Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Interview With Neil Diamond

Aired December 02, 2003 - 15:13   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: His name is Diamond, Neil Diamond. But no matter how you cut it, this guy's pipes are never rough. Like the stunning gem that's his namesake, he's a multifaceted entertainer.
And we're very fortunate to have the music man himself, Neil Diamond, as our guest today.

Mr. Diamond.

NEIL DIAMOND, SINGER/SONGWRITER: Hi, Heidi.

COLLINS: Thanks for being here. Certainly do appreciate it. We've been looking forward to this all day long.

(CROSSTALK)

DIAMOND: Beautiful. Thank you so much for having me.

COLLINS: You certainly have a lot going on, in fact, one of the most successful world tours ever, just ended that, 2001, 2002. Now you've got a release of not a small C.D. set. Tell us a little about it.

DIAMOND: Well, it's a whole box set. The "Stages" box is six discs, five of which are music. One is a DVD of backstage and highlights. Got the whole concert from last tour -- that's two disks -- and then two disks of performances that I've done over the last 30 years that I haven't been able to get in live albums, a lot of outside songs, Bob Dylan, "Lay, Lady, Lay," Elton John's "Rocket Man," the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows," and a Beatles medley, and a lot of my songs that have not been released in albums, and then a whole Christmas disc of Christmas music that I've done over the years live.

And the whole box set is live.

COLLINS: What made you want to release some of these songs that haven't been available to the public before?

DIAMOND: Well, I think that's the key. They hadn't been able before.

And I wanted them out. They're just a lot of cuts that I've liked over the years and haven't been able to get released for one reason or other. And it just seemed like a good idea to throw them all together and pick out the best ones and just let it rip. It was a two-year project. And... COLLINS: I think a lot of people forget that you didn't write songs don't write songs just for yourself. You have written many songs for other entertainers as well.

DIAMOND: Well, I haven't written them specifically for other people, but it seems that other artists have picked up on the songs and done it their own way and given it their own spin.

COLLINS: The Monkees, right?

DIAMOND: The Monkees were the first, yes. They took a song that was going to be on my -- probably my first album. They liked it. And Don Kirshner, who was overseeing the Monkees then, liked it. And they recorded it. And "I'm a Believer" became an enormous worldwide hit.

COLLINS: It certainly did. And you know what? When he when we look at some of the video of the crowds at your concerts when you're out there doing your thing, I often wonder what it is that you're thinking about when you're out there seeing all those people who know every word to every song.

DIAMOND: Yes.

What I'm thinking about, at this point in my career, I'm just enjoying the experience. I'm not doing too much thinking. I mean, and I know the words at this point. And if I forget them, the audience takes over.

(LAUGHTER)

COLLINS: Well, that's pretty incredible. Not every entertainer can say that. That's for sure.

DIAMOND: I guess that's true.

I like it a lot. I like an audience being part of the show. And they're there with me. It's not as though I'm up there alone. It's kind of a participatory experience. And I like that a lot. But I don't do a lot of thinking when I'm on stage. I just go out and enjoy myself and hope that everybody else...

COLLINS: Obviously, it comes very naturally to you, or you wouldn't have had the success that you've had all of these years.

In this six-C.D. set, what's your most favorite part of it?

DIAMOND: Well, the first two disks are a show we did in Las Vegas last year from the last tour. And it was one of the most extensive tours that I've ever done, did about 120 shows. And I've never done anything like it in my career.

But it seemed like the times and the audiences wanted to get out of their homes, get away from the newscasts. Excuse me. I don't like to say that when I'm talking to CNN.

COLLINS: That's all right. We understand. People need a break every now and then.

DIAMOND: They have to take a break. And they were happy to get out. And it was more than a show. It was a mutual experience for them and for myself and my band as well. So it was an amazing experience for me. As I said, I've never done anything quite that extensive in a tour.

COLLINS: Well, it looks incredible. And I'm holding it in my hand now, "Neil Diamond Stages." These are performances from 1970 to 2002, a six-C.D. set. And it is some good stuff, including a holiday disk.

Neil Diamond, thanks so much for being with us today.

DIAMOND: Thanks.

COLLINS: And I promise I won't do damage to your songs in the newsroom anymore. I'll just let you sing them.

DIAMOND: That's all right. That's all right. Go for it. You can only improve on them.

COLLINS: Oh, I don't know about that.

All right, Neil Diamond, thanks so much for being with us.

DIAMOND: Thanks, Heidi.

