nealtiemann.com Exclusive Q & A
Author: nealtiemann.com
Date: December 14, 2009
The following answers have been posted, unedited, as written by Neal.
Top 5 favorite albums of all time?
Homogenic by Bjork, Up by Peter Gabriel, Diary Of A Madman by Ozzy Osbourne, Party Animals by Turbonegro, Master of Puppets by Metallica
Top 5 favorite songs of all time?
‘Joga’ by Bjork, ‘Undersold’ by Big Wreck, ‘Sleep ‘Til Noon’ by The Feds, ‘Wish You Were Here’ by Pink Floyd, ‘Right Where It Belongs’ by Nine Inch Nails
What inspired you to start playing music?
according to my mom, i asked for a drum set really young. i’ve just never been able to do much else.
Stranded on a desert island for 1 month… you can only bring one album. Which one is it?
right now – Crack The Skye by Mastodon. all time best – Homogenic by Bjork.
What is your songwriting process like? Lyrics or music first?
either way, i don’t have a specific regimen.
Do you think you’ll ever put out a solo record
i think i’ll never say never.
What are five artists you love that you think would surprise most people?
Lucero, Beastie Boys, Coheed & Cambria, Dave Matthews Band, Cradle Of Filth.
Do you have any guilty pleasures?
you shouldn’t carry guilt with anything you like. i don’t.
What time of day do you do the most writing?
at night. clearly.
Do you record ideas onto your computer on the road?
i do.
What kind of recording program are you running on your computer?
i use protools and garageband.
What song do you love so much you wish you had written it?
‘Baby Girl, I’m A Blur’ by Say Anything or ‘New Noise’ by Refused
When you were 15 who was your main songwriting influence? Who is your main influence now?
at 15, definitely Ozzy Osbourne. now, i try not to be too directly influenced by anyone.
What is your favorite MWK song to play?
A Scarlet Letters
What is your most memorable live performance?
playing in the philippines for 115,000 people.
What do you love most about being on tour?
there’s nothing i don’t like about being on tour.
Thanks for this interview! I liked the question about what MWK song he enjoys playing the most.
wow.first,congrats to nealtiemann.com.second,belated happy birthday to neal and lastly (for now),i was so touched that i was able to watch your concert here in Philippines.=D
Very interesting interview – thank you for this!
Awesome! You are My guitar hero! Looking forward to more of your music and back touring!
nice Q&A’s. I love his take on guilty pleasures~ ^^
Thanks Neal, your the best!!! Can’t wait to see you again!
^”playing in the philippines for 115,000 people.” –so glad I was part of that 115T… :)
What is your most memorable live performance?
playing in the philippines for 115,000 people.
aww, not the marriage proposal? ;)
and i love you more for the ‘baby girl, i’m a blur’ answer <3
loved it! especially the answer to the guilty pleasure question.
well, at least your insomnia is productive right? ;-)
mr. neal effing tiemann, doctor, you have made hundreds of cookistas/pinoy fans smile really rather wide. we are so glad you consider the manila concert as a most memorable moment. please know that it was that for us too. (but i think you left out getting married during the concert, tsk tsk, your wife might feel just a wee bit sad about that.)
congratulations on the launch of your new site. we love it, and we love you. :)
Do you have any guilty pleasures?
you shouldn’t carry guilt with anything you like. i don’t.
- i love this! and neal =)
Well now that’s one hell of a way to start up this website!
Mr. Guitar Doctor! We are so excited to have been introduced to you and your music. Can’t wait to hear new songs by you.
Oooh… a little DMB. Good to know! I can’t wait to hear more things from you!
Thanks for this! Love that one of his fave songs is also one of my faves =) and I also love his answer on guilty pleasures.
Wow Neal speaks! Thanks for answering questions that have been asked by many time and time again. Also thanks for linking the MWK lyrics to the site – great reference tool.
Thank you so much for the interview. Loved it!
someone said i should: check it check it! http://nealtiemann.com
ha. this is very nice. kudos. and i am here to show my support for the dr.
neal, shake it like a polaroid pikcha!
ok now. off to bed i go.
Happy birthday! I plan to be checking in a lot – really interested in your musical viewpoint. Dying to find out what kind of musical training you’ve had. Have been very impressed with your instincts which seem to indicate some background in composition.
