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Bernie, have you heard anything as to how Eric is doing these days. I know he wants to be off the grid but it would be great for his fans to know that he is in good health and enjoying his well deserved retirement in Arizona. What's he up to? Any info?

My apologies if this has already come up on another thread, but I'm dying to know. Exactly whose idea was the, ahem, controversial album cover to "Tonight You're Mine"? Was the cover foisted upon you by the Powers That Be? Was it a fait accompli before you saw it? Or did everyone think it was a good idea at the time? I see a parallel with Spinal Tap's notorious original cover to "Smell The Glove", the one replaced by the none-more-black version....except yours was actually used. Do tell, Eric

EC...Love to get your response to this hypothetical question...The phone rings in your house and its Mccartney and he tells you that he just talked to Ringo who said that you had some pretty nice songs...Mac continues to tell you that he went out and picked up all your solo CD's and that he was gonna RANDOMLY pick out a half dozen songs to listen to and that he would call you back to let you know what he thinks...QUESTION... What songs are you hoping he DOSENT randomly listen to(for whatever reason):examples They sound dated... Lyrically/melodically not strong enough... Production/arrangement poor... Vocally disappointing... Song too complex to be appreciated at one random sitting... Sounds like a Paul rip-off... Wouldnt sound good taken out of album context... Not representative of your style... ETC...

Eric I know you mentioned Boats against the current as the finest composition you wrote as a solo artist How bout a Raspberries tune what do you feel is the finest you ever written? PEACE Brian

Eric (and any other writers/performers), How do you keep performances fresh when it takes so much effort to write, have the other performers in the band learn the song, record and mix the song, then play a song over a thousand times in concert? Do you have songs you never tire of and songs that you really don't care to play? (no titles, please). I am not a wtiter or performer so I don't know if you ever feel this way.

Eric...you have always been incredibly forthcoming about some of your past work that you have mixed feelings about. As someone who loves the Beatles...I wondered what Beatle songs you thought were a wee-bit below the "Fab Four's" incredible standard of excellence. I'm of course curious to hear from all of you EC.comers as well....as we "nit-pick"...and talk about Beatle songs that you thought were just okay or heaven-forbid....not so good. My least favorite Beatle tune just may be..."I Want You(She's So Heavy") from Abbey Road..which I believe suffers from the extended,never-ending,instrumental-canoodling that Eric has criticized in the work of many other "Jethro-Tullish"-type groups from the late 60's and early 70's.(Even now I shudder as I remember seeing Lee Michaels and his drummer -"Rusty"-or something-doing "You Know What I Mean" at the Fillmore East one night in the late 60's.Their version that night as I recall...actually ended sometime in the early 70's!) Anyway I'd be curious to hear from you Eric and alla you cyber-buddies with your Beatles ("nit") picks.-Ira.

It's 9:13 EST and I'll tell you why I think Katherine is going to win. If I were the head of a label (like Simon) or a record producer, I want the next American Idol to sell 20 million records and have a long, long career. I like Taylor. He's quirky and kind of cool, in an offbeat sort of way, but he's not going to do those kinds of things. He's going to appeal to a certain niche audience, not unlike Michael McDonald and Joe Cocker. Those guys are both real talents who sell records, but we're not talking superstar like Whitney and Mariah and Shania. Katherine is beautiful, has a terrific voice, can act and can dance. She's 22 years old and she's really good right now. What she doesn't have yet is her own style. That can be developed. After "Idol" was over last night, I switched over to the CMA's just in time to see Carrie Underwood. She absolutely radiated STAR! She looked stunning and sounded great. She was so polished and poised she made most of the country "stars" look like half-baked amateurs. Give Katherine a year and she'll be just as good. She could have a HUGE career with the proper guidance. Last night, when Simon said that Taylor had just won the competition, he was really trying to rally Katherine's fans to get on the phone. I think Katherine is the one he wants on his label. By saying what he did, he made Taylor's fans think he had it wrapped up, and Katherine's fans think she was trailing. What better way to get Kat's fans to light up the phone lines. I think Katherine is the next American Idol. ec

Hey Mr. C - After meeting and greeting many of us over the past year (and I think it was so cool how warmly we were greeted time after time)...you might have wondered/been curious about something after you met us. Now that you've had a little downtime (by that I mean not touring)here's a thought: If you had the time to ask any of the boarders any thing on your mind, what do you want to know about us?

Just for fun, and using the criteria that money, time, and death are not obstacles... WHO would you pick as your ultimate accompanying band? Other than Wally, Dave & Jim of course...

Eric, Oh "Master of the Middle 8", besides the "Mother of All Classical Pop Interludes" bridge in "ABM" (long version), what songs of yours have your favorite bridges? And what bridges in other artist's songs do you admire the most? Have we covered this topic before? Recently?

