WEBVTT - Paul Rodgers 0:00:04.400 --> 0:00:08.799 Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to the Bob Left Sets podcast, recorded 0:00:08.840 --> 0:00:12.000 live here at the tune In Studios in Venice, California. 0:00:12.400 --> 0:00:15.760 My guest this week is really your treat. I mean, 0:00:15.840 --> 0:00:19.760 hard time acting normal in the presence of vocalist extraordinary 0:00:19.920 --> 0:00:23.520 Paul Rogers. Paul, good to have you here. It's good 0:00:23.520 --> 0:00:26.480 to be here. Bub. For those people who don't know, 0:00:26.640 --> 0:00:31.040 I distinctly remember hearing All Right Now on the Merritt 0:00:31.120 --> 0:00:35.519 Parkway with that riff. It just blasted out of the stereo. 0:00:36.280 --> 0:00:39.680 And then, of course I was a huge Bad Company fan. 0:00:40.080 --> 0:00:42.000 But the first album when it came out in the 0:00:42.040 --> 0:00:45.479 summer seventy four, just after I graduated from college, I 0:00:45.520 --> 0:00:48.360 saw you at the Arms show with Jimmy Page. I 0:00:48.400 --> 0:00:52.120 have a big history. So this is great, thank you, Okay, 0:00:52.240 --> 0:00:55.000 so great to be here. So now this summer you're 0:00:55.040 --> 0:00:58.800 on tour with Jeff Beck and Ann Wilson. That's right. 0:00:58.920 --> 0:01:03.840 How did that come together? Well, it's actually came together. Um. 0:01:04.720 --> 0:01:10.840 I did a tour in the UK reliving Free that 0:01:10.920 --> 0:01:12.959 the band had played All Right Now originally, and I 0:01:13.040 --> 0:01:18.600 called it Free Spirit because I was playing with this band. Um, 0:01:18.640 --> 0:01:21.080 I should back up a little bit. We did um 0:01:21.120 --> 0:01:26.400 some charity shows myself and Pete Bull Expand and they 0:01:26.520 --> 0:01:30.400 played the free materials so very well that I said 0:01:30.440 --> 0:01:32.960 to them, like, what, one day we should take this 0:01:33.000 --> 0:01:37.560 on tour. It was it's such a great feeling, and 0:01:38.640 --> 0:01:42.039 so we did. Every year we did for about three years. 0:01:42.040 --> 0:01:45.200 We did a charity show there for Willows, which is 0:01:45.480 --> 0:01:48.280 um an animal sanctuary, and all the proceeds went up 0:01:48.320 --> 0:01:53.080 to Willows and Cynthia, my dear wife, Cynthia will tell 0:01:53.080 --> 0:01:55.240 you all about Willows if if she's sitting in the 0:01:55.240 --> 0:01:58.240 control room right now, you know. And um, so we 0:01:58.280 --> 0:02:01.120 did that and then the club closed down. The club 0:02:01.240 --> 0:02:04.360 we're playing closed down, so everybody was a bit side, 0:02:04.360 --> 0:02:06.120 and I said, well, we'll tour it, wonder, We'll take 0:02:06.120 --> 0:02:09.040 this whole thing out. We'll do it entirely free material 0:02:09.440 --> 0:02:12.200 And we did that last year in the UK and 0:02:12.240 --> 0:02:16.080 it was so warmly received that, um, I said to 0:02:16.360 --> 0:02:18.800 to Pete, you know and the guys, let's take it 0:02:18.800 --> 0:02:21.919 to America. Let's let's going to America with it. We 0:02:21.919 --> 0:02:25.760 were initially just going to do a small clubs, small 0:02:25.840 --> 0:02:30.880 theaters actually, and uh, it's kind of the way we 0:02:30.919 --> 0:02:32.880 did in the UK. It's but it's kind of grown 0:02:32.919 --> 0:02:35.760 a little bit since Jeff Beck and Ann Wilson were 0:02:36.440 --> 0:02:40.600 you know, came on board. And I've worked with Jeff before, 0:02:40.639 --> 0:02:43.400 I've worked with and before, and uh, it's going to 0:02:43.480 --> 0:02:47.600 be great. Okay. Howard Lee's originally from Hard He's in 0:02:47.639 --> 0:02:51.200 your band, correct, He's in my solo band and he 0:02:51.400 --> 0:02:54.320 also depths for Mick Rals when we do when we 0:02:54.360 --> 0:02:56.400 go out as Bad Company. Is that how you know 0:02:56.520 --> 0:03:00.120 Ann Wilson or is that just serendipitous? Well, I know 0:03:00.720 --> 0:03:03.320 we sort of cross paths over the years. I met 0:03:03.400 --> 0:03:06.000 her when I first I can't remember when I first 0:03:06.040 --> 0:03:08.640 met her, but I know that she really touched my heart. 0:03:08.680 --> 0:03:13.120 One day I was doing a recording in Seattle and 0:03:13.240 --> 0:03:16.120 she was next door. I was recording the Beatles. I 0:03:16.400 --> 0:03:20.320 once said a girl, Oh, should I say one of 0:03:20.360 --> 0:03:22.560 the amazing things? You know? I went to see you 0:03:22.600 --> 0:03:25.640 at the Yell County Fear almost two summers ago, and 0:03:25.680 --> 0:03:28.880 the legend about you is, unlike everybody else, you still 0:03:28.919 --> 0:03:33.160 have your voice, you can still sin is there? You're 0:03:33.200 --> 0:03:36.400 also known as being an incredible health Is there a 0:03:36.520 --> 0:03:40.000 reason for that? Is there something or is this just genetics? Well? 0:03:40.040 --> 0:03:42.040 I think part of it I mean a huge part 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:45.280 of it is my wife, Cynthia. She's she had a 0:03:45.320 --> 0:03:49.760 fitness show and she's very, very fit person. And when 0:03:49.800 --> 0:03:52.000 I met her, I had to get my act together 0:03:52.040 --> 0:03:53.880 a little bit, you know, But I do, I mean, 0:03:53.920 --> 0:03:56.320 I I do value. I mean a lot of people 0:03:56.360 --> 0:03:58.800 do and value as being as fit as you can. 0:03:58.920 --> 0:04:02.120 I think it's it's uh, it's a big plus for 0:04:02.200 --> 0:04:05.240 whatever you do. And in my case for singing, it 0:04:05.360 --> 0:04:07.920 really does help, you know, because it's it's grueling on 0:04:07.960 --> 0:04:11.480 the road. And so anyway to finish that story, no, 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:14.480 we're getting back. I'm big. We're in the studio in 0:04:14.560 --> 0:04:16.440 Seattle and Ann Wilson his next door. I did not 0:04:16.480 --> 0:04:18.480 forget that she did. I mean, she popped her head 0:04:18.520 --> 0:04:21.280 and she said, oh, that sounds nice. And I said, oh, 0:04:21.320 --> 0:04:23.280 come in, and she said, do you want me to 0:04:23.320 --> 0:04:26.760 put a harmony on that? And I said yes, and 0:04:27.640 --> 0:04:29.760 she she went walked straight into the mic and did 0:04:29.760 --> 0:04:32.960 a beautiful harmony on it. And she came back she said, 0:04:33.040 --> 0:04:36.080 was that okay? I said it was absolutely fantastic, and 0:04:36.080 --> 0:04:38.800 and she said okay, and she waved, she walked out. 0:04:38.960 --> 0:04:41.320 She was gone, just like that, and it was so 0:04:41.480 --> 0:04:44.039 nice of her just to give her something. How long 0:04:44.080 --> 0:04:48.320 ago was this, Oh man, this was probably fifteen years ago, 0:04:49.279 --> 0:04:53.680 a long time back. And I just love her. I 0:04:53.680 --> 0:04:55.640 think she's great. I think she's a great artist, and 0:04:55.680 --> 0:04:59.240 she's a lovely person. Yeah, and you know Jeffrey, I 0:04:59.240 --> 0:05:02.680 mean we all, But how do you have a personal 0:05:02.680 --> 0:05:05.279 relationship with them? Well, Jeff Beck, I mean Jeff Beck 0:05:05.360 --> 0:05:08.159 first touched me actually when I heard the Truth album 0:05:08.240 --> 0:05:12.479 what it's called the Truth Album and the Star first 0:05:12.480 --> 0:05:22.640 solo album. Yes, and it's ships, yeah, shame yes, ship 0:05:22.839 --> 0:05:25.480 I know. And and there is a song and I 0:05:25.520 --> 0:05:27.560 don't like the title, but they called it rock my 0:05:27.640 --> 0:05:30.039 plim Soul. I think it's actually rock me baby. But 0:05:30.080 --> 0:05:33.440 it's the best version of that I ever heard. You 0:05:33.480 --> 0:05:36.360 can't rock Me. I mean, they really rip it up. 0:05:36.680 --> 0:05:41.719 And this was before Zeppelin, before Cream, before Hendricks Broke 0:05:41.760 --> 0:05:47.840 in England and any of those fantastic acts. Um, and 0:05:47.880 --> 0:05:49.920 they really set the bar I think for the next 0:05:49.960 --> 0:05:52.919 fifty years of rock and roll. They don't even know it. 0:05:52.960 --> 0:05:55.520 I mean they probably go, uh huh, we did, but 0:05:55.560 --> 0:05:57.960 I don't. But they really did. I mean they certainly 0:05:57.960 --> 0:06:02.560 did for me, because that's Rod Stewart singing and Jeff's guitar, 0:06:02.839 --> 0:06:04.919 and I think it was Mickey Waller on the drums, 0:06:05.279 --> 0:06:09.719 and I do believe it is the guitarist with Robby 0:06:09.720 --> 0:06:13.360 wood Play on bass and the bassis do Do Do 0:06:13.360 --> 0:06:16.280 Do Do Do? Do? You know they're like right in sync? 0:06:16.360 --> 0:06:19.719 Do Do Do? And Uh, it was just so great 0:06:19.839 --> 0:06:22.000 And I always wanted to sing. That's been such an 0:06:22.040 --> 0:06:25.440 inspiration for me for years. And we've done things together, 0:06:25.520 --> 0:06:27.440 Jeff and I. He was I did a tribute to 0:06:27.480 --> 0:06:30.240 Muddy Waters and give him a call and and he 0:06:30.600 --> 0:06:34.640 he played three tracks and he was absolutely fantastic. So yeah, 0:06:34.680 --> 0:06:38.479 we go way back. Okay, So best guitarist of all time, 0:06:38.560 --> 0:06:45.160 best rock guitarist, Well, you know my favorite that my 0:06:45.240 --> 0:06:49.039 soul mate really was Paul Kossof with Free. That's when 0:06:49.080 --> 0:06:52.480 I first met him. I was playing at a little 0:06:52.520 --> 0:06:55.720 blues club in Finsbury Park and he came up and said, 0:06:56.160 --> 0:06:58.640 I've got a guitar in the in the car. Can 0:06:58.680 --> 0:07:00.279 I get up on stage and jam? And I said, 0:07:00.279 --> 0:07:03.200 I absolutely bring it in, let's go. And uh. He 0:07:03.320 --> 0:07:06.120 was this long HAIRD had hair down to like past 0:07:06.320 --> 0:07:09.680 his you know, past his butt really and he had 0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:12.840 the most amazing levies on for the day. Levi's didn't 0:07:12.920 --> 0:07:16.520 make flares, but he bought two pairs and had a 0:07:16.520 --> 0:07:18.760 tailor put a little V and each side, each leg, 0:07:19.200 --> 0:07:21.640 and he looked it was and handmade boots. It was 0:07:21.680 --> 0:07:24.880 just so cool, and and he got up and we 0:07:25.000 --> 0:07:28.600 played bb King. We played every day I have the blues. 0:07:28.640 --> 0:07:34.160 I think we played Stormy Monday, and he just at 0:07:34.200 --> 0:07:37.200 times stood still for everybody in the place. And I 0:07:37.240 --> 0:07:39.560 said to him afterwards, we must form a band. We 0:07:39.680 --> 0:07:43.080 got to get something together. And that's how Free was born. Okay, 0:07:43.160 --> 0:07:45.440 let's let's go sideways, then go back to the beginning. 0:07:45.840 --> 0:07:49.120 So Paul dies on a flight back to the UK, 0:07:49.320 --> 0:07:52.560 I mean not Paul podcast of yes, and uh, you know, 0:07:52.600 --> 0:07:55.200 I hear varying things. I hear that he odd Al 0:07:55.280 --> 0:07:57.600 Cooper is a big friend of his, says, you didn't 0:07:57.600 --> 0:07:59.720 really odd g his heart gave out, which I would 0:07:59.720 --> 0:08:02.280 think of drugs. Can you gu any insight on that? 0:08:04.040 --> 0:08:08.680 You know? I understood him to have aldi. That's that's 0:08:08.800 --> 0:08:11.920 actually all I know. But I might be wrong. But 0:08:12.160 --> 0:08:16.080 for me, um, he was always a very together guy. 0:08:16.360 --> 0:08:19.160 He was never into heavy drugs. And one gets the 0:08:19.200 --> 0:08:22.200 impression from a distance that oh, you know, there goes 0:08:22.240 --> 0:08:24.640 another one. He was just typical of the you know, 0:08:24.680 --> 0:08:28.120 the genre, but not really. When we first got together, 0:08:28.280 --> 0:08:31.240 he did all the driving. He drove the band up 0:08:31.280 --> 0:08:33.960 and down the country, you know, eight hours here, I 0:08:34.080 --> 0:08:35.840 was there to the shore. On top of that, our 0:08:35.920 --> 0:08:39.679 three shows actually, and he was really really together. We 0:08:39.679 --> 0:08:42.040 we didn't dabble in drugs. We smoked a bit of weed, 0:08:42.160 --> 0:08:45.000 quite a bit of weed, I must admit, and um, 0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:48.000 that's as far as we went. We didn't do the 0:08:48.080 --> 0:08:52.120 chemical thing. I was very much against putting anything of 0:08:52.120 --> 0:08:55.280 of of that nature into my body, you know, but 0:08:55.320 --> 0:08:58.120 I didn't mind a little weed, as it were, because 0:08:58.120 --> 0:09:02.679 I thought that was kind of you know, banding your mind, right, 0:09:03.280 --> 0:09:05.360 That's what we all thought in those days. And that's 0:09:05.440 --> 0:09:08.800 that's I think that's how come the the drugs, the 0:09:08.800 --> 0:09:13.480 the chemical drugs got consumed because because it was like 0:09:13.679 --> 0:09:16.680 it was like, oh, if that expands your mind, then 0:09:17.160 --> 0:09:20.880 you know, heroin and cocaine must really expand your mind. Well, 0:09:21.360 --> 0:09:24.679 you know, it doesn't really. And he got into all 0:09:24.720 --> 0:09:28.559 that stuff after Free had split up, which was a 0:09:28.679 --> 0:09:31.839 very very sad thing. We did a couple of sessions 0:09:32.520 --> 0:09:36.560 together and he put the track he should listen to. Really, 0:09:36.880 --> 0:09:39.080 if you want to hear the heart and soul of podcast, 0:09:39.120 --> 0:09:42.160 offer a song we did called come Together in the Morning. 0:09:42.800 --> 0:09:46.439 Um and do did a little. I mean, he plays 0:09:47.400 --> 0:09:50.960 his heart and soul. It's just amazing. It is so good. 0:09:51.040 --> 0:09:52.760 I'm a huge fan. I was always a fan. I 0:09:52.800 --> 0:09:55.560 bought fire and Water. But about twenty years ago in 0:09:55.640 --> 0:10:00.000 Him put out a anthology two c ds of molten gold, 0:10:00.000 --> 0:10:02.200 old whatever. And you listen to the work, I'm them 0:10:02.240 --> 0:10:05.199 and I I'll be creeping. I always love but the 0:10:05.240 --> 0:10:09.520 sound on the steeler, just the way the guitar sounds unbelievable. 0:10:09.559 --> 0:10:11.440 But let's go back. So you're from where in the UK? 0:10:12.000 --> 0:10:14.800 I'm from Middlesbrough, which is a town in the northeast, 0:10:15.520 --> 0:10:20.680 an industrial, heavy industrial town, steel mills and shipbuilding. Uh. 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:23.560 And I came down before you. What did your father do? 0:10:23.720 --> 0:10:26.760 What did your father do? Father worked in the steel mills. 0:10:26.840 --> 0:10:30.640 And you have siblings? I s I'm of one of seven, 0:10:30.840 --> 0:10:34.199 one of seven. Where are you in the hierarchy? I'm 0:10:34.200 --> 0:10:37.440 I'm right in the middle. Actually have three older sisters, uh, 0:10:37.720 --> 0:10:40.520 two younger brothers and a younger sister. So I'm right 0:10:40.559 --> 0:10:43.160 in the middle. Of seven. Now. Ray Davis always talks 0:10:43.160 --> 0:10:46.079 about being turned on to music by his older sisters. 0:10:46.160 --> 0:10:48.880 Was that the case with you? Yeah, I mean they 0:10:48.960 --> 0:10:52.160 were teenages when I was still a toddler as you were, 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:56.160 So I mean, you know, they loved Elvis Presley and 0:10:56.200 --> 0:10:58.760 I used to like, wonder what it is about this guy? 0:10:58.800 --> 0:11:00.880 And I'm still wonder ring, although at a good time 0:11:00.880 --> 0:11:03.120 it gracely, and I'm still wondering on the music. Yeah, 0:11:03.200 --> 0:11:05.680 well he did, you know. I mean guys like that, 0:11:05.880 --> 0:11:09.000 they have something special. I think they do. The Beetle 0:11:09.080 --> 0:11:12.040 had something special to and there are very many people 0:11:12.120 --> 0:11:15.920 that give to the world themselves through their music. I 0:11:15.960 --> 0:11:18.080 don't know, you know, it comes from it comes from 0:11:18.120 --> 0:11:20.600 like I don't know, the universe or something, and they 0:11:20.600 --> 0:11:25.160 are conduit. They are a conduit for change in many ways. 0:11:25.679 --> 0:11:28.800 And I think Elvis was one of those people. You know. 0:11:28.880 --> 0:11:31.440 I never saw a bad photograph of Elvis. He always 0:11:31.480 --> 0:11:37.000 looked amazing, although that in Vegas the bloated Elvis. But 0:11:37.120 --> 0:11:40.360 before that, I agree with you. Yeah, I mean, yeah, yeah, definitely. 0:11:40.400 --> 0:11:42.160 And I'm sure you've been to Memphis and you go 0:11:42.240 --> 0:11:44.440 to like the tailor that he used. It was like 0:11:44.960 --> 0:11:46.880 you know, we live in the modern era. We figure 0:11:46.920 --> 0:11:50.080 everyone's using the best people. It was kind of backwoodsie 0:11:50.280 --> 0:11:54.160 and they all surprisingly so yes, yeah, yeah, And he 0:11:54.200 --> 0:11:56.480 was influenced by a lot of the soul music and 0:11:56.480 --> 0:11:59.640 the blues that was going on, although the kernel I 0:11:59.679 --> 0:12:02.679 think kept that separate, you know. I mean, he's the 0:12:02.760 --> 0:12:06.559 white guy and they they, and he was like they. 0:12:06.720 --> 0:12:10.079 He was one of a kind, one of just one 0:12:10.080 --> 0:12:12.360 of a kind. But I think he was definitely I've 0:12:12.360 --> 0:12:15.360 got a photograph of him with BB King, and I 0:12:15.400 --> 0:12:20.040 never saw that throughout his years, never saw that connection. 0:12:20.240 --> 0:12:22.000 That's an interesting point. Never thought. We never saw him 0:12:22.000 --> 0:12:24.679 mixing with the African Americans and he was really it 0:12:24.800 --> 0:12:26.440 was really right in the center of it, and it 0:12:26.480 --> 0:12:30.200 couldn't help but be influenced by it, I think. And 0:12:30.280 --> 0:12:32.040 so there it is, and it's a beautiful thing. Okay, 0:12:32.120 --> 0:12:37.200 so you're in the northeast of UK. How do you 0:12:37.200 --> 0:12:44.880 get interested in music? Well, um, I I the radio 0:12:45.040 --> 0:12:47.040 was on an awful lot of the time. When I 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:50.080 was growing up. We had something called Ready Fusion. You 0:12:50.120 --> 0:12:52.640 get TV and you get free radio. So the radio, 0:12:52.760 --> 0:12:54.360 because it was free, it was on all the time 0:12:54.800 --> 0:12:57.920 and I listened to Frank Sinatra growing up, because it 0:12:57.960 --> 0:13:01.800 was just there on the radio. Then marriage, you know, 0:13:01.840 --> 0:13:06.240 and I was I was always amazed at the quality 0:13:06.320 --> 0:13:10.360 of the vocals in those days, Andy Williams, you know 0:13:10.800 --> 0:13:14.920 Frank of course. And and although it's only looking back 0:13:14.920 --> 0:13:18.079 that I was amazed, I just accepted it at the time. 0:13:18.559 --> 0:13:22.439 But one day, when I was about thirteen, my father 0:13:22.480 --> 0:13:25.719 bought me a guitar. Became only But what was the inspiration? 