David Bowie Confronts Fame in 'The Stars (Are Out Tonight)'

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Celebrities aren't usually the ones doing the stalking, but David Bowie re-imagines the role famous people play in other people's lives in the video accompanying his new single "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)." 

David Bowie's 'The Next Day' Album: A Track-by-Track Preview

Bowie and Tilda Swinton play a nicely settled middle-aged couple whose comfortable existence is upended when a celebrity pair – Saskia De Brauw and Andrej Pejic, who's made to look startlingly like a young Bowie – follow them home from the grocery store and take over their space, both physical and emotional. The couples' roles slowly reverse, calling into question exactly what Swinton and Bowie's characters mean at the market when they agree, "We have a nice life."

The song starts with a slow, heavy backbeat and guttural guitar that dissolve into a propulsive bassline topped with shards of guitar and atmospheric synthesizers, for an effect reminiscent of vintage Bowie. It's the second song the singer has released from his upcoming album The Next Day, which is due next month. The first tune, "Where Are We Now?" was moodier and more reflective, with a video that revisited some of the places the singer used to frequent in Berlin in the Seventies. 

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David Bowie 'Likes the Struggle' of Winning Fans, Says Drummer Zack Alford

Zachary Alford and David Bowie

For the past year and a half drummer Zachary Alford has been forced to walk around with the secret that he plays on David Bowie's new album. "It's been torture," he says. "Everyone always says to me, 'So, what's David up to?' I just had to shrug my shoulders and say, 'I wish I knew.'" 

Now that the secret is out, Zachary is finally able to talk to us about the secretive recording sessions for The Next Day. We also spoke with him about his tenure in Bruce Springsteen's "Other Band" in 1992-'93. 

Let's start at the very beginning. Tell me how you first heard about this new Bowie album?
David sent me an email asking if I was available in the first two weeks of May of 2011. It was out of the blue. I mean, we'd been in email contact, but there was never any talk about work. 

What was your first reaction?
I said yes. [Laughs] Luckily I was available, so I was just really happy about that. But I didn't know what it was. But whatever it was, I'm available. [Laughs]

Flashback: Bowie Belts Out 'Heroes'

He asked if you were available, but he didn't tell you it was for a new album?
There was a time where I didn't know what it was. He wouldn't even say where it was or what it was. I remember [bassist] Gail [Ann Dorsey] and I talking about it, like, "Oh, did he contact you too?" "Yeah, he contacted me." "What's it for?" "I don't know." 

We didn't know if it was a performance or a recording or anything. It wasn't until maybe a week before that he said, "Yes, be here at this studio on this day." Then somehow it leaked out.

What do you mean?
Well, I got an email from David saying, "Do you know a photographer named so and so?" I could find the name, but I don't remember offhand. I said, "No." It's a good thing I didn't know him. [Laughs] Apparently this photographer had called someone from David's office and asked if it was OK for him to take pictures of David at the studio. They were like, "What? Who told you there was even a session?" Obviously, someone from the studio leaked it out. We got an email after that saying, "OK, change of plan. We're doing it at Magic Shop." 

By this point, are you shocked to learn that he's making a new album?
Um . . . I'd say I was relieved that he's finally back in the saddle, and I was relieved that I got the call.

Tell me about the first day of recording. Did he lay out his vision for the album, or did you just start cutting tracks?
It was all very matter-of-fact. We weren't allowed to hear any of the songs before that, because he didn't want anything out there circulating. So we basically walked in, and there wasn't much discussion. It's like, "Here's the first tune." Usually he'd play us a demo. It would be a home demo with a drum machine and a synth. Then he'd play a rehearsal demo, because they had actually rehearsed some of the material up from the initial demo stage in November. I guess that was in 2010. And so we listened to both, and then we'd go in the room and start playing it.

Is this you, Gail, Gerry Leonard and David?
Yes, and David Torn. The first week in May we actually had both guitar players, David Torn and Gerry Leonard. Gail was on bass and David was on either synths or he'd play acoustic guitar or piano, depending on the song.

Gerry would hand out charts while we listened to the song so we'd have something to follow, and we could make any notes we needed. We listened to the songs about two or three times, and then it was time to go play it. That was the drill.

I assume David told you that you couldn't tell a soul about the sessions.
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. He handed out nondisclosure forms for everyone to sign.

Did you even tell your family?
Yes. I told my wife and my kids. But we home-school, so I didn't have to worry about them blabbing it all over school.

It's pretty amazing in this day and age that it didn't get out there.
Yeah. I think it's a real testament to the value of privacy. This is zero promotion. Basically, him saying nothing is almost promoting the record itself.

Being quiet a whole decade and doing no interviews makes him this real mysterious character. It's almost like he's this ghost, and I can understand why he's reluctant to give that up.
In this day and age, people are so distracted that it's hard to show them anything they'll pay attention to. By actually giving them nothing, they want to know more.

I've only heard the single, but everyone keeps telling me the rest of the album sounds much different than that song.
Oh yeah. There's definitely a lot of up-tempo material. That's some kind of Sixties doo-wop-ish material. Although I don't remember a lot of the songs. I mean, it'll be two years in May since we did it. I haven't heard any of it since. I hope to have the chance to hear it soon myself.

So you basically only spent three total weeks working on the album?
Yeah.

Can you walk me through your average day of recording? What was the routine?
Well, the routine was very much like going to work. It was a lot of fun for me, because I don't live in the city anymore, but I grew up there. This was a nice way to come back. Every morning I'd stroll through Soho to go to the Magic Shop. I'd show up around 10:30 a.m. David was almost always already there. He'd be in the control room strumming away on something. Then he'd come back when we were all gathered and drinking our coffees. He'd then throw on a demo. Gerry would hand out charts, we'd take notes, and after hearing it two or three times he'd say, "Everybody ready?" We'd say "Yeah," and we'd go in and play it through. We'd only do two or three takes and he'd say, "Either we've got it or we don't."

On one occasion I recall we came back in and he still wasn't happy, so he wanted us to move on. He'd rather keep the momentum going and keep the juices flowing than sit there and hammer out a tune until it's perfect. 

So we'd do the first one, then we would break for lunch. Then the same drill. We'd listen to another one, takes notes, go in . . . Usually we'd finish by five or six.

Roughly how many takes do you think you did of most of the songs?
I would say between two and five takes for all the songs. 

Is that sort of low in your experience?
That is low, actually. It may not sound like it, but you can do a lot of takes in no time. Because they're all rehearsals. I can't tell you how many sessions I go to and I say, "Oh, wow, let's listen to the third take. That was the best one." And someone will say, "That was actually the sixth take." You forget how many times you've done something. So this was pretty low. On a couple of occasions it was only one take.

You said some of the songs were sort of doo-wop. Earl Slick told me some were Rolling Stones-esque. Can you describe the sound of the songs a little more?
There are a couple that remind me of the Scary Monsters period, because they're a bit more angular and aggressive-sounding, so I would approach them that way, because naturally I'm trying to tie the material into my association of what Bowie music sounds like.

