STARPOLISH: Much has changed in the music industry since your debut in 1969. What remains constant?

WEST: Playing gigs and having a strong repertoire. I remember Steely Dan never toured, which made them unique, but those radio days are over. You have to do everything you can today to gain exposure. That means recording, touring, making videos, and networking. I do know that if you have a great video and a lousy song it's not gonna fly. But you can have a great song and a so-so video and you'll succeed. I've been around long enough to know that it still boils down to playing great songs regardless of where you are in your career. I can tell if a band or song is listenable after five or ten seconds and so can the audience. If the audience has to wait until the second verse or the third verse, it's too late. Do something that grabs the audience right away, visually and musically.

LAING: Performing in front of an audience is what it's all about. You can't have sex if you don't meet each other! If you're going to exchange anything of any value, emotionally, artistically, or passionately, you have to be there in person. You can't call in your part. Mountain no longer gains significant airplay on radio stations. If we couldn't play live, we'd be out of the music business. You have to make up your mind. Do you want to be a rock star or a musician? Musicians play music and if they're good and have something to say, they'll always have a gig somewhere.

STARPOLISH: Who were some of the performers that inspired you?

WEST: I remember seeing Cream at the Fillmore in 1966. I was on LSD at the time, which I don't recommend. I thought I knew what I was doing until the curtain opened up and I heard Clapton, Bruce, and Baker. Later on, I discovered that Felix had worked with them. Felix also produced my old band, the Vagrants, long before Cream came along. I got in touch with him and started practicing six hours a day. Seeing and hearing Cream really did it for me. Thinking about that concert still electrifies me to this day.

LAING: Everybody from Wilson Pickett to the Drifters. Back in the 1960s bands used to play on the bar, and I would go around to the back and watch the drummer. It was the best place to learn because it was all eye to hand knowledge. You have to learn from the masters. You can read about music all you want, and watch videos, but you have to see and experience players that you admire. I saw the Who and the Stones when they first came here, it was a tremendous education.

STARPOLISH: Any advice for musicians who are about to embark on their first trek away from home?

WEST: Practice before you get on the road. A lot of musicians think soundchecks are for rehearsals, but they're not. Know your material before you step on stage. I still practice.

LAING: When you're on the road, hang out with great musicians whenever you get the opportunity. The groupie thing is highly over-rated. The fact is, if you love something you can get beside it. If there's an artist that you admire, go and meet the guy or girl if you're in their town or vice versa. Get next to who you want to be. Even if they're superstars, a musician will always sit down with another musician. I met Eric Clapton when I was a nobody playing in local bands. As long as you're talking music, they'll talk to you.

STARPOLISH: When the audience expects a band like Mountain to play their hits, how do you keep it fresh after 33 years?

WEST: It's funny, I never thought I'd play the guitar this long, but I still can't put it down. The sound on stage to me is the biggest thrill. When I hear the guitar coming out of those amps I get goose bumps. I try not to remember what I did the night before. Sometimes I'll change the solo a little bit to give me a charge. The songs are pretty good to begin with -- they still sound fresh to me, and the audience picks up on that. There are young people that come to see us and they never got to hear the songs when they were big hits, which inspires me as well. You shouldn't be a musician if you're not having fun up there.

LAING: Leslie and I wrote songs that are enjoyable to play. We didn't do it consciously, and I've always been happy about that. Playing 'Mississippi Queen' for 30-plus years is fantastic to me. The song takes on an identity. It's not a precious piece of work by any means. We never get bored. On this new album we're getting back into the touring, and wrote music that was intended to be banged around. And when you love what you do, you never and recording mode. Fans still say we don't let them down.

STARPOLISH: Mountain has always captured the fervor of a live performance in the confines of a recording studio. Should new bands follow your example?

WEST: It depends on the artist. I like to play live in the studio. A few years back we'd build the tracks separately, but that just doesn't work for us. I like to go in as a group with as little overdubbing as possible. When you hear Mountain on record you get the feeling of a being at a great show. If your goal is to be a working musician, I think it's a good way to go. People will come back to your gigs.

LAING: I think so. We always try to get that intimate first-take feel, especially on our new record. Leslie and I worked up the songs until they felt good, and then we went for it. We didn't use a click track -- I prefer a natural pulse. Sure, there's some stuff on the record that I don't like, but I laugh at it because it was fun and in the spirit of the moment. It really helps to work out your material in front of an audience first. The Gothic guitar riff in "Mutant X" from Mystic Fire developed out of our jams in the middle of "Mississippi Queen." When people responded to it, we knew we had something special that needed to be recorded. If your live show is attracting an audience and people dig it, then I think your first record should reflect that.

STARPOLISH: Felix Pappalardi was among the greatest producers of the 1960s - what properties or characteristics should am artists look for in a producer?

WEST: Well, it's like this: you can go to a grocery store and purchase the best ingredients in the world, but if you're not a chef, you can't make a gourmet meal. I think an artist needs a producer that they can look up to. The producer also has to ensure that there's something to work with. You can't make chicken salad out of chicken shit!

LAING: Leslie likes someone that works with him, and I like someone that captures a certain sound. Ben Elliott, who produced Mystic Fire, did a great job on the guitar and drum sounds. A producer and an artist should have the same aspirations for a project. Look for someone who can take you to the next level. Don't settle for less. Enter the studio with a specific artistic goal. Your aim should be to make great music, not get famous.

STARPOLISH: Corky, You've been on both sides of the fence as a musician and a record company executive - what insights can you share with us?

LAING: What I learned from the experience is that a lot of musicians are really on the wrong track. We've all heard bad things about record companies, but musicians share much of the blame for their own predicament. Too many so-called musicians are specifically seeking the record deal instead of striving to make music. Musicians think it's a big deal to get signed. Well, it's not! The signature has nothing to do with music. The record deal is just another marketing tool. It does not make you any better than you are. And you can be successful without a record contract. It's not the Holy Grail.

STARPOLISH: So the record deal is really the product of a career in motion?

LAING: Yes. As a matter of fact, record deals often instigate more harm than good. Bands sign a contract, then they figure they've already made it. They stop playing for art's sake and an evil vibe sets in. You'll find when a band nails a deal, all sorts of people enter the picture with nothing but money and few good ideas and plenty of bad ones. An artist has to control that. Deals can open the door to problems. You have to be a tight band to handle it. I found that people are learning how to be rock 'n' roll stars, but not learning how to play. It's easy to take shots at record company executives, but the truth is, there are numerous musicians full of bull as well.

STARPOLISH: How do musicians navigate through all the mayhem?

LAING: Again, these days you don't really need a deal, there's so much you can do to market yourself now with satellite radio, independent publicists, the Internet and so on. The whole industry has changed. Record deals are not permanent either -- look at Michael Jackson right now! He's bitching about only selling five million albums. Then you have a situation like Bruce Springsteen in the 1970s. He had a deal that backfired and kept him from recording. Stay true to your music and your ideals, the rest will fall in place, trust me.