0:13:26.160 --> 0:13:28.760 Had you asked for a good time right out of 0:13:28.760 --> 0:13:31.080 the blue. And I didn't quite know what to do 0:13:31.200 --> 0:13:33.079 with this thing. I mean, I thought, well, it's got 0:13:33.520 --> 0:13:35.360 it's going to be easy to play. Well it wasn't. 0:13:36.120 --> 0:13:39.160 And um so I switched to the bass because bass 0:13:39.160 --> 0:13:42.160 has four strings and therefore is easy to play. And 0:13:42.160 --> 0:13:44.360 did you play four Did you get a base or 0:13:44.360 --> 0:13:46.520 was it four strings on the guitar he brought I 0:13:46.559 --> 0:13:49.840 got a base? Yeah. Well, actually what happened was because 0:13:49.880 --> 0:13:52.560 I had the guitar, that made me eligible to join 0:13:52.640 --> 0:13:54.840 the class band. There was a band in the in 0:13:54.920 --> 0:13:59.000 the class and this was something that was organized by 0:13:59.040 --> 0:14:01.600 the school or just the people who were the school 0:14:01.640 --> 0:14:05.440 was not interested in rock and roll at all, you know, 0:14:05.520 --> 0:14:08.800 in those it's very strict. I mean, so no, this 0:14:08.920 --> 0:14:13.720 was entirely outside of the school curriculum. And so we 0:14:13.800 --> 0:14:18.080 all got together in in Mick Moody his kitchen and 0:14:18.440 --> 0:14:21.720 banged pots and pants if I had a hammer and 0:14:21.800 --> 0:14:24.640 hammer in the morning, you know, and all that we 0:14:24.640 --> 0:14:28.800 thought we did good, you know, And and so but 0:14:28.880 --> 0:14:31.920 I switched to base and we got we kept at it, 0:14:31.960 --> 0:14:35.560 we got more and more professional, and and one, you know, 0:14:35.920 --> 0:14:39.720 in our mind, we didn't. Mike had an A C 0:14:39.960 --> 0:14:43.200 thirty which we all plugged into. Explained to my audience 0:14:43.360 --> 0:14:45.880 that is, oh, it's a it's an Vox. A C 0:14:46.040 --> 0:14:48.760 thirty is an amplifier. The Beatles used them, actually, Vox's 0:14:48.800 --> 0:14:52.320 AC thirties, and it had a lot of inputs. So 0:14:52.360 --> 0:14:54.600 in theory you could plug everybody into it, but of 0:14:54.600 --> 0:14:56.960 course you are overloading it quite a bit. But anyway, 0:14:56.960 --> 0:14:58.640 we didn't worry about that. We just plugged in and 0:14:58.840 --> 0:15:01.920 away we went. And we did this kind of privately, 0:15:02.800 --> 0:15:05.960 apart from driving his parents up the wall. Actually, imagine 0:15:06.960 --> 0:15:10.800 until one day at a very nosy neighbors said, oh, oh, 0:15:10.920 --> 0:15:12.720 you've got a bandon, have you go, and then plays 0:15:12.720 --> 0:15:14.600 a song and we looked at each other. We never 0:15:14.640 --> 0:15:18.320 played to anybody before, and this was our big chance, 0:15:18.400 --> 0:15:21.560 I think in a way. And so we played whatever 0:15:21.600 --> 0:15:24.480 it was and she clapped at the end of it, 0:15:24.520 --> 0:15:27.520 and we thought, oh, this is good, and so that 0:15:27.640 --> 0:15:29.280 broke the ice a little bit. Then we started to 0:15:29.320 --> 0:15:32.840 do shows, and you know, you just stay with it 0:15:33.160 --> 0:15:36.520 and you're playing shows, playing what material. Well, we played 0:15:36.720 --> 0:15:39.120 a mixture of what was in the charts at the 0:15:39.200 --> 0:15:44.440 time until we discovered soul music and blues music. Actually, 0:15:45.160 --> 0:15:49.360 um I remember we we played at one place which 0:15:49.400 --> 0:15:51.440 was right next to it was a youth club, was 0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:55.040 right next door to the pub. And the pub closed 0:15:56.240 --> 0:15:58.480 and there's only a few kids and a little younger 0:15:58.560 --> 0:16:03.280 kids and a great The doors at the back burst open, 0:16:03.280 --> 0:16:07.600 and all these drunken youngsters from the pub came in 0:16:08.000 --> 0:16:10.680 looking for a fight, looking for trouble, just as we 0:16:10.680 --> 0:16:15.040 were going to I know you want to leave me 0:16:17.240 --> 0:16:19.720 to let you, and they all like stopped at the 0:16:19.760 --> 0:16:23.280 door just the music actually stopped them in their tracks, 0:16:23.320 --> 0:16:25.800 and they also and then they all started dancing, and 0:16:25.840 --> 0:16:27.840 we looked at each of them. We thought, Wow, the 0:16:28.000 --> 0:16:31.160 power of music, because you know, they looked like trouble 0:16:31.240 --> 0:16:34.120 and and uh, it was great and there was a 0:16:34.120 --> 0:16:37.240 great night. You learn things like that, you know. Okay, 0:16:37.280 --> 0:16:42.200 So at what point did you realize you could sing? Actually? Uh, 0:16:43.240 --> 0:16:46.280 I'm still learning, to be honest, but I mean I 0:16:46.680 --> 0:16:50.640 love to listen to Hollan Wolf. I was a very 0:16:50.640 --> 0:16:53.000 When I think back, it's very unusual to think of 0:16:53.040 --> 0:16:54.880 a thirteen year old boy sitting up in his room 0:16:55.000 --> 0:17:00.320 listening to listening to I Have had my fun, you know, 0:17:00.400 --> 0:17:03.880 Helen Wolf. If I don't get well no more, you know, 0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:08.879 talking about he's dying. All those lyrics we listened to 0:17:08.880 --> 0:17:11.399 a kid, I understand them. I just saying them that 0:17:11.440 --> 0:17:13.760 I didn't understand. Well, no I didn't. I mean, you know, 0:17:13.880 --> 0:17:16.480 she must be tired of living. I'll put us sick 0:17:16.560 --> 0:17:19.160 feed in her grave. I mean, this is tough stuff. Man. 0:17:19.640 --> 0:17:22.000 You know, those guys lived a heck of a life, 0:17:22.480 --> 0:17:24.440 and yeah, you do you just kind of like, oh, 0:17:24.480 --> 0:17:28.040 that's the lyrics, right, you know, But that was the 0:17:28.119 --> 0:17:31.880 reflection of their life and how life was for them, 0:17:31.880 --> 0:17:34.400 and it just no matter what they were singing about though, 0:17:34.440 --> 0:17:37.320 there was a real deep spirit to the music, a 0:17:37.440 --> 0:17:42.400 real passion, and they didn't they didn't take any prisoners musically. 0:17:42.440 --> 0:17:44.919 They just would do in this because they wanted to 0:17:44.960 --> 0:17:49.560 do it UM and I guess they they had their 0:17:49.600 --> 0:17:53.160 own scene going down there in Memphis and around there, 0:17:53.920 --> 0:17:58.359 and the bars and the chicks and the booze and 0:17:58.480 --> 0:18:02.520 just everything. The whole life style. It to me. It 0:18:05.280 --> 0:18:08.199 it opened my eyes to another world, you know. But 0:18:08.280 --> 0:18:11.640 the music itself was something that I really wanted to do. 0:18:11.800 --> 0:18:14.400 I wanted to do that for some reason, I thought. 0:18:14.480 --> 0:18:17.000 I so it as a career at that young age. Well, 0:18:17.240 --> 0:18:19.879 I wasn't thinking about careers, but I just wanted to 0:18:20.280 --> 0:18:23.120 do that. I want to do that, you know, somehow 0:18:24.040 --> 0:18:26.920 wherever it takes me. And I think that's kind of 0:18:27.320 --> 0:18:29.439 the story of my life in there. Okay, but you 0:18:29.600 --> 0:18:31.760 but you relate those guys you leave and go to 0:18:31.800 --> 0:18:35.639 London at age fifteen, you said, age seventeen. I was 0:18:35.640 --> 0:18:38.400 an old guy by the time. Okay, so it's seventeen. 0:18:38.680 --> 0:18:41.720 You finished, you finished what we call high school. Yeah, 0:18:41.760 --> 0:18:47.359 I finished school. I graduated at sixteen actually in those days. 0:18:47.840 --> 0:18:50.720 And then I worked at a paint store in the 0:18:50.880 --> 0:18:53.080 in the in the back of the planet, and we 0:18:53.240 --> 0:18:56.200 do did gigs around town. But it was always UM 0:18:56.320 --> 0:18:58.960 the music that was number one for me. I only 0:18:58.960 --> 0:19:01.080 worked there because to have a job, I had to 0:19:01.080 --> 0:19:02.600 put food on it to oh, I mean I had 0:19:02.640 --> 0:19:07.280 to pay my mom and stuff. So I but music 0:19:07.359 --> 0:19:09.600 was the thing and we were all but by this point, 0:19:09.680 --> 0:19:12.840 before you left home, the Beatles it hit right. Yeah, 0:19:12.840 --> 0:19:16.360 the Beatles were everything in the world, because they certainly 0:19:16.359 --> 0:19:19.280 were in America. Yeah, and okay, so how do you 0:19:19.280 --> 0:19:23.480 decide to go to London? We just did, Actually we 0:19:23.560 --> 0:19:25.840 just said it was we at this point, well it 0:19:25.920 --> 0:19:29.160 was me. It was me, Mick Moody, Bruce Thomas, and 0:19:29.920 --> 0:19:33.560 Dave Usher. Davosher was the drummer Thomas who ultimately played 0:19:33.560 --> 0:19:36.880 with the Carstello. Yes, actually, yes he did. He went 0:19:36.920 --> 0:19:42.960 on to play with him, I understand. And uh, Dave 0:19:43.040 --> 0:19:47.240 Asha was wild and crazy guy, big head of ginger hair. 0:19:47.720 --> 0:19:49.640 It gave me a lot of blues records. He gave 0:19:49.720 --> 0:19:52.480 me some of the Howling Wolf I had as well. Uh, 0:19:52.840 --> 0:19:58.639 singles very hard to find nowadays. Um, and we just 0:19:58.720 --> 0:20:00.879 already said, well let's go to I I remember actually 0:20:00.920 --> 0:20:03.600 said to my mom I'm thinking of going We're thinking 0:20:03.600 --> 0:20:06.240 of going down to London and like making the big time. 0:20:08.760 --> 0:20:12.040 And I was surprised because I thought she'd say, you're 0:20:12.080 --> 0:20:14.680 not going, not going down to London, and that would 0:20:14.680 --> 0:20:16.080 have been the end of it. To be honest with you, 0:20:16.200 --> 0:20:18.600 I wouldn't have gone. If she just said no, I 0:20:18.640 --> 0:20:22.159 would not have gone. But she said, okay, well my 0:20:22.280 --> 0:20:26.520 now you go. I'm like, huh, that's permission? Oh my god. 0:20:26.800 --> 0:20:28.680 So I went back to the to the rest of 0:20:28.680 --> 0:20:31.280 the guy said well, I'm on, are you on? And 0:20:31.280 --> 0:20:33.919 so it was like if we did, dare we did? We? 0:20:34.200 --> 0:20:37.760 And we went down and promptly were very, very hungry 0:20:37.800 --> 0:20:40.760 for a long time. What was the first break or 0:20:40.800 --> 0:20:43.440 with the first change that put you on the right 0:20:43.480 --> 0:20:48.560 path in London. Well, what happened for me was that, 0:20:48.720 --> 0:20:52.160 you know, the rest of the guys, they they didn't 0:20:52.200 --> 0:20:55.680 like being hungry, they didn't want to continue, and they 0:20:55.720 --> 0:20:58.959 went back home. Actually, and I stayed down there and 0:20:59.000 --> 0:21:05.199 I met Paul us Off at the Blues club I 0:21:05.240 --> 0:21:09.439 mentioned earlier, and really we put that bend together in 0:21:09.480 --> 0:21:13.040 the space of a few months. And then Andy Fraser 0:21:13.119 --> 0:21:18.480 came along. He knew um Alexis Corner. Alexis Corner put 0:21:18.520 --> 0:21:20.920 us in touch with a couple of it. We tried 0:21:20.920 --> 0:21:24.600 a couple of people actually, but we eventually found Island 0:21:24.640 --> 0:21:28.120 Records and Chris Blackwell, and they were along with Chrysalis. 0:21:28.200 --> 0:21:31.280 They were in Oxford Street that they were sharing offices 0:21:31.320 --> 0:21:34.119 at the same time. I mean they became very Chrystalis, 0:21:34.520 --> 0:21:37.720 jethro Tell and Joe Cocker and all these people that 0:21:37.920 --> 0:21:41.240 later became stars. So everybody was becoming a star of 0:21:41.320 --> 0:21:43.240 and I everybody who were bumping into in the street. 0:21:43.240 --> 0:21:44.920 It was, you know, one day you were at the 0:21:44.960 --> 0:21:47.600 Marquee and the next day they were in the charts, 0:21:48.119 --> 0:21:50.879 and it was it was just that was the time, 0:21:50.920 --> 0:21:52.919 that was the period of that was what it was 0:21:52.960 --> 0:21:56.040 like in those days. And everywhere you went there was 0:21:56.160 --> 0:22:00.880 music it seemed coming out of the windows. Uh and 0:22:00.880 --> 0:22:03.439 and there was suddenly there was Hendrix and there was 0:22:03.800 --> 0:22:07.399 Cream and all this music was really happening. So we 0:22:07.400 --> 0:22:13.840 were in the midst of all that. We'll take a 0:22:13.920 --> 0:22:16.159 quick break and come back with more of my conversation 0:22:16.200 --> 0:22:20.000 with legendary vocalist Paul Rogers, recorded live at the tune 0:22:20.040 --> 0:22:28.080 In Studios in Venice, California. This podcast is brought to 0:22:28.119 --> 0:22:32.320 you by tune In, which brings together all the live sports, music, 0:22:32.400 --> 0:22:36.600 news and podcast you learn, original, live and on demand audio, 0:22:36.720 --> 0:22:39.160 all in one place. Go to tune in dot com 0:22:39.200 --> 0:22:42.800 slash left sets to download and listen. Okay, let's get 0:22:42.840 --> 0:22:46.640 back to my conversation with Paul Rogers. So you get 0:22:46.680 --> 0:22:51.000 a record deal now. In the US, Free flew under 0:22:51.040 --> 0:22:55.200 the radar until all right, Now, what was the level 0:22:55.200 --> 0:22:58.879 of success in the UK? Well, we were what they 0:22:58.920 --> 0:23:02.320 call an underground by and we we weren't commercially successful, 0:23:02.400 --> 0:23:06.440 but word of mouth was enough. We would fill out 0:23:06.480 --> 0:23:09.399 all the clubs in the in the UK wherever we played, 0:23:09.440 --> 0:23:11.880 and we played everywhere. We went over to Germany too, 0:23:12.480 --> 0:23:16.679 and we played in France sometimes, and we played in 0:23:17.040 --> 0:23:21.920 countries in Europe. Um wherever we went. We it was 0:23:22.000 --> 0:23:26.000 kind of we were bubbling under. And uh yeah, so 0:23:26.359 --> 0:23:29.600 now at this point you're singing but you're also writing. 0:23:30.000 --> 0:23:33.480 When did you become a writer? Yes, well, just about 0:23:33.520 --> 0:23:37.159 the time I met Paul Klassof, I had written. I 0:23:37.240 --> 0:23:39.480 thought about songwriting and I thought, well, now, how do 0:23:39.520 --> 0:23:42.000 you write a song? And we would would. I've been 0:23:42.000 --> 0:23:44.440 playing a lot of blues and there's a thing called 0:23:44.440 --> 0:23:47.760 the twelve bar blues, which is a great structure and 0:23:47.800 --> 0:23:50.040 there are so many variations of it, and it's a 0:23:50.119 --> 0:23:54.440 it's a brilliant structure. Whoever wherever that evolved from it. 0:23:55.040 --> 0:23:58.359 I think it came from God himself, because it's a 0:23:58.359 --> 0:24:01.640 structure upon which you can hang your soul. You can 0:24:01.720 --> 0:24:05.320 put any kind of lyric that anything you want to say. 0:24:05.520 --> 0:24:08.400 The first line, then the second line repeats that. Then 0:24:08.440 --> 0:24:11.240 it's the killer line. My throat is dry, my knee 0:24:11.280 --> 0:24:13.760 is a week it's so damn hard I can't even speak. 0:24:13.960 --> 0:24:17.560 Welcome my shadow. And we I wrote a song. I thought, well, 0:24:17.680 --> 0:24:20.080 if you write a rift do dink dink do the 0:24:20.160 --> 0:24:22.800 link do in the twelve hour structure and then you 0:24:23.040 --> 0:24:25.080 put your own lyrics on it, you've written the song, 0:24:25.160 --> 0:24:28.479 haven't you. And so that was my first song. And 0:24:28.520 --> 0:24:35.000 then uh m, Paul kastof, give me some music, piece 0:24:35.040 --> 0:24:38.199 of music. Do Do Do Do Down Do Doom doo doo, 0:24:38.520 --> 0:24:40.720 and I wrote, He said, can you write lyrics to 0:24:40.800 --> 0:24:43.520 that for me? An ideas? And that became Moonshine. So 0:24:44.040 --> 0:24:47.240 we were now we were songwriters, and it was it 0:24:47.320 --> 0:24:50.959 was a natural step. I was going to say that 0:24:51.000 --> 0:24:54.359 we we had about three or four of our own 0:24:54.400 --> 0:24:58.760 songs freed in initially, and uh why was it named free? 0:24:58.920 --> 0:25:03.439 And it was named free because during the when about 0:25:03.480 --> 0:25:06.800 the first time. We got together at the Nag's Head, 0:25:07.680 --> 0:25:10.680 which is a pub in Bartrassy, and there was a 0:25:10.760 --> 0:25:13.320 room above it the bands rehearsed and were We had 0:25:13.320 --> 0:25:18.280 our first rehearsal there and we were playing Moonshine, the 0:25:18.359 --> 0:25:20.680 song that Cost had given me to write the lyrics 0:25:20.760 --> 0:25:25.080 to when Sit Here Alone in Crime and it was 0:25:25.119 --> 0:25:31.040 a big climax thing and um yeah, and then Alexis 0:25:31.080 --> 0:25:33.240 Corner came in. We walked in at that moment with 0:25:33.359 --> 0:25:37.560 his family, his wife and kids, and sat down and 0:25:37.560 --> 0:25:39.520 we all took a break and we sat down and 0:25:39.520 --> 0:25:43.040 he said, well, I've been listening outside the door, and 0:25:43.800 --> 0:25:46.080 you are a band. And we looked at each other 0:25:46.119 --> 0:25:48.000 because when we when we walked into that room, we 0:25:48.040 --> 0:25:51.240 were four separate people. But because we could say, well, 0:25:51.280 --> 0:25:53.040 do you know spoonfuls? You know every day have the 0:25:53.040 --> 0:25:56.520 blues And we all played a lot of blues songs 0:25:56.520 --> 0:25:59.720 because they're very good to jam on. That's the beauty 0:25:59.720 --> 0:26:02.800 of it, actually, uh, And we were a band by 0:26:02.800 --> 0:26:06.560 the time we'd finished rehearsing, and he said, okay, you 0:26:06.640 --> 0:26:09.440 sound like a band. All you need now is a name, 0:26:10.440 --> 0:26:14.359 and where everybody sat pensively thinking my name, yeah, and 0:26:14.359 --> 0:26:16.159 he said, well, if it helps you. I used to 0:26:16.200 --> 0:26:20.560 have a band with Cyril Davis harmonica Player when we 0:26:20.600 --> 0:26:23.720 called it Free at Last, and everybody sat from it 0:26:23.880 --> 0:26:26.760 and it seemed to be like a group decision and said, 0:26:27.440 --> 0:26:29.959 well it's got to be free, hasn't it free? And 0:26:30.000 --> 0:26:34.200 that was that was it, without a word. It was 0:26:34.240 --> 0:26:37.080 like a cosmic decision, you know. And how do you write? 