View Peter Hocking's playlists
We only have a few minutes, so try to be brief.
Okay, I'll do absolutely anything you say.
Right. Why did you call the movie Stop Making Sense?
Because it's good advice. Because music and performing does not make sense.
Amazing.
It is my job.
How did you ever think of that big suit? What a big suit!
I like symmetry and geometric shapes. I wanted my head to appear smaller and the easiest way to do that was to make my body bigger. Because music is very physical, enough in the body understands it before the head.
What are you going to do next?
A project with songs based on true stories from tabloid newspapers. It's like 60 Minutes on acid.
I'll bet! What made you think of having the musicians come out one at a time?
Well, if the curtain opened and everything was there, there would be nowhere to go. It tells the story of the band and it gets more dramatic and physical as it builds up. It's like 60 Minutes on acid.
What made you pick Jonathan Demme?
I decided that if this show were to be captured, it should be by an experienced film director, whose work I loved.
Well, what did Jonathan do?
He knew what not to do is what he did do. He also saw things as an outsider.
Do you like his outfits? How about his haircuts?
I'll tell you later.
When are you going to tour again?
When there is something new to say to an audience, then we'll tour again. Besides new songs, well, the only way to say that thing is through a live performance-making. That's what we'll be doing. Then it's what we have to do is to be touring. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?
Yeah, we see a variety of hairstyles on rock groups these days, huh?
One must never underestimate the power of a good hairdo. I'd like to write a song about hairdos, not about the people under 'em. Then the do's have a power by themselves.
I wrote a song about hairdos myself. You wanna hear it?
Maybe later.
What do the words of your songs mean to you? I mean, you don't write love songs, do you?
Umm, I try to write about small things. Paper, animals, a house. Love is kind of big. I have written a love song, though. In this film I sing it to a lamp.
You wanna be in movies? Like the Prince? The Sting? The David Bowie?
Only when absolutely necessary. I would like to show people the movies... in... my... head.
I got a movie in my head. You wanna see it?
No, but do you have anything to eat?
So, how do you like this suit?
I wish I had one like that.
Yeah. You know any new jokes?
I can't tell it here.
Right. If I gave you 50 dollars right now, what would you do with it?
I would get something to eat.
Right.
It's cold in here, don't you think? No? I don't think you have a very good voice, but you're a singer. How do you do that?
The better the singer's voice, the harder it is to believe what they're saying. So I use my faults to an advantage.
Have you ever been to a psychiatrist? Or taken drugs?
I'll tell you later.
What do you think happens when you get too far from your house?
I'll tell you later.
Playlists for Peter Hocking:
- September 19, 2009 | When I Make Gravy, the Gravy's All Over the Place (Random Unrequested Album of the Moment: "Haih or Amortecedor" by Os Mutantes
- September 05, 2009 | Greasy Nerd Stuff
- August 29, 2009 | 9 Out of 10 New Jersey Police Officers Agree: Bob Dylan Looks Like An Old Homeless Guy These Days (Releasing an X-Mas Album)
- February 07, 2009 | Bleeding Sales Clerk in Aisle Four
- January 24, 2009 | Music to Organize Your Oval Office Desk By
- November 22, 2008 | What Would Vincent Price Do?
- November 15, 2008 | Another Sunny Day in Scranton
- November 08, 2008 | Obama Power!
- November 08, 2008 | Let's Be Positive! (Fill-In for Roman Grecco's "Grecian Formula")
- November 01, 2008 | WUSR: Redistributing the Musical Wealth for Joe the Plumber, Lenny the Listener, and You!
- October 25, 2008 | The Disco Desperado Strikes Back
- October 18, 2008 | Your Host, With Serious Back Pain
- October 11, 2008 | Sing Me Songs of Obama
- September 20, 2008 | And Now, Your Host, Barely Awake
- September 13, 2008 | Another Week's Hit Music
- September 06, 2008 | This Week's Hit Music
- August 30, 2008 | La Fester
- August 23, 2008 | Come, Fill Your Styrofoam Plate with Musical Nourishment
- August 16, 2008 | WUSR: Just Because We're Pro-Orient Doesn't Mean We're Not Anti-Occident
- August 09, 2008 | Hello, Gooey People!
- August 02, 2008 | ...Or Is It?