Late, great Dan Fogelberg talked about love, breakups and the environment with Nestor in June 1991 before Merriweather Post concert

It hard to say how much we are missing the beautiful music of the living legacy to the leader of the band.

Dan Fogelberg discussed his upcoming acoustic tour, which was the opening performance for the Denver Performing Arts Center. The tour will feature symphonic arrangements, including “Bones in the Sky.” Fogelberg’s new live album and video, recorded at the Fox Theater in St. Louis, were released last week. The video includes interviews and footage from his ranch and New Mexico. Fogelberg expressed pride in his “Wild Places” album, which has sold around 400,000 copies. He also highlighted his environmental activism, particularly in stopping the Anwar drilling proposal in Alaska. Fogelberg’s acoustic tour will feature new songs and material from the live album.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

acoustic tour, Denver Performing Arts, live album, Fox Theater, symphonic performance, environmental activism, Wilderness Society, Anwar drilling, Walden Woods, broken wine glass, new songs, live video, solo tour, concert video, public awareness

SPEAKERS

Dan Fogelberg, Nestor Aparicio

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Dan Fogelberg  00:01

Hello, calling for Nestor Aparicio,

00:03

this is Nestor.

Dan Fogelberg  00:04

Hi. This is Dan Fogelberg, Hi, Dan. How are you pretty good?

Nestor Aparicio  00:06

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I’m sorry. We, we didn’t cross paths earlier on in the tour. There one time you called me. We you had gotten the wrong time for your manager or something like that. Oh yeah, yeah, that’s what had happened. Because I know Lori said something that you know you call me before, but yeah, you were an hourly from my end anyway, but don’t worry, we got a ton. So I’m your biggest fan. I was down at the show in Merryweather. I’m going to be down next week. What’s the acoustic tour? Like

Dan Fogelberg  00:30

I’ve started yet?

00:32

You haven’t started yet.

Dan Fogelberg  00:33

The night’s the first date we’re doing. And basically what we’re doing is a special gala performance for opening the Denver Performing Arts Center. Oh, really, it’s a whole bunch of opera and ballet and symphony and classical. So it’s more like a theater house. Yeah, this is a brand new place. It’s like the largest facility, performing arts center, facility, rest of New York City.

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00:56

Oh, really, and figure in Chicago, or any of those things, huh? Yeah,

Dan Fogelberg  00:59

see, that’s what they tell me, yeah. Can

01:00

you hold for just one second? I got a call buzzing in here.

Dan Fogelberg  01:03

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I in here.

01:05

So this thing opens tonight, or Yeah,

Dan Fogelberg  01:07

it’s a nationally televised live broadcast on arson entertainment channel.

Nestor Aparicio  01:12

Oh, really, so I can watch it here. I

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Dan Fogelberg  01:15

guess it’s 10 to 11 your time. Oh, great, great.

Nestor Aparicio  01:19

So you’re the headliner. You’re one of many, yeah? Well, I’m

Dan Fogelberg  01:22

basically the headline. I’m closing the thing up. So for some children’s choirs, but Eugene fedora and I and Tony Randall and bunch of people, it’s pretty neat.

01:29

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So what kind of stuff you’re gonna be doing tonight? I’m

Dan Fogelberg  01:31

working with the orchestra. Oh, really. So it’s gonna be symphonic, yeah, yeah, bones in the sky, with the with the orchestra. Oh, great,

Nestor Aparicio  01:38

great. So what’s your tour looking like at this point? Or have you laid down the foundation for it?

Dan Fogelberg  01:44

It’s there. It’s about a three week solo tour, basically, just to get some word out about the live album, video, which has just been released last week. See,

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Nestor Aparicio  01:51

I don’t know anything about that. I haven’t received it yet. So fill me in. Fill in the holes for me.

Dan Fogelberg  01:55

We recorded our show this summer at the Fox Theater in St Louis, Missouri, and basically, we’ve just released a double arrived CD and a full concert video called greetings from the west.

Nestor Aparicio  02:09

So this is an hour and a half kind of thing, okay? And video

Dan Fogelberg  02:14

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is like 100 minutes or something like that says on the package somewhere,

02:18

okay, so it’s a longer than

Dan Fogelberg  02:20

me. Yeah, it’s not just a straight concert performance. And we did a lot of shooting down in my ranch and around New Mexico, and there’s a lot of interview material in it. And I’m really excited about it. I’m really pleased with the way it came out. So

02:32

did you participate in the editing process of it or,

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Dan Fogelberg  02:35

well, indirectly, I was doing the album while they were doing the video. This thing came together real fast.