There's another number that's a straight-up country song. There was another one that was based on a blues riff, but we had specific instructions to not make it sound like the blues. There were two songs that sort of had a Bo Diddley feel. I remember specifically shying away from that because I didn't want it to sound like "Panic in Detroit."

Do you know any of the songs titles?
They've changed. The only ones that have remained from my initial days are "The Stars (Are Out Tonight) and . . . is there one called "Ya Ya?" 

I don't think so.
I remember "Boss of Me." We cut that with Tony Levin on bass. I remember specifically thinking, "Oh, this one sounds kind of funky. Wouldn't it be great if he played the [Chapman] Stick?" I suggested that, and Tony wasn't thrilled with that, because there were a lot of chord changes. He doesn't like to do songs with chord changes on the Stick, but everybody thought it sounded great. That sounded almost Peter Gabriel-like, like something from the "Big Time" era.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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David Bowie 'Likes the Struggle' of Winning Fans, Says Drummer Zack Alford

Zachary Alford and David Bowie

For the past year and a half drummer Zachary Alford has been forced to walk around with the secret that he plays on David Bowie's new album. "It's been torture," he says. "Everyone always says to me, 'So, what's David up to?' I just had to shrug my shoulders and say, 'I wish I knew.'" 

Now that the secret is out, Zachary is finally able to talk to us about the secretive recording sessions for The Next Day. We also spoke with him about his tenure in Bruce Springsteen's "Other Band" in 1992-'93. 

Let's start at the very beginning. Tell me how you first heard about this new Bowie album?
David sent me an email asking if I was available in the first two weeks of May of 2011. It was out of the blue. I mean, we'd been in email contact, but there was never any talk about work. 

What was your first reaction?
I said yes. [Laughs] Luckily I was available, so I was just really happy about that. But I didn't know what it was. But whatever it was, I'm available. [Laughs]

Flashback: Bowie Belts Out 'Heroes'

He asked if you were available, but he didn't tell you it was for a new album?
There was a time where I didn't know what it was. He wouldn't even say where it was or what it was. I remember [bassist] Gail [Ann Dorsey] and I talking about it, like, "Oh, did he contact you too?" "Yeah, he contacted me." "What's it for?" "I don't know." 

We didn't know if it was a performance or a recording or anything. It wasn't until maybe a week before that he said, "Yes, be here at this studio on this day." Then somehow it leaked out.

What do you mean?
Well, I got an email from David saying, "Do you know a photographer named so and so?" I could find the name, but I don't remember offhand. I said, "No." It's a good thing I didn't know him. [Laughs] Apparently this photographer had called someone from David's office and asked if it was OK for him to take pictures of David at the studio. They were like, "What? Who told you there was even a session?" Obviously, someone from the studio leaked it out. We got an email after that saying, "OK, change of plan. We're doing it at Magic Shop." 

By this point, are you shocked to learn that he's making a new album?
Um . . . I'd say I was relieved that he's finally back in the saddle, and I was relieved that I got the call.

Tell me about the first day of recording. Did he lay out his vision for the album, or did you just start cutting tracks?
It was all very matter-of-fact. We weren't allowed to hear any of the songs before that, because he didn't want anything out there circulating. So we basically walked in, and there wasn't much discussion. It's like, "Here's the first tune." Usually he'd play us a demo. It would be a home demo with a drum machine and a synth. Then he'd play a rehearsal demo, because they had actually rehearsed some of the material up from the initial demo stage in November. I guess that was in 2010. And so we listened to both, and then we'd go in the room and start playing it.

Is this you, Gail, Gerry Leonard and David?
Yes, and David Torn. The first week in May we actually had both guitar players, David Torn and Gerry Leonard. Gail was on bass and David was on either synths or he'd play acoustic guitar or piano, depending on the song.

Gerry would hand out charts while we listened to the song so we'd have something to follow, and we could make any notes we needed. We listened to the songs about two or three times, and then it was time to go play it. That was the drill.

I assume David told you that you couldn't tell a soul about the sessions.
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. He handed out nondisclosure forms for everyone to sign.

Did you even tell your family?
Yes. I told my wife and my kids. But we home-school, so I didn't have to worry about them blabbing it all over school.

It's pretty amazing in this day and age that it didn't get out there.
Yeah. I think it's a real testament to the value of privacy. This is zero promotion. Basically, him saying nothing is almost promoting the record itself.

Being quiet a whole decade and doing no interviews makes him this real mysterious character. It's almost like he's this ghost, and I can understand why he's reluctant to give that up.
In this day and age, people are so distracted that it's hard to show them anything they'll pay attention to. By actually giving them nothing, they want to know more.

I've only heard the single, but everyone keeps telling me the rest of the album sounds much different than that song.
Oh yeah. There's definitely a lot of up-tempo material. That's some kind of Sixties doo-wop-ish material. Although I don't remember a lot of the songs. I mean, it'll be two years in May since we did it. I haven't heard any of it since. I hope to have the chance to hear it soon myself.

So you basically only spent three total weeks working on the album?
Yeah.

Can you walk me through your average day of recording? What was the routine?
Well, the routine was very much like going to work. It was a lot of fun for me, because I don't live in the city anymore, but I grew up there. This was a nice way to come back. Every morning I'd stroll through Soho to go to the Magic Shop. I'd show up around 10:30 a.m. David was almost always already there. He'd be in the control room strumming away on something. Then he'd come back when we were all gathered and drinking our coffees. He'd then throw on a demo. Gerry would hand out charts, we'd take notes, and after hearing it two or three times he'd say, "Everybody ready?" We'd say "Yeah," and we'd go in and play it through. We'd only do two or three takes and he'd say, "Either we've got it or we don't."

On one occasion I recall we came back in and he still wasn't happy, so he wanted us to move on. He'd rather keep the momentum going and keep the juices flowing than sit there and hammer out a tune until it's perfect. 

So we'd do the first one, then we would break for lunch. Then the same drill. We'd listen to another one, takes notes, go in . . . Usually we'd finish by five or six.

Roughly how many takes do you think you did of most of the songs?
I would say between two and five takes for all the songs. 

Is that sort of low in your experience?
That is low, actually. It may not sound like it, but you can do a lot of takes in no time. Because they're all rehearsals. I can't tell you how many sessions I go to and I say, "Oh, wow, let's listen to the third take. That was the best one." And someone will say, "That was actually the sixth take." You forget how many times you've done something. So this was pretty low. On a couple of occasions it was only one take.

You said some of the songs were sort of doo-wop. Earl Slick told me some were Rolling Stones-esque. Can you describe the sound of the songs a little more?
There are a couple that remind me of the Scary Monsters period, because they're a bit more angular and aggressive-sounding, so I would approach them that way, because naturally I'm trying to tie the material into my association of what Bowie music sounds like.

There's another number that's a straight-up country song. There was another one that was based on a blues riff, but we had specific instructions to not make it sound like the blues. There were two songs that sort of had a Bo Diddley feel. I remember specifically shying away from that because I didn't want it to sound like "Panic in Detroit."

Do you know any of the songs titles?
They've changed. The only ones that have remained from my initial days are "The Stars (Are Out Tonight) and . . . is there one called "Ya Ya?" 

