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If the art s maniacal, I m maniacal : Phil Spector, in 1966
Credit: Getty
NB. This piece first ran in February 2003, and has been republished following the death of Phil Spector, aged 81 I have not been well, says Phil Spector, choosing his words carefully. I was crippled inside. Emotionally. Insane is a hard word. I wasn t insane, but I wasn t well enough to function as a regular part of society, so I didn t. I chose not to. He pauses. I have devils inside that fight me.
The classical music that has been playing throughout our conversation ebbs and flows. Sibelius, Bach, Beethoven, Brahms. Spector is responsible for producing some of the greatest pop music ever made: Be My Baby by the Ronettes; You ve Lost That Lovin Feelin by the Righteous Brothers; River Deep - Mountain High by Ike & Tina Turner; Imagine by John Lennon; My Sweet Lord by George Harrison. But he no longer listens to those songs.