1 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 1: Welcome, Welcome, Welcome back to the Bob Left Sets podcast. 2 00:00:13,119 --> 00:00:17,680 Speaker 1: My guest today is the one and only John Anderson. John. 3 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:20,239 Speaker 1: Great to have you on the podcast. So tell me 4 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:23,279 Speaker 1: how'd you cope with lockdown during COVID. 5 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:26,520 Speaker 2: I got on with a lot of music, that's for sure. 6 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 2: The day we were told to stay indoors, away from 7 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 2: the chaos was I was doing a barbecue and I 8 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 2: slipped on the top steps near the barbecue is and 9 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:39,880 Speaker 2: I broke my foot in two places. For the first 10 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 2: six months of COVID, I was on crushes. But it 11 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 2: made me want to go in the studio and create. 12 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:47,680 Speaker 2: And that's what I did. 13 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: And what did you create? And you did it alone? 14 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I create a lot of stuff, you know. 15 00:00:56,520 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 2: I called it the opeless opus, and then I did 16 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:03,960 Speaker 2: it up to opus opus. And it's a combination of 17 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:07,480 Speaker 2: the miracle of playing all the white notes on the 18 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:10,560 Speaker 2: keyboard because I can't play them both at the same time, 19 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 2: black and white like a normal person. So I just 20 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 2: played the white notes and I was playing this music, 21 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:20,479 Speaker 2: and I record little sections and then I record another one, 22 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 2: and then I record another one. And during the course 23 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:27,959 Speaker 2: of about two weeks, I recorded about twenty sort of 24 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:33,679 Speaker 2: musical events if you like. And then I actually went 25 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:39,119 Speaker 2: on tour I think it was with the Academy of Rock, 26 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 2: these young teenagers, and we had a great tour and 27 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 2: we called COVID on the way home, which was crazy. 28 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 2: But that's the way things happen. But expect the unexpected. 29 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 2: But the remarkable thing about working with teenagers you feel 30 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:00,240 Speaker 2: young and vibrant until somebody does a self. 31 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 1: Or when you look in the mirror. 32 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 2: And said, wait a minute, you got a couple of 33 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 2: things going on here. 34 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 1: Tell me about only being able to play the white 35 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:13,120 Speaker 1: keys and not the black keys at the same time. 36 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 2: It's just one of those things. I you know, I 37 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:19,920 Speaker 2: never learned to play the piano, so I sort of 38 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 2: made it up and I just used the wine notes 39 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 2: all the time. So it works for me, you know. 40 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:33,520 Speaker 2: And and I tell a story that when I was 41 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 2: doing my solo show, halfway through it, I'd start playing 42 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 2: the keyboards and singing along with the keyboards, and I 43 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 2: could never sing with the piano. I played the piano 44 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 2: book can never sing with it until I actually broke 45 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 2: my back. I know it's a strange idea, but it 46 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:56,800 Speaker 2: actually broke my bike putting up Christmas tensely things on 47 00:02:56,840 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 2: the front door of our house. And I felt over 48 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:03,360 Speaker 2: on the wall and brought my back and from that 49 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:07,360 Speaker 2: moment on I could actually sing at the piano. 50 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 1: Okay, a lot of stuff going on. So you were 51 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:12,640 Speaker 1: putting up tinsel. 52 00:03:12,919 --> 00:03:17,520 Speaker 2: And sparkly tinsel and the lights on the front door 53 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 2: because it was Christmas. 54 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:21,360 Speaker 1: How far did you fall? 55 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:24,639 Speaker 2: Probably a four foot back backwards onto the wall which 56 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 2: had a sharp sort of edge to it, And and 57 00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 2: God bless my wife, she phoned up the the ambulance 58 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:35,440 Speaker 2: to come and get me. And the ambulance came and 59 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 2: got me, and I kept saying I need some morphine. 60 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:42,839 Speaker 2: My back is hurting me. And the guy would say, well, 61 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:45,080 Speaker 2: we'll give you so when we get to the hospital, 62 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 2: and I said, yep, I need it now because it 63 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 2: really hurts. And the guy said, oh, are you John Anderson? 64 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 2: I said, just can be morphine? He said, can I 65 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:57,480 Speaker 2: have your autograph? Then we're in the bloody back of 66 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 2: the well. To think about it, We're in the back 67 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:05,640 Speaker 2: of the ambulance and he's asking me for an autograph. 68 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: And how do they treat it? Broken back? And how 69 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:10,680 Speaker 1: long did it take to recover. 70 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 2: A long time. You basically put on a big type 71 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:18,760 Speaker 2: thing around your chest and sit up a lot. And 72 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:21,240 Speaker 2: that's when I started creating some music as well. 73 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:26,560 Speaker 1: I remember, Okay, you live in California. I don't want 74 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:30,120 Speaker 1: your address, but generally speaking, we're in California. 75 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:32,160 Speaker 2: Are you in California? 76 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: Yes, I'm in La. 77 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:36,560 Speaker 2: Oh great, I'm Central California. 78 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:38,599 Speaker 1: And how'd you end up there? 79 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:41,800 Speaker 2: Well, it's a nice story actually, because I came to 80 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:47,360 Speaker 2: work and live in La some thirty years ago doing 81 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:51,760 Speaker 2: an album called with Yes called The Big Generator, which 82 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 2: was one of those experiences that I'll never forget. And 83 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:05,360 Speaker 2: it just happened that I was working on an album 84 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 2: at the time called Toll Tech, which not many people know, 85 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:14,719 Speaker 2: which is my invitation to make music about the Native 86 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 2: American character energy that they are wonderful people, the indigenous 87 00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:26,839 Speaker 2: people of this part of America. And so I was 88 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 2: making some music and I'd had a lot of meditation 89 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:36,039 Speaker 2: up until that point in time, and I kept seeing 90 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:39,000 Speaker 2: this beautiful girl jump up and wave at me halfway 91 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:44,560 Speaker 2: through the meditation. And so a friend of mine who 92 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:47,800 Speaker 2: worked at BMI, said, I have a friend would like 93 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:52,800 Speaker 2: to meet you. She actually writes and organizes the musicians 94 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:59,400 Speaker 2: with the company. What's the company called? So the problem, Bob. 95 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:02,360 Speaker 1: It'll come to you. It's a mental role there. You 96 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:03,680 Speaker 1: got to go through all the pages. 97 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:09,480 Speaker 2: No, you know, imagine movies, you imagine the company. She 98 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:16,159 Speaker 2: worked for them, and she came to visit me for lunch, 99 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:21,479 Speaker 2: and I said I would prepare lunch, and thinking about it, 100 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:25,040 Speaker 2: I actually prepared local pizza. 101 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:25,840 Speaker 1: Which was a good. 102 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:29,080 Speaker 2: And she came in and it was the girl that 103 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:32,800 Speaker 2: I've been seeing in my meditation. And I remember just 104 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:36,279 Speaker 2: trying to play some music for her but not quite 105 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:39,400 Speaker 2: coordinating the idea that I just met somebody I'm going 106 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:41,760 Speaker 2: to fall in love with and get married to. And 107 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:45,440 Speaker 2: I didn't tell her that, but it just happened to 108 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:49,719 Speaker 2: last life. So my wife, Jane and myself got married 109 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:53,000 Speaker 2: and we've been together thirty years and we still love 110 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:54,040 Speaker 2: each other like crazy. 111 00:06:55,279 --> 00:06:56,360 Speaker 1: Okay, a couple of things. 112 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:58,280 Speaker 2: No, no, no, pardon sorry. 113 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:00,320 Speaker 1: Okay, I just want to stop you there. You had 114 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:04,279 Speaker 1: a meditation. You saw her? Yeah, she walked in the 115 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:07,479 Speaker 1: front door right, a little bit slower. How did the 116 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 1: romance begin? 117 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:12,240 Speaker 2: Well, I looked at her, sugar Hans saying, I love 118 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:17,200 Speaker 2: you we're going to get married. You're incredibly beautiful. I 119 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 2: said that in my head. I didn't say it very early. Okay, 120 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:24,240 Speaker 2: is that sugar hand, you know? And I was mesmerized. 121 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:28,520 Speaker 2: I was totally mesmerized, and thankfully she actually liked me. 122 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:36,480 Speaker 2: And then her sister lives in central California and we 123 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 2: went up to visit the town of San Luis Obispo, 124 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:43,120 Speaker 2: and all of a sudden, I just fell in love 125 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:45,200 Speaker 2: with the idea of living in this part of the world. 126 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:48,679 Speaker 2: And that was it. And here we are, still thirty 127 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:49,280 Speaker 2: years later. 128 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:52,960 Speaker 1: Okay, but going back, she comes to your house to 129 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:56,760 Speaker 1: hear music. You know you're going to marry her. How 130 00:07:56,760 --> 00:07:58,920 Speaker 1: do you actually convey to her? How does it become 131 00:07:58,920 --> 00:07:59,560 Speaker 1: a romance? 132 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:03,560 Speaker 2: Well, she said to me. The last thing she said 133 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:07,120 Speaker 2: to me was send me a cassette of some of 134 00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:09,440 Speaker 2: the music, please, because I was working on this music. 135 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:11,960 Speaker 2: I said, yeah, I'd love to, so I sent her 136 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:16,520 Speaker 2: a cassette but also a note saying, would you like 137 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:19,080 Speaker 2: to go to dinner? Would you like to go to 138 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:21,760 Speaker 2: the beach, would you like to go and play tennis? 139 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:24,400 Speaker 2: Would you like to go and see a movie? I 140 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:28,760 Speaker 2: wrote about twenty things you know that we could do together, 141 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:32,240 Speaker 2: and she got back to me, here's my phone NUMBERY. 142 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:35,000 Speaker 2: She phoned me up and we got together two days 143 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:37,600 Speaker 2: later and that was it. Love. 144 00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: Okay, you're British, she's American. You know, it's been thirty 145 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:48,880 Speaker 1: years already. But are there any innate differences in people 146 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:51,720 Speaker 1: and having a relationship with someone from another country? 147 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:58,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, she's smart and I'm a dumb guy. I'm a singer. 148 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:00,000 Speaker 2: That's what I do, want a singer in a band. 149 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:05,320 Speaker 3: And okay, so you wrote this stuff and then you 150 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:10,920 Speaker 3: went on tour with Paul Green's Rod, Right, how did 151 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:11,640 Speaker 3: that come together? 152 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 2: Well? I met Paul sound twenty twenty some years ago. Actually, 153 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:20,080 Speaker 2: I was on tour with Yes for a little while 154 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:28,000 Speaker 2: and we're playing at the Philadelphia Forum Spectrum and after 155 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:30,920 Speaker 2: the show, came outside the dressing room and there were 156 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:33,880 Speaker 2: some young kids, you know, about a dozen kids with 157 00:09:34,559 --> 00:09:38,880 Speaker 2: T shirts School of Rock. And I said, oh, guys, yes, 158 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:40,880 Speaker 2: you're in a rock school. And they looked at me 159 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:43,880 Speaker 2: and said, yes we are. And I said what kind 160 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:46,760 Speaker 2: of music do you play? We like Frank Zappa and 161 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:49,880 Speaker 2: we actually like Yes. And I thought, oh, young kids, 162 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:54,199 Speaker 2: how old you? Thirteen? Fourteen? Fifteen year old. And then 163 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:57,040 Speaker 2: Paul Green came up and he was the guy who 164 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:01,560 Speaker 2: Jack Back Black Pet played in the movie. Paul Green 165 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:03,600 Speaker 2: comes up and says, hey, John, how are you doing. 