Jim Neill

I love the face time with the "talent," walking artists over to WRSI for in-studios; getting a chance to banter a bit. I'm no longer starstruck after all these years, but it's still somehow exciting to meet these people who have woven through my life musically. Just chugging through town with Loudon [Wainwright] or Jorma [Kaukonen], carrying their guitars-it's a trip. I'm a geek. Robyn Hitchcock's a blast… Dar Williams and Jonatha Brooke and Richie Havens-very sweet people. Citizen Cope, however, is not open to chatty publicity guys. I also like popping into the Horse or any of the clubs around soundcheck time. It's given me a sense of what a "performance" is, and the sheer will and courage it takes to put yourself out there. I get nervous just getting on stage to announce some upcoming shows! I think I've also gained an historical sense of what the aggregate mood and nature of music and its business is and how it's evolved. Working with some artists three and four times over the last 20 years, whether in radio, at record labels, or a live situation like IHEG, I feel like I'm not just promoting an album or a show, but I'm part of an artist's career. I'm working for them, not just my boss. I try to make sense of my "career," and that's what I've come up with. I've always been an advocate for people and art that I'm passionate about. I'm a musical lobbyist. The business is smaller and smaller these days too, so the people who are still in it are generally doing something real and I love getting to know them and building up my contacts. While it's weird to think about how fast time has passed, a lot of my old friends are now in positions of real power and it's easier to get things done with a phone call.