0:26:37.240 --> 0:26:41.199 All right? Now? Well, Andy and I Andy Fraser and 0:26:41.240 --> 0:26:45.520 I started to get into seriously writing when I moved 0:26:45.520 --> 0:26:48.560 into his house actually because I had no where to stay, 0:26:48.560 --> 0:26:50.280 and his mom said, well, you can sleep on the couch, 0:26:50.480 --> 0:26:53.080 so I'll sleep on the couch. And and of course 0:26:53.280 --> 0:26:56.080 we was music, right, we get the base out and 0:26:56.240 --> 0:26:59.720 and he wrote music, and I wrote lyrics, and I 0:27:00.160 --> 0:27:03.359 lyrics and at our music and Hero lyrics. So we 0:27:03.359 --> 0:27:05.679 we just wrote songs and that's all we did. And 0:27:05.720 --> 0:27:08.800 it was amazing discovery actually to find that, you know, 0:27:08.800 --> 0:27:10.919 you could go and enter a room with nothing really 0:27:11.200 --> 0:27:13.520 and come out with a song or two or three. 0:27:14.400 --> 0:27:16.159 And this was going on, and we were just we 0:27:16.160 --> 0:27:18.159 were Lennon and McCartney all of a sudden, and it 0:27:18.240 --> 0:27:22.120 was it was a very creative time. So all right, 0:27:22.160 --> 0:27:26.000 now was. We got to a point where we were 0:27:26.040 --> 0:27:29.680 playing about half and half half of our own songs 0:27:30.200 --> 0:27:33.639 and half the blues that we had originally set out playing. 0:27:34.400 --> 0:27:37.240 And uh, I just thought, like, you know, if we 0:27:37.280 --> 0:27:39.800 want to be different and unique and have our own voice, 0:27:40.080 --> 0:27:43.160 we need to write when all the songs our set 0:27:43.240 --> 0:27:45.760 need to be our own songs. So we said about 0:27:46.320 --> 0:27:50.120 doing that and dropping the blues out of our set. Um. 0:27:50.240 --> 0:27:52.920 We could never drop a song called The Hunter, which 0:27:52.960 --> 0:27:56.560 is an Albert King's song, which is just so great. 0:27:57.040 --> 0:28:00.919 I think the definitive version, thank you, you know, it's 0:28:00.960 --> 0:28:03.400 It's interesting actually when we played that song, we thought 0:28:03.440 --> 0:28:08.120 we were very close to the record. And years after 0:28:08.200 --> 0:28:10.000 a year went by us something, we've been playing The 0:28:10.080 --> 0:28:12.200 Hunter and I put the original back on. It were 0:28:12.320 --> 0:28:15.480 so different from it. I couldn't believe it. Because you 0:28:15.560 --> 0:28:18.080 just play at night after night, it becomes your own song, 0:28:18.280 --> 0:28:21.720 you know, And you played that slightly differently. So anyway, 0:28:21.840 --> 0:28:24.480 we had a full set of all our own material, 0:28:24.520 --> 0:28:28.480 but we could not drop The Hunter with we could 0:28:28.480 --> 0:28:31.280 not get off the stage in Sunderland, and I did 0:28:31.359 --> 0:28:34.360 you not you could not leave the stage until you've 0:28:34.359 --> 0:28:36.760 done the Hunter. They would have torn the place apart, 0:28:37.280 --> 0:28:39.280 and so I said, man, we've got to come up 0:28:39.320 --> 0:28:42.240 with a song that's at least as good as the Hunter. 0:28:42.800 --> 0:28:45.560 We still haven't dropped it actually, to be honest, um, 0:28:46.160 --> 0:28:48.400 and so I said, it could be something very simple, 0:28:48.560 --> 0:28:51.640 very something that the audience can sing like like like 0:28:51.800 --> 0:28:56.240 oh right now. And I said, actually, give me a talk. 0:28:56.280 --> 0:28:58.680 That's it, and did the cause and that was that 0:28:58.760 --> 0:29:01.200 was the chorus. Okay, so you came up with it. 0:29:01.240 --> 0:29:03.000 You said, it's gonna be something like all right now. 0:29:03.080 --> 0:29:06.080 And it was started right there, right there, right there. 0:29:06.080 --> 0:29:08.480 And then Andy took that home and and worked out 0:29:08.520 --> 0:29:12.080 the verse chords, which was which of course our dad dodact. 0:29:12.720 --> 0:29:15.080 So he gave that to me and I he said, 0:29:15.320 --> 0:29:19.400 So I worked backwards from the chorus. Whatever the verse 0:29:20.120 --> 0:29:23.160 was going to be, it had to climax with it's 0:29:23.200 --> 0:29:26.440 all right now? So what was going to happen? And 0:29:26.680 --> 0:29:29.440 I thought of a scenario, and I actually Ringle Star 0:29:29.520 --> 0:29:33.680 had said, I'd read an interview basically the Beatles. Well, 0:29:33.760 --> 0:29:37.080 you know, whenever a boy meets a girl, it's a 0:29:37.240 --> 0:29:40.800 it's a brand new story. You know, every love affair, 0:29:41.400 --> 0:29:44.320 he's a brand new story because two people come together 0:29:44.360 --> 0:29:48.640 and they have their own story and you know, and 0:29:48.720 --> 0:29:50.800 it means something to everybody. I thought, well, that's a 0:29:50.800 --> 0:29:54.840 good theme for a song. Boy meets girl, what happens? Okay? 0:29:55.040 --> 0:29:58.360 And that's the song just flowed out there she stood 0:29:58.680 --> 0:30:00.480 in the street. What was she doing? And well she 0:30:00.640 --> 0:30:03.320 was smiling from her head to her feet. Oh that's good. 0:30:03.800 --> 0:30:06.360 I said, Hey, what's this? Maybe she needs season, needs 0:30:06.360 --> 0:30:09.320 a kiss and all that, and it just like flowed out. 0:30:09.560 --> 0:30:13.440 And I was writing this. When I had finished. I 0:30:13.480 --> 0:30:16.440 was in my my little flat in London and I 0:30:16.480 --> 0:30:19.240 was finishing up when the when I hit a beep outside, 0:30:19.240 --> 0:30:21.000 b baby, come on, let's go, and they picked me 0:30:21.120 --> 0:30:23.160 up to go over the show and I had the lyrics. 0:30:23.640 --> 0:30:26.320 So we did it that night and we used to 0:30:26.360 --> 0:30:29.680 do uh to forty five minutes sets. In those that 0:30:29.760 --> 0:30:32.120 we'd played forty five minutes, take a break, and then 0:30:32.160 --> 0:30:35.480 do another forty five minutes. Well, when we first started, 0:30:36.120 --> 0:30:40.720 when we kicked off that evening, um we played we 0:30:40.800 --> 0:30:43.560 opened with all right now and it went down to storm. 0:30:43.600 --> 0:30:46.000 There was only like about fifteen people in the crowd, 0:30:46.160 --> 0:30:48.520 but they all went nuts for it right. So three 0:30:48.560 --> 0:30:50.880 hours later, by the time we come to the second 0:30:50.920 --> 0:30:54.600 set of forty five, I said, and it was full 0:30:54.640 --> 0:30:57.840 by that time. I said, it's request time, and anybody 0:30:57.840 --> 0:31:01.280 got new requests. And these fifteen people play that first 0:31:01.320 --> 0:31:04.000 song you started with. So I knew we had something 0:31:04.080 --> 0:31:07.000 special right then. Okay, But cost Off was not one 0:31:07.000 --> 0:31:09.400 of the writers from the beginning. Did he have that 0:31:09.480 --> 0:31:14.360 definitive guitar part? Oh, well, it's his sound, definitely his sound, 0:31:14.360 --> 0:31:16.760 the les Paul through the marshal, the fifty eight les 0:31:16.800 --> 0:31:22.000 Paul through the start. When you and Andy were writing it, 0:31:22.040 --> 0:31:26.120 did you envision that? Well, that's that's what we were doing. 0:31:26.200 --> 0:31:31.280 That was um, Andy and I how can I put 0:31:31.320 --> 0:31:34.320 it after? Think back? Actually? But costs a cost as 0:31:34.320 --> 0:31:36.400 a way of playing the A code, and he had 0:31:36.480 --> 0:31:40.360 such strong, long fingers. He could hit the um on 0:31:40.440 --> 0:31:42.840 the fifth threat they could get an extra double A 0:31:43.000 --> 0:31:45.960 out of it. He could hit the eastring on the 0:31:46.000 --> 0:31:48.080 fifth threat and give himself an extra A. That's what 0:31:48.200 --> 0:31:53.600 gives a lot of low end and plus the the 0:31:53.760 --> 0:31:58.400 his guitar. You know it had the sound. Okay, So 0:31:58.440 --> 0:32:03.960 how long after you write it do you re ord it? Oh? 0:32:04.000 --> 0:32:06.280 I don't think it would have been very long. I 0:32:06.320 --> 0:32:10.240 don't know. Okay, you finished recording it. Do you know 0:32:10.560 --> 0:32:12.880 it's a monster hit or we don't know it's a 0:32:12.960 --> 0:32:15.920 monster hit. We feel it's a good live song and 0:32:15.960 --> 0:32:18.480 it's what I was looking for. In terms of The Hunter, 0:32:18.520 --> 0:32:21.240 it was. It matched the Hunter still not I mean 0:32:21.560 --> 0:32:26.000 still the Hunter is still a great, great song, but 0:32:26.400 --> 0:32:29.000 it was up there and it had the big plus 0:32:29.000 --> 0:32:33.680 of being having the audience participation aspect of it, which 0:32:33.800 --> 0:32:37.280 was good. Um, when when do we recorded? We recorded 0:32:37.320 --> 0:32:42.200 it downstairs in Basing Street. Chris Blackwell Alan Records had 0:32:42.200 --> 0:32:45.600 bought a church by then and downstairs there was what 0:32:45.640 --> 0:32:49.000 we called the crypt. The cat crept into the crypt, 0:32:49.120 --> 0:32:52.040 crapped and crept out again what we used to say. 0:32:53.080 --> 0:32:57.320 We were down there and we recorded. Uh and um. 0:32:57.440 --> 0:33:01.600 We recorded in the small, small studio downstairs as we 0:33:01.600 --> 0:33:03.480 were doing a lot of shows then, so we were 0:33:03.560 --> 0:33:06.440 very much alive band and everything we wanted to play, 0:33:06.640 --> 0:33:10.320 even recording wise, we had to be able to reproduce 0:33:10.360 --> 0:33:13.360 on stage. So everything was very very simple. Wasn't a 0:33:13.440 --> 0:33:15.720 lot of production, was no big strings on it or 0:33:15.720 --> 0:33:18.440 extra piano or anything like that. It was gonna be 0:33:18.560 --> 0:33:20.680 the four guys playing it. So it had to be 0:33:21.480 --> 0:33:23.760 something that we could but you could listen to on 0:33:23.800 --> 0:33:25.480 the record and we could walk out on stage and 0:33:25.520 --> 0:33:28.320 play it just like that. Although we did we did 0:33:28.360 --> 0:33:32.280 actually double track the the guitar part. I'm sure we 0:33:32.400 --> 0:33:35.640 probably did underneath the soul particularly, but we used to 0:33:35.720 --> 0:33:40.320 just wing that on stage. Okay, But you recorded, you say, oh, 0:33:40.360 --> 0:33:41.960 this is a great live track. You don't see it 0:33:41.960 --> 0:33:43.760 as a big radio track, you don't see it as 0:33:43.760 --> 0:33:48.240 a big hit. Well, we didn't think in those terms. Uh, 0:33:48.280 --> 0:33:51.000 I mean no, we didn't really think in those terms. 0:33:51.160 --> 0:33:54.479 Actually no, and then it becomes a big hit. So 0:33:54.520 --> 0:33:56.240 what do you think? Because through your mind when it 0:33:56.280 --> 0:34:00.240 becomes the biggest track of the summer nineteen seventy, it 0:34:00.280 --> 0:34:03.880 was incredible. It really was incredible. Actually, you you sort 0:34:03.920 --> 0:34:06.520 of walked on air, you know, we'd actually done it 0:34:06.640 --> 0:34:12.880 without even um knowing what we were doing. Actually, yeah, 0:34:13.040 --> 0:34:15.360 how do you follow that? I don't know. We we 0:34:15.360 --> 0:34:18.720 we wanted to release The Steeler. Actually mentioned The Steeler earlier. 0:34:19.080 --> 0:34:22.600 That was our follow up tour right now in our minds, 0:34:22.719 --> 0:34:26.440 because all of the band partook in the songwriting of 0:34:26.520 --> 0:34:29.520 that and we just felt strongly about it. But Chris 0:34:29.520 --> 0:34:32.680 Blackwell wanted to release right on Pony which is still 0:34:32.680 --> 0:34:35.880 a good track, I think, um. But we wanted to 0:34:35.880 --> 0:34:38.360 release the Steeler, and the Steeler was released, but it 0:34:38.400 --> 0:34:40.680 did not do as well. It didn't it didn't rock 0:34:40.760 --> 0:34:43.640 the streets the way. All right, now, let's go back 0:34:43.680 --> 0:34:46.480 to all right. Now, you're a co writer. It's an 0:34:46.640 --> 0:34:50.080 iconic song almost fifty years old. Did you get paid 0:34:50.120 --> 0:34:54.560 on it? Oh? Yes, yes we did. I mean we were. 0:34:54.719 --> 0:34:58.000 We actually signed away our publishing rights, a lot of 0:34:58.040 --> 0:35:00.719 them to Island Records. We were very, very green. I 0:35:00.760 --> 0:35:03.000 was so green. I remember when I signed a contract. 0:35:03.400 --> 0:35:05.960 I said it said one it said something or other 0:35:06.000 --> 0:35:09.480 than it said one thousand ninety eight, And I went, 0:35:09.960 --> 0:35:12.120 is that how much I owe you? Guys? They went, no, 0:35:12.280 --> 0:35:16.680 that's the date. That's that's how I contracts, you know. 0:35:17.080 --> 0:35:20.759 So we we did sign it pretty much away. But 0:35:20.920 --> 0:35:23.200 we're not complaining. No, but if it's late deep, do 0:35:23.239 --> 0:35:25.120 you still get paid on all right? Now? We still 0:35:25.160 --> 0:35:29.160 get paid, Yeah, but it's not it's not it's not 0:35:29.200 --> 0:35:34.759 what you would call um industry industry level, that's what 0:35:34.800 --> 0:35:38.120 it is. Okay. Now, shortly after the hit, the BM 0:35:38.160 --> 0:35:44.560 breaks up. Yes, yes, sadly. What was going on there? Well, 0:35:44.600 --> 0:35:46.919 we were so I've thought about it a lot. And 0:35:47.160 --> 0:35:50.840 we were so tight was we We were We lived together, 0:35:51.320 --> 0:35:54.920 we ate, slept in and drank. Really the band and 0:35:54.960 --> 0:35:57.680 everything was to do with the band, and well, I 0:35:57.719 --> 0:36:00.120 just think it got very very intense. I think we 0:36:00.280 --> 0:36:03.160 felt we owned each other to some extent, and I 0:36:03.160 --> 0:36:06.000 I kind of needed to get away from the band 0:36:06.040 --> 0:36:09.760 and find out who I was and defined myself because 0:36:10.960 --> 0:36:12.960 I was such a member of the band. I wanted 0:36:13.000 --> 0:36:16.120 to find out where the band stopped and I began, 0:36:16.480 --> 0:36:18.440 or I began in the band stopped. If like, we 0:36:18.440 --> 0:36:21.399 were just so like this one thing, and we had 0:36:21.400 --> 0:36:26.000 our we had Andy and I had our differences about commerciality. 0:36:26.120 --> 0:36:29.960 That that was one of the things that I I 0:36:29.960 --> 0:36:35.240 I'm still I still shy away from um flat out commerciality. 0:36:35.280 --> 0:36:37.279 You know. I think if it happens to be commercial, 0:36:37.760 --> 0:36:41.279 all all to the good, but only incidentally. The thing 0:36:41.320 --> 0:36:43.319 about it is is that it has to have sort 0:36:43.320 --> 0:36:46.080 of I don't know it's under how to define what 0:36:46.160 --> 0:36:50.040 credibility is, but it needs to have that feeling of credibility. 0:36:50.440 --> 0:36:54.160 And we got a lot of the that, really that 0:36:54.280 --> 0:36:58.080 feeling from the blues. Fun enough, because the blues were 0:36:58.280 --> 0:37:01.279 the blues people are playing. The early blues guys were 0:37:01.520 --> 0:37:05.520 people that lived the life and they expressed their life 0:37:05.920 --> 0:37:08.920 through their music, and I think it has to For me, 0:37:09.000 --> 0:37:12.880 it had to have that element, and we were perhaps 0:37:13.000 --> 0:37:15.399 I felt that we were getting away from that at 0:37:15.400 --> 0:37:18.080 this late date. How do you feel about credibility the 0:37:18.160 --> 0:37:20.920 same way? Actually, So if someone wants to use the 0:37:20.960 --> 0:37:24.600 song you've written for a commercial, you say, what, well, 0:37:24.640 --> 0:37:28.439 it depends. I mean I know that all right now 0:37:28.640 --> 0:37:33.319 was used on a foot order advertisement. So that and 0:37:33.360 --> 0:37:35.520 what what it was was that now you use this 0:37:35.560 --> 0:37:38.319 foot part of your foot don't smell, and it's there's 0:37:38.360 --> 0:37:40.480 the song. I phoned Black all up and I said, 0:37:40.840 --> 0:37:43.600 you've got to take that off right now because that 0:37:43.640 --> 0:37:47.400 has no credibility whatsoever. Did he Yeah, he did, in 0:37:47.480 --> 0:37:49.439 fairness to him, they did. It came right off there. 0:37:50.560 --> 0:37:54.560 And so that's the sort of thing. You know, you 0:37:54.560 --> 0:37:56.799 you have to protect it to some extent. So it's 0:37:56.840 --> 0:38:00.200 not just doing everything as much as you can it, sir. 0:38:00.719 --> 0:38:03.280 It's not always easy to get things that you don't 0:38:03.320 --> 0:38:06.240 like your music being used in stopped if you don't 0:38:06.400 --> 0:38:09.200 have full control, right, Okay, So then the band gets 0:38:09.239 --> 0:38:13.360 back together. What's thinking is going on there. Well, you know, 0:38:13.440 --> 0:38:17.040 we were all doing our different things to minimal success actually, 0:38:17.080 --> 0:38:21.040 to be honest, and Costs was getting into a state 0:38:21.120 --> 0:38:23.640 we felt. I mean we've heard that. You know. He'd 0:38:23.680 --> 0:38:26.680 moved apartments and he was living in a place in 0:38:27.120 --> 0:38:30.680 in Portobello Road, which was at the time notorious for 0:38:30.760 --> 0:38:32.759 the drug scene that there was there, you know, a 0:38:32.800 --> 0:38:34.680 lot of it. And there's people knocking on his door, 0:38:35.600 --> 0:38:37.839 you know, and I said, hey, man, try this, try 0:38:37.880 --> 0:38:40.680 why don't you try this? And he was experimenting with 0:38:40.760 --> 0:38:43.439 a lot of stuff and that was his downfall, I think, 0:38:44.400 --> 0:38:46.719 and with the fact that the band had split up, 0:38:46.760 --> 0:38:51.680 it became a crutch. This is what you know, amateur psychology. 0:38:52.280 --> 0:38:55.759 And he got into a bad state with it. You know. 0:38:56.280 --> 0:39:00.360 He did an album with cost of Kirk, Tetsu and Rabbit, 0:39:00.640 --> 0:39:03.640 which they are great musicians, all of them, and they 0:39:03.680 --> 0:39:06.880 did some good stuff, but he got into bad shape. 