COLLINS: And we do wish you a happy holidays coming up.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired December 2, 2003 - 15:13   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: His name is Diamond, Neil Diamond. But no matter how you cut it, this guy's pipes are never rough. Like the stunning gem that's his namesake, he's a multifaceted entertainer.
And we're very fortunate to have the music man himself, Neil Diamond, as our guest today.

Mr. Diamond.

NEIL DIAMOND, SINGER/SONGWRITER: Hi, Heidi.

COLLINS: Thanks for being here. Certainly do appreciate it. We've been looking forward to this all day long.

(CROSSTALK)

DIAMOND: Beautiful. Thank you so much for having me.

COLLINS: You certainly have a lot going on, in fact, one of the most successful world tours ever, just ended that, 2001, 2002. Now you've got a release of not a small C.D. set. Tell us a little about it.

DIAMOND: Well, it's a whole box set. The "Stages" box is six discs, five of which are music. One is a DVD of backstage and highlights. Got the whole concert from last tour -- that's two disks -- and then two disks of performances that I've done over the last 30 years that I haven't been able to get in live albums, a lot of outside songs, Bob Dylan, "Lay, Lady, Lay," Elton John's "Rocket Man," the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows," and a Beatles medley, and a lot of my songs that have not been released in albums, and then a whole Christmas disc of Christmas music that I've done over the years live.

And the whole box set is live.

COLLINS: What made you want to release some of these songs that haven't been available to the public before?

DIAMOND: Well, I think that's the key. They hadn't been able before.

And I wanted them out. They're just a lot of cuts that I've liked over the years and haven't been able to get released for one reason or other. And it just seemed like a good idea to throw them all together and pick out the best ones and just let it rip. It was a two-year project. And... COLLINS: I think a lot of people forget that you didn't write songs don't write songs just for yourself. You have written many songs for other entertainers as well.

DIAMOND: Well, I haven't written them specifically for other people, but it seems that other artists have picked up on the songs and done it their own way and given it their own spin.

COLLINS: The Monkees, right?

DIAMOND: The Monkees were the first, yes. They took a song that was going to be on my -- probably my first album. They liked it. And Don Kirshner, who was overseeing the Monkees then, liked it. And they recorded it. And "I'm a Believer" became an enormous worldwide hit.

COLLINS: It certainly did. And you know what? When he when we look at some of the video of the crowds at your concerts when you're out there doing your thing, I often wonder what it is that you're thinking about when you're out there seeing all those people who know every word to every song.

DIAMOND: Yes.

What I'm thinking about, at this point in my career, I'm just enjoying the experience. I'm not doing too much thinking. I mean, and I know the words at this point. And if I forget them, the audience takes over.

(LAUGHTER)

COLLINS: Well, that's pretty incredible. Not every entertainer can say that. That's for sure.

DIAMOND: I guess that's true.

I like it a lot. I like an audience being part of the show. And they're there with me. It's not as though I'm up there alone. It's kind of a participatory experience. And I like that a lot. But I don't do a lot of thinking when I'm on stage. I just go out and enjoy myself and hope that everybody else...

COLLINS: Obviously, it comes very naturally to you, or you wouldn't have had the success that you've had all of these years.

In this six-C.D. set, what's your most favorite part of it?

DIAMOND: Well, the first two disks are a show we did in Las Vegas last year from the last tour. And it was one of the most extensive tours that I've ever done, did about 120 shows. And I've never done anything like it in my career.

But it seemed like the times and the audiences wanted to get out of their homes, get away from the newscasts. Excuse me. I don't like to say that when I'm talking to CNN.

COLLINS: That's all right. We understand. People need a break every now and then.

DIAMOND: They have to take a break. And they were happy to get out. And it was more than a show. It was a mutual experience for them and for myself and my band as well. So it was an amazing experience for me. As I said, I've never done anything quite that extensive in a tour.

COLLINS: Well, it looks incredible. And I'm holding it in my hand now, "Neil Diamond Stages." These are performances from 1970 to 2002, a six-C.D. set. And it is some good stuff, including a holiday disk.

Neil Diamond, thanks so much for being with us today.

DIAMOND: Thanks.

COLLINS: And I promise I won't do damage to your songs in the newsroom anymore. I'll just let you sing them.

DIAMOND: That's all right. That's all right. Go for it. You can only improve on them.

COLLINS: Oh, I don't know about that.

All right, Neil Diamond, thanks so much for being with us.

DIAMOND: Thanks, Heidi.

COLLINS: And we do wish you a happy holidays coming up.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com