I don't think so.
I remember "Boss of Me." We cut that with Tony Levin on bass. I remember specifically thinking, "Oh, this one sounds kind of funky. Wouldn't it be great if he played the [Chapman] Stick?" I suggested that, and Tony wasn't thrilled with that, because there were a lot of chord changes. He doesn't like to do songs with chord changes on the Stick, but everybody thought it sounded great. That sounded almost Peter Gabriel-like, like something from the "Big Time" era.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Q&A: David Bowie Guitarist Earl Slick on Secret New Album Sessions

David Bowie guitarist Earl Slick

David Bowie has worked with a lot of guitarists over the decades, but he always comes back to Earl Slick. They first teamed up in 1974 for the Diamond Dogs tour. When that wrapped, Slick entered the studio with Bowie to record Young Americans and Station to Station. When Stevie Ray Vaughan walked out of the Serious Moonlight tour at the last minute, Bowie called in Slick. After a long break, Slick reunited with Bowie in the early 2000s for Heathen and Reality and their supporting tours.

Bowie called Slick into the studio last summer for to work on his comeback album, The Next Day, but until this month Slick was forbidden to tell a soul about the secret sessions. Rolling Stone spoke to Slick about the new songs, the possibility of a tour and his memories from the famously debauched Station to Station sessions in 1975. 

David Bowie's 'The Next Day' Album: A Track-by-Track Preview

A few years ago, did you start to think that Bowie would never record again?
My mindset would go back and forth both ways. One thing I did know is that once you're an artist, you're an artist until the day you die. The urge is always going to be there. I was never sold on the idea that he was done. Never.

How did you first hear about this project?
I heard about it directly from David last May. We were talking on the phone and he goes, "What's your schedule like?" I said, "I'm around. What have you got in mind?" One conversation led to the other, and we scheduled to go into the studio in July.

How did that first session begin?
He had already been working on it, unbeknownst to me. He had already cut some tracks. On my first day it was myself, David, Tony Visconti and drummer Sterling Campbell. We cut some new ones. When we finished those up David played me bits and bobs from the rest of the record. He said, "Oh, what do you think about this or that?" We then picked out some songs for me to play on. 

The whole thing was very casual, and it's all done as a group effort. We'll sit down and he'll play me a song and I'll say if I have a part in mind. It's a very give-and-take, very casual way of working. Sometimes he'll play me a little rough sketch on the guitar and say, "That's the idea. Now take it where you want it to go."

How many days were you there?
I was only there for a week. I did all my work in a week.

When was that?
Last week of July, or something like that. All I know is that it was hot as hell outside.

Tony says the single "Where Are We Now" sounds radically different than the rest of the album.
I don't know what the final outcome of the album is, but I know a lot of the stuff I played on was very different than the single.

Are they at all similar to the songs on Heathen or Reality? How would you describe the sound of the songs?
Oh God, I don't know if that man has ever done a record in his life that sounded like the last record he did. Think about it. You do Young Americans and then less than a year later you do Station to Station. You're talking apples and oranges. Those records, they don't even . . . it's a typical Bowie thing. It's unmistakably David Bowie, but as usual, it's unlike . . . Obviously, there's flavors from everything. You might think, "Oh, that sounds like Station to Station and that one sounds a little like Low." But there's no overall sound other than I can tell you it's just another David Bowie album that sounds different than the last one.

Do you know how many songs he used you on?
I haven't heard the album yet, but I'm gonna guess I'm on anywhere from five to seven of those. I've seen the titles these past few days, but they don't mean anything to me. They all had working titles when I was in there. 

Can you describe the sound of the songs a little more?
Two of the songs sounded a little Stones-y in the same way the title track from Diamond Dogs had a very Stones-y sound, especially when we played it live. It's not a great secret that I'm a big lover of Keith Richards, so I do have a lot of that in my playing. I did do some rhythms on some of the tracks that were very reminiscent of that.

For the rest of the album, it's a touch of Bowie across the board. There's some rockers on there. I did probably hear some songs that didn't make the album, but there was one with a mid-tempo, almost an R&B feel. I can't even describe it, but it was really cool. It was almost the same tempo as "Wild Is the Wind." I played electric on it. 

You've worked with Bowie a lot over the years. Was the process of this one different at all from the other albums?
It hasn't changed in 40 years. I've worked with a ton of people, and he's always the easiest. He doesn't come with a strict, "This is what it is, and you have to play these exact notes through the amp this way." Some artists do that, and that's why I rarely do sessions. I'm just too belligerent.

There's a certain magic when I sit in a room with David. That's why you'll see different guitar players working with him. He doesn't expect me to do what Adrian Belew does. He doesn't expect Adrian to do what I do, or Gerry Leonard, or vice versa. When I'm there, he needs me to do what I do best. "Here's the basic guidelines. What are the chords? Oh, I think it's in the key of G. OK, great." So we sit down, we bang around a couple of acoustic guitars sitting around some espresso and biscotti in the control room, and we just talk it through for a couple of minutes. Then I strap my guitar on and play until we both are happy with what I hit on.

The big question: Any chance you guys play live?
I knew that was the next question. That's another mystery. I mean, the band would love to do it. Obviously, we'd love to go out and do some dates. With David, and this has always been the case, he does what he's gonna do when he's gonna do it. A lot of the time it just comes from nowhere. I mean, I wasn't terribly surprised to talk to him about making another record. I wouldn't be surprised if he did call about live dates, and I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't get the call. I can tell you right now there's no touring plans that I've heard of.

Not enough people appreciated it at the time, but that last tour felt very special.
Out of every tour I've ever done in my life – and that includes David and my own tours – that, hands down, was the most fun I'd ever had. It was the best configuration of guys we'd ever had. 

If he calls you tomorrow and says, "Hey, I want to go on a huge 18-month tour," what do you say?
What do you think?

I presume you'd do it.
[Laughs] Of course.

Just a random question. I've read so much about the making of Station to Station over the years – all the drugs and the all-night sessions and the general madness. Is any of it myth?
No, it's not a myth at all.

What's your memory of the single strangest moment?
The whole damn thing was strange! I mean, at the time it seemed perfectly normal to me. But in hindsight . . . I remember one night where we didn't even have the studio booked. How old was I? Christ, I was 24. It was L.A., and we were out ranting and raving every night, just having a blast. I was at the Rainbow Bar and Grill. As we used to say, I was "under the weather." Suddenly one of the roadies comes in. They search the whole place and find me at a back table. He says, "Time to go to work." I say, "It's one in the morning and I'm drunk." He says, "That's OK. David's at the studio. There's a car outside." So I paid my tab, jumped in the car and worked all night. I mean, that was not an unusual thing to happen.

David claims to be unable to recall most any of it.
Trust me, there's a lot of blank spots for me as well. I was living at the Sunset Marquis ,and it would be daylight when I got back. I'd be sitting out on my balcony drinking a beer at 10 a.m., just getting back from work.

Roy Bittan from the E Street Band was on keyboards, right?
Yes. 