0:39:07.440 --> 0:39:09.880 When I went down there, I visited them in the 0:39:10.040 --> 0:39:14.919 studio and he fell asleep during during a solo. I'm like, God, 0:39:15.040 --> 0:39:18.440 what's going on? Man? And so really and Andy actually 0:39:18.480 --> 0:39:21.640 came to my session I was doing. I had a 0:39:21.640 --> 0:39:24.560 band called Peace during this time, because that's what I 0:39:24.600 --> 0:39:28.319 wanted a bit of peace, I think, and he said, look, 0:39:28.320 --> 0:39:31.200 you know, courses in such a bad way. Shall we 0:39:31.239 --> 0:39:33.480 put the band together and get around him? And I 0:39:33.520 --> 0:39:35.759 went straight away, I said let's do it. So we 0:39:35.840 --> 0:39:41.960 got back together and we tried, but you know, he 0:39:42.040 --> 0:39:45.400 was gripped with with the stuff that he was taking. You. 0:39:45.520 --> 0:39:49.640 We'd we'd we'd go to somewhere where like Newcastle City Hall. 0:39:49.680 --> 0:39:51.520 We always had gone down there. I mean, it's just 0:39:51.760 --> 0:39:56.399 amazing crowd and you'd look around. We'd go and we'd 0:39:56.400 --> 0:39:59.160 walk on stage. I'd look around and I'd see him 0:39:59.800 --> 0:40:03.200 like looking for the switch on his amp and not 0:40:03.280 --> 0:40:05.520 being able to focus where it was, and I thought, 0:40:05.680 --> 0:40:08.440 oh dear, we're in for a night here. And then 0:40:08.440 --> 0:40:11.360 he finally found it and it was just an audience 0:40:11.440 --> 0:40:15.160 was but very sympathetic. They were beautiful, the crowd. They 0:40:15.160 --> 0:40:19.440 were like, come on course, you can do it, but really, um, 0:40:19.560 --> 0:40:22.080 he'd taken something I don't know, some kind of down here, 0:40:22.120 --> 0:40:25.880 and it was, you know, it was sad. It was 0:40:26.000 --> 0:40:29.799 very sad. We were all very sad, and so eventually 0:40:29.840 --> 0:40:33.600 we we had to move on. It's unfortunate too that 0:40:33.719 --> 0:40:36.880 in those days there was not the psychological help that 0:40:36.920 --> 0:40:40.080 there is now for people with addictions, and we didn't 0:40:40.080 --> 0:40:41.600 know what to do. We didn't know what to do. 0:40:41.640 --> 0:40:43.960 I think Andy kidnapped him out of his house one day, 0:40:43.960 --> 0:40:47.399 and he was completely ir because he tried to get 0:40:47.440 --> 0:40:50.080 him off this stuff and away from the crowd he 0:40:50.120 --> 0:40:53.399 was running with at the time. Um, but I could 0:40:53.400 --> 0:40:55.360 have got arrested for that, I suppose, of course, was 0:40:55.600 --> 0:40:58.640 not very pleased she kidnapped me out of my house. 0:40:59.440 --> 0:41:03.680 Um but uh yeah, So eventually we had to leave 0:41:03.680 --> 0:41:07.439 it and move on, you know. And how did free ended? 0:41:07.520 --> 0:41:10.239 Free end just by itself? Or you already had bad 0:41:10.280 --> 0:41:12.600 company cooking in the back? Oh no, I didn't. I 0:41:12.640 --> 0:41:14.680 didn't have a bad company cooking in the background. I 0:41:15.120 --> 0:41:18.239 um no, I would. I was. I wanted to see 0:41:18.280 --> 0:41:22.000 costs right, But I didn't know what to do about him, 0:41:22.080 --> 0:41:25.040 or with him or for him. We tried, we put 0:41:25.080 --> 0:41:26.759 the band back together around him, and we did a 0:41:27.120 --> 0:41:30.000 we sort of limped through a tour and it just 0:41:30.239 --> 0:41:33.440 wasn't it wasn't working, you know, we couldn't get him 0:41:33.440 --> 0:41:38.000 off this stuff. Um. I had met mc ralph's when 0:41:38.040 --> 0:41:40.680 I was touring together with Matt the Hoople. I had 0:41:40.680 --> 0:41:43.319 a band called peace. This is the piece I was 0:41:43.320 --> 0:41:45.160 telling you about just now. It was just a three, 0:41:45.400 --> 0:41:49.239 three man outfit. And that's when I hooked up with Mick. 0:41:49.320 --> 0:41:51.200 We sat in the band room and he played me 0:41:51.239 --> 0:41:54.799 Can't Get Enough of Your Love and I said, wow, man, 0:41:54.840 --> 0:41:57.640 that is a hit, you know, he said, I said, 0:41:57.920 --> 0:41:59.920 are you going to do that with Mott? The hoople 0:42:00.040 --> 0:42:04.080 goes no, they're not really interested and he and don't 0:42:04.080 --> 0:42:06.440 want to sing that. I said, well, you know, aucing it, 0:42:06.600 --> 0:42:08.719 give it to me. And so that was the start 0:42:08.760 --> 0:42:12.040 of our sort of interest in each other. I guess 0:42:12.040 --> 0:42:15.239 for songwriting and I played him I don't know, rock 0:42:15.239 --> 0:42:19.879 steady or something, and and we we found a very 0:42:19.920 --> 0:42:22.719 common We had a lot in common musically, you know, 0:42:22.880 --> 0:42:26.439 songwriting wise, and influence wise and what we wanted to do. 0:42:27.280 --> 0:42:30.880 And yeah, so that's we hooked up. Okay, so you 0:42:30.960 --> 0:42:37.040 hook up? How do you hook up with Peter Grant? Well? Um, 0:42:37.200 --> 0:42:40.879 I we I looked around and we had this great 0:42:40.920 --> 0:42:42.920 band and okay, so how do you flesh out the 0:42:42.920 --> 0:42:45.600 rest of the band? Oh? Well, I called Kirky up 0:42:46.200 --> 0:42:50.640 and I knew that he would love to play with 0:42:50.680 --> 0:42:53.520 making myself because he's he's always said said you know, 0:42:53.800 --> 0:42:56.880 let me know what you're doing. And then we auditioned 0:42:56.880 --> 0:43:01.360 a lot of bass players and a lot of base players. 0:43:01.360 --> 0:43:04.120 I mean we must have auditioned about twelve until we 0:43:04.200 --> 0:43:10.440 found Bosh. And when I loved bars because when um 0:43:10.560 --> 0:43:16.640 who's no longer with us, no, no, no, when he 0:43:16.760 --> 0:43:20.120 played when I played bad the song Bad Company on 0:43:20.160 --> 0:43:24.040 the piano, he was very very lyrical on the base 0:43:24.080 --> 0:43:27.000 he did. It wasn't a dump the dump. It was 0:43:27.080 --> 0:43:29.040 very he sang on the base, you know. And he 0:43:29.200 --> 0:43:32.920 had been a singer, so he understood melody and but 0:43:33.040 --> 0:43:36.120 he was based player and he brought that melody melodic 0:43:36.760 --> 0:43:39.960 field to the base and it was really good at 0:43:39.960 --> 0:43:44.040 Doo Doo Doo doo Doobe you know a company and 0:43:44.320 --> 0:43:47.480 it was just very moody, and it was the song 0:43:47.680 --> 0:43:50.879 is very much a mood song. It's a very few 0:43:50.920 --> 0:43:53.200 cars in it, but it's a it's a mood song 0:43:53.320 --> 0:43:55.720 that sets the mood and then has impact that grabs 0:43:55.760 --> 0:43:59.080 you you know. Uh yeah, he's good based on them 0:43:59.400 --> 0:44:03.759 and that's that was the band. How you hook up 0:44:03.760 --> 0:44:07.040 with Peter Graham? Right? Well, I had I knew a 0:44:07.120 --> 0:44:11.120 guy called Peter Grant, he sorry called Clive Coolson, who 0:44:11.239 --> 0:44:15.560 had worked with Zeppelin led Zeppelin and with Peter Grant, 0:44:16.280 --> 0:44:19.239 and he came around to my cottage and and he said, 0:44:19.280 --> 0:44:21.919 you know, you should call Peter up. And I said, oh, yeah, yeah, 0:44:22.719 --> 0:44:24.960 And now I said, no, really you should, because he's 0:44:25.000 --> 0:44:27.880 told me he's interested, so you should call him up. 0:44:28.360 --> 0:44:31.799 And he said, I want a job too, so call 0:44:31.920 --> 0:44:37.239 him up. So I called. I called Peter up, and uh, 0:44:37.640 --> 0:44:40.239 it was great. Actually, he said. I said, you know, 0:44:41.440 --> 0:44:43.800 Clive asked me to call you and you said you 0:44:43.840 --> 0:44:46.080 were interested in He said, yeah, I'm interested in you. 0:44:46.200 --> 0:44:48.239 And I said, well, I come with a band, Peter, 0:44:48.320 --> 0:44:50.000 and we're going to call it bad Company. He goes, 0:44:50.600 --> 0:44:54.640 bad Company. You're gonna call it that? Well, I said, yeah, 0:44:54.680 --> 0:44:58.880 we are, because Mick and I had already you know, 0:44:59.640 --> 0:45:02.080 led out down as in Stone. It was set that 0:45:02.160 --> 0:45:05.000 down in Stone because we were looking for names. We 0:45:05.280 --> 0:45:08.000 we we'd call each other up and say, how about 0:45:08.480 --> 0:45:12.279 the four millionaire bubbles? No I don't think so, and 0:45:12.400 --> 0:45:14.360 all the silly names. And then I called him up 0:45:14.400 --> 0:45:16.759 one day and I said, I said, he said, well, 0:45:16.800 --> 0:45:21.320 I'll make it. I went bad Company and he went that. 0:45:21.400 --> 0:45:23.520 The legend was it came from the movie the same 0:45:23.760 --> 0:45:27.480 I did. Well, I saw the I saw an advertisement 0:45:27.560 --> 0:45:29.640 for the movie and I thought, oh, that just I 0:45:29.840 --> 0:45:31.520 love that. I'm going to write a song right now, 0:45:31.760 --> 0:45:34.080 and it's got one into it. And actually Simon came with. 0:45:34.160 --> 0:45:36.360 Simon came around a little bit later and helped me 0:45:36.400 --> 0:45:39.080 with a few of the lyrics and uh, and it 0:45:39.239 --> 0:45:41.320 was just such a mood. So I called me and 0:45:41.440 --> 0:45:43.200 we were in this period of like, what we're going 0:45:43.280 --> 0:45:46.200 to call the man? I said, and there was a 0:45:46.239 --> 0:45:49.960 scrabbling noise on the end of the line. He said, 0:45:50.480 --> 0:45:54.160 that's cool. Man. I dropped the phone and uh, you know, 0:45:54.320 --> 0:45:57.479 he was so excited to drop the phone. So yeah, 0:45:57.640 --> 0:45:59.440 and that was that was set in stone for But 0:45:59.560 --> 0:46:02.200 we did. We did come up against I mean, this 0:46:02.360 --> 0:46:05.680 is this has happened before, record companies and managers and 0:46:05.760 --> 0:46:08.160 people wanting to change the name. I mean, with Free 0:46:08.640 --> 0:46:11.680 they wanted to call us the heavy metal kids, and 0:46:12.320 --> 0:46:17.160 you just hated that. Of course, talk about like credibility. No, no, 0:46:17.360 --> 0:46:19.360 it's just not there. But anyway, we did have a 0:46:19.400 --> 0:46:22.800 similar problem with with the name Bad Company because Peter 0:46:22.920 --> 0:46:27.120 thought it was uh, just too heavy, you know, but 0:46:27.239 --> 0:46:29.480 I said, no, it's not man. People will love it. 0:46:29.560 --> 0:46:31.680 It's good and it gives an identity and stuff, and 0:46:31.760 --> 0:46:35.600 so we uh, we stuck with They actually their record 0:46:35.640 --> 0:46:38.440 company wanted to release that as the first single, but 0:46:38.560 --> 0:46:41.680 I really loved Cantor Enough mixed songs. My favorite track 0:46:41.920 --> 0:46:44.000 and that was a you Chip my favorite track us 0:46:44.080 --> 0:46:47.600 Bad Company. The sound the way you described it, it's 0:46:47.600 --> 0:46:50.640 exactly the way it starts quietly that it built. It 0:46:50.920 --> 0:46:53.480 gets you in your soul in a way that music doesn't. 0:46:53.520 --> 0:47:02.280 Today you're listening to my conversation with legendary rock musician 0:47:02.400 --> 0:47:06.560 Wall Rock, recorded live to the tune In studios in Venice, California. 0:47:10.440 --> 0:47:12.719 I hope you're enjoying listening to this episode of the 0:47:12.760 --> 0:47:15.320 Bob left Sex Podcast. If you want to see my 0:47:15.440 --> 0:47:19.520 guests as they joined me, visit at tune in on Twitter, Facebook, 0:47:19.600 --> 0:47:23.480 and Instagram. Now more of my conversation with Paul Rodgers 0:47:23.560 --> 0:47:28.120 on The Bob left Sex Podcast. So you make a deal. 0:47:28.239 --> 0:47:31.080 How do you end up on Swan Song Records? Well 0:47:31.160 --> 0:47:35.320 that was because which was led up. Yeah. Led Zeppelin 0:47:35.960 --> 0:47:38.160 had come to a point in their career where they 0:47:38.200 --> 0:47:40.960 wanted to have their own record company, their own company, Yeah, 0:47:41.400 --> 0:47:43.839 and to nurture talent, which was really great of them, 0:47:43.880 --> 0:47:48.719 I thought, and um, we we were just in the 0:47:48.840 --> 0:47:51.080 right place at the right time because Peter wanted to 0:47:51.760 --> 0:47:54.200 manage us when he came around. When he came to 0:47:54.280 --> 0:47:57.680 the first rehearsal, we thought he hadn't turned up. Actually 0:47:57.760 --> 0:48:00.040 we were playing away and stuff. This is before we 0:48:00.120 --> 0:48:04.600 had bos. We had a bass player from from Wales. 0:48:04.719 --> 0:48:06.520 It was a really good bass player. I actually offered 0:48:06.560 --> 0:48:08.600 him the job, but he didn't want to do it. 0:48:08.640 --> 0:48:11.920 I said, well, what he's turned up for, you know, 0:48:12.440 --> 0:48:14.600 audition for but anyway, you know, but he was a 0:48:14.600 --> 0:48:17.000 good base player. But anyway, but he was the guy 0:48:17.120 --> 0:48:20.600 that was there outside the rehearsal room. We rehearsed in 0:48:20.600 --> 0:48:25.839 a little village hall in Albrey and in Surrey, and Peter, 0:48:26.080 --> 0:48:29.040 Peter had sat outside and listened through the doors. A 0:48:29.080 --> 0:48:30.799 lot of that goes on, doesn't it, come to think 0:48:30.800 --> 0:48:34.680 of it, because that's certainly an unmissable guy in person, right. 0:48:35.000 --> 0:48:37.759 So he so he sat outside and then he came 0:48:37.800 --> 0:48:40.239 in at the end of the rehearsal and we're like, well, 0:48:40.480 --> 0:48:42.880 you're a bit late. We've you've you've missed us, mate, Well, 0:48:43.640 --> 0:48:46.319 he said, no, I've hearned you. I listened and listened 0:48:46.360 --> 0:48:48.920 outside the nom and then it's good. I like it. 0:48:49.040 --> 0:48:53.600 You all that? You know? So um, he said to me, 0:48:54.080 --> 0:48:56.279 He said, look, I don't know about contracts and all that. 0:48:57.640 --> 0:49:00.400 I don't really want to do a contract first. Initially, 0:49:01.000 --> 0:49:03.440 you don't know me, I don't know you guys. So 0:49:03.640 --> 0:49:07.480 we're going to just work together on a handshake. And 0:49:07.600 --> 0:49:09.399 I thought about that for a second, and I just went, 0:49:09.640 --> 0:49:12.040 let's do it, you know. And so there wasn't a 0:49:12.120 --> 0:49:14.480 contract until a little bit. I don't even know how 0:49:14.560 --> 0:49:19.279 long later, maybe a year. Um. And he took how much? Oh? 0:49:22.000 --> 0:49:24.400 Now he was he came from wrestling. Did he know 0:49:24.520 --> 0:49:30.520 anything about music? Uh, I don't know that he did really. 0:49:31.120 --> 0:49:35.400 Actually no, maybe he didn't, but he sure know how 0:49:35.480 --> 0:49:37.520 to take care of the musicians. Well that's a question 0:49:37.600 --> 0:49:41.879 I had next. So he was known as an artist advocate. Yes, 0:49:42.239 --> 0:49:46.520 Ultimately financially was he Was it beneficial for you or 0:49:46.560 --> 0:49:49.920 did he take too much money? It was fantastic for us. 0:49:50.040 --> 0:49:52.480 I mean it was unbelievable because we went from a 0:49:52.600 --> 0:49:58.120 small rehearsal room to doing stadiums in America overnight. Almost 0:49:58.160 --> 0:50:02.160 it seemed. It was absolutely be fantastic and the organization 0:50:02.280 --> 0:50:06.680 behind that was superb. Because we flew in a Vickers 0:50:06.840 --> 0:50:10.480 Viscount four les Royce engine. All the seats have been 0:50:10.480 --> 0:50:13.960 taken out and been refurbished. This was what Zeppelin used, 0:50:14.000 --> 0:50:16.160 so we got what they used very much, you know. 0:50:16.640 --> 0:50:19.080 And there was limousines and the time whipp us to 0:50:19.120 --> 0:50:20.919 the gig, whip us back to the from the gig, 0:50:21.320 --> 0:50:23.600 and we were taking off going to the next show 0:50:24.200 --> 0:50:27.160 before the audience had left was Elvis has left the building, 0:50:27.239 --> 0:50:29.200 you know. But when it's all said and done, how 0:50:29.239 --> 0:50:32.680 did it work out financially? Oh? Pretty good. The only 0:50:32.719 --> 0:50:36.520 reason you ask is one the time and two if 0:50:36.520 --> 0:50:39.359 you put on your business hat. If it's on their 0:50:39.400 --> 0:50:42.839 own label and it's distributed by Atlantic, they would take 0:50:42.840 --> 0:50:45.160 an extra cut. That wouldn't have happened that you were 0:50:45.200 --> 0:50:48.560 signed directly to Atlantic. That's true, but then again we 0:50:48.640 --> 0:50:51.040 would not have had that personal touch. But he would 0:50:51.080 --> 0:50:53.440 not have had that success. Okay, so he says, i'll 0:50:53.480 --> 0:50:55.560 do it, I'll do it on a handshake. What's the 0:50:55.680 --> 0:50:59.960 next step, Uh, huge success. We've got not a little 0:51:00.000 --> 0:51:02.719 it slow. You're making that first album, so you have 0:51:04.680 --> 0:51:07.600 Well what happened was Peter called me. We were in 0:51:07.680 --> 0:51:13.720 rehearsal and he said, you know, um U led Zeppelin 0:51:13.760 --> 0:51:16.239 have got a house set up in Headley Grange and 0:51:16.320 --> 0:51:18.880 that's where they record that they're set to do their 0:51:18.960 --> 0:51:22.920 next album, and there's a mobile studio outside. It was 0:51:23.000 --> 0:51:26.960 Ronnie Lane's mobile studio. It's the twenty phone track and 0:51:28.600 --> 0:51:31.040 they're delayed and the whole thing is set up there, 0:51:31.120 --> 0:51:33.680 just sitting there doing nothing. If you guys want to 0:51:33.719 --> 0:51:35.560 go in now, you can put a couple of tracks down. 0:51:35.640 --> 0:51:39.320 You've got like ten days. We were like yeah, because 0:51:39.360 --> 0:51:41.120 we were just bursting at the seams to put all 0:51:41.160 --> 0:51:44.080 this music down. And so it's out in the country, 0:51:44.200 --> 0:51:47.520 no distractions, lockout as only as there. You drive up, 0:51:47.600 --> 0:51:49.600 you get out of your car. There's no problem parking. 0:51:49.680 --> 0:51:52.279 You know. It's in the country. And everybody had their 0:51:52.320 --> 0:51:55.480 own room, and we all cooked for each other, our 0:51:55.600 --> 0:51:58.040 wives at the time, and somebody got up. We made 0:51:58.560 --> 0:52:00.880 we made the wood fire us in the place and 0:52:00.960 --> 0:52:04.440 all that and it was very organic, very very you know, 0:52:05.120 --> 0:52:07.440 hippie heaven if you like. So we're all in there 0:52:07.480 --> 0:52:11.960 in a bunch and we just put everything we had down. 0:52:12.160 --> 0:52:16.799 How did you decide who to work with they. Ron 0:52:16.920 --> 0:52:21.200 Nevison was brought forward by Zepp by Zapp. They recommended 0:52:21.320 --> 0:52:24.880 him and he was very good. And then okay, how 0:52:24.920 --> 0:52:26.759 many of the songs were written when you went to 0:52:26.800 --> 0:52:32.759 Headley Grenge Oh h most of them. I hadn't quite 0:52:32.800 --> 0:52:38.040 finished rock Steady. We actually I actually taught them, uh, 0:52:38.880 --> 0:52:42.799 rock steady while we were recording it, because I had 0:52:42.840 --> 0:52:45.719 the guitar. Turn on your lights there with me and 0:52:45.960 --> 0:52:50.480 rock steady bomb actually because Simon didn't even get that. 0:52:50.640 --> 0:52:52.719 You know is you'll hear a mistake on that, but 0:52:52.840 --> 0:52:57.480 we we let it run because um sometimes mistakes have 0:52:57.920 --> 0:53:00.359 a kind of charm to them, you know about That's 0:53:00.360 --> 0:53:02.759 one of the problems with today's music, but they can 0:53:02.840 --> 0:53:05.439 make it so perfectly used the soul. What's the back 0:53:05.719 --> 0:53:10.160 what's the backstory on Seagull? Well, Seagull I went to 0:53:10.760 --> 0:53:16.440 I drove out with my family, my wife at the time, 0:53:16.600 --> 0:53:19.880 and was it my kids, I don't think I had 0:53:19.960 --> 0:53:23.000 kids by then. No, and some friends with an acoustic 0:53:23.040 --> 0:53:24.799 guitar and we were going to Portsmouth and we pulled 0:53:24.840 --> 0:53:28.719 off at Hailing Island as an island, and we sat 0:53:28.760 --> 0:53:31.560 on the beach. I had the guitar and went to 0:53:31.640 --> 0:53:34.279 get fish and chips, and I watched the seagulls and 0:53:34.320 --> 0:53:36.600 you could just look at the horizon and the song 0:53:36.760 --> 0:53:38.360 just came to me like that, and I played. I 0:53:38.480 --> 0:53:41.480 didn't finish it. Then I played it to make played 0:53:41.520 --> 0:53:44.080 what I had of it to make and he uh, 0:53:44.840 --> 0:53:47.200 he came up with now you Fly through the Guy 0:53:47.800 --> 0:53:51.879 Reever asking why Yeah, the middle eight, which really made 0:53:51.920 --> 0:53:57.640 the song, and it it nearly didn't make it on 0:53:57.680 --> 0:54:01.200 the album because it us it's an acoustic song and 0:54:02.160 --> 0:54:05.600 we weren't really going to be known for for acoustic things. 