Merrell Fankhauser Nicky Hopkins Interiew

[alvin01]

They gave him a CASIO?!

[hydraIX]

Nicky - true piano / keyboard virtuoso !!!

[WDux]

The man was amazing, and a huge loss for the music world. My most favorite keyboard player of all time, and this is saying a lot seeing who was out there at the time. He had a very unique sound, that once you heard him, you never forgot.

[kneapoe51]

So nice to see this interview.......like a few other commentors I had the pleasure of meeting him in the Fall of 83 in LA. I'm not a musician, it came about as a result of my work. He was such a nice & humble person (it was only after our meeting that I really found out how prolific & GREAT a pianist he was). Amazing is the only term that comes to mind, the sheer volume of work & the people that he worked with. Would LOVE to have that chance again, knowing now what I didn't know then. RIP Nicky.

[regaltip8A]

Great interview. Am currently reading Nicky's biography - "and on piano........nicky hopkins" by Julian Dawson. Great read and stories. Interesting to read his experience with Jeff Beck. Beck does not come out looking too good.

[kneapoe51]

@regaltip8A Thanks for the info on the book, had heard about it......no details. Will be on the lookout!

[kokomoization]

@regaltip8A jeff beck definitely comes off looking terrible in that book. amazing that of all the people dawson tried to talk to about nicky, beck is the only one who declined. i liked what nicky said about him - "he was a bit schitzo. one half of him wanted to be a garage mechanic and the other half wanted to be a musician."

[TheSnowballEarth]

Awesome interview. Thanks for posting this!

[tataso]

Nicky fue genial!!

[madferit1993]

Wow, Nicky is cool.

[rocktenniscat]

Happy Celestial Birthday to the great Nicky Hopkins:  Feb. 24, 1944 – Sept. 6, 1994

[Jethrofinger]

Happy birthday, Nicky. You are missed.

[lickss]

He helped make alot of the Stones songs what they are. One of the best ever. He played with such feeling!, Thank you for post!

[paparrapaparrapapum]

Great Nicky. Big piano player and good friend !

[paparrapaparrapapum]

Great Kick. Big piano player and good friend !

[TheMrlucky2010]

I bought Jamm'in with Edward for a buck at a flea market when I was in college (back in the late 1800's when I was in college) and after being blown away by Highland Fling I had to know who that piano player was. That was my introduction to Nicky Hopkins and he remains one of my favorite musicians.

[prescient8]

great musician. interviewer should be eaten by sharks.

[merossi1]

Always wondered who Nicky Hopkins was.....I knew he could play the piano, but who was HE?? The interviewer is a pain in the ass.....but he did get Nicky to toalk

[paulallen34]

@merossi1 is was well known on john lennons records like OH YOKO, HOW DO YOU SLEEP, OH MY LOVE, JEALOUS GUY.

[niallvan]

Just found out he was a Scientologist.



[JoeyJoelBand]

I knew Nicky, and worked with him for a time. For those of you who do not know, he was the most recorded keyboard player in the history of Rock. Nicky played on over 500 albums.

As far as his 'health' issues. Nicky had Crohn's disease, and always suffered from his digestive problems. He died from complications of his disorders.

Nicky was the most humble, genuine persons I've ever known. Never a bad word to say about anyone. I'd never know he was a scientologist if he hadn't told me.

[popegeorgeringo]

@JoeyJoelBand I will second that as I also knew him and Moira... he was a gentle soul with a great gift for finding what an artist would want on any particular track. It was terrible what he had to go through physically and still remain a gentleman . R.I.P. Nicky

[ninjae4976]

Nicky was so good and so unknown :l

[cecopiteco]

hms bounty and fapardocly I do have the recods and theyre neat I mean groovy

[LobbyistForHire]

chipsullivan--I'm so jealous!! Great story. Never imagined I'd find Nicky on YouTube but after looking everywhere else... Thanks for posting this.

[manfrommu]

This interview was done for a TV show with producers and directors calling the shots. There was only 6 mns of time before it went to commercial. It would take days to cover every artist and band Nicky played and recorded with.

We did the best we could with the time we had. We did manage to squeeze in a few live jams "Boppin The Blues", also posted and "Lucille" from a concert we did together. Be glad we have this interview with Nicky!

[Detroit1967]

@manfrommu: Thanks, Merrell. I am currently reading Julian Dawson's Nicky-biography and I felt the urge to check out youtube for some Nicky interviews. Good job and keep up the good work.

Best regards,

Detroit1967

[lakatGA]

That interviewer annoyed the hell out of me... RIP Nicky

[oregonbobv]

Played with Jefferson airplane at woodstock. also, great playing with Quicksilver. Great piano player.

[tuskedbeast]

I like this interview- Merrill and NH have an easy rapport. He's an old friend and a contemporary, he's not going to ask the music geek questions you (we) would.

[fluxmuldar]

Interviewer talks too much. I wanna hear Nicky talk.

[mrhosehose]

Nicky Hopkins' playing runs through what I've always listened to - this interview is very important, and it is a shame that more wasn't said about the Jeff Beck Group, I mean that band consisted of Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, Ron Wood (steamingly, surprisingly awesome on bass), Nicky and predominantly Aynsley Dunbar, Mickey Waller and Tony Newman on drums. Argumentative, cripplingly disorganised, grossly underfunded, unreliable, chokingly restricted, but FU*KING GENIUS BAND!! TALENTED BEYOND BELIEF

[chipsullivan]

had the pleasure of meeting nicky...blew off my job to drive him around town for a week of interveiws here

kept in touch for a few years & hooked up again while he was touring..

have never met a kinder more humble rock "star"...it was a privlege

god bless ya nicky....heaven needed a piano player

[brdesert]

My guru....... The man says so much with fewer notes.

[chocolatesoup66]

merrell fankhauser played in a couple of great groups hms bounty, mu and oh yes fapordockly. he also played with cipollina from quicksilver. check out his great 1968 lp "things"

[gldmj55]

it's great to see a legendary musician like nicky hopkins seem so humble

[gotopcat]

A great man often overlooked. He contributed so much to my favorite  musical era. Rest well Nicky.

[jesseh1]

The interviewer is hideous. Nicky was the best. I'll keep searching for a better interview with Nicky. He must have some fabulous stories to tell.

[4brens]

Yeah...I don't think the interviewer knew Jeff Beck?

[DBRGroup]

This guys touched so much greatness...

interviewer lets questions go by...

didn't flinch when he dropped "Jeff Beck"

[Nanisimov]

Cool discussion with world's greatest rock and roll pianist. (Would love to hear second part...) Also, how can we get "Tin Man" re-released, as well as the rest of Nicky's catalog?

[owenpetard]

Nanisimov, Tin Man was re-released some years ago. I've got the CD. What we need is the missing Hopkins solo album Long Journey Home.

[victhebassman]

Whatever he played on, he enhanced the band....

[owenpetard]

Thanks for posting. Do you have the second part?

[cn854]

The interviewer really sucks.....

[nevillesivan]

This is great thanks! Oh yoko brings tears to my eyes whenever I hear that piano

[dymusrun]

I bought the Tin Man album in 1975 and still love it. Thanks for posting this interview.

[kntshrm]

R.I.P. Nicky. Gone now but never to be forgotten. He jammed with the best.