Courtesy of AXS TVAmerica‘s Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell are featured on the latest episode of the Dan Rather-hosted AXS TV series The Big Interview, which premieres tonight at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
The duo, who have been celebrating their group’s 50th anniversary on tour this year, chat with Rather about their quick rise to stardom in the early 1970s, life on the road and their current musical endeavors.
In a sneak peek of the episode, Bunnell and Beckley explain the difference between their writing styles.
“We’ve kind of labeled ourselves over the years by virtue of the songs themselves,” Dewey explains. “Gerry tends to write indoor songs, we say — love songs, a lot more introspective. And I do outdoor songs. You know, ‘Ventura Highway, the free wind blowing through your hair.'”
Adds Beckley, “The other [difference] is if it has two chords, it’s Dewey’s song…If it has 102 chords, it’s my song.”
Gerry, who’s a classically trained musician, also explains how he became interested in playing pop and rock music thanks to The Beatles.
“The Beatles on [The] Ed Sullivan [Show] was a turning point for everybody in our generation,” he notes. “It just redefined who I was as a kid. All of a sudden, it was no longer surf bands. Now it [was], ‘Hey, we’re gonna grow our hair and we’re gonna sing.’ Some of us could and some of us couldn’t.”
Beckley released a solo album titled Five Mile Road in September, although his focus continues to be on America. The band begins a run of Australian shows tonight in Sydney, and will start a series of 2020 U.S. concerts in January.
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