An Interview with Peter Gabriel

Recently, I sat down with the legendary Peter Gabriel to discuss his new album, Up, growing older, and the current states of the music business, politics, and the world in general.

FG: I just heard your new single, The Barry Williams Show. I’m stunned by how bad it is.

PG: Yeah, sorry about that.

FG: I mean, what were you thinking? It’s soooo awful. It makes Biko sound like what you’d get if Sgt. Pepper and Led Zeppelin IV had a baby. It makes Steam sound like Biko. I loved you.

PG: Like I said, I’m really very sorry. What in particular didn’t you like about it?

FG: For one thing, thematically you’re about 8 years too late. Trying to make an incisive commentary on trash TV would’ve been culturally relevant in 1994, when Carnie Wilson had her own show.

PG: It was suposed to be called The Carnie Wilson Show, but then I took eleven years to make the album and by the time it was ready nobody remembered who Carnie Wilson was. So I changed it to “Barry Williams”.

FG: You know Barry Williams is the name of the actor who played Greg Brady on The Brady Bunch, right?

PG: Oh, shit. I knew that name was familiar.

FG: Familiar? I take it you didn’t watch Celebrity Boxing?

PG: That was him?

FG: Getting back to this train wreck of a single... So, are you just, like, emotionally dead inside? Is there ANY remaining trace of the guy who wrote Shock the Monkey?

PG: Nope. He’s gone.

FG: No shit? <---- super-sarcasm.

PG: What did you think of the rest of the album?

FG: Are you serious? To hear the rest I would have to buy it, and I’m not buying this record!

PG: You don’t have to. Here... I’ll give you one.

FG: No, no, NO!!! I don’t want that! Get it away! YOU get away!!!

PG: Well, Fucky, thanks for having me on your show.

FG: GET AWAY!!!