The outspoken music enthusiast, who is not afraid to take sides in any fight, talks about the tumultuous road to his audio-visual podcast, autism, politics, and Pink Floyd.
Ed Lopez-Reyes: Terrence, when it comes to shows and publications that delve into all things Pink Floyd, you're not afraid to articulate your opinions and views in response to artists and fans that articulate their political positions. Sometimes, fellow Pink Floyd enthusiasts disagree with you. Do you feel music has become too politicized?
Terrence Reardon: Honestly, yes, and no! I say to those who don't want politics, go listen to AC/DC or KISS as those two bands are apolitical. I'm Libertarian and a Christian and when I debate with some music fans, I try to keep it musically focused because I’ve learned politics, religion, and money are three surefire ways to destroy a friendship or relationship.
ELR: What is the origin of the Terrence Reardon and Friends audio-visual podcast and what projects are you working on for it?
TR: After I acrimoniously left the Rock and Metal Combat Podcast (RMCP) in August of 2014 (which, much to co-hosts Ian Wadley and Ralph Viera's chagrin, I was a co-founder of), I tried to recreate its formula with Josh Carlsen and Luke Innes in a new podcast called Rock Metal and Prog Central (RMPC). We then changed it to C.R.I.B. (for Carlsen, Reardon, Innes, and Barnes) with the addition of a fourth co-host, Greg Barnes: we covered many rock bands - we even discussed Morbid Angel as Luke loves that band; Josh loves Iron Maiden, I am a Pink Floyd fanatic, and Greg is a Queen fanatic.
I had originally left RMCP due to Ian, who claimed I was fired even though it was his drunk, abusive attitude, and his disrespect toward my dad; he once took shots at my dead mother too, so, in hindsight, I am glad I left. Things eventually imploded at C.R.I.B. after some of RMCP's stooges bullied me (mainly Ian's henchmen). I tried to come back with the Terrence and Marc Experience (TME) with Marc Alden Taylor, now with Free Form Rock Podcast (FFRP). I fell out with Marc, as he was a trickster and claimed I faked my shows. We split when he went into Alternative Rock and New Wave - I'm not one for fighting and I brought in Andrew Jacobs as a third co-host. Andrew had personal issues though, and we split amicably.
In early 2017, I started the audio-visual podcast, now 105 or so episodes in. I had to take a few episodes down and re-record them because the person I recorded these with and who used to do my intro fell out with me because I made peace with Andrew, who this person didn’t have a good relationship with. He and his friends trolled the show to get me to quit.
Right now, I am working on episodes covering Alan Parsons Project's Tales of Mystery and Imagination (that should air by the time this is published), Van Halen's Women and Children First and Fair Warning, Iron Maiden's self-titled and Killers, Journey's Escape, Steve Miller Band’s Fly Like an Eagle, and Moody Blues’ Long Distance Voyager. I focus on albums I love and that also helped shape rock music in general. It takes days and weeks to make an episode: I am a perfectionist!
ELR: What is the origin of the David Gilmour (The Voice and Guitar of Pink Floyd) Facebook Group and what are your plans for this Facebook group?
TR: I started it after getting fed up and annoyed with the Roger Waters Kool-Aid drinkers and trolls bashing David, his family (especially his wife Polly and the children) and post-Waters Pink Floyd work (I happen to love all eras). Also, he is my favorite member of the band along with Rick Wright: I felt the music was more important in Pink Floyd than the lyrics.
The idea is to preserve his legacy, what he brought to the band, and his personal humanitarian efforts; additionally, it includes some focus on his contributions to rock music in general.
I don't hate Roger – it's just some of his supporters buy into the bunk that the late Timothy White (a Rolling Stone reviewer who also wrote for Penthouse and Billboard) projected. I find Roger to be flinty, and his contradictory statements on Floyd being political from day one… I set the record straight: they weren't in your face political until The Final Cut although you can see hints of politics on Animals; less so on The Wall and Us and Them on Dark Side.
The dialog in the group is meant to underscore what Columbia Records stated in the press cutting for David's first solo album in 1978: "David Gilmour IS the Voice and Guitar of Pink Floyd.”
ELR: Where did you grow up, Terrence, and how did your family and where you grew up impact your taste in music and your interest in Pink Floyd?
TR: I grew up in Whitman, Massachusetts (45 minutes south of Boston) as the youngest of eight. My mother (may she rest in peace) was the one who got me into Pink Floyd at an early age: she had Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, The Wall and A Collection of Great Dance Songs on vinyl as a new release, so it led me to acquiring The Final Cut as my first Pink Floyd album in June of 1983 at age of seven (hearing Not Now John, on America's Top Ten with Casey Kasem, was what sealed the deal on that album for me). Then from my eighth birthday, in January of 1984, and onwards, I got Dark Side, The Wall, Wish, Dance Songs, Animals and Works. I then discovered pre-Dark Side albums in 1987, so I was prepared by age 11 for Momentary Lapse of Reason.
My mother also got me into rock music in general, with The Eagles, AC/DC, Rolling Stones, Journey, ZZ Top, Styx, David Bowie, and Def Leppard alongside Pink Floyd.
