WRIF Virtual Rock Room with Kansas' Rich Williams
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00:00Thank you so much for watching Riff TV. Now this interview is obviously with video, but I don't
00:05interview everybody on Zoom. That's why I put it on my Talkin' Rock with Meltdown podcast. We talk
00:10to rock artists from all over the genre. So check out Talkin' Rock with Meltdown wherever you get
00:15your podcasts. And now to today's video interview. There he is. Rich, how are you? I'm doing great.
00:23Let me push that button. There we go. All right. Perfect. Yeah. So first of all, what'd you do on
00:30your birthday? Your birthday was just last week, wasn't it? Yes, it was. It was. They become less
00:37and less exciting all the time. I quit drinking 13, 14 years ago. And so, well, every day I wake up and
00:46I feel great. There's no big party at the end of it. That's for sure. I did interviews all morning
00:52and then we had my wife and I went out to a new restaurant up here in the mountains to have a
01:01steak dinner. And we were home watching season five of Yellowstone by 830. Pretty exciting day for sure.
01:11It was great. Yeah. So you guys are gonna be coming through town on the 17th at the Fisher Theater
01:16celebrating the 50th anniversary of Kansas. You still like getting out and touring?
01:21Oh, absolutely. We've been off for about a month and a half. Two weeks is fine. But a month and a half
01:29is just too much. I need a balance. And usually what we do is we schedule the year. We try to schedule
01:38the year anyway. Whereas I'll leave on a Thursday to, let's say, Kansas City on Friday. So I wake up in
01:47Kansas City and then we play the show. The next day is a drivable distance like St. Louis. Play the
01:53show in St. Louis. Sunday I fly home. And then repeat that all year long. Then that's really,
02:00it's just easy. Yeah. But, you know, a month and a half off? No. It's, you start questioning what it is
02:10you actually do. Wandering around the house in your pajamas all day. It's just isn't that thrilling.
02:17That's a kick-ass room, by the way, you're in. Is that like, I have a rock room myself. You got
02:20like guitars and stuff and all that stuff up there, huh? Yeah, this is dedicated one of the bedrooms to
02:27my guitar sanctuary. This is, uh, I do, I record from here. Um, I got, you know, once, when we moved
02:35here, I got to have all my stuff in one place. And so it's all here. I can spend 12 hours in here
02:43and the times it flies by. Yeah. I think, uh, you, your, uh, your wife and my wife probably just had the
02:48same deal. It's like, she gave me the one part of the house and she doesn't talk about it, tell me
02:53what to do with it or anything like that. And then she gets the rest of the house. And that works for
02:58me. Yeah. No kidding. So 50 years with, uh, Kansas, you know, I don't know, maybe I'm not that bright,
03:04but, uh, I didn't realize you guys were actually from Topeka and therefore the Kansas. Cause back in
03:09the day there was Chicago and Boston. That was kind of a thing back in the seventies, wasn't it?
03:14Yeah. Uh, well, Chicago was before us. Um, uh, but I'm not sure that we were pretty quick to
03:21follow, but they're just a city. We were a state man. Listen, man. And so, yeah, it's, uh, 50 years.
03:30Wow. That's a long time. Of course. Uh, you know, uh, you're, you're an original member. Um,
03:36some, uh, members have come and gone. What was it like to play with, uh, Steve Morris?
03:41Uh, frightening at first I knew Steve just cause we were based out of Atlanta and then the Dixie
03:47Greggs were based out of the area. Um, so we would all bump into each other and see each other.
03:54And we were fans of each other's bands, et cetera. But when he joined the band, he had just won the
04:00best guitar player on earth three times in a row on with guitar player magazine. Wow. And was now in
04:06their hall of fame. And now I'm sitting next to him in Philly arts basement while we're working on
04:10material. And I was very intimidated at first, but that went away quickly. He's, he's not an
04:19intimidating guy. He's not a cocky guy. He's not a show off. And he's also watching what you do.
04:27He's learning from everybody all the time. And so he's just fantastic guy.
04:33Does it take a little bit of time to create a little bit of chemistry with a guy like that?
04:37Uh, it all came together pretty quickly. Uh, we just went to work. We were all seasoned enough
04:46at that point to know that, well, let's, let's start working on material. Let's see what we can do.
