GREG GODOVITZ Q & A With a Legend As one of the founders of Fludd, one of Canada’s dominant groups during the early seventies, or the man behind Goddo, perhaps one of this country’s most influential groups of the 70’s and 80’s, Greg Godovitz has seen it all in Canadian music. Never sacrificing his ethics for the sake of a “trendy hit”, he’s always maintained a level of standard mostly long since forgotten by today’s stars … stardom just came naturally … He’s just penned his first book, TRAVELS WITH MY AMP, due out in early 2000, in celebration of Goddo’s 25th anniversary. Join me as I ask Greg Godovitz the really tough questions and find out what makes a Canadian rock God tick … DB: Pro wrestling … sport or drama? DB: No one had a slicker sound with minimal studio work than Goddo. Do you think musicians today sacrifice actual artistic quality for the sake of making a record sound good with lots of fancy production? DB: How do you view the current Canadian music scene in general? DB: What are your thoughts on music being pegged “metal”, “hip hop”, “grunge”, whatever …. and what category would you say Goddo best fell under? DB: Here’s an open-forum chance for a shameless plug for your new book … Is TRAVELS WITH MY AMP more an autobiography of life on the road, or a reflection on the Canadian music business as a whole? DB: I heard the only time the Maple Leafs ever won the cup was in the forties when they played a bunch of Montreal women who were duped into thinking Game 7 was a players’ wives charity game. editor’s note(editor’s note: that’s ok Greg. I really just wanted to bad mouth the Leafs more than anything) . DB: What’s been your greatest accomplishment as a musician so far? DB: Looking back, do you ever regret not deliberately writing a more commercially-friendly tune, since the advent of the classic rock format would have meant more airplay today? DB: When you left Fludd to form Goddo, what expectations did you have for yourself? DB: What was your take on the whole idea of the CFL expanding to the States? DB: What was the first record you ever bought? DB: What direction do you think Fludd’s music would have taken had the group stayed together? DB: What’s your favourite city to play outside Canada and since there’s obviously at least one good story as to why, care to share it with us? DB: What legacy would you like your music to leave behind? DB: In what ways do you think the Canadian government could improve the support for homegrown talent? DB: Had Canadian radio properly supported homegrown talent and given you the support you deserved , where do you think Goddo would have gone? DB: What are your thoughts on online Canadian Music Rings in general, and their ability or lack thereof to preserve Canadian music from yesterday that radio stations ignored at the time? DB: What would you like to see done to the character that invented the glowing hockey puck? DB: What was the greatest advantage when you broke onto the scene that today’s artists don’t have? DB: You’re a God – – so it’s unlikely you have many regrets about your career. But in hindsight, is there anything you would do slightly different? |