The Innerviews Book
Twenty-four of the world’s most renowned musicians share incredibly candid, in-depth thoughts on the joy and pain of the creative process, their careers and aspirations, conflicts and collaborations, and the realities of today’s music business in Innerviews: Music Without Borders by Anil Prasad.
The eBook edition hit #1 on iTunes' Arts & Entertainment and Music charts. iTunes also named it a "New and Notable Book." The print book charted in the top 20 music books at Amazon UK, and the top 30 at Amazon US.
Artists featured in the book include some of the greatest names in jazz, rock, world music, hip-hop, and electronica: Jon Anderson, Björk, Bill Bruford, Martin Carthy, Stanley Clarke, Chuck D, Ani DiFranco, Béla Fleck, Michael Hedges, Jonas Hellborg, Zakir Hussain, Leo Kottke, Bill Laswell, John McLaughlin, Noa, David Sylvian, Tangerine Dream, David Torn, Ralph Towner, McCoy Tyner, Eberhard Weber, Chris Whitley, Victor Wooten, and Joe Zawinul. Wooten contributes a foreword to the book.
The eBook is available as a free download. You can instantly download it in the format of your choice by clicking on these links:
The files are easy to install and should be dragged directly into the Kindle app, iTunes or Acrobat Reader.
The print book is out of print, but copies sometimes turn up on Amazon.
Some of the evocative topics explored in the book include:
- Björk on the chaos of her creative process
- Stanley Clarke on saying no to Miles Davis
- Chuck D on what’s wrong with hip-hop today
- Ani DiFranco on propelling democracy through music
- Béla Fleck on exploring the banjo's African roots
- Leo Kottke on the guitar as a spiritual connection
- Bill Laswell on the drama of producing difficult artists
- John McLaughlin on turning the tables on the jazz police
- McCoy Tyner on the deification of John Coltrane
- Tangerine Dream on how electronic music can transcend technology
- David Torn on being the world's most sampled musician after James Brown
- Joe Zawinul on inventing the original hip-hop beat
Here's what artists have said about the book:
“Anil Prasad is like a great musician. The way he expresses himself through his own art—his writing—causes readers to feel inspired, as if we’ve learned about ourselves, as well as the subject of the interview.”
— Victor Wooten, from the book's foreword
"You might like to check out a book that's causing something of a buzz in musicians' circles. Innerviews: Music Without Borders from Anil Prasad presents some two-dozen interviews with great and interesting players, including myself, and several people I know well and have played with, including Ralph Towner, Jon Anderson and David Torn. Lots of interesting stuff about the art and psychology of music-making. Perfect for those dark and wintry Northern Hemisphere nights."
— Bill Bruford
"Thoughtful and literate music writing."
— Steven Wilson
“Innerviews: Music Without Borders is one of the most fascinating reads on the creative process of some of the most exciting contemporary musicians working today. Those who love individualistic, genre-smashing artists will cherish these interviews and be introduced to new music that they will be glad to hear for the first time. In a period when culture seems to be all about reality TV, and fame for doing nothing, Innerviews exposes and digs into truly creative people, with deep wells of desire to communicate in a highly personal manner. Innerviews is a light shining in the darkness of the mediocrity that surrounds us today."
— Michael Shrieve
"I'm always glad to read Anil's pieces—consistently among the best interviews out there. He always ask the right things. I'm very grateful to him."
— Mike Keneally
“Anil does splendid interviews with an amazing mix of musicians in Innerviews: Music Without Borders. He takes the artists’ work seriously and meets it on its own terms, which is a sign of true generosity on his part.”
— Vijay Iyer
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