Nestor Aparicio  02:41

Did you know, before the summer even started, you were gonna have some latest No,

Dan Fogelberg  02:44

I mean, we got out on the road, and I was so pleased with the show, the way it was going, and the way it was looking and everything, that when we got to New York City, when all the epic people came to the show, and they threw a party for us afterwards, and I was going in there saying, Man, I’ve got to hit these guys up to do this. You know, I was ready. I was prepared to crawl across my tongue.

Nestor Aparicio  03:02

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You have to actually crawl to get these things done. Not the easiest things to get going. You know, you’re not their biggest artists anymore, but I mean, still, you’re still a marquee name on their label, aren’t you? Oh, absolutely. So I mean, but a lot

Dan Fogelberg  03:15

of times these live albums traditionally aren’t big sellers anyway, so it’s kind of hard to propose it, but I walked into the party and they said, We’ve got to have this on to this on tape and on video.

03:24

Now, did you ever have any inspiration to do a live album before?

Dan Fogelberg  03:28

Not really. No, no, it’s got to happen on their own. That’s That’s how this one felt. It was just the right timing. I wanted to do it. They wanted to do it. The band was there. The show was there. It was quick and it was difficult, you know, because we didn’t have a lot of time, because we didn’t start this before the tour, right? Pretty organically while we’re out there. But it really came off great. Really proud of it. Now,

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03:53

with wild play, are you just super proud of that material in particular? Because, I mean, most of the show is, well, wild place is tough. Think

Dan Fogelberg  03:59

it’s important music in my career. I think probably the best batches long I’ve had 10 years or so, I really enjoyed with those songs are about, I think it’s got a lot of heart in it, a lot of truth in it. And I’m very proud of that stuff. Well,

Nestor Aparicio  04:14

I mean, nature is not a new, new concept for you. I mean, I guess you’ve been proposing these things for quite some time during your show. You’ve you’ve talked a lot about it, but, I mean, how do you educate the public to recycle and these old school people who just refuse to do these kinds of things?

Dan Fogelberg  04:31

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It’s just getting getting the information out there. I mean, we just shown incredible results today. I mean, we’re all ecstatic today because they thought they actually just voted down the Anwar drilling proposal this morning, that’s what we’re working on this summer, national wildlife. Okay, right? And okay, they just voted down this morning. That’s in Alaska. It’s dead. It’s dead, yep. So it does make a difference. Well, who all the people that joined up because of the concert this summer and all the work that the Wilderness Society did and the environmental community? He paid off, and they straight up this morning, admitted that it was they couldn’t believe that we had gotten so organized. And the oil companies said it’s purely the environmental community to stop this from

Nestor Aparicio  05:09

happening. Well, I mean, it’s just amazing. I mean, with Henley doing what he’s doing up in Walden woods, how people just want to rape the land, I just can’t find any valor in that. I mean, there’s got to be better spots to drill than in the middle of the national walkway. Absolutely,

Dan Fogelberg  05:24

that’s the point, you know. But these guys, these guys will do anything they can behind closed doors. I like vampires in the sun, you know, if you can get them exposed and get the truth to the people, they can be stopped. I mean, they, they really laid down on this once we because, you know, they didn’t think that the environmental community could really mount this big of a resistance to them.

Nestor Aparicio  05:43

Well, people are kind of pissed off enough, you know, after what happened with Exxon up there. I mean, people are real aware. It too bad it took a spill that magnitude to wake people up to what happened. People also,

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Dan Fogelberg  05:53

I mean, the oil companies were also banking on the fact that desert storm had gotten them a big key to open that door, you know, because they were going to use the whole ploy of, we won the war that takes oil production, right? So we won’t have to fight another war for oil, right? Which is they didn’t win. Man, it’s nice, you know, because you work all your life on things like this, and a lot of them are frustrating, and you lose, it feels real good to win one. Well,

Nestor Aparicio  06:18

yeah, I mean, I talked to two people, entertainers like yourself, and like John Denver and Henley, and I’ve done interviews with all of you know, your last stepping stone in this, in that triangle. But I mean, you all talk about these kinds of things, and it’s, I mean, how much do you think the people, just your regular fans, have have to do with this? What percentage are you trying to get to to to make a difference. Well,

