"Did Jean spend hours preparing the show or did he write a couple of words on a scrap of paper on his way into the studio? The answer is really: both of the above. Jean lived his show - it was really him. Therefore, his prep was just living and remembering and recalling things from decades or minutes before the 10-inch machine started rolling. But, in truth, the latter was what really happened. I remember Jean asking me what I thought of something right before we walked to the studio. He would write my answers down on a scrap of paper and that would be the basis of the show. He would do the same with the studio engineers who he used regularly for such material. He wanted to make sure the show was about what real people wanted to hear - not ivory tower stuff. It was his blue collar background, I suppose. Most of those guys really never 'got' Jean but they played along. Only a couple, like Herb Squires, really knew that they were a part of something very special." |