A: Paul was one
of those pop culture fixtures when I was growing up in the ‘70s, and I was
always fascinated by him. I mean, he was everywhere. I used to see him telling
funny stories on talk shows, or singing on variety shows, or acting in movies.
I was always struck by how famous he seemed to be, especially since he hardly
fit the mold of a conventionally handsome movie star. It was only years later,
when I paid a little more attention to songs and songwriters, that I discovered
how many era-defining hits he had been a part of writing. All of those gigantic
Carpenters hits. All the Muppet songs that he helped write. It was a real eye-opener
for me. And it was then when I realized that I was a big fan of his music, not
just his talk show persona.
A: I had never thought
of it as a stock company, but I suppose it really is. Cliff Hillis has been on
all four of my compilations. Minky Starshine, Eytan Mirsky, Lisa Mychols, The
Corner Laughers, The Davenports, and Brandon Schott have each appeared on
three. Plenty of others have appeared on two of them. I always like working
with people whose original music I love, so it’s no surprise that I gravitate
towards those folks again and again. But I’m conscious of wanting to work with
new people on each project I do. To use the examples
that you did, Sitcom Neighbor put out one of my very favorite records of 2017,
so I knew I wanted them involved. The New Empire is one of Fernando Perdomo’s
many projects, and he’s a longtime favorite of mine, so I was happy when he
expressed an interest. I do get approached by musicians interested in appearing
on my projects, but I generally go into the planning process with a list of
people to invite.
A: There were so many to
choose from! I didn’t want to lean too heavily on his work with the Carpenters
or the Muppets, but I’m also well aware that those two acts are how many people
got to know Paul in the first place. So leaving off any of those songs just
felt arbitrary. But what that meant is that a record I originally envisioned as
having 10-12 tracks quickly become one with 23. And I still didn’t get some on
there that I wanted, like his recent work with Daft Punk or the songs he did
for Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas.
But that’s the peril of all the records I put out: the instinct to put more and
more songs on there. At a certain point, you just have to say, “That’s going to have to
be enough.”
Q: The music of a
gifted singer-songwriter like Paul Williams lends itself to a variety of interpretations. On White Lace & Promises, I enjoyed hearing the beautifully done
cover of “You & Me Against The World” by Lisa Mychols, and I also dug
Ballzy Tomorrow’s energized version of “To Put Up With You.” Were there any different
takes on songs contributed to the project that surprised you when you first
listened to them?
A: Those two tracks are
both so fantastic. I was thrilled that XNYMFO and Indy Neidell were able to
take a song like “Dangerous Business” from the notorious (and, frankly,
undeserved) flop, Ishtar, and turn it
into a fully realized track. I mean, the Ishtar
soundtrack isn’t just floating around out there. So they had to piece it all
together from clips they found on YouTube and the like. That’s just one
example, though. The joy of putting these things together is that I could tell
you similar stories about virtually every song on the records I’ve put out. The
musicians I work with are just so creative.
Q: Unlike your
previous releases, White Lace & Promises focuses on the work of one particular artist. I have to ask: Is Paul Williams aware of the project, and
has he heard the album?
A: He is aware of it! In
fact, he reached out to me via email a few weeks back to thank me for putting
it together. It was the nicest note, and it was entirely unexpected, as I had
not written to him first. And then, he tweeted out the first review that we
got! It was a legitimate thrill. In putting this record together, I’ve gotten
to communicate with a few people who have met or worked with Paul, and to a
person, they all say that he’s one of the most genuinely friendly and caring people
they’ve met. My very limited dealings with him bear that out. As for
whether he’s heard the record, I know for a fact that he’s heard several of the
tracks. I sent him the full record a week or two back. I’m waiting for the
right time to ask if he’s gotten the chance to hear it all and what he thinks.
Q: Congratulations on the release of another fantastic record. Can you give us any hints about what’s coming up next from Curry Cuts?
A: You know, I had the
‘80s compilation in mind well before the release of my Lite Rock tribute. The
Paul Williams idea was swimming around before I even started work on my James
Bond record. In other words, my next ideas are always brewing well before I
commence working on them. Which is why it’s sort of curious to me that, as of
this moment, I don’t even have a vague notion for what might be next. Which is
okay. I never want to force anything. But I know that once inspiration hits,
I’ll jump right back in. Here’s hoping that I can convince more great musicians
to sign up with me!
I'd like to thank Andrew for taking the time to discuss White Lace & Promises with me. For more coverage on the album, you can read my review of the disc at the arts and entertainment website CultureSonar, by following this link:https://www.culturesonar.com/white-lace-promises-evergreen-covers-of-paul-williams/. To learn more about the Curry Cuts albums, or to order any of their releases, you can head over to: https://currycuts.bandcamp.com.
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