0:54:05.640 --> 0:54:08.040 But I thought, well, you know, it's different, and you know, 0:54:08.160 --> 0:54:12.640 I actually led Zeppelin did a lot of a bunch 0:54:12.680 --> 0:54:14.919 of acoustic songs. They did an acoustic set in the middle, 0:54:14.920 --> 0:54:17.440 which I was always impressed with because it gave you 0:54:17.600 --> 0:54:21.000 light and shade, and it gave you, uh, it wasn't 0:54:21.040 --> 0:54:23.840 wall to wall dad, dad dadad. It was you know, 0:54:24.080 --> 0:54:27.000 some something different which when you would which made the 0:54:27.080 --> 0:54:30.040 heaviest stuff sound heavier when you went back to it. 0:54:30.520 --> 0:54:32.640 So I thought it was a nice contrast. And I 0:54:33.080 --> 0:54:35.680 played all the instruments on that song instant. They played 0:54:35.719 --> 0:54:37.880 the bass and the tambourine and whatever else. Is on 0:54:37.960 --> 0:54:43.200 there and just captured again. It's a mood song. You know, 0:54:43.280 --> 0:54:45.600 you have to be sitting on a beach watching the 0:54:45.680 --> 0:54:48.319 misty horizon. The great thing is, you know, is when 0:54:48.360 --> 0:54:51.120 you hear it, it takes you to the beach. It 0:54:51.239 --> 0:54:53.319 takes you to that environment. That's what's great. That's why 0:54:53.360 --> 0:54:55.960 it's such a great song. Wow wow, Okay, so the 0:54:56.120 --> 0:54:59.759 album comes out from the perspective of being in America. 0:55:00.120 --> 0:55:04.080 It's an instant hit. Yeah, yeah, I mean it took 0:55:04.160 --> 0:55:06.680 us by surprise, it really. It was a complete whirlwind 0:55:07.000 --> 0:55:09.600 and all of a sudden with the with the led 0:55:09.719 --> 0:55:12.920 Zeppelin machinery, if you like, behind us, the airplanes and 0:55:12.960 --> 0:55:16.960 the limos, and the security and and everything, and all 0:55:17.000 --> 0:55:21.160 the places to stay there houses and Malibu Beach and 0:55:21.239 --> 0:55:24.840 all those kinds of um. We it was a whirlwind. 0:55:25.080 --> 0:55:26.960 And at the end of it, when we got back, 0:55:27.440 --> 0:55:31.239 we all sat down. I looked at me, What just happened? Man? 0:55:31.640 --> 0:55:33.440 What did we do? How did we do that? You know, 0:55:33.760 --> 0:55:36.120 because it was it was just a thing that evolved 0:55:36.200 --> 0:55:39.120 for us. It was just natural. But the second album 0:55:39.280 --> 0:55:43.160 was bigger straight shooter than the first album. Yeah. Well, 0:55:43.280 --> 0:55:45.880 to some extent, we tried to recreate. We looked at 0:55:45.920 --> 0:55:49.160 it said, well, we were were in a lockout situation. 0:55:49.360 --> 0:55:52.919 We're in the country, there was no distractions, so let's 0:55:53.000 --> 0:55:55.360 find a castle or something. So we found a castle 0:55:55.480 --> 0:55:58.400 or something, right, and that's what we did. And this 0:55:58.560 --> 0:56:01.719 castle was clear world cast. It was interesting in that 0:56:01.920 --> 0:56:06.320 they also had um they had medieval dinners there in 0:56:06.440 --> 0:56:08.759 another part of the castle because the big place and 0:56:08.800 --> 0:56:11.880 they're the studio in one second, and I used to 0:56:11.920 --> 0:56:14.240 have to go into and all these there's big parties 0:56:14.280 --> 0:56:15.839 and all these people got dressed up in the old 0:56:15.880 --> 0:56:18.759 English costumes and armor suits of armorslf and and it 0:56:19.000 --> 0:56:22.360 roast pig and it chuck sided down them and I 0:56:22.520 --> 0:56:26.760 used to have to go in and find bos boss, 0:56:26.880 --> 0:56:28.960 where are you? And if you're under a table somewhere 0:56:29.040 --> 0:56:33.480 knocking back the the booze and the roast big or 0:56:33.600 --> 0:56:37.040 dancing on it. It depended really, And I suppose we 0:56:37.120 --> 0:56:41.040 need you in the studio, come on now. And that 0:56:41.280 --> 0:56:43.839 was one aspect of it wasn't exactly as private as 0:56:43.880 --> 0:56:47.600 the Headly Grange one. Now, but the second the second album, 0:56:48.000 --> 0:56:50.440 did you write those songs on the road or when 0:56:50.480 --> 0:56:52.879 you got back? Some of them are on the road 0:56:53.000 --> 0:56:57.320 Shooting Star. I feel like making um actually feel like 0:56:57.440 --> 0:57:00.120 making love was a song that I had started in 0:57:00.360 --> 0:57:03.560 nineteen sixty eight, which is way before that when we 0:57:03.640 --> 0:57:07.640 first came out with with Free Uh, and I hooked 0:57:07.719 --> 0:57:10.080 up with a bunch of a bunch of beautiful people 0:57:10.160 --> 0:57:13.440 that were called we like to call ourselves hippies in 0:57:13.480 --> 0:57:16.920 those days, and we hitch hiked out to Rheon Needle, 0:57:17.360 --> 0:57:20.160 which is north of San Francisco, I believe, and we 0:57:20.280 --> 0:57:22.920 went out there and slept in the woods and stuff, 0:57:22.960 --> 0:57:26.960 and I I had written that song. I started that 0:57:27.040 --> 0:57:30.600 song that baby when I Think About You, and we 0:57:31.040 --> 0:57:33.200 there was a lot of peyalty about thoses, which was 0:57:33.560 --> 0:57:35.480 which is not the chemical one, and it was really 0:57:35.680 --> 0:57:37.480 it was a really quiet thing and not that I'm 0:57:37.480 --> 0:57:41.440 recommending it, but that's what we were doing. And I 0:57:42.040 --> 0:57:47.920 when we came to the the album there I makes it. 0:57:48.400 --> 0:57:49.960 What have you got And I said, well, I've got 0:57:50.160 --> 0:57:53.280 this idea of baby when I think about you, I 0:57:53.360 --> 0:57:56.320 think about and I said, oh yeah, I like that, 0:57:56.440 --> 0:57:59.120 yeah going, Yeah, you're going. He said, oh, what you 0:57:59.240 --> 0:58:04.720 need is this, baba, and I went, when I feel 0:58:04.800 --> 0:58:07.920 like making It's okay, that's good, we'll do that. And 0:58:07.960 --> 0:58:10.440 then we missed moved on, you know, and it became 0:58:10.480 --> 0:58:13.080 one of our biggest songs, but you don't know at 0:58:13.080 --> 0:58:15.200 the time, it just was like, Okay, that's good, Yeah, 0:58:15.240 --> 0:58:17.760 we'll do that. Last spring, I was on a cruise 0:58:17.800 --> 0:58:20.600 to Alaska and we went to the karaoke room and 0:58:20.720 --> 0:58:23.320 I pulled off this midnight I feel Like making Love 0:58:23.400 --> 0:58:26.200 and me and the two forty something girls were singing 0:58:26.280 --> 0:58:28.920 at the top of our lungs. It's funny how that resonated. 0:58:29.000 --> 0:58:31.760 I think that was think the interesting thing about bad companies. 0:58:31.840 --> 0:58:34.400 It was both men and women. It wasn't like Rush, 0:58:34.720 --> 0:58:38.800 which was been only women were certainly in the amor too. Yes, 0:58:39.000 --> 0:58:41.840 good good, well, I mean we like to please, okay, 0:58:42.120 --> 0:58:45.760 And then what's the backstory? I'm shooting star? Well, shooting 0:58:45.960 --> 0:58:49.720 star um was. I was at my cottage in England 0:58:50.440 --> 0:58:53.960 and I was walking down the garden and actually I've 0:58:54.000 --> 0:58:57.760 been thinking that. I went, well, HENDRICKX has died and 0:58:57.880 --> 0:59:01.120 we lost cost and me as many people and Jim 0:59:01.200 --> 0:59:06.520 Morrison and um uh help me, um what's her name again? 0:59:06.800 --> 0:59:10.120 Janis Josh Janis Joplin. You know, I know those people 0:59:10.160 --> 0:59:12.560 are like, wow, it's not a war zone. This is entertainment. 0:59:12.640 --> 0:59:15.600 Why are we? Why are so many people? So that 0:59:15.800 --> 0:59:19.120 was what my thoughts had been. And I was walking 0:59:19.160 --> 0:59:22.080 down my own garden, pat and I thought, don't you know? 0:59:22.520 --> 0:59:25.360 And I thought, oh, where have I heard that before? 0:59:25.600 --> 0:59:29.080 That you are is shooting Star? And I thought, wow, 0:59:29.480 --> 0:59:31.240 I must have heard that on the radio. And then 0:59:31.280 --> 0:59:33.800 I thought, well, I don't remember where. And I ran 0:59:33.840 --> 0:59:35.640 in the college and got the guitar and started to 0:59:35.760 --> 0:59:39.000 work the cords out. And I actually finished it on 0:59:39.320 --> 0:59:42.880 an airplane in with the boys when we were somewhere 0:59:42.960 --> 0:59:48.000 or that in America. Yeah, So it started life thinking 0:59:48.480 --> 0:59:52.400 about all the casualties of rock. Well, it's interesting because 0:59:52.440 --> 0:59:54.360 that's a gargantuan album, but there and a couple of 0:59:54.440 --> 0:59:58.280 albums after. There's some songs that I sing to myself 0:59:58.320 --> 1:00:00.680 all the time. Some people say I'm no good late 1:00:00.760 --> 1:00:02.920 in my bed all day. Yeah, it's a mixed song. 1:00:03.040 --> 1:00:05.720 I love that, you know, But the nighttime comes, I'm 1:00:05.760 --> 1:00:08.200 ready to rock and roll my toes away. I mean 1:00:08.520 --> 1:00:10.280 that's how I feel, you know. I feel like, uh, 1:00:10.720 --> 1:00:12.520 kind of like Yogi beer. I may sleep till noon, 1:00:12.680 --> 1:00:14.760 but before it starts, I'll get a you picnic basket 1:00:14.880 --> 1:00:18.200 and that's in Jellystone Park, and then another mixed song, 1:00:18.640 --> 1:00:21.960 simple Man, which is just one of my absolute favorites. 1:00:22.080 --> 1:00:24.880 You know, I think about that because music is about 1:00:24.920 --> 1:00:27.560 freedom and I want to be free. But then you 1:00:27.680 --> 1:00:30.200 do Rough Diamonds and it's kind of going in the 1:00:30.280 --> 1:00:34.400 wrong direction. It's kind of getting defleated. Okay, Yeah, yeah, 1:00:34.680 --> 1:00:36.600 yeah I did. We did run out of steam a 1:00:36.640 --> 1:00:40.520 little bit. Uh who are you gonna blame? I don't know. 1:00:42.040 --> 1:00:44.200 I could point fingers, but I'm not going to. Really. 1:00:44.680 --> 1:00:47.160 We we had been hammering it for a number of 1:00:47.280 --> 1:00:49.400 years and I think we did. It was just it 1:00:49.480 --> 1:00:51.520 all got a little bit tired and a little bit 1:00:51.760 --> 1:00:54.520 we lost focus. I do think now, did you actually 1:00:54.600 --> 1:01:01.120 break up before Desolation Angels? Or the the album was 1:01:01.240 --> 1:01:04.960 so on together. I just felt, wow, you know, I 1:01:05.600 --> 1:01:09.320 wanted to leave throughout the album actually, but Rough Yeah, 1:01:09.640 --> 1:01:12.400 I was committed. We were doing it. We were there, 1:01:12.720 --> 1:01:16.960 let's do what we can, and um, I think in 1:01:17.080 --> 1:01:20.240 my mind I had left already. Actually, yeah, And how 1:01:20.280 --> 1:01:23.080 do you come to do Desolation Angels, which is just 1:01:23.240 --> 1:01:26.720 an unbelievable comeback with a different sound but with actually 1:01:27.080 --> 1:01:31.320 songs of stick in your head from start to finish. Um, 1:01:33.640 --> 1:01:36.000 you've got me now, I don't remember. Well, you know, 1:01:36.400 --> 1:01:38.800 so in anything, that's a completely different sound from what 1:01:38.960 --> 1:01:42.600 came before. How did that happen? I'd have to get 1:01:42.760 --> 1:01:45.360 you know what, I've lost track of the sequence of 1:01:45.400 --> 1:01:48.680 the album. Well, you know there's there's electric Land, no no, 1:01:48.880 --> 1:01:53.400 if there's Lonely for Your Love. Uh, there's yeah on 1:01:53.600 --> 1:01:59.200 one of them. Um, Um, Cindy this can I talk 1:01:59.240 --> 1:02:02.840 to Cindy? We can take a break? Yes, let's everybody. Yeah, 1:02:02.880 --> 1:02:09.959 that's a good idea. Well pause here for a brief 1:02:10.040 --> 1:02:16.800 moment and get right back to Paul Rock. Most of 1:02:16.880 --> 1:02:19.440 you know that I'm also a writer, but for those 1:02:19.480 --> 1:02:21.600 who think I'm just the host of this podcast, you 1:02:21.640 --> 1:02:24.439 can check out my archive at left sets dot com 1:02:24.920 --> 1:02:27.560 in addition of reading my commentary on music tech in 1:02:27.600 --> 1:02:29.880 the world at large. You'll be the first to find 1:02:29.960 --> 1:02:34.240 out when we've published a new conversation now More with 1:02:34.400 --> 1:02:37.640 legendary rock musician Paul Rodgers, recorded at the tune In 1:02:37.760 --> 1:02:42.440 Studios in Venice, California. Okay, you're coming back to us 1:02:42.520 --> 1:02:44.840 after a break where we had to go to the discography. 1:02:45.360 --> 1:02:48.640 You know, at first I thought that Paul was a 1:02:48.680 --> 1:02:50.960 little lost, which is always funny that fans are more 1:02:51.040 --> 1:02:54.760 accurate than the act. But I was also at fault 1:02:54.880 --> 1:02:57.600 here and that I had the order wrong. I'm playing. 1:02:58.520 --> 1:03:00.720 I'm such a bad Bad Company fan that, for some 1:03:00.840 --> 1:03:03.600 reason doing research last night, stuck in my head that 1:03:03.720 --> 1:03:08.000 Rough Diamonds was before Desolation Angels. But let's just recap. 1:03:08.600 --> 1:03:12.200 So after Burning Sky, which certainly has some great tracks 1:03:12.280 --> 1:03:14.760 on it, but doesn't get as good reviews or have 1:03:14.880 --> 1:03:17.680 as much success as Run with the Pack and Straight Shooter, 1:03:18.120 --> 1:03:21.800 you do Desolation Angels. But Desolation Angels two years later, 1:03:21.840 --> 1:03:24.120 as opposed to an album every year, has a completely 1:03:24.160 --> 1:03:28.439 different sound from what came before. Yeah, yeah, you know, actually, Bob, 1:03:28.480 --> 1:03:30.880 you know, it is true that some of the fans 1:03:31.000 --> 1:03:33.640 know more about me than I don't. You know. Um 1:03:34.040 --> 1:03:36.880 Lucy Pillar, for instance, knows more. She goes further back 1:03:36.920 --> 1:03:39.840 than I do. It's incredible. Um so, but but a 1:03:39.920 --> 1:03:44.800 Desolation Angel, actually, let's go to a Burning Sky, Burning Sky. 1:03:45.240 --> 1:03:48.440 We were a little burned around the edges on that one, actually, 1:03:48.920 --> 1:03:50.520 but we did pull it out of the bag. But 1:03:50.560 --> 1:03:53.120 I remember saying to make that, sending to make that 1:03:54.360 --> 1:03:56.000 you know, if we if we make this album and 1:03:56.080 --> 1:03:57.760 we don't like it, We're not going to put it out, 1:03:57.760 --> 1:04:01.080 and he said, yes, yes, yes, but the wheels were 1:04:01.200 --> 1:04:02.800 rolling and it went out, and you know, it's not 1:04:03.000 --> 1:04:05.120 it's a good album. I think the track Burning Sky 1:04:05.600 --> 1:04:09.240 is pretty strong, absolutely. I wrote that the night before 1:04:09.320 --> 1:04:13.040 we recorded it, and we were scrabbling for me for 1:04:13.360 --> 1:04:15.840 songs actually, you know, and I had the chorus and 1:04:15.960 --> 1:04:18.960 I had the verse chords, and I showed the the 1:04:19.360 --> 1:04:23.440 the the guys the the guy is burning and I 1:04:23.480 --> 1:04:25.800 showed him the verse cause and we went. We pushed 1:04:25.840 --> 1:04:28.160 the red button and I made the whole thing up 1:04:28.360 --> 1:04:31.400 right there on the spot, pretty much waiting for the 1:04:31.400 --> 1:04:34.560 events here and the prisoners and all that the story 1:04:35.480 --> 1:04:38.280 right there, so you know, we were it was sort 1:04:38.320 --> 1:04:40.480 of a jam, but it was. It was pretty strong, 1:04:40.560 --> 1:04:43.160 I thought, But well, but there's one other track on 1:04:43.240 --> 1:04:45.880 that though. It was also the guitar sound in your delivery. 1:04:46.320 --> 1:04:51.640 Leaving You was a great track, deadly, wasn't it. Yeah? Okay, 1:04:51.680 --> 1:04:54.400 So how did you decide? Why were there two years 1:04:54.600 --> 1:04:59.480 between Burning Sky and Desolation Angels? We were we did 1:04:59.640 --> 1:05:01.439 need a rake, but I did think that we would. 1:05:01.920 --> 1:05:05.320 We were energized again for Desolation Angels at Rock and 1:05:05.400 --> 1:05:11.320 roll Fantasy, Gone Gone Gone was Boz's first attempt at songwriting. 