Eric- I recently acquired an album by Orchestra 88 on the CAM USA label; all of the songs are from your BRI catalog- done by this orchestra in a variety of styles- jazz, funk, blues, disco, pop, sometimes all in the same song! So far, my favorite is their rendition of Boats Against The Current, with a tenor sax carrying the melody. Do you remember this project? Did you have any input? If so, what? A curious oddity of an album, to say the least! Here's the track listing: Side 1- All By Myself She Did It Never Gonna Fall In Love Again Let's Pretend Boats Against The Current Side 2- Nowhere To Hide Go All The Way Love Is All That Matters I Need You Everything

Ah, here's a tougher one.... Which "Mr. Tambourine Man" do you prefer? I love Dylan and his folksy original treatment. But if I had both in front of me, I think I'd play the Byrds' version first. Yep, this might be a rare case where the coverer outdoes the coveree, so I'll go with the Byrds' jangle. Am I wrong?

I know this girl from somewhere but where? At the beginning the guy watches a film then gets up, looks outside of his window to see a woman pulling flowers from a tree; then auto changes her clothes looks back up at the guy, then the guy stops looking outside. Who is this actress??? If you continue to watch the video, shes in it some more Thanks

Eric, My wife was watching "Dirty Dancing" yesterday, and listening to it while I was in the other room it sounded like a differnt mix of the song was played during the movie than the one that was released on the album soundtrack and single. I actually liked it better. Any reason why a different mix was used? Jeff

Eric: I have heard the Raspberries version of Locomotion/Be My Baby countless times. I also have heard the almost legendary tale how Todd Rundgen was at the Carnegie Hall concert, heard the Berries version and sold Grand Funk on covering the song and the rest is music history. My question is did the Raspberries ever considering covering the tune as a possible single or were you all more concentrated on your own material? Steve-O

Was this something you came up with in the studio??? Believe it or not, it took me a couple of years before realizing what it was!!! Doops!!! As a musician you would think I would have picked it in the flashiest of flashes... I really like the intro, it sets up the song "just right". bahoo

Hi Eric, this is Valorie's sister from Canada. I was just extremely curious what those barbie dolls on stage that I see you and Dave goofing around with were all about. I see them in some of the photos sitting by Jim's drums. Gonna clue us in or is this a 'private joke' Also I just wanted to say that I was the one who gave your lil girl the Canada Flag jersey..I did not even realize we were sitting behind your children but man o' man were they ever so much fun cute lil ones and so were their two lil friends...soooo funny!!

How did the band first start ?

How did Eric find Wally Bryson for the band ?

Now that you're one of the 'regulars' on EC.com, I have a little quiz for you. The quiz consists of four scenarios, with 3 possible answers to each. Give yourself 1 point for 'A', 2 points for 'B' and 3 points for 'C'. Ready? In the morning: A- You turn on the computer after your coffee to check the message board. B- You turn on the computer before your coffee so you can check the message board while drinking your coffee. C- If you're short on time in the morning, you skip the coffee so you can check in on the message board. Daily: A- You check the message board at least once a day. B- You check in so often you're looking over your shoulder to see if your spouse is watching. C- You leave your spouse waiting in bed so you can check in 'just one more time' before turning in for the night. If you miss a day on the message board: A- You wonder what you have been missing while you were away. B- You not only wonder what you've been missing, but wonder if anybody missed you. C- You develop facial tics. If you have to be away: A- You can't wait to get home and check in on the message board. B- You check it while on vacation. C- You search for 'hot spots' if there is no internet available. Scoring: 5 or less- Life is still fairly normal 6 to 8- Friends and family are starting to wonder. 9 or more- You are as addicted to EC.com as I am! So, how'd you do? Kirk.

Eric, Was "She Remembered", pure fantasy? Did you subject yourself to the surreal experience of a High School Class reunion ?

Hi Eric Carmen community, I know I'm late to the party here, but I've gotten heavily into Carmen's music (both solo and with the Raspberries) only within the last year or so. Anyway, my point is that only very recently did I discover that Carmen has a biography titled "Marathon Man." Looking on Amazon, it says it was published in 2004, so I figure it's likely long been out of print. It is available for digital purchase, but I'd much prefer to have a physical copy. Searches on Google and eBay have proven to be practically useless, so I'm wondering if anyone on this forum may have a copy they are looking to sell or know of any retailer or distributor I could still buy the book from. I'd really like to learn more about Eric's career, and the limited documentation found online leaves a lot to be desired. Thanks, kyletx500

Here's a voices-only, doo-woppy version of "Make Me Lose Control": What do you think?

Eric - have you ever considered doing a second edition to your book so those of us fans who were a little late in getting here could read it? I'd be really interested!

Eric - just saw a 60 minute piece on photographer Norm Seeff. Do you recall whether he filmed your photo session for your first solo album? Thanks!