Dan Fogelberg  06:41

as many as possible. Obviously, you don’t know. I mean, people. We handed out a lot of information about this this summer, and probably 10% of those people actually joined The Wilderness Society, you know, and wrote me letters and said that, yes, I have written my senators, Congressman, you know. So every little bit helps. There’s a significant amount of people that came on with this is what we’re doing this summer. It just feels really good to know that there are people out to the care. If you give them the information and you can’t say, oh, I want, I expect 50% of you people not. That’s a personal, conscious thing, right, right? Or personal motivation thing, probably, I imagine, a lot of people going away from the concert was saying, yeah, yeah, let’s stop this, you know, right? They put it on their their Bureau, you know, and forgot about it the next day. Well, for

Nestor Aparicio  07:27

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you, you’re, I don’t think you’re, you’re not saying this, do this for me. You’re saying do this for you, absolutely. Yeah, that’s the difference. Nothing to

Dan Fogelberg  07:34

gain from this, right? Live in Alaska, right? But, I mean, it’s a significant, symbolic victory, because we have stopped oil finally, and at least for the time being. I mean, you know, they’ll try again. Sure, there’s no doubt about that. I mean, I talked to what people, the woman said today, and they said, Yeah, every two and a half years or so they try to get up there. Well, there’s

07:53

too much at stake for them, you know, financially. Well,

Dan Fogelberg  07:56

if it’s high, if it’s, yeah, of course, but it’s high profile, they don’t like that. You know, these guys like to work with nobody knowing what they’re doing. If it’s high profile, they back away. But now at least got us a three year grace period, at least, but we can try to enact some real, powerful and lasting wilderness

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Nestor Aparicio  08:15

designation, nip it at the bud next time. Before it even gets started, it’s

Dan Fogelberg  08:19

our turn. Now they’ve got to stop us now, you know, right? So we’re kind of got the upper hand for a shake. Which is good way to go, Dan,

Nestor Aparicio  08:28

with the sales of wild places now, which has been better than exiles, or

Dan Fogelberg  08:33

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about the same now, where

08:35

are they? Oh,

Dan Fogelberg  08:36

I’d say about 400,000 or so. 400,000 or so. Don’t really check that much, but you know, it did as well as last No,

Nestor Aparicio  08:42

going back to exiles, which is one of my favorite albums, still, does this still hold the significant meaning about your relationship with your wife? And I think that’s what I didn’t get to interview you on that

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Dan Fogelberg  08:54

it was more just that. Was more like an exorcism. You know, once that music was done and out and finished, I had moved way beyond that, you know, I’m remarried now and very happy. That was just a period one had to go through. It’d be difficult to live through those in order to not make a statement about it, because it’s so consumptive. You know? I mean, it’s very difficult until you do finally get free of that situation to deal with anything else.

Nestor Aparicio  09:19

But How easy is it to make such a public statement about about I mean, you could write it as an exorcism for yourself, put it in your your dresser drawer, and leave it there. But you know what I’m saying? I mean, do you have to put it out on the sleeve for the public? I mean, I’m glad you did. Obviously, that’s

Dan Fogelberg  09:34

what I had to wrestle with. I’m saying, this is really personal stuff there. You know, Am I justified doing this? But the justification has come back, and what I thought it would that it’s been a very valuable tool for people who did go through divorce to know that it’s been done by someone else. And the songs have a lot of healing in them, indeed, not negative. And, you know, hateful the whole process, I look at it like a circle of healing, truthful, not hate. Full. And if it’s done it, if it’s helped other people get through that, then that’s a very valuable piece of work. I think I knew it wasn’t gonna be the most commercial piece of work ever did. Well,

10:09

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there was great stuff on there that, like she, don’t look back, was, you know, perhaps one of the better rock songs you’ve done. They’re playing that AOR here, and that’s just amazing to me. That wasn’t a bigger hit. Yeah,

Dan Fogelberg  10:19

me too, but top 40 has gotten real narrow these days, you know? I mean, every time we try to go, we try to go to them with ballads, we try to go with rockers, you know. And if you don’t really conform to a certain sound, a certain type of songwriting, you know, and you know what that stuff is, well, sure. I mean, it’s,

10:37

it’s tougher now than it was at 87 when that came out. I mean, every, every day it gets more dancy and, yeah,

Dan Fogelberg  10:43

narrower, you know, the top 40s really returned to what it was, I think, in the early 60s, which is just basically a teenage dance, sugar, sugar kids, you know, 14 or 10 to 14 or something. And so, you know, as long as I still got a good base on it, on Adult Contemporary and some of the other formats, that’s fine, because all I care about is letting people know that I have an album out. The main thing, I mean, obviously Don’s prove that, right, but his music has really been made more towards that format. Those are pretty fancy records. The snare drums, you know, are as big as a rule, right, right? But I respect that he’s been able to walk a good balance between that top 40 thing and still saying something artistically. Are

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11:32

you friends with Don Oh, yeah, we go away. Yeah. I thought you were. I mean, there’s certain connections in that whole la thing that happened back in the 70s. I mean,

Dan Fogelberg  11:42

I was out opening for the Eagles for years before I happened, you know. So we spent a lot of years and a lot of miles together on the road. I see each other occasionally. I

11:52

admire his work tremendously.

