Walking Oliver

The Big Cheese of WO––Paul Austin Kelly

Articles / Roof-less Interrogator
Posted by PKelly on Oct 01, 2005 - 06:18 AM

I scored the Big Cheese of Walking Oliver this week, Paul Austin Kelly, one of the real heroes of contemporary children's music. Don’t know who he thinks he is these days running off to sing in some opera every time you turn around. I’m beginning to think he has delusions of grandeur! Oh well, as long as he keeps up the good folk and kid’s music, who cares what he does in his spare time, right?

RI: So, tell me, Paul–– How many tenors does it take to change a light bulb?
PAK: I haven’t a clue.
RI: Six. One to do it, and five to say, "It's too high for him."
PAK: Oh, hardy-har-har! Your interviewing techniques just keep getting better and better, Oliver.
RI: Please! I’m wearing my Roofless Interrogator disguise!
PAK: Sorry.
RI: All right. So, what’s new at the Walking Oliver Studios these days?

PAK: Well, one thing that’s really exciting is that we’re about to offer pay-as-you-go digital downloads here on the Walking Oliver website. Not only will our whole catalogue of CDs be online for purchase but you’ll soon be able to pay a small fee and download just the tracks you want!
RI: That’s great! Just like iTunes and MusicMatch. But how about if I wanted the whole Walking Oliver Sing-A-Long [1], for instance. Could I download the whole album?
PAK: Sure. The whole 25 tracks, or just the ones you want. It’s up to you. I think we’re going to call it the “A la carte Menu.”
RI: That’s really FAB! Will you be offering any other downloads?
PAK: Yep. We have a whole slew of songs that have never been released on CD that we will be making available for the very first time later this year. We’re also going to start offering Walking Oliver sheet music downloads so you can learn the piano or guitar parts to the songs and play and sing them yourself or with your friends.
RI: Ooooh! I can hardly wait. Will I be able to download any of my favourite howling songs?
PAK: Well, dunno. But Howlin’ At the Moon [2] will be available. Your big nose and floppy ears are on the cover of that one!
RI: Thank you so much for reminding me.
PAK: Don’t mention it.
RI: What else is new?
PAK: My new album Sing-A-Long 2 is finished and is going to be released on November 15th.
RI: Excellent! Can you tell us what songs are on it?
PAK: I’ll tell you a few––“Jenny Jenkins”, “Old MacDonald”, “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain” and “The Farmer in the Dell” will be on it. There are also some spirituals, like “Rock-A My Soul” and “Walk in Jerusalem Just Like John”.
RI: Cool. Any Rock ‘n Roll?
PAK: Well, there is a version of “Ugly Bug Ball” that I’ve always wanted to do. It was originally written for a Disney movie called Summer Magic that starred Hayley Mills and Burl Ives. Burl Ives sang it in the movie but it was a big production number. He also released it as a 45rpm single––
RI: A what??
PAK: An archaic form of recording.
RI: Oh. Right.
PAK: It was how they used to get songs on the radio. It was only for promoting two songs at a time, one on the “A side” and another on the “B” or “flip” side of this disc made of vinyl, a bit bigger than a CD. Anyway, this single version of the song that Burl Ives recorded was nice, bouncy Rock ‘n Roll and that’s what my version is closer to. I’m really happy about the way it’s turned out.
RI: I guess about wraps it up! Anything else you’d like to add?
PAK: No, I guess not.
RI: Okay, then––just one more question. How can you tell if an opera singer is really stupid?
PAK: How?
RI: When even the other opera singers notice.
PAK: That does it! No bones for you this Christmas!
RI: Really? Are you finally getting me that electric guitar? ;-)

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