We thank you for your time and we thank you for keeping rock and roll alive!
Leon: We that you for your contribution in doing this! Have a diamond day!!
www.classicrockrevisited.com/interviews99/Leoninterview.htm
(This is a cool site....lots of interviews and other neat stuff here)