166 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 2: These are my students. Would you like to come to 167 00:10:06,679 --> 00:10:10,880 Speaker 2: Philadelphia and work with these kids? And I said I 168 00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:16,240 Speaker 2: don't think so. And then a couple of weeks later, 169 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:20,800 Speaker 2: he sends me a cassette. In those days we had cassettes, 170 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:25,920 Speaker 2: you know, and it was the kids playing Hard at 171 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:30,200 Speaker 2: the Sunrise, which is an incredibly difficult piece of music, 172 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:34,240 Speaker 2: to say the least. And I called him up and said, well, 173 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:38,440 Speaker 2: you didn't tell me they were this good. And he said, listen, John, 174 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:41,480 Speaker 2: we're coming to LA in about three days. Would you 175 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:44,320 Speaker 2: get up and sing with the band? And I said yeah, 176 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:47,600 Speaker 2: because they had a documentary that they were promoting in 177 00:10:47,679 --> 00:10:50,680 Speaker 2: Los Angeles, So I said, yeah, I'll get up and sing. 178 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:53,760 Speaker 2: And it was a great fun They played it so well, 179 00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:59,160 Speaker 2: the song. And then I struck up a relationship with 180 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:04,800 Speaker 2: Paul and he invited me to go to Philadelphia to 181 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:07,160 Speaker 2: sort of hang with the kids and sort of teach 182 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:09,760 Speaker 2: them a little bit about stage presence and that kind 183 00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:12,360 Speaker 2: of thing. So I did, so me and Jane went 184 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:17,600 Speaker 2: to Philadelphia in the beginning of February, which is the 185 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:20,600 Speaker 2: coldest month you can ever go to a city, you know, 186 00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:23,800 Speaker 2: But we just enjoyed it. I enjoyed it very much. 187 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:28,760 Speaker 2: And that's many years ago, twenty four years ago, and 188 00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:31,440 Speaker 2: so it's life, you know. And then I went on 189 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:34,920 Speaker 2: tour with them for a couple of short tours, one 190 00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:39,719 Speaker 2: in East America and one in the West, and then 191 00:11:40,679 --> 00:11:44,080 Speaker 2: about ten years later went on tour with them again. 192 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:48,040 Speaker 2: Ten years later went on tour with them again, and 193 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:52,560 Speaker 2: so I'm staring doing a European tour with them this summer. 194 00:11:53,280 --> 00:11:58,000 Speaker 2: They're just beautiful, young talented people. What can go wrong? 195 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:00,800 Speaker 2: Twenty four young talunted people. 196 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:04,959 Speaker 1: Okay, I know they're good because I once did their 197 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:07,600 Speaker 1: convention and they played a Frank zappasong. Blew my mind. 198 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:12,800 Speaker 1: They even knew it. But okay, they come to you. 199 00:12:13,640 --> 00:12:17,680 Speaker 1: They're teenagers. It's bad enough being on the road with 200 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:21,640 Speaker 1: twenty something musicians. Yeah, what's it like being on the 201 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:23,319 Speaker 1: road with all these teenagers. 202 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:30,680 Speaker 2: Well, it's great fun because they're young, you know, they're fun, 203 00:12:30,760 --> 00:12:35,120 Speaker 2: they're hopeful, they're grateful, they're thankful and so on. That's 204 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:38,600 Speaker 2: what you are when you're young, when you're fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, 205 00:12:39,559 --> 00:12:42,520 Speaker 2: you know there's no point in getting around it. They 206 00:12:42,559 --> 00:12:48,880 Speaker 2: are youthful, joyful and exuberant people and they can play 207 00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:50,120 Speaker 2: their instruments. 208 00:12:50,679 --> 00:12:53,280 Speaker 1: Okay, so let's just say you decide you're going to 209 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:54,800 Speaker 1: go on the road with them, which you have a 210 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:59,560 Speaker 1: number of times. How far in advanced? You give them 211 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:03,480 Speaker 1: a set list? If you were to call it, how 212 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:06,840 Speaker 1: many songs do they learn? Is a set list? Set 213 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:08,920 Speaker 1: in Stone? Yeah? 214 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:13,360 Speaker 2: Paul Green is brilliant. He is a real character and 215 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:19,560 Speaker 2: quite remarkable teaching young musicians to get their act together, 216 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:21,840 Speaker 2: and he does it in such a great way. And 217 00:13:21,880 --> 00:13:23,240 Speaker 2: he's the guy that says, do you want to do 218 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:25,760 Speaker 2: Close to the Air? I just said, yeah, do you 219 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:27,959 Speaker 2: want to do on You? And I? Yeah, do you 220 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:31,920 Speaker 2: want to do Starship Trooper? Yeah? And you know he 221 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:34,040 Speaker 2: just gives me a list, so see, yeah, I'll sing 222 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:37,360 Speaker 2: them all. So I got into a thing this last 223 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:40,840 Speaker 2: tour we did in August just last year, I said, 224 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:43,800 Speaker 2: why do we do some mashups? You know we could 225 00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:49,760 Speaker 2: do you guys can play Kashmir Zeppelin and it goes 226 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:53,840 Speaker 2: straight into long distance run around. So Kashmir happens, and 227 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:56,600 Speaker 2: then I started doing a Yes song, and then we 228 00:13:56,640 --> 00:14:01,960 Speaker 2: started doing Eminem's first hit record. I can't remember what 229 00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:05,160 Speaker 2: it's called, but it sounds so good when the kids 230 00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:09,160 Speaker 2: play it, and that goes into Starship Trooper, so you know, 231 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:12,680 Speaker 2: it's like you mashed them together, and we did. 232 00:14:13,559 --> 00:14:16,480 Speaker 1: So. If you're playing cash miror are they playing instrumentally 233 00:14:16,559 --> 00:14:17,480 Speaker 1: or are you singing. 234 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:19,600 Speaker 2: The Robbert player, No, no, no, I'm not singing it. 235 00:14:19,640 --> 00:14:22,560 Speaker 2: The girl tests brilliant singer. She sings it, and I 236 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:26,840 Speaker 2: do some harmony and I'm playing bass very badly. 237 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:31,920 Speaker 1: And what keeps you on the road at this point 238 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:32,840 Speaker 1: in your life. 239 00:14:34,200 --> 00:14:40,520 Speaker 2: The adventure of it experiencing audiences. I just finished a 240 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:44,960 Speaker 2: tour with the Bang Geeks, a wonderful bunch of musicians 241 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:48,880 Speaker 2: who live out of Long Island area of New York, 242 00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:53,320 Speaker 2: and somebody sent me a video of them performing of 243 00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:55,920 Speaker 2: All Things Hard at the Sunrise. This is about a 244 00:14:55,960 --> 00:14:59,160 Speaker 2: year ago, and I kind of freaked out. These guys 245 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:02,400 Speaker 2: are so damn good there. It's like note for note 246 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:07,120 Speaker 2: exactly correct. They sounded like the Yes of the seventies. 247 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:11,600 Speaker 2: So and it wasn't that they just they copied the music, 248 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:13,800 Speaker 2: of course, but they didn't sound like the record. They 249 00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:17,880 Speaker 2: sounded like them performing it with a certain edge to it. 250 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,720 Speaker 2: So I thought about it for a month or two 251 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:23,760 Speaker 2: and called up. I got the phone number of the 252 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:29,640 Speaker 2: bass player who runs the show, Richie Castellano, and I said, Richie, 253 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:33,680 Speaker 2: how you doing? It's John Anderson. They said, hey, is 254 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:36,560 Speaker 2: that you John? I said, yes, me. Why don't we 255 00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:41,240 Speaker 2: go on the road and do some classics and epics? Richie, 256 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:46,920 Speaker 2: he's there. What I want to do is do four 257 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:50,640 Speaker 2: epics and the rest of classics. So we do close 258 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 2: to the edge gates of Delirium Awaken, which is heaven 259 00:15:56,120 --> 00:16:01,320 Speaker 2: and ritual from topographic, and we can do that, and 260 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:06,000 Speaker 2: then we'll do a bunch of you know, classics like 261 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:10,200 Speaker 2: I've seen all good people you know, roundabout that kind 262 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:12,960 Speaker 2: of thing. So we put together the show. We just 263 00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:16,200 Speaker 2: did the twelve shows of on the West Coast about 264 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:19,600 Speaker 2: a month ago, two months or six weeks ago, and 265 00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:24,360 Speaker 2: that was a great, great fun to work with these guys. 266 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:26,800 Speaker 2: So hopefully we'll do it every year. 267 00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 1: Okay, you called yourself, Are you your own manager? How 268 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:34,200 Speaker 1: does it work? 269 00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:35,840 Speaker 2: I'm looking for a manager? 270 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:39,080 Speaker 1: Okay, Well you put it out there at this point, Well, 271 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:43,280 Speaker 1: you know, someone like you, someone like you at this 272 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:47,560 Speaker 1: late date obviously has an opinion on managers. 273 00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:55,240 Speaker 2: I can't talk about it anymore. That's about it. 274 00:16:56,880 --> 00:16:59,480 Speaker 1: So what are you looking for? 275 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:07,240 Speaker 2: Somebody who understands me, which is a it's a hard 276 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:11,520 Speaker 2: it's a hard gig, but very interesting. 277 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:16,320 Speaker 1: And then who actually books the tours? You have an agent? 278 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:22,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, we have an agent, really great guy, Steve, And 279 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:26,080 Speaker 2: of course Paul Green booked the European tour. We start 280 00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:31,560 Speaker 2: off in Budapest and then we play in Amsterdam, and 281 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:34,720 Speaker 2: then we play in Madrid and so on. 282 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:37,439 Speaker 1: So when you play these gigs with other either the 283 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:42,520 Speaker 1: Long Island Band or the Paul Green Band, Yeah, what's 284 00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:46,440 Speaker 1: the audience is the audience the fans from the seventies. 285 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:50,120 Speaker 2: Who comes combination, you get a lot of you know, 286 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:53,639 Speaker 2: you get classic yes fans, you know, and they say, oh, 287 00:17:53,680 --> 00:17:55,480 Speaker 2: we're going to go and see Johns to sing again, 288 00:17:55,520 --> 00:17:58,800 Speaker 2: which would be good. And you know, I always put 289 00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:02,200 Speaker 2: on a good show whenever work. I love it. And 290 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:05,920 Speaker 2: you get some young people coming to see these young artists, 291 00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:12,080 Speaker 2: young teenagers, and they've already done quite a few festivals 292 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:17,080 Speaker 2: in Europe over the years. There's a classic Frank Zappa festivals, 293 00:18:17,119 --> 00:18:19,359 Speaker 2: so everybody goes on in place Frank Zappa, you know. 294 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:23,119 Speaker 2: So it's always a lot of fun to to to 295 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:26,160 Speaker 2: be around that kind of energy. You're not quite sure 296 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:28,680 Speaker 2: the audience are gonna the audience are gonna have a 297 00:18:28,720 --> 00:18:30,920 Speaker 2: good time because we have a good time. And that's 298 00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:33,560 Speaker 2: the way I think about music. If you're having a 299 00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:37,800 Speaker 2: good time, the audience don't get it. And generally it 300 00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:39,000 Speaker 2: happens that way. 301 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:43,320 Speaker 1: And then you know, you were a lot of your 302 00:18:43,359 --> 00:18:47,920 Speaker 1: success was with the band with multiple members, different song 303 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:52,920 Speaker 1: writers the seventies. Accounting to what degree did you get 304 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:55,040 Speaker 1: ripped off or you had a fear shake. 305 00:18:56,920 --> 00:19:01,640 Speaker 2: Rip off? Herdi mean sorry financially, Oh yeah, that happens. 306 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:08,280 Speaker 2: You know, nobody escapes that event in the music world, 307 00:19:08,359 --> 00:19:10,960 Speaker 2: shall we say, or in a kind of world. But 308 00:19:11,119 --> 00:19:14,719 Speaker 2: it never bothered me that much. I have some funny 309 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:18,439 Speaker 2: stories about it, But to me, it was like, you know, 310 00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:19,520 Speaker 2: you read what you saw. 311 00:19:20,840 --> 00:19:22,480 Speaker 1: We'll tell a couple of funny stories. 312 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:32,120 Speaker 2: No, no, I can't tell you well, no, I can't 313 00:19:32,119 --> 00:19:32,880 Speaker 2: think about it now. 314 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:40,240 Speaker 1: Sorry, Okay, And after all these years, after essentially fifty years, 315 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:43,840 Speaker 1: how are you doing financially doing good. 316 00:19:44,080 --> 00:19:46,399 Speaker 2: You know, We've got a lovely little house here up 317 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:49,639 Speaker 2: in the hills away from the village. Who life. You know, 318 00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:52,399 Speaker 2: it's to noisey down there. So we live on this 319 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:57,600 Speaker 2: hill and surrounded by deer and antelope play, you know, 320 00:19:57,640 --> 00:19:59,200 Speaker 2: with the deer and the antelope play. 321 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:00,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, I got the song reference. 