eph221
The left coast promotes mama boy music.
I would like to go, for example, if one of those really had something amazing, for me to see. Of all the folks I would like to see, that I sincerely doubt I will ever see, it would be the likes of Mike Oldfield, Vangelis, Ryuichi Sakamoto (he can do just solo piano just as good ... check out the stuff on the tube!!! Totally awesome!), Peter Hammill and I wouldn't mind just him a piano and a guitar alone, and he can tell stories in between which might bore some folks, but helps understand his words and poetry that much more. Maybe bring out Kraftwerk, the new version of Tangerine Copy Dream, Guru Guru if Mani can still drum, as he is still at it and thrashing, too! One could even bring Kraan along, for some nice jazzy jams. How about a Roy Harper, since he can just sit, say hello and play and sing all night, or until he has another drink ... which I think he was told to quit a while back! Of interest, also, would be Manfred Mann's Earth Band or any part of it. Maybe even a Roxy Music get together before they all are so old they can not stand up anymore.
For some Americans, it's hard to think of a lot of them, although I would like to get Grace Slick alone with a piano and just her. She doesn't have to sing rabbit or rats or crap ... just anything she wants, and let her tell stories with it. But she would have to be done as a surprise, sort of in the bar by herself, with no fuss or advertising, and surprise everyone silly. I know she has stated she does not want to be an old rock'n'roll cow singing the same old song at 65, but to me, that's almost like saying that there is no person behind it, and there is, and a lot of her work stands out.
Another couple of people that should be invited for speaking appearances in these things, would be a couple of names from the West Coast radio history. One for sure would be Jim Ladd, although he is not exactly "progressive", but his story of Radio Kaos is loud and clear and he is still around. The other two would be Archie Patterson (Eurock) since so few people know and have written about so much music over the years as he has. And lastly, Guy Guden of Space Pirate Radio fame, whose show still is the standard no one can ever possibly reach or meet in terms of quality, quantity, and everything else from Europe and the rest of the world. Guy, has amazing stories, and his radio time (25 years plus) is enough to give someone several hernias, but there are funny things along the way also, he can easily play with. He can, most likely, fill out 2 hours as easily as he can 5 or 6 hours in his shows at the time ... on a COMMERCIAL radio station, too!