Very interesting interview with The Dr. Looking forward to visiting this site again in the near future.
I have checked it, as the twitterytweet commanded, and I like this nealtiemann-dot-com place. Great Q&A, and, oh, the LYRICS! Hooray for lyrics! Thanks, whoever you are, for putting a very nice website together. Surprising how unsurprising his five “surprising” artist choices were, though. A surprising surprise would’ve been, like, Hootie & the Blowfish. :)
Fascinating…and a belated happy b-day! More Qs and As, please.
Very awesome to know a little bit more about the man behaind that awesome guitar playing!!! Keep the Q & A coming, I love it!!!
Thanks for this interview!!!! :) Was I the only one who squealed when Neal said A Scarlet Letters is his fave MWK song to play? Or when he said never say never to a solo album!? Oh God in Heaven let that one come true.
“Top 5 favorite songs of all time?
‘Sleep ‘Til Noon’ by The Feds, ‘Wish You Were Here’ by Pink Floyd, ‘Right Where It Belongs’ by Nine Inch Nails”
Dude! He’s not real… He can’t be real!! GUH!
I so agree with Hollie! I would LOVE to hear a solo album from Neal AND I was SO happy to hear ASL is his fave MWK song to play! *squeals some more*
Thanks for the interview! It was great to read. A Scarlett Letters is one of my favorite songs…I hope I get to hear it live someday =)
Thanks for the answers, Neal. Hope your birthday rocked.
Great Q&A. I love that you’re a fan of Ozzy and Metallica. Rock on.
DR! am really really glad that you chose Philippines as your most memorable live performance. That meant a lot to us. We love you~ <3
What a great Q & A!!!!!!
Thanks so much for the Q&A! Hope you do it again sometime. Loved those last two answers. I’m so glad you liked being out on tour and making music, Neal.
I’m still surprised that Track #6 of Analog Heart is not on the Dr’s list. Who can sound that much like Neal without being Neal? Someday I hope to find out.
Love the Q&A!!! I might steal the guilty pleasures response if that’s cool. Genius!
Neal—-This is the most awesome website that I have ever seen a musician do. It is cool, interesting, different and it talks about the things as it applies to you as a musician, kind of different from other websites. LOVE IT! congrats on your success and hope your birthday wishes come true!!
All hail the Dr.! Happy to see this site dedicated to such a wonderful guitarist and Songsmith. Looking forward to all your future endeavors!
Great Q & A!
Great interview!! Interesting what his favorite mwk song is to play live. That means we could probably hear it when they EVER release the tour dates. Im excited for that.
The Dr. is in! And may I squee here? Because lyrics? Squee. Tour history? Squee. Photos? Squee. Of course, something tells me Neal frowns on squeeing, but I’m gonna do it anyway. *littlesquee*
Love this site dedicated to Neal. Whoever is responsible, please keep up the quality content. Lyrics + Q&A = Heaven.
I loved the questions pulling aside the veil over Neal’s creative process, even the geeky answer to what recording program are on his computer. Can’t wait to learn more… Neal, thanks for “talking” to us!
‘Wish You Were Here’ by Pink Floyd. Outstanding!
wow. im just so thrilled to know that one of his most memorable performances (live) is playing in the philippines! :> i’d assume it meant that neal’s gonna be back to pinas! :> yay!
Hurray for this website. Big kudos to creator.
Thanks for the q & a. Will follow daily. Merry Christmas from Texas
Thank you for the Q&A Neal. I listen to “Judging a Bullet” a lot. “Til I’m Blue” makes me wanna be a rock star. Happy belated birthday. Hope to see you in Boston some day.
Love the q & a… excited that Master of Puppets is on the Dr’s top 5 list cuz it’s on mine, too… the thought of a solo album makes my head explode in a good way!
Thank You!! That was a great interview =)
Very cool website. Wow, You have hit the big time. You are a dot com. Wish you were here is a truly great song and I too love Dave Matthews. PLEASE send us all dates for MWK shows as soon as you guys get it figured out. I cant wait to here any and all new music coming from you and the guys.
very cool the interview and this site..Neal is one awesome dude!
Thanks really enjoyed learning more about Dr Neal Fing Tiemann
Love his songwriting and guitar playing very very very much.
I think he is a righteous dude (Ferris Bueller)lol
Seriously I really think the Dr is very cool and a great guy.
:)