Cowsill Transcripts

Nicholas: What's the name of the show?

Kate: Ten something Ten ---- somebody quick

Susan: How about Ten little monkey rolling on the bed, one falls out and said "Roll over" Something like that

Intro music

Nicholas: Good evening ladies and gentlemen. This is the Radio Free Song Club - The Big Ten. Straight into your ears. A wonderful program tonight. All the way from Louisiana Susan Cowsill is with us. All the way from London Alessi’s Ark. All the way from Seattle Robin Holcomb. All live in the studio with the Radio Free All-stars. Tonight Doug Wieselman is with us on bass clarinet; JD Foster is back and the ever present Dave Schramm. Oh boy are we lucky, Russ Broussard is joining us on drums. And a whole slue of other folks in the house, as they say. I'm Nicholas Hill, your host. Kate Jacobs - hello.

Kate: Hello there Nicholas

Nicholas: Goodness gracious The Radio Free Song Club Victoria isn't with us tonight. Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby - their first _____ from abroad. Peter Holsapple - a very special treat for us tonight. David Schram, Freedy Johnson, Kate Jacobs and Robin Holcomb Peter Blegvad coming up too. Goodness Holy Cow - did I say that?

Susan: Yeah

. . .

Nicholas: The Radio Free Song Club in this - what season is it?

Susan: It's falllllll

Nicholas: We're coming to you live - a day later than attended. In the wee hours of the night.

Susan: Is that cuz it's 12:30 instead of 12:00?

Nicholas: Uhhhh I'm using anything I can find. I see the twinkling lights of Jersey City out the window and Susan Cowsill out the other window.

Susan: Yes, I'm out the other window. I am the ....

Nicholas: What a treat to see Susan Cowsill here in the Radio Free Song Club of all places.

Susan: It's good to be here.

Nicholas: Accompanied by Russ Broussard

Susan: Accompanied by Russ Broussard

Nicholas: Your little cohort

Susan: Yeah my little cohort (British accent) Is that what they call them these days?

Nicholas: Naw, they call them a lot of other things.

Susan: Russ and I are in town. We're on a mini-tour with our band. The Susan Cowsill Band That's not a diet product - like the lap band - it's the actual name of our band. And we're here, we got our wonderful folks from New Orleans. We got Mary Lassaigne with us and Alexis Marceaux and Sam and Jack Craft. They are my wonderfulest band EVER and there in the Radio Free Song Club house tonight. Now do we get like ears with transisters - you know like hats with transister ears?

Nicholas: Well they're on order

Susan: I think that would be a really cool idea. Can you imagine - like every time you come in you get hats that make you ....

Nicholas: That would be cool. I'm in total agreement.

Susan: I know the kids would appreciate that.

Nicholas: I'm counting on Kate to get that done.

Susan: Oh sure. The girl has to come up with the arts and crafty thing.

Nicholas: No, that's not how it works.

Susan: OK So, what's up man? What's new?

Nicholas: Well I'm here to welcome you into the fray.

Susan: Now are we instant member by being here?

Nicholas: Well you have to go through the application process.

Susan: I guess we should kiss it all good-bye then.

Nicholas: I wouldn't do that quite so quickly. Still to come in the programs is all sorts of crazy stuff happening tonight. There's more than just yourself

Susan: Is it a full moon?

Nicholas: No, I checked

Susan: Metor showers, there are metor showers.

Nicholas: Laura Cantrell is not with us this evening. Jody Harris is not with us this evening and Victoria Williams isn't here this evening.

Susan: So what's up with that?

Nicholas: That means - that's three whole club members who have sat out this month.

Kate: Yes, but look who is here.

Nicholas: Look who is here. We got Robin Holcomb all the way from Seattle Susan Cowsill all the way from New Orleans and Alessi's Ark from London.

Susan: It works, doesn't it

Nicholas: Yeah we're just filling in the cracks

Susan: There you go. Soooo .....

Nicholas: Welcome

Susan: Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here.

Nicholas: Presumable you know some of the other musicians here.

Susan: I've known a few from yes

Nicholas: Doug Weasleman

Susan: Yep Doug and I hung out in the late '70s. We just figure that out.

Nicholas: JD Foster

Susan: JD and I haven't figure out how we knew each other, but we know we did.

Nicholas: And Dave Schramm

Susan: Right - and there's no such thing

Nicholas: Ever present

Susan: Whatever! I keep - like I pretended for almost 20 years that that's Dave Schramm and I'm just going to keep it that way.

Nicholas: I think you should.

Susan: Yeah

Nicholas: Tell me about this thing that is happening with you and our Club member Freedy Johnston and JD Graham.