322 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:06,879 Speaker 2: And I'm creating all the time, music and stories and 323 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:10,120 Speaker 2: musicals and all this kind of idea of music being 324 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:15,199 Speaker 2: forever broadening your mind and thought and so on. I 325 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:17,320 Speaker 2: just feel that I'm doing what I'm supposed to do. 326 00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:26,560 Speaker 1: Okay, So where exactly did you grow up? 327 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:32,359 Speaker 2: Originally in Acrington, which is north of Manchester, twenty nine 328 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:37,640 Speaker 2: miles north of Manchester, a little town called Acrington, which 329 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:41,720 Speaker 2: is famous for well, probably many things, but the main 330 00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:47,000 Speaker 2: thing they were famous for Acrington's Stanley football team. They 331 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:49,919 Speaker 2: were one of the first eleven teams that created the 332 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:53,480 Speaker 2: first league in the history of soccer. 333 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:58,320 Speaker 1: And to what degree were you interested in playing soccer? 334 00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:02,639 Speaker 2: Well, I was the bow boy and I go and 335 00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:04,800 Speaker 2: get the ball and throw it back on the pitch. 336 00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:08,120 Speaker 2: I was the ball boy and then but I wanted 337 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:10,000 Speaker 2: to play for Akering to the Stanley that was my 338 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:12,800 Speaker 2: gig and I had a track suit and I'd play. 339 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:17,800 Speaker 2: I'd rehearse when when the players were doing there. What 340 00:21:17,840 --> 00:21:21,040 Speaker 2: do you call it rehearsal? I suppose it is when 341 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:23,480 Speaker 2: they kick the ball around on them on the car park. 342 00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:27,639 Speaker 2: I'll be there. I'd be there, dribbling away and a 343 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:30,400 Speaker 2: little small. I was very small from my age. And 344 00:21:30,520 --> 00:21:34,119 Speaker 2: the guy who was the trainer of ackering to the 345 00:21:34,160 --> 00:21:38,240 Speaker 2: Stanley Leslie Leslie Cocker, who eventually became the trainer to 346 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:43,080 Speaker 2: England in a World Cup, said to me, John, you're 347 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:46,960 Speaker 2: good at dribbling, but you're too small. I think you 348 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:49,679 Speaker 2: shouldn't be playing this game. Just be just be a 349 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:52,600 Speaker 2: ball boy, okay. And that's what I was. I was 350 00:21:52,680 --> 00:22:00,000 Speaker 2: happily told you can't play for England, and I thought, okay, 351 00:22:00,359 --> 00:22:03,840 Speaker 2: so that I'll join my brother's rock and roll band. 352 00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:06,400 Speaker 2: He had a rock and roll band called the Warriors, 353 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:10,080 Speaker 2: and there were two singers him, my brother Tony, and 354 00:22:10,119 --> 00:22:14,840 Speaker 2: this guy called Charlie who actually gave up singing in 355 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:19,719 Speaker 2: the band and became a hairdresser. And it just happens 356 00:22:19,760 --> 00:22:22,600 Speaker 2: to be that at that moment in time, the Beatles 357 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:26,639 Speaker 2: released a song called Love Me Do and Tony, my 358 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:31,320 Speaker 2: brother who he sang all the Elvis Presley songs in 359 00:22:31,359 --> 00:22:34,280 Speaker 2: the band, and I joined the band and started singing 360 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:40,680 Speaker 2: Who's that guy with the dark glasses? Roy Orbison? I 361 00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:43,280 Speaker 2: did all his songs because I'm an auto tenor you 362 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:49,320 Speaker 2: see cry cry. 363 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:51,280 Speaker 1: Okay, let's come back a little bit. How many kids 364 00:22:51,280 --> 00:22:55,760 Speaker 1: are in the family, three boys and a girl? And 365 00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:57,240 Speaker 1: where were you in the hierarchy? 366 00:22:57,840 --> 00:22:59,359 Speaker 2: That was the third boy? 367 00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:02,720 Speaker 1: And what did your parents do for a living? 368 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:08,639 Speaker 2: They just had a good time living and my dad 369 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:13,080 Speaker 2: was very he was a traveling salesman. There were ballroom 370 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:16,880 Speaker 2: champions of Lancashire because there was a big cup on 371 00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:22,880 Speaker 2: the over the fire place, and they were happy and 372 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:26,480 Speaker 2: it was a wonderful life because I worked on the 373 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:29,680 Speaker 2: local farm with my brother Tony since I was then 374 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:33,680 Speaker 2: ten years old eleven years old, and we sang Heavery 375 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:37,520 Speaker 2: brother songs all the time. It was like, you know, 376 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:41,560 Speaker 2: in all weathers, I'm serious weather up in the north 377 00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:43,880 Speaker 2: of England you get a lot of snow, a lot 378 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:47,440 Speaker 2: of rain, more rain and then a lot of snow, 379 00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:51,280 Speaker 2: then sunny days around Easter. It used to be beautiful. 380 00:23:51,800 --> 00:23:55,600 Speaker 2: But we used to deliver milk, milk the cows shovel 381 00:23:55,680 --> 00:24:01,359 Speaker 2: a lot of cow downg what we call shit, a 382 00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:03,960 Speaker 2: lot of poop, and I'd shovel it and put it 383 00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:07,960 Speaker 2: in a wheelbarrow and tip it over into the tip 384 00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:12,080 Speaker 2: And all that was used for spreading all over the 385 00:24:12,119 --> 00:24:17,399 Speaker 2: fields to make the grass grow. It's called I can't 386 00:24:17,400 --> 00:24:20,600 Speaker 2: remember what it's called, fertilizer. Fertilizer. 387 00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:26,960 Speaker 1: Well done, Bob, okay, So let's go back to that era. 388 00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:29,920 Speaker 1: What kind of kid were you were you? Popular? Good student, 389 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:30,840 Speaker 1: bad student? 390 00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:34,280 Speaker 2: Well, yeah, I was a nice guy. You know. I 391 00:24:34,359 --> 00:24:38,160 Speaker 2: used to run errands from my mom and do this 392 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:41,000 Speaker 2: and that and the other, go and play football up 393 00:24:41,040 --> 00:24:46,000 Speaker 2: on the car park with local kids, and play cricket 394 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:50,080 Speaker 2: even on the car park with local kids. And one 395 00:24:50,119 --> 00:24:52,520 Speaker 2: of the guys that I used to play against lived 396 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:55,680 Speaker 2: a couple of blocks down the water street. His name 397 00:24:55,760 --> 00:25:00,680 Speaker 2: was David Lloyd and he actually played for England cricket 398 00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:05,440 Speaker 2: Test match. He's one of the most famous commentators now 399 00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:08,280 Speaker 2: in cricket. Sweet guy too. 400 00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:11,520 Speaker 1: So did your parents teach you to dance? 401 00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:17,520 Speaker 2: No, the ballroom dancing, you know, is a different, different world. 402 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:22,560 Speaker 2: It was all that kind of Fred Astaire type dancing. 403 00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:26,040 Speaker 1: Well, did you have to go to them with them 404 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:26,800 Speaker 1: to the ballroom. 405 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:29,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, we could go down the road and watch them 406 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:33,720 Speaker 2: dance around and it was really beautiful to watch. But 407 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:36,240 Speaker 2: I was more interested that. By the time I was 408 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:40,560 Speaker 2: ten eleven, I was interested in being in a band. 409 00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:42,879 Speaker 2: So I joined the band and it was called the 410 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:47,800 Speaker 2: Little John Skiffle Group, and I played the washboard and 411 00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:52,679 Speaker 2: we were very loud and noisy. Okay, well, American music 412 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:56,399 Speaker 2: actually a lot of classic American country music. 413 00:25:56,760 --> 00:26:01,400 Speaker 1: You're born just before the Second World War ends? So 414 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:05,200 Speaker 1: what was life like in the fifties in England for you. 415 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:10,560 Speaker 2: Delivery milk? 416 00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:14,680 Speaker 1: Well, I mean in terms of a couple of things. 417 00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:17,359 Speaker 1: In terms of music. You look through a US lens, 418 00:26:17,480 --> 00:26:20,720 Speaker 1: we have Ike Turner, Rock Rocket eighty eight, we have 419 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:24,840 Speaker 1: Rock around the Clock, then we have Elvis and then 420 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:28,800 Speaker 1: it's sort of a dry period with teen idols, although 421 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:31,240 Speaker 1: we have the Beach Boys of Four Seasons and then 422 00:26:31,359 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 1: come the Beatles. What was it like from a UK viewpoint? 423 00:26:35,880 --> 00:26:39,840 Speaker 2: Well, what hammer was? My brother had a motorbike. He 424 00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:45,479 Speaker 2: actually you ever see Marlon Brando in The Wild Ones Worse? Yeah, 425 00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:49,480 Speaker 2: that's my brother. He had the helmet. Yeah, no, a helmet, 426 00:26:49,560 --> 00:26:52,639 Speaker 2: didn't use a helmet, had a cap, dark glasses and 427 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:57,200 Speaker 2: a big shield on this motorbike some being motorbike, which 428 00:26:57,280 --> 00:27:02,760 Speaker 2: is like a shaft driven noisy bugger. And he said 429 00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:05,600 Speaker 2: to me, John, we're going to go and see the Beatles. 430 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:11,960 Speaker 2: They're playing at Southport. And this is like April sixty three, Yeah, 431 00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:15,080 Speaker 2: around that time. I said, okay. So it rained all 432 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:17,040 Speaker 2: the way there, because you know where I lived, it 433 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:20,160 Speaker 2: rained all the time, the North Sea or something like that. 434 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:25,399 Speaker 2: And so we actually went to see the Beatles performing 435 00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:32,040 Speaker 2: in the Floral Hall in Southport in April sixty three. 436 00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:34,800 Speaker 2: And of course we'd heard on the radio Love Me Do, 437 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:38,200 Speaker 2: and we all liked it, you know, and we sang 438 00:27:38,320 --> 00:27:42,880 Speaker 2: all the way to the gig and went in and 439 00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:46,159 Speaker 2: they're probably about let's say, five hundred and six hundred people, 440 00:27:47,080 --> 00:27:50,040 Speaker 2: mostly guys and a bunch of girls at the front. 441 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:54,160 Speaker 2: Mostly guys, sort of you know, teenagers. They were called 442 00:27:54,760 --> 00:28:02,480 Speaker 2: you were raither a rocker or hippie. These were sort 443 00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:05,480 Speaker 2: of a mixture, but it was kind of the energy 444 00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:10,800 Speaker 2: was so powerful and the Beatles sounded so amazing that 445 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:13,640 Speaker 2: you get involved in it. He started shouting and screaming 446 00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:17,600 Speaker 2: after every song. They didn't scream in when they were playing. 447 00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:20,600 Speaker 2: The girls at the front didn't scream. They just waited 448 00:28:20,640 --> 00:28:22,800 Speaker 2: till they finished the song, you know, twists and shout 449 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:29,680 Speaker 2: and then yeah, wonderful. And it was a revelation for 450 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:32,199 Speaker 2: me and my brother because we had a band, and 451 00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:34,680 Speaker 2: so we learned all the first album of the Beatles 452 00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:38,200 Speaker 2: and we played that and felt like we were in 453 00:28:38,240 --> 00:28:40,880 Speaker 2: the Beatles sort of. We even had a Beatle air cut. 454 00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:46,000 Speaker 2: And we went to see them about six months later 455 00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:50,520 Speaker 2: in Blackburn, which is only five miles away from Acaring Town, 456 00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:56,760 Speaker 2: and got to the gig and couldn't hear them. Everybody 457 00:28:56,840 --> 00:29:02,040 Speaker 2: was screaming. Everybody was screaming. You could hardly hear them. 458 00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:05,800 Speaker 2: It's fantastic the being with your brother. 459 00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:08,840 Speaker 1: Were you playing gigs out? Were you getting paid or 460 00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:10,040 Speaker 1: you just hauling? 461 00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:15,000 Speaker 2: No? No, no, we got paid. We played working men's clubs, 462 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:18,080 Speaker 2: very important men's clubs. 463 00:29:18,640 --> 00:29:20,400 Speaker 1: I don't know what a working men's club. 464 00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:23,040 Speaker 2: Is, Okay. Working men's club is when you go there 465 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:27,000 Speaker 2: and you set up your kid drum kit and your amplifier, 466 00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:29,719 Speaker 2: and then the first person that goes on stage in 467 00:29:29,760 --> 00:29:34,960 Speaker 2: front of about one hundred local people, all drinking a 468 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:37,520 Speaker 2: lot of beer and the first guy comes on. He's 469 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:39,880 Speaker 2: a comedian, tells a few jokes and some of them 470 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:42,640 Speaker 2: dirty and some not, and the crowd are getting h 471 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:46,680 Speaker 2: it's fantastic. Where's the stripper and this? So the stripper 472 00:29:46,720 --> 00:29:49,360 Speaker 2: comes on and she does her strippering, and then we 473 00:29:49,480 --> 00:29:53,560 Speaker 2: go on after the stripper, and the problem was that 474 00:29:53,640 --> 00:29:56,440 Speaker 2: she would had to come past us in this whole 475 00:29:56,520 --> 00:29:59,080 Speaker 2: way as we were standing there to go on stage, 476 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:06,120 Speaker 2: to come past naked, and it was frightening, very frightening, 477 00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:12,160 Speaker 2: three young lad like me. Anyway, we go on and 478 00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:14,320 Speaker 2: play four songs, then come back off, and then the 479 00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:17,200 Speaker 2: comedian will go on, then bingo, and then another stripper 480 00:30:17,240 --> 00:30:19,160 Speaker 2: would go on. And that's a working men's club. 481 00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:22,600 Speaker 1: And do you remember how much they would pay the group. 