When my parents divorced in 1987, I went to live with my dad and my love for Pink Floyd just went into supernova, especially when Momentary Lapse of Reason was released (I stayed up until 1:00 AM on the night of the US release to record it off the radio – my dad bought me the tape a week later). My dad knew I was a Pink Floyd fanatic, so he knew to go hunt for all things Floydian – including bootlegs – and he knew I'd stay up late to record interview radio specials – hence, one reason why I don't need Wikipedia when I do my Floyd, Rush, Zep, Eagles, or Queen episodes.
David Gilmour is the reason I kept playing guitar after realizing I wasn't going to play like Eddie Van Halen (may he rest in peace). The Division Bell was my first Pink Floyd album on street date: April 5th, 1994. I went to night number two of three at Foxboro Stadium on The Division Bell Tour, still the best show I’ve ever attended. Pink Floyd led me into becoming a fan of the Canadian trio Rush: their drummer, Neil Peart, may he rest in peace, was the reason my drumming improved and the reason I kept playing drums. He taught me drumming is the equivalent to running a marathon. Genesis’ Phil Collins is another favorite drummer. I loved both the Peter Gabriel and Phil eras of the band.
ELR: What do you think about Pink Floyd's evolution, sound-wise, from through each Pink Floyd's Barrett, Waters, and Gilmour eras?
TR: I divide Pink Floyd into FIVE ERAS. I think Pink Floyd's evolution was perfect. From the whimsical innocence of Syd [Barrett] and its British psychedelia to what I call the ‘transition period’ spanning into Saucerful. 1969-75 is what I call the CLASSIC ERA: Roger's lyrics and motivation coupled with the musical contributions of David Gilmour and Rick Wright, perfectly balanced. We had, in my humble opinion, a perfect five album stretch in Atom Heart Mother, Meddle, Obscured, Dark Side and Wish You Were Here. The Roger Power Trip was in its infancy on Animals and the music darker and cynical. The Wall was the magnum opus it was thanks to Bob Ezrin and David keeping Roger's ego in check. They made Roger's primitive demos into a masterpiece. The Final Cut was where the music started to get drowned by the lyrics. Roger now thought he was the band: the album suffered musically though it's strong. In Momentary Lapse I feel the music balance was restored – it was a great first attempt without Roger (I love the new updated and remixed version on Later Years with Nick Mason's drums added on all tracks and the late Rick Wright's keyboards restored - it made it what it should have been). The Division Bell is a stronger album with David, Nick and Rick collaborating as a band again. The Endless River is a great postscript and musically amazing. Had The Division Bell Tour been delayed then I think the proposed double album would have happened.
ELR: You cover a lot of bands in your audio-visual podcast: what would you say is your music range? Classic Rock to Hard Rock and Heavy Metal?
TR: Mostly classic rock, classic prog rock, hard rock, and traditional metal. My top 10 bands are Pink Floyd, Rush, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Genesis, The Eagles, Iron Maiden, The Who, Black Sabbath (all eras), and Judas Priest. Honorable mentions are Styx, Supertramp, KISS, Van Halen (1978-2004), and Megadeth. Recently, I’ve been listening to King Crimson (a band I overlooked for years).
"I feel singles were like a trailer for an album and an album is like a book or movie: you have to invest time in it."
ELR: Pink Floyd, and a lot of the bands you cover, are album oriented bands: do you feel there's an audience for the type of work Pink Floyd and these other bands are releasing in today's market that is so focused on releasing singles at a seemingly random pace?
TR: There is still an audience for album-oriented bands. I've always been into albums -
since I was age seven, back in 1983. I developed the patience to sit through an album; I feel singles were like a trailer for an album and an album is like a book or movie: you have to invest time in it. I think some people now have what is called a short attention span and live in a soundbite world. Some liken music now to having a fast food meal at a restaurant. To quote Meatloaf, in an interview he did with Redbeard, "I'm not a condensed dish, I'm a sit-down dinner" when it comes to listening to music.
As far as newer bands from the last 15 years: I enjoy Rival Sons, Matt Gilmour (son of David, I have both of his albums) and also Mammoth WVH (Wolfgang Van Halen's new project).
Roger should make another record - Roger should produce it himself and include Jimmy Page on guitar to complete the Yardbird trifecta
ELR: What do you think the future holds, artistically, for Pink Floyd, it's members and former members as solo artists, and for the musicians who have worked in the studio and on tour with the band?
TR: The sky's the limit. Nick’s Saucerful of Secrets keeps the 1965-72 era alive. David releases new albums and only plays live when he has new music (I wish more bands did this). David pays tribute to Syd Barrett and Rick Wright: his setlists are always a mix of new material, Pink Floyd favorites leaning heavily on Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Division Bell (no issue as two of those are my all-time favorite Pink Floyd albums). Roger should make another record but without Nigel Godrich - Roger should produce it himself and include Jimmy Page on guitar to complete the Yardbird trifecta ([Eric] Clapton on Pros and Cons – still my favorite Roger album, [Jeff] Beck on Amused to Death – great album though some moments drag, and… all that’s left is Pagey). Guy [Pratt] will be working with Nick and David. Jon Carin is making music on his own and playing with Roger (hope he plays with David again, who knows). I know Snowy White released an album last year and is retired from touring. Dick Parry retired. Gary Wallis plays with Mike and the Mechanics. The other backing musicians and singers are still active and working.