Susan: OK I feel like Annette all of a sudden. Like -- just cuz ...

Nicholas: Annette You mean like from The Mickey Mouse Club?

Susan: Yeah I got this ... anyway .... but the song that we're going to play for you tonight is a new song that I wrote on the fly. I'm doing this project with Freedy Johnstone and Jon Dee Graham and it's kind of a fictous family band, cuz I just can't get away from 'em. Pretend or not. I've been in both.

Nicholas: Well you're just a good family member.

Susan: I'm a good family band member. I'm drawn toward fictous versions of family bands. And this one ...

Nicholas: Wait a second. The Cowsills were not fictous.

Susan: No, but that other band was. It's a theme and I'm OK with it. This one is particularly awesome. We all met up in Austin Texas at the last south by south and kind of had a kismit kind of connection. And the guys ask me to join on this project that they doing. The are The Hobart Brothers. And Hobart being the machine that you wash the dishes with in the resturant.

Nicholas: If you're a restruant worker.

Susan: Correct And that was one of the criteria of being on this record and having been a waitress at Marie Calander's in Tuluka Lake, California and taking a couple of shifts washing dishes, I qualified, so I was pretty excited about that. And so the idea is, and the truth of the matter is that I was adopted out early on - like at birth and they hadn't seen me in ion to 50 years. And somehow we all found each other - probably through some reality TV show. And I'm back. So it's The Hobart Brothers with Lil Sis and this song that I'm going to play for y'all tonight, we got together and in 4 days recorded this whole record. The guys brought songs to the table that we all finished. We co-wrote everything together. And at the end of the last day - and it's typical of brothers - they just dump s*** on you at the last minute - and so they are all done and we have to do one more song and they are both "Well we don't have anything left, so what do you have?" So I said, "Well I have wasn't told that I had to have anything and I just came here to help you guys out." And Jon Dee made it quite clear that that was not the case and I was to go to my room and don't come out till I have a song. Which is not my basic nature. I don't write like that. They come to me. I don't summon them.

Nicholas: You're not used to being sent to your room either, are you.

Susan: No, no. I left home when I was three so nobody sends me to my room and gets away with it. ANYWAY I went and sat in this room, praying to the ceiling fan above me, to make a song. And it did and I actually called Russ, secretly in the closet, panic stricken that they wanted me to write a song on the fly and he gave me a couple of pointers and I sat for a second and I thought, "OK what could I write about?" And I came up with the idea that finding my long lost brothers would be the way to go. Being this person left on a church step with a blanket and bells, only. And so that's what this song is about.

Nicholas: Susan Cowsill

Susan: Ahhhh Pray for us.

Song: I Never Knew Click here to take a listen

Susan: So ... OK ... that's what happen that day.

Nicholas: Thank you Susan

Susan: Yeah, no problem

Nicholas: Susan Cowsill What do you mean ... just a little slice of life

Susan: Just a moment in time

Nicholas: Oh goodness

Susan: I always wanted to be adopted. Dare to dream.

Nicholas: Susan Cowsill, Russ Broussard, Alexis Marceaux, Mary Lassaigne singing harmony there along with the Radio Free All-stars. You're not going away.

Susan: Me, no, uh huh

Nicholas: We get to keep you for awhile.

Susan: We do We get to check that ***** Are you allowed to say that on Radio Free Song Club?

Nicholas: You can say anything

Susan: Oh I just might be damn interested in that. Are you allowed to say damn?

Nicholas: No FCC here

Susan: Alright, let's roll

Nicholas: Susan, you're old ...

Everyone: Laughs

Susan: Yes Nicholas

Nicholas: Let me finish please. I just want to say that Peter Holsapple is a Club member here at the Radio Free Song Cub. And ...

Susan: So he's my old club member ....

Nicholas: I don't know how to preface it really

Susan: He's my ex-husband and ex-band mate and one of our BFF's. How's that?

Nicholas: Exactly

Susan: Let's roll with that

Nicholas: It's a great pleasure for me to introduce you two - on air again in this sort of weird way.

Susan: Yes, it's awesome

Nicholas: Peter has always sent us fully flushed out recordings of one sort or another from the beginning of this club. And today he sent us something that is well not fully flushed out to put it simply.

Susan: Wow! That's very un-Peter.

Nicholas: Well I think he had an alter motive.

Susan: Yeah, make me and Russ cry.

