As one of the greatest and most innovative songwriters in pop-music history, Burt Bacharach inspired several generations of fans and fellow musicians alike. Beyond the great art he created, two of my fondest memories of Bacharach — who died Wednesday of natural causes at the age of 94 — reflect his candor in denouncing political deceit and the fact that he really, really didn't like the Grateful Dead. More on those in a moment.
Between 1995 and 2018, I was fortunate enough to do seven interviews with Bacharach. The most recent was at the Del Mar, California, home where he and his wife, Jane, spent time at each year.
A few days later, while I was covering the 2018 KAABOO Del Mar festival, Bacharach's manager called me midafternoon on my cellphone. Burt and Jane, he told me, wanted to attend Earth, Wind & Fire's KAABOO performance early that evening. Could I help get them in?
