A Conversation with Allen Toussaint – HuffPost 9.25.13

Mike Ragogna: Hello Allen, how are you?

Allen Toussaint: I’m very well, thank you!

MR: And you have a little musical accompaniment, I hear.

AT: [music playing in background] [laughs] There is a little, yes.

MR: Rumor has it that since you began your appearances at Joe’s Pub, the place has never been the same. What the heck did you do to that place anyway?

AT: [laughs] Well, that’s a wonderful statement, I hadn’t heard that before now. It’s quite flattering, but I love that place. They initiated me doing the Sunday brunches and it initiated me to be able to do solo performances, I must say, and I’m grateful to them.

MR: Apparently, you were so comfortable with this setting that you recorded Songbook, your new project, which is a snapshot of you meets New York and Joe’s Pub.

AT: Oh yes, yes.

MR: Can you remember the night that went into Songbook? Did you know that was a killer night or what?

AT: No, I didn’t. I was quite concerned because I’ve spent most of my life in the studio recording so you always want to do things as perfectly as you can, and for a live performance, you sort of have to take what you get. So I was really concerned, but Joe’s Pub is quite comfortable for me, so I was able, somewhere in the midst, to relax and have a good time.

MR: How did you whittle down that massive catalog of yours to this tracklist?

AT: Well, I had no idea what was going to be the difference in that time versus any other time because, having done this quite a few times, I’ve changed the set sometimes, and it happened to be that bit that time. It was like other sets, just that I’d add something or subtract something and he happened to capture it at that time. I was hoping that he got something suitable and he believes he did so I’m happy with it.

MR: “He” being Paul Siegel?

AT: Yeah Paul Siegel, who really believes in me and really has been quite a fan and keeps me in touch with myself many times, because he can bring up songs that I had laid to rest many years ago and suggest that perhaps I should revisit this and revisit that. I’m very grateful that he knows so much about my repertoire.

MR: What’s the story of your performing “Saint James Infirmary”?

AT: “Saint James Infirmary” was on the most recent thing that I’ve recorded. That album–I still call them albums–was produced by Joe Henry from the West Coast. He chose a lot of American classic songs for us to do instrumentally and “Saint James Infirmary” was one of them. I hadn’t played that. I knew that song all of my life, but I hadn’t played that song until Joe Henry suggested it as a part of Bright Mississippi when it was being recorded. I was glad he did because he called my attention to some beautiful melodies that I was overlooking in American classic standards.

MR: And of course, that was one of Louis Armstrong’s signature pieces.

AT: Oh yes, indeed. Everything Louis Armstrong touched became his.

MR: It surprises to me to this day that Allen Toussaint was not a Top Ten artist, although you produced or wrote many hits for various other artists. You love being in the studio and you love producing and working with other people, but what about your own aspirations? Was that, at one point, one of your aspirations, to be a big artist, or was it just to make music and record music and you weren’t really even thinking about having your own Allen Toussaint hits?

AT: I had never considered myself to be one of the front stage center people. I was always well-satisfied being a person behind the scenes who writes, arranges, organizes and gets with artists and pushes them forward in the direction they would like to go, some direction that I thought was good for them. That has been my forte. Whenever I’ve recorded on my own, it was a request by someone. I never thought about recording me on my own. I’m more inspired by others.

MR: Right, and some of that inspiration seems to come from the depth of your relationships, I imagine. Take your introduction to “Brickyard Blues.” It’s so personal, and as a result, it seems like you’re in a mentoring position whenever you’re working with artists.

AT: I like that description, I hadn’t coined it in my own head, but if that’s how it comes off, yes, I really feel at my best when I’m about to write for an artist and give them a direction that I think would be good for them to deliver some of their highlights. I feel that’s my best.

MR: And you’ve inspired so many people, just look at everyone who’s recorded your material. When you were overseeing “Lady Marmalade” with Labelle, during that period, there was a bit of a molding process going on, right?

AT: Oh, yes, it was delightful, working with them. For one thing, they were so professional, they had all of the theater that goes with it, plus Labelle soars, of course, and the marriage of Patti LaBelle and Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx was just perfect. It was just delightful because I could already see that they were soaring, so I wanted to be sure that that’s what they would do.

MR: Nice. And “Lady Marmalade” was such a massive hit that gets played on classic pop radio to this day. An accomplishment like that must feel good, huh.

AT: It feels wonderful, just wonderful, and those ladies carried everything so well. They represented that whole genre so very well. It was a pleasure and it was an honor to collaborate with them.

MR: What’s interesting is a lot of artists introduced Allen Toussaint to the public, and I think you, as a songwriter, became an icon as well. I think a lot of people were exposed to Allen Toussaint through the various artists that recorded your material, whether it were The Pointer Sisters, Robert Palmer, and especially through Boz Scaggs’ hit “What Do You Want The Girl To Do?”

AT: I love that version and yes, I’ve been introduced by various artists over the years and I’m really grateful to all of them. It’s just a good position to be in where so many folks can carry you with them around the world.

MR: And we should also bring up “A Certain Girl.” Although I think a lot of people may not remember the Ernie K-Doe version, they probably remember the Warren Zevon version.

AT: Oh yes, yes, yes. And The Yardbirds.

MR: And Robert Palmer and that first album celebrates Allen Toussaint in a lot of ways also.

AT: Oh yes, and of course Little Feat and Lowell George being mixed in there made it all the funkier.

MR: Allen, you have a song a called “What Is Success?” May I ask you that question? What is success?

AT: Oh, as far as I’m concerned, success is being blessed to do something that you love and it also can support you. You don’t have to become rich with it, but to do something you love and do it all of your life, that is success to me.