ELR: What projects - and by what artists - are you looking forward to now?
TR: The new and final Dennis DeYoung solo album 26 East, Volume 2 (I was more on his side in the Styx dispute; he’s why I kept at it playing keyboards – he and Rick Wright). Mammoth WVH (the self-titled debut from Wolfgang Van Halen's new band). Hoping David Gilmour does one more album, released as a CD package with his wife's book, A Theater for Dreamers, which I'm looking forward to. The Who Sell Out Deluxe Edition (my favorite 1960s Who album)… praying for a 40th anniversary box set of Rush's Moving Pictures. A deluxe reissue of Coverdale-Page, hopefully.
Autism awareness is stronger than ever today. All of April is Autism Awareness month and April 2 is important.
ELR: What do you think will happen to the live music scene moving forward?
TR: I haven't a clue. Some people won't go to shows anymore. I have Sensory Processing Disorder as part of High Functioning Autism, so I am coming to the end of my concert attending days. The only bands I never saw were Led Zeppelin, Queen, Styx (I refuse without Dennis DeYoung), and Supertramp (you need Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson together) but saw just about everyone worth its salt. I hope to see David solo. I saw Roger five times (missed Us + Them, his lip syncing bugged me) and saw Nick’s Saucerful of Secrets pre-COVID.
ELR: You recently urged your listeners, friends, and colleagues to wear something blue-colored today, Friday, April 2nd, for Autism Awareness Day: can you tell us a bit about Autism Awareness Day and why this cause is important to you?
TR: I was diagnosed with Autism at age three in 1979, then re-diagnosed as Autism Spectrum Disorder: I have High Functioning Autism. When I was a child, I was told that I would be nothing in life – Autism was seen as a death sentence… but I overcame all of the odds.
In school, I made friends and they helped me with my social skills, inviting me to events like dances (I didn't wear suits, just Nikes, t-shirts, and khakis), football games (I was in band as a percussionist), and Freshman-Senior Banquet – this all helped me come out of my shell.
I graduated at 18, in 1994, with the rest of my class, and got my driver’s license at 19 in 1995. I got into radio in college. My parents, my three closest friends, other friends who helped along the way, and my siblings, sacrificed their time and efforts to help me be where I am now and it's now my turn to give back to fellow Autism sufferers.
I admire Greta Thunberg, who has Autism, and her love for science. People who make fun of her are basically disrespecting people with autism. Autism Awareness Day is meant to help people become more aware – to learn it's not what was portrayed in Rain Man, it's more than that. Autism awareness is stronger than ever today. All of April is Autism Awareness month and April 2 is important.
In June there's an Autism Pride Day too - so awareness is more alive.
Also, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Paul McCartney, and Robert Plant and Jimmy Page did Knebworth in 1990 for the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy, which helps those with autism by means of music. Also, David Gilmour has donated millions to the Nordoff-Robbins Charity in the past and continues donating so today.
You can visit and find links to the Terrence Reardon and Friends audio-visual podcast on Facebook and YouTube.
#PinkFloyd #TerrenceReardon #TerrenceReardonandFriends #GretaThunberg #AutismPrideDay #AutismAwareness #AutismAwarenessDay #NordoffRobinsMusicTherapy #DavidCoverdale #JimmyPage #GuyPratt #RogerWaters #GaryWallis #SnowyWhite #Genesis #PeterGabriel #PaulMcCartney #LedZeppelin #Queen #Styx #DennisDeYoung #NickMason #SaucerfulofSecrets #TheFinalCut #TheWall #AMomentaryLapseofReason #Libertarian #Christian #ACDC #KISS #MorbidAngel #IronMaiden #AlanParsonsProject #TalesofMysteryandImagination #VanHalen #WomenandChildrenFirst #FairWarning #Killers #Journey #Escape #SteveMillerBand #FlyLikeanEagle #MoodyBlues #LongDistanceVoyager #PollySamson #RichardWright #RickWright #TimothyWhite #RollingStone #Animals #UsandThem #ColumbiaRecords #WhitmanMassachusetts #Boston #WishYouWereHere #ACollectionofGreatDanceSongs #NotNowJohn #AmericasTopTen #CaseyKasem #TheEagles #RollingStones #Journey #ZZTop #Styx #DavidBowie #DefLeppard #Wikipedia #EddieVanHalen #FoxboroStadium #TheDivisionBellTour #NeilPeart #Genesis #PhilCollins #SydBarrett #British #AtomHeartMother #Meddle #ObscuredbyClouds #BobEzrin #TheLaterYears #TheEndlessRiver #TheWho #BlackSabbath #JudasPriest #Megadeth #KingCrimson #RivalSons #MattGilmour #MammothWVH #WolfgangVanHalen