He always seemed so straight and professional to me. I can't imagine him in the middle of all that madness.
You know why? He's a New York boy, that's why. He's used to being around that. The first time I ever met Roy was in New York while I was working with some band called Tracks or something. I met Roy, and we became fast friends. We were doing Station and it came up that we needed a piano player. David asked everybody in the band and I said, "You know what? Bruce Springsteen and the guys are staying at my hotel. My friend Roy is in the band. Why don't I bring him down?" That's what happened with Roy. 

I've always wondered how that worked for him. It was directly in the middle of the Born to Run tour. How did he have time?
I can't swear to this because I have a lot of blanks myself, but I think it was when Springsteen did two nights at the Roxy. It was the same time he was on the cover of Time and Newsweek. He was just exploding, and he was in Los Angeles for a little while. We were all at the same hotel. Again, there's a lot of blank spots, and I don't know if Roy was only in the studio for a day or two.

It's pretty amazing that the album turned out so perfectly.
I gotta tell you, out of every record I've played on, and I've played on a few records, that is still one of my favorites. As crazy as it was, and I can't specifically remember a lot, the memories I have are good. [Laughs] It makes me feel good thinking of the album, so it must have been fun.

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Ultra Music Festival 2013 Lineup: David Guetta, Deadmau5, Calvin Harris

Ultra Music Festival 2013 Lineup: David Guetta, Deadmau5, Calvin HarrisAvicii, Swedish House Mafia and Tiesto also on the bill for EDM blowout $(document).ready(function() { $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .email-content').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').hide(); } ); $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .print-page').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').hide(); } ); }); By

After previously announcing it will host Swedish House Mafia's last-ever live performance and a headlining set from Deadmau5, today Ultra Music Festival revealed a new batch of top-tier talent set to appear at the fifteenth annual dance-music gathering: Tiësto, David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Kaskade, Avicii and Major Lazer.

The 30 Greatest EDM Albums of All Time

Among the other EDM stars joining the bill are Afrojack, Bassnectar, Armin Van Buren and Carl Cox. Non-DJ acts set to perform – all with dance-friendly vibes (in a release, the festival dubbed them the "live" acts) – include Hot Chip, Crystal Castles, Yeasayer, Knife Party, and Matt and Kim.

For the first time this year, Ultra will take place across two weekends this March at Miami's Bayfront Park. Watch the above video for a visual display of the festival's lineup to date and check back in the coming weeks as more artists are revealed. Tickets for both weekends are currently on sale through the Ultra website.

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Ultra Music Festival 2013 Lineup: David Guetta, Deadmau5, Calvin Harris

Ultra Music Festival 2013 Lineup: David Guetta, Deadmau5, Calvin HarrisAvicii, Swedish House Mafia and Tiesto also on the bill for EDM blowout $(document).ready(function() { $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .email-content').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').hide(); } ); $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .print-page').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').hide(); } ); }); By

After previously announcing it will host Swedish House Mafia's last-ever live performance and a headlining set from Deadmau5, today Ultra Music Festival revealed a new batch of top-tier talent set to appear at the fifteenth annual dance-music gathering: Tiësto, David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Kaskade, Avicii and Major Lazer.

The 30 Greatest EDM Albums of All Time

Among the other EDM stars joining the bill are Afrojack, Bassnectar, Armin Van Buren and Carl Cox. Non-DJ acts set to perform – all with dance-friendly vibes (in a release, the festival dubbed them the "live" acts) – include Hot Chip, Crystal Castles, Yeasayer, Knife Party, and Matt and Kim.

For the first time this year, Ultra will take place across two weekends this March at Miami's Bayfront Park. Watch the above video for a visual display of the festival's lineup to date and check back in the coming weeks as more artists are revealed. Tickets for both weekends are currently on sale through the Ultra website.

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Taylor Swift Shares Car Accident Stories With David Letterman

Taylor Swift Shares Car Accident Stories With David LettermanCrashes happened during reporting of Rolling Stone cover story $(document).ready(function() { $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .email-content').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').hide(); } ); $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .print-page').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').hide(); } ); }); By

Taylor Swift stopped by the Late Show With David Letterman last night to play "Red," but before the pop star took the stage with the title track from her new album, she chatted with the host about getting into a pair of car accidents while spending time with Brian Hiatt for Rolling Stone's latest cover story. Though Swift was nervous, noting Hiatt is "such a good writer," she figured by driving both of them to a restaurant, Hiatt would write about her impressive driving skills. Things didn't work out so well.

"I was trying to use the GPS in my car that I had never used before, but I wanted to use it because he was in the car and I wanted to seem like I knew how to use my GPS," said Swift. While attempting a U-turn, Swift backed up "a tiny bit," only to smack into another car.

"But that was only the first one," said Swift. "There were two accidents that day." A little later, a car blindsided hers, hitting them in the side. This one was more serious. "This time, Brian's not like chill or calmed down. He's like, 'AHHHHHHHH!'" said Swift. But according to Swift, Hiatt thanked her for saving his life with her defensive driving skills. "That didn't end up in the article, but he did say it," she said.

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Taylor Swift Shares Car Accident Stories With David Letterman

Taylor Swift Shares Car Accident Stories With David LettermanCrashes happened during reporting of Rolling Stone cover story $(document).ready(function() { $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .email-content').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').hide(); } ); $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .print-page').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').hide(); } ); }); By

Taylor Swift stopped by the Late Show With David Letterman last night to play "Red," but before the pop star took the stage with the title track from her new album, she chatted with the host about getting into a pair of car accidents while spending time with Brian Hiatt for Rolling Stone's latest cover story. Though Swift was nervous, noting Hiatt is "such a good writer," she figured by driving both of them to a restaurant, Hiatt would write about her impressive driving skills. Things didn't work out so well.

"I was trying to use the GPS in my car that I had never used before, but I wanted to use it because he was in the car and I wanted to seem like I knew how to use my GPS," said Swift. While attempting a U-turn, Swift backed up "a tiny bit," only to smack into another car.

"But that was only the first one," said Swift. "There were two accidents that day." A little later, a car blindsided hers, hitting them in the side. This one was more serious. "This time, Brian's not like chill or calmed down. He's like, 'AHHHHHHHH!'" said Swift. But according to Swift, Hiatt thanked her for saving his life with her defensive driving skills. "That didn't end up in the article, but he did say it," she said.

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Led Zeppelin, Buddy Guy, David Letterman to Receive Kennedy Center Awards

Buddy Guy, David Letterman and Robert Plant of Led ZeppelinDonna Ward/Getty Images; Ray Tamarra/FilmMagic; Heidi Gutman/NBC NewsWire

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has announced the seven recipients of the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors. Buddy Guy, Led Zeppelin, David Letterman, Dustin Hoffman and ballerina Natalia Makarova will be honored by the Kennedy Center. Though Led Zeppelin will receive honors as a band, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant will each receive Kennedy Center Honors.

"Buddy Guy is a titan of the blues and has been a tremendous influence on virtually everyone who has picked up an electric guitar in the last half century," said Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein in a press release. "David Letterman is one of the most influential personalities in the history of television, entertaining an entire generation of late-night viewers with his unconventional wit and charm . . . and Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant transformed the sound of rock & roll with their lyricism and innovative song structures, infusing blues into the sound of rock & roll and laying the foundation for countless rock bands."

