PAGE 6 VISION MAGAZINE MAY 2008

COVER STORY

BY RICHARD JACQUES

He knew if he had his chance, he could makethe people dance, and maybe, they’d be happyfor awhile - now, nearly 40 years later, DonMcLean is still making them smile. Throughtimes of war and peace and the ever-changinglandscape of the music industry, his voice hasremained constant, the message of his songs,timeless.

And like his lyrics, which demand reflection, infour decades of chart-topping hits he has man-aged to raise questions - and it seems he prefersit that way.

From his Maine home of the last 17 years, theartist took time out of his busy schedule to openup his songbook and life to questions. His sea-soned professionalism was evident from themoment he began to speak, his musical purposeclear.

“I never thought aboutanything,” said McLean.“I just thought if I couldmake a living I would bebetter than my fatherwho had to work for acompany; and I managedto accomplish that veryearly but I didn’t lookahead, I never lookedahead. I just put myhead down and followedthe music wherever ittook me and that’s whatI’m still doing.”

Through the turbu-lence of the 1960s, whichwould later resurface insome of his work, theguitar-playing singerfrom New Rochell, NewYork, withdrew from Iona University and beganto perform his and other songs wherever hecould. “When I was a kid, I would do birthdayparties, I would do anything.”

According to his official Web site, american-pie.com, in 1961, McLean took his one and onlyvacation with his father – a trip to WashingtonD.C. when he was 15. A few months later hisfather died. Determined to become a profession-al musician and singer, he was already makingcontacts in the business by the age of 16. Heplayed his first professional gig in1962 at anIsraeli coffee house in Manhattan. While atVillanova University in 1963 (he stayed for justfour months), Don met and became friends withJim Croce and President Kennedy was assassi-nated.

“I quit school thinking that the world would bewaiting for me and I found out they couldn’t careless and I wasn’t very good,” said McLean, now67.

For nearly six years he continued paid hisdues and honed his skills performing where hecould.

A Hudson River Trubedeur in 1968, he playedup and down the valley under the sponsorship of

the New York State Council on the Arts garner-ing the attention of many. And also during thattime period, McLean return to college andearned his degree. But everything really began tochange as the 60s drew to a close.

With bad news literally outside the doorstep ofa Berkley recording studio during the Vietnamprotests in 1969, McLean, now in California,was inside laying down the tracks to the“Tapestry” album which would put him on themap musically. Although produced two yearsbefore “American Pie,” it was a record that hesays was his most important.

“In ‘70 it came out and then I was headliningcollege concerts ... and major nightclubs, wherebefore I had been second on the bill and eventhird,” he said. For the young artist, it was ahuge change.

Accepted to Columbia University for graduateschool, he declined to pursue his passion.

“I turned them downand went into music,” heremembered. “Fromthere on, my oddyseereally started to takeoff.”

Looking back, McLeansaid people always focuson the “American Pie”album, as they shouldbecause it was hisbiggest commercial suc-cess by a long shot, butthe “Tapestry” albumwas the most importantalbum of all.

“It was the beginningof getting through thatbrick wall and gettinginside the world of themusic business, getting

played on radio stations, getting known, gettingreviews and so on,” he recalled.

Like so many in the music world of the 1960s,the Beatles had an influence on McLean.

“It’s really hard to remember just how muchsimpler everything was back in the late 60s andearly 70s. It’s become very loud and raucousnow, there’s so much stuff going on. There arehundreds of TV stations and all sorts of adver-tisements blaring away and you never get amoments piece,” said McLean. “Back when wewere younger, if the Beatles or somebody impor-tant came out with a great record you worked onthat for a long time ... they didn’t just come andgo like they do now for six months or whatever.”

Another of his early influences was FrankSinatra, a master of breath control and phras-ing.

“Anytime anybody’s an influence on an artist -not someone on American Idol - but I mean aserious artist, you don’t hear it,” he said. “WhatI use the breath control for is not to copy FrankSinatra, but it’s the concept of breath controlwhich you can hear on all the songs I sing, espe-cially “Crying,” which is very difficult to sing.Even try singing “Vincent” sometime or

Catching up with Don McLean

VISION MAGAZINE PAGE 7

COVER STORY“American Pie” or any of the songs that I do, theytake allot of breath control.”

On May 16, 1971, police used tear gas andputty-like crowd-control bullets to battle morethan 500 Berkley demonstrators following a rallywhich marked the second anniversary of thePeople's Park riots there. Ten days later DonMcLean would record “American Pie,” a songthat would make him a superstar. In retrospect,he said the song served its purpose “200 per-cent.”

“The purpose in my mind was to get people tothink about their music and their country. It didto such a degree that many oldies stations beganto pop up with 50s music on them and that for-mat was not even around when that song cameout. Not to mention the fact that it served thepurpose of launching me internationally forever”

He said with his third album said his wasn’tthe success it should have been.

“It got allot of air play ... we just dropped theball. We meaning myself and the producer forother reasons which can be found out on mybiography which is called “Killling Me Softly WithHis Song,” ... (available online at) don-mclean.com or americanpie.com. He agreed itwas one of the disappointments in a career oth-erwise filled with success.

“If the album had been made better and it wasmore exciting I think that “Dreidel” could havebeen a hit. But it was difficult song to record andmake work and I never quite got it.”

And what about those “American Pie” lyrics,what is that all about?

“It’s a dream. Everything morphs into some-

thing else and that’s why I don’t talk about thelyrics.” The song was recently voted No. 5 in apoll of the 365 “Songs of the Century” compiledby the Recording Industry Association ofAmerica and the National Endowment for theArts. The top five were: "Over the Rainbow" byJudy Garland; "White Christmas" by BingCrosby; "This Land Is Your Land" by WoodyGuthrie; and "Respect" by Aretha Franklin.

And the future?“I’m a busy, busy person internationally and

nationally, I’m doing quite well.” And after near-ly four decades in the music business he stillhas at least one more project on the horizon. “Ihave one album in the can and that’s probablygoing to be the last record that I put out of myown songs.”

Honors continue to roll in for McLean. Hisalma mater, Iona College, conferred an honorarydoctorate on Don in 2001. In February 2002,"American Pie" was inducted into the GrammyHall of Fame. He was inaugurated into theNational Academy of Popular Music Songwriters'Hall of Fame in 2004.

McLean has written more than 200 songs, sev-eral recorded by other artists, including PerryComo's popular version of "And I Love You So."In 1973, 'Killing Me Softly', a song about Don,beat out Perry Como's version of 'And I Love YouSo', a song by Don, for a Grammy.

Far from through, McLean, married with twochildren, continues to perform throughout theworld and remains among the legends of popularmusic.

Don McLeanLiveat the

Spencer Theater

Saturday, May 31 8 p.m.575-336-4800

www.spencertheater.com