Quick Q and A with David Buskin and Robin Batteau
 by Kathy S-B  ·  3 April 2009

As you can see below, Buskin and Batteau are quite a team. Not only do they make beautiful music together, but they have one helluva time jibing each other and having fun. This duo is well known for their legendary concerts with Tom Rush during the 1980s and they’re now out and about and touring once again. Check out their website to hear some of their tunes.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but you haven’t been playing together as a duo very often in the recent past. What prompted you to regroup and make some new music ( much to the delight of your fans )?

David: I can’t speak for the other guy, but for me, it was realizing that if I still wanted to do music ( I did ), I would be well advised at this point to do the music I got the most fun and gratification out of in my life. Unfortunately, the Brown Glee Club is only for undergraduates, so I called Robin, my second choice.

Robin: Actually, I had ceased to be funny in the fall of 1986, due to an unfortunate event at Shea Stadium in New York, and eventually David just got sick of finishing my jokes, so off he went to yuk it up behind my back with Modern Man. Then around 2003, I suddenly felt my sense of humor start to return, and here we are.

We’re all eagerly awaiting the release of your new CD Red Shoes and Golden Hearts. Care to explain the title?

David: I’ll let Rob handle that one — he wrote it. I think it had something to do with his wardrobe and candy choice for the prom.

Robin: It’s about all the brave women and girls, singers, actresses, dancers, writers, who go to the big city to hit the big time, dance the dance for a decade, get their heart broken over and over yet keep at it, and then go someplace like home to shine their now kaleidoscopic light in meaningful ways, and how they can still feel like that ingenue every time they put on their magic slippers.

Since your CD is not quite available, I’m sitting here looking over the other titles from your recording and many of them seem to have an optimistic sounding vibe to them: “Choose Joy,” “Living on the Edge of Dreams,” “Warm,” “Wild Infatuation,” and “You’re Right.” All good and positive sounding messages. Can we assume that you figured that 2010 and the dawning of a new age here in the U.S. that it was a good time to spread some reassuring musical words of wisdom to all who choose to listen?

David: You can assume it, but I can’t help you support the assumption. It was only looking back that I realized we had a pretty positive message here. It happened without our planning or realizing, which makes me feel good about it. Sort of like, “Hey, we must be feeling pretty good!” Incidentally, “Warm” is not all hugs — more bittersweet. “Good Luck In The Promised Land” is a mixture of hope and regret.

Robin: Actually, we thought it was a goo time to spread some good old B & B manure on the situation to help it blossom.

Your history of jingle writing is a part of your colorful musical biography. While it may not be a part of your musical legacy that you want repeated time and time again, don’t you get a lot of positive recognition and, dare I say, heartfelt joy and glee from people who may not have a clue about some of your great songs like “Heart of the Audience,” “Lancelot’s Tune (Guinevere),” “Boy with the Violin” and “When I Need You Most of All?”

David: The best part about the jingles — apart from the bucks, of course — was learning about music writing and recording from masters. Recognition from those people is heartwarming, especially now that we have no work to hand out.

Robin: Jingles are fun, and a lot of old folkies did them — Arlo wrote “Alice’s Restaurant” for, duh, his friend Alice’s restaurant, Woody wrote radio jingles in Hollywood before he became the troubadour we worship, Stephen Foster wrote “Oh Susannah” for a Pittsburgh ice cream parlor — and Oprah and my Mom both got a big kick out of my “short song” contribution. So, yeah, you bet.

Here’s a toughie: Yankees or Red Sox or neither of the above?

David: MLB has turned me into a raving anarchist. $2500 to see a freaking BASEBALL GAME??!!?? And the cheap seats are what, $300? I hope nobody goes. I hope they’re ashamed to pan the stadium because of all the empty sections. The only good part of this depression is that a few of the people feeling the pinch have been ripe for a dose of reality for a long time. Up the revolution!

Robin: I think the Yankees have a great personality…