Been wanting to do something special for Zach's B-day for sometime but caring for my 99 yr old mom at home leaves little time for anything else. Luckily, my daughter, Rachel came to my rescue. I sent her the pics and song and she did all the heavy lifting and a really wonderful job, as always.
This time i wanted to use our version of his classic, ''Dinner With Drac''. I was a bit concerned when we did it, as this was sacred territory for him and i wanted his approval of what i was doing with it. He didn't comment on it while recording. He treated all we did back then with the same good natured, positivity and professionalism that he always brought to the table. It wasn't til years later when he said, in passing that he preferred our version over the original. I felt SO vindicated. If he liked it, i must be doing something right.
In listening to it now, with fresh ears, i think back on those sessions. Drummer, Jan Uvena breathed life into this track with his incredible style and energy...just LISTEN to those fills! And how can you describe the impact sax player, Paul Kendall had on all this? Every take only got better. This is also where my late brother, Rich showed what a terrific producer he was. I was happy with almost everything Paul did but it was Rich who kept saying, "That was great, but could we do one more take with a little more kick, Paul"? I was a little embarrassed but he just KEPT ON FINDING new places to go with it, just when you thought it couldn't get any better. Incredible to witness live. Speaking of which, the cherry on top was getting to stand next to Zach while performing that vocal...How many people have gotten to be this close to him when he's working? The careful articulation of every word and texture to his voice. Sometimes i'd offer him something to drink and he'd say no, he liked the dry quality his voice had at the moment. And those ad-lib moments when he'd look over at me and make a face...just pure magic. I was a kid again.
So Happy Birthday to the man himself...The living blueprint for every horror host who walked, limped or shuffled in his long, long shadow. I love you, Zach.