Morse, Alan (Spock's Beard) (January 2007)

[This is Part Two of an interview with Alan Morse; the first part can be found at Prog4You.com[*]. Joshua notes: As we have covered the current album in the earlier stages of this interview, we now move on to talk more about Al Morse's influences, history, and relationship with the band. We also get his opinions on a number of topics. This makes for one intriguing conversation.

Joshua Turner: Usually I try to wrap up within a half hour or so, but Spock's Beard is one my favorite bands and one that fans want to hear about. I haven't seen many interviews with you out there. So, I see this as kind of a special treat.

Alan Morse: Very cool.

JT: So, I'm trying to get your take on certain things or whatever. But, what I wanted to ask you about, this is something I've wanted to ask you about for a while. I actually recall seeing you and Neal playing the same guitar at the same time.

AM: Oh yeah, we used to do that, yeah.

JT: That totally blew me away. I think I saw that in 2001 when you were touring. It was earlier in the year or something like that.

AM: Aha.

JT: That's one of the most impressive feats I've ever seen. I tell people all the time when they're bragging about things they saw or Cirque Du Soleil or something like that. I always talk about this. [We laugh.] So, how did that actually come about, and do you know of anybody else that can do that?

AM: I've heard of people doing it. Not maybe exactly the same, but a similar kind of a deal. It actually... we started doing that when we were kids, really. I mean [we had] one guitar, and we'd say, okay, well, see if we can both play it at the same time just for laughs kind of thing, you know.

JT: That's a real story or are you exaggerating? I mean, you're saying you guys were playing around with the guitar one day, and before you knew it, you could both kind of play it at the same time or whatever?

AM: Yeah, well, I don't know where the idea came from, but yeah, there were times, you know, unlike...[it wasn't that] we're too poor to afford another guitar or anything like that, but you know, we're just goofing around, you know, just tried it out, and it's kind of fun, you know. It's just kind of a fun kind of thing to do, you know.

JT: 'Cause I think at the time you were saying to the effect of you only brought one guitar to camp with you or something like that.

AM: Yeah, well, we sort of embellished the story. [We laugh.]

JT: I figured some of that was going on.

AM: Yeah, but the basic idea though is pretty much, I mean, we were just kind of goofing around.

JT: Did that take a lot of practice to perfect that, or how did it? I don't even see how anybody could even come up with that concept and then all of a sudden get it to work.

AM: Yeah. [He laughs and I can tell that he's surprised by my dumbfoundedness.] Well, uh.

JT: It almost seems like it was some kind of illusion actually.

AM: Yeah, it's all smoke and mirrors. We didn't really do it. No, it's like a Britney Spears thing or whatever. It's all staged.

JT: I don't know if you've heard of the movie, The Illusionist. I saw that last night.

AM: Oh yeah, I've heard of that.

JT: That's kind of on my brain right now.

AM: Oh yeah. No, I mean, it didn't take that long to work it out, because we've been doing it often, and we'd even done it before. It was just kind of a goof, you know, and we sort of honed it and perfected it as we went along and sort of embellished on it, you know, started adding a thing where we hold up one hand and that kind of stuff just to sort of show off. But yeah, it was just fun and it's not as hard as it looks.

JT: Oh really, it's not? [We laugh.]

AM: To be honest with you. But yeah, it was a fun thing to do.

JT: Now I hear parts in the album where there's a mix of electric and acoustic guitars. Is that you doing both of them, or is Nick [D'Virgilio] doing some of that, or is somebody else doing some of that? And then, I'm just wondering, like when you do it live, how are you going to that?

AM: Yeah, me too. [We laugh.] Well, you know, it depends on what part, but there's a lot of different tracks and, yeah, most of the guitar is me, but some of it's Nick and some of it's Stan [Ausmus]. Stan played some of the tracks on there. You know, it's just kind of a mix, but like I say, I played most of the guitar, especially the electric. I played all of that acoustic interlude on the first tune, you know, with the dueling acoustics. I did all of that, and that was really fun. Actually, I just made that up kind of in the studio. I mean, I had like the first couple of riffs, you know, pretty much nailed down, but after that it was just like, well, okay, now what should we do. And it was really fun. I love doing that. I loved it. I love improvising and making a thing on-the-fly. That's one of my favorite things to do, but yeah, as far as how we're going to do it live, that's going to be interesting. But, you know, Nick is a really good player, and between the two of us, we should be able to pretty much pull off everything.

JT: Is there any instrument that Nick can't play, or what else does he play? He drums, he sings, he plays the guitar.

AM: Yeah, I know. He's pretty good at everything.

JT: Are we going to find him playing the flute on one foot or something like that? [He chuckles.]

