----------------------------------------------------- JANUARY 28, 2002 ----------------------------------------------------- Source: Kuno Online http://kuno.senserdesign.com/shnews.php?id=24 Brislin´s magnificent Yes experience  By Sven Kardelke  (Note: Questions marked as "AMY" have been supplied by members of the Alt.Music.Yes newsgroup.) When Yes released their first record he wasn´t even born. Tom Brislin plays keyboard for Meat Loaf, has his own band "You Were Spiraling" and also writes books about how to learn the piano in just 30 days. In 2001 he had the chance to play the keys for Yes on their YesSymphonic tour. In this KUNO interview Tom speaks about his experiences on the road. Sven: Are you a regular reader of alt.music.yes? Tom: I've never checked out the Yes newsgroup. Not because I didn't want to, but because I still have yet to tap into the whole newsgroup side of the internet. S: Being a Yes fan for almost your whole life, what was it like to play with them onstage? T: The onstage experience is difficult to put into words. I'm pretty focused on the (many) tasks at hand, but I remind myself to step back mentally at times. Then it hits me. S: Evidently, the Yes members are highly different personalities with very different opinions about things. Could you describe the atmosphere/relationship between the four guys on- and offstage? T: I think you summed it up in the question. They have highly different personalities, and at times, very different opinions about things. It's pretty well-documented, in their own words. S: Do they hang out together apart from the show? I think I read or heard somewhere that Howe often stays in a different hotel from other band members. Can these guys just not stand to be around each other off stage? T: I tend to mind my own business on tour, focusing on things like getting enough sleep, meals, etc,-- the basics. I can imagine that in their 30+ years of touring, they've found what works for them. Whether that means meditating before a show, or driving separately, it's all about staying in a good space. S: What Yes song is: the most challenging for you to play? b) your favorite to play? T: I would say that "The Gates of Delirium" is the most daunting. It also happens to be my favorite to play. S: On this tour Yes had to re-start songs very often, because any of the five musicians got something wrong, or come in too early/late. Is that normal for such a highly professional group? And why is that so? T: Let me first set the record straight by saying that we NEVER had to re-start a song on my account. Nor Alan's. As for the front line, all I can say is that these guys have been performing some intense music since before I was born. If they want to exercise their right to a do-over, you won't hear me complaining. I'll be too busy turning red at the time. S: How would you characterize your relationship with Yes music prior and after to being hired to work with them? T: Yes music was some of the first music I ever heard as a kid. I grew up listening and playing Yes music (and other progressive stuff) pretty heavily up until college. It was then that I began to focus on Jazz piano, as well as more serious attention to pop songwriting. When I got the call from yes, it was like coming full-circle. The music sounded fresher to my ears than it ever had. As for now? I'll hear "Long Distance Runaround" on the radio and I just have to laugh. Hard to describe, but it's a different perspective now. AMY: "Ask him, why he isn´t staying with YES in the hotel, but touring with the stage crew!" T: Call it an initiation. It's a great crew, I've made some great friends. S: Have you been in contact with any Yes member before you became the tour keyboarder? T: I met them at a meet-and-greet before their concert at PNC Bank Arts Center in New Jersey in 2000. But it had nothing to do with my landing the gig. Jon had heard about me, called me, and asked "Can you handle it?" S: If you were offered the full time non-member keyboard position in Yes, would you take it. T: When I joined, it was on a per-tour basis. I tend to keep busy in other projects, but I could possibly be touring with them again. S: What is your favorite period of Yes music? T: I go through phases. I discovered Peter Banks-era Yes later, and got really into it for a while. Relayer era is big for me, as is 80's-Yes. I'll re-discover "Fragile" every few years and remember why I got into Yes in the first place. Oh and then there's "Going For The One". Chris Squire also referred to me as a "Drama-freak" once. I hope he was referring to the album. S: Do you like the Trevor Rabin era? T: I very much like the Trevor Rabin era, especially 90125 and Big Generator. S: Who is your favourite and least favourite keyboarder in YES, and why so? T: Every Yes keyboard player made a mark on the music, in my opinion. Tony Kaye: great rock organ, full of fire and energy. Rick Wakeman: helped set the precedents for the multi- keyboardist. Great orchestrations and the signature technique. Patrick Moraz: In my opinion, he took it to the next level. He infused the music with his jazz vocabulary, sense of humor, and eccentricity. Geoff Downes: a rare breed of prog-rockers who exercised good taste all-around. Great sounds and contributions to the bigger picture. Trevor Rabin: Must include him. Helped redifine Yes' sound with keyboards as well as guitar. Igor Khoroshev showed Yes that there are