482 00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:29,360 Speaker 2: Five pounds which paid for the petrol and some fish 483 00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:29,840 Speaker 2: and chips. 484 00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:33,760 Speaker 1: Okay, so you work it. How long do you go 485 00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:34,360 Speaker 1: to school? 486 00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:38,160 Speaker 2: Till I was fourteen? And then I said I've had 487 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:43,240 Speaker 2: enough because I wasn't learning anything in the last two 488 00:30:43,280 --> 00:30:46,000 Speaker 2: months that I was at. The school was actually cool, 489 00:30:46,080 --> 00:30:49,800 Speaker 2: Saint Christopher's, which was kind of nice. The Saint Christopher 490 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:52,920 Speaker 2: is the patron saint of travel, and that's what I did. 491 00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:56,800 Speaker 2: I traveled. I'm still traveling now. 492 00:30:57,760 --> 00:31:01,560 Speaker 1: Okay, so you're fourteen, you stop going to school. Your 493 00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:02,600 Speaker 1: parents are cool with that. 494 00:31:03,680 --> 00:31:06,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, of course, got a job in the on the farm, 495 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:10,520 Speaker 2: helping to keep the ball rolling at home, and so. 496 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:13,600 Speaker 1: You know, okay, you're working on the farm. I've actually 497 00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:16,240 Speaker 1: worked on a farm, and it can be it can 498 00:31:16,320 --> 00:31:20,520 Speaker 1: be very hard work. Yeah, so I can't imagine you're 499 00:31:20,520 --> 00:31:22,960 Speaker 1: working on the farm saying well, this is my future. 500 00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:26,000 Speaker 1: So what was what were you thinking in your brain 501 00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:27,120 Speaker 1: as you're doing all this? 502 00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:31,560 Speaker 2: Well, obviously we had the rock and roll band that 503 00:31:31,600 --> 00:31:38,400 Speaker 2: we play every weekend, and then you know, I don't 504 00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:41,080 Speaker 2: know if you don't think about much other than just 505 00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:45,480 Speaker 2: hearing the next hit song on the radio, learning it 506 00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:49,880 Speaker 2: and going on stage and playing it and just getting 507 00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:53,080 Speaker 2: into the idea of maybe one day we can have 508 00:31:53,120 --> 00:31:56,880 Speaker 2: a hit record. And then this, this, this really happened. 509 00:31:57,320 --> 00:32:00,200 Speaker 2: We were actually rehearsing in our little rehearsal room from 510 00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:04,239 Speaker 2: downtown in Acrington there and this this guy came up 511 00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:07,880 Speaker 2: from Manchester and I think he was They call him 512 00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:10,680 Speaker 2: Jack the Lad, a guy that seems to know everything. 513 00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:13,360 Speaker 2: He came in and heard us playing, he says, I 514 00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:16,520 Speaker 2: think you guys are really good. Do you know do 515 00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:18,200 Speaker 2: you want? Do you want to make a hit record? 516 00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:23,320 Speaker 2: And we said yeah, and they said, well, next Thursday 517 00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:27,040 Speaker 2: can you come down to Manchester and play for my friends. 518 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:28,680 Speaker 2: I have a couple of friends who've got a lot 519 00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:30,960 Speaker 2: of money and they can make sure you have a 520 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:36,360 Speaker 2: hit record. And I said that'd be great and Tony said, yeah, 521 00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:41,280 Speaker 2: that'll be really good. He didn't talk, but he said 522 00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:45,360 Speaker 2: it'd be really good. And the guy said, so this Thursday, 523 00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:48,000 Speaker 2: cant can you come down to Manchester and play to 524 00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:52,280 Speaker 2: my two friends? And my brother Tony said no, I'm sorry, No, 525 00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:56,720 Speaker 2: We're playing at baddy Ham working Men's Club and the 526 00:32:56,760 --> 00:33:00,000 Speaker 2: guy said, well cancel it. Oh no, I can't cancel it. 527 00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:04,240 Speaker 2: We promised to go and play and the guy said, well, 528 00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:07,240 Speaker 2: screw You'll go and find another band. So he went 529 00:33:07,280 --> 00:33:10,680 Speaker 2: five miles away to Blackburn and got in touch with 530 00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:13,920 Speaker 2: a band called I'll think about it in a minute 531 00:33:14,120 --> 00:33:22,200 Speaker 2: and uh morton, morton, somebody's more than somebody's five morton. Anyway, 532 00:33:22,520 --> 00:33:25,360 Speaker 2: they were called us something and he went to them 533 00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:28,440 Speaker 2: and within six weeks they were top of the charts 534 00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:32,680 Speaker 2: with a song. Yeah, he actually could do it and 535 00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:36,760 Speaker 2: there was as he could buy anything, you know, and Juliet, 536 00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:45,400 Speaker 2: I think the song was and such wonderful moments in 537 00:33:45,440 --> 00:33:45,920 Speaker 2: my life. 538 00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:50,520 Speaker 1: Okay, so you've missed this big opportunity. What's your first 539 00:33:50,560 --> 00:33:52,280 Speaker 1: break if there is one. 540 00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:59,680 Speaker 2: There wasn't one. I brought my nodded. Well. Basically what 541 00:33:59,720 --> 00:34:04,800 Speaker 2: we did was kind of cool because we decided to 542 00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:10,480 Speaker 2: go to play in clubs in Germany and Scandinavia. It 543 00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:13,960 Speaker 2: was the way to be able to learn your trade 544 00:34:13,960 --> 00:34:17,960 Speaker 2: if you like, you know, you go and play in Cologne, Frankfurt, 545 00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:26,200 Speaker 2: Hamburg and then Helsinki and you do two weeks in 546 00:34:26,239 --> 00:34:30,680 Speaker 2: each a city and they go around. You go round 547 00:34:30,719 --> 00:34:33,799 Speaker 2: and round doing that. And of course that was an 548 00:34:33,920 --> 00:34:37,360 Speaker 2: incredible time. It was like the mid sixties. There was 549 00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:41,600 Speaker 2: so much music around everywhere you looked and listened. It 550 00:34:41,640 --> 00:34:46,160 Speaker 2: was great music. And we became a good band, you 551 00:34:46,160 --> 00:34:51,400 Speaker 2: know at that time, I thought, and we were doing 552 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:57,240 Speaker 2: basically you played from seven to midnight and fifteen minute 553 00:34:57,280 --> 00:35:01,760 Speaker 2: breaks and the the manager of the club will definitely 554 00:35:01,760 --> 00:35:04,799 Speaker 2: give you some pills to keep you awake. So we 555 00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:08,439 Speaker 2: started on that train of let's take a pill now man, 556 00:35:08,600 --> 00:35:10,600 Speaker 2: you know, he said, yeah, but you're not supposed to 557 00:35:10,680 --> 00:35:12,759 Speaker 2: take into later on in the night. No, I want 558 00:35:12,760 --> 00:35:17,480 Speaker 2: to take it now. It makes me speed. It's called speed, 559 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:20,080 Speaker 2: and that's what we all did. And we did all 560 00:35:20,120 --> 00:35:22,800 Speaker 2: these gigs around and round and around, go around in circles. 561 00:35:22,880 --> 00:35:27,040 Speaker 2: And then the greatest thing that happened was Sergeant Pepper 562 00:35:27,080 --> 00:35:32,719 Speaker 2: came out. So by then we were on speed marijuana. 563 00:35:34,239 --> 00:35:40,320 Speaker 2: It's called hashies in Europe and LSD. I said, okay, 564 00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:46,360 Speaker 2: let's try this stuff. And then we put on Sergeant Pepper. 565 00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:51,239 Speaker 2: That really blew everybody's mind in the world, I think, 566 00:35:51,960 --> 00:35:56,720 Speaker 2: because it was brilliant. I just wanted to be a beetle. 567 00:35:59,239 --> 00:36:02,320 Speaker 1: How did you get the these gigs in Germany and Scandinavia. 568 00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:06,160 Speaker 2: Oh, there's an agent. There's always an agent. There's always somebody, 569 00:36:06,280 --> 00:36:08,440 Speaker 2: you know, you ask ask around, you know. 570 00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:14,640 Speaker 1: Okay, you hear Sergeant Pepper, which really was mind blowing, 571 00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:17,120 Speaker 1: especially there were no singles on it. It was a 572 00:36:17,160 --> 00:36:22,880 Speaker 1: thing to itself. And you're doing these European tours. What's 573 00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:24,000 Speaker 1: the next step for you? 574 00:36:25,760 --> 00:36:31,720 Speaker 2: Well, the next step was we we we played show 575 00:36:32,680 --> 00:36:41,000 Speaker 2: in Sweden, No Copenhagen, beautiful place, and we had to 576 00:36:41,040 --> 00:36:42,960 Speaker 2: do this one more show. Before we went to the 577 00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:47,000 Speaker 2: next town, which was Clone, and then down to Munich 578 00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:50,640 Speaker 2: and then up to Hamburg, same same thing. And I 579 00:36:50,760 --> 00:36:54,240 Speaker 2: just hattened to take Lstta and I went to see 580 00:36:55,560 --> 00:37:00,800 Speaker 2: one of the greatest movies ever. It was Dr Schivago, 581 00:37:02,560 --> 00:37:05,360 Speaker 2: so Doctor Chibago. I was so in love with that woman, 582 00:37:05,400 --> 00:37:12,279 Speaker 2: whatever her name was. Anyway, I went to see that 583 00:37:12,400 --> 00:37:15,680 Speaker 2: and then went to the gig, and I noticed that 584 00:37:15,719 --> 00:37:20,640 Speaker 2: everybody in the band takes somewhere ste so we'd look 585 00:37:20,680 --> 00:37:22,839 Speaker 2: at each other. We're supposed to be playing music. We're 586 00:37:22,880 --> 00:37:25,399 Speaker 2: standing there on the stage and there's people looking at 587 00:37:25,480 --> 00:37:28,840 Speaker 2: us saying, well, come on, then get on with the music. 588 00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:31,239 Speaker 2: And we're all looking at each other saying, how do 589 00:37:31,320 --> 00:37:35,880 Speaker 2: we do this? We couldn't put it together, you know, mentally, 590 00:37:36,160 --> 00:37:39,600 Speaker 2: we couldn't put it together. It's just not possible. So 591 00:37:39,680 --> 00:37:41,920 Speaker 2: the guy fired us and we went down to Cologne 592 00:37:41,960 --> 00:37:46,839 Speaker 2: and carried on with doing seven hours of singing and 593 00:37:46,880 --> 00:37:51,520 Speaker 2: playing every night. And then one day I just had 594 00:37:51,520 --> 00:37:57,200 Speaker 2: a vision, a musical vision, and I just had this 595 00:37:57,320 --> 00:37:59,880 Speaker 2: idea we were a pretty good band. I thought we 596 00:37:59,880 --> 00:38:03,240 Speaker 2: were a pretty good band of warriors, you know, And 597 00:38:03,760 --> 00:38:09,160 Speaker 2: so I went to the bedroom and woke everybody up. Say, 598 00:38:09,360 --> 00:38:14,160 Speaker 2: come on, guys, let's rehearse. Guys, go away, John please, 599 00:38:15,880 --> 00:38:21,480 Speaker 2: they all said, in unison and go away. But guys, 600 00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:24,399 Speaker 2: we've got to rehearse. Man. We can be really good. 601 00:38:24,440 --> 00:38:27,320 Speaker 2: I've got some ideas musically. We could do a little 602 00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:31,919 Speaker 2: bit of John. Will you go away please? They said 603 00:38:31,960 --> 00:38:36,120 Speaker 2: in unison, And I said, okay, I'm packing my bags, 604 00:38:36,120 --> 00:38:40,960 Speaker 2: I'm leaving, which I did. I left, I got my 605 00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:45,239 Speaker 2: suitcase and I went to Munich. And the rest is 606 00:38:45,239 --> 00:38:49,560 Speaker 2: in my autobiography. It's a good story though. 607 00:38:51,200 --> 00:38:53,960 Speaker 1: Okay, at what point in this story do you start 608 00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:56,280 Speaker 1: playing original material? 609 00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:02,239 Speaker 2: Probably not until I got to London. I was a 610 00:39:02,280 --> 00:39:05,520 Speaker 2: couple of great things happened where I had a visitation. 611 00:39:07,280 --> 00:39:11,480 Speaker 2: Where I was sitting in this beautiful English gardens in Munich, 612 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:15,640 Speaker 2: and I was mumbling to myself over and over why 613 00:39:15,680 --> 00:39:16,160 Speaker 2: am I here? 614 00:39:17,239 --> 00:39:17,479 Speaker 1: Why? 615 00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:21,399 Speaker 2: Why am I here? What am I supposed to be doing? 616 00:39:21,480 --> 00:39:26,120 Speaker 2: What's going on? What's going on? And the voice said, John, 617 00:39:27,880 --> 00:39:34,040 Speaker 2: nothing matters? And I thought, who the heck was that. 618 00:39:34,160 --> 00:39:36,400 Speaker 2: There's nobody around me. I'm in the middle of a garden. 619 00:39:37,160 --> 00:39:45,319 Speaker 2: And the voice said, John, nothing matters. Well, that did it? 620 00:39:45,760 --> 00:39:51,800 Speaker 2: I said, Oh, my god, somebody's watching me or watching 621 00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:54,440 Speaker 2: over me. What the heck's going on? I'm thinking. But 622 00:39:54,560 --> 00:39:59,560 Speaker 2: something really beautiful happened that I ran to the department 623 00:39:59,560 --> 00:40:02,920 Speaker 2: that I was staying in and there was a telegram 624 00:40:02,960 --> 00:40:05,160 Speaker 2: on the floor. When I opened the door, the telegram 625 00:40:05,320 --> 00:40:08,959 Speaker 2: who was from my mom and it said, John, there's 626 00:40:08,960 --> 00:40:11,479 Speaker 2: a band in Frankfurt want you to sing with them, 627 00:40:12,239 --> 00:40:15,120 Speaker 2: and here's the number. And that was it. It was like, 628 00:40:15,800 --> 00:40:19,319 Speaker 2: somebody wants me, because that's why I was so screwed up. 629 00:40:19,360 --> 00:40:21,839 Speaker 2: I just thought nobody wanted me, but they did, and 630 00:40:21,880 --> 00:40:23,680 Speaker 2: I went to work with them for three months, and 631 00:40:23,719 --> 00:40:27,320 Speaker 2: then I went to London and that's where I met Chris. 632 00:40:28,160 --> 00:40:29,440 Speaker 1: How did you meet Chris Squire? 633 00:40:30,200 --> 00:40:33,480 Speaker 2: Well, I was working at a bar over the Marquee Club, 634 00:40:33,840 --> 00:40:37,600 Speaker 2: a very famous club in London, and all the people 635 00:40:37,600 --> 00:40:40,840 Speaker 2: that played the Marquee came up to the club, you know, normal, 636 00:40:41,560 --> 00:40:44,799 Speaker 2: and I clean up and wash up and help help 637 00:40:44,840 --> 00:40:51,480 Speaker 2: around to survive, and you know, people like who they 638 00:40:51,600 --> 00:40:57,280 Speaker 2: wander in have a few drinks and then even everybody 639 00:40:57,280 --> 00:41:01,239 Speaker 2: who played at the Marquee Club would pop up to 640 00:41:01,239 --> 00:41:06,640 Speaker 2: the club and he met all the greats at that period. 641 00:41:06,760 --> 00:41:11,080 Speaker 2: It was like sixty eight sixty nine. So I was 642 00:41:11,120 --> 00:41:15,040 Speaker 2: there cleaning up one evening and the guy that ran 643 00:41:15,080 --> 00:41:19,600 Speaker 2: the club, a really nice guy, said, I know you're 644 00:41:19,640 --> 00:41:22,080 Speaker 2: looking for a band, John. I said, yeah, I'm looking 645 00:41:22,080 --> 00:41:23,959 Speaker 2: for a band. I said, well, there's a bass player 646 00:41:24,040 --> 00:41:26,440 Speaker 2: over there. I think he might be looking for a singer. 647 00:41:27,280 --> 00:41:30,040 Speaker 2: I thought, okay. So I went toward to this very 648 00:41:30,080 --> 00:41:32,719 Speaker 2: tall guy and said, Hi, my name is John and 649 00:41:32,719 --> 00:41:36,080 Speaker 2: he said my name is Cruse. And I said, so 650 00:41:36,160 --> 00:41:39,640 Speaker 2: you have a band. He said you're what's the band called? 