For the past decade, John Forgerty’s nasal whine-instantly recognizable in songs like “Proud Mary,” “Fortunate Son” and “Centerfield”-has been absent from the rock scene, but this year, he’s out on the road supporting a new album, “Blue Moon Swamp.” He’s also doing his bit for FarmAid at the New World Music Theatre in Tinley Park, at which he’ll be making an appearance this Saturday.
Q. Do you think it’s sad that both farming and music are now so corporate?
A. I never thought of it that way. I suppose it’s a natural tendency in our country-the big guys swallow the little guys. Certainly in the area of farming, the big guys control prices, they control how the product is processed. Where it’s not similar is that in the record industry, you have forces that actually create or control taste, and I don’t think that happens (in farming). People still want potatoes and radishes and corn.
Q. You’ve had your share of battles with the music industry-have you ever thought about releasing your records independently, like Prince?
A. I don’t think I want to be a record company executive, and if you’re trying to reach a mass market, it doesn’t make much sense to try to do it out of your basement. I think it would be a very difficult row to hoe. What (Prince) is trying to do has some nobility to it, but it’s going to be so difficult to compete.
Q.Did you ever play center field?
A. Oh yeah, as a kid, sure. I played all the positions on the baseball field at one point or another. My favorite guys were center fielders, people like Willie Mays and Joe DiMaggio, and when I was a kid, the guy who was really the superstar, the heavy hitter, was usually in center field. Nowadays, how can you say a guy isn’t a star if he’s making $8 million a year-but he plays first base?
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