MR: You brought a lot of success to so many. What’s interesting is some of your collaborations and musical associations beyond artists recording your material. For instance, you worked with Paul McCartney and Wings on the Venus And Mars album.

AT: Oh, Paul McCartney…magic. Well, The Beatles, of course, were magic, but Paul McCartney and Wings and Paul McCartney period were very much a highlight, especially for me. I really loved that era and Paul McCartney’s just a superb musician. He’s a superb producer by himself and there are no ragged edges on it, everything is fine-tuned.

MR: Plus the two of you recording “I Want To Walk You Home” together on the Going Home tribute kind of proves that, doesn’t it?

AT: Oh, thank you for mentioning that. That was very much fun.

MR: Now, Glen Campbell did a totally different version of “Southern Nights” from yours. What did you think of it after you heard his take on it?

AT: I loved it! For one thing, I never thought it would become a commercial song where people would see it, because I recorded it to share a story and I knew it wouldn’t inspire a dance or anything of that nature. I was just musically telling a story, a very real story and a dear story to my heart. I heard Glen Campbell’s version and I heard later that it was inspired by Jimmy Webb who heard it and told Glen and his producers, “You should put the tempo up on this tune and give it a go.” When I heard it, I just loved it dearly and I always was a Glen Campbell fan anyway, so to have one of my songs in his repertoire was quite a charge.

MR: You also collaborated with Elvis Costello.

AT: Well, that was the most magical collaboration I’ve ever had. I first met Elvis Costello and collaborated with him in ’83. He was coming to New Orleans to do one of Yoko Ono’s songs called “Walking On Thin Ice,” and he said that he’d like me to produce it and work with him on it and we did just that. He came to the studio and we did that recording and that was the first time I had met with Elvis. That was just great, because I didn’t know his music before then, I didn’t know what he was about. I knew he was a name and such, but I didn’t know. He came back a few years later and he had me play piano on the Spike album, on “Deep Dark Truthful Mirror,” and I heard much more extensive music of Elvis. By then, I had heard a bit more of him and I was elated by how much he carried around with him information and love and respect for music and so many gems. I like to say that he doesn’t just listen to the top of the surface of things, he listens subterraneally as well. So when we got together after Katrina. I migrated out to New York for a little while because it was martial law. We had to leave New Orleans or I never would have, and Elvis was in New York at the same time and we collaborated on a concert to benefit the people of New Orleans. He said he always wanted to do an Allen Toussaint songbook, and here we are, how about it? We got together and he chose many of my old songs that I had laid to rest many years ago and we even co-wrote songs together, which I really delighted in. That’s how that worked, and then we toured around the world a couple of times.

MR: You also collaborated with Robbie Robertson and The Band on Cahoots and Rock Of Ages and The Last Waltz.

AT: Oh yes, yes, that was quite a delight. The first thing I did with him was “Life Is A Carnival.” I did the horn arrangement on that. That was the first time I heard The Band. I was really amazed at how sure they were with their direction. It was unlike the other music out there. Of course, later on, I went and did the horn arrangements for the Rock Of Agesalbum and we did four performances at a theatre. That last night, Bob Dylan came in and spent the second half of the set on stage with us. It was quite a time.

MR: And I didn’t want to leave out one of my favorite covers of your material, “It’s Raining,” by Irma Thomas.

AT: Oh yes, I love Irma Thomas dearly. Her voice is in my head all the time.

MR: It’s a shame her name doesn’t always come up when there’s a discussion of the best soul singers. I never understood that.

AT: That’s an interesting way to put it. She’s at the top of my list.

MR: Let’s also talk about you being appreciated. You’ve won many awards, and you were inducted into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall Of Fame in 1998.

AT: Oh yes, that was a biggie for me. It was big to me…it was quite a high honor. I cherish that by my peers, I was chosen to have such an award. And it was in grand style!

MR: Did you meet all your old friends at that event?

AT: Oh yes, everyone. There were so many people there–Paul Simon, Paul Shaffer, Robbie Robertson, just loads of wonderful people.

MR: And in 2009, you won Louisiana’s Hall Of Music Award.

AT: Oh, yes, yes, which I appreciate dearly as well, that I wasn’t overlooked in my own state.

MR: Where are you right now? Are you between New York and New Orleans?

AT: I live in New Orleans now but I maintain an apartment in New York. I love New York, the energy there is just wonderful. You can stand on the corner and the whole world passes you by–languages, foods, everything. But I live in New Orleans where I will live forever. That’s just a must. New Orleans nourishes me and feeds me well.

MR: What advice do you have for new artists?

AT: New artists? This is a wonderful time because of the technology. They have so many avenues to take to get where they would like to go. If I was to say something, and I rarely give advice, I would say surround yourself with good people and positive attitudes. You’ll hardly ever learn anything from negativity, whether it be physical or mental. So let the bad slip by without paying much attention to it and keep a positive attitude and never give up on your dream if you have one. Wake up looking forward to what you would like to have. Each day, you will wake up for something, so wake up for that.

MR: Wow, that’s pretty powerful. Thank you very much for that.

AT: Thank you.

MR: One last question, when should we be looking at Songbook Two?

AT: [laughs] I’ll check with Paul Siegel on that. Paul Siegel and my dear friend Josh who has been so inspirational through that whole Joe’s Pub segment, which I hope will go on as long as I’m around. I have no idea right now.

MR: All right, you’re great and I really appreciate this interview. Allen, all the best with everything.

AT: Thank you.

Transcribed by Galen Hawthorne