AOL Live With Tom Scholz

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OnlineHost: Center Stage is the largest gathering place on the service, bringing celebrity guests right into your home, and offering a host of entertainment events led by a team of talented emcees. It's capable of accommodating hundreds of guests and is truly the showplace of the service.

OnlineHost: Experiment with the menu. You'll find many powerful options, including one which permits you to interact with other members present in the auditorium. The interaction "rows" text is prefaced by a number shown in parentheses (1), etc., which is followed by the text sent by members in that row. Unless a row is being "broadcast" your hosts cannot see interactive text. Try it. You can't break anything!

OnlineHost: Your emcee for tonight's event is CSEmcee2 (LouMD).

OnlineHost: He received the Mahatma Ghandi Award in 1987. That alone should tell you something about the compassionate nature of the man called Tom Scholz who is responsible for BOSTON's celebrated, multi-platinum sound. The band's current album, released in June, is "Walk On."

OnlineHost: Scholz is not only an extraordinary entertainer, but also an inventor. In 1981 he created Scholz Research & Development and began introducing his inventions which include the "Rockman" line of guitar amplifiers and effects. (They were used in the recording of "Walk On."

OnlineHost: "Boston" was released in 1976 (CBS/Epic Records) and peaked at #3 on the album charts. It sold multi-platinum and contained three hit singles: "More Than a Feeling," "Peace of Mind," and "Long Time." Two years later, BOSTON released "Don't Look Back," their second album. It was also multi-platinum reaching all the way to #1 on the album charts and included three MORE hit singles!

OnlineHost: Those singles were "Don't Look Back," "Feelin' Satisfied," and "Man, I'll Never Be." The following year, in 1979, BOSTON received the Billboard award as "#1 Stadium & Festival Artist."

OnlineHost: Things were moving along! 1985 saw the release of "Third Stage" on MCA Records. The album, like "Don't Look Back," peaked at #1, was certified quaduple-platinum and included three MORE hit singles: "Amanda," (a #1 hit single), "Can'tcha Say," and "We're Ready." BOSTON's subsequent tour sold out virtually all of its 69 U.S. dates and set ticket sales records at several venues.

OnlineHost: The tour produced an unprecedented 9-night sellout at the Worcester Centrum, outside their hometown of Boston MA. After the 1988 BOSTON tour, Scholz and his design team (which includes guitarist Gary Pihl) designed and built Hideaway Studios II.

OnlineHost: BOSTON defeated a $20 million lawsuit by their previous label, CBS/Epic and began recording "Walk On" in late 1990. It was completed three years later, in December 1993. Now meet the man who has truly become a legend in his own time, Tom Scholz!

CSEmcee2: Good Evening, Mr. Scholz and welcome to the Globe.

ScholzLive: Thank you!

CSEmcee2: Are you ready to answer some questions from our audience?

ScholzLive: This is a first time for me so please be patient. I'm all set!

OnlineHost: To send your question to the speaker, click on the Interact icon, then use the Ask a Question option.

Question: Hey are you planning to release anything similar to your Boston work again?

ScholzLive: We just did. It's one of the best kept secrets in the business. It's called "Walk On" and I think it's the best Boston album yet. I wore out my car tape player before the album was ever released. Unfortunately, with it turned up all the way I could only get a few hundred people to hear it through the open windows of my car.

Question: Did Boston spend the night in Seattle when they played the Coliseum their first time?

ScholzLive: The first time we played Seattle was a loooong time ago but I believe that we did stay there. It was over 18 years ago!

Question: What do you consider your biggest influences? I especially enjoy Third Stage. I think my biggest influences were the Kinks the Yardbirds, Blue Cheer and Rocmoninov.

Question: Tom, What happened to Brad Delph on this last album?

ScholzLive: Nothing. He wasn't on it. Seriously, Brad co-wrote one of the songs on the album with me! But he was off pursuing one of his own musical dreams. Brad will be playing with us along with Fran Cosmo the lead vocalist on our latest record, at the House of Blues Christmas benefit next week.

Question: Mr. Scholz....how long did it take you to go from being an engineer at Polaroid (if I'm not mistaken) to being a rock and roll superstar?

ScholzLive: Just long enough for me to walk out the door! I kept ebony porn my job at Polaroid until More Than a Feeling was already on the charts!

Question: You got a degree at MIT. Did you spend much time practicing guitar during that time? If so, how did you balance study and guitar?

ScholzLive: If I had spent very much time practicing guitar I would have been a much better guitar player by the time I recorded the first Boston. Unfortunately, I would have flunked out! You can't do anything else when going to school at MIT!

Question: Why is it so long between Boston releases?

ScholzLive: The real question is...how do other people make albums so fast?!

OnlineHost: ScholzLive has left the room.

CSEmcee2: We will continue to wait for Mr. Scholz to return to the stage.

CSEmcee2: Mr. Scholz has experienced technical difficulties. Thank you for your patience.

OnlineHost: ScholzLive has entered the room.

ScholzLive: It figures that I'd get dumped!

CSEmcee2: Welcome Back!

ScholzLive: I've never had any piece of digital equipment work correctly, even in the studio!

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