I am what I am, and that's all that I am.

—POPEYE

If I could not laugh at myself, my sense of humour would be incomplete.

—HUFFERINGTON ROOT

FOREWORD

THE MUSIC INTERVIEWS: A Bloody Yank's Memoir of Sorts consists of transcripts of 19 interviews of Atlanta, Georgia musician and songwriter Gary Capelouto. British media entrepreneur Hufferington Root conducted these interviews.

Out of respect for our UK friends and to acknowledge Hufferington's love of all things British, an editorial decision was made to use British spellings in his printed dialogue. American spellings were used in Gary's. All punctuation is in the American English style.

Gary's frequent and unorthodox use of Spanish profanities baffled several experienced copyeditors. It was decided to italicize them. Several were spelled phonetically.

Hufferington didn’t use contractions in any of his dialogue. When told the wording would flow easier if contractions were substituted, he adamantly refused to allow them. “My grammar beak at Eton, Mr. Avery-Goodbooke, was barking mad—mad as Ajax. He hated contractions with a psychotic passion. He thought them less than sophisticated and the epitome of verbal laziness. It was drummed into our heads.” 

Late in the interviews, Gary was asked if he made up any of his childhood and coming-of-age stories. He replied, “My memory isn’t perfect, Huff, but I didn't make up any stories. They all happened, although I might have spiced up a few things.”

The veracity of Hufferington’s stories is discussed in Interview Nineteen.

The cover photo of Amazon Puddleshire-Smeally is explained in Interview Fifteen.

You may listen to many of the songs and piano compositions mentioned in THE MUSIC INTERVIEWS at www.GaryCapelouto.com.

BonaFide Books

A HuffRoot Media Company

We Is Plugged In

London • Atlanta

To musicians and artists everywhere

and

to my children J.D. and Carolyn.

GC

To Joseph Anton.

“The storytelling animal must be free to tell his tale.”

From one hidden man to another.

HR

AUTHORS’ NOTES

Dear reader, as you embark on what we hope will be a satisfying literary adventure, I shall be leading the way in my safari helmet, cutting with my ink-stained machete through the tangled underbrush of Gary's past. Have no fear—I will not disappoint. I shall return you home well pleased and in good spirits.

I must mention you may order extra copies of THE MUSIC INTERVIEWS for friends, family, acquaintances, enemies, and complete strangers for a very reasonable price at TheMusicInterviews.com. Satisfaction guaranteed! Cheers!

Hufferington Root

London, England

THE MUSIC INTERVIEWS was written for my fellow musicians and artists. After 50 years of playing music and writing songs, I thought I could share the insights I’d gained. As I began to write, however, something interesting happened—an unexpected, feverish outpouring of longhand scribbling.

The book came alive and grew. I felt the same type of excitement as when writing a song, but this was my first attempt at writing prose. I went into writing as I had music—untrained and idealistic, stubborn and independent, willfully ignorant of any rules.

THE MUSIC INTERVIEWS is still addressed to musicians and artists, but it became much more than a primer on music. It evolved to include the larger story of my life and creative work—a memoir of sorts—thanks in large part to my Old Etonian interviewer, Hufferington Root. Huff allowed me to tell my story the only way I could comfortably tell it. Meanwhile he became, in his words, “the star of the book.”

I often laughed with mischievous glee as I wrote this book. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I had writing it. 

Gary Capelouto

Atlanta, Georgia, USA