1:05:11.360 --> 1:05:14.000 But it was actually good. It was great. I mean 1:05:14.200 --> 1:05:16.160 I I like to include it in a set now. 1:05:16.640 --> 1:05:20.200 And Crazy Circles was was Well who wrote the guitar 1:05:20.280 --> 1:05:24.439 part on that, which makes it that the guitar part 1:05:24.520 --> 1:05:26.640 like the acoustic guitar and the solo that was Mick. 1:05:27.040 --> 1:05:29.000 It was lovely, wasn't it right? Well, you were talking 1:05:29.000 --> 1:05:31.919 about acoustic on Seagull I wondered if you wrote that. Well, 1:05:31.960 --> 1:05:36.600 I played acoustic on Crazy Circles. The acoustic rhythm you know, 1:05:36.720 --> 1:05:39.960 don't don't don't, but the the Spanish type of solo 1:05:40.160 --> 1:05:41.800 thing that goes on there, that was Mick and it 1:05:41.960 --> 1:05:44.480 was just beautiful. I remember he just went out to 1:05:44.560 --> 1:05:46.960 the into the studio and got his sound and just 1:05:47.080 --> 1:05:49.680 went into that and I just was, yes, that is 1:05:49.840 --> 1:05:53.080 so beautiful. Nice one man. But the other thing is, 1:05:53.240 --> 1:05:55.280 even though you did not write it, one of your 1:05:55.360 --> 1:05:57.520 best vocals of all time is the opening track on 1:05:57.600 --> 1:06:02.439 the second side, Lonely for Your Love. Oh let's Mike, Yeah. Yeah. 1:06:03.280 --> 1:06:05.840 But the way you have a way of digging down 1:06:05.920 --> 1:06:08.080 deep in your soul and pushing right up the limit 1:06:08.320 --> 1:06:10.040 without going over and we live in an era of 1:06:10.120 --> 1:06:13.160 vocal history onics. That's what all these TV shows are about, 1:06:13.440 --> 1:06:15.880 the malise of the Mariah Carey. But you have a 1:06:15.960 --> 1:06:19.240 way of emoting where there's still emotion, which the same 1:06:19.240 --> 1:06:22.240 as emoting underneath and just pushing it, which is the 1:06:22.480 --> 1:06:24.200 essence of rock and roll. That's why I'm talking about 1:06:24.200 --> 1:06:27.280 simple Man earlier. You want to feel free, you know, 1:06:27.800 --> 1:06:30.560 and the lyrics on Lonely for Your Love, the way 1:06:30.560 --> 1:06:32.880 you're saying it just blows my mind. Well, that's very 1:06:32.960 --> 1:06:35.200 interesting that you should notice that, because that's a really 1:06:35.280 --> 1:06:39.200 good point. Sam Moura has a way of doing that 1:06:39.360 --> 1:06:42.080 same thing. He puts a little gravel there, but not 1:06:42.320 --> 1:06:46.720 too much exactly, Samuel, Sam and Dave Yes, and it 1:06:46.840 --> 1:06:52.560 just takes you to where the emotion is just rasping, 1:06:52.640 --> 1:06:55.280 you know, it just it just exactly exactly gives you 1:06:55.320 --> 1:06:57.800 that edge. I love that, right, Okay, So but then 1:06:57.880 --> 1:07:00.520 you do make not getting the order correct, I was wrong. 1:07:00.960 --> 1:07:04.200 You do make rough diamonds, which is seen by disappointment 1:07:04.240 --> 1:07:06.880 as there by everyone. Yeah, well, you know it's funny 1:07:06.920 --> 1:07:09.520 the title for that I I wanted to band, I 1:07:09.560 --> 1:07:11.440 wanted us to get back to our roots, and I 1:07:11.680 --> 1:07:16.080 organized a gig, a show at a village hall near 1:07:16.160 --> 1:07:18.960 where I lived, and we were just going to play 1:07:19.760 --> 1:07:22.480 what we wanted to a local crowd and that's it. 1:07:22.560 --> 1:07:25.120 And I just wanted to do that. And I called 1:07:25.200 --> 1:07:26.840 it Rough Diamonds because I didn't want to say this 1:07:26.880 --> 1:07:29.080 as a bad company planning in the local village hall. 1:07:29.120 --> 1:07:31.000 It would have been insane, you know, So I just 1:07:31.280 --> 1:07:34.840 pretended we were a local band called Rough Diamonds, but 1:07:34.920 --> 1:07:36.760 they lifted We lifted that and used it for the 1:07:36.800 --> 1:07:41.120 album title. But but really they're not Rough Diamonds. They're 1:07:41.200 --> 1:07:44.400 they're kind of like it's a it is a little 1:07:44.520 --> 1:07:47.640 tired of some good good things. That is the album 1:07:47.680 --> 1:07:53.160 with electrically which was but electric Land. Yes, I think, yeah, okay, 1:07:53.240 --> 1:07:55.440 So then how does the BM break up or go 1:07:55.520 --> 1:08:00.320 on hiatus? Well, you know, I think that, as I 1:08:00.440 --> 1:08:03.120 said earlier, I think I was driven. This is the 1:08:03.160 --> 1:08:05.640 album I was referring to when I we'd all got 1:08:05.680 --> 1:08:08.240 a little tired of each other, I think, and it 1:08:08.360 --> 1:08:11.080 was time to move on, and it was felt very strongly, 1:08:11.760 --> 1:08:15.760 but we did. We did all these tracks, and you know, 1:08:16.360 --> 1:08:18.320 we were committed to make an album. And I think 1:08:18.439 --> 1:08:21.519 what that's what we did. Now after a short period 1:08:21.560 --> 1:08:25.880 of time, the band reforms with another lead singer, Brian Howe. 1:08:27.040 --> 1:08:30.200 What's your view point on that? I actually don't have one. 1:08:32.800 --> 1:08:34.639 You don't have a view? Well, that sounds like someone 1:08:34.640 --> 1:08:39.760 who's been through a lot of litigation. Yeah, would that 1:08:39.840 --> 1:08:41.599 be an act and I'm not gonna pull something out 1:08:41.600 --> 1:08:46.280 of it. Yes, you can certainly say no comment. Of course. 1:08:46.880 --> 1:08:49.760 You know, it turned into the manager they had is 1:08:49.840 --> 1:08:53.080 no longer with us himself. He turned it into he 1:08:53.240 --> 1:08:55.760 managed a band called Giant and it actually had a 1:08:55.800 --> 1:08:58.200 completely different sound, but they did have a couple of hits, 1:08:58.920 --> 1:09:01.160 and then all to it. Ly, you reform, but much 1:09:01.240 --> 1:09:03.920 longer down the line, but next you end up working 1:09:04.240 --> 1:09:07.880 with Jimmy Page in the firm. Can I just say 1:09:07.960 --> 1:09:11.200 this before we go on? Absolutely? Um, I do have 1:09:11.400 --> 1:09:13.639 something to say, and that is that I felt after 1:09:13.760 --> 1:09:17.519 I left it, the band's reputation for musical reputation went 1:09:17.880 --> 1:09:23.080 down the toilely and and and there the respect was gone, 1:09:23.680 --> 1:09:25.880 and I didn't like it. That's when I came back. 1:09:26.040 --> 1:09:29.280 I came back to re establish what we were and 1:09:29.439 --> 1:09:32.080 I think that's what we're doing now is re establishing 1:09:32.200 --> 1:09:34.800 the credibility again. You know, let's stay on this topic 1:09:34.840 --> 1:09:38.280 for one second. I saw you perform with Bad Company 1:09:39.280 --> 1:09:43.719 almost two summers ago. You go out with Free Spirit, 1:09:43.880 --> 1:09:46.519 You're going out solo with Beck. When do you do 1:09:46.720 --> 1:09:50.040 bad Company gigs? And what is the thinking there? Um? 1:09:51.800 --> 1:09:54.800 I do? I sort of do about twenty or thirty 1:09:54.840 --> 1:09:57.439 shows a year because I try to keep I want 1:09:57.479 --> 1:10:01.960 to keep the energy, the enthusiasm and the the interest 1:10:02.080 --> 1:10:05.400 really for me and for for the band and the listeners. 1:10:06.560 --> 1:10:10.640 So I do different, different things whatever comes to me. 1:10:11.000 --> 1:10:14.800 The Free Spirit thing, if you like, has evolved and 1:10:15.240 --> 1:10:17.719 we've evolved from doing it in England and then wanting 1:10:17.800 --> 1:10:19.920 to bring it here, so we made space for it 1:10:20.000 --> 1:10:24.360 in the itinerary to do the tour here with Jeff Beck, 1:10:24.439 --> 1:10:27.120 with Ann Wilson and Deborah Bonham. I should mention as well, 1:10:27.280 --> 1:10:32.439 she's opening and she's a beautiful singer. Um So what 1:10:32.560 --> 1:10:36.000 we I do bad do Bad Company shows? In between? 1:10:36.080 --> 1:10:38.439 When the offers come in, we we look at them 1:10:38.479 --> 1:10:43.240 and we now mcgralph's health. What is the status of that, Uh, 1:10:43.560 --> 1:10:46.879 Mick is you know as well as can be expected 1:10:47.000 --> 1:10:51.160 for a guy who's had a stroke and he can't 1:10:51.479 --> 1:10:54.200 you know it's not really. He's still got his sense 1:10:54.280 --> 1:10:58.400 of humor, but he's having trouble with his right hand. 1:10:58.439 --> 1:11:02.200 I do believe it is uh. And we took him 1:11:02.200 --> 1:11:05.240 a small guitar so he could make some noise, some 1:11:05.439 --> 1:11:09.880 musical noise. It's it's not great though, it's not great 1:11:09.880 --> 1:11:12.080 where Okay, But let's go back to the narratives. You 1:11:12.160 --> 1:11:14.400 end up working with Jimmy Page. How does that come together? 1:11:15.520 --> 1:11:19.160 Oh right, let's see how did that come together? I 1:11:19.240 --> 1:11:22.960 had a student when I left Bad Company. I had 1:11:23.080 --> 1:11:25.479 I put a studio together in my house in the 1:11:25.560 --> 1:11:29.519 attic in Kingston, not Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston and the UK, 1:11:30.160 --> 1:11:34.320 excuse me. And I was making I was recording and 1:11:34.439 --> 1:11:38.080 doing a solo album, etcetera, etcetera, and Jimmy Page popped 1:11:38.160 --> 1:11:40.840 over and I kept popping over. Actually come over a 1:11:40.880 --> 1:11:42.559 couple of times just to check me out and see 1:11:42.560 --> 1:11:46.000 what you're doing. Hey, And were you friends with him 1:11:46.080 --> 1:11:48.680 since you had the same manager here. Absolutely, we'd all 1:11:48.880 --> 1:11:51.559 see each other in their office, and we Bad Company 1:11:51.640 --> 1:11:53.560 and led Zeppelin would go to each other's shows and 1:11:53.680 --> 1:11:58.599 stand backstage, you know, cat calling each other and rubbish, 1:11:58.800 --> 1:12:00.320 you know, and stuff like that. But we're it's all 1:12:00.400 --> 1:12:05.040 friendly and uh we so Jimmy, Yeah, Jimmy came around 1:12:05.040 --> 1:12:08.080 and he brought this cassette because cassette in those days 1:12:08.680 --> 1:12:11.880 of music, and it was a beautiful piece of music 1:12:11.960 --> 1:12:13.760 and he said, can you write some lyrics to this? 1:12:14.479 --> 1:12:17.720 And I give it a go and it was. It 1:12:17.840 --> 1:12:21.000 turned out to be Midnight Moonlight Lady, which is a 1:12:21.080 --> 1:12:24.679 beautiful piece of music that that he created and added 1:12:24.680 --> 1:12:28.200 the lyrics on um And that was the start of 1:12:28.920 --> 1:12:32.559 us working together and writing together. And then we got 1:12:32.680 --> 1:12:35.559 a call from the people that were running the Arms 1:12:35.640 --> 1:12:39.400 tour and they said, we need another act, if you like, 1:12:40.080 --> 1:12:44.280 for the American leg of the touring we're doing. And 1:12:44.400 --> 1:12:46.519 we heard that you and Jimmy were in the studio. 1:12:47.280 --> 1:12:49.400 Would you like to do a half hour spot? And 1:12:49.520 --> 1:12:53.920 I looked at Jimmy and and he I said, well 1:12:54.200 --> 1:12:56.960 we we what was it? Oh? No, They said, would 1:12:56.960 --> 1:12:59.200 you like to do a spot? And I said, well, 1:12:59.280 --> 1:13:02.160 we only have a like about twenty minutes half an 1:13:02.200 --> 1:13:06.000 hour of music, that's all we need. And so we 1:13:06.040 --> 1:13:08.080 didn't have any excuses, so we went out. I said 1:13:08.080 --> 1:13:09.920 we didn't have a rhythm section either. Then we got 1:13:09.960 --> 1:13:13.880 your rhythm section, and so we went and we did 1:13:13.960 --> 1:13:18.680 that and that became the firm because Jimmy was m 1:13:18.880 --> 1:13:21.280 M mattel loos, and I do think he wouldn't mind 1:13:21.360 --> 1:13:26.120 me saying after after John had died, you know, they 1:13:26.160 --> 1:13:29.120 were all everybody was just so upset, and he hadn't 1:13:29.160 --> 1:13:32.320 touched a guitar in a couple of years. When he 1:13:32.400 --> 1:13:36.240 came around to see me and um everybody around him 1:13:36.280 --> 1:13:39.120 and said, well, whatever you do, don't ask him to 1:13:39.160 --> 1:13:42.280 play the guitar, because that's a no, no, no, He's 1:13:42.320 --> 1:13:44.360 not going to touch the guitar. And I thought, oh, 1:13:44.960 --> 1:13:47.200 how am I gonna So he walked into the studio 1:13:47.240 --> 1:13:48.880 and said, hey, Jimmy, how are you doing? Did you 1:13:48.960 --> 1:13:52.280 bring your guitar? And everybody like digged under the table, 1:13:52.320 --> 1:13:56.080 but you said it to taboo thing. But by the 1:13:56.200 --> 1:13:58.680 end of the evening he had restrung his guitar and 1:13:58.840 --> 1:14:01.439 was playing and we would and stuff, and it was 1:14:01.520 --> 1:14:03.920 wonderful to see him because I thought, you know, if 1:14:04.160 --> 1:14:07.240 guys depressed, what you need to do is play music, 1:14:07.400 --> 1:14:10.720 any music at all. And so we were just we 1:14:10.800 --> 1:14:12.479 were jamming by the end of the evening, and that's 1:14:12.520 --> 1:14:15.040 when afterwards he brought me that piece of music, and 1:14:15.240 --> 1:14:20.320 we did. We composed together Midnight Moonlight Lady, and went 1:14:20.360 --> 1:14:22.760 on from there and the end up the first album 1:14:22.840 --> 1:14:25.640 comes out, there a couple of successful tracks. There's a 1:14:25.920 --> 1:14:30.479 radioactive and satisfaction guaranteed. And does it live up to 1:14:30.520 --> 1:14:35.080 your expectations and Jimmy's I don't think it did, really. 1:14:35.240 --> 1:14:38.800 I think I think no. I think we did what 1:14:38.920 --> 1:14:48.000 we could under the circumstances um were there. Music is No, 1:14:48.080 --> 1:14:49.559 I don't think it did, to be honest, But there 1:14:49.600 --> 1:14:53.120 was a second album. I think Jimmy played great though. Yeah, 1:14:53.200 --> 1:14:55.800 we tried. Yeah, we had Chris Laid on the drums, 1:14:55.840 --> 1:14:59.120 he's a great drummer, and Tony Franklin on bass, great 1:14:59.120 --> 1:15:02.680 bass player. We were going to have Pino Palladino, but 1:15:03.040 --> 1:15:07.200 he he didn't. He didn't make it, He didn't do 1:15:07.320 --> 1:15:10.080 the tour in the end, so we settled on Tony 1:15:10.120 --> 1:15:12.280 Franklin because he'd done all the rehearsals with us and 1:15:12.320 --> 1:15:16.240 he knew all the songs. Um. So yeah, but and 1:15:16.360 --> 1:15:24.600 he and he thought why it didn't work? Um, I 1:15:24.920 --> 1:15:27.439 you know, I was a little burned at that point myself. 1:15:27.560 --> 1:15:29.360 I did not want to go on the road and 1:15:29.560 --> 1:15:33.720 that's why, that's why we met an agreement between us. 1:15:33.760 --> 1:15:38.160 Jimmy said, let's go on tour. And I said, well, 1:15:38.200 --> 1:15:39.560 I don't know if I really want to have just 1:15:39.600 --> 1:15:41.840 come out of Bad Company, because I'm just burned and 1:15:41.920 --> 1:15:43.640 I just want to stay home and make music in 1:15:43.760 --> 1:15:47.960 my little studio here and regroup myself. But he said, well, 1:15:48.360 --> 1:15:50.280 but he really wanted to go, and I really wanted 1:15:50.360 --> 1:15:52.439 him to be happy, so I said, well, let's go. 1:15:52.560 --> 1:15:54.559 And he said, I'll tell you what we'll do. We'll 1:15:54.600 --> 1:16:00.519 do two albums and two tours supporting those albums, and 1:16:00.560 --> 1:16:01.720 that will be it. And there was again it was 1:16:01.760 --> 1:16:05.280 a handshake, and that's what we did. That's that's as 1:16:05.320 --> 1:16:07.519 far as we took it. That's as far as it went. 1:16:08.040 --> 1:16:09.960 And had you end up working with Kenny Jones and 1:16:10.000 --> 1:16:14.920 the Law, Well, I was looking around for for the 1:16:15.000 --> 1:16:19.560 next thing, you know, and I met I met. I 1:16:19.640 --> 1:16:23.080 met him in a club and we talked about music, 1:16:23.160 --> 1:16:25.360 and I said, you know, I never I never really 1:16:25.439 --> 1:16:27.519 know which which which direction I want to go into, 1:16:27.560 --> 1:16:31.160 whether I want to go into soul or blues or 1:16:31.840 --> 1:16:34.320 flat out rock, you know, because I do all of 1:16:34.400 --> 1:16:37.479 those things, and I'm interested in doing all of those things. 1:16:37.560 --> 1:16:39.840 But he said, he said, why don't you just the 1:16:39.920 --> 1:16:42.720 two of us get together and we'll we'll do a 1:16:42.840 --> 1:16:44.800 rock album, we'll do a blues album, we'll do a 1:16:44.880 --> 1:16:47.600 soul album, and we'll do and all we'll do. You 1:16:47.720 --> 1:16:49.720 and I will be the center of it, and we'll 1:16:49.800 --> 1:16:53.400 just change other musicians around us, you know, we'll put 1:16:53.439 --> 1:16:55.920 a brass section in or this of that. And I thought, 1:16:55.920 --> 1:16:57.560 I want it's a good idea. I was trying to. 1:16:58.120 --> 1:17:01.600 So that's what that was the initial thing with with 1:17:01.800 --> 1:17:05.320 The Law. Now that had a title track which was 1:17:05.439 --> 1:17:07.800 the Hint, which of course for those were fans they 1:17:07.840 --> 1:17:10.439 think of Bad Company in the title track, and then 1:17:10.560 --> 1:17:13.639 Laying down the Law and the band was called The Law. Yeah, 1:17:13.680 --> 1:17:16.160 I think to some extent I was trying to recreate 1:17:16.240 --> 1:17:22.080 what I've done with Bad Company, because um um Kenny 1:17:22.520 --> 1:17:24.920 said to me, how about a title for a song 1:17:25.080 --> 1:17:27.840 laying down the Law? And I went, I'll have it 1:17:27.880 --> 1:17:32.000 ready by Thursday, And I actually did because I give 1:17:32.080 --> 1:17:36.160 myself and Dad Da Dad Dan Da Da on the piano, 1:17:36.240 --> 1:17:38.160 and I thought, well, you know it were you know 1:17:38.280 --> 1:17:42.479 it worked before. We maybe to have a theme tune 1:17:42.680 --> 1:17:46.280 around the name is good you know, so those of 1:17:46.400 --> 1:17:47.960 us at home saw it that way, that was the 1:17:48.000 --> 1:17:50.840 real way. It sort of was okay. So that that 1:17:51.000 --> 1:17:54.200 plays out, and then you go out with the remain 1:17:54.360 --> 1:17:57.560 remnants of Queen Queen and Paul Rogers. Were you a 1:17:57.680 --> 1:18:01.519 Queen fan? I loved the music. I can't say that 1:18:01.600 --> 1:18:04.960 I ever bought went out and bought their singles, their records, 1:18:05.760 --> 1:18:07.800 but I loved it when I heard it on the radio. 