Transcript of "Mike and Maty" Interview
February, 1996

Mike: �Our next guest has written songs over the years for a number of artists. �Do you remember the song "These Dreams" by Heart and "We Built This City" by Starship. �He has now stepped into the spotlight and recorded his own album--tired of writing for someone else. �It is called "In the House of Stone and Light."

Maty: �I love that song!

Mike: �Great song, talented artist. �Please welcome Martin Page.

Maty: �I love that song, I'll tell ya. �

Martin: �Thank you very much.

Maty: �Oh, I sing it, (sings) �"In the House." Oh, I don't want-- I don't want to ruin it for you.

Martin: �You're going to sing in my ear now, right? �There's like a duet coming on here, isn't there?

Maty: �Oh, never, never.

Martin: �Well, I'm glad you like it.

Maty: �Well good--and you're wearing your AIDS [ribbon].

Martin: �Well, you know, there's so many people that I know that have been affected by this, and I'm still in contact with a lot of them that are dealing with it, and I think any opportunity you get to say that this is one of the most important causes, even more than sending people up to the moon. �I think we've got to deal with what we've got down here on Earth, so it's just a little sign to say lets hang in there and fight for it.

Mike: �Speaking of hanging in and fighting, you know you started out-- �You don't start out as a famous singer or songwriter. �Interesting shift from a professional soccer player?

Martin: �God, you know I was a professional soccer player back in England.

Mike: �Were you good?

Martin: �Brilliant

Martin: �Except for...I don't know if the camera can get it but you can see from an angle here that I broke my nose so many times playing the game, so I decided there must be something-- �I can see the camera's trying to get it. �Can you get it? �From many soccer games. �Lot of shadow going over the audience.

Martin: �I love the game so much; �I still follow it. �When I was sixteen years old I was signed to the professional team Southampton in England, and that's all I wanted to be, and I played that up to the age of about eighteen. �But during that period that I was playing professional I got a chance to go into the London clubs and hear some great music, and I thought there must be an easier way than breaking your nose every week to make a living.

Maty: �Yeah, but that's a gift. �You can't just say, "Oh--"

Martin: �What, breaking your nose is a gift?

Maty: �Breaking your nose is a gift. �No, becoming a songwriter like you did.

Mike: �Who was your big break? �Who was the big, big song first...?

Martin: �Well my big break really was I had my own band back in the 80s, a band called Q-Feel. �And I can tell you all know who that is. �Yes, anyway--

Mike: �As much as they knew you played soccer.

Martin: �Exactly. �And there was a song called "Dancing in Heaven" which did very well in the 80s in Los Angeles. �That brought my partner and myself across. �When I was here during that time it seemed that all the American bands were looking to change their sound. �It was the sound of the new music, like Tom Dolby, Human League, and a lot of artists wanted to work with English performers at that time. �So I fell into working with Earth, Wind, and Fire, The Commodores, and eventually I worked with Bernie Taupin, Elton John's lyricist.

Maty: �He's brilliant, too.

Martin: �Yeah, he's great, lucky to work with him. �And we wrote "These Dreams" and "We Built This City" together. �That was our first songs.

Mike: �And the one you're going to sing for us now is "In the House of Stone and Light."

Martin: �Love to.

Mike: �Introduce the guy, bring him out here. �If you would folks, Martin Page at work. �This is your guitar player?

Martin: �No, this isn't my guitar player. �Yes, of course. �This is Brian from Glasgow.

(performs)

Mike: �Welcome back. �Real quick: �Where did that song come from? �How was it inspired?

Martin: �Actually, the house of stone and light--I went to the Grand Canyon�about two years ago and I learned that the Indians called the Grand Canyon the house of stone and light. �But I really wrote it about saying it was the house of the soul. �It's about getting everything right inside your own body.

Mike: �Well, you've got it right here. �I don't know if we're on the album, but I like the little twist you put in there. �The Mike and Maty thing was cool. �Keep that.

Martin: �Oh you liked that, did you?

Mike: �Yeah. �Thank you. �Martin Page, sing us out if you wouldn't mind. �Bye, everybody.

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