651 00:41:39,640 --> 00:41:46,319 Speaker 2: He said Mabel Greer's Toy Shop. Oh really, yeah, what 652 00:41:46,360 --> 00:41:48,040 Speaker 2: do you want to do? I said, well, I love 653 00:41:48,120 --> 00:41:53,040 Speaker 2: singing and I love pu you know Paul McCartney. Of course, 654 00:41:53,080 --> 00:41:56,440 Speaker 2: you know. I liked his voice and my voice is 655 00:41:56,520 --> 00:42:01,040 Speaker 2: high like that. And he said what kind of music 656 00:42:01,080 --> 00:42:02,799 Speaker 2: do you listen to? Though? I said, oh, I love 657 00:42:02,880 --> 00:42:05,560 Speaker 2: Simon and gar Phone Call. I think all Simon's really 658 00:42:05,600 --> 00:42:09,040 Speaker 2: got his chops together a songwriting wise, you know. And 659 00:42:09,080 --> 00:42:11,799 Speaker 2: they said do you write songs? And said, well, mess 660 00:42:11,840 --> 00:42:15,200 Speaker 2: around with my guitar. I'm not not good. He said, well, 661 00:42:15,200 --> 00:42:19,480 Speaker 2: why did you come to rehearsals of my band Mabel 662 00:42:19,560 --> 00:42:25,040 Speaker 2: Greeners Toy Shop tomorrow and I said okay. Then, and 663 00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:27,640 Speaker 2: before before we partied, he said, why don't we come 664 00:42:27,680 --> 00:42:31,040 Speaker 2: back to my appointment, Well, we'll jam and we wrote 665 00:42:31,040 --> 00:42:34,080 Speaker 2: a couple of songs and I thought, this guy's really nice, 666 00:42:34,160 --> 00:42:36,680 Speaker 2: you know. And the following day I went to the 667 00:42:37,000 --> 00:42:43,800 Speaker 2: rehearsal place to work with his band Match and the 668 00:42:43,880 --> 00:42:50,360 Speaker 2: drummers left because he was getting paid. Nobody got paid 669 00:42:50,360 --> 00:42:53,680 Speaker 2: in this band. But he went to Paris to work 670 00:42:53,719 --> 00:42:57,759 Speaker 2: in another band. So I got a copy of the Maybe, 671 00:43:00,400 --> 00:43:03,479 Speaker 2: I got a copy of Melody Maker, and I looked 672 00:43:03,480 --> 00:43:08,480 Speaker 2: for drummer looking for band, and there it was as 673 00:43:08,560 --> 00:43:12,040 Speaker 2: a love Week kit and a van. My name is 674 00:43:12,080 --> 00:43:17,280 Speaker 2: Bill Bruford, I said, he's the guy. So we phoned 675 00:43:17,360 --> 00:43:19,520 Speaker 2: him up and he came the following day and he 676 00:43:19,640 --> 00:43:22,640 Speaker 2: joined the band. And then the question was, well, what 677 00:43:22,640 --> 00:43:27,920 Speaker 2: are we going to call ourselves? Because Chris said, well, 678 00:43:28,040 --> 00:43:31,480 Speaker 2: maybe Grease Toy Shop is pretty cool, and I said no, 679 00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:36,919 Speaker 2: the best band that I ever heard was an Irish name, 680 00:43:37,080 --> 00:43:42,879 Speaker 2: an Irish band. They called themselves the Do you remember then? 681 00:43:43,080 --> 00:43:47,160 Speaker 2: Of course that I thought that was perfect, very Irish. 682 00:43:48,920 --> 00:43:53,880 Speaker 2: So we rehearsed and rehearsed and did a show. We 683 00:43:53,960 --> 00:43:57,680 Speaker 2: did most of the show, just doing a funky version 684 00:43:57,760 --> 00:43:59,880 Speaker 2: of Midnight Hour. 685 00:44:01,680 --> 00:44:04,440 Speaker 1: And at this point we're Tony and Peter in the band. 686 00:44:05,680 --> 00:44:08,800 Speaker 2: Tony who oh Tony? Yeah, Tony was a keyboard player. 687 00:44:08,920 --> 00:44:13,840 Speaker 2: Peter Banks was the guitar player. Yeah, it's just the 688 00:44:13,920 --> 00:44:18,759 Speaker 2: drummer left. How would I get a thing or you know? 689 00:44:19,520 --> 00:44:21,880 Speaker 2: But yeah, you believe you know, that's basically it. 690 00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:26,160 Speaker 1: So you play this funky version of in the Midnight Hour? 691 00:44:26,520 --> 00:44:27,040 Speaker 2: Yeah? 692 00:44:28,480 --> 00:44:29,920 Speaker 1: Where does it go from there? 693 00:44:30,080 --> 00:44:32,520 Speaker 2: For about an hour, well, we just had to make 694 00:44:32,600 --> 00:44:35,720 Speaker 2: up time. We knew four songs, one of them we'd 695 00:44:36,080 --> 00:44:40,040 Speaker 2: written I'd written with the with Chris that first night, 696 00:44:40,600 --> 00:44:43,440 Speaker 2: and then another song that Chris had, and then we 697 00:44:43,920 --> 00:44:48,799 Speaker 2: did Midnight Hour. It was just a show tour. It 698 00:44:48,920 --> 00:44:52,160 Speaker 2: was just our first show together and we thought we 699 00:44:52,160 --> 00:44:55,920 Speaker 2: were pretty good, you know, And. 700 00:44:55,920 --> 00:44:58,080 Speaker 1: How does it become yes? And how do you get 701 00:44:58,120 --> 00:44:58,839 Speaker 1: a record deal? 702 00:44:59,400 --> 00:45:05,160 Speaker 2: Well that's story. And it was just generally okay, everybody 703 00:45:05,200 --> 00:45:08,759 Speaker 2: put a name of the band in a art. Okay, 704 00:45:09,440 --> 00:45:12,560 Speaker 2: because I started to become the boss, they used to 705 00:45:12,560 --> 00:45:17,480 Speaker 2: call me Napoleon because I was small, and so I'd organized. 706 00:45:17,480 --> 00:45:20,399 Speaker 2: I said, okay, everybody write down a name. I wrote 707 00:45:20,440 --> 00:45:25,000 Speaker 2: down World. Chris wrote down live, it's gotta be short, 708 00:45:25,640 --> 00:45:29,520 Speaker 2: and Peter Banks wrote down yes, and that was it 709 00:45:30,000 --> 00:45:33,520 Speaker 2: because we went through, we went through what we put 710 00:45:33,560 --> 00:45:34,759 Speaker 2: in there with what's this? 711 00:45:35,080 --> 00:45:35,319 Speaker 1: Yes? 712 00:45:36,000 --> 00:45:39,840 Speaker 2: Is it the yes? Peter said no, no, it's just yes, 713 00:45:41,239 --> 00:45:46,759 Speaker 2: and we looked at each other and said, yes, that 714 00:45:46,920 --> 00:45:47,239 Speaker 2: was it. 715 00:45:54,160 --> 00:45:56,840 Speaker 1: Okay, you have a name, you played one gig long 716 00:45:56,960 --> 00:45:59,560 Speaker 1: version of Midnight Hour. How do you end up getting 717 00:45:59,600 --> 00:46:00,840 Speaker 1: a record deal with Atlantic? 718 00:46:01,600 --> 00:46:07,480 Speaker 2: Oh, that's that's another story. The great thing happened was 719 00:46:10,080 --> 00:46:14,040 Speaker 2: Ertigan is coming from New York to see you guys. 720 00:46:14,840 --> 00:46:17,799 Speaker 1: That was wait wait wait wait wait, that's a big thing. 721 00:46:18,120 --> 00:46:21,400 Speaker 1: You're nobody's who is the connection with Armit? 722 00:46:21,920 --> 00:46:26,759 Speaker 2: Okay, here's the story. So what happened was we were 723 00:46:26,800 --> 00:46:30,720 Speaker 2: doing pretty good. We started doing gigs in and around London. 724 00:46:31,000 --> 00:46:33,120 Speaker 2: We did some of Manchester and then we did some 725 00:46:33,280 --> 00:46:39,160 Speaker 2: up north and of England and we were we got tired, 726 00:46:39,440 --> 00:46:42,640 Speaker 2: you know, we started playing good and you know, Bill 727 00:46:42,719 --> 00:46:47,120 Speaker 2: and Chris were really rocking and we got going and uh, 728 00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:51,440 Speaker 2: I go to a phone call from our friend who 729 00:46:51,680 --> 00:46:57,760 Speaker 2: ran that club, the Shaft Club, Chase, and he said this, 730 00:46:57,760 --> 00:47:00,920 Speaker 2: this guy wants your phone number. We have phone numbers, 731 00:47:00,920 --> 00:47:02,680 Speaker 2: He said, can you can you phone him? He wants 732 00:47:02,719 --> 00:47:06,800 Speaker 2: to see if you can play tonight at the the 733 00:47:07,560 --> 00:47:13,120 Speaker 2: pretty famous speakeasy club in London. And he said, they 734 00:47:13,200 --> 00:47:17,040 Speaker 2: want you to play tonight because the band that's supposed 735 00:47:17,080 --> 00:47:20,640 Speaker 2: to be there just got stopped from getting on a 736 00:47:20,680 --> 00:47:26,320 Speaker 2: plane in New York. And we said, so who who 737 00:47:26,360 --> 00:47:29,960 Speaker 2: who do How are we going to replace? He said, 738 00:47:32,840 --> 00:47:36,160 Speaker 2: somebody in the Family Tree and we said, what the 739 00:47:36,200 --> 00:47:38,920 Speaker 2: heck's that? There's a band called the Family So we 740 00:47:39,000 --> 00:47:42,239 Speaker 2: got went to the club and started setting god to 741 00:47:42,239 --> 00:47:44,680 Speaker 2: do our little show that we had, and all of 742 00:47:44,760 --> 00:47:47,440 Speaker 2: a sudden people started coming in there row people at 743 00:47:47,480 --> 00:47:51,120 Speaker 2: Pete Townshend came in and a couple of other guys 744 00:47:52,239 --> 00:47:56,560 Speaker 2: from the big bands, and I said, who are we replacing? 745 00:47:57,440 --> 00:48:03,880 Speaker 2: Said Slide in the Family Stone? Oh fuck, what are 746 00:48:03,920 --> 00:48:06,799 Speaker 2: we gonna do? Well, let's just play, man, Let's just 747 00:48:06,920 --> 00:48:09,680 Speaker 2: do it. Let's just do it, and people, Paul McCart, 748 00:48:09,719 --> 00:48:12,760 Speaker 2: it was all these people came, these droves of people 749 00:48:12,840 --> 00:48:17,319 Speaker 2: came to see Sli in the Family Stone. So we 750 00:48:17,360 --> 00:48:20,839 Speaker 2: did our show. You know, we were we were kind 751 00:48:20,840 --> 00:48:24,520 Speaker 2: of nervous and frightened, but we played hard and we 752 00:48:24,640 --> 00:48:29,320 Speaker 2: got it there. The show a midnight hour yeah, that'll 753 00:48:29,320 --> 00:48:32,799 Speaker 2: do it. I can't remember the songs that we were doing, 754 00:48:32,840 --> 00:48:35,280 Speaker 2: but we were doing some good, good music at that time. 755 00:48:35,840 --> 00:48:42,399 Speaker 2: We're doing actually variations on kind of themes like Yes 756 00:48:42,480 --> 00:48:46,520 Speaker 2: became famous for, which is creating introductions to a song 757 00:48:46,640 --> 00:48:49,759 Speaker 2: and then middle sections and building it up and you know, 758 00:48:49,920 --> 00:48:54,600 Speaker 2: like structure using structure, And it kind of worked and 759 00:48:55,280 --> 00:48:57,800 Speaker 2: went down very well, and we passed a lot of 760 00:48:57,880 --> 00:49:01,160 Speaker 2: joints around it and make sure everybody was happy in 761 00:49:01,160 --> 00:49:05,880 Speaker 2: the Stone. Oh boy, what a night. And that was 762 00:49:05,920 --> 00:49:09,839 Speaker 2: the beginning of our friendship with the manager of that 763 00:49:09,960 --> 00:49:15,920 Speaker 2: club and a really sweet guy, and he was the 764 00:49:15,920 --> 00:49:19,200 Speaker 2: one that got in touch with somebody Atlantic Records, and 765 00:49:19,239 --> 00:49:22,239 Speaker 2: they said, we heard about what happened you. You did 766 00:49:22,239 --> 00:49:26,000 Speaker 2: a great job for sliding the family Stone and Roy 767 00:49:26,440 --> 00:49:30,480 Speaker 2: Roy was the manager, and he said, I think I 768 00:49:30,560 --> 00:49:33,920 Speaker 2: might be able to get you to meet rma Urtigan 769 00:49:34,760 --> 00:49:39,880 Speaker 2: and maybe you could be on Atlantic Records. And I thought, 770 00:49:40,840 --> 00:49:44,600 Speaker 2: any record come pretty I don't care who it is, 771 00:49:45,320 --> 00:49:47,520 Speaker 2: but we need to make a record sort of thing 772 00:49:47,920 --> 00:49:50,160 Speaker 2: because I thought we were playing pretty good on stage. 773 00:49:50,160 --> 00:49:52,320 Speaker 2: It would be good to record some of the show, 774 00:49:54,719 --> 00:49:56,239 Speaker 2: put it out as a record and see how we 775 00:49:56,680 --> 00:49:58,239 Speaker 2: go and We had a couple of songs that we 776 00:49:58,280 --> 00:50:05,200 Speaker 2: thought were commercial but not really, and I think commercial 777 00:50:05,480 --> 00:50:09,640 Speaker 2: became sort of dare I say a nasty word in 778 00:50:09,640 --> 00:50:13,120 Speaker 2: my mind, We're never going to be commercial. I don't 779 00:50:13,160 --> 00:50:16,040 Speaker 2: want to be commercial. I'm too old. I was twenty 780 00:50:16,080 --> 00:50:16,839 Speaker 2: seven years old. 781 00:50:17,000 --> 00:50:17,239 Speaker 1: Something. 782 00:50:18,280 --> 00:50:20,360 Speaker 2: I feel too old. I don't want to be a 783 00:50:20,400 --> 00:50:24,279 Speaker 2: pop star sort of thing. So we carried along the 784 00:50:24,400 --> 00:50:28,120 Speaker 2: train of writing music that became a time in a 785 00:50:28,200 --> 00:50:30,680 Speaker 2: word and things like that. From the second album. I 786 00:50:30,680 --> 00:50:33,840 Speaker 2: can't remember much about the first album, even though. 787 00:50:33,920 --> 00:50:35,839 Speaker 1: Okay, I got a few questions about the first album. Okay, 788 00:50:35,880 --> 00:50:39,080 Speaker 1: so we get there, Ahmed comes to see you, and 789 00:50:39,120 --> 00:50:40,080 Speaker 1: then what happens. 790 00:50:40,400 --> 00:50:45,600 Speaker 2: Oh, I've mentioned this many times and I'll mention it again. 791 00:50:46,120 --> 00:50:54,040 Speaker 2: Well armored, incredibly dressed, very Turkish guy, beautiful, he looked immaculate, 792 00:50:54,760 --> 00:50:59,959 Speaker 2: like a million bucks. And he was producing the great people, 793 00:51:00,040 --> 00:51:02,680 Speaker 2: oh you know he was at that time. He was 794 00:51:02,719 --> 00:51:08,000 Speaker 2: producing Ray Charles and of course I wish I could 795 00:51:08,000 --> 00:51:10,960 Speaker 2: remember their names. How we'll do in a minute, all 796 00:51:11,000 --> 00:51:14,759 Speaker 2: the great people that were on Atlancet Records. Unbelievable, And 797 00:51:14,800 --> 00:51:18,000 Speaker 2: he came to see us. Anyway, we played our little 798 00:51:18,080 --> 00:51:21,560 Speaker 2: four songs and I went to the lute, have a 799 00:51:21,640 --> 00:51:25,520 Speaker 2: p and Roy happily comes running in and starts with 800 00:51:25,600 --> 00:51:28,040 Speaker 2: a peer. I said, John, I'm really going to get 801 00:51:28,080 --> 00:51:31,200 Speaker 2: this guy, this American guy. I'm gonna make sure you 802 00:51:31,239 --> 00:51:33,040 Speaker 2: can make a lot of money. I'm going to get 803 00:51:33,040 --> 00:51:35,640 Speaker 2: you the best contract. And at that moment in time, 804 00:51:36,120 --> 00:51:39,080 Speaker 2: somebody pulled the chain in the toilet next to us, 805 00:51:39,560 --> 00:51:44,799 Speaker 2: and out it comes home. A article said, oh, well 806 00:51:44,800 --> 00:51:52,080 Speaker 2: that blew that. Oh that's a great story, so it is. 807 00:51:52,160 --> 00:51:52,719 Speaker 1: Interested. 808 00:51:53,400 --> 00:51:57,719 Speaker 2: Yeah, he signed us up for ten years, you know, 809 00:51:58,200 --> 00:52:00,560 Speaker 2: three points whatever it was in those days. But we 810 00:52:01,120 --> 00:52:05,200 Speaker 2: managed to slowly but surely get better deal along the way. 811 00:52:05,239 --> 00:52:08,040 Speaker 2: When it took us a couple of albums to make 812 00:52:08,080 --> 00:52:11,120 Speaker 2: any sense about what we're doing. And then we did 813 00:52:11,120 --> 00:52:14,040 Speaker 2: the Yes album, and that was really when we sort 814 00:52:14,080 --> 00:52:18,680 Speaker 2: of felt we're in the game. We're in the game. 815 00:52:19,719 --> 00:52:21,760 Speaker 2: We're hammling okay, tour. 816 00:52:22,160 --> 00:52:24,279 Speaker 1: Well, let's start with the first album, which is where 817 00:52:24,280 --> 00:52:28,640 Speaker 1: I come in. How'd you decide to cover every little 818 00:52:28,680 --> 00:52:29,959 Speaker 1: thing by the Beatles? 819 00:52:30,440 --> 00:52:35,040 Speaker 2: Every little thing she does? It's a great song, you know, 820 00:52:35,200 --> 00:52:38,399 Speaker 2: and we did it very well. You know. That's when 821 00:52:38,520 --> 00:52:44,560 Speaker 2: Yes started to sort of expand an original song into 822 00:52:44,560 --> 00:52:48,600 Speaker 2: something a little bit more rocking and jiving or whatever. 823 00:52:49,920 --> 00:52:54,280 Speaker 2: Dun but that was the whole idea. I think Chris 824 00:52:54,400 --> 00:52:59,000 Speaker 2: was brilliant at letting me, you know, listening to me, 825 00:52:59,680 --> 00:53:02,680 Speaker 2: and then letting the band try it out, because you know, 826 00:53:02,800 --> 00:53:06,399 Speaker 2: there was not doubters at all. They just say, John, 827 00:53:06,880 --> 00:53:09,239 Speaker 2: why do you want to do this? Why do you 828 00:53:09,280 --> 00:53:12,399 Speaker 2: want to do this? And I'd say, just try it out, 829 00:53:13,880 --> 00:53:17,680 Speaker 2: just try it out. So we had a song that 830 00:53:17,760 --> 00:53:21,440 Speaker 2: I was writing, yours Notice Grace, and they're trying to 831 00:53:21,520 --> 00:53:25,359 Speaker 2: start a beginning of it. Anyway, that's the third album. 832 00:53:26,480 --> 00:53:28,800 Speaker 1: So on the first album, you do that every little 833 00:53:28,840 --> 00:53:31,040 Speaker 1: thing that was not you know, there are certain songs 834 00:53:31,040 --> 00:53:32,719 Speaker 1: by the Beatles that are covered all the time. I 835 00:53:32,760 --> 00:53:35,399 Speaker 1: didn't know another cover at that particular point in time, 836 00:53:35,640 --> 00:53:37,960 Speaker 1: and you rearranged it and made it your own. I 837 00:53:37,960 --> 00:53:39,959 Speaker 1: mean it was just utterly fantastic. 838 00:53:40,200 --> 00:53:44,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, that was part of my experience of listening to 839 00:53:44,920 --> 00:53:47,359 Speaker 2: at that time. I was listening to a lot of 840 00:53:48,760 --> 00:53:53,000 Speaker 2: music by no I hadn't got to Sibelius by them, 841 00:53:53,040 --> 00:53:56,799 Speaker 2: but I'd listened to the Planet Suite and things like that, 842 00:53:56,960 --> 00:54:02,239 Speaker 2: the very commercial symphonic music and drag ideas out of 843 00:54:02,280 --> 00:54:05,400 Speaker 2: that and who is it did that as well, King Curmson. 844 00:54:05,440 --> 00:54:09,480 Speaker 2: You know, they were doing all sorts of stravinskyisms here there. 845 00:54:09,520 --> 00:54:14,279 Speaker 2: Everybod started listening to the classic music was written one 846 00:54:14,360 --> 00:54:18,279 Speaker 2: hundred fifty years ago, fifty years ago, symphonic music, and 847 00:54:18,320 --> 00:54:21,759 Speaker 2: they try to bring it into the modern rock and roll. 848 00:54:21,800 --> 00:54:24,760 Speaker 2: And that's basically what happened. It was just the idea 849 00:54:24,800 --> 00:54:29,120 Speaker 2: of structure. Structure will make it work. If you've got 850 00:54:29,120 --> 00:54:31,000 Speaker 2: a good intro, you can always play in the middle 851 00:54:31,000 --> 00:54:33,680 Speaker 2: and then at the end, you know, okay. 852 00:54:34,160 --> 00:54:36,520 Speaker 1: But there are some originals on that first album I 853 00:54:36,520 --> 00:54:40,480 Speaker 1: think are just great yesterday and today looking around. 854 00:54:40,719 --> 00:54:47,600 Speaker 2: Survival, Yeah, I love Survival. Survival that story. That's going 855 00:54:47,640 --> 00:54:53,680 Speaker 2: to be my title of my autobiography, Survival and other Stories. 856 00:54:55,120 --> 00:54:59,200 Speaker 1: So the first album comes out, I mean it was 857 00:54:59,239 --> 00:55:01,719 Speaker 1: like a mystery in America. I was actually turned on 858 00:55:01,800 --> 00:55:05,399 Speaker 1: by my dentist, which is something that didn't happen back then. 859 00:55:06,000 --> 00:55:09,880 Speaker 1: But what was the album comes out? What was your experience. 