AM: Yeah, we're working on that. [I laugh and think that would be a real hoot.] No, I don't know. Yeah, he's pretty good at just about everything he goes after. You know, he really puts a lot of effort into it. It's not like he just woke up one day and could do all that stuff.

JT: Yeah.

AM: You know, he's been hammering on that acoustic solo, I think, for awhile.

JT: He comes across to me as a guy who's genuinely enthused by music and putting it out and working with the fans, and he's just into it. I mean, it seems as if it's not work for him even though he's putting a lot of effort into it. Is that how you'd describe him?

AM: Yeah, he does sort of have that effortless quality about him, and I know he does enjoy it. He likes playing and everything, but he does actually put some work into stuff. I mean, we all do. We all do, depending on what's going on, but it's not like you wake up one morning and you can do all that stuff, you know.

JT: Yeah... Also, what I want to talk about is that your music is far from derivative, but I can hear many, many influences in there. Who are your musical influences?

AM: Mine personally?

JT: Yeah, let's talk about yours personally.

AM: Well, I like, I've always liked... one of my favorites is Mick Ronson. You know, he used to do all the Bowie stuff, old Bowie stuff.

JT: Oh, yeah, yeah.

AM: He's one of my personal favorites. There's guys like.. I don't know if you remember Bill Nelson from Fiat Lux [and Bebop Deluxe -ed.]. That guy was killer. I guess he probably still is. He's still around I think. But, he always did some really cool stuff, and I've actually... A lot of things I've done, I've been trying to approximate things that he did a long time ago. So, you know, there's so many. I mean, Hendrix, uh, Mick Ralph, and of course musically song-wise, there's The Beatles and that sort of thing. I mean, you know, you can't really do better than those guys.

JT: To my ears and to people that I talk to and stuff, I also hear an aspect of Queen and maybe even Styx in there as well. Would you say that those are your influences or maybe they're just the influences of others in the band?

AM: Well, actually, yeah, definitely Queen. I've always been a big Brian May fan. I love Brian May and he's just the king of tone as far as I'm concerned. He's got the best tones of anybody around to this day for me. And Styx too, in a limited... more limited way. I really admire a lot of the stuff that they did. There're things about them that I didn't like so much, but you know, they also did some really cool stuff. I mean, they had some killer solos and stuff that really stands up to this day as far as I'm concerned.

JT: Yeah, you're talking about Styx now, right? What's your take on "Mr. Roboto?" [I chuckle like Ernie on Sesame Street or a fourth grader.]

AM: Well, you know, that wasn't their finest hour. [I give a big laugh as I'm totally amused by my question and this earns a chuckle out of him as well.] What are you going to do, you know?

JT: Yeah.

AM: That's one of the things I didn't like so much. [To be honest, I actually liked it. Call me a freak.] But, you know, there's a guitar solo on "Grand Illusion" that's just killer. I love that. It's awesome.

JT: So, we're talking about bands that have actually influenced you. But you have actually influenced a lot of bands now. So, there's a lot of bands out there right now that are trying to use some of your ideas, maybe do it their own way, whatever.

AM: They owe us money. [He chuckles.]

JT: They owe you money. [I'm in agreement.] Have you heard of bands like 4Front or Izz? Have you heard of these bands? Do you follow them and say like, oh, these guys are kind of doing our thing, like, I don't know.

AM: Not so much. I don't really pay that much attention to what's going on out there frankly. I mean, I stopped listening to radio years ago. [We laugh and I wonder if these bands have ever been on an actual radio outside of maybe a streaming online station.]

JT: Oh, you did?

AM: Yeah, well, most of it's crap, you know. [No disagreement from me here.]

JT: Izz, in particular, was at the first RoSFest, and that's what people were saying. They were like, "Oh, yeah, this band is doing a lot of Spock's Beard types of things."

AM: I've heard that there are people out there. In fact, I've seen things where they have listed us as influences and stuff like that. Of course, that's really flattering. I mean, what the heck? If you're not hoping that that will happen then I don't know. [He laughs.] I mean, everybody would be flattered by that. [Except maybe Metallica.]

JT: And then the other bands out there that don't sound like you, the ones that are at the forefront of Progressive Rock, do you follow bands like Flower Kings, and Dream Theater, and Marillion.[Hmm, I wonder how I came up with this list.]

AM: You know, like I said, I don't really listen to that much music.

JT: Really?

AM: Yeah, I know it's kind of funny, but...

JT: You listen to some of the classic stuff or you're saying you really don't listen to music? You're just kind of into the stuff that you're creating?

AM: I don't really listen to that much. I mean, I just don't. I don't know. I have off and on, you know, at different times, but these days I don't do much. A lot of times it's like, well, you know, you spend all day in the studio, who's going to go home and put on a record.

