Gary James' Interview With
Edgar Winter



This man literally had a monster hit with one of his songs. Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" topped the charts back in 1973. It eventually sold over two million copies and firmly established Edgar Winter in the hearts and minds of Rock fans everywhere. Throughout Edgar Winter's career, he's helped establish such Rock greats as Rick Derringer and Ronnie Montrose.

We talked with Edgar Winter following the release of his 1981 album, "Standing On Rock".

Q - You've said it's time for a Rock 'n' Roll revival. Where do you think Rock 'n' Roll has been these last few years?

A - I think the new wave that is happening is more or less the Rock 'n' Roll revival, in that it has the same spirit, youth, and energy that Rock had. Rock 'n' Roll has sort of gotten watered down. It's time for a new generation of musicians to come in at this point. I actually think Rock 'n' Roll is more of a fusion medium than anything else.

Q - With all the success you've achieved, why do you keep going?

A - I've always loved music. There's a great deal of satisfaction for me in performing, in writing and seeing what you envision come into reality in the form of a record. I consider myself lucky to be able to make a living doing something I enjoy and making other people happy.

Q - When you journeyed from Texas to New York years ago, was it your ambition to get to the top of the business?

A - I had no desire to get into Rock. It all really came about through Steve Paul, who was my brother Johnny's manager. Johnny had gone to New York and signed with Columbia. Steve expressed interest in my coming to New York, which I eventually did. At that time I was more interested in Classical, Jazz, a more experimental form of music. The first album I recorded was long those lines. Those were my ideas and aspirations, to try and explore new areas of music. I have not lost that desire. At the same time, I've found it's not satisfying to do music that doesn't communicate with people.

Q - Are you worried at all about the new groups coming up?

A - No, not at all. I really feel that I have a unique style.

Q - Elvis once said, "The image is one thing, the human being is another. It's very hard to live up to an image." What kind of image do you think people have of Edgar Winter?

A - People, when they think of Rock 'n' Roll, tend to think of sex and drugs and craziness. My wife and I don't have that kind of lifestlye. We're a very old-fashioned, close couple. We enjoy doing the tours, playin' for the people and seeing them get off on what we're doing. But we separate that. It's very distinct from our personal life. We live, I assume, what people would think normal people live like. It's not all crazy parties. People think because you play Rock 'n' Roll, you have to be into all of that, which is not the case.



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