players out there who can allow them to perform just about any song in their catalog. S: Does anyone ever try to compare you to Wakeman or even Khoroshev and what do you say to them? T: Of course people try to make comparisons. Since joining the tour, my goal was to capture the music. If that meant re-creating a Rick Wakeman solo, or a Patrick Moraz sound effect, then that's what I'd do. I'm fully aware that a good majority of the audience wants Rick Wakeman where I'm standing. Hell, I'd still like to see that again in my lifetime. So in that respect, all I can do is trust my own ears. As for the Igor comparisons, they don't really faze me too much, since he was also in a "re-creating" situation most of the time. Years ago I stopped fantasizing about being a prog-rock keyboard hero and became more focused on MUSIC. S: Steve and Jon meditate backstage (Anderson in a tent), do Chris and Alan do something special/strange things backstage, too? T: The tent hasn't been on tour in years, from what I understand. I tend to leave the guys alone before the gig---sometimes I see Alan doing muscle-stretching exercises to limber up. S: Are you in any way on this spiritual trip, too? T: I'm pretty open-minded. There are many things about the touring life that force you to get your head out of the clouds, though. Again, I think it's about finding a balance, where you can have your space. AMY: "Is Jon really Napoleon?" T: Jon prefers the term "taskmaster". S: During sound checks have you ever played Tempus Fugit just to see if Jon will join in? T: When I first started rehearsing with the band, I would start playing bits from all sorts of tunes, and Tempus Fugit was one of them. Steve was always the first to join in. Alan was up for a bit of "Sound Chaser" here and there. I do believe that these things usually happened before Jon would arrive. I don't know Jon's opinion of it. S: About the orchestra: Don´t you think it was a little bit undermixed during the shows? T: I can't tell. I wear in-ear monitors, so what I hear is vastly different from what the audience hears. S: When I was attending the Hamburg concert, I thought the girls in the orchestra would multiplicate the female percentage by four or five times. And the good looking female percentage by one hundred. :-) Why do you think progressive music is such a "guy thing"? T: I don't know. It was one of my sisters who introduced me to Yes music in the first place, so I'm sure the league-of-women-proggers is out there somewhere. And for those of you who are, I enjoy sunsets, long walks on the beach, and Gentle Giant. S: And why does this music has such a horrible bad image? T: Nobody likes a "know-it-all". S: Do you think that if Yes and Genesis didn´t sell out in the Eighties and would rather stop making music in 1980, they would have a different image today? Look at Pink Floyd: They never headed for the single charts and have a brilliant image still today. T: I don't think it has anything to do with "selling-out", whatever that might mean. The comparison is almost apples to oranges. These bands had many different circumstances. Pink Floyd's music in the 70's has a different vibe than Genesis' or Yes' from the same time. Pink Floyd also continued into the 80's, and from what I remember, had a few hits. They've always been relatively **song-oriented**. With Yes and Genesis, you had personnel changes influencing the direction of the music, for one. I also can say that a really well-written song is one of the most elusive of musical creations. Put it this way: If I take the time, I'll be able to play "Strawberry Fields". But even if I had all the time in the world, I'll never be able to write it. I personally think that Yes and Genesis were facing the next challenge: To write a great pop song. S: What differences have you noticed in North American vs. European audience reaction to the shows? T: We've been received very warmly overall. There were some places Yes had never been to before, namely in Eastern Europe, and the vibe there was even more energized. S: Does a seated auditorium brings less power to the stage than a standing one? T: It can, so the best thing to do in that situation is to make sure the power starts FROM the stage. S: How long will you be involved in YES touring? Is it only the European leg of the tour? T: I played the North American and European legs of the tour. I may be involved with the band in the future. S: What are your plans after the tour? Does the band plan use you in an upcoming studio album? T: There hasn't been any talk of the next Yes studio album, mainly because the attention is still with Magnification. Jon has talked about collaborating in the future, so we'll see. Right now I'm mixing the next album from my band, Spiraling. We're looking to do some American dates this spring. AMY: "Ask him if he was aware there are over 3 million cliches in meatloaf's songs and did it nauseate him to play them?" T: Everyone has an opinion, don't they. Actually, just prior to joining up with Yes, I recorded piano and organ tracks for the upcoming Meat Loaf album "Testify". It was an incredibly fun playing experience -- to play with the rhythm section of Kenny Aranoff on drums and Kasim Sulton on bass was a privelige. I've learned a lot from Meat Loaf and playing in his band. Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, problems, corrections, or additions, contact YesinthePress@aol.com