JT: You almost need quiet or you'll get tinnitus or something.

AM: Yeah, I just get like, okay, no music. I get kind of overwhelmed. And I know there are people that do still want to listen to music. You know, I think like probably Mike Portnoy is like that. He probably listens to music all the time. But that's not me. I get oversaturated and I'm like, okay, I need quiet. I'm generally a quiet person. I like quiet.

JT: Oh, you do?

AM: Yeah.

JT: I kind of go in phases where I like the noise and then I like the quiet. I'm in my car with the Spock's Beard turned up full-blast and then I go home and then it's quiet for me.

AM: Right, yeah, well, you know, everybody's got their thing right?

JT: Also, with Ryo [Okumoto] in GPS [Guthrie Govan, John Payne, and Jay Schellen's band post-Asia -ed].

AM: Aha.

JT: Have you thought about getting involved in a project or something on the periphery?

AM: I haven't really, although I did a solo CD that's coming out in March.

JT: Oh, really? [I act surprised in order to encourage him to embellish upon it, but it was announced at a concert in Chicago over the summer. The audience was privy to a sneak-peak when he played one cool track off the upcoming album.]

AM: Yeah, my first solo effort, and Neal [that's his brother for any newbs out there] co-produced it with me and plays most of the keyboards on it and stuff. I've got all the Spock's guys playing on at least one or two bits and stuff. Yeah, it came out really cool, and, oh, Jerry Goodman from Dregs, Dixie Dregs plays some violin on it.

JT: Oh, really?

AM: Yeah, that was a gas having him come out.

JT: That's cool.

AM: But, yeah, other than that, I haven't really thought about it. Although, I have played on, a couple people have come and asked me to do a solo on some stuff, and that's been really fun. I really like doing it, you know, I mean, it's cool. But as far as actually getting in a band and going around and trying to do that, you know, I mean, I'm not saying I wouldn't be into it, depending on the situation, but I haven't really pursued that.

JT: How did you actually decide that you wanted to become a guitarist?

AM: Well, actually... I was, well, I went to see the movie Woodstock. Of course I'm dating myself, but whatever. It's not a big surprise to anybody. [To be honest, I didn't know there was a movie.] You know, I went to see that, and I saw Pete Townsend throwing his guitar up in the air and smashing it and doing all this crazy stuff, and everybody was thinking he was cool. And like, "Hey that looks pretty cool. I think I want to do that." You know, that's what really made me want to get into it. Yeah, seriously, like I've always been a musician since I was a kid, but I saw that and I thought, "Hey, that's cool. I can do that. You know, that's something that looks fun, and I could probably get some chicks that way." [We laugh.]

JT: Did that work or not?

AM: Well, I've been married 22 years, so what can I tell you. You know, I mean, and you know, she's, that's part of how that happened. [He's a little tongue-tied here as he's walking on potentially shaky ground.]

JT: Oh, it is, really?

AM: Yeah, that's how we got together partly. I mean, it wasn't at a gig or anything, just at a party or something.

JT: So, is she actually into the music, too? Does she like the music that you're creating?

AM: Yeah, well, you know, not all of it, but some of it, yeah. It took her awhile to get into it. I mean, it's not exactly... chick-friendly music. [He laughs and it's funny that he's become even more shy when discussing his wife.]

JT: Well, yeah, and you've probably observed this, but it seems as if the Progressive Rock fan base -- and see when I first discovered the music, I didn't discover it with others, I discovered it on my own.

AM: Aha.

JT: Then I went out to a festival, and I was a little bit in shock cause I kind of expected people in my age group, and kind of with my interests, and this and that. It was like, I don't know, the fan base seems to be primarily guys. It seems to be people that are, a lot of them are in the computer science business.

AM: Yeah. [He laughs.] Exactly, no, that's entirely true.

JT: You know what I mean. And the irony is, that's what I do as well, but I never really drew the connection. But I guess... the way my older brother -- he's an opera singer and he's got a music degree, he kind of explained it. Well, you know, he agrees this is more intelligent music. People who are more active listeners and that kind of stuff [or attention-deficit] would probably be into it. This isn't like Britney Spears or radio-type music.

AM: Yeah.

JT: Or just something to dance to or something like that.

AM: Right, you'd hurt yourself. Yeah, it's definitely true. I mean, there's a lot for some reason. You know, it's fairly technical music. So, it's not too surprising that technical-sort-of-minded people would be into it. But yeah, it is kind of funny sometimes. But in a way, it's kind of a cool thing for us. You know, there's a bunch of people that, well, frankly have some disposable income. [We laugh.] You know?

JT: Right.

AM: And they're into coming out and once they get into something, [think Star Wars] they don't let go. You know, which is pretty cool for us.