Nicholas: He knew that his old bandmates, Russ and Susan, were here, so he took the opportuntity, to write a song

Susan: Which is very sweet

Nicholas: A love song to his old family The Continental Drifters. I'm going to read something that Peter says about this song "No Better" He says his song came pretty much all at once, usally the mark in my book that it is probably going to be alright. Inspired by our special guests Ms Cowsill and Mr. Broussard, with whom I share a long, tangled and fortunately vital and happy relationship. I wrote this love song to our old band. They themselves may find this particularly humorious. Knowing my pension for dismissing our work with a sweep of a hand and a snort when I'm in that kind of mood. Well suficient to say there is much love for The Continental Drifters in this outing and I hope it shows and is taken the right way. Love you guys, Peter A little missive for the song "No Better" Can you harmonize on this one Susan?

Song: No Better Click here to take a listen

Susan: No, you don't understand !!

Nicholas: You had to have been there.

Susan: Damn it.

Nicholas: Oh wow! That was really sweet.

Susan: Cyber-love

Nicholas: Peter Holsapple's song "No Better"

Susan: Thanks Holsey !

Nicholas: A love song to The Continental Drifters of whom Russ Broussard - in there on drums - and Ms. Cowsill ... Solid .... HELLO .... Were solid members from LA

Susan: From LA to LA

Nicholas: From LA to LA

Susan: That's the way that it was

Nicholas: I met you on a record

Susan: Yeah

Nicholas: Oh goodness. We got a show to do. We're doing the Radio Free Song Club - Big Ten

Susan: Big Ten - that's like Big Five - that's a sporting goods store in LA I'm liking the Big Ten

Nicholas: It's similar

Susan: Yes It's the sporting goods store in New York City and there's plenty of 'em.

Nicholas: It's kind of in honor of ....

Susan: Sprots are rampet here

Nicholas: ... an old 78 record

Susan: Thanks a lot for having us by the way.

Nicholas: Don't go away

Susan: We're not going. We have our band to come up. We have our own Continental Drifter tribute coming.

Nicholas: You're going to spring ...

Susan: Two can play this game, Holsapple. Get out your hankie Holsey

Nicholas: Dave, Dave Schramm what did you send in for us this week?

...

Nicholas: I'm Nicholas Hill Susan Cowsill is still with us and her whole band is here. I think we've had several airport related songs and I think this one is going to go back to the old world. So Susan Cowsill is bringing us to the fold, all in due time. While these folks are setting up, I'd like to thank some of the guests. ....

Nicholas: And thank you so much

Susan: Thank You!

Nicholas: And Susan all your great harmonies

Susan: Thank You! We had a great time. Thank you so much for inviting all of us. We appreciate it.

Nicholas: My pleasure

Susan: I know we come in that Partridge bus, but thanks for fitting us all in here.

Nicholas: You're a welcome site. Hey I drove 4 hours to get here.

Susan: Right on man. It's rock 'n' roll. And we like it, like it. Yes we do.

Nicholas: I'm not complaining.

Susan: Who needs sleep, right? We'll sleep when we're dead.

Kate: Hey where is David Mansfield and Elton John.

Susan: Good question, Kate.

Nicholas: David Mansfield had stuff to do tonight. David will be back.

Susan: Elton called me and he said he took a left on 52nd and ....

Nicholas: I'm not missing anyone too much.

Kate: They might yet show up.

Nicholas: It's all good.

Susan: They might yet. And Bill Kurchen, you know, he got his hot-rod broken down, so ....

Nicholas: Hey this song you're going to do Susan is not another airport song is it?

Susan: Umm no not strickly. This is an old Continental Drifters song. I thought it might be ....

Nicholas: I love this song.

Susan: I know you do. It's a song written by Carlo Nuccio and Ray Ganucheau, some of the original Drifters and I thought it would be appropriate in answer to Peter's beautiful song that he wrote for us. So, this goes out to Peter and all the Drifters from Russ and I and the gang. The kids as I call them. It's called "The Mississippi"

Nicholas: The Susan Cowsill Band

Susan: Are we ready kids? Alright

Song: The Mississippi

Susan: That's it!

Nicholas: Ummmm Bringing a Driftin' feeling into this room tonight Susan Cowsill Band. Russ Broussard on drums, Alexis Marceaux, Mary Lassaigne, Jack Craft and Sam Craft. Thank you all for coming up from Louisiana to this place here in New York City.

Susan: Thank you so much. We had the best time, huh gang?

Gang: Cheers

Nicholas: Go Mississippi - Carlo Oh boy what a night. This is the Radio Free Song Club. Nicholas Hill here with you Kate Jacobs

Someone in background: Dave Schramm on guitar

Nicholas and Susan: Dave Schramm on guitar

Susan: If that really is his name.

Nicholas: It's possible. This has been the Big Ten Radio Free Song Club. Wow! I want to thank our guests tonight Susan Cowsill and her band .........