By Gabriel Falcon
TODAY staff
3/21/2011
Who says Daryl Hall is “Out of Touch”? Nearly 40 years after he and fellow Philadelphia soul brother John Oates first hit it big with “She’s Gone,” one of the most successful duos in recording history is enjoying a resurgence in popularity.
“They have always been cool,” said David Wild, author and contributing editor for Rolling Stone. “It took a while for people to catch up.”
The adulation is all music to Hall’s ears. “I love it, it’s the greatest,” Hall told Today.com. “It’s like a whole new beginning to me.”
The new appreciation isn’t just nostalgia for songs such as “Rich Girl” and “Sara Smile.” Nor does it stem solely from the guilty pleasure in watching the pair in “Private Eyes,” “Maneater” and other now classic '80s music videos.
The renaissance is in part emerging from Hall’s surprise turn as an Internet sensation.
His “Live From Daryl’s House,” a free monthly webcast, has drawn raves from fans and critics alike. Taped primarily in Hall’s home in upstate New York, the webcast features jam sessions during which Hall and his band host an eclectic mix of guests ranging from Smokey Robinson and Todd Rundgren to Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump, Chromeo and Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes.
Hall attributes the inclusive format with helping to connect with people around the world.
“They really feel like they are part of the show,” Hall said. “The whole concept is to bring the audience into the experience.
“This show has been ridiculous. It’s caused such a change. I feel it when I work with John, or just like going to the airport, people come up to me and say things to me. It means a lot.”
“Live From Daryl’s House” will be syndicated in the fall by Tribune Media as a weekly television series. For Hall, every show offers an opportunity to broaden his reach.
“My fan base is really expanding into an inter-generational thing — it’s what every artist probably hopes for.”
So is longevity. Hall and Oates have stood the test of time since their partnership first formed in 1972. Over the next 20 years, the two churned out million-selling albums and hit after hit. Six of the duo’s songs reached No. 1.
For some critics, Hall and Oates became a punching bag for what was wrong with contemporary music, a notion Wild deemed completely unwarranted.
“They didn’t get a fair hearing because partly they were so big,” said Wild. “Critics don’t generally like any phenomenon they don’t really create and the critics didn’t make them and didn’t break them.”
Their music received heavy rotation on the radio in the 1970s and '80s. The duo were also among the first artists to appear on MTV, both in music videos and as VJs for the then-fledgling cable channel. It’s that foundation that Hall sees as a parallel with “Live From Daryl’s House.”
“One of the reasons I feel confident about this is because of my experience in the beginning of the MTV period,” he said. “I was helping to start all of that. And they would give me hours to say, ‘here, be VJs’ but I was learning how to be spontaneous before the camera.”
But it’s in the recording studio that Hall has left the biggest mark. He is proud of his songs and said they stand the test of time.
Others agree. In an interview with Spin Magazine, Brandon Flowers of the Killers said, “Everything you need to know about writing a hit song, it’s in ‘Rich Girl,’ ”
“There is no doubt that Daryl Hall is at least the greatest white soul singer of all time,” Wild said. “Among other great soul singers, his name comes up as one of the best they’ve ever heard. He’s got the respect where he most wants it.”
Wild also said “She’s Gone” may his favorite song of all time.
So where does the inspiration behind the words and music come from?
“To write a good song, an artist has to drawn from reality,” Hall said. “There has to be some spark from realism that communicates a real feeling to someone else. You have to be real. Or you have to be a really good storyteller.”
What’s next for Hall and the duo? Both continue to perform together while also working on solo projects. Hall is grateful for the success and is enjoying a ride that is far from over.
“The surprising part is where it all went and where it’s still going,” he said. "You can’t predict or prepare for things like that.”
© 2011 MSNBC Interactive.