JT: Now I'm wondering, when you first met the other people in the band, how did that kind of go down? What was the first encounter like? And how did that come about?

AM: Well, it was different things, you know. I had known Dave [Meros] for a long time. I had been in different bands with him and stuff. Well, not really been in bands with him, well, maybe sort of. I don't remember how I first met Dave, but it was a long time ago. And so, Neal and I were sitting around, going, "Well, we need to get a bass player, and you know, who should we get?" And he was like, "Man, I don't know." You know, we thought, well, Dave Meros would be great, but you know, he wouldn't be into it. He's a pro and there's no money in this. You know? [He laughs.]

You know, we thought, what the heck? What do we have to lose? Send him a demo and see what he says. And he was like, "Oh sure, okay, when you want to start?" And, we're like, "Really?" You know? [We laugh.] "Oh, okay." And I think Ryo I met in some funky blues band I was in, and we were just throwing solos back and forth, and I thought, oh, this guy can really go for it. He was playing some pretty sick, pretty sick stuff. So, I'm like, well, let's see if he's up for it. And I did this, I did it like a jam, I had a big jam session thing that I set up with a lot of different people. It was sort of a project out of a seminar that I'd done. It was called Pro-Jam Network. Yeah, that was the deal, and I just invited a lot of different people to come out and play and meet different musicians, and you know, have some fun, and maybe network, like that. And I think most of the guys came to that. Nick certainly didn't. Nick we met... Neal and I met at a jam at this funky bar, you know; a divey sort of bar here in LA. And it was funny cause Neal and I both got up to sit in and pretty much just sucked. You know, he'll say the same thing. We both just didn't do well.

JT: Oh my gosh.

AM: And it was kind of embarrassing, and then Nick got up, and he was just killer. You know, and we're like, whoa, whatever, but somehow we ended up talking to him, and saying "Hey, maybe you'd be into doing this thing." And there again, sent him a demo and he just thought it was great, something like, "Alright, let's do it." So, it basically just came down I guess to the strength of the material, you know, people just liked it. I mean, Nick in particular was a really huge Genesis fan. And so, he's like, "Oh man, somebody's doing this kind of stuff. I'm there."

I think Dave, too. It's musicians' music, you know. It was the kind of stuff that musicians liked and wanted to do, so like I said, that's a big part of it right there.

JT: So, are you basically saying that you are for the most part responsible for Spock's Beard coming together then? Because it sounds like you had all the connections.

AM: Well, Neal and I, yeah. We worked together on it pretty much, I mean, you know, he came over, he said, "Why don't we put a band together and do this stuff," and I'm like, "Yeah, right." [We laugh.] You know? Cause we'd been in bands off and on together since we were little kids, and you know, I was pretty burnt out on the whole thing. I kind of pretty much really just gave up on the whole music business cause it was so pathetic.

But anyway, he came over and got me to play on the demo of "The Light." And, you know, I thought that was cool. Whatever. But then I was listening to it a few days later and I actually called him up and I'm like, "Dude, we've got to do this!" [This is the most animated he's been throughout the entire conversation, so you know it was a big moment. I guess you could say it was the lightbulb moment of "The Light".] "I'm in! Let's go! This is the coolest thing!" I just got really excited and all into it, you know, so anyway, that's kind of what happened.

JT: Which one of you two was into the progressive music, or would you say it was both of you equally?

AM: Oh, Neal was definitely more into it. I mean, I was into it like way back when, and I still... There's some things that I think are really great, but I'm not really a huge progressive fan in general.

JT: [I laugh big at this one.] That is funny to hear that.

AM: I saw Gentle Giant when they first came out on tour and that blew me away, and that was just sick. Those guys still, you can't beat that. Just the way they would come out, and they'll play every instrument and be really good at it. And you're just like, "Geez, get out of here."

JT: It's kind of funny to hear you say that, because some people will actually consider you as synonymous with like Progressive Rock genre for the current times. And you're saying, you're not entirely into Progressive music. It's kind of funny to hear you say that.

AM: I know, it is kind of weird, but well, it's the truth. What can I tell you?

JT: Yeah, I guess it's like they say with any business. They say do something that you're good at and something that you like. Sometimes you're better at it or you like it more. Whatever. It's kind of a weird mix and all that, but yeah, you guys are definitely good at what you do.

AM: Aw, thanks.

JT: I agree with people when they say Spock's Beard is the premiere band. They're like the definition of what's going on these days. But, it's funny to hear you say that... Um, I'm also wondering, is there any chance that Neal would come back and maybe do some guest type of contributions, or he's not really talking about that at this time?

AM: I'd be really surprised if that happened. I mean, like I don't want to say never, but from both sides, he's doing a whole other deal now, and he's doing his thing, you know, and being pretty successful with it. And it's taken us a long while to sort of emerge from that... his shadow, I guess you can say. So, it would be hard for us to sort of step back into it.