860 00:55:11,320 --> 00:55:13,600 Speaker 2: Do you know? I don't remember very much about it. 861 00:55:13,640 --> 00:55:15,879 Speaker 2: I think everything was a blair at that time. Because 862 00:55:15,920 --> 00:55:19,320 Speaker 2: you were doing interviews. People wanted to know what you thought, 863 00:55:21,080 --> 00:55:24,400 Speaker 2: which was not very much, but just general people wanting 864 00:55:24,440 --> 00:55:27,160 Speaker 2: you to great. Guy called Chris Welch. He was a 865 00:55:27,200 --> 00:55:31,400 Speaker 2: big fan of our beginnings and the Melody Maker. You 866 00:55:31,680 --> 00:55:36,960 Speaker 2: do interviews about this and that, and it's just one 867 00:55:36,960 --> 00:55:41,880 Speaker 2: of those things you pull apart an album you've just 868 00:55:42,000 --> 00:55:44,880 Speaker 2: made it, and then you look back and think it 869 00:55:44,920 --> 00:55:47,920 Speaker 2: wasn't that good. And the second one was Time of 870 00:55:47,960 --> 00:55:50,960 Speaker 2: a Word that wasn't that good. You know, you just 871 00:55:51,000 --> 00:55:53,400 Speaker 2: got through that emotion of doing it, thinking it's really 872 00:55:53,440 --> 00:55:55,800 Speaker 2: really good, Oh, it really sounds great, and then you 873 00:55:55,880 --> 00:55:59,240 Speaker 2: listen back to it anything within a couple of three months, 874 00:55:59,280 --> 00:56:03,759 Speaker 2: yet you bore it's not working. Are you're performing it, 875 00:56:04,560 --> 00:56:06,759 Speaker 2: but you're thinking about the next step you're going to take. 876 00:56:07,360 --> 00:56:12,680 Speaker 2: And that's been my juxtaposition as a singer in a band. 877 00:56:12,719 --> 00:56:14,640 Speaker 2: I don't play anything. I just have to sing all 878 00:56:14,640 --> 00:56:19,520 Speaker 2: the time and pretend I can play the guitar, which 879 00:56:19,520 --> 00:56:24,040 Speaker 2: I could hardly play. But I was always thinking about 880 00:56:24,040 --> 00:56:26,919 Speaker 2: what we've gotta be doing a bit better. And then 881 00:56:27,239 --> 00:56:31,440 Speaker 2: people come into your life. I met we were doing 882 00:56:31,760 --> 00:56:36,680 Speaker 2: a TV show in France, and it was so funny 883 00:56:36,719 --> 00:56:41,520 Speaker 2: because we were told not to be too loud. Of course, 884 00:56:41,560 --> 00:56:47,800 Speaker 2: we were very loud at that time, and so we 885 00:56:48,200 --> 00:56:53,720 Speaker 2: started playing I think it was yours noticed Grace, and 886 00:56:51,360 --> 00:56:58,480 Speaker 2: the credits came up. They cut us off. We'd waited 887 00:56:58,520 --> 00:57:02,279 Speaker 2: their whole day to do this song. At the end 888 00:57:02,280 --> 00:57:04,239 Speaker 2: of this it was a it was a sort of 889 00:57:04,320 --> 00:57:08,799 Speaker 2: a game like come on Down, you know that kind 890 00:57:08,800 --> 00:57:13,880 Speaker 2: of TV show, and so we waited a day, makeup 891 00:57:13,880 --> 00:57:17,000 Speaker 2: and everything to play it, and just when we started playing, 892 00:57:17,040 --> 00:57:20,320 Speaker 2: it was too loud, so they faded us out and 893 00:57:20,360 --> 00:57:22,960 Speaker 2: the credits came up at the end of the And 894 00:57:23,040 --> 00:57:27,520 Speaker 2: that night I met Keith Charrett and that really yeah, 895 00:57:27,600 --> 00:57:30,680 Speaker 2: because he was playing in a trio on the TV 896 00:57:30,840 --> 00:57:33,880 Speaker 2: show and he said to me, do you want to 897 00:57:33,880 --> 00:57:36,520 Speaker 2: come and see my I'm gonna I'm gont on the 898 00:57:36,560 --> 00:57:37,960 Speaker 2: left bank, you know, I'm just going to do a 899 00:57:38,040 --> 00:57:41,560 Speaker 2: jam session tonight, And I thought, charm session. That's really cool. 900 00:57:41,800 --> 00:57:44,760 Speaker 2: So I went just to see him. I sat by 901 00:57:44,840 --> 00:57:48,760 Speaker 2: myself and he came in and started playing the piano, 902 00:57:49,480 --> 00:57:52,920 Speaker 2: and the drummer was there playing the drums, and he 903 00:57:53,680 --> 00:57:56,080 Speaker 2: kind of looked at the drum and said, what's the 904 00:57:56,080 --> 00:58:00,760 Speaker 2: bass blake? The drummer said, I don't know, I don't know. 905 00:58:01,280 --> 00:58:06,560 Speaker 2: I'm French. And so they're playing when he's Keith Charis 906 00:58:06,600 --> 00:58:10,440 Speaker 2: just diving away on the piano and I couldn't believe 907 00:58:10,520 --> 00:58:12,840 Speaker 2: how good this guy was. He was eighteen years old. 908 00:58:13,520 --> 00:58:15,760 Speaker 2: And then the bass player came. He was six foot 909 00:58:16,040 --> 00:58:19,200 Speaker 2: so handsome, and he brought a real big stand up 910 00:58:19,240 --> 00:58:25,280 Speaker 2: bass and he starts. So jaris playing away with the drummer, 911 00:58:25,560 --> 00:58:32,040 Speaker 2: and he starts tuning up his bass and I can 912 00:58:32,080 --> 00:58:35,040 Speaker 2: see kit Jar going, what the fuck are you doing? Man? 913 00:58:35,400 --> 00:58:39,200 Speaker 2: We're playing jazz, And all of a sudden the bass 914 00:58:39,200 --> 00:58:41,520 Speaker 2: play went but boom boom boom boom boom boom boom 915 00:58:41,560 --> 00:58:45,160 Speaker 2: boom boom boom boom, brilliant. All of a sudden he 916 00:58:45,280 --> 00:58:48,760 Speaker 2: was locked in and Jarrett screamed and they carried on 917 00:58:48,800 --> 00:58:52,320 Speaker 2: playing for an hour. It was like magic. He learned 918 00:58:52,320 --> 00:58:55,600 Speaker 2: about jazz, real jazz. When you see that happen. 919 00:58:57,520 --> 00:59:04,280 Speaker 1: Okay, first album comes out America almost good Time, and 920 00:59:04,320 --> 00:59:06,560 Speaker 1: a word comes out. It's like a secret. You can 921 00:59:06,600 --> 00:59:10,720 Speaker 1: barely find it in the record story. Where does Brian 922 00:59:10,800 --> 00:59:11,680 Speaker 1: Lane come in? 923 00:59:12,000 --> 00:59:14,920 Speaker 2: Well, we had we had a manager, Roy who was 924 00:59:14,960 --> 00:59:20,600 Speaker 2: a really great guy, just not working in tandem with 925 00:59:20,760 --> 00:59:25,000 Speaker 2: what we were trying to do musically, say, and so 926 00:59:25,720 --> 00:59:30,320 Speaker 2: we were just invited to meet this company that actually 927 00:59:30,680 --> 00:59:34,280 Speaker 2: it was the company that created a movie, a very 928 00:59:34,320 --> 00:59:42,800 Speaker 2: famous movie called Platoon. They were pretty big in the 929 00:59:42,840 --> 00:59:47,000 Speaker 2: business world. You know. We were very lowly and who 930 00:59:47,040 --> 00:59:50,120 Speaker 2: are we to even it goes through their front door 931 00:59:50,200 --> 00:59:52,959 Speaker 2: sort of thing. But we went through the front door 932 00:59:53,000 --> 00:59:56,560 Speaker 2: and then we were introduced to Brian, and Brian started 933 00:59:56,560 --> 00:59:59,520 Speaker 2: the managers along with other people. There's a lot of 934 00:59:59,520 --> 01:00:03,680 Speaker 2: people in. It wasn't just this band and that was that. 935 01:00:03,880 --> 01:00:09,280 Speaker 2: And from then on it was just knowing that, gosh, 936 01:00:09,360 --> 01:00:16,240 Speaker 2: we are sort of stable, shall we say, but a 937 01:00:16,280 --> 01:00:21,000 Speaker 2: little bit awkward at times, and where we're going musically, 938 01:00:21,080 --> 01:00:23,480 Speaker 2: who's who wants to go this way? There was that 939 01:00:23,600 --> 01:00:26,920 Speaker 2: story when when I went to say, come on, we've 940 01:00:26,920 --> 01:00:29,800 Speaker 2: got to rehearse. Guys got to rehearse, felt like Pinocchio, 941 01:00:30,200 --> 01:00:32,360 Speaker 2: come on, you got to rehearse. Let's do that, and 942 01:00:32,400 --> 01:00:36,960 Speaker 2: they say not John, just leave leave us alone. I mean, see, 943 01:00:37,040 --> 01:00:41,200 Speaker 2: that sort of thing happened in a way that it 944 01:00:41,360 --> 01:00:45,640 Speaker 2: just happened that I felt out of balance, if you like. 945 01:00:45,840 --> 01:00:49,160 Speaker 2: And it's a funny way of thinking it that I 946 01:00:49,240 --> 01:00:52,440 Speaker 2: was in this speakeasy and it was very early in 947 01:00:52,480 --> 01:00:58,040 Speaker 2: the night and I walked past this band there was 948 01:00:58,080 --> 01:01:00,000 Speaker 2: nobody in the club. I think there's two or three 949 01:01:00,120 --> 01:01:03,560 Speaker 2: people drinking, and they were playing really good. But the 950 01:01:03,600 --> 01:01:07,240 Speaker 2: guitarist was really good. And he was playing what you 951 01:01:07,280 --> 01:01:10,240 Speaker 2: would call one of the most beautiful guitars I've ever seen. 952 01:01:11,080 --> 01:01:16,200 Speaker 2: It was a Gibson, wonderful shaped guitar and he was 953 01:01:16,240 --> 01:01:17,760 Speaker 2: playing the hell out of it, and you know, and 954 01:01:17,800 --> 01:01:19,600 Speaker 2: they were doing good music. I don't know kind of 955 01:01:19,680 --> 01:01:22,520 Speaker 2: music they were doing, but he was good. And I 956 01:01:22,640 --> 01:01:27,680 Speaker 2: mentioned it to Chris that where are we going musically, 957 01:01:27,960 --> 01:01:31,680 Speaker 2: because I don't know, you know. Chris said, well, you know, 958 01:01:31,760 --> 01:01:35,120 Speaker 2: we need to decide. Sometimes you got to change one 959 01:01:35,160 --> 01:01:39,240 Speaker 2: of the guys in the band if things aren't rolling correctly, 960 01:01:39,320 --> 01:01:42,280 Speaker 2: you know. And I said, well, I just saw this 961 01:01:42,360 --> 01:01:47,760 Speaker 2: guy in the band called Bodhast and Chris said, yeah, 962 01:01:47,800 --> 01:01:51,880 Speaker 2: I know, I know, well, I know him, I've seen him, 963 01:01:52,160 --> 01:01:54,480 Speaker 2: so let's try it out. So he try somebody out, 964 01:01:54,520 --> 01:01:59,200 Speaker 2: and the shape of the band evolves, one might say. 965 01:02:00,280 --> 01:02:06,480 Speaker 2: Another musician comes in. And that's when I linked together 966 01:02:06,520 --> 01:02:10,360 Speaker 2: with Steve, and all of a sudden I was in 967 01:02:10,640 --> 01:02:14,400 Speaker 2: musical heaven because we could write music together very quickly. 968 01:02:15,200 --> 01:02:17,920 Speaker 2: With Chris, it was now and again music we'd write something, 969 01:02:18,320 --> 01:02:21,080 Speaker 2: but with Steve is like every day we're writing a 970 01:02:21,080 --> 01:02:23,200 Speaker 2: couple of ideas, a couple of ideas, a couple of 971 01:02:23,320 --> 01:02:25,560 Speaker 2: and more and more and more. So it was a 972 01:02:25,600 --> 01:02:33,240 Speaker 2: spontaneous combustion of musical energy that got us into the 973 01:02:33,280 --> 01:02:34,160 Speaker 2: fragile world. 974 01:02:35,320 --> 01:02:39,400 Speaker 1: Okay, so does Brian Lane come in after the first 975 01:02:39,440 --> 01:02:41,880 Speaker 1: two albums? Is that approximately when he comes in? 976 01:02:42,200 --> 01:02:42,560 Speaker 2: Yeah? 977 01:02:43,200 --> 01:02:46,480 Speaker 1: Okay, Steve Howe comes in. How do you get rid 978 01:02:46,520 --> 01:02:48,120 Speaker 1: of Peter Banks? And what does he say? 979 01:02:49,960 --> 01:02:52,320 Speaker 2: Well, of course he was upset. You know, I think 980 01:02:52,360 --> 01:02:55,360 Speaker 2: we were. I was upset anyway that we had to 981 01:02:55,400 --> 01:02:58,920 Speaker 2: think about changing somebody in the band. It's just one 982 01:02:58,920 --> 01:03:01,920 Speaker 2: of the things you kind of live with it and 983 01:03:02,000 --> 01:03:04,360 Speaker 2: sit down and say, well, what is the best for 984 01:03:04,440 --> 01:03:07,960 Speaker 2: the future of where we're going, and that's what you do. 985 01:03:08,360 --> 01:03:12,280 Speaker 2: And even talked to him about what he would do now. 986 01:03:12,320 --> 01:03:13,880 Speaker 2: He had a couple of guys he wanted to work 987 01:03:13,920 --> 01:03:15,760 Speaker 2: with anyway, so he wanted to go with this other 988 01:03:15,840 --> 01:03:19,040 Speaker 2: band and he said, yeah, that'd be that would good luck? 989 01:03:19,080 --> 01:03:20,720 Speaker 2: You know, what are you going to do? Good luck? 990 01:03:21,880 --> 01:03:25,400 Speaker 2: And okay, so then you get on with it. 991 01:03:25,800 --> 01:03:28,800 Speaker 1: The Yes album is a great leap forward from what 992 01:03:28,840 --> 01:03:32,200 Speaker 1: had come before. Yeah, we have yours is no disgrace 993 01:03:32,320 --> 01:03:38,080 Speaker 1: Starship Trooper. I've seen all good people. Did these all 994 01:03:38,080 --> 01:03:40,880 Speaker 1: come from you now? Meeting and writing with. 995 01:03:40,960 --> 01:03:44,920 Speaker 2: Steve, Yeah, it was a combination of My suggestion was 996 01:03:45,000 --> 01:03:49,120 Speaker 2: very simple, let's get out of London. Let's go and 997 01:03:49,200 --> 01:03:53,840 Speaker 2: find a farmhouse, cottage, rental and we can be somewhere 998 01:03:53,880 --> 01:03:56,840 Speaker 2: totally different than where we are now. And we found 999 01:03:56,840 --> 01:04:00,120 Speaker 2: a place in Devon. We all went there to work. 1000 01:04:01,000 --> 01:04:06,240 Speaker 2: You're there, you connect, you become more than what you 1001 01:04:06,360 --> 01:04:10,200 Speaker 2: were before because you're getting to know each other, know 1002 01:04:10,280 --> 01:04:16,040 Speaker 2: each other O. There's a good parts, quirky parts, nice parts, whatever, 1003 01:04:16,520 --> 01:04:20,480 Speaker 2: but you're you're you're, you're connected. And I thought that 1004 01:04:20,560 --> 01:04:26,000 Speaker 2: was the way to go. And I have some great 1005 01:04:26,040 --> 01:04:30,919 Speaker 2: memories of being in that farmhouse, which Steve Ole lives 1006 01:04:30,920 --> 01:04:36,120 Speaker 2: there now. And the memories were really good because it 1007 01:04:36,200 --> 01:04:40,240 Speaker 2: was it was like very to say the least, it 1008 01:04:40,280 --> 01:04:43,320 Speaker 2: was kind of jazz rock. We we would go there, 1009 01:04:43,440 --> 01:04:50,280 Speaker 2: we would try this, we would try that, and the 1010 01:04:50,360 --> 01:04:56,480 Speaker 2: idea of working as a group became more like a family. 1011 01:04:56,640 --> 01:05:00,160 Speaker 2: If you're like, Okay, we're here, we're stuck together. You know, 1012 01:05:00,240 --> 01:05:03,520 Speaker 2: somebody's gonna make breakfast. That we had a roady who 1013 01:05:03,680 --> 01:05:06,640 Speaker 2: made breakfast and things like that, but you're actually together 1014 01:05:07,560 --> 01:05:13,160 Speaker 2: for the first time without any outside influence. And that 1015 01:05:13,320 --> 01:05:16,840 Speaker 2: was really crucial for me at that time because I 1016 01:05:16,920 --> 01:05:21,600 Speaker 2: knew these were great talented people. I felt very comfortable 1017 01:05:21,600 --> 01:05:24,880 Speaker 2: about writing lyrics and melodies. I was a melody crazy, 1018 01:05:25,400 --> 01:05:28,640 Speaker 2: you know. Every time I every time I heard it, 1019 01:05:28,840 --> 01:05:31,920 Speaker 2: I start writing a melody in my head and singing ideas. 1020 01:05:32,760 --> 01:05:35,280 Speaker 2: So I felt very comfortable about where we were going. 1021 01:05:36,080 --> 01:05:40,360 Speaker 2: And it worked out. I said, basically, we'll learn all 1022 01:05:40,360 --> 01:05:42,880 Speaker 2: this music as well as the songs that were pretty 1023 01:05:42,960 --> 01:05:47,120 Speaker 2: getting known for America. Every little thing was that went 1024 01:05:47,160 --> 01:05:50,000 Speaker 2: in the show. These new songs we should we should 1025 01:05:50,000 --> 01:05:53,800 Speaker 2: go on the road and play the play them as 1026 01:05:53,880 --> 01:05:57,600 Speaker 2: as a practice to go in the studio, rather than 1027 01:05:57,880 --> 01:05:59,880 Speaker 2: go in the studio and start start off with the 1028 01:06:00,040 --> 01:06:02,560 Speaker 2: drums and the kit and the bit to No. I 1029 01:06:02,560 --> 01:06:05,880 Speaker 2: think we've got to play it in the studio. So 1030 01:06:06,000 --> 01:06:07,880 Speaker 2: the only way we can play in the studios go 1031 01:06:07,920 --> 01:06:11,040 Speaker 2: on the road as a band playing some new music 1032 01:06:11,080 --> 01:06:13,480 Speaker 2: as well as this old music from the first couple 1033 01:06:13,520 --> 01:06:18,760 Speaker 2: of albums. And that was the way the way it worked. 1034 01:06:18,800 --> 01:06:22,880 Speaker 2: And by then we had a feeling that we were 1035 01:06:24,000 --> 01:06:26,960 Speaker 2: getting great reaction from the audiences. They would come in 1036 01:06:27,040 --> 01:06:29,920 Speaker 2: to see us again and again. So no matter if 1037 01:06:29,920 --> 01:06:32,000 Speaker 2: we went up to play Birmingham, you'd always see the 1038 01:06:32,200 --> 01:06:35,520 Speaker 2: similar crowd of people would come and I think you 1039 01:06:35,680 --> 01:06:40,200 Speaker 2: just feel, you know, it's like Bob, Yeah, you just 1040 01:06:40,240 --> 01:06:43,000 Speaker 2: feel that everything is happening. You go, well, this is 1041 01:06:43,040 --> 01:06:47,280 Speaker 2: definitely better than we were six months ago. And then 1042 01:06:47,440 --> 01:06:53,800 Speaker 2: we went in and recorded what became the y S album, 1043 01:06:53,840 --> 01:06:55,320 Speaker 2: and then the fragile. 1044 01:07:03,160 --> 01:07:07,200 Speaker 1: Okay See recorded the Yes album. In America, it was 1045 01:07:07,400 --> 01:07:10,920 Speaker 1: commercially more available. You didn't hear it on the radio. 1046 01:07:11,560 --> 01:07:14,440 Speaker 1: I know you were doing interviews, et cetera. Was what 1047 01:07:14,520 --> 01:07:17,800 Speaker 1: was your experience on the inside relative to the success 1048 01:07:18,360 --> 01:07:22,280 Speaker 1: of the Yes album? 1049 01:07:22,360 --> 01:07:23,560 Speaker 2: How do you mean sorry? 1050 01:07:24,480 --> 01:07:27,560 Speaker 1: It seems artistically it's a great leap forward from the 1051 01:07:27,560 --> 01:07:32,800 Speaker 1: two previous albums, especially the second album, and in retrospect 1052 01:07:32,880 --> 01:07:36,240 Speaker 1: everyone can see how great it was. Did you feel 1053 01:07:37,000 --> 01:07:39,960 Speaker 1: from the end standpoint of your band that wait a second, 1054 01:07:39,960 --> 01:07:42,480 Speaker 1: we're blowing up or did you still feel a way 1055 01:07:42,520 --> 01:07:43,800 Speaker 1: we got a big hill to climb. 