The Other Sunshine

From an interview with journalist and music critic, John Dobrin, first appearing in Piano Internationale, August 21, 1987:

Sunshine In San Francisco!

"It was my great pleasure to sit and chat with Sunshine Gregory in a cafe in San Francisco, recently. I found her to be as witty and personable in conversation, as she is sensitive and innovative on the piano.

JD: What brings you to San Francisco, Sunshine?

Sunshine: Well, I'm actually on a short break away from the concert circuit, and this is one of my favorite hideouts!

JD: Do you find it a bit of a pressure to rise to the expectations of your many fans, not to mention the critics who seem to view you as the next Lillian Kallir?

Sunshine: I am actually humbled by the fans and the way I am received. As for the critics, I don't read them much. Any comparison to Lillian Kallir blows my mind.

JD: Take us back to your earliest interest in the piano, and contemporary music in general.

Sunshine: Well, I was seven. I guess piano then, was more of an escape than an interest. When I am playing, I forget about everything else.

JD: Interesting. Touching on Lillian Kallir again, As you must know, she grew up escaping nazism.

Sunshine: Yes, that must have been horrific. For me, it was just a way to get away from a crazy family. Staying after school and taking piano lessons was a convenient way to put off going home at the end of the day.

JD: Is Sunshine actually your given name, or more of a stage persona?

Sunshine. Oh, that's my real name. I guess I like it better than Moon Unit, although I know and love her, and actually performed with her father once. My mom was another kind of escapist, I guess. She was one of those flower children. In fact, I've thought of her quite a bit since arriving in San Francisco.

JD: Are you close to your brother, Rainbow?

Sunshine: Yes. We don't see each other much. He is into the heavy metal scene, raucous shredding, that kind of thing.

JD: Actually, some say you can shred a piano.

Sunshine: Hmmm, never looked at it that way, although Rainbow and I have joked about doing an album together.

JD: I think that would be marvelous. Who or what would you say are your important influences along the way?

Sunshine: Oh, any and every thing. Mozart to Zappa. The weather. People I run into. I like the minimalists, although, it drives me crazy to try to compose or perform such pieces. Most of all, I think I must owe everything to Joanna Lawrence, my piano teacher way back then. Perhaps she was a mother to me as well. You mentioned Lillian Kallir earlier. Joanna Lawrence was to me, what Isabella Vengerova was to her.

JD: Fascinating. Well, as your name suggests, the sky seems to be the limit for you. So, what next?

Sunshine: Well every time I go on tour, I wonder but what it may be my last.

JD: A desire to settle down, in some way? Is there a love interest, perhaps?

Sunshine: You are the perceptive one, aren't you, John?

JD: Who's the lucky man?

Sunshine: Well, I'm certainly not going to put him on the spot. Besides, if I told you, what would you write about next? But, I do feel a certain clock ticking in me. It's a woman thing, you know.

JD: As always, it is a delight to talk to you, Sunshine. I look forward to catching your performance at the Hollywood Bowl next week.

Sunshine: Well, I will see you there, then. And do come backstage afterwards.

Sunshine Gregory will perform a solo concert, August 28th at the Hollywood Bowl. I would say, 'don't miss it', but tickets sold out months ago. For more information on future tour dates, and much more about the always fascinating and mesmerizing Sunshine Gregory, check out her website at Sunshinecomessoftly.com

John Dobrin, for Piano Internationale.