JT: Yeah.

AM: So, yeah, it's not terribly likely that it'll change anytime soon.

JT: Okay.

AM: Sorry.

JT: Yeah, people like to know that. I don't know.

AM: Yeah. People ask me that all the time.

JT: But, I have to say, cause it's kind of weird, there were parts of the album where it almost sounded like I was hearing his voice, or I was hearing some of his melodies, so you guys have obviously affected one another.

AM: Sure.

JT: Yeah, he's a very talented guy. It's a big loss that he's not in the band with you guys, but you're doing phenomenal work right now. So, I guess, what I hear some fans say is that it's a good thing, because now we're getting output from him and we're getting output from you guys.

AM: Right.

JT: Sometimes you can have so much talent in a certain place that it keeps everybody from getting to their potential. An album is so long or there is only so much space before it gets too busy, and sometimes you do need to divide and conquer I guess.

AM: Well, yeah, I mean, in a way, I would kind of tend to agree with that. I mean, it certainly opened a lot of room for the rest of us to step up and do more writing and all that. So, obviously, it was a tough thing to get past initially, but it's cool, you know, because Neal is so prolific and fast. He just comes up with lots of stuff in a hurry, and so it doesn't leave a lot of room for other input, you know. So, it was kind of cool to have more of a blank slate to just kind of express ourselves.

JT: What's kind of funny is that the term that's coming to my mind is opening the floodgates?

AM: Yeah, right.

JT: You know what I mean?

AM: Where have I heard that before?

JT: From Snow. [I'm being facetious]

AM: Yeah, right. [We laugh.]

JT: I like to ask this question. Maybe other interviewers are all asking this, or it's a clever question, but somebody passed this onto me at one point. And it's funny, either people have examples that they can come up with right away or they're like stumped. But, I'm wondering if you can recall anySpinal Tap moments in your career?

AM: Oh, are you kidding? Constantly. I mean, it happens all the time. You know, there's times when you get lost backstage, and you're like where is the stage, and that kind of stuff. That happens all the time.

JT: I hear that a lot actually.

AM: Yeah, in Europe especially. You get some of these old halls, and you're like alright, what's the deal? You can't read the signs, you know, or when your wireless craps out on you and you start picking up the radio and stuff like that. I mean, that stuff actually happens. That's part of what makes Spinal Tap such a great movie. It's so apt. It's just so much, you know, there are so many things in there that I can totally identify with.

You know, and the band meetings and all these things. It's like, oh, god, I've been in that meeting, you know?

JT: Yeah, well, it's kind of funny cause it's funny, but it's true. It's just so ironic.

AM: Yeah, that's what makes it so funny cause it's like, oh, god, I know that guy.

JT: I know that guy.

AM: You know, in this industry, this smarmy industry guy. Although, we've been really lucky, and we've had that with Spock's Beard, we've had it really great. The labels been pretty cool to us, and everybody's been really good, but I've been in other situations where guys were just like that. You know, just exactly. It's kind of scary almost how much like real life it is.

JT: Yeah. I wanted to ask you about some of your current tastes. What's the last CD that you purchased?

AM: [He gasps.] Wow.

JT: Or if you're not purchasing them these days, what's the last one that got a lot of spin time?

AM: You mean like a current one?

JT: Yeah, like whatever the last one is even if it goes back a year or so.

AM: Yeah, well, I went through a phase awhile back where I bought every Jeff Beck record? and you know that kind of thing. I kind of went through a thing where I decided, okay, I'm going to start actually studying [up] on this stuff. I didn't really get that far with it, but that's what I was trying to do anyway. So, yeah, I went through that, and I actually went to see Jeff for the first time, I don't know, a while ago now. I guess maybe, I don't know, a few months ago here at the House of Blues in LA. He's so good. It's just, he's the king. As far as I'm concerned. Yeah, I didn't mention him as one of my influences, but he's definitely right up there.

JT: I don't know if you have much time for concerts, but what's the last concert that you attended as a fan?

AM: Well, that was probably it. It'd probably be Jeff Beck, yeah. And like I said, he was awesome. That's really rare. I very rarely go to see just a band just cause I want to go see a band, you know, but that was, when I heard he was coming, I was like I got to be there cause I'd never seen him play before live, and he did not disappoint.

JT: I've never had a chance to see him, and I've heard a lot about him. I'd like to check him out at some point.

AM: Oh man. Yeah, if you like guitar playing, then he's right up there. You can't really unseat that guy. He does some really, really sick stuff.

JT: Yeah, lately I've been on this Jazz Fusionist type of kick. Do you get into much of that kind of stuff?