1056 01:07:46,600 --> 01:07:51,520 Speaker 2: I think we were just feeling good about we had 1057 01:07:51,560 --> 01:07:55,040 Speaker 2: a really good album. We were performing it and audiences 1058 01:07:55,080 --> 01:08:00,400 Speaker 2: were great. The next step, I have to get myself 1059 01:08:00,400 --> 01:08:05,680 Speaker 2: in chronic. I can't say the word chronological order. After 1060 01:08:05,760 --> 01:08:11,560 Speaker 2: the the S album was to go into the Fragile album, right, but. 1061 01:08:12,080 --> 01:08:15,000 Speaker 1: Before we get the fragile, how does Rick Wakeman get 1062 01:08:15,000 --> 01:08:15,520 Speaker 1: in the band? 1063 01:08:16,080 --> 01:08:19,519 Speaker 2: Well? That's that. That was the the reason we called 1064 01:08:19,560 --> 01:08:22,440 Speaker 2: it fragile is because being in a band was very fragile, 1065 01:08:23,280 --> 01:08:25,599 Speaker 2: never quite sure what's going to happen next, and something 1066 01:08:25,760 --> 01:08:30,000 Speaker 2: was going haywire on the on the American tour. When 1067 01:08:30,040 --> 01:08:33,920 Speaker 2: we went on tour doing the S album we were 1068 01:08:33,920 --> 01:08:38,160 Speaker 2: doing with Jethro tell I think we were on tour 1069 01:08:38,240 --> 01:08:43,320 Speaker 2: and magnified in front of five thousand people all of 1070 01:08:43,400 --> 01:08:48,720 Speaker 2: a sudden, ten thousand people. Is you're magnifying your your 1071 01:08:48,960 --> 01:08:52,840 Speaker 2: your creativity and how big can we get and how 1072 01:08:52,920 --> 01:08:55,720 Speaker 2: big should we be? And you know, shouldn't we have 1073 01:08:58,280 --> 01:09:02,920 Speaker 2: great lighting systems and things like that, and so you're growing, 1074 01:09:03,200 --> 01:09:07,120 Speaker 2: You're just growing, and you're thinking, well, the music's got 1075 01:09:07,240 --> 01:09:12,040 Speaker 2: to grow as well. At that time, the Mug had 1076 01:09:12,160 --> 01:09:14,960 Speaker 2: just come out with a new system and Moog and 1077 01:09:15,000 --> 01:09:18,120 Speaker 2: them sounds you could get, and Keith Emerson was playing 1078 01:09:18,120 --> 01:09:23,479 Speaker 2: a Moog and stuff, and it just happened that We 1079 01:09:23,520 --> 01:09:26,160 Speaker 2: did a track I think it was Yours Nice Grace 1080 01:09:26,240 --> 01:09:30,320 Speaker 2: with the Moog theme and everything, and just happened that 1081 01:09:32,400 --> 01:09:35,559 Speaker 2: Tony wasn't that interestry at that time in creating other 1082 01:09:35,680 --> 01:09:38,360 Speaker 2: sounds other than the organ, which he played amazingly well. 1083 01:09:38,400 --> 01:09:42,080 Speaker 2: But it just happened that at that time we'd actually 1084 01:09:42,120 --> 01:09:48,280 Speaker 2: done a show with Rick Wakeman's band. You probably know 1085 01:09:48,400 --> 01:09:52,040 Speaker 2: and you remember the name. I don't, ah, and I 1086 01:09:52,160 --> 01:09:56,720 Speaker 2: just thought this Rick Wakeman is He's quite brilliant, and 1087 01:09:56,760 --> 01:09:58,320 Speaker 2: that was the next step. You're going to bring in 1088 01:09:58,360 --> 01:10:03,520 Speaker 2: another musician, musician who's going to upgrade you musically speaking 1089 01:10:03,840 --> 01:10:09,920 Speaker 2: and sound wise. And that's that's basically what happened. We 1090 01:10:10,080 --> 01:10:14,920 Speaker 2: just got on with the next album, which again you 1091 01:10:15,000 --> 01:10:17,600 Speaker 2: call fragile because everything is so fragile. You don't know 1092 01:10:17,680 --> 01:10:20,800 Speaker 2: if you're going to be here today or tomorrow. There 1093 01:10:20,880 --> 01:10:24,840 Speaker 2: was just so much surrounding. Yes, at that time it 1094 01:10:24,880 --> 01:10:31,080 Speaker 2: was pretty intense at times, and just wanted to get 1095 01:10:31,120 --> 01:10:33,080 Speaker 2: on with the next piece of music. 1096 01:10:34,560 --> 01:10:39,320 Speaker 1: Okay, you talked earlier, you're twenty seven years old, you 1097 01:10:39,400 --> 01:10:43,680 Speaker 1: don't want to be commercial. Suddenly round up how it 1098 01:10:43,760 --> 01:10:48,920 Speaker 1: becomes like this gigantic worldwide hit. And I must say 1099 01:10:48,960 --> 01:10:51,840 Speaker 1: it doesn't sound like anything else on the radio, and 1100 01:10:51,920 --> 01:10:54,120 Speaker 1: no one would have predicted it would have become that hit. 1101 01:10:54,160 --> 01:10:58,000 Speaker 1: But it becomes a worldwide hit. So what was your experience. 1102 01:10:58,760 --> 01:11:03,280 Speaker 2: I remember we were and that it's Pennsylvania rehearsing, and 1103 01:11:03,320 --> 01:11:05,680 Speaker 2: we went for a drive to go for dinner or 1104 01:11:05,680 --> 01:11:08,760 Speaker 2: something like that, and on the way the roundaback came 1105 01:11:08,800 --> 01:11:11,360 Speaker 2: on the radio. We never heard ourselves on the radio. 1106 01:11:11,360 --> 01:11:14,680 Speaker 2: Went turn it up, turn it up, and then all 1107 01:11:14,720 --> 01:11:17,960 Speaker 2: of a sudden, the middle section of roundabout wasn't there 1108 01:11:18,000 --> 01:11:20,080 Speaker 2: and it went straight to the organ solo, and I went, 1109 01:11:20,120 --> 01:11:24,759 Speaker 2: wait a minute, they've edited it. Well, they could have asked, 1110 01:11:25,400 --> 01:11:29,920 Speaker 2: you know, it's like so they got a big persiszk 1111 01:11:30,680 --> 01:11:34,040 Speaker 2: take the middle out. And it was correct because it worked, 1112 01:11:34,720 --> 01:11:38,400 Speaker 2: and it was brilliant and it sounded great, and it 1113 01:11:38,479 --> 01:11:40,439 Speaker 2: was just like all the movies you've ever seen of 1114 01:11:40,560 --> 01:11:44,400 Speaker 2: the band hearing themselves or artists hearing themselves on the 1115 01:11:44,520 --> 01:11:48,960 Speaker 2: radio for the first time. It's freaky, it's wonderful, and 1116 01:11:49,520 --> 01:11:52,760 Speaker 2: you feel like we made it at last, We made it. 1117 01:11:53,760 --> 01:11:54,559 Speaker 2: Little did we know? 1118 01:11:55,160 --> 01:12:02,960 Speaker 1: You know? Okay, it's unbelievable success. Meanwhile, there's a change 1119 01:12:03,000 --> 01:12:06,360 Speaker 1: in the band. You know, because we're all hungry for 1120 01:12:06,479 --> 01:12:10,160 Speaker 1: rock press. At that point, Rick Wakeman comes out with 1121 01:12:11,040 --> 01:12:15,680 Speaker 1: seven keyboards, he's wearing a cape, and then he goes on, 1122 01:12:15,800 --> 01:12:17,879 Speaker 1: I'm the only person who eats meat in the band. 1123 01:12:18,400 --> 01:12:18,639 Speaker 2: Yeah. 1124 01:12:18,720 --> 01:12:20,599 Speaker 1: Were you all taking this with a grain of salt? 1125 01:12:20,720 --> 01:12:22,439 Speaker 1: Or was everybody saying, well, you know, he's kind of 1126 01:12:22,439 --> 01:12:23,439 Speaker 1: an attention hog. 1127 01:12:23,840 --> 01:12:32,160 Speaker 2: No, here's Rickman. Oh he's sparky and capes and and 1128 01:12:32,280 --> 01:12:36,080 Speaker 2: he plays so damn good. He was. He was quite brilliant, 1129 01:12:37,000 --> 01:12:41,280 Speaker 2: and he's brilliant as as he's proved over the years. 1130 01:12:41,280 --> 01:12:45,439 Speaker 2: He's played on so many records that are very well known, 1131 01:12:46,600 --> 01:12:52,639 Speaker 2: and you can't take that away from him. He's brilliant. 1132 01:12:53,640 --> 01:12:54,479 Speaker 2: He's Rick Wakeman. 1133 01:12:56,040 --> 01:12:59,720 Speaker 1: Okay, So next comes close to the Edge. This is 1134 01:12:59,760 --> 01:13:02,880 Speaker 1: real kind of a breakthrough in that there's one song 1135 01:13:03,000 --> 01:13:07,040 Speaker 1: that's a complete side long. Did you feel liberated by 1136 01:13:07,080 --> 01:13:11,720 Speaker 1: your commercial success and said I'm gonna do whatever I 1137 01:13:11,800 --> 01:13:15,839 Speaker 1: want to? How did you approach close to the Edge. 1138 01:13:16,439 --> 01:13:21,240 Speaker 2: It's very simple. We were on tour with Fragile, and 1139 01:13:21,280 --> 01:13:26,400 Speaker 2: no matter where we went, people played, especially the radio 1140 01:13:26,439 --> 01:13:33,320 Speaker 2: stations in the university cycle. We go to university. After university, 1141 01:13:33,439 --> 01:13:36,080 Speaker 2: do a show and go to the radio station and 1142 01:13:36,120 --> 01:13:38,920 Speaker 2: they put on yours notice Grace. You know, don't think 1143 01:13:39,000 --> 01:13:43,040 Speaker 2: about making it short. It's nine minutes long. 1144 01:13:43,080 --> 01:13:43,240 Speaker 1: You know. 1145 01:13:43,320 --> 01:13:46,120 Speaker 2: It's like all of a sudden, wait a minute. FM radio. 1146 01:13:46,439 --> 01:13:51,240 Speaker 2: That's the key, that's the key. The key is radio 1147 01:13:51,439 --> 01:13:56,120 Speaker 2: can play your music now because FM radio accept long 1148 01:13:56,160 --> 01:13:59,640 Speaker 2: form pieces of music, and they would play all the 1149 01:13:59,680 --> 01:14:03,600 Speaker 2: Heart of Sunrise and all this kind of thing without 1150 01:14:03,600 --> 01:14:06,280 Speaker 2: a blinking of an eye. They actually played it. And 1151 01:14:06,320 --> 01:14:09,639 Speaker 2: I started talking to Steve because we'd sort of bonded 1152 01:14:09,960 --> 01:14:13,879 Speaker 2: pretty tightly about songwriting ideas and things, and we started 1153 01:14:14,760 --> 01:14:20,599 Speaker 2: coming up with an idea. I've been reading hermann Hesse 1154 01:14:20,920 --> 01:14:26,560 Speaker 2: Journey to the East, which is a beautiful book of enlightening, enlightenment, 1155 01:14:27,280 --> 01:14:31,680 Speaker 2: and so I just started thinking, yeah, we'll just go 1156 01:14:31,880 --> 01:14:35,280 Speaker 2: let's just go for it. You know, you do. You 1157 01:14:35,280 --> 01:14:37,760 Speaker 2: can only fit twenty minutes on a record because after 1158 01:14:37,800 --> 01:14:41,439 Speaker 2: twenty minutes it goes wonky the sound because it's vinyl, 1159 01:14:41,600 --> 01:14:48,400 Speaker 2: you know. And that was the trials and tribulations of 1160 01:14:49,479 --> 01:14:53,040 Speaker 2: being in a band where everybody agrees and then doesn't 1161 01:14:53,120 --> 01:14:56,559 Speaker 2: really agree, and then you kind of you go sort 1162 01:14:56,560 --> 01:14:59,000 Speaker 2: of a left and then a bit of a right 1163 01:14:59,160 --> 01:15:02,120 Speaker 2: swing and Then all of a sudden, we'd finished close 1164 01:15:02,160 --> 01:15:03,880 Speaker 2: to the edge and I got a phone call from 1165 01:15:03,920 --> 01:15:10,320 Speaker 2: Bill Bruford. I'm leaving the band, said Bill, could you 1166 01:15:10,320 --> 01:15:15,519 Speaker 2: say that again? I'm leaving the band? Why? Well, I've 1167 01:15:15,520 --> 01:15:19,160 Speaker 2: had enough. Okay, what are you going to do? Is 1168 01:15:19,200 --> 01:15:25,120 Speaker 2: I'm going to join King Crimson? Bill, you bastard. I 1169 01:15:25,160 --> 01:15:28,400 Speaker 2: didn't say that, but I just thought, what's wrong with us? 1170 01:15:28,760 --> 01:15:31,000 Speaker 2: That really freaked me out. I thought there was something 1171 01:15:31,120 --> 01:15:34,519 Speaker 2: really badly wrong with us. If he was going to 1172 01:15:34,640 --> 01:15:39,400 Speaker 2: leave after creating what I think personally is a wonderful 1173 01:15:39,400 --> 01:15:42,120 Speaker 2: piece of music, why did he leave? 1174 01:15:42,200 --> 01:15:43,639 Speaker 1: What was there? 1175 01:15:44,680 --> 01:15:47,200 Speaker 2: What was wrong with me? I thought it was me. 1176 01:15:48,280 --> 01:15:49,280 Speaker 2: I just thought it was. 1177 01:15:51,080 --> 01:15:54,040 Speaker 1: You know, well fifty years later, what was it? 1178 01:15:55,880 --> 01:15:58,240 Speaker 2: Well, he wasn't getting old with Chris as much as 1179 01:15:58,280 --> 01:16:01,799 Speaker 2: I thought he was. He wasn't like it, wasn't enjoying. Uh, 1180 01:16:01,880 --> 01:16:06,720 Speaker 2: you know, Christmas said, there's the beat. People said, no, 1181 01:16:06,760 --> 01:16:10,640 Speaker 2: it's there, just to the left, but three inches to 1182 01:16:10,680 --> 01:16:13,599 Speaker 2: the left. No, that's where the beat is. I think 1183 01:16:13,640 --> 01:16:16,879 Speaker 2: they had a couple of jives like that in their recording, 1184 01:16:17,360 --> 01:16:19,360 Speaker 2: but I didn't take it seriously. I just it was just, 1185 01:16:20,000 --> 01:16:25,439 Speaker 2: you know, people not quite understanding where the beat is. 1186 01:16:26,360 --> 01:16:29,120 Speaker 2: But God bless them. 1187 01:16:29,120 --> 01:16:34,320 Speaker 1: You know, he had a parapatetic career and then he 1188 01:16:34,400 --> 01:16:35,640 Speaker 1: ultimately retired. 1189 01:16:35,800 --> 01:16:40,559 Speaker 2: Nobody I know, I know, I wrote a book, Well, 1190 01:16:41,080 --> 01:16:45,840 Speaker 2: it's life. You know, he has had an exceptional life. 1191 01:16:46,360 --> 01:16:49,320 Speaker 2: When he was out there with his last band, I 1192 01:16:49,360 --> 01:16:53,760 Speaker 2: thought they were just so good. I can't remember the name, 1193 01:16:53,800 --> 01:16:59,439 Speaker 2: but yeah, very very good, because in those days, you know, 1194 01:16:59,520 --> 01:17:05,639 Speaker 2: you you sort of I remember doing around that time. 1195 01:17:05,720 --> 01:17:08,360 Speaker 2: It was probably around the time of fried Child tour, 1196 01:17:09,920 --> 01:17:13,439 Speaker 2: or maybe six months or earlier, but we were opening 1197 01:17:13,520 --> 01:17:20,120 Speaker 2: up for The Kinks in a gig in Albany area 1198 01:17:20,800 --> 01:17:24,840 Speaker 2: University of New York there, and the opening band was 1199 01:17:24,880 --> 01:17:28,080 Speaker 2: a band that we hadn't heard about called Mavish Orchestra, 1200 01:17:29,200 --> 01:17:35,200 Speaker 2: and we were there early to soundcheck and we knew 1201 01:17:35,560 --> 01:17:37,559 Speaker 2: Mavishni were going to do a sound check at six 1202 01:17:37,680 --> 01:17:40,760 Speaker 2: thirty something. So me and Chris stood there and my 1203 01:17:40,960 --> 01:17:46,519 Speaker 2: Joe just dropped. I went, Oh, my god, these these 1204 01:17:46,560 --> 01:17:49,800 Speaker 2: guys have got something. I could not believe what they had. 1205 01:17:49,880 --> 01:17:54,040 Speaker 2: My Vish New Orchestra was on another planet and within 1206 01:17:54,120 --> 01:17:56,200 Speaker 2: three months they were headlining around the world. 1207 01:17:57,439 --> 01:18:04,760 Speaker 1: It was like, Wow, So how does Alan White get 1208 01:18:04,760 --> 01:18:05,240 Speaker 1: in the band? 1209 01:18:07,280 --> 01:18:10,599 Speaker 2: Well that was that was that big problem that Bill 1210 01:18:10,640 --> 01:18:14,679 Speaker 2: had left. And I was in limbo and uh Eddie Offred, 1211 01:18:14,720 --> 01:18:19,360 Speaker 2: our wonderful producer dude, said well, I know this kind 1212 01:18:19,360 --> 01:18:22,680 Speaker 2: of Alan White. And I said, Alan White. Didn't he 1213 01:18:22,720 --> 01:18:29,799 Speaker 2: play on uh Friday, what was it called John Lennon album? 1214 01:18:29,840 --> 01:18:36,200 Speaker 2: He said yeah, yeah, So I said, gosh, would he 1215 01:18:36,240 --> 01:18:40,040 Speaker 2: be interested? I wasn't quite sure if he would be interested, 1216 01:18:40,120 --> 01:18:43,240 Speaker 2: you know, And he said, yeah, you know, I'll get 1217 01:18:43,280 --> 01:18:45,760 Speaker 2: him to come down this afternoon at rearsal place we 1218 01:18:45,800 --> 01:18:50,080 Speaker 2: had in Shepherd's Bush and he came in. Joyful guy, 1219 01:18:50,280 --> 01:18:53,080 Speaker 2: sweetest guy in the world. And man, he could play 1220 01:18:53,120 --> 01:18:56,160 Speaker 2: the hell out of their arms. He really really could 1221 01:18:56,240 --> 01:18:59,160 Speaker 2: do it. And not only that, we because we were 1222 01:18:59,160 --> 01:19:01,519 Speaker 2: going on touring two weeks. He learned the whole tour, 1223 01:19:01,680 --> 01:19:06,479 Speaker 2: the whole show in ten days. Ridiculous and he was 1224 01:19:07,000 --> 01:19:10,120 Speaker 2: my best man at my wedding. Really good man. 1225 01:19:11,040 --> 01:19:15,160 Speaker 1: Stylistically. What was different having Alan in the band as 1226 01:19:15,200 --> 01:19:16,120 Speaker 1: opposed to Bill. 1227 01:19:17,960 --> 01:19:19,800 Speaker 2: You know, I don't know. I don't know that much 1228 01:19:19,840 --> 01:19:26,320 Speaker 2: about there was. There was less paradials. I don't know 1229 01:19:26,320 --> 01:19:28,800 Speaker 2: what to say. He was just so on top of it. 1230 01:19:29,040 --> 01:19:34,799 Speaker 2: He played it magnificently. A great, great drummer, there's no question, 1231 01:19:35,080 --> 01:19:38,599 Speaker 2: as Bill was. But Bill was always semi jazz groove, 1232 01:19:40,840 --> 01:19:42,960 Speaker 2: whereas Alan was straight on it, you know. And he 1233 01:19:43,439 --> 01:19:49,120 Speaker 2: just learned everything and performed everything quite brilliantly on that tour, 1234 01:19:49,479 --> 01:19:52,880 Speaker 2: and we became fast friends, and I say he was 1235 01:19:52,880 --> 01:19:53,559 Speaker 2: my best man. 1236 01:19:54,920 --> 01:19:58,479 Speaker 1: So nextis Tales from Top of Graphic Oceans. It took 1237 01:19:58,560 --> 01:20:01,920 Speaker 1: close to the edge one step further. It's a double album, 1238 01:20:02,000 --> 01:20:06,160 Speaker 1: long song, ultimately controversial. Can you tell us about that? 1239 01:20:07,920 --> 01:20:13,040 Speaker 2: In short, it was, it was very well received by 1240 01:20:13,160 --> 01:20:20,240 Speaker 2: Yes fans, very very well received. I went through I 1241 01:20:20,240 --> 01:20:24,160 Speaker 2: don't know what it was it was. When I think 1242 01:20:24,200 --> 01:20:27,800 Speaker 2: about it, I was really scared about what I'd done, 1243 01:20:28,080 --> 01:20:30,840 Speaker 2: and I pushed everybody over the hell over the hill, 1244 01:20:32,520 --> 01:20:35,000 Speaker 2: pushing them up the mountain. Come on, everybody, we can 1245 01:20:35,080 --> 01:20:37,000 Speaker 2: do this. Come on, What the hell? It's only four 1246 01:20:37,000 --> 01:20:39,720 Speaker 2: pieces of music? What the hell? What the hell sort 1247 01:20:39,760 --> 01:20:44,400 Speaker 2: of attitude, you know. And then as I looked back 1248 01:20:44,800 --> 01:20:48,519 Speaker 2: over the first year and the terrible press that we got, 1249 01:20:49,200 --> 01:20:54,360 Speaker 2: and the whole thing, the whole idea, the whole idea 1250 01:20:54,439 --> 01:20:59,200 Speaker 2: of the dream sort of fell apart in my state 1251 01:20:59,200 --> 01:21:01,639 Speaker 2: of consciousness at that time, and I had a rough 1252 01:21:01,680 --> 01:21:06,800 Speaker 2: time when that I happened, and and then you know, 1253 01:21:07,640 --> 01:21:12,200 Speaker 2: we can leap from that moment because there was something 1254 01:21:12,320 --> 01:21:15,320 Speaker 2: going on that I just felt was wrong, and I 1255 01:21:15,320 --> 01:21:19,360 Speaker 2: don't I don't quite. I could never pinpoint why things 1256 01:21:19,840 --> 01:21:23,600 Speaker 2: just didn't sail along so beautifully into the sunset. It 1257 01:21:23,760 --> 01:21:27,920 Speaker 2: just did not happen. But a lot of people enjoyed 1258 01:21:27,920 --> 01:21:32,960 Speaker 2: the album. And the interesting thing was that over the 1259 01:21:33,200 --> 01:21:37,599 Speaker 2: over the next year or so, I I I lost 1260 01:21:37,640 --> 01:21:40,599 Speaker 2: a lot of confidence in what I was thinking about 1261 01:21:40,680 --> 01:21:46,240 Speaker 2: music until I seemed I seemed to get my act together, 1262 01:21:46,880 --> 01:21:51,599 Speaker 2: and then we did going for the One. I had 1263 01:21:51,640 --> 01:21:54,920 Speaker 2: a feeling that that was a very important song. You 1264 01:21:54,920 --> 01:21:57,280 Speaker 2: have to go for it and make it right and 1265 01:21:57,280 --> 01:21:59,960 Speaker 2: make it work. So by the end of the seventh 1266 01:22:00,240 --> 01:22:06,800 Speaker 2: is I had to somehow struggle through a couple of 1267 01:22:06,880 --> 01:22:10,760 Speaker 2: albums and not really knowing where I'm going in the 1268 01:22:10,800 --> 01:22:12,960 Speaker 2: hope that I was going in the right direction. And 1269 01:22:13,000 --> 01:22:19,200 Speaker 2: then we did Awaken, and that for me was and 1270 01:22:19,439 --> 01:22:24,960 Speaker 2: is so important to my state of mind because it 1271 01:22:25,040 --> 01:22:31,400 Speaker 2: really rejoined the band and the angel sang it was. 1272 01:22:31,439 --> 01:22:36,720 Speaker 2: It was just a remarkable feeling at the end of 1273 01:22:36,800 --> 01:22:41,080 Speaker 2: that album, having gone through a lot of doubt, and 1274 01:22:41,560 --> 01:22:47,719 Speaker 2: fear and frustration. Am I doing the right thing I'm singing? 