FROM THE ARCHIVES: Adam Schlesinger (2003) interview with Darren Paltrowitz

Adam Schlesinger is one of my favorite songwriters of all time. He was prolific yet quality-oriented. Beyond co-founding Fountains Of Wayne and Ivy, beyond being a co-founder of Stratosphere Sound and a few record labels, he wrote and produced for LOTS of artists, films and television shows. A winner of GRAMMY and Emmy Awards, and a nominee for Oscar, Tony and Golden Globe Awards -- how many platinum-selling record artists can say that?

This interview, taped in 2003 -- previously unreleased until January 2021 -- took place about 5 years before I properly met Adam. Thanks to our mutual friend Mike Viola, I had the chance to be in a room with Adam on a lot of occasions between 2008 and 2010; I last ran into him in November 2018 at a private Beach Boys concert which is a story unto itself. He was very funny. He would catch every pop culture reference. He picked up checks. He would make sure his friends got work. And he could even play jazz chords on a piano. An absolutely impressive human being from a professional and personal standpoint.

In retrospect, I remember that "Stacy's Mom" wasn't yet a huge smash at the time this interview was taped. So naturally it also preceded Adam's work on "A Colbert Christmas," "Cry-Baby," "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," Tinted Windows, Fever High, etc. This interview ought to show you what a fun yet down-to-earth person Adam was. (Theme song by Steve Schiltz.)