AM: Oh yeah. I love that kind of stuff. Even on my solo record, that's basically what it is. I mean, it's all instrumentals, and it definitely sounds like, not to pigeonhole it too much, but it's like an old Jeff Beck record frankly. [We laugh.]

JT: Then it should be pretty good then.

AM: Yeah, well, you should check it out. There's some samples up on my myspace page. Take a look. [now deleted -ed.]

JT: I'm also curious, are all the Spock's Beard members playing on that album?

AM: Oh yeah, all of them play on it a little bit on a couple of cuts. I've got some other guys. The main guys are a couple of Nashville pros basically, you know, session guys, but they did a great job. They really played well. Guys that Neal knew. I did most of the basic tracks out there at Neal's place.

JT: Do you have anything where you're dueling with Dave or Nick or something like that?

AM: Not so much dueling with those guys, although there's definitely some dueling kind of stuff with Neal, and then there's a thing where I trade solos with Jerry, you know, Jerry Goodman. And that's pretty crazy. He was... that was so much fun recording with that dude. I was just sitting there just laughing man 'cause it was so nutty. He was just doing all this crazy stuff, and it was so, exactly what I wanted, you know, just perfect and like, "Ohhhh, man."

I was in heaven.

JT: You know, I'm looking at the album right now [Spock's Beard's latest -ed], and I'm kind of curious, who actually designed this logo?

AM: Oh, it's this guy that does all of our artwork. His name is Thomas Everhart. He's a German guy. He does a lot of stuff for InsideOut. He's great. He does really nice, really professional stuff.

JT: This cover just with the letters, and that fiery-colored orange on the black background, it kind of looks as if it's like hot coals. Is that kind of what you're trying to symbolize there, or is it just a cool-looking cover and that's the end of it?

AM: It's kind of just this is a cool-looking thing. I mean, we wanted to kind of have some kind of a psychedelic kind of a swirly thing and then the cutout, so that you can see it through the cover, but that was pretty much all we did. He did like a bunch of different ones, and we just picked the one we liked best.

JT: Yeah, I kind of leave no stone unturned. I like to hit all these different aspects.

AM: Yeah, I know. You're getting real deep here. It's like you're going to start asking me about my relationship with my mother pretty soon. [He laughs.]

JT: Um, that's not on the list here, but I am kind of in the stock question portion, and I'm just flipping back and forth. But if you can elaborate a little bit on your relationship with your parents? Nah, I'm just kidding. [We laugh.] What would you say is your favorite album of all-time? And if you can't pick just one then give me a list or just whatever pops into mind or whatever.

AM: Yeah, well, if I had to just pick one, I would have to say it would probably be Aladdin Sane, you know, David Bowie. Apparently, I like that record, and Mick Ronson just kills on that record. He's another one of my favorites of all-time.

JT: Like who would you say is your favorite band, or does it just go back to Bowie again?

AM: Well, I'd have to say The Beatles, you know, if you ask overall.

JT: That's a good choice.

AM: Yeah.

JT: It's a safe choice.

AM: Well, it's safe and it's just true, you know, they did so much great stuff. You just have to... and it's kind of funny, because it's not like they were killer guitar players per se, but they had so many great songs.

JT: Yeah. I also like to ask about favorites that aren't music-related, just to kind of get an idea of the kind of person you are, what your influences are, what else might be influencing the music actually -- what is your favorite movie?

AM: Wow, okay, well, yeah, that's an interesting one.

JT: I mean, I probably couldn't name one, but I could probably name a couple that are kind of memorable.

AM: Yeah, well, you know, funny, for me, there's like maybe two. It would have to be either, like Monty Python and The Holy Grail.

JT: Yeah, I can imagine that.

AM: You know, I just love that movie. I mean, it's just so consistently... there's so many great parts in that. Either that, or I actually like Beauty and the Beast, you know, the Disney movie.

JT: I like that scene where she's trying to escape and the wolves try to get her and he comes and he saves her from them. That's pretty cool.

AM: Oh yeah, and just the songs are so clever, and that whole Gaston bit, it's just brilliant. I love that stuff. So, yeah, that's one of my favorites for sure.

JT: Do you have a favorite TV show?

AM: Oh, Simpsons, definitely. [I chuckle.] That's the best show on television.

JT: I take it a movie is coming out in the near future, and I guess it's going to be a little bit more adult-oriented from what I hear. Yeah, they're trying to actually edit it in such a way where it fits into what rating they're kind of targeting right now. So, it's going to be a little bit more mature than what's on TV, but it's not going to be too over the top. [Think Spike & Mikes]

AM: Well, my kids will be bummed if they can't go to see it. That's their favorite show. I guess some people won't let their kids watch it. So, I don't know. I think it's just so brilliant man. So, I'll look forward to that. I actually got to sit next to Matt Groening at a show.

