TVAM89

	PART ONE It's always a little scary. I always have butterflies. I don't really eat much when I am touring and I put out a lot of energy at night. But that's what it's about - I give it my best shot and hope for the best. And so far it has worked out great.
Concert shot of Neil singing Sweet Caroline
I'm doing right now what I love doing, not what I may at some time in the future love doing or develop a talent for. Performing in front of a live audience is about as good as you can get in regard to the kind of feedback that you want from a group of people. I'm there, they're there at the very same time we are experiencing the same things at the same time and it is as much an elevation of consciousness for me as it is for them, hopefully can be for them, so that's where the excitement is right now for me and I know when I have finished with this I can go home, I can write my music, I can complete songs and song ideas that I'm working on. So it's a good balance - I'm able to go out and perform then go home and write and create in that way I'm not driven to be on the stage all the time.


	PART TWO (Concentrating on The Jazz Singer)
I can't really say I enjoyed it. It was very difficult for me. It was my first time on a movie set much less in front of a camera, much less in front of a camera with Sir Laurence Olivier. So it was very intense for me and it was very scary. The fact that I got through it and survived it to me was a major accomplishment just getting through it and surviving it. Q - What was your reaction when you saw the film - when you saw it all put together? N - I liked the movie. I think they did a terrific job with it and I think they made me come off pretty good too. But it was hard because there was no immediate feedback. Here I can sing a song and I'll know whether I'm doing it beautifully or I'm not doing it beautifully. You know it's instant. And also there is some kind of freedom in not having to repeat yourself here on stage because once you finish a song it's over and you're on to the next one so you do it the best you can and then you move on. Shooting a scene in a movie can involve many takes which is good, which you want but there isn't that instant feedback, there isn't that live feedback from human beings. You may get a "That's a take" from the director or a "Cut!" from the director but it's different and I'm used to performing to people, you know. So it was difficult in that regard. And then I had to memorise lines for the first time since I'd been in school. I didn't have to memorise anything. You know to get your mind facile enough to remember entire pages of dialogue took a while.

	There were situations during the film that I didn't know exactly how to handle a particular scene and I would ask him and he would make one or two suggestions that I'd just follow them exactly as he said it. I didn't question it I just did exactly what he said and it was very helpful so it was I mean to be able to ask Sir Laurence Olivier, you know. It was wonderful for me, and he is a great man, he was a great man and he always will be a great man so it was an honour, I knew it from the beginning from every moment we worked together that this was an honour that maybe you know I didn't deserve but I sure was going to enjoy.


Part Three It does take time away from my family and from my other interests but it is something that I love. And so I want to continue doing it as long as people will come and in order to do that I think have to make it part of this puzzle and to fit in its right place and not take up too much space in the puzzle. You know just to be there when I want it would be fantastic.
This Time video
It's an interesting little balancing act but I have been able to pull it off fairly well so far. I'm here and I'm touring and, you know, I still have a family and I have friends and I have my song writing and my recording so you can do it, it's not easy but you can do it. Does your family travel with you when you go out on the road? Usually not, usually not. This is very intense work and it requires a lot of concentration on my part. Usually I am not able to give very much to family, friends when I'm travelling because my focus is on the performance that night. Everything I do during the day revolves around that performance so it's not fair to them and to me for them to be in my work situation. So they don't usually travel with me. There are exceptions, occasionally I'll have my kids out with me for a short time but it is easier on me when I am able to focus in on exactly what I am doing and then when that's finished to just give myself totally to my family and people around me.
Cherry Cherry video
Photos by permission of Moving Image Communications Ltd http://www.milibrary.com/2003site/pages/tvam.html

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