AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Think about Los Angeles within the late ’70s. in a smoke-filled room, outdated pals plug in some amps and switch up the quantity.
(SOUNDBITE OF JEFF BRIDGES SONG, “THIS IS THE ONE”)
JEFF BRIDGES: Each Wednesday evening, we would go over there, and we might jam.
CHANG: That’s Jeff Bridges. Again then, he was in his late 20s. He was already a film star with a pair Oscar nominations, however he was all the time taking part in music, together with at these weekly jam classes with outdated highschool pals.
BRIDGES: There have been guidelines to the jam, the primary one being that no songs have been allowed. Even songs that we have been writing weren’t allowed. It was only a free-form jam, taking part in devices that you do not know easy methods to play – a saxophone, simply hanging from the rafters by a piano string – and anyone might go simply, (vocalizing), you already know, wail on it.
CHANG: Ultimately, the crew did work on some correct songs – songs that Bridges had been writing – they usually received them down on tape.
BRIDGES: We received a little bit area and, you already know, received a cool – a type of TEAC four-track tape recorders, and we went to city.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “OBNOXIOUS”)
BRIDGES: (Singing) Oh, I used to be sitting round being obnoxious, I used to be consuming a little bit an excessive amount of.
CHANG: A long time later, Bridges discovered a cassette tape of these recordings, and now he is releasing it as an album known as “Gradual Magic.” After we chatted earlier this week, I requested him to take me again in time to these late-’70s jam classes.
There’s type of, like, a haze to this music. Like, at one level, you are singing about Quaaludes. There’s undoubtedly a vibe – proper? – to those jam classes. So could I ask, what helped create that vibe?
BRIDGES: Oh, effectively, you already know, this was the age of experimentation.
(LAUGHTER)
BRIDGES: You already know…
CHANG: So to talk.
BRIDGES: LSD, Quaalude, cocaine, pot – the entire issues. It was type of an harmless time. We hadn’t seen the darkish aspect of these substances.
CHANG: Yeah.
BRIDGES: We realized about that, you already know, years later, thank God.
CHANG: (Laughter).
BRIDGES: However…
CHANG: Good.
BRIDGES: …It was a wild time. You already know, two of the tunes on the album, “Kong” and “Right here On This Island,” speaking about experimentation – Burgess Meredith…
CHANG: Yeah.
BRIDGES: …Was included in each of these songs. And folks, you already know, my age in all probability keep in mind Burgess from the outdated “Batman” sequence…
CHANG: Yeah, he is a legend.
BRIDGES: …With Adam West. And previous to that, he was an enormous star on Broadway, you already know, again within the ’40s. So we did this tune, “Kong.” Burgess sang on that tune, after which he mentioned, say, I’ve received a poem. Do you guys wish to again me on this poem? And he recited this poem, “Right here On This Island.”
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “HERE ON THIS ISLAND”)
BURGESS MEREDITH: Right here on this island, which we sought and located, the one drawback we’ve got on so discovering is the notice evening and day that you have introduced a fiddle.
CHANG: I perceive that the entire music we hear on this album got here from a single cassette tape. Are you able to inform me about that tape?
BRIDGES: Yeah, it was a cassette. On the cassette, it was marked – what? – ’77 to ’78. However I feel a few of these tunes return sooner than that.
CHANG: And what did you suppose you have been going to do with that tape? Like, why not launch that music years in the past? What was stopping you?
BRIDGES: Yeah, it is humorous. Each occasionally, we would say, yeah, let’s make a band and take this additional. However we have been all into different stuff, and that fantasy by no means actually materialized. It is humorous. My dad and mom liked showbiz, significantly appearing, they usually each inspired all of their children to enter appearing. And after I was a teen, you already know, who needs to do what their dad and mom need them to do?
CHANG: (Laughter).
BRIDGES: And I mentioned, I received music. Possibly…
CHANG: Oh.
BRIDGES: …You consider music.
CHANG: Music made you completely different out of your dad and mom.
BRIDGES: Nicely, Dad – you already know, Dad would say, now, Jeff, you are going to be known as upon as an actor to do all of those belongings you’re fascinated by.
CHANG: Yeah.
BRIDGES: So, you already know, that is an important path, and I am glad I adopted his recommendation. However the seed of music has all the time been in me. And thank God, it blooms occasionally. You already know, it is nearly type of a seasonal factor, you already know, and it will come out. It needs to be expressed.
(SOUNDBITE OF JEFF BRIDGES SONG, “ATTITUDE”)
BRIDGES: There is a factor that I did after I was sick and had some downtime. I…
CHANG: Proper. You battled most cancers for…
BRIDGES: Yeah, most cancers and COVID on the identical time.
CHANG: And COVID when you have been….
BRIDGES: Oh.
CHANG: Sure, you have been being handled for most cancers.
BRIDGES: The COVID made the most cancers…
CHANG: Sure.
BRIDGES: …Appear to be nothing. However, you already know, I am 75. To suppose – I do not know if I’ve received the vitality to get a band collectively…
CHANG: (Laughter).
BRIDGES: …To rehearse all of the songs, go right into a studio, file. I mentioned, I am simply going to enter my music mine, M-I-N-E, and see if there are any tunes in there simply to place out, you already know?
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “ATTITUDE”)
BRIDGES: (Singing) Now, you may go it on, or you may expose the plan, or you could possibly smile and nod.
CHANG: Whenever you pay attention again to this music and listen to your self from nearly half a century in the past, what do you hear? Like, what are you noticing about your self again then?
BRIDGES: You already know, I do not really feel I’ve modified a lot since I used to be a little bit child, you already know? I am principally the identical man simply doing the identical factor. The massive plus for me was it was great getting the music out and having individuals pay attention.
CHANG: Yeah.
BRIDGES: However it additionally introduced collectively all these outdated pals, you already know, that we hadn’t seen one another such as you mentioned, in a…
CHANG: Superior (ph).
BRIDGES: …A few of them in a half a century.
CHANG: Yeah.
BRIDGES: And we received to, you already know, type of rekindle these relationships. And that was great.
(SOUNDBITE OF JEFF BRIDGES SONG, “YOU COULD BE READY”)
CHANG: Nicely, you are actually, like, most well-known as a performer on the display screen, however taking part in music itself can be a efficiency, proper? So I used to be questioning, is there one thing that is particular about performing music that you could’t faucet into whenever you’re performing for movie or TV? What’s completely different about performing music?
BRIDGES: Nicely, music, in my case – I am writing these songs, you already know, so the – I am not writing the films. You already know, I – typically I’ll do improvisations in movie, and that’ll be, you already know, captured.
CHANG: Certain.
BRIDGES: However when it will get right down to it, all of my inventive endeavors are coming from the identical place. And it is simply the duty is principally getting out of the way in which and let the factor do you, you already know…
CHANG: Yeah.
BRIDGES: …Whether or not it is a half or – you already know, you put together, actually. However then, at – you already know, for the time being, you let all of it go and, you already know, you pray, please take me the place you need me to go (laughter).
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “YOU COULD BE READY”)
BRIDGES: (Singing) You could possibly be prepared, however oh, wait, then, it is ready to your probability wherever it’s (ph). Oh, did you actually suppose you’ll keep down?
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