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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview with John Mellencamp
Aired August 02, 2003 - 09:24 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: Since the 1950s, the music of Elvis Presley has had a powerful effect on the development of rock and roll. Tonight at Graceland, Presley's Tennessee home, musician John Mellencamp will be performing. It's part of a new online music series called Sessions at AOL. And we got to tell you, AOL is the parent company of this network.
Mellencamp will be singing songs from his latest album, called "Trouble No More," and some of Elvis's songs, of course, too.
John is with us now live on the phone from Memphis, Tennessee.
Good morning to you, John.
JOHN MELLENCAMP, ROCK SINGER (on phone): Good morning to you guys.
COLLINS: Thanks for being here, so much. Tell us what this performance is all about at Graceland tonight. You're going to be in the living room of the mansion.
MELLENCAMP: Actually, I think I'm going to be in the jungle room.
COLLINS: The jungle room, as we know it.
MELLENCAMP: Yes.
COLLINS: OK. Tell us, what is it all about?
MELLENCAMP: Well, they -- Sessions contacted me, and they thought that it would be an interesting thing to do. No one's ever done it before. And I was kind of like, Wow, that is a good idea, I think.
And so we're going to be playing my new album, it's traditional folk and blues, and we're going to be doing some of Elvis's songs.
COLLINS: What has Elvis's music meant to you over the years as a creative artist yourself?
MELLENCAMP: Well, I think more than me, you know, Elvis Presley put down a big footprint, you know? And there's probably not any music that you hear, from Bob Dylan, to the Beatles, to any contemporary music of today, that didn't have his footprint in it somewhere. COLLINS: What is his footprint? What's so special about it?
MELLENCAMP: Well, he was able to take -- he -- you know, to take black music, which is the heritage of music in America, and bring it to a white audience.
COLLINS: We're looking at him right now on the screen, doing his thang. I know that some of the music that you're going to be performing is from your new album, called, once again, "Trouble No More." Talk to us a little bit about what inspired you for this particular project.
MELLENCAMP: Well, it was just the -- you know, it was just kind of an honor and a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) situation for me to be able to record these songs by such great American songwriters, you know, songs that were written about our culture at different times, songs that were recorded about our people who came before us.
And without all of these songs, there would have been no rock and roll, there would have been, you know, no music as we understand it today.
COLLINS: And what an awful shame that would have been.
John Mellencamp, we're excited for you tonight at Graceland, performing in the jungle room, as we know it. Thanks so much for being here. We appreciate your time. Have a great time tonight.
MELLENCAMP: Thank you very much.
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 August 2, 2003 - 09:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Since the 1950s, the music of Elvis Presley has had a powerful effect on the development of rock and roll. Tonight at Graceland, Presley's Tennessee home, musician John Mellencamp will be performing. It's part of a new online music series called Sessions at AOL. And we got to tell you, AOL is the parent company of this network.
Mellencamp will be singing songs from his latest album, called "Trouble No More," and some of Elvis's songs, of course, too.
John is with us now live on the phone from Memphis, Tennessee.
Good morning to you, John.
JOHN MELLENCAMP, ROCK SINGER (on phone): Good morning to you guys.
COLLINS: Thanks for being here, so much. Tell us what this performance is all about at Graceland tonight. You're going to be in the living room of the mansion.
MELLENCAMP: Actually, I think I'm going to be in the jungle room.
COLLINS: The jungle room, as we know it.
MELLENCAMP: Yes.
COLLINS: OK. Tell us, what is it all about?
MELLENCAMP: Well, they -- Sessions contacted me, and they thought that it would be an interesting thing to do. No one's ever done it before. And I was kind of like, Wow, that is a good idea, I think.
And so we're going to be playing my new album, it's traditional folk and blues, and we're going to be doing some of Elvis's songs.
COLLINS: What has Elvis's music meant to you over the years as a creative artist yourself?
MELLENCAMP: Well, I think more than me, you know, Elvis Presley put down a big footprint, you know? And there's probably not any music that you hear, from Bob Dylan, to the Beatles, to any contemporary music of today, that didn't have his footprint in it somewhere. COLLINS: What is his footprint? What's so special about it?
MELLENCAMP: Well, he was able to take -- he -- you know, to take black music, which is the heritage of music in America, and bring it to a white audience.
COLLINS: We're looking at him right now on the screen, doing his thang. I know that some of the music that you're going to be performing is from your new album, called, once again, "Trouble No More." Talk to us a little bit about what inspired you for this particular project.
MELLENCAMP: Well, it was just the -- you know, it was just kind of an honor and a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) situation for me to be able to record these songs by such great American songwriters, you know, songs that were written about our culture at different times, songs that were recorded about our people who came before us.
And without all of these songs, there would have been no rock and roll, there would have been, you know, no music as we understand it today.
COLLINS: And what an awful shame that would have been.
John Mellencamp, we're excited for you tonight at Graceland, performing in the jungle room, as we know it. Thanks so much for being here. We appreciate your time. Have a great time tonight.
MELLENCAMP: Thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
