Tag Archives: Gordon Raphael

Gordon Raphael: The Interview

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Reminiscing about his early days in Seattle, musician, and producer, Gordon Raphael, casually mentions the velvet clothes he preferred to wear just as flannel shirts were becoming the standard uniform for any aspiring rock star from the Pacific Northwest. It’ an important detail because Gordon didn’t readily fit into an obvious category then and avoids easy labeling today. He lives in Berlin, where he says that city’s love of non-stop techno bores him and he feels out of place. Except, he adds, it’s a safe city where no one carries guns, there’s no hint of violence and he can walk his dog, dressed in a pink clown costume with a rainbow mohawk, without anyone taking notice. It’s the contradictions that make Gordon a unique figure in the world of rock ’n’ roll. His bio includes forming two original bands, Mental Mannequin and Colour Twigs, then during the Grunge Revolution, he was keyboardist for the psychedelic band Sky Cries Mary. His following band associations and recording credits is far too long to list here, but after moving to New York and setting up his own basement studio, Gordon produced The Strokes’ first album before moving to London for more collaborations and then onto his present home, Berlin. It’s a fascinating story from an engaging talent. Norman B’s interview with Gordon Raphael is next on Life Elsewhere.

Photo of Gordon Raphael by Juani Bousquet

Life Elsewhere is available at NPR One & iTunes

Sundays 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
Mondays 5.00pm PT & Wednesdays 2.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio
Thursdays 6.00pm ET at Internet Radio Network
Fridays at 9.00pm GMT on Cornucopia Radio

If you miss any editions of Life Elsewhere, go here then go to the Listen On-Demand panel, choose the date of a show and click play.

Life Elsewhere Music airs:
Mondays at 6.00pm & Wednesdays at 3.00pm Pacific Time on NWCZ Radio
Fridays at 10.00am Eastern Time on IRN
Cornucopia Radio airs Life Elsewhere Music throughout each week
You can hear all the volumes over at Mixcloud
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Show #252

A Peculiar Contradiction

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Norman B & Peter James with Keith the alpaca making a guest appearance

“Peter, you live in this spectacular environment, a beautiful house set in a gorgeous landscape of lush green rolling hills, with a veritable menagerie of cuddly dogs, inquisitive emus, nosey alpacas, gentle chickens and reclusive ducks. Your home is replete with exquisite artwork, precious collectibles, an exemplary wine cellar, an impressive array of rare whiskeys and a garage full of grand automobiles. Clearly, you live an idyllic life. So, please do tell me, how is it possible for you to conjure up a dastardly villain like Tooth?” This is the beginning of Norman B’s face-to-face interview with the famed crime-thriller author, Peter James. Over the last couple of years, the two men have met a number of times via Skype and telephone, but this was the first time they had met in person. When Norman mentioned to Peter that he would be visiting the UK, his home country, Peter enthusiastically invited Norman to his country home. In the dashing style, appropriate for a best-selling author, James showed up at the local railway station in his gleaming new Aston Martin to whisk the radio host through the beautiful Sussex countryside to his sumptuous estate. After a leisurely stroll around the property, a delicious lunch, including pork pies, (a ubiquitous English delicacy), was served. Then, Norman B’s informal, perhaps unconventional interview with Peter James began. With a sly, sometimes cheeky wit, Peter is an engaging conversationalist and natural story-teller, making it easy to understand why his DS Roy Grace crime novels have sold 18 million copies worldwide. When you listen to Peter James merrily chat about his research in creating gruesome crimes, imagine the spectacular setting Norman B describes above. It’s a peculiar contradiction, a charming erudite writer living the privileged life of an English squire who delves into the darkest depths of man’s most cruel behavior for his work. Is this the allure of Peter James’ writing? Find out in the next edition of Life Elsewhere.

Also in the program, we are delighted to play for you two songs from the new album, Sleep On The Radio by the highly-rated producer and musician, Gordon Raphael. The album is scheduled for release on Zero Hours (UK) September 22nd. Widely known for his work with The Strokes, Gordon’s friendship with Norman B goes back to his early days in Seattle when he formed two original bands, Mental Mannequin and Colour Twigs. In the 1990s during the famous Grunge Revolution, he was keyboardist for the psychedelic band Sky Cries Mary– and starred in an epic dark-wave band called Absinthee. An in-depth interview with Gordon Raphael is being scheduled for an upcoming edition of Life Elsewhere.

Life Elsewhere is available at iTunes

Sundays 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
Mondays 5.00pm PT & Wednesdays 2.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio
Thursdays 6.00pm ET at Internet Radio Network
Fridays at 9.00pm GMT on Cornucopia Radio

If you miss any editions of Life Elsewhere, go here then go to the Listen On Demand panel, choose the date of a show and click play.

Life Elsewhere Music airs:
Mondays at 6.00pm & Wednesdays at 3.00pm Pacific Time on NWCZ Radio
Fridays at 10.00am Eastern Time on IRN
Cornucopia Radio airs Life Elsewhere Music throughout each week
You can hear all the volumes over at Mixcloud
Make a Donation Button