In
the past 25 ye
So
it’s the final season huh? Really? Why?
Professionally speaking,
the format is dead. In 2008, you can watch any music video ever made on the internet,
and even if that were the case, the music labels treat videos like they are another revenue stream. But personally, as much as I adore hanging out and working with this group, twenty-five years is a long
time to do anything!
Ok,
so what's in store in these last few episodes? What's new and different?
I think these are the best
shows we’ve ever done. The entire season has been about twenty-five years
of great music -- I mean, the Top 100 took months to research and it was only two shows!
But as we get closer to the end, the tone shifts to a more personal and intimate reflection as we reunite and reconnect
with hosts from every era. The last four are practically a four-part documentary.
I’m very proud of these shows, as you can tell!
ars, you’ve witnessed amazing changes in the music industry. In your
opinion, is the industry healthy?
If it was, we wouldn’t
be wrapping this up. Four labels own all the music. Nobody can agree on
a digital standard. Music isn’t something we cherish anymore. Now it’s just something that runs in the background and everyone – and the labels, MTV –
they all know it, which is why 99% of it sounds the same. There is no such thing
as artist development anymore. The regional shows have all folded because the
labels want us to pay for the right to run their music videos, which are actually just commercials. Radio is fragmented into a million sub-genres. I can’t
think of another aspect of the entertainment industry that is more screwed up. If
the labels had spent an eighth of the money on developing a digital standard post Napster as they did suing college kids and
moms, the entire digital business infrastructure would be different.
You
literally grew up with PCT and Soundwaves. What are some of your favorite memories doing the show?
Jeez, where to start? They great thing about having twenty-five years of shows is being able to look back
over so much! I have made friends for life, and the show just became another
excuse to hang out and work with them again. My favorite memories are all presented
in these final shows, through a few stick out: Who Shot Gerold, the 30-Hour Marathon, the Christmas shows. Everyone (on
the crew) started talking about Soundwaves Goes Hollywood, which predates a lot of reality TV.
We dug it out and watched it for the first time in fifteen years and it held up remarkably well, more so than stuff
we did just two years ago!
What
would you say to someone wanting to start a TV show today?
Commit to it. Maybe not for twenty-five years, but you have to love it. And
because it’s likely going to be cable access, just know that you’re going to do all the work. There is no glamour and if you’re lucky, maybe a few friends will watch. But there is no feeling like taking something from the idea phase through scripting, shooting and editing.
And leave your ego at home. There is no place for it in the creative process.
Any
big surprises with the final episodes of Soundwaves?
No.
498 (September 10th) reunites the ’83-’85 team for the first time since then and honestly, it’s
one of the best shows we’ve ever done. The last show, No. 500 (September
24th), is like an Irish wake. It’s equal parts reverence, inappropriateness
and bald-faced sentimentality. I’m not gonna lie – I’ve produced
700 hours of TV and I’ve never gotten choked up on camera before, but it happened on that show. But we also laughed until we cried, too. It was a perfect
day, a perfect shoot, and the perfect send-off. And yeah, there are a few genuine
surprises for longtime viewers.
What
will you miss the most?
This season has been filled
with such amazing reunions, I wish we could do what Cher did and make our final season last
five years! As soon as we announced that we had twelve hours left, everybody
jumped in – even people we hadn’t worked with in decades! So now,
the annual Christmas fundraisers we do will be our chance to get together again.
What
can we expect next from Dennis Willis? What does the future hold?
In the short term, an expanded
Top 100 special and our 19th annual food, clothing and toy drive on December 6th. We’re also uploading a ton of video onto the website as we comb the archives. Literally everything from this past season will be up, sometimes before it even airs. Beyond that, Steve Kirk and I are hoping to get behind the camera on a feature film next year. We have several projects we’d like to tackle.
Dennis, all the best as
you move forward. And folks Dennis is also helping me produce a new, as yet unreleased show called "Firetsarter". The
focus is social commentary on the media and all things music, movies and film. So if you want to see more of Dennis,
stay tuned.
Meanwhile, please watch the remaining episodes of Soundwaves. The show is fantastic and it may make you remember
what it was you loved about Music Television in the first place. Find Soundwaves on PCT Channel 26 Comcast or visit online
at www.soundwavestv.com.