The Kennedy Center Honors will be presented on December 1st, with the Honors Gala on December 2nd. The gala will air December 26th on CBS.

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Robin Williams Eyes Return to TV on New David E. Kelley Sitcom

Robin Williams is eyeing a return to TV with a half-hour sitcom from The Practice and Ally McBeal creator David E. Kelley, according to The Hollywood Reporter. CBS is reportedly interested in the show, which is set in the advertising industry. Kelley wrote and will produce the still unnamed single-camera series for 20th TV, and Bill D'Elia is set as executive producer. The show is Kelley's first half-hour sitcom since Doogie Howser, M.D.

The show would mark Williams' first starring sitcom role since Mork and Mindy 30 years ago, though he has recently guest starred on Louie and Wilfred. Michael J. Fox also resurrected his small-screen career earlier this month when NBC picked up his new show, which is also yet to be titled.

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Songwriter Hal David Dead at 91

Hal David attends his Hollywood Walk Of Fame Induction Ceremony.

Hal David, the longtime songwriting partner of Burt Bacharach, died on Saturday morning at the age of 91, the Associated Press reports. His wife, Eunice David, said that he died at Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of complications from a stroke.

David was the lyricist in the partnership with Bacharach, and the pair racked up Grammys, Tonys and an Oscar for the songs they crafted together, including "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," and "Promises, Promises." David served for six years as president of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He was also the head of the Songwriters Hall of Fame from 2001 to 2011, after which he became its Chairman Emeritus.

David was born in New York, where he studied Journalism at NYU before serving in the South Pacific during World War II. He met Burt Bacharach while working at the legendary Brill Building, and the pair began writing songs for Dionne Warwick in 1962, including "I Say a Little Prayer," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose," and "Always Something There to Remind Me." They also wrote hit songs for Dusty Springfield ("Wishin' and Hopin'"), Jackie DeShannon ("What the World Needs Now is Love") and Tom Jones ("What’s New, Pussycat") as well as other Top 40 hits, including "Close to You" and "That's What Friends Are For."

Last May, Bacharach and David were awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. At the White House tribute concert where the prize was presented, President Barack Obama praised the duo for their nearly six decades of work.

"Above all, they stayed true to themselves," Obama said. "And with an unmistakable authenticity, they captured the emotions of our daily lives – the good times, the bad times, and everything in between."

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Songwriter Hal David Dead at 91

Hal David attends his Hollywood Walk Of Fame Induction Ceremony.

Hal David, the longtime songwriting partner of Burt Bacharach, died on Saturday morning at the age of 91, the Associated Press reports. His wife, Eunice David, said that he died at Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of complications from a stroke.

David was the lyricist in the partnership with Bacharach, and the pair racked up Grammys, Tonys and an Oscar for the songs they crafted together, including "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," and "Promises, Promises." David served for six years as president of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He was also the head of the Songwriters Hall of Fame from 2001 to 2011, after which he became its Chairman Emeritus.

David was born in New York, where he studied Journalism at NYU before serving in the South Pacific during World War II. He met Burt Bacharach while working at the legendary Brill Building, and the pair began writing songs for Dionne Warwick in 1962, including "I Say a Little Prayer," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose," and "Always Something There to Remind Me." They also wrote hit songs for Dusty Springfield ("Wishin' and Hopin'"), Jackie DeShannon ("What the World Needs Now is Love") and Tom Jones ("What’s New, Pussycat") as well as other Top 40 hits, including "Close to You" and "That's What Friends Are For."

Last May, Bacharach and David were awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. At the White House tribute concert where the prize was presented, President Barack Obama praised the duo for their nearly six decades of work.

"Above all, they stayed true to themselves," Obama said. "And with an unmistakable authenticity, they captured the emotions of our daily lives – the good times, the bad times, and everything in between."

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Q&A: David Cross on 'Arrested Development,' Cutoff Shorts and Overpowering the Grid

After years of speculation and anticipation, the cast and crew of Arrested Development are finally at work on new episodes. In the interim David Cross wasn't waiting by the phone covered in blue paint, like Tobias Funke: he released his third comedy album in 2010, created and starred in The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret on IFC and guest-starred on Modern Family. Cross took the time to talk to Rolling Stone about the return of the cult favorite.

It's been almost ten years since the show started.
I never really thought of it that way. I don't know of any project that's had a shelf life [like this]. It was about a four-and-a-half year window of people thinking, "OK, it might be any month now that it starts."  You know, "Next month? Next year. Next year? Next two months. Tomorrow? Three years." And that process was four years, so it seems very present.  That whole part was longer than actually shooting.

How does it feel to be back in the cutoffs?
Well, the cutoffs themselves are great, because that first day of shooting we were in Burbank, and it was 102 degrees. It was a treat to be in the cutoffs. It's great, and it's a little surreal. I would say about half of the crew is back, the same crew from six years ago. We're all older and people are married, have kids now. There's no good way to do it. You're not gonna sit around on set and shoot the shit for three hours and catch up. You just get there at 6:30 in the morning and go. And you know, an hour and half later you're in front of the camera doing your first scene.

Is a 10-episode season still the plan?
I think it's going to be 13 episodes, not 10. There's too much story. Some characters will have two-parters. Everybody sort of participates, sometimes in a bigger way and sometimes in a tiny little thread that goes through everybody else's stories.

Is the new season going to be more serialized, like some of the later episodes?
I'm not gonna divulge anything, but I know what the stories are and what Mitch [Hurwitz] is doing, and it's so layered. It's really audacious and amazing. I think a lot of people will miss the work that is involved, the story, the Venn diagrams that are being created, the domino effect that characters have with each other in their various episodes. I know what he's doing, and this has never been done on a TV show like this. This makes Lost look like a Spalding Grey monologue. You'll have to watch each episode more than once.

Do you think the return of AD and the possible Party Down movie and the campaign to save Community have happened because fans have the Internet, or something else?
The networks finally caught up to the understanding of how people watch TV. If it was one year later, Arrested Development would still be on the air. Or, not currently, but it wouldn't have gotten cancelled. Just one year! It took them a while to figure out what everybody else already knew, which is that people aren't watching the show the night it airs.

The new episodes are going to be released on Netflix. What's it like working with them compared to a network?
Netflix is great. They don't meddle at all. They know what they want. They're happy to have it. The idea of Fox and NBC and being kind of studio- or network-loyal is absurd. People don't give a shit. What is it? It's on the plane. It's on Netflix. It's on Hulu. It's on YouTube. It's on the Internet. That's how people watch TV.

A lot of people are already planning marathons and parties for the new episodes.
I think there's gonna be a lot of power outages across North America. I think the grid is gonna go down.

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David Byrne and St. Vincent Will Release 'Love This Giant' in September

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David Bowie's 'Ziggy Stardust' Gets 40th Anniversary Reissue

David Bowie performs during his Ziggy Stardust tour.