1:18:07.880 --> 1:18:11.000 I want to Break Free, you know. I mean, I 1:18:11.080 --> 1:18:13.639 thought that the guitar plane was great. I thought Freddie 1:18:13.720 --> 1:18:16.160 was fantastic. I went in with a lot of respect 1:18:16.200 --> 1:18:18.360 for Freddy and I came out from that with a 1:18:18.479 --> 1:18:21.320 ton of respect. He was such a great guy, such 1:18:21.360 --> 1:18:25.559 a great musician, and so many great songs he had written, 1:18:25.600 --> 1:18:28.120 and so many influences, and I think, you know, he 1:18:28.280 --> 1:18:30.560 was influenced by the right people in many ways, like 1:18:30.640 --> 1:18:34.680 a wreath of Franklin, you know, even says that on 1:18:34.800 --> 1:18:38.040 one of his life I think when you got the 1:18:38.080 --> 1:18:40.000 audience singing, you guys sound like a wreatha, you know. 1:18:40.840 --> 1:18:46.640 Um So that started out with let's see I was 1:18:46.760 --> 1:18:50.400 asked by Chris Blackwell. Actually they were doing a TV 1:18:50.560 --> 1:18:53.599 show and they said, would you come on and we're 1:18:53.640 --> 1:18:56.840 gonna honor Chris Blackwell and would you finish the show 1:18:56.920 --> 1:18:59.599 with all right now? And the Queen or the rennents 1:18:59.640 --> 1:19:02.439 of Queen will be on there. So Brian called me 1:19:02.520 --> 1:19:07.400 and said, look, Brian may Uh, if you will be 1:19:07.520 --> 1:19:10.400 our singer for we will rock you and we are 1:19:10.439 --> 1:19:13.960 the champions, we will be your backing band for all 1:19:14.080 --> 1:19:16.680 right now. And I went, oh, Queen, my man, that 1:19:16.760 --> 1:19:18.800 sounds good. So we actually we did that and it 1:19:19.040 --> 1:19:22.000 was it was great, and I didn't think we had 1:19:22.240 --> 1:19:25.479 much in common, but when we put those three songs together, 1:19:25.520 --> 1:19:28.120 they were in the same ballpark somehow. You know, we 1:19:28.200 --> 1:19:30.200 will rock you, we are the champions and all right now. 1:19:30.360 --> 1:19:32.839 It's just sort of out there in that arena space, 1:19:33.040 --> 1:19:35.920 you know. And I thought, well, you know maybe, And 1:19:36.000 --> 1:19:38.439 then he called me up and asked me would I 1:19:38.640 --> 1:19:41.519 like to do just two or three shows for fun? 1:19:42.640 --> 1:19:44.840 And I said, well, yeah, well let's do that. We 1:19:44.920 --> 1:19:48.320 can do that. But it turned into like two world 1:19:48.360 --> 1:19:51.320 tours and the studio album. It's just the way things are, 1:19:51.439 --> 1:19:54.560 you know, you you you get involved, and it's you 1:19:54.640 --> 1:19:58.920 can't just walk away. So uh, it turned into I 1:19:59.000 --> 1:20:01.559 think four years and at the end of that four years, 1:20:01.640 --> 1:20:04.559 I was like, well, I this is not the rest 1:20:04.640 --> 1:20:07.240 of my life here with Queen blessed them. I love 1:20:07.320 --> 1:20:10.639 them to pieces, but I have to do my own things. 1:20:10.640 --> 1:20:14.040 So it was your decision to move on. Oh totally. Yeah. Yeah. 1:20:14.439 --> 1:20:16.920 And they're still working now with the American idols. Well 1:20:17.080 --> 1:20:21.439 you've got to remember that before after Freddie, they didn't tour. 1:20:22.160 --> 1:20:24.479 They did an odd gig, they did Wembley. They did 1:20:24.560 --> 1:20:27.400 some great gigs, but not touring. They had David Boy 1:20:27.520 --> 1:20:35.280 with them, they had Michael Um Michael help me, Michael 1:20:35.320 --> 1:20:41.840 from One Band, Um, George Michael, George Michael, George Michael, 1:20:42.080 --> 1:20:44.320 thank you. And they had some great singative boy and 1:20:44.680 --> 1:20:47.320 all these great singers. I thought George Michael was great 1:20:47.360 --> 1:20:49.240 on that as well, but they didn't and that Elton 1:20:49.320 --> 1:20:50.960 John too. There are a lot of things. But they 1:20:51.720 --> 1:20:56.000 and I got together with them and I showed them, look, hey, 1:20:56.240 --> 1:20:58.160 you've got all these these great songs, you've got this 1:20:58.280 --> 1:21:01.720 great organization behind you, a lot of fans. All you 1:21:01.800 --> 1:21:04.519 need is the right singer up front. I will do 1:21:04.720 --> 1:21:08.519 that and hopefully we can make it work. And we toured. 1:21:08.840 --> 1:21:10.880 So I told her I've taught them they could tour, 1:21:11.880 --> 1:21:15.880 and they are now touring, So that's good. Okay, So 1:21:16.080 --> 1:21:24.280 what do you think of today's music scene? Uh? I 1:21:24.439 --> 1:21:28.240 think technology has gone on in leaps and bounds, but 1:21:28.400 --> 1:21:31.160 we're kind of in danger of overdoing it. And one 1:21:31.240 --> 1:21:34.080 thing that does not change is that it has to 1:21:34.200 --> 1:21:37.040 come from here, no matter what the technology is, that 1:21:37.160 --> 1:21:39.960 the technology is a bit of cat got on a 1:21:40.320 --> 1:21:44.360 on a broom, they've still got to come from here. 1:21:44.439 --> 1:21:51.520 Or if it's a fantastic, you know, gizmo, a technological wonderment, 1:21:52.200 --> 1:21:54.639 you have to it has to come from here, whatever 1:21:54.720 --> 1:21:57.439 the instrument is. And we might be missing that a bit. 1:21:57.520 --> 1:21:59.479 We we might be getting into. We used to say 1:21:59.520 --> 1:22:01.439 that you can mix the balls right out of a 1:22:01.520 --> 1:22:05.120 track if you're not careful. You've got to keep that essence. 1:22:05.640 --> 1:22:09.599 You know, it's so perfect that it loses its essence. 1:22:10.280 --> 1:22:12.200 You've got to stop before you get that. I think 1:22:12.280 --> 1:22:14.719 you've got to keep You've got to keep the essence. 1:22:15.080 --> 1:22:17.639 And you get that playing live. I think you get 1:22:17.680 --> 1:22:20.479 that imagining you playing live. But it's frustrating if you 1:22:20.560 --> 1:22:24.479 talk to superstars from your era, if you make new music, 1:22:24.960 --> 1:22:26.680 it's not like it used to be used to be 1:22:27.200 --> 1:22:30.000 everybody was aware it came out. Everybody was listening to 1:22:30.080 --> 1:22:33.320 the same radio stations, and you could make or break 1:22:33.360 --> 1:22:35.880 depending on the quality of the song. Whereas you can 1:22:35.920 --> 1:22:38.320 make a great song today and almost no one hears it. 1:22:39.040 --> 1:22:44.160 What's it like being on the creative end of that. Well, 1:22:45.600 --> 1:22:49.680 you look around and and people. People have impact when 1:22:49.760 --> 1:22:54.720 they when they break and they Hendrix, for instance, when 1:22:54.760 --> 1:22:57.559 I saw Hendrix, I remember the DJ said, oh, we've 1:22:57.560 --> 1:23:01.320 got to young man for young band from America. It 1:23:01.439 --> 1:23:03.960 was Pete Murray. He was a DJ, young band here 1:23:03.960 --> 1:23:06.720 from America, and here they are Jimmy Hendrix. And he 1:23:06.760 --> 1:23:09.200 put his arm up like this, and then Jimmy Hendrix 1:23:09.280 --> 1:23:12.720 comes on with the hair with the hey Joe, where 1:23:12.720 --> 1:23:14.560 are you going with that gun in your hand? And 1:23:14.880 --> 1:23:17.360 then he picks his guitar up and plays it with 1:23:17.439 --> 1:23:20.320 his teeth and it was just so wild. He put 1:23:20.360 --> 1:23:22.960 the guitar on, and when the camera cut back to 1:23:23.240 --> 1:23:26.519 Pete Murray, he still got his arm out announcing them 1:23:26.600 --> 1:23:30.880 like he hadn't stopped going like that. It was it 1:23:31.040 --> 1:23:33.200 was amazed and horrified, I think at the same time. 1:23:33.520 --> 1:23:35.680 But I mean the rest of us, just like we 1:23:35.840 --> 1:23:37.200 woke up the next day I went to school and 1:23:37.479 --> 1:23:42.160 Jimmy Hendricks was like it, um, but they there are 1:23:42.200 --> 1:23:46.040 certain people that have that sort of impact when it's real. 1:23:46.200 --> 1:23:48.200 I think, you know, I don't know what what that 1:23:48.479 --> 1:23:51.639 what that means, exactly what that real is, but it's 1:23:51.680 --> 1:23:55.719 something that touches a nerve and it catches fire throughout 1:23:55.800 --> 1:23:59.479 the Have you heard that young band grettavan Fleet? Yes, 1:23:59.720 --> 1:24:03.040 I have. For those of who don't know, uh, certainly 1:24:03.080 --> 1:24:06.680 the tracks have been released so far are very Zeppelin like. 1:24:07.200 --> 1:24:09.080 What do you think of Greta van Fleet? I think 1:24:09.080 --> 1:24:11.800 they're great, Actually I do. I do hear a lot 1:24:11.840 --> 1:24:15.080 of the influences from Zeppelin and perhaps even as you know, 1:24:15.720 --> 1:24:19.160 but it's also the good Well, it's interesting because people 1:24:19.240 --> 1:24:22.600 from our era were influenced by blues tracks from the 1:24:22.760 --> 1:24:26.080 thirties forties, which was only thirty or forty years after 1:24:26.560 --> 1:24:29.719 the renaissance of rock in the UK late sixties early seventies, 1:24:30.000 --> 1:24:33.000 where it's already been almost fifty years since that sound, 1:24:33.240 --> 1:24:36.800 so it's ready for that sound to come back. Yeah. Well, 1:24:36.800 --> 1:24:39.160 I mean I still I can put Holland Wolf on 1:24:39.840 --> 1:24:42.559 playing Backdoor Man and still get a real kick out 1:24:42.600 --> 1:24:47.840 of it. I still get you try. I don't know 1:24:47.880 --> 1:24:50.439 who's drumming on that, but it's just the laziest, coolest 1:24:50.520 --> 1:24:54.280 drums you ever heard. Do you still play music at home? Yes, 1:24:54.360 --> 1:24:56.680 I do. I play blues, I play some classical. I 1:24:56.760 --> 1:25:02.679 like Holtz Planet Sweet I love of that. Actually I play. 1:25:03.400 --> 1:25:05.720 I like to collect a bit of vinyl nowadays. I 1:25:05.960 --> 1:25:09.960 still listened to oldest reading Um and I still listened 1:25:09.960 --> 1:25:15.120 to Junior Wells. So the stuff you're collecting is not is, 1:25:15.240 --> 1:25:17.760 you know, the old blue stuff, not the big hit 1:25:17.840 --> 1:25:22.320 stuff on vinyl. No, actually it's not. Very very few 1:25:22.400 --> 1:25:26.559 of very little actually hits me hard like it did 1:25:26.600 --> 1:25:28.960 in the past, like when I first heard by With 1:25:29.280 --> 1:25:32.920 Help from my Friends by Joe Cocker, you know, back 1:25:32.960 --> 1:25:34.760 in the day. I mean those songs, the songs that 1:25:34.840 --> 1:25:39.080 hit me then Midnight Hour by Will They still they 1:25:39.160 --> 1:25:40.680 give you a tingle in the back of your neck. 1:25:40.760 --> 1:25:43.280 Well they still do that for me, and it's very 1:25:43.320 --> 1:25:47.160 hard for me to find that with new stuff. I'm sorry, 1:25:47.200 --> 1:25:49.760 but it is. No. I mean I feel the same way. 1:25:49.800 --> 1:25:50.960 You know, there's a lot of people who want to 1:25:50.960 --> 1:25:53.760 appear young, so they say today's music as good as 1:25:53.800 --> 1:25:56.320 it was. I mean, the people don't understand it was 1:25:56.600 --> 1:25:59.759 music was all we had. We were addicted to the radio, 1:26:00.280 --> 1:26:01.880 and growing up in the UK grow up in the 1:26:02.000 --> 1:26:05.760 United States, it's not exactly identical, but we were addicted 1:26:05.800 --> 1:26:08.160 to the radio, especially after the Beatles came out. Before that, 1:26:08.240 --> 1:26:11.240 we were listening to sports in the four seasons, and 1:26:11.320 --> 1:26:14.120 it was everything. And when the band made a statement, 1:26:14.160 --> 1:26:18.160 whether it be musical or sociological, you really paid attention. 1:26:18.720 --> 1:26:21.880 Whereas now you talk about credibility. So many acts today 1:26:22.240 --> 1:26:25.800 are seeing the end goal of fame and riches as 1:26:25.840 --> 1:26:29.560 opposed to the music itself. I think that's true. I 1:26:29.640 --> 1:26:33.200 think that's possibly quite true. Yeah. To me, like the 1:26:33.400 --> 1:26:37.160 fame and fortune, the show based aspect of it was 1:26:37.320 --> 1:26:41.040 never really it at all. And I think I probably 1:26:41.080 --> 1:26:44.800 got that from listening to those black guys because they 1:26:44.880 --> 1:26:48.000 were just telling their story. They weren't seeking fame, seeking 1:26:48.080 --> 1:26:52.040 fortune or any of it. Um the guitar ships, swinging 1:26:52.040 --> 1:26:54.040 pools or any of that. They were. They were just 1:26:54.360 --> 1:26:58.160 doing their thing and and as it happened, people like 1:26:58.320 --> 1:27:01.679 me I loved it, you know, And so also back 1:27:01.720 --> 1:27:04.760 in the rock here are sixty four to eighty or 1:27:04.840 --> 1:27:09.120 so or certainly empty. Vira, you mentioned Joe Cocker. You 1:27:09.200 --> 1:27:13.040 mentioned notice reading anybody else? Any other records to stand out? 1:27:14.360 --> 1:27:17.200 Oh yeah, there'll be so many. Have to think of 1:27:17.280 --> 1:27:21.519 for a minute, though, Um there are let's see, well, 1:27:22.439 --> 1:27:26.320 the Temptations, the Four Tops, you know, I mentioned that one. 1:27:27.280 --> 1:27:29.599 What you ever? What do you ever think of the Stones? 1:27:29.720 --> 1:27:32.080 Cover of being too proud to beg It's all right, 1:27:32.080 --> 1:27:34.320 I mean they were good. One of the great things 1:27:34.360 --> 1:27:36.639 about the Stones is they Yeah, they did these Arms 1:27:36.680 --> 1:27:39.360 of Mine as well, but uh, well they're going to 1:27:39.600 --> 1:27:43.040 They introduced me to a lot of music that you know, 1:27:43.200 --> 1:27:45.760 Soloman Burke, I'm so glad to be here tonight. Now, 1:27:45.920 --> 1:27:48.400 so I'm glad to be home, and I believe that 1:27:48.400 --> 1:27:50.200 I've got a message for every man and every woman 1:27:50.280 --> 1:27:53.680 here tonight that seven needed someone to love, someone to 1:27:53.720 --> 1:27:55.599 stay with all the time when you help, but when 1:27:55.640 --> 1:27:58.519 you're down. I love all that, you know. So they 1:27:58.920 --> 1:28:02.880 introduced me to a lot of uh, a lot of 1:28:03.040 --> 1:28:07.000 quite obscure blues. Actually, you know, Um, it might be 1:28:07.160 --> 1:28:10.639 one o'clock and it might be three time, don't mean 1:28:11.040 --> 1:28:15.479 that much to me. I've got my plans. I don't 1:28:15.520 --> 1:28:20.160 know about you. I'll tell you exactly what I'm gonna do, 1:28:21.560 --> 1:28:24.040 get in the group and let the good time rule. 1:28:25.200 --> 1:28:27.640 I mean, that's a great, great sound, great lyrics, your 1:28:27.680 --> 1:28:30.880 rendition right there. We should print that on Spotify right now. 1:28:32.640 --> 1:28:35.240 I thank you. They they well, you're saying it in 1:28:35.320 --> 1:28:37.120 such a soulful way. But it was sort of votes. 1:28:37.320 --> 1:28:40.479 I mean, it wasn't full belting, but but it's an 1:28:40.520 --> 1:28:44.240 example of lyrics that just flow. You know, they're not forced. 1:28:44.280 --> 1:28:46.719 You know, what should I do next day? Just somebody 1:28:46.840 --> 1:28:49.800 is there and it just like it came out. That's 1:28:49.880 --> 1:28:51.400 Those are the kind of lyrics. Do you have any 1:28:51.520 --> 1:28:55.519 tricks you used to make sure that you get what 1:28:55.640 --> 1:29:00.720 you want down? Oh? True? As far as song right now, 1:29:00.880 --> 1:29:03.800 you've got to You've got to listen to If somebody 1:29:03.840 --> 1:29:06.400 gives me a piece of music to write songs on, 1:29:07.160 --> 1:29:10.559 I say, I go, uh, what is this music saying? 1:29:10.640 --> 1:29:12.920 What can I What do I hear it saying to me? 1:29:13.000 --> 1:29:17.320 And I try to get in tune with the music, 1:29:18.120 --> 1:29:20.720 but lyrically, you know, so that you can express what 1:29:20.840 --> 1:29:23.439 the music seems to be saying to you. I might 1:29:23.479 --> 1:29:26.479 be wrong and I might be right. Might be one 1:29:26.520 --> 1:29:31.360 o'clock and it might be three, you know, but you 1:29:31.520 --> 1:29:33.479 kind of get in tune with what do you think 1:29:33.600 --> 1:29:35.920 it's what it's saying to you. Okay, So at this 1:29:36.120 --> 1:29:39.559 late date, you're still standing, you can still sing, You've 1:29:39.600 --> 1:29:43.160 had gargantuan success with multiple acts. What's left for you 1:29:43.240 --> 1:29:46.519 to accomplish? Well, the next two is the uppermost in 1:29:46.600 --> 1:29:49.000 my mind. I've done some I've just done some some 1:29:49.160 --> 1:29:52.320 bad company shows with Leonard Skinner and it were just amazing. 1:29:53.320 --> 1:29:57.560 Leonard Skinner's last to Yes, Yes, theoretically. I mean, I 1:29:57.800 --> 1:30:01.000 don't know if one can ever really retire, you know, 1:30:01.160 --> 1:30:03.479 I think you never get too far away from I've 1:30:03.520 --> 1:30:05.960 tried to, you know, sit back at least, but I 1:30:06.080 --> 1:30:09.599 just couldn't. I mean, things happen, you know, things evolved. 1:30:10.160 --> 1:30:11.880 How much of it is the energy from the crowd 1:30:11.960 --> 1:30:15.080 that you miss? Well, the energy from the crowd was 1:30:15.320 --> 1:30:18.920 just fantastic. It's a crackling electricity. You know. It's just 1:30:19.040 --> 1:30:22.479 one thing to listen to, like sift with with Leonard 1:30:22.520 --> 1:30:25.120 skin It is one thing to listen to simple Man. 1:30:25.200 --> 1:30:27.280 They're simple man. They have a simple man, of course, 1:30:28.479 --> 1:30:30.080 and it's a good thing to listen to the record. 1:30:30.160 --> 1:30:33.280 But it's quite another to sit under the stars with 1:30:33.479 --> 1:30:36.479 thirty thousand other people and hear those opening cards and 1:30:36.640 --> 1:30:40.200 know that it's coming, you know, under the moonlight, it 1:30:40.439 --> 1:30:44.360 is just magical, and the actual air there just crackles. 1:30:44.800 --> 1:30:47.880 There's a lot of soul in the atmosphere, and I 1:30:47.920 --> 1:30:51.040 think that's what people love about live concerts. It's a 1:30:51.160 --> 1:30:54.880 coming together at a meeting of the tribe, and uh 1:30:55.040 --> 1:30:58.160 a focal point instead of a campfire, it's the lights 1:30:58.200 --> 1:31:01.879 of the stage. So this point his live superseded recording 1:31:02.000 --> 1:31:07.479 for you. Oh, it's a good question. Recording is still 1:31:07.560 --> 1:31:09.479 important to me though. I mean, I do like to 1:31:09.560 --> 1:31:13.280 make a good record, but I I love playing live. Yeah. 1:31:13.400 --> 1:31:16.200 Probably probably it has, Maybe it has. So what have 1:31:16.360 --> 1:31:19.439 you not accomplished that you still want to accomplish? If anything, 1:31:20.520 --> 1:31:23.040 I'm still learning, I really am. And I love to 1:31:23.160 --> 1:31:26.800 put you know, a set of music. I love what 1:31:26.920 --> 1:31:30.599 I'm doing, taking Bad Company, looking at all the catalog 1:31:30.640 --> 1:31:35.120 and making a show that works cohesively and starts and 1:31:35.360 --> 1:31:38.320 moves through and keeps your attention right the way through, 1:31:38.479 --> 1:31:40.000 so that at the end of it you've been on 1:31:40.080 --> 1:31:43.720 a magic carpet ride and you're happy. And I want 1:31:43.800 --> 1:31:46.600 us to do the same thing with Free Spirit, you know, 1:31:46.880 --> 1:31:48.960 which we were doing in the States in the UK, 1:31:49.320 --> 1:31:52.280 and we do here. But I also will add some 1:31:52.880 --> 1:31:56.400 bad Company material in with the Free Spirit, because I 1:31:56.439 --> 1:31:58.840 think people expect me to do that. They'll be disappointed. 