YOU MAKE MY DREAMS COME TRUE

PHILLY’S OWN JOHN OATES OF HALL & OATES DISCUSSES HIS RECENT MEMOIR,

Philly’s own John Oates of Hall & Oates discusses his recent memoir Change of Seasons.

What made you decide that you wanted to write a book about your life and your experience as a rockstar? I had a series of journals that I kept from 1970 until 1980. I started them in the spring of 1970 when I graduated from college. I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life and I wasn’t working with Daryl [Hall] at the time. I had no idea that we were going to be working together. I documented pretty much everything I did for 10 years in these handwritten journals. I figured it was time to share my stories. It’s a well-documented memoir. Describe the process of writing your very first book. I love writing and reading. I’m an avid reader. I eventually got into a writer’s groove and the process began to flow. Starting out as a young kid in Philadelphia, did you ever see yourself reaching this level of success? No, I never thought about it. It wasn’t anything that I ever wanted or expected. Fame, success, money, and popularity should not be something that you seek. It should be a byproduct of hard work and dedication. I think that if you do good work, if you’re dedicated and you have determination, the stars will align and things like popularity and money will come naturally. I think that’s something younger generations need to understand. After 50 years together, what is your relationship with Daryl like these days? We have a lot of similarities and we have a lot of differences. It’s the balance that seems to make this relationship work. It’s more like a brotherhood than a friendship.