David Bowie's landmark 1972 album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, will be reissued in a special 40th anniversary edition on June 5th. The record, which was Bowie's fifth and features such enduring classics as "Five Years," "Moonage Daydream," "Starman" and "Ziggy Stardust," will be presented in several formats, including CD, 180-gram vinyl and 5.1 mix DVD.

Produced by Bowie and Ken Scott, the album was originally issued on June 6th, 1972. Written during sessions for Bowie's 1971 album Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust was tracked at Trident Studios in London between November 1971 and February 1972.

The seminal album included Mick Ronson (guitar, piano, backing vocals, string arrangements), Trevor Bolder (bass), Mick Woodmansey (drums), Rick Wakeman (keyboards) and backing vocals on "It Ain't Easy" by Dana Gillespie. In addition to his vocals, Bowie was involved in the arrangements and played acoustic guitar, saxophone and harpsichord on the sessions. While Ziggy Stardust would live in infamy as Bowie's best-known onstage persona, the singer put the character to rest following his London performance on July 3rd, 1973.

The 40th anniversary edition was remastered by original Trident Studios engineer Ray Staff at London's Air Studios. Tracklistings for the respective packages are as follows:

CD

"Five Years (2012 - Remaster)"
"Soul Love (2012 - Remaster)"
"Moonage Daydream (2012 - Remaster)"
"Starman (2012 - Remaster)"
"It Ain't Easy (2012 - Remaster)"
"Lady Stardust (2012 - Remaster)"
"Star (2012 - Remaster)"
"Hang On to Yourself (2012 - Remaster)"
"Ziggy Stardust (2012 - Remaster)"
"Suffragette City (2012 - Remaster)"
"Rock 'N' Roll Suicide (2012 - Remaster)"
180-gram vinyl with DVD featuring a new 2012 stereo remaster and 2003 5.1 and stereo mixes (audio only)
LP 180G heavyweight vinyl

Side 1
"Five Years (2012 - Remaster)"
"Soul Love (2012 - Remaster)"
"Moonage Daydream (2012 - Remaster)"
"Starman (2012 - Remaster)"
"It Ain't Easy (2012 - Remaster)"
Side 2
"Lady Stardust (2012 - Remaster)"
"Star (2012 - Remaster)"
"Hang On to Yourself (2012 - Remaster)"
"Ziggy Stardust (2012 - Remaster)"
"Suffragette City (2012 - Remaster)"
"Rock 'N' Roll Suicide (2012 - Remaster)"

DVD Audio only

"Five Years (2012 - Remaster)"
"Soul Love (2012 - Remaster)"
"Moonage Daydream (2012 - Remaster)"
"Starman (2012 - Remaster)"
"It Ain't Easy (2012 - Remaster)"
"Lady Stardust (2012 - Remaster)"
"Star (2012 - Remaster)"
"Hang On to Yourself (2012 - Remaster)"
"Ziggy Stardust (2012 - Remaster)"
"Suffragette City (2012 - Remaster)"
"Rock 'N' Roll Suicide (2012 - Remaster)"
"Five Years (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Soul Love (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Moonage Daydream (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Starman (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"It Ain't Easy (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Lady Stardust (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Star (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Hang On To Yourself (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Ziggy Stardust (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Suffragette City (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Rock 'N' Roll Suicide (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Moonage Daydream (Instrumental) PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MIXES (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"The Supermen PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MIXES (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Velvet Goldmine PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MIXES (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Sweet Head PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MIXES (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"

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David Bowie's 'Ziggy Stardust' Gets 40th Anniversary Reissue

David Bowie performs during his Ziggy Stardust tour.

David Bowie's landmark 1972 album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, will be reissued in a special 40th anniversary edition on June 5th. The record, which was Bowie's fifth and features such enduring classics as "Five Years," "Moonage Daydream," "Starman" and "Ziggy Stardust," will be presented in several formats, including CD, 180-gram vinyl and 5.1 mix DVD.

Produced by Bowie and Ken Scott, the album was originally issued on June 6th, 1972. Written during sessions for Bowie's 1971 album Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust was tracked at Trident Studios in London between November 1971 and February 1972.

The seminal album included Mick Ronson (guitar, piano, backing vocals, string arrangements), Trevor Bolder (bass), Mick Woodmansey (drums), Rick Wakeman (keyboards) and backing vocals on "It Ain't Easy" by Dana Gillespie. In addition to his vocals, Bowie was involved in the arrangements and played acoustic guitar, saxophone and harpsichord on the sessions. While Ziggy Stardust would live in infamy as Bowie's best-known onstage persona, the singer put the character to rest following his London performance on July 3rd, 1973.

The 40th anniversary edition was remastered by original Trident Studios engineer Ray Staff at London's Air Studios. Tracklistings for the respective packages are as follows:

CD

"Five Years (2012 - Remaster)"
"Soul Love (2012 - Remaster)"
"Moonage Daydream (2012 - Remaster)"
"Starman (2012 - Remaster)"
"It Ain't Easy (2012 - Remaster)"
"Lady Stardust (2012 - Remaster)"
"Star (2012 - Remaster)"
"Hang On to Yourself (2012 - Remaster)"
"Ziggy Stardust (2012 - Remaster)"
"Suffragette City (2012 - Remaster)"
"Rock 'N' Roll Suicide (2012 - Remaster)"
180-gram vinyl with DVD featuring a new 2012 stereo remaster and 2003 5.1 and stereo mixes (audio only)
LP 180G heavyweight vinyl

Side 1
"Five Years (2012 - Remaster)"
"Soul Love (2012 - Remaster)"
"Moonage Daydream (2012 - Remaster)"
"Starman (2012 - Remaster)"
"It Ain't Easy (2012 - Remaster)"
Side 2
"Lady Stardust (2012 - Remaster)"
"Star (2012 - Remaster)"
"Hang On to Yourself (2012 - Remaster)"
"Ziggy Stardust (2012 - Remaster)"
"Suffragette City (2012 - Remaster)"
"Rock 'N' Roll Suicide (2012 - Remaster)"

DVD Audio only

"Five Years (2012 - Remaster)"
"Soul Love (2012 - Remaster)"
"Moonage Daydream (2012 - Remaster)"
"Starman (2012 - Remaster)"
"It Ain't Easy (2012 - Remaster)"
"Lady Stardust (2012 - Remaster)"
"Star (2012 - Remaster)"
"Hang On to Yourself (2012 - Remaster)"
"Ziggy Stardust (2012 - Remaster)"
"Suffragette City (2012 - Remaster)"
"Rock 'N' Roll Suicide (2012 - Remaster)"
"Five Years (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Soul Love (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Moonage Daydream (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Starman (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"It Ain't Easy (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Lady Stardust (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Star (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Hang On To Yourself (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Ziggy Stardust (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Suffragette City (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Rock 'N' Roll Suicide (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Moonage Daydream (Instrumental) PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MIXES (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"The Supermen PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MIXES (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Velvet Goldmine PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MIXES (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"
"Sweet Head PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MIXES (5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo)"

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Exclusive Q&A: Original Beach Boy David Marks on the Band's Anniversary Tour

Bruce Johnston, David Marks, Brian Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine of the Beach Boys at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards.REUTERS /LUCY NICHOLSON /LANDOV

When the Beach Boys announced their 50th anniversary reunion tour last year, many longtime fans were thrilled to see original guitarist David Marks in the lineup. Marks lived down the street from the Wilsons when the group formed in the early 1960s and played guitar on their early albums, but he split in late 1963 after butting heads with their manager, Murry Wilson. In the late 1990s, he briefly rejoined the Mike Love-led Beach Boys, but this upcoming tour will be his first time hitting the road with Brian Wilson since he quit almost 50 years ago. Before rehearsals begin in late April, we spoke with Marks about the early days of the group and how their reunion came together. 