04:52And so it just, the relationship kind of grew out of the work. We'll get to the friendship and let's
05:00get to work. Yeah. Have you kept in touch with him? Uh, on occasion,
05:07we, we still do. Uh, there has been some moments that, you know, we were, we'd like to offer him
05:11to come out and play with us on this tour. If we're in his area and he's, he's up for us,
05:16you know, since he's retired from beat purple, but he's got a lot of things going on in his personal
05:21life. That's, uh, I, you know, I hope that all works out. If he can come out and join us for some
05:27shows, that would be a lot of fun. Yeah. Speaking of, uh, other guitar players, uh, did,
05:31did you know, uh, Jeff Beck, you ever crossed paths with him? I saw him, but never, never,
05:37um, never did, uh, actually meet him. Uh, he would be one of those people where he wouldn't
05:43have been impressed because I would have just stood there and stammered and mumbled. And then
05:48he would have finally just walked away just thinking I was an idiot. He was my personal
05:55favorite. Is that right? Yeah. Have you ever, have you ever been starstruck meeting, uh, another
06:00musician? Oh yeah. Um, it was, let's see the summer of 1978 and we played Boulder, Colorado
06:09with, in the football stadium, uh, with Rolling Stones. Wow. And so we played a few weeks earlier
06:17with them at the old, uh, football stadium in Cleveland. But at this particular show, it
06:23was, there was a, there was a tent city built back stage and, uh, there were screens. You
06:30could, we were just in our dressing and rehearsing and I saw the, our entourage pull up of limousines
06:38and all the, the crowd is screaming. So, well, the stones are here. So sitting there, I was
06:43just playing my guitar and all of a sudden Mick Jagger and Keith Richards just walk in the door
06:48and says, hello, glad to have you on the show. Really love your band. If there's anything
06:54you need, just let us know. And I just stood there like an idiot. I didn't know what to
07:04say. And so I said nothing. I, my jaw was open and I'm sure I looked like there was something
07:11wrong with me. I was, I was starstruck.
07:13Is that the only time you ever met them? That was the only time. Yeah. Oh yeah. You're
07:20that guy. Hey, it's pretty cool. If they said they like your band, at least they knew who
07:25you were. Right. Oh yeah. That was, that was a great experience. Yeah. Over the 50 years
07:33again, to be in the presence of someone, you know, before we even started playing, you were
07:40listening to. Um, and that is just, they're so incredibly legendary. Even when you started
07:49playing, they were already legendary. So it's hard to not be in awe of that just because
07:56their presence is near you. Yeah. Even 45 years ago, they were legendary. That's unbelievable.
08:01So. Absolutely. Uh, over the 50 year career of Kansas, you guys have had your music used
08:07in a lot of like, uh, movies and TV shows and whatnot. What was, what was like the most
08:11exciting, uh, thing that your, your songs were ever used in for you? Well, if you stack
08:18them all up and look at them from the perspective of today, they would have to be supernatural because
08:25that was the unofficial, official theme song of one of the biggest television shows of all
08:32time. It ran for 15 years worldwide, um, and reruns. And that changed the face of our crowd,
08:41um, completely, uh, suddenly, wait, why are there like 13, 15 year old kids in the front row
08:51at the shows? And I say, you know, you'd ask me, why are you here? Oh, supernatural.
08:58And, uh, that started explaining it. And, you know, then we became in, in contact with
09:08that organization. And we actually got to do comic-con five years ago with supernatural
09:13and meet the guys. And it was such a cool experience. They, I mean, talk about doing it
09:18upright when, uh, the setup before we, we came on was incredible. The guys were the
09:26most humble, gracious, level-headed guys you'd ever want to meet, which was very
09:32refreshing, you know, in meeting stars of that magnitude. You would never know it.
09:39Yeah. I, I, uh, personally, my personal thing was the, uh, the happy Gilmore when they
09:44used, uh, one of your songs. That was pretty cool. Yeah. A lot of times people ask us, you
09:49know, were you offended by that? Uh, oh, not quite. Well, no, the, the, the Will Ferrell
09:54thing, you know, when Will Ferrell was singing the dust in the wind. Oh yeah. And it was
10:00what people, a, we have a sense of humor and we, we don't sit around and brood about, you
10:09know, the wonder of us. And second, the, uh, we are sent to the scripts. Yeah. Yeah. The,
10:17the, the, uh, record company, they will apply with them to use a song. They send us the
10:22scripts and we read it and see how it's used. And we give it the thumbs up or thumbs down.
10:28So, uh, more than a year before it, if the movie even comes out, we already know how it's
10:34going to be used and what context, et cetera. So it's not a surprise to us. So, uh, um,
10:41we've always enjoyed it. Yeah. I remember asking slash about that one time and he said he gets the
10:47same thing. He gets the scripts and the whole thing. And he says, by the time the movie comes
10:51out, they forgot that they gave them the okay to put it in there. Oh yeah. That's quite true.
