What made you decide to release Silly Love Songs as one of the first singles, and what does that song signify to you today? Billy: One of the things – we didn’t want the first song to reveal everything about the project. It’s a civil rights matter and it’s a little bit on the heavier side – so we thought we would start with Silly Love Songs as a tribute to the wonderful vibes of life. We wanted to bring up something that was a part of life that we all go through – even when we’re in the middle of protests and those things, we never lose the other part of our lives – we still have to have birthdays and weddings and celebrations – that’s all a part of love… Marilyn: And silliness and the joy that we feel in our lives. And this song is a wonderful reminder of those times in our lives and the memories that cannot be destroyed. Billy: And not only that, but one of the great things about Silly Love Songs – especially during this particular time – is that a lot of people are calling us now and saying “Oh how refreshing! We needed that!” Since we’re in the middle of a pandemic, protest and all the struggles that are going on – and here you come with Silly Love Songs to remind people that there’s something else to life besides all that. We’re all lovers. We are all loved. Marilyn: And it made us feel like, “Okay, maybe that was a good idea!” Have you ever met any of the Beatles, and if so, what were they like? Marilyn: We met Ringo at a social event one time, but we really didn’t spend much time with him – so we really couldn’t tell you personally what the Beatles were like because we really hadn’t spent any time with them. Tell me about the album cover for Blackbird and the inspiration behind it. Billy: I tell you, that cover, which I think is beautiful, was really between the record company and the rest of our management team. It was the subject matter that we were singing about, and it felt like it would be the perfect time to honor these people. Marilyn: The cover gives an overall picture of what the project is trying to say. We cover a lot of issues with that cover and mention the important people who have been involved with the struggle of the Human Rights movement in our country. This is going to be your first studio album together in 3 decades. Does it feel like it’s been that long since you’ve both released new music together? Billy: It feels that it’s been that long since we’ve had this HIGHWIRE DAZE
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kind of energy. We’re released some music before, but it was just during a period where everyone was releasing their own albums. But we’ve never had a major company like this to get behind us and want us to record for them in three decades. Marilyn: But you know, what really has been interesting is to see how much the recording process has changed over the years and the new technology that’s being used. We’re impressed with the knowledge that the young people that we’re working with come in with. They have so much understanding of the new technology, and it’s wonderful to get certain effects accomplished that used to take many hours to do in the studio way back when. So, it’s refreshing – it’s a wonderful experience, but it doesn’t feel like it’s been 30 years – no. Let’s talk about the producer Nic Mendoza. What was it like working with him in the studio and what did he bring to the overall project? Marilyn: He brought a freshness and an understanding of the new technology. We worked with Bones Howe for many years with the 5th Dimension, and that was a wonderful experience – and Bones was at the top of his game when we were working with him back in the 5th Dimension days – which we’re talking like the late 60’s going into the early 70’s. So, the whole experience was new. Billy: But not only that, Nic wanted the project to fall into an up-to-date sound. Which had that feel, changing the other beats and things like that – which made us sing the songs a little different. The things that he had to offer were just fantastic. Just working with him and being a producer myself, and just to see him doing what he was doing – I learned a lot – and it was beautiful to work with him. 43