JT: Really?

AM: I went to this gig, and I didn't know it was him until after he split. I was like, "Oh dude, that was him."

JT: What kind of gig was it? Do you remember?

AM: Yeah, I went to see Umphrey's McGee.

JT: Oh, really?

AM: Yeah.

JT: Oh, he likes them, interesting, yeah.

AM: Yeah, I went to see them, and they were pretty cool. And then he had come down to see them, too, obviously. So I went and Nick said, "Oh yeah, that was him." [He starts whispering.] And I'm like, "Oh dude, why didn't you tell me?" [I laugh.] I mean, that would be somebody, I would, you know, that's like, I don't know, almost sitting next to Paul McCartney or something as far as I'm concerned.

JT: That's, like, your hero?

AM: Oh yeah, he's right up there man. He's like a genius.

JT: Yeah, I've got a brother that's pretty crazy into The Simpsons and he quotes them and stuff.

AM: Aha, yeah, I do it all the time. I love that stuff.

JT: Also another favorite, what is your favorite book?

AM: I don't know. That's a tough one. Oh geez. I read a lot.

JT: I think the hidden agenda with this question is either an artist says that they don't get time to read or they mention Lord of the Rings. Something like that, you know what I mean?

AM: Yeah, well, that's definitely one of my favorites. I mean, I really love that. I read that when I was in Junior High, I guess, or High School.

JT: Did you watch the movies?

AM: I've seen a couple of them. I haven't seen all of them.

JT: Have you seen the Extended Editions at all?

AM: Nah.

JT: I guess it's like 13 hours of your time to get through that.

AM: Yeah, that's a lot. So, I'm not "that" into it, but it's a pretty great book. I just finished one called The Corrections, that was very good. You know, A Man In Full was really great. It's a really good book. It's a classic. Well, I mean, not a classic, but I really liked it. You know, I read Cannery Row not too long ago. That was really good. There's so many, it's hard to pick.

JT: There is one more favorite. Do you have a favorite sport and, if so, what's your favorite team?

AM: [He laughs for a couple seconds and laughs some more after it seems as if he's done laughing.] Yeah, I'm not really a sports fan, although my son is a big, big sports guy. So, I've gotten kind of into it just through him. So, if I had to pick a favorite team, I guess it would have to be the Dodgers.

JT: I also wanted to ask this out of curiosity; what would you say is the worst part about being a musician?

AM: [Long pause.]

JT: Well, actually, if you can't answer it, that's a good answer.

AM: Well, it's not that there aren't bad parts to it. It's just that I, you know, uh... [short pause] It's not all fun and games exactly, but you know, it's really great. It's fun, but, you know, being in the studio sometimes can be just miserable. It just can be really tedious. Especially nowadays with all the computer stuff and everything, and all the tweaking that they end up doing, it can just be miserable. So, you know, I guess it would have to be being in the studio sometimes, and sometimes that's the best part about being a musician. When it's going well in the studio, that's great, you know, it's awesome, because you just throw something down and everybody goes, "Oh, dude, that was killer.

And that's the best. So of course, when you do something live and everybody likes it, that's also really great. But you know, most of the actual creating that goes on in the studio, so that's the most fun part.

JT: You're saying in general, there's a lot of feel good moments, so it really overrides anything that would be the bad side, and it would be insignificant in comparison?

AM: Well, I don't know if I'd say insignificant, but... it's acceptable. [He laughs.]. I mean, it's not enough to make you want to quit or anything like that. I would never really consider that... seriously.

JT: Now I actually have a question that I usually try to slip in without drawing too much attention, but I haven't had an opportunity to do that. This is kind of something I've been keeping inventory on, because I'm a pet lover myself, and I'm just curious, do you have any pets?

AM: No, not right now. I mean, I have had in the past. Right now, we don't have any.

JT: Are you more of a dog or a cat person?

AM: Well, more of a dog person, although it's funny cause in our neighborhood we've got... we don't have any cats, but our neighbors have cats and they all hang around in our house. So, it's almost like having cats, except we don't have to clean up a litter box. [I laugh.]

JT: We've talked about the fans on a couple of occasion throughout this conversation, but what would you say is the best fan interaction that you can remember?

AM: Well, my favorite moment with the band in general was we were playing at... Well, maybe not? Well, yeah, if not the best, certainly one of the best moments... We played at the first ProgFest here in LA and, you know, we were still pretty new, and we didn't really know what to expect and didn't know if people were going to like it or what. So, we played "The Light," and we got to the end and it was kind of... and we were kind of going through it and you couldn't really tell if people were liking it or not. They were all just sitting there and like, oh, you know? And then we got to the end and it was kind of quiet for a second.

