It’s generally acknowledged that Ray Manzarek is the most annoying interview for music fans to have to sit through in all of rock history. Even the 36-second clip of an upbeat Ray talking about the continued popularity of The Doors is a little annoying. Beyond Manzarek, however, there’s probably some strong competition for the #2 slot. This came up recently while I told my close personal friend, Townsman andyr, about a the Lynyrd Skynyrd portion of a surprisingly good Al Kooper interview that I read in TapeOp.

“Oh man,” he said at the mere mention of Kooper’s name, “he’s a close second to Ray Manzarek for most-annoying interview in rock!”

I agreed, although his recent TapeOp interview is surprisingly free of all the things that typically bug me about listening to an Al Kooper interview: the “Like a Rolling Stone” story; the inflated notion that “This Diamond Ring” is a good song; the notion that Blood, Sweat & Tears was in any way a worthwhile contribution to humanity. Beyond content, though, maybe what annoys us about some interview subjects is their delivery. Following is Kooper telling his most tired tale:
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The lips of rock.

Townsman chuckflack, seemingly inspired by our recent anatomy-themed Last Man Standing, asked that we consider the following:

Bruce Springsteen, upon inducting Bob Dylan to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, said, “Bob freed the mind the way Elvis freed the body.” A pretty succinct summation. Given the premise, how do you fill out the best of rock’s body?

When guarding a man in basketball, they always tell you to watch the guy’s stomach: it’s not going anywhere the man isn’t. So, starting with the gut, the center of gravity, obviously the latter-day Elvis is the one. And of course, early Elvis is the pelvis. From my anatomical perspective, Dylan’s the brain, The Beatles the heart, The Stones the balls, Jimi Hendrix the cock, Madonna the pussy, and Ray Charles the soul.

Argue, or continue filling out the body parts. Spleen? Feet? Jowls? Larynx?

“This quartet has never been so tight.”

Critics often point to The Clash singing “No Elvis, Beatles, or The Rolling Stones” in “1977” as some spot-on representation of the mood that fueled punk rock, but I think this 1977 promotional clip for the Pablo Cruise song “Whatcha Gonna Do” says a lot more about the times and the need for the already-ongoing punk rock reaction. What do you think, is there a more accurate representation of the nation’s mood, in rock terms, circa 1977?