John Oates
John Oates
John William Oates is an American rock, R&B and soul guitarist, musician, songwriter and record producer best known as half of the rock and soul duo, Hall & Oates...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMusician
Date of Birth7 April 1948
CountryUnited States of America
decided europe four gone graduated
When I graduated from college in the spring of 1970, I decided to hitchhike around Europe with my guitar and my backpack. I was gone for about four months.
considered falls job might music playing teaching
The only job I'd ever had that might be considered not playing music was teaching guitar, which I did in college for a while, but that still falls in the same category.
actual decided hall inner open rock roll
When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame decided to open up the voting beyond their inner circle, to the actual fans, that's when I think everything changed.
almost coming might point understand visibility
We've never been apart, ... The whole time, we've been working and recording. So it's not about coming back. It's about continuing. I understand why (some people) might think we had disappeared. Our visibility has been almost nil. But the point is, we're a working band.
good people starving
I think people were just starving for good material because they just weren't getting it on the radio.
good hear people realistic realized substance time
I think we realized this is a good time now because people really do want to hear some realistic songs, something that has some substance to it.
album felt knew ourselves perceived time
I think we've always prided ourselves and perceived ourselves as songwriters, so it wasn't an album that we felt we had to do, ... But we knew that some day we'll do an album like that, and it will be fun. That's what it was really about. It was just the right time to do it.
connection either personal realized songs
I think what we realized was that we would do songs that either had a personal connection to us or a professional connection to us,
desires heads people relationships
Most relationships where two people have the same motivation, needs, desires and requirements... there's usually a butting of heads at one point.
glad meet outside record sing somebody town
I was just glad to meet somebody outside of my group of small town friends who was into music. Somebody else who had aspirations to do something more than sing at a record hop.
My songwriting has evolved, just as I've evolved as a person.
christmas difficult framework good hopefully narrow original personally references somewhat song time work
I think it's kind of difficult to write a good Christmas song because you have a narrow framework of references that you have to work within, and at the same time you want to do something that's personally original and hopefully somewhat unique.
business climate generally regardless
I think the key to making records generally is to make 'em for yourself, regardless of the climate in the business.
both four known lived moved musicians philly sound though throughout
Funny, even though we're known as Philly musicians and our sound is predicated on that, I lived in Philly just four years, ... Then we both moved to NYC and lived there throughout the '70s and '80s.