JOHN LENNON, ELTON JOHN AND MORE STORIES THAT ROCK

Dennis Elsas likes to say he has come back to his roots. But the truth is he never really left.

For more than 25 years he was one of New York's most popular radio personalities, providing listeners of the legendary WNEW-FM with the sounds of influential progressive rock and insightful interviews from the greatest musicians of the era.

What was once progressive is now classic. Today Elsas helps smooth the transition as the on-air voice every morning on Sirius/XM Classic Vinyl while discovering new music in the afternoon on WFUV (90.7 FM).

Dennis Elsas with John Lennon. Lennon made a habit of unexpected appearances, from booth spots on “ABC’s Monday Night Football” to delivering the weather on the Philadelphia 11 p.m. news.

Saturday at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Elsas, using a unique blend of personal audio and video archives, will present "Rock & Roll Never Forgets," a multimedia musical journey of rock through his own groundbreaking interviews with John Lennon, Elton John, Pete Townsend and Jerry Garcia.

Q: It was great to hear Lennon talk about the Beatles.

A: No Beatle had ever come up to the radio station at the time. I'm so overwhelmed that John is going to be on the radio and I go out of my way to prep on "Walls and Bridges" and know everything I need to about the album. I know he's there to promote it and not find out my favorite Beatle song. But he makes it easy. After a half-hour I see that he's a Beatles fan and more than happy to indulge me, and says, "Sure, let's play 'I Am the Walrus'" and talks about being with Paul and Ringo and maybe playing together. I don't know that on Sept. 28, 1974, it's the first time he's ever talked fondly of the Beatles since they broke up, but it was certainly the first time the public got to hear this.

Q: Elton John was a frequent guest on WNEW in the 1970s.

A: That's true, but his most historic visit was November 29, 1974, the day after his Thanksgiving show at Madison Square Garden, where his surprise guest onstage was Lennon. Unless you were at the show you wouldn't have known that had happened. Elton shared the news. Hard to believe, it would be John's final concert performance.

Q: Townsend spoke of his "smashing."

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