Dan Fogelberg  11:54

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He’s done a really good job of trans transcending. What the eagles were,

11:57

did he invite you to do the New York shows a couple weeks ago? Huh? Did he do invite you to do the Walden wood shows two weeks ago? I

Dan Fogelberg  12:02

haven’t heard from I wasn’t even around then. I remember hearing, I remember hearing Irving say he was going to New York do something with Don but I wasn’t sure what it was. It was welding together. Yeah, they

12:10

did two shows at Madison Square with Billy Joel, Paul Simon, yeah, yeah. I remember hearing something about that. Yeah. I wasn’t sure whether you got an invite or not. I wish I would have gone off and seen them, but they were in the middle of the week, which is, like, how are you going to get a Friday and Saturday night date at the garden in the middle? That’s

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Dan Fogelberg  12:27

really good. That’s a high power that must raise a lot of money for the cause, which is great, yeah. I

12:32

mean, and Don’s like, terribly in debt, organizationally, for for Walden, because they’ve already plopped down several million dollars just to get a piece of that land back. They’re getting it piece by piece now and just hoping somebody doesn’t come in there and try to drive in a parking lot at some

Dan Fogelberg  12:46

point. I think, you know, and it’s good, it’s good that, you know, people are getting involved, because you can’t do it all.

12:54

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Hey, if you didn’t have your pet up in Alaska, you know, there’d be rigs up there right now,

Dan Fogelberg  12:58

maybe, I don’t think that I was the turning point in it? Well, you and

13:02

several other people, but I mean, it’s probably really a handful of people that start this thing. Yeah, it really

Dan Fogelberg  13:06

was. It was really kind of a small thing, and it’s just really good to win one. And I hope, I hope, Don can pull it off for Walton too.

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13:14

That’s great. One more thing about excels that I’ve been meaning to ask you. And I swear if I ever got you on the phone, I would the broken glass on the back the wine, whose idea

Dan Fogelberg  13:22

mine. I was sitting in my house one night alone drink some wine, and I accidentally hit the glass and it broke like this crescent moon. I thought, boy, that looks like blood,

13:34

like my blood on the table. What a statement.

Dan Fogelberg  13:36

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And yeah, I thought it was pretty symbolic. It was a good image. It was really difficult, because I lost my housekeeper threw away the glass, and she had to break another one. We had to break dozens to get it to look like that, to look like that. And it was so funny. They kept trying to I wasn’t there when they did, it was at a commercial photography studio in Los Angeles, and my road manager was there. And they kept trying and trying to do it correctly. He finally said, No. I mean, when he did it, he just didn’t like that, and he hit it and it broke just like it. It was amazing. And so they took the photograph. That’s great, a great story, because I I use that as an example in my communications design, as something that is so symbolic, you know, that is you may have never seen a broken wine glass like that, but you see it on the back of the album cover. And you think, broken relationship. There it is. Yeah, that says it all the red wine, which usually is a celebration, you know, and fulfillment, you know, you know,

14:31

like a wedding glass, exactly. Well, anyway, what are you going to do on the acoustic show? What can we expect when you come in? Oh,

Dan Fogelberg  14:38

little bit of everything. I’ve got some new songs. I’m premiering a lot of the stuff that is on the live album, and the live video will be included

14:48

same show every night. Are you little flex or

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Dan Fogelberg  14:50

I basically do the same show every night? Yeah,

Nestor Aparicio  14:53

and it’s just you, or do you have acoustic people? Just me,

Dan Fogelberg  14:57

guitars and pianos? I. Very fun. Sounds great. I

Nestor Aparicio  15:02

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really look forward to seeing it. Get back and say hello to you for a change of the night you were married, whether you weren’t feeling well, things like the

Dan Fogelberg  15:07

last Yeah, sick after the show. It was really weird. I didn’t feel bad on stage, and then once I stopped, I just, like, kind of fell down. You know, look

15:15

for me in Washington. You’ll see me down there. Okay, thanks, Dan.