This reunion has been rumored for years. How did they first tell you about it?
Well, we've been talking about it together for years, Mike (Love) and I. I finally got a call to do a session for "Do It Again." That's pretty much how I was informed and it just took off from there and plans continued.

To go way, way back, can you tell me how you first started playing in the Beach Boys?
It started when I was seven years old and I moved in across the street from the Wilsons. They were a very musical family, and they had Sunday sing-alongs. I used to go over and sit in. They actually kind of stood around me and sang. Audree Wilson, the mother of the three boys, showed us all how to play boogie-woogie on the piano. Then Carl and I started taking guitar lessons at a very young age. I was ten and he was 12. Our guitars just created a style of our own that attracted Brian to use on his songs that he started writing. So Carl and I were very involved in the creative process.

Are you playing on "Surfin'" at that first Beach Boys home recording session?
I was not present at that. I was at school. We rehearsed that song in the music room and it was in the afternoon and I was at school. Shortly after that, however, we did the "Surfin' Safari" demo for Capitol Records.

How old were you during this?
It was right before I turned 14.

What was Brian like back then? Just a normal high school kid?
Yeah. My first impressions of Brian…he was very athletic, involved with the high school sports thing. He was always recruiting us neighborhood kids to play football in his front yard. Even then, he exhibited the leadership qualities that he had for music.

The Wilson brothers were close, but they had quite different personalities, right?
Yeah, they were totally different personalities. They were all unique, and they all had specialized talents. Dennis just picked up the drums out of nowhere and became one of the stylistic drummers of the time, and Carl's voice was one of the best voices in the world. And Brian had his writing and vocal arranging talents. They were all extremely talented in their own right.

Did you ever witness even the slightest hint that Brian was going to face mental difficulties later in life?
No. There was no exhibition of that in the early days at all.

Tell me about the earliest tours.
When we first started touring, we would fly into a major city and then get a station wagon, rent a U-Haul and pack our gear in the back. For the most part we would drive from one show to the next, a few hundred miles. I usually roomed with Mike Love. We just promoted the heck out of those songs. We worked our butts off.

The group took off pretty quickly.
Yeah. It was exciting to hear our first songs, "Surfin' Safari" and "Surfin' U.S.A.," blasting with sound over the radio.

They brought in session musicians later, but you guys actually played everything on those early albums.
We were a totally self-contained band. We played all of our instruments on our first five or six albums. It wasn't until later in the 1960s that Brian started to recruit some of the session guys. However, we did use Hal Blaine on drums for a couple of the early album cuts, like "Hawaii" and "Our Car Club." 

The story tends to go that you and Murry Wilson didn't get along. Is that accurate?
Well, Murry was just a typical father looking out for his son's welfare. We didn't always see eye to eye. I was sort of a punk kid, and Murry was strictly business…But he had a lot to do with the success of the band in those early days.

He's often described as a tyrant and a bully. Do you think that's unfair?
I wouldn't call that unfair. He did all he could to whip us into shape because we were, for the most part, a bunch of unruly kids and he had to put his fist down.

Did your parents pull you out of school once the group started to take off?

Yeah. Actually, we discovered we were getting popular when we started causing disturbances in school and Carl and I had to end up going to private schools in Hollywood.

When I look at photos of the band from those early days, I'm always struck by how insanely young you all look, especially you and Carl.
It was amazing. We weren't the only ones, either. There was a lot of young artists back then: Stevie Wonder, Dee Dee Sharp…

It was an interesting time in the rock world. Most of the 1950s guys had disappeared from the scene, and the Beatles had yet to hit America.
That's part of the reason we became so successful. We had a very unique sound with those rock & roll guitars. And Brian's beautiful vocal harmonies and his arrangements with the rock guitars created something that people hadn't really heard before. It was a new sound that was very unique at the time. There was a wide opening. There just wasn't very much happening then.

Was it clear from Day One that Brian was the musical leader?
Yeah. Brian had a very clear road. He had everything in his head. His music was very clear and he knew what he wanted when he went into the studio.

Was Al Jardine around for much of this time period?
Yeah. Al Jardine was in the very, very beginning of the band. When they were doing local gigs he played the standard bass. He was very into folk-oriented music, like the Kingston Trio. He really wanted to go in that direction. He did stick around for the first Capitol stuff that we did. He wasn't on the first contract, but he did end up participating on the albums. We were actually on "In My Room" and some of those songs together. He was also on "Catch a Wave" from the Surfer Girl album.

Al also did a lot of work with us on the road when Brian decided to stay home on those first tours. Al came on the road with us and did Brian's bass parts and sang his falsetto parts. I would say there were six original Beach Boys, if you really want to get technical.

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Exclusive Q&A: Original Beach Boy David Marks on the Band's Anniversary Tour

Bruce Johnston, David Marks, Brian Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine of the Beach Boys at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards.REUTERS /LUCY NICHOLSON /LANDOV

When the Beach Boys announced their 50th anniversary reunion tour last year, many longtime fans were thrilled to see original guitarist David Marks in the lineup. Marks lived down the street from the Wilsons when the group formed in the early 1960s and played guitar on their early albums, but he split in late 1963 after butting heads with their manager, Murry Wilson. In the late 1990s, he briefly rejoined the Mike Love-led Beach Boys, but this upcoming tour will be his first time hitting the road with Brian Wilson since he quit almost 50 years ago. Before rehearsals begin in late April, we spoke with Marks about the early days of the group and how their reunion came together. 

This reunion has been rumored for years. How did they first tell you about it?
Well, we've been talking about it together for years, Mike (Love) and I. I finally got a call to do a session for "Do It Again." That's pretty much how I was informed and it just took off from there and plans continued.

To go way, way back, can you tell me how you first started playing in the Beach Boys?
It started when I was seven years old and I moved in across the street from the Wilsons. They were a very musical family, and they had Sunday sing-alongs. I used to go over and sit in. They actually kind of stood around me and sang. Audree Wilson, the mother of the three boys, showed us all how to play boogie-woogie on the piano. Then Carl and I started taking guitar lessons at a very young age. I was ten and he was 12. Our guitars just created a style of our own that attracted Brian to use on his songs that he started writing. So Carl and I were very involved in the creative process.

Are you playing on "Surfin'" at that first Beach Boys home recording session?
I was not present at that. I was at school. We rehearsed that song in the music room and it was in the afternoon and I was at school. Shortly after that, however, we did the "Surfin' Safari" demo for Capitol Records.

