I have loved the music of Daryl Hall & John Oates most of my life -- hell, I even love the ampersand that links them. Hall & Oates' distinctive and wildly successful rock 'n soul sound is no guilty pleasure in my book, but one that I'm proud to celebrate. In terms of sweet soul music, they were my gateway drug of choice as a teenager, and I thank them both for that satisfying and healthy lifelong habit.
Last May, the guys threw a little celebration of their own by playing a few shows at Los Angeles' legendary and intimate club The Troubadour -- some thirty-five years after the duo's last engagement there. It was a complete blast to be invited to be there -- especially geeking out with the great Cameron Crowe right beforehand on what songs from Abandoned Luncheonette they might play -- because these are the things that truly matter.
Today, Daryl and John are putting out a new DVD/Double CD document of those shows called reasonably enough Daryl Hall & John Oates at the Troubadour. So I thought I'd take the opportunity to ask my heroes/acquaintances what it was like to work such a small room again
"It was not a surprise that nothing, I mean nothing, had changed," Daryl explained. "The same ratty couch was in the dressing room and I don't want to think what was on it. Believe me, I did not sit on it."
For John, "My arrival at the club for sound check was like stepping back in time. The room itself was virtually unchanged although I think the stage was much lower back in the 70's. When we first played there, opening for Harry Chapin, the audience was seated at tables -- now the floor was open for standing room. After sound check, I spent some time sitting at the bar which faces Santa Monica Blvd. and that's where the memories began to return... it was as if someone had turned back the clock. It could have been 1973 but of course it wasn't. And the young wide-eyed Philly kid experiencing L.A. for the first time was long gone but the excitement of the night's anticipated live show is exactly the same."
Finally, while I had their attention, I figured I'd do a little group therapy, and ask each of the guys what the other brought to the whole Hall & Oates party.
"Daryl Hall is all about music," John said. "It's his life and reason for being. It is that passion and commitment to the songs he writes and the performance he gives that have become the trademark that so many people have come to associate with the sound of Hall and Oates."
As for Daryl, "John brings a lifetime of friendship and association which you cannot duplicate or buy. His point of view is integral to the H&O experience."
Are you Experienced?