Interview by Emily Doolan
The Falconer: Where did you go to school?
Mr. T: Sandwich High School. I was class of 1984.
The Falconer: Did you go to college for music?
Mr. T: I did. I’ll tell you my little life story here; if it’s not too boring and you don’t fall asleep. I graduated from Sandwich High School, class of ‘84, I went to 4 C’s for 1 year, got some credits, didn’t know what I was doing, but I had joined a band and they were all going to Berklee so I said, ‘Hey, I’ll go to Berklee too.’ Problem was, I played sax badly and I had just picked up a guitar but I wanted to go for guitar, so I started working really hard on guitar and then after a year of 4 C’s I took a gap year and in 1986 I went to Berklee College of Music. Graduated 1990, Summa Cum Lade.
The Falconer: So, what inspired you to just go into the music world?
Mr. T: Music was the one art form that really, really inspired me. When I heard music I knew there was something under the hood that was just really cool, something more to it than just enjoyment of music, there was something going on, I was like, ‘Aw man, I love that.’ And I would listen to the songs over and over again and it was the Beatles early, and then a lot of groups like that. And then playing in High School band, I loved my teacher which you’re probably going to ask me why I’m a teacher and we’ll get to that in a second but music was just special to me. And we had a famous opera star, Tatiana Troyanos, in our family, so that inspired me too. I thought maybe I could be, not famous, but maybe have a connection to music the way she did.
The Falconer: Where did you go to school?
Mr. T: Sandwich High School. I was class of 1984.
The Falconer: Did you go to college for music?
Mr. T: I did. I’ll tell you my little life story here; if it’s not too boring and you don’t fall asleep. I graduated from Sandwich High School, class of ‘84, I went to 4 C’s for 1 year, got some credits, didn’t know what I was doing, but I had joined a band and they were all going to Berklee so I said, ‘Hey, I’ll go to Berklee too.’ Problem was, I played sax badly and I had just picked up a guitar but I wanted to go for guitar, so I started working really hard on guitar and then after a year of 4 C’s I took a gap year and in 1986 I went to Berklee College of Music. Graduated 1990, Summa Cum Lade.
The Falconer: So, what inspired you to just go into the music world?
Mr. T: Music was the one art form that really, really inspired me. When I heard music I knew there was something under the hood that was just really cool, something more to it than just enjoyment of music, there was something going on, I was like, ‘Aw man, I love that.’ And I would listen to the songs over and over again and it was the Beatles early, and then a lot of groups like that. And then playing in High School band, I loved my teacher which you’re probably going to ask me why I’m a teacher and we’ll get to that in a second but music was just special to me. And we had a famous opera star, Tatiana Troyanos, in our family, so that inspired me too. I thought maybe I could be, not famous, but maybe have a connection to music the way she did.
The Falconer: What’s your favorite instrument to listen to?
Mr. T: It’s cello. I don’t go out of my way to just listen to solo cello stuff, but cellos always the instrument that sounds like, um, an emotion to me more than any other instrument. And I think I told you guys that I played next to a cello the one time I got to play in West Side Story in a pit with 20 other musicians, and I cried every night. The cello was so beautiful; it just touched me. Stunningly sounding, and the cello player was great, which was wonderful. So, cello is like a human voice, a deep human voice, I just connected to it somehow, I don’t know. Something very emotional about that sound more than any other instrument.
The Falconer: When you were younger, did you plan on being involved in music, or not? If not, what did you plan on?
Mr. T: No, I was kind of a dopey kid for a while, not figuring out, but I knew music made me feel a certain way, particularly in my band class, when we did something really well it was exciting. I know we played some concerts and we just hit things out of the park, we had some performances that just killed, and I never think I’ve ever felt that way before. Inside I felt like I wanted to be part of this more if I can. I was not made to sit behind a desk all day.
The Falconer: How has either teaching music or just music in general affected your life?
Mr. T: I think when I die, I’m going to have that movie roll at the end, you know when your life flashes before your eyes before you die supposedly? I haven’t died yet so I don’t know about it but. But I hope when I look back that I’ve affected people in a positive way with music, that I let them know music can be a part of their life and it can really add to your life, the quality of your life, the enjoyment of life and your love of life.
The Falconer: What brought you to teach? I know you were into music, but why did you want to teach music?
Mr. T: So when I went to Berklee, I didn’t claim a major right off the bat, but when it came time to do it, I realized the people who have really influenced me, like my high school band director, I had a private guitar teacher, and I realized how they inspired and changed my life, and I said ‘I’d like to do that for others, I’d like to change young peoples’ lives.’ That shows what I said before, how important music can be to an individual, how it can make your life greater, your appreciation and love of life. So as soon as I saw that, I said, 'Okay, I want to be a teacher.'
