(Thanks to the gentleman in Georgia, we are now shy just one video director
credit! So there I was, poking around at the eMpTyV website, in my desperate
quest for the identity of the elusive director of the "Something to Say"
video.... Of course I didn't find what I was looking for (ain't that always
the way?), but I *did* find this little interview from last Fall, with Mr
Mike C.)


An Interview with Mike Connell, CONNELLS Guitarist and Founder

The Southern guitar rock and thoughtful lyrics of the CONNELLS have led the
band to the top of the local music heap. As long as they keep playing, the
CONNELLS will remain the kings of college rock. Granted, the members of the
CONNELLS are a little older than the average college band. But that's to be
expected -- because they've been playing together for fourteen years.

In fact, hearing the CONNELLS is a lot like talking to your parents. You
know what they say is true. It's clean and it's wise, but for some reason,
you never listen. The CONNELLS put respectability back into music. And years
later, you look back and say, "Wow, they really knew what they were talking
about."

The CONNELLS recently performed on an open-air quad on the Duke University
campus. After the show, I absorbed some wisdom from CONNELLS founder and
guitarist Mike Connell.

MTV: You guys are obviously really talented. You've put together seven solid
albums. But everyone knows you as a college band. Why do you think it is
that you haven't broken through to mainstream music?

Mike Connell: If I knew the answer, I'd be an A&R person and not in the
band. I don't know. Maybe the timing was off, maybe it was our work ethic,
or we didn't look good enough. The business isn't fair. Life isn't fair. And
it's a good thing it's not.

MTV: But you all have been together for fourteen years. What keeps you
together?

Mike Connell: It allows us to keep making music, which is what we love, and
it sure beats a nine-to-five.

MTV: On your new album Still Life, each of the six CONNELLS wrote at least
one song. Which songs did you write, and which means the most to you?

Mike Connell: I wrote six of the songs, but my favorite is "Still Life."

MTV: Why is that?

Mike Connell: It speaks to my frame of mind and our current situation,
appealing to a more sedentary life.

MTV: The CONNELLS have been really popular in Europe. Are the European fans
any different from American fans?

Mike Connell: Yeah. One particular song took off in Europe ["74-75"] and
most of the fans were coming to hear that one song. We were #1 in four
countries and Top 10 on MTV Europe 95. We got a lot of radio coverage.

MTV: I've always wondered if a band gets upset when the radio overplays
their music. How did you feel?

Mike Connell: We were thrilled. We loved it and were very grateful.

MTV: Do you ever listen to your own music?

Mike Connell: No way. I like British bands. I also listen to THE VERVE and
OASIS.

MTV: The CONNELLS are known for saying, "This is our last album." You've
proven yourselves wrong six times. Do you have any plans to produce another
album?

Mike Connell: We have no plans. We haven't decided if we're going to stay
together. I'd say there's a fifty-fifty chance. This industry is really
competitive. Our music is not really radio music, and we're not going to
mold our sound to make it more radio-friendly. That would be phony, and we
wouldn't know how to.

MTV: What is your favorite thing about being in a band?

Mike Connell: The nights when the show goes pretty well, when people seem to
genuinely enjoy some of the songs. The immediate reinforcement is nice.

MTV: Well, you put on a great show tonight. Thanks for your time. Good luck!

-- Erica Teagraden
MTV College Stringer
[log in to unmask] (September 30, 1998)