Tied to the whippin' post

I had my phone interview with Gregg Allman this afternoon.

I chatted with the Southern rock legend for about 20-25 minutes, and all things went well. Of course, the story doesn't come out for a couple of weeks, so I won't spoil it yet.

But what you won't read in an ordinary newspaper story is that Gregg was in good spirits, and laughed a number of times. He speaks in a slow Southern drawl with a voice that's got a bit of a growl to it.

In general, I was happy with the way it went. It's always a bit nerve-racking for me when I talk to artists that I have listened to for years.

In most cases, I truly enjoy the opportunities I have to speak with musicians, but a few have had me very nervous:

George Thorogood - The first concert I ever went to was of Thorogood, so when I got to talk with him about 15 years later, it was as if I had come full circle.

Gene Simmons - Come on, it's Gene Simmons! I had no idea what to expect, but he was incredibly nice and a pretty good interview.

Alice Cooper - The idea that Alice talks about himself in the third person was pretty strange, but this wound up being one of the best interviews I've ever done. It was scheduled for 15 minutes, but I actually talked to him for 45. He also thanked me for a "great interview." Definitely a highlight for me.

Bo Diddley - A legend that was nice enough to give me about 15 minutes.

George Carlin - I've always had problems interviewing comics - they're always completely different than their on stage "character." (Except for Andrew "Dice" Clay). Margaret Cho was that way too. I guess I expect comics to give fun interviews, but they're always very serious and to the point, and usually don't joke much at all.