Not only was this one of the best interviews I've ever been a part of, but it was also a super positive and uplifting experience. It was September 5, 1989 and I had just traveled overseas for the very first time in my life, spending six weeks going to England, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, West Germany, and even East Germany. On the last leg, where I had returned to England as the last stop before flying home, I thought I'd check in on Big Audio Dynamite and see what the band had been up to since the world hadn't heard much from them recently. As it turned out, they had just released a brand new record and I was lucky enough to be able to get an interview with them at their studio.
I've done lots of interviews, but talking to these guys was always just like having a really good conversation - particularly with Don Letts, who I know wanted to talk primarily about the music but somehow I kept steering the conversation back to world affairs or injustice or something else that he had a lot to say about. They were all highly intelligent and engaged in relevant things, which somehow made the music so much more interesting. And yet they also carried this endearing innocence in their observations and creative expression. They couldn't have been nicer or more accommodating which, combined with the release of what I still think was their best album ("Megatop Phoenix"), really helped make this a magical moment.
I apologize for the poor sound quality in some parts - fortunately not the majority. Some of this interview was used in a WBAI special program, aired on September 28, 1989 and available in our archives.