The Falconer: You keep talking about how music can positively affect your life, what makes you think that?
Mr. T: I just know that it can. Because I know how it makes me feel, so I’m assuming that you know, you’re gonna listen to a piece of music and it’s gonna hit you in a certain way. And it may make you sad, make you happy, but any time you can do something with art, and create an emotion, and connect that emotion with another human being; that’s a power, that’s a great thing. So, music affects you, I’m assuming? You feel it, I mean, do you ever just listen to a piece of music and just start crying out of the blue? Or laugh? Does that ever happen to you? What is the reason for that? Even if it’s instrumental, you know? It’s kind of amazing, psychological in a way, it’s kind of amazing how music and different art forms can do that. Music is emotion without words.
The Falconer: How many instruments can you play, or what is your favorite instrument to play or teach?
Mr. T: Guitar is my favorite instrument to play and teach, but I can play alto sax, I can fake my way - cause when you go to music school you gotta play a lot of instruments - I can fake my way through most things, and in fact I’m playing the musical ‘Tommy’, the rock opera, and I’m just picking up the french horn, over there, I started playing it today, and I’ve gotta play it in front of a couple hundred people in a couple of months, so I need to get working on it. So we’ll see how that sounds. So I can play most instruments of some capacity, piano, guitar, bass. Once you learn how to read notes, it’s stuff you can usually transfer to other instruments.
The Falconer: So would you say you like strings the most, because of your love for guitar?
Mr. T: I think so. And cello’s my favorite so I think the strings are attached.
The Falconer: Do you have a favorite hobby other than musical instruments?
Mr. T: I like running, watchin’ movies, my dogs, I don’t know, I don’t have many hobbies. God, I woke up at 3:30 this morning and was playing guitar for an hour and a half of practice this morning, so it’s just a lot of music. When I’m free, I want a guitar in my hand, I wanna get better at it, so...
The Falconer: What is the single most important thing to you?
Mr. T: To me? Is love. That you shine a light on other people, of love, hopefully, and support, and then a lot of good comes out of that, a lot grows out of that. I think that’s the most important thing, it’s relationships, it’s family, it’s friends, you know? It’s love of your hobby, love of your music, love of what you do and what you wanna do as a career. You’re just emanating this great aura, and it involves people around you too, and it multiplies hopefully you know? You guys have met people who are dark or sad or, and they don’t have love and it’s just hard to be around them. You create an environment of positivity and support, you share that love and everyone around you is better for it.
The Falconer: What is something that most of your students don't know about you?
Mr. T: I run, last weekend I ran 8 miles, I have 5 grandchildren, I play in bands. I’ve traveled to Europe twice, gone to Ireland twice with my big band.
The Falconer: Did your band have a name?
Mr. T: Stage Door Canteen. We’ve been together for 30 years, and I've been there from the beginning. . I have played for President Clinton. I played at the Kennedy Compound, which is the big Kennedy place in Hyannis and President Clinton was there. [answering prior question]
The Falconer: How did that go?
Mr. T: It was interesting, they had to search all our cases with the dogs and stuff, that was fun, and then President Clinton came in and he was interesting, to say the least. And I was looking up and there was a famous musician, Marvin Hamlisch standing right next to me, and I wasn‘t a good guitar player back then, so who knows what the heck he thought of me. I was like, ‘Oh my god’. Robert Kennedy’s wife was there, his widow was there and stuff, and she yelled at us to keep playing. It was a little adventure, I don’t think we were really good for that gig, but it is a memory. I also played at Kurt Vonnegut's house for his son's wedding. I had no idea we were playing for him and I looked up a table near the band stand with an older gentlemen sitting by himself and I said, "That guy looks like Kurt Vonnegut" and my band mate said, that is Kurt Vonnegut, this is house. Very interesting night.
The Falconer: How did you get that opportunity to play at the Kennedy Compound?
Mr. T: They were looking for a band, and we got called to play, so.
The Falconer: Your band?
Mr. T: It was part of that band, but a lot of the guys couldn’t make it, because they had another gig so it was a sub-band, that was the problem, it was not the most professional gig we played. And that’s why she was yelling at us ‘cause we were trying to figure out ‘What song should we play next?’ and she wanted the music to keep going. Another gig, I met Bill Murray. We were playing a large gig on the Vineyard and we just finished and a guy walks up to me to ask what the name of the last song we played was and I recognized him right way. I asked if it was him and he said yes and walked away before I could get a picture. I'm still not sure the other guys believed me but we finish with that song every year we play that show.