Thunderbolt Sentinel Interview (Stallions, May 1989) · 12:16pm Nov 8th, 2016
Thunderbolt Sentinel has rejoined CBS' strong roster for a new album: Forgive Me For Taking So Long (465096 1/2/4). He is one of Equestria's most celebrated entertainment personalities, having been recording since the early '60s. The title refers to his decision in 1981 to stop recording for major labels so that he could increase in time with the Canterlot Guards, an absence that lasted nearly a decade. He and his wife, along with two children, currently reside in Ponyville.
Q: What event took place in your life that you credit for having gotten you into the music business?
A: It all happened way back in 1962 when a fellow guardsman heard me singing nearby. If I remember correctly, it was a tune for a wedding called "I Love You Truly." I don't remember the name of the couple that got married though. What I do know is that that guardsman was quite impressed with my voice. He's the one who helped convince Princess Celestia to bring me to RCA Victor, where I recorded for the next 11 years of my life.
Q: What was it like to entertain the crowd?
A: An absolutely marvelous experience. I love huge crowds, you know, the kind that are gargantuan in size; the reason I recorded the live album in Los Pegasus was because we knew we were in for that kind of a crowd. Everything paid off handsomely.
Q: What made you decide to return to the music business? Because, as we see, you haven't really stopped recording.
A: I haven't. All my recordings were mostly done at home during this decade. What made me want to return to the business was that we're in a new age, that of the Compact Disc. Many of my old albums are being reissued on this format, and that, from what I understand, has given me a totally new audience. It was at that time that I was like, "I have an audience to serve! I've gotta serve them!" And I do it my way; keeping and gaining my new audience without losing those that I've had in the past (and likely still have now.)
Q: I notice that you have made home recordings - ones that just have you and the guitar. Who trained you in guitar?
A: That would have to be Rainbow Dash's husband. One day while I was checking in with the guards, Soarin bumped into me. He knew I was quite the musical stallion, so he wanted to train me on acoustic guitar, because he figured that if he can play a guitar and sing, why shouldn't I? The training took about 3 weeks and was successful enough that it wound up being a secondary instrument of mine. Of course my main instrument is in my throat.
Q: You are also an actor, and a pretty successful one at it. What films are you working on now?
A: One is a comedy called "What's Life" that I'm doing for Paramount. There's also a drama I'm working on at 20th Century-Fox called "The Impeachment of Sonny Barter"; that's a quite serious film and it has something to do with Evan Mecham, whom we all know as Among the Supreme Evil of the Decade. One will come out around the end of the year and one will be seen around the start of the new year.
Q: What's life to you?
A: For me, my life is one full of happiness and togetherness and blissfulness and all sorts of great things.
Q: What songs can we expect to hear on your new album?
A: A mix of old and new in a way. We have, for example, great tunes like "Reality", which is quite simply one of the most beautiful compositions of this decade, along with things like "Can't Help Falling in Love", "Unchained Melody"; there are also songs like "Diary" that are so beautiful but that I unfortunately missed in my first recording career.
Q: It's going to be one of the great ones indeed. Any parting words?
A: Every day, more and more, I find that the world is full of beautiful creatures and beautiful things. Even more so, I find that I am among them in more ways than one.
(END)
You trying to say something?
I do like the interview though.