How old were you during this?
It was right before I turned 14.

What was Brian like back then? Just a normal high school kid?
Yeah. My first impressions of Brian…he was very athletic, involved with the high school sports thing. He was always recruiting us neighborhood kids to play football in his front yard. Even then, he exhibited the leadership qualities that he had for music.

The Wilson brothers were close, but they had quite different personalities, right?
Yeah, they were totally different personalities. They were all unique, and they all had specialized talents. Dennis just picked up the drums out of nowhere and became one of the stylistic drummers of the time, and Carl's voice was one of the best voices in the world. And Brian had his writing and vocal arranging talents. They were all extremely talented in their own right.

Did you ever witness even the slightest hint that Brian was going to face mental difficulties later in life?
No. There was no exhibition of that in the early days at all.

Tell me about the earliest tours.
When we first started touring, we would fly into a major city and then get a station wagon, rent a U-Haul and pack our gear in the back. For the most part we would drive from one show to the next, a few hundred miles. I usually roomed with Mike Love. We just promoted the heck out of those songs. We worked our butts off.

The group took off pretty quickly.
Yeah. It was exciting to hear our first songs, "Surfin' Safari" and "Surfin' U.S.A.," blasting with sound over the radio.

They brought in session musicians later, but you guys actually played everything on those early albums.
We were a totally self-contained band. We played all of our instruments on our first five or six albums. It wasn't until later in the 1960s that Brian started to recruit some of the session guys. However, we did use Hal Blaine on drums for a couple of the early album cuts, like "Hawaii" and "Our Car Club." 

The story tends to go that you and Murry Wilson didn't get along. Is that accurate?
Well, Murry was just a typical father looking out for his son's welfare. We didn't always see eye to eye. I was sort of a punk kid, and Murry was strictly business…But he had a lot to do with the success of the band in those early days.

He's often described as a tyrant and a bully. Do you think that's unfair?
I wouldn't call that unfair. He did all he could to whip us into shape because we were, for the most part, a bunch of unruly kids and he had to put his fist down.

Did your parents pull you out of school once the group started to take off?

Yeah. Actually, we discovered we were getting popular when we started causing disturbances in school and Carl and I had to end up going to private schools in Hollywood.

When I look at photos of the band from those early days, I'm always struck by how insanely young you all look, especially you and Carl.
It was amazing. We weren't the only ones, either. There was a lot of young artists back then: Stevie Wonder, Dee Dee Sharp…

It was an interesting time in the rock world. Most of the 1950s guys had disappeared from the scene, and the Beatles had yet to hit America.
That's part of the reason we became so successful. We had a very unique sound with those rock & roll guitars. And Brian's beautiful vocal harmonies and his arrangements with the rock guitars created something that people hadn't really heard before. It was a new sound that was very unique at the time. There was a wide opening. There just wasn't very much happening then.

Was it clear from Day One that Brian was the musical leader?
Yeah. Brian had a very clear road. He had everything in his head. His music was very clear and he knew what he wanted when he went into the studio.

Was Al Jardine around for much of this time period?
Yeah. Al Jardine was in the very, very beginning of the band. When they were doing local gigs he played the standard bass. He was very into folk-oriented music, like the Kingston Trio. He really wanted to go in that direction. He did stick around for the first Capitol stuff that we did. He wasn't on the first contract, but he did end up participating on the albums. We were actually on "In My Room" and some of those songs together. He was also on "Catch a Wave" from the Surfer Girl album.

Al also did a lot of work with us on the road when Brian decided to stay home on those first tours. Al came on the road with us and did Brian's bass parts and sang his falsetto parts. I would say there were six original Beach Boys, if you really want to get technical.

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David Foster Remembers Whitney Houston

David Foster with Whitney Houston in the press room at the 1994 Grammy Awards.

I met Kevin Costner by chance up in Vancouver. He said, "I'm doing this new project – would you be interested in doing the music for it?" And of course, I said yes. When we started working on The Bodyguard, Quincy Jones took me to lunch and said to me, "This is the most important project of your career." I don't know how he knew, but he was right.

The song was originally supposed to be "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted." I tried to demo it twice, and I played it for Whitney both times, but my heart wasn't in it. She was like, "Uh, I don't know." I called Kevin and said, "I think we should find another song." The next day, he said, "What about 'I Will Always Love You?'"

We recorded it live in Miami, because they wanted to film her singing. Whitney absolutely owned it. She'd always twist what I asked her to do, and most of the time she made it something I couldn't have imagined. That was her magic. Her mom was there – I was standing out front, she had no idea who I was, and she leaned over and said, "You're witnessing greatness right now. I hope you know that." I said, "Yeah, I know."

When we worked on "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" for her last album, it was kind of difficult. Every singer loses that high end at some point, and for Whitney it came early. It would be impossible for me to comment on whether her lifestyle contributed to that, but I know that when she would come in and rip her coat off and step up to the mic like a race horse, it's very possible that she didn't take care of her voice the way she should have. The voice is a muscle, and you're always taught to go to the gym and warm up and stretch first before you lift hundred-pound weights. She was lifting hundred-pound weights right out of the gate, and probably did some damage to her voice. But Whitney really, really felt that lyric. You know, would it have been a better record if I had the Whitney from 1992? Yes, for sure. But like everything else she touched, she felt every single note of that song.

As told to Patrick Doyle

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David Foster Remembers Whitney Houston

David Foster with Whitney Houston in the press room at the 1994 Grammy Awards.

I met Kevin Costner by chance up in Vancouver. He said, "I'm doing this new project – would you be interested in doing the music for it?" And of course, I said yes. When we started working on The Bodyguard, Quincy Jones took me to lunch and said to me, "This is the most important project of your career." I don't know how he knew, but he was right.

The song was originally supposed to be "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted." I tried to demo it twice, and I played it for Whitney both times, but my heart wasn't in it. She was like, "Uh, I don't know." I called Kevin and said, "I think we should find another song." The next day, he said, "What about 'I Will Always Love You?'"

We recorded it live in Miami, because they wanted to film her singing. Whitney absolutely owned it. She'd always twist what I asked her to do, and most of the time she made it something I couldn't have imagined. That was her magic. Her mom was there – I was standing out front, she had no idea who I was, and she leaned over and said, "You're witnessing greatness right now. I hope you know that." I said, "Yeah, I know."

When we worked on "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" for her last album, it was kind of difficult. Every singer loses that high end at some point, and for Whitney it came early. It would be impossible for me to comment on whether her lifestyle contributed to that, but I know that when she would come in and rip her coat off and step up to the mic like a race horse, it's very possible that she didn't take care of her voice the way she should have. The voice is a muscle, and you're always taught to go to the gym and warm up and stretch first before you lift hundred-pound weights. She was lifting hundred-pound weights right out of the gate, and probably did some damage to her voice. But Whitney really, really felt that lyric. You know, would it have been a better record if I had the Whitney from 1992? Yes, for sure. But like everything else she touched, she felt every single note of that song.

As told to Patrick Doyle

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Read more »