1:31:59.080 --> 1:32:02.000 They don't get feel like making love and conciden for that. Unfortunately, 1:32:02.120 --> 1:32:03.519 that's true. You don't want it to be that way. 1:32:03.560 --> 1:32:06.160 But people don't get the memo. Well, you know, they 1:32:06.760 --> 1:32:09.200 they paid their money. That takes the choice. I mean, 1:32:09.240 --> 1:32:11.519 I think they have a right to expect. You know, 1:32:11.560 --> 1:32:13.000 if you go see a shore, you have a right 1:32:13.040 --> 1:32:15.840 to expect a certain amount. You know. I don't think 1:32:15.880 --> 1:32:19.960 you can stand too much on your your musical inteket 1:32:20.080 --> 1:32:21.840 or whatever it might be that you I'm not going 1:32:21.880 --> 1:32:24.880 to play this because because everybody wants it, you know. 1:32:25.800 --> 1:32:27.760 I like to see a happy crowd. I'd love to 1:32:27.800 --> 1:32:30.200 see that. So when you're singing those hits which you 1:32:30.280 --> 1:32:33.080 sung so many times before, are you thinking about doing 1:32:33.120 --> 1:32:35.720 your laundry and where you get to the hotel on 1:32:35.760 --> 1:32:38.840 the right time or are you still present? Yeah? I'm 1:32:38.960 --> 1:32:42.479 very much present. You know, you have to be present. Uh. 1:32:43.040 --> 1:32:45.360 And that's one of the things about live it is 1:32:45.560 --> 1:32:49.559 it's it's live and you are there. You get one 1:32:49.640 --> 1:32:51.960 shot at it. You know, you get the one shot. 1:32:52.080 --> 1:32:54.840 So you I and I'm listening to the guitar player 1:32:54.840 --> 1:32:56.720 and listening to the drums. We all are aware of 1:32:56.800 --> 1:33:00.960 each other. We're speaking to each other musically and then 1:33:01.080 --> 1:33:03.519 to the crowd. So we're all in this together. It's 1:33:03.600 --> 1:33:06.759 like a great unity. It's a great sense of unity 1:33:06.840 --> 1:33:10.519 unity playing music, and so you you're leaning on each 1:33:10.560 --> 1:33:12.320 other and you're depending on each other, and you don't 1:33:12.400 --> 1:33:15.479 want to let each other down by by not being focused. 1:33:15.880 --> 1:33:18.840 Now with this late deep if you were walking, ironically 1:33:18.920 --> 1:33:21.839 without the internet, if you were walking through an airport, 1:33:21.920 --> 1:33:23.759 or you in town at the height of the success 1:33:23.920 --> 1:33:29.120 of Bad Company, you were recognized by everybody. And what's 1:33:29.120 --> 1:33:35.080 it like walking the street today? Uh, it's pretty good, 1:33:35.200 --> 1:33:38.439 you know. I don't get bothered too much at all. Really, 1:33:38.520 --> 1:33:41.200 I don't think people are people know me in the 1:33:41.240 --> 1:33:43.040 supermarket or anything like that. I mean they know me 1:33:43.240 --> 1:33:47.080 in my hometown. Oh you've been you know. But is 1:33:47.120 --> 1:33:49.960 that a good thing or a bad thing for you? Well, 1:33:50.640 --> 1:33:53.400 a bit of it's nice. It's lovely to be recognized 1:33:53.439 --> 1:33:55.720 and just people to be excited. Yeah, it's it's it's 1:33:55.760 --> 1:33:57.960 a nice thing. But I can understand, you know, I 1:33:58.000 --> 1:34:01.920 mean I when I it with with with Queen, the 1:34:02.000 --> 1:34:04.920 other fans were absolutely nuts. Really, I've got to tell 1:34:04.960 --> 1:34:08.560 you you were nuts. And but they were lovely. But 1:34:08.680 --> 1:34:11.080 I mean, I I finished, I did my last show 1:34:11.120 --> 1:34:14.000 in Rio de Janeiro, and I said to Cynthia, were really, 1:34:14.080 --> 1:34:18.680 did janiro, Let's go and walk along the beach and 1:34:18.760 --> 1:34:20.880 we've done, We're finished, We're out of here. We'll go 1:34:21.040 --> 1:34:24.080 home tomorrow. So we thought we're a nice peaceful book. 1:34:24.600 --> 1:34:28.000 And we walked outside and all these people just mobbed us, 1:34:28.320 --> 1:34:32.400 and I thought, what's happened? And they were like crazy, 1:34:32.520 --> 1:34:34.439 They just wanted oh, sign us, sign us, and that 1:34:34.560 --> 1:34:38.800 It was like a It was essentially any time that 1:34:38.880 --> 1:34:41.760 you're looking for that recognition, you can get it by 1:34:41.840 --> 1:34:45.160 going back to work with Queen or something like that. Oh, 1:34:45.240 --> 1:34:49.040 I don't know, I suppose so maybe I don't know. 1:34:49.439 --> 1:34:51.120 It's not what it's about though to me. I mean, 1:34:51.160 --> 1:34:55.200 I like to meet people and be and be gracious 1:34:55.240 --> 1:34:57.720 if they if they love the music, that's what it's 1:34:57.720 --> 1:35:00.439 all about for me. It's not it's not of show 1:35:00.520 --> 1:35:03.880 biz fame. I'm not into that. And are your kids 1:35:03.920 --> 1:35:08.000 into music? They are actually I didn't really encourage them, 1:35:08.040 --> 1:35:10.680 but they were surrounded by it, and so they was 1:35:11.320 --> 1:35:14.040 writing songs on the piano when they were four years old. 1:35:14.160 --> 1:35:17.479 You know, so uh and you know, you get Bill 1:35:17.520 --> 1:35:19.400 Wyman would pop around for a cup of tea, and 1:35:19.760 --> 1:35:28.400 they were incredibly unimpressed, you know, they they Yeah, they're great. 1:35:28.479 --> 1:35:30.479 I love my kids. I've got grandkids now, and I 1:35:30.720 --> 1:35:34.120 love them to pieces to you know. Okay, Well, we've 1:35:34.160 --> 1:35:38.840 been here with Paul Rodgers, vocalists extraordinaire from all the 1:35:38.880 --> 1:35:41.560 bands we just talked about, from Queen to Free and 1:35:41.720 --> 1:35:44.640 Bad Company and Jimmy Page in between. We have to 1:35:44.720 --> 1:35:46.960 do a whole nother session where we don't talk about you. 1:35:47.560 --> 1:35:49.600 We just talked about music because there's a lot of 1:35:49.680 --> 1:35:52.560 insight here which is so fascinating to me. You know, 1:35:52.680 --> 1:35:55.560 the way the way you talked about the mood, etcetera. 1:35:55.800 --> 1:35:57.920 A lot of people don't talk about because the creative 1:35:58.000 --> 1:36:00.800 process as opposed to you know, because specially when it 1:36:00.880 --> 1:36:03.719 comes to music, it's not something you can really learn 1:36:04.120 --> 1:36:05.559 what I'm trying to say, it's not you you can 1:36:05.680 --> 1:36:08.400 open a book and say A B. C. D. You 1:36:08.560 --> 1:36:11.200 have to go on your own journey, stumble on your 1:36:11.240 --> 1:36:13.640 own feelings, and you've obviously done that, and thanks so 1:36:13.800 --> 1:36:16.360 much for sharing your thoughts today. It's my pleasure both. 1:36:16.479 --> 1:36:23.559 Thanks for having me. Don't turn off your podcast player. 1:36:23.880 --> 1:36:27.320 Stop really hold your fingers back at this moment, because 1:36:27.360 --> 1:36:30.000 after the podcast ended, Paul and I engage in a 1:36:30.040 --> 1:36:33.040 conversation about music and politics. I know you'd love to 1:36:33.120 --> 1:36:36.800 hear it here it is, but you know, on that, 1:36:37.000 --> 1:36:39.040 on that line, on what you were saying, that the 1:36:41.800 --> 1:36:43.800 the idea of mood. You know, if you want to 1:36:43.960 --> 1:36:50.000 write about missed in the trees in the full moon, 1:36:50.520 --> 1:36:52.600 you got to go and sit out in that and 1:36:52.680 --> 1:36:54.519 then you will get the feeling of it, and you'll 1:36:54.520 --> 1:36:56.720 get the feeling into the music. And something that you 1:36:56.960 --> 1:37:00.120 would not occur to you technically like will occur to 1:37:00.160 --> 1:37:02.599 you emotionally. That will expo There's a couple of things there. 1:37:02.880 --> 1:37:05.160 In order to be creative, you have to live a life, 1:37:05.920 --> 1:37:08.519 which is hard when you're working so hard. Yeah, and 1:37:08.600 --> 1:37:10.439 the other things I find my best ideas come in 1:37:10.479 --> 1:37:14.080 the shower. It's like, when I'm doing nothing else, I 1:37:14.160 --> 1:37:16.680 will remember that and then I'll have to run to 1:37:16.760 --> 1:37:20.080 the computer whatever to write about it. But it's also 1:37:20.240 --> 1:37:23.400 frustrating me. What I always found fascinating with bands from 1:37:23.439 --> 1:37:26.719 the seventies is, you know, okay, we did an album, 1:37:26.800 --> 1:37:29.280 we're going on the road, throught it. Now we have 1:37:29.560 --> 1:37:33.080 to write another album. Okay, we have to actually turn 1:37:33.200 --> 1:37:35.240 it on. I know. Well, you know, I said to 1:37:35.320 --> 1:37:36.840 him and earth again, I said, you know, you get 1:37:36.880 --> 1:37:40.320 your whole life to write the first album, and then 1:37:40.360 --> 1:37:41.960 you've got like a year between it. And he looked 1:37:42.000 --> 1:37:43.840 at me and said, what are you saying? I said, well, 1:37:44.320 --> 1:37:47.160 that's what it is. You know, you're working towards your 1:37:47.240 --> 1:37:51.080 first album, your whole life, you know, and then all 1:37:51.120 --> 1:37:53.120 of a sudden it's successful, and you've got to think 1:37:53.400 --> 1:37:55.519 what did I do? And can I do it again? 1:37:55.800 --> 1:37:59.320 Naturally gets complicated. Well, the other thing is, you know, 1:37:59.400 --> 1:38:00.720 it's one thing to right on to me, and it's 1:38:00.720 --> 1:38:02.160 another thing that when you're writing that first album, you 1:38:02.200 --> 1:38:04.720 have the inspiration and you say, oh, yeah, you know 1:38:04.920 --> 1:38:07.000 you have all these times. Next time, I said, we 1:38:07.080 --> 1:38:09.320 have two weeks I have to write ten songs. Yeah, 1:38:09.600 --> 1:38:13.839 It's like, how does one do that well with difficulty? 1:38:14.439 --> 1:38:17.439 I don't know, you know, I wish I had a 1:38:17.560 --> 1:38:20.519 pat answer, but there probably isn't one. Really okay. But 1:38:20.600 --> 1:38:23.680 one other things, You've written some iconic songs, and we 1:38:23.800 --> 1:38:27.519 covered this, but did you know they were iconic when 1:38:27.600 --> 1:38:34.960 you wrote any of them? You know, you feel that 1:38:35.400 --> 1:38:37.880 this has got something. You do feel that little whisper 1:38:37.960 --> 1:38:40.280 that you know this has got something, and that that 1:38:40.560 --> 1:38:43.200 that isn't a lot of words saying this has got something, 1:38:43.240 --> 1:38:46.200 but you mean, I mean that special something. You kind 1:38:46.200 --> 1:38:48.519 of do know that on some level. I think I 1:38:48.640 --> 1:38:50.400 think you do. I remember, you know, we're talking about 1:38:50.400 --> 1:38:53.519 Al Cooper recently in the podcast, but you know he 1:38:53.640 --> 1:38:56.320 produced the first couple of Leonard Skinner albums, and after 1:38:56.439 --> 1:38:59.599 the first one came out before Freebird was even a hit. 1:38:59.720 --> 1:39:03.000 This is summer seventy three. He's living in Atlanta and 1:39:03.120 --> 1:39:04.720 they call him and say, we got a new song 1:39:05.000 --> 1:39:07.320 we want to record. Can we come in on Monday. 1:39:07.760 --> 1:39:12.080 They come up and they record Sweet Home Alabama, which 1:39:12.120 --> 1:39:15.599 doesn't come out for a year. Okay, So I say, al, 1:39:16.560 --> 1:39:18.439 did you know it was hitting? Goes it was sweet 1:39:18.479 --> 1:39:24.240 Old Alabama. It's like there's some stuffs in I guess 1:39:24.360 --> 1:39:28.479 to me when on some level there's the old Hollywood outage, 1:39:28.560 --> 1:39:31.120 no one knows anything, but sometimes you know when you 1:39:31.200 --> 1:39:34.240 hit in the leven you know, Yeah, you hit the 1:39:34.240 --> 1:39:37.439 sweet spot. There's a feeling right, goes right up your 1:39:37.520 --> 1:39:40.360 arms exactly, and you wish you could do that all 1:39:40.360 --> 1:39:45.840 the time, exactly, that sweet about it, right, exactly if 1:39:45.880 --> 1:39:47.880 you could do it every time. Of course, the old 1:39:47.920 --> 1:39:50.400 cliche is after you do it, you think you'll never 1:39:50.520 --> 1:39:53.200 do it again, it will never happen. And then what 1:39:53.280 --> 1:39:56.640 it does, go, Oh, that fights in between. There's some 1:39:56.760 --> 1:39:59.400 kind of alignment of the stars happens as well, you know, 1:39:59.479 --> 1:40:02.439 there is. There's something cosmic, and we are we're all 1:40:02.560 --> 1:40:05.439 in touch with that all the time. I think it's 1:40:05.479 --> 1:40:09.120 it's just we we block it out. I don't know 1:40:09.360 --> 1:40:12.400 what it is. I don't know if I've been described 1:40:12.479 --> 1:40:14.960 in some way. You have to get you have to live. 1:40:15.520 --> 1:40:17.800 Something has to happen. I say, you cannot sit down 1:40:17.880 --> 1:40:22.880 and do it. Yeah, you know. The interesting thing that 1:40:23.040 --> 1:40:25.519 I find is that you you have to be shooting 1:40:25.640 --> 1:40:30.559 for the moon to hit the moon. But you you see, 1:40:30.560 --> 1:40:32.840 if you're not shooting for the moon, you'll never hit it, right. 1:40:33.320 --> 1:40:35.080 But if you're shooting for it and you you you 1:40:35.240 --> 1:40:39.080 hit all the time, there will come a day when 1:40:39.120 --> 1:40:41.720 you hit it. But if you're not even trying, well, 1:40:41.840 --> 1:40:45.280 then you definitely won't. Well that goes to another thing. 1:40:45.360 --> 1:40:47.519 I mean you talk about you know, you moved to 1:40:47.600 --> 1:40:51.439 London and the guys went back home. Yeah. People don't understand. 1:40:51.560 --> 1:40:56.120 It is so hard to make it, and when you're hungry, man, 1:40:56.360 --> 1:40:58.840 it gets really hard. And being all. The other thing 1:40:59.000 --> 1:41:01.280 is the longer you get down that path, you see 1:41:01.320 --> 1:41:03.760 other people going down a different path, And are you 1:41:03.920 --> 1:41:06.360 getting married, have houses and stuff like that and you're 1:41:06.360 --> 1:41:12.320 still hungry. I think you had success relatively soon. Yeah, 1:41:12.479 --> 1:41:15.280 I mean I did. It didn't seem soon. It seemed 1:41:15.320 --> 1:41:17.960 like an eternity force. But looking back, it was a 1:41:18.000 --> 1:41:20.760 matter of months, you know, from from there to the 1:41:21.040 --> 1:41:23.519 the from meeting costs. It was a matter of months 1:41:23.560 --> 1:41:28.840 before boom, we were making records and zooming up. Uh. 1:41:29.760 --> 1:41:33.360 She was behind it. She she was oh you know 1:41:33.439 --> 1:41:36.360 what she did say? She said to me, you shouldn't 1:41:36.400 --> 1:41:39.519 let it get into your blood. Son. I said, Mom, 1:41:40.240 --> 1:41:46.160 it's too late for that now. And then, of course, okay, 1:41:46.400 --> 1:41:48.000 I don't know if you know, remember this old manager 1:41:48.080 --> 1:41:52.120 David Krebs, Yeah, okay, he says that the music from 1:41:52.160 --> 1:41:55.240 that era we couldn't even make today. Like he managed 1:41:55.360 --> 1:41:57.840 Errol Smith. He said, he knows one of my favorite 1:41:57.960 --> 1:42:00.479 Errol Smith songs called Lord of the Thighs. Say, you 1:42:00.520 --> 1:42:05.479 couldn't put that out to that, so it's interesting. And 1:42:05.560 --> 1:42:08.120 the other thing is, I'm sure you went on the 1:42:08.200 --> 1:42:11.800 road and had a good time, okay, whereas today with 1:42:11.960 --> 1:42:15.679 cell phone can it's not even the same experience life, isn't. 1:42:15.960 --> 1:42:19.920 I mean it changed the whole life experience. Uh. People 1:42:20.040 --> 1:42:23.040 can't can't get away from their pace. I don't have one. 1:42:23.600 --> 1:42:26.320 I'm think I'm the only person in the world without one. 1:42:27.120 --> 1:42:29.880 So you don't have a you have a you don't 1:42:29.920 --> 1:42:31.160 have a smart phone, or you don't have a phone 1:42:31.200 --> 1:42:34.560 at all. Well I have one of these, right, You 1:42:34.600 --> 1:42:36.960 don't have a mobile phone? No, I don't. And you 1:42:37.360 --> 1:42:39.240 had one and gave it up, or you don't want 1:42:39.280 --> 1:42:41.360 to have it. Well I've had them for for the 1:42:41.439 --> 1:42:43.400 length of a tour, and then when they run out 1:42:43.400 --> 1:42:47.240 of money, I haven't renewed them, and so they've got 1:42:47.400 --> 1:42:50.320 become defunct something. At this point, I never talked on 1:42:50.400 --> 1:42:52.479 the phone. I mean, if somebody's calling me for a 1:42:52.600 --> 1:42:55.400 doctor's appointment, whatever, other than I won't talk on the phone. 1:42:55.760 --> 1:42:58.519 And I have reasons for that, because usually people want 1:42:58.640 --> 1:43:00.559 something and it takes them a long time to get 1:43:00.600 --> 1:43:02.840 to what they want. Yes, oh, is it a beautiful day? 1:43:02.840 --> 1:43:06.800 What you mean, what is it you want? But I 1:43:07.000 --> 1:43:10.120 do find it good to have information at my fingertips, 1:43:10.520 --> 1:43:15.040 and I do like having songs. You know. You know 1:43:15.160 --> 1:43:19.800 your wife said, you're heavily into the political thing. I'm 1:43:19.920 --> 1:43:23.080 concerned for the world just as everybody else is, you know. 1:43:23.200 --> 1:43:28.000 I mean I I one minute we're at each other's 1:43:28.040 --> 1:43:30.840 throats and it's almost a nuclear war, and next minute 1:43:30.840 --> 1:43:34.400 we're all pals. I mean it is literally next minute, 1:43:34.680 --> 1:43:38.880 the North Korean guy what's his name? I mean, just 1:43:39.280 --> 1:43:42.080 what a month ago they were talking about nuclear war 1:43:42.200 --> 1:43:45.599 like it was like, yeah, nuk war. Yeah. I mean 1:43:45.680 --> 1:43:48.960 even to discuss that a year ago was not not cool. 1:43:50.000 --> 1:43:53.000 But there's two, it's two. It's not a light subject 1:43:53.040 --> 1:43:56.720 at all at all. I mean, I worry for my grandkids, 1:43:56.960 --> 1:44:02.120 actually mostly not for me. But well, do you feel 1:44:02.200 --> 1:44:08.400 that there's anything musicians can do. I think we can 1:44:08.479 --> 1:44:11.280 deliver a message of love, and that's what we can 1:44:11.360 --> 1:44:16.200 do strongly, and that's what we should be doing. Yeahs. 1:44:16.600 --> 1:44:22.639 Generally speaking, musicians are promoting a message of commerciality. Oh yeah, 1:44:22.760 --> 1:44:30.160 it isn't that sickening? Now? Is that amazing? Or what? 1:44:30.479 --> 1:44:33.240 Like I said on the podcast, I can remember specifically 1:44:33.520 --> 1:44:36.559 on the Merritt Parkway hearing all right now. I remember 1:44:36.640 --> 1:44:41.519 skiing at Snowbird singing simple Man to myself, dancing around 1:44:41.520 --> 1:44:45.200 in my underwear, long before Risky Business with Live for 1:44:45.280 --> 1:44:48.720 the Music, Paul had amazing stories. I can't believe we 1:44:48.800 --> 1:44:51.840 talked to him. I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time, 1:44:52.080 --> 1:45:03.120 I'm bob left us make any reason. I don't know 1:45:03.800 --> 1:45:11.320 exactly why must be its out of the season filling