10:55There was, has been a few things in recent times where it's like, I didn't know we were in that.
11:01Oh, well, a year ago we okayed. So, and it's just kind of a flea thing. So it's okay. So anyway,
11:06what's for lunch? Yeah. Right. It's not that big of a process.
11:12I want to give you a chance to plug the, uh, the wayward son coffee. Um, tell us about that.
11:18Um, well, Phil Ehart, um, was born in Coffeyville, Kansas and, uh, his mother and father
11:29went to high school in Coffeyville, which is the strange thing about that is Robbie Steinhardt,
11:37our violinist who passed away last year. Um, his parents grew up in Coffeyville also,
11:42but, um, a guy started a coffee company there. Uh, and he approached Phil with, uh, how about us
11:50naming a coffee after you guys? And we got to kind of dictate, well, we wanted organic,
11:58you know, and medium bold roast and all that. No problem. And he made it, uh, uh, a lot of the
12:06proceeds go to the, um, breeds restoration of the theater in Coffeyville, Kansas. Yeah.
12:13And so recently they sent us my wife and a couple of bags from there and it was really good. So I'm
12:22going to just order some more. It's for a good cause. And, um, coffee where liquor used to run
12:28through my veins. Now it's coffee. And there you go. And Coffeyville, Kansas, that sounds like a place
12:34I need to visit. Yeah. Well, it's a, that's where the Dalton gang was, was caught and killed in the
12:41street. No kidding. Yeah. It's, uh, probably hasn't changed much in the last 50 years. Uh,
12:50there's a, actually there's a guitar builder that, uh, works right there on the main streets.
12:56It was from our area that I am in contact with on occasion that I might have to build me a guitar.
13:03Um, it's a sleepy little town in a sleepy little area. That's exactly what I like. Yeah. I love,
13:09love those little towns going across America. So, um, Hey, final thing here for you, Richard,
13:14we'll, uh, cut you loose. Uh, I got to ask your prediction for a Sunday's a Superbowl.
13:19Um, I don't predict anymore. Um, all right. Who do you want to win?
13:25James, um, to be honest, um, I don't know who could really,
13:32you can take a guess, but you can't pick. Yeah. They're very evenly matched teams. I think the
13:39Eagles might be a little bit more all the way around a better team. Um,
13:45quarterbacks are both great. My home's a little better tight ends. Kelsey is probably a little
13:49better. Their offensive line is maybe a little better, but we've got Chris Jones. He was the best.
13:55Their defense is better, but our defense really rises to the occasion. And I mean,
14:02they might slaughter us. We might slaughter them, or it might be a knockdown drag out,
14:07just like the Buffalo Chiefs game was last year. Yeah. Um, to get into the Superbowl. I mean, it was,
14:17yeah, that's the best game I've ever seen. And this very well could be that too. Uh,
14:22Andy Reed, great coach. Um, and from Philadelphia, I'm sure he has an ax to grind in winning. So
14:32what I've found is if I, if we start taking a lead and I start texting friends, you're like,
14:36oh, we got them now. That's when it all starts to fall apart. So I, I don't say anything until it's
14:43over now. Uh, I have my hopes and wishes and I hope everybody survives it safely.
14:48And, uh, everybody gets to play. No, Patrick Mahomes doesn't get, you know, re-injure his ankle.
14:55Cause I think it makes for a better game. Right. Winner leaders with him in it.
15:00Yeah. I grew up in Buffalo. I moved to Detroit in 1995. So I was there through all those Superbowl
15:05losses and that game last year, if I'm not mistaken, that was the overtime win, right?
15:09Yes. The final two minutes I've watched 10 times and it's still makes me nervous. Yeah.
15:16Yeah. Best, best game I've ever seen. The most amazing final two minutes of any game ever.
15:22Well, we'll just, uh, we'll just say go football or go chiefs or whatever you want to say for this,
15:26uh, weekend, but, uh, definitely go chiefs. I love Philadelphia. We got a lot of fans there,
15:31but we're talking football here. That's right. Well, you're coming through Detroit Saturday,
15:36June 17th, playing the Fisher theaters. You celebrate 50 years, uh, 16 studio albums,
15:41five live records, and, uh, just 50 years of great rock and roll. So Rich,
15:45thank you so much for your time. I appreciate it. Oh, thank you. I'm looking forward to it.
15:49I don't think we played the Fisher before, so it's going to be a good time.