And then everybody just went nuts. I mean, it was a full-on standing ovation. It still gives me chills just to think about it. And that was just, that was the best. Man, you can't beat that.

JT: That's pretty cool. And you know, the thing is, now and then I do public speaking and that kind of stuff. You know, it's funny cause a lot of those moments that seem like they're a very long time, they're not.

AM: Right, right.

JT: So maybe it might have just been a split-second, but that was like forever for you guys.

AM: Yeah, 'cause you're just going, okay, what's going to happen? Are they going to like clap or boo or throw things at them or what. Thankfully, they clapped.

JT: Yeah, that's cool.

AM: It was awesome. That was just great. You know, oh, thank god.

JT: I had an opportunity to talk with Nick and also talk with Neal in the past. So, I've had conversations with the two of them. It's pretty cool that I've gotten a chance to talk with you as well, because Spock's Beard is one of my favorite bands and I think you guys are on the forefront. So, it's good to kind of keep in contact with you guys. I would like to talk with Ryo as well at some point. And actually, I'm also somebody who is really into the bass. So, Dave Meros has always been one of my heroes as well.

AM: Oh, cool.

JT: I'm hoping to get to talk with those two other guys. But yeah, this is great that we got a chance to talk.

AM: Yeah, well, thanks. It was good talking with you.

JT: I have to tell you again, this album that you just created here is un-believe-able. [I drag this out.] It's after you already created two unbelievable ones on your own, and then with the whole Neal era, you guys created a bunch of phenomenal albums. You've got nine solid albums. Some bands, they put out good albums, but then they're really not so hot in concert, and you guys are just phenomenal in concert. And I've seen you twice, and both shows were totally different. So, there's no redundancy there either. I mean, you can always expect to go out there and see something special. You know, the first time I got to see you and Neal doing that thing on the guitar. This last one I got to see Ryo go a little crazy. [He laughs.] That was good just as well, you know?

I can just say keep up the good work. And, I'm looking forward to hearing your solo album as well.

AM: Oh cool, thanks.

JT: We've actually made it to the end, but I always like to end on this one thing. Is there anything you would like to say to your fans at this time since we're speaking about them?

AM: Well, just thanks for hanging in there with us, and we really appreciate your support. And, you know, come up and hang with us on the road before seeing everybody. And we just appreciate everything, you know, and thanks for being into Spock's Beard. We couldn't do it without you.

In addition to their RoSFest 2007 appearance in April, Spock's Beard will be on the road for a couple of other East Coast US dates in late April as well as a swing through the UK and Europe in May. Morse's solo album Four O'Clock & Hysteria will be out through InsideOut in April.

[*Yeh. So, welcome to the bottom of the page. At some point in 2007, 2008 Prog4You ended its run. Go to the URL now (well, don't), and you'll see it has nothing to do with prog music. I comment a bit more in editorial found here, but unlike there, I won't barge ahead and just republish Part 1... but thanks to the Wayback Machine (web archive) you can read it here. If Joshua and/or George Roldan ever give an ok (not that they've not; I've not asked yet), we'll gladly publish it here -ed/pub (Sep 15, 2015)]

Discography:
Spock's Beard - The Light (1991)
Spock's Beard - Beware of Darkness (1995)
Spock's Beard - The Beard Is Out There Live (1995) (cd)
Spock's Beard - Official Live Bootleg (1996)
Spock's Beard - The Kindness of Strangers (1997)
Spock's Beard - From The Vault - 1995-1998 (1998)
Spock's Beard - Day For Night (1999)
Spock's Beard - Live At The Whiskey and NEARfest (1999)
Spock's Beard - Don't Try This At Home (2000)
Spock's Beard - V (2000)
Spock's Beard - Snow (2002)
Spock's Beard - Feel Euphoria (2003)
Spock's Beard - The Light - The Artwork Collector?s Series (2004)
Spock's Beard - Octane (2005)
Spock's Beard - Gluttons For Punishment (2005)
Spock's Beard - Spock's Beard (2006)
Alan Morse - 4 O'Clock & Hysteria (2007)
Spock's Beard - Live (2008)
Spock's Beard - X (2010)
Spock's Beard - Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep (2013)
Spock's Beard - The Obliviion Particle (2015)

Spock's Beard - The Beard Is Out There Live (VID) (1995) Spock's Beard - Spock's Beard's Home Movie (VID) (1998) Spock's Beard - Live At The Whisky (VID) (1999)
Spock's Beard - Making Of V (VID) (2001)
Spock's Beard - Don't Try This At Home & The Making Of V (DVD) (2002)
Spock's Beard - The Making Of Snow (DVD) (2004)
Spock's Beard - Live (DVD) (2008)