1275 01:22:47,760 --> 01:22:50,320 Speaker 2: Am I singing the right thing? I'm saying the right thing? 1276 01:22:50,439 --> 01:23:02,320 Speaker 2: And thankfully at the end of that period seventies, it 1277 01:23:02,360 --> 01:23:09,800 Speaker 2: was it was really sobering experience for me to wake 1278 01:23:09,920 --> 01:23:11,360 Speaker 2: up and still. 1279 01:23:11,160 --> 01:23:17,000 Speaker 1: Dream Now Rick left and then he came back. What 1280 01:23:17,160 --> 01:23:18,000 Speaker 1: was going on there? 1281 01:23:18,360 --> 01:23:23,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, that was well. We we went through the experience 1282 01:23:23,520 --> 01:23:26,800 Speaker 2: of making an album with another keyboard player who was 1283 01:23:26,960 --> 01:23:33,160 Speaker 2: very very talented, very very strong. It is jazz fusion concept. 1284 01:23:33,160 --> 01:23:39,000 Speaker 2: Great player. He just had different h Swiss, so he 1285 01:23:39,040 --> 01:23:43,080 Speaker 2: has a different perception of where maybe I was going 1286 01:23:43,160 --> 01:23:45,200 Speaker 2: or I think I thought I was going, or I 1287 01:23:45,240 --> 01:23:48,000 Speaker 2: was trying to go. I was I was just going 1288 01:23:48,040 --> 01:23:52,439 Speaker 2: through a very sulways said a difficult time. 1289 01:23:53,960 --> 01:23:57,200 Speaker 1: Okay, so you have relayered not so good, you have 1290 01:23:57,280 --> 01:23:59,920 Speaker 1: going for the one, which is a big comeback, then 1291 01:24:00,040 --> 01:24:03,519 Speaker 1: there's Tormatto, which is not as successful, and then you 1292 01:24:03,640 --> 01:24:06,640 Speaker 1: leave the band. How do you end up leaving the band? 1293 01:24:07,120 --> 01:24:10,240 Speaker 2: Well, because it is it had lost its balance. There 1294 01:24:10,280 --> 01:24:17,120 Speaker 2: was no balance. It was it was it was you know, 1295 01:24:17,479 --> 01:24:20,720 Speaker 2: a couple of the balance. The balance was gone and 1296 01:24:20,760 --> 01:24:25,600 Speaker 2: I couldn't I couldn't bring it back together. So that 1297 01:24:25,760 --> 01:24:29,400 Speaker 2: was the end of that. It was like like when 1298 01:24:29,439 --> 01:24:31,559 Speaker 2: I came, I said, well, the guys, we've got to rehearse, 1299 01:24:31,560 --> 01:24:36,040 Speaker 2: we've got to rehearse. Oh, John, just off okay, because 1300 01:24:36,040 --> 01:24:39,160 Speaker 2: that's what they said when I left the band in Germany, 1301 01:24:39,560 --> 01:24:43,360 Speaker 2: f off very loudly. Then I said, okay, I'm going. 1302 01:24:43,880 --> 01:24:46,200 Speaker 2: And that's what I did. I just let go, you know, 1303 01:24:46,360 --> 01:24:46,720 Speaker 2: let go. 1304 01:24:47,600 --> 01:24:51,280 Speaker 1: Let God you left loudly because you thought you could 1305 01:24:51,280 --> 01:24:51,920 Speaker 1: wake them up. 1306 01:24:53,880 --> 01:24:56,080 Speaker 2: No, I didn't. I didn't wake I didn't think about 1307 01:24:56,080 --> 01:24:59,200 Speaker 2: it at all. I just know that we were in 1308 01:24:59,240 --> 01:25:02,840 Speaker 2: Paris trying to make an album and we brought in 1309 01:25:03,000 --> 01:25:08,600 Speaker 2: the wrong producer and that was it. And then it 1310 01:25:08,760 --> 01:25:13,040 Speaker 2: just happened to Alan was out there skating ice skating 1311 01:25:13,360 --> 01:25:16,320 Speaker 2: or or roller skating with his girlfriend and he broke 1312 01:25:16,360 --> 01:25:21,840 Speaker 2: his ankle. That's it. Okay, home we go, and that 1313 01:25:21,960 --> 01:25:24,960 Speaker 2: was the end of that. It was very obviously, very 1314 01:25:25,040 --> 01:25:29,599 Speaker 2: disappointing for me, because, as I said earlier, I really 1315 01:25:29,640 --> 01:25:33,400 Speaker 2: believed in everybody, and when everything falls apart, you think 1316 01:25:33,439 --> 01:25:36,040 Speaker 2: it's fuerful. You have that feeling of. 1317 01:25:38,000 --> 01:25:47,920 Speaker 1: What did I do? How did Roger Dean end up 1318 01:25:47,960 --> 01:25:49,839 Speaker 1: doing all that? He didn't do the first two albums, 1319 01:25:49,840 --> 01:25:51,479 Speaker 1: then he did all of them. How did that come 1320 01:25:51,520 --> 01:25:53,559 Speaker 1: to be except for going for the one? 1321 01:25:54,200 --> 01:25:59,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, but he was definitely perfect timing to have an 1322 01:25:59,479 --> 01:26:03,720 Speaker 2: artist project the band. You know, I'd say, you know, 1323 01:26:03,760 --> 01:26:06,400 Speaker 2: all the paperwork in the office should be Roger Deanism's 1324 01:26:06,600 --> 01:26:11,360 Speaker 2: a bit which never happened, but the idea was there. 1325 01:26:11,600 --> 01:26:15,200 Speaker 2: We've actually got an emblem and Roger creates it. God 1326 01:26:15,240 --> 01:26:19,280 Speaker 2: bless Roger. Steve how knew him and he came along 1327 01:26:19,280 --> 01:26:20,680 Speaker 2: and he said, what's the name of the album? I 1328 01:26:20,680 --> 01:26:26,719 Speaker 2: said Fragile and I just said, think of porcelain, and 1329 01:26:26,800 --> 01:26:29,240 Speaker 2: he said okay, and he came back with this lovely, 1330 01:26:29,280 --> 01:26:33,240 Speaker 2: beautiful little world that look for a fragile. It's a 1331 01:26:33,280 --> 01:26:33,880 Speaker 2: great idea. 1332 01:26:35,080 --> 01:26:39,240 Speaker 1: Okay, you leave, You're doing your own thing. How did 1333 01:26:39,280 --> 01:26:43,479 Speaker 1: you feel that the band continued under the Yes name 1334 01:26:43,560 --> 01:26:44,759 Speaker 1: with completely different people? 1335 01:26:45,680 --> 01:26:49,000 Speaker 2: And I'm not interested. I just I have no interest. 1336 01:26:50,320 --> 01:26:53,120 Speaker 1: I'm talking about it at that time because you ultimately 1337 01:26:53,160 --> 01:26:54,760 Speaker 1: come back to the band. 1338 01:26:55,439 --> 01:26:58,360 Speaker 2: Only because it just happened. And I'll tell you this story. 1339 01:26:58,400 --> 01:27:00,800 Speaker 2: Then I got a go bob. But here's this the 1340 01:27:01,320 --> 01:27:06,320 Speaker 2: this is life. I was down in silence, France, enjoying 1341 01:27:07,160 --> 01:27:12,559 Speaker 2: the wonderful, beautiful, beautiful part of the world. And I 1342 01:27:12,680 --> 01:27:20,719 Speaker 2: was working on a project that will eventually come to fruition. 1343 01:27:20,840 --> 01:27:24,679 Speaker 2: You tend to start creating stuff after a certain period 1344 01:27:24,680 --> 01:27:27,439 Speaker 2: of your career where you you put it to you 1345 01:27:27,479 --> 01:27:29,439 Speaker 2: finish it, and you put it to one side, and 1346 01:27:29,479 --> 01:27:30,840 Speaker 2: then you have another one and you put it to 1347 01:27:30,920 --> 01:27:32,800 Speaker 2: one side. So you finish it with a drawer full 1348 01:27:33,920 --> 01:27:36,320 Speaker 2: of things that you know you're going to do and 1349 01:27:36,400 --> 01:27:39,400 Speaker 2: finish down the line. And I've got a dozen of 1350 01:27:39,439 --> 01:27:42,439 Speaker 2: them sitting in a drawer over there in the studio 1351 01:27:42,520 --> 01:27:44,240 Speaker 2: here that one day I'm going to get on with 1352 01:27:44,280 --> 01:27:48,639 Speaker 2: them and finish them. And that's when you realize, Okay, 1353 01:27:48,720 --> 01:27:53,559 Speaker 2: you're you're you're creative dude. Uh, it'll happen when it happens. 1354 01:27:53,640 --> 01:27:57,960 Speaker 2: That became my flagship. You know, it'll happen when it happens. 1355 01:27:57,960 --> 01:28:02,360 Speaker 2: And then I've got to call from from Steve. Oh no, 1356 01:28:02,400 --> 01:28:05,280 Speaker 2: it was sorry, it was Chris. And Chris said, I 1357 01:28:05,320 --> 01:28:07,559 Speaker 2: hear you coming to London this weekend. I said, oh, yeah, 1358 01:28:07,560 --> 01:28:10,080 Speaker 2: I'm coming to London see the family and everything. And 1359 01:28:10,120 --> 01:28:13,080 Speaker 2: I went to London and Chris said, I want to 1360 01:28:13,080 --> 01:28:16,760 Speaker 2: play you something and I said, oh, really, you've been 1361 01:28:16,800 --> 01:28:18,960 Speaker 2: working with anybody? He said, oh, yeah, we've been working 1362 01:28:19,000 --> 01:28:21,760 Speaker 2: with Trevor Horn. And I said, oh, he's the guy 1363 01:28:21,800 --> 01:28:26,840 Speaker 2: that did Duck Rock with Malcolm McLaren, very very good album. 1364 01:28:27,600 --> 01:28:32,160 Speaker 2: He's a very smart guy. What's his name. He says 1365 01:28:32,280 --> 01:28:38,080 Speaker 2: it's Trevor Horn. I said, oh, good, and Trevor Ravens 1366 01:28:38,120 --> 01:28:42,640 Speaker 2: in this ensemble. We're going to be called Cinema. I said, oh, 1367 01:28:42,640 --> 01:28:45,719 Speaker 2: good for you. Anyway, he came by the house and 1368 01:28:46,479 --> 01:28:49,439 Speaker 2: sitting in his Rolls Royce, of course, and I came 1369 01:28:49,479 --> 01:28:51,639 Speaker 2: out to meet him and sat in the Rolls Royce 1370 01:28:51,680 --> 01:28:55,240 Speaker 2: with him, and he started playing me this hate trick 1371 01:28:56,000 --> 01:28:58,599 Speaker 2: of the music that became nine oh one two five, 1372 01:28:58,640 --> 01:29:04,200 Speaker 2: and I went, wow, this is so good. Chris, well done. 1373 01:29:04,640 --> 01:29:07,160 Speaker 2: And it's called Cinema. He said, yeah, yeah, we're gonna 1374 01:29:07,200 --> 01:29:11,559 Speaker 2: call it Cinema. Well these are This is a great song, 1375 01:29:11,640 --> 01:29:15,160 Speaker 2: you know, on of a lonely hard chorus song. The 1376 01:29:15,240 --> 01:29:18,320 Speaker 2: song the verse is not so but the chorus is here, 1377 01:29:18,400 --> 01:29:20,000 Speaker 2: you know. He said, yeah, we think it's going to be. 1378 01:29:21,040 --> 01:29:23,120 Speaker 2: Then he played a couple of other tracks and I'm 1379 01:29:23,160 --> 01:29:27,559 Speaker 2: just saying, man, this is so good. And Chris said, 1380 01:29:28,400 --> 01:29:31,600 Speaker 2: do you want to sing on it. And I said, 1381 01:29:32,160 --> 01:29:35,559 Speaker 2: what do you mean sing on it? Yeah, because like 1382 01:29:35,640 --> 01:29:38,400 Speaker 2: you say, it needs a definitely needs a better verse 1383 01:29:38,479 --> 01:29:41,040 Speaker 2: and one of the lonely heart. Maybe you could come 1384 01:29:41,080 --> 01:29:46,880 Speaker 2: in tomorrow to the studio and sing it. I said, well, 1385 01:29:47,080 --> 01:29:48,880 Speaker 2: you know, if I do, it will sound like yes. 1386 01:29:49,840 --> 01:29:53,799 Speaker 2: He said, yeah, that's what we want, and I said, okay, 1387 01:29:54,320 --> 01:29:56,400 Speaker 2: you got the gig. I got the gig, and I 1388 01:29:56,439 --> 01:30:02,200 Speaker 2: felt so refreshed that I was yes. And that's the 1389 01:30:02,320 --> 01:30:05,040 Speaker 2: end of my story, Bob. But it was a good 1390 01:30:05,080 --> 01:30:08,880 Speaker 2: story because the album did great. Owner of a Lonely 1391 01:30:08,880 --> 01:30:12,040 Speaker 2: Heart was a monster hit around the world. We played 1392 01:30:12,080 --> 01:30:15,280 Speaker 2: in front of half a million people in Brazil, which 1393 01:30:15,320 --> 01:30:19,760 Speaker 2: is ridiculously wonderful, along with Rod Stewart and lots of 1394 01:30:19,800 --> 01:30:22,080 Speaker 2: other big stories. But to play in front of half 1395 01:30:22,120 --> 01:30:25,200 Speaker 2: a million people, it's as far as you can see, 1396 01:30:26,360 --> 01:30:28,599 Speaker 2: and the rest is history. 1397 01:30:29,120 --> 01:30:32,680 Speaker 1: Well, you know, it was great. Is Owner of a 1398 01:30:32,680 --> 01:30:36,080 Speaker 1: Lonely Heart is? The rest of the album is unbelievable. 1399 01:30:36,439 --> 01:30:38,800 Speaker 1: You have hold on and leave it. 1400 01:30:39,200 --> 01:30:44,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, everyone a winner I got. I got to walk 1401 01:30:44,080 --> 01:30:46,519 Speaker 2: in and start singing it and writing lyrics a bit 1402 01:30:46,560 --> 01:30:48,320 Speaker 2: here and there. It's kind of change the lyrics. Yeah, 1403 01:30:48,360 --> 01:30:50,720 Speaker 2: of course, John, do what you want, okay, thank you 1404 01:30:50,800 --> 01:30:54,200 Speaker 2: very much. And that's then all of a sudden, I 1405 01:30:54,240 --> 01:30:56,160 Speaker 2: was I was six foot tall from then on. 1406 01:30:56,840 --> 01:31:02,519 Speaker 1: Okay, the music was totally done at that Yeah, and 1407 01:31:02,640 --> 01:31:04,160 Speaker 1: were there any lyrics? 1408 01:31:05,000 --> 01:31:08,200 Speaker 2: There was? There was in honor of a Lonely Heart. 1409 01:31:08,240 --> 01:31:11,720 Speaker 2: There was a song which which was sitting in the 1410 01:31:12,200 --> 01:31:15,519 Speaker 2: track rather than sitting on top of the track. So 1411 01:31:15,600 --> 01:31:17,439 Speaker 2: I just said to Trevor Abe and I said, look, 1412 01:31:17,680 --> 01:31:24,000 Speaker 2: why don't we just go Jutta Murda did dada da dada, 1413 01:31:24,080 --> 01:31:28,040 Speaker 2: because that's what the band was, the bunk. And he said, oh, 1414 01:31:28,120 --> 01:31:31,759 Speaker 2: that's good. Just write that down. Lose yourself. You always 1415 01:31:31,800 --> 01:31:34,160 Speaker 2: live your life and he said, never thinking of the future. Yeah, 1416 01:31:34,280 --> 01:31:36,360 Speaker 2: never thinking of the future. So John, get on with it. 1417 01:31:36,880 --> 01:31:39,160 Speaker 2: So I just got on with it, you know. And 1418 01:31:39,240 --> 01:31:41,960 Speaker 2: then the next one, with another song, Heart's another song. 1419 01:31:42,560 --> 01:31:46,560 Speaker 2: You start opening up and saying, yeah, well this worked beautifully. 1420 01:31:46,600 --> 01:31:50,280 Speaker 2: I'm happy to sing that. And Trevor Horn was very 1421 01:31:50,360 --> 01:31:52,639 Speaker 2: good and everybody was so nice and happy. 1422 01:31:54,520 --> 01:31:56,600 Speaker 1: Did you have any idea it was going to be 1423 01:31:56,680 --> 01:31:58,200 Speaker 1: as successful as it was? 1424 01:31:59,479 --> 01:32:02,200 Speaker 2: I just felt, well, the Owner was a hit. It 1425 01:32:02,360 --> 01:32:06,519 Speaker 2: depends if, of course. At that point in time we 1426 01:32:06,600 --> 01:32:08,479 Speaker 2: had to make a video standing on top of a 1427 01:32:08,600 --> 01:32:13,080 Speaker 2: skyscraper in London and MTV started, so everything changed in 1428 01:32:13,160 --> 01:32:16,320 Speaker 2: a way. So from that moment, I just felt, Oh, 1429 01:32:16,600 --> 01:32:19,040 Speaker 2: I'm on top of the world. Thank you very much, God. 1430 01:32:19,800 --> 01:32:22,160 Speaker 2: I really be a better boy next time. 1431 01:32:23,040 --> 01:32:27,479 Speaker 1: Okay. There was an amazing tour. Okay, and that's the 1432 01:32:27,600 --> 01:32:31,920 Speaker 1: first tour I've ever seen where the lighting rig descended 1433 01:32:32,120 --> 01:32:34,639 Speaker 1: to the stage at one point. 1434 01:32:35,280 --> 01:32:35,479 Speaker 2: Yeah. 1435 01:32:36,439 --> 01:32:40,639 Speaker 1: Yeah, was that something you were involved in or somebody? 1436 01:32:40,880 --> 01:32:44,160 Speaker 2: Well, originally it was the idea that I wanted to use. 1437 01:32:44,400 --> 01:32:47,679 Speaker 2: I'd seen Vangelis, which is another story of my life, 1438 01:32:48,040 --> 01:32:52,120 Speaker 2: was I'd seen a photograph of him in Paris with 1439 01:32:52,400 --> 01:32:55,840 Speaker 2: laser beams and it'd never been used ever, and he 1440 01:32:56,160 --> 01:32:58,400 Speaker 2: was the first guy to use them as a show. 1441 01:32:59,040 --> 01:33:00,680 Speaker 2: And I kept saying that to the guys, We've got 1442 01:33:00,720 --> 01:33:02,800 Speaker 2: to get some laser beams. Got to get some laser beams. 1443 01:33:03,080 --> 01:33:06,960 Speaker 2: And that's when these all the staging in design, because 1444 01:33:07,000 --> 01:33:09,800 Speaker 2: I was that kind of guy who always said, look, 1445 01:33:10,240 --> 01:33:12,760 Speaker 2: there's a lot of people way over there. When you're 1446 01:33:12,760 --> 01:33:14,800 Speaker 2: playing for a ten thousand people, a load of people 1447 01:33:14,800 --> 01:33:17,400 Speaker 2: are way over there and they can just about see me. 1448 01:33:17,520 --> 01:33:21,720 Speaker 2: I'm two inches high. They should see a big spectacle 1449 01:33:22,040 --> 01:33:27,280 Speaker 2: of light and color. That's another That's another interview, Bob. 1450 01:33:28,680 --> 01:33:30,360 Speaker 1: And then how do you meet Van Gelis? 1451 01:33:31,240 --> 01:33:32,760 Speaker 2: That's another interview, Bob. 1452 01:33:33,439 --> 01:33:35,719 Speaker 1: Okay, then I'll ask you just a couple of questions 1453 01:33:35,760 --> 01:33:38,840 Speaker 1: and I'll let you go. Tell me about writing State 1454 01:33:38,920 --> 01:33:39,760 Speaker 1: of Independence. 1455 01:33:40,640 --> 01:33:45,920 Speaker 2: Oh my god, I just as life would have it. 1456 01:33:46,760 --> 01:33:49,960 Speaker 2: I was told not to go near the band by 1457 01:33:50,040 --> 01:33:59,479 Speaker 2: Trevor horn Lessen when they're rehearsing new songs. So I was, Okay, 1458 01:34:00,040 --> 01:34:04,360 Speaker 2: then I'll just twiddle my thumbs for a month or two, 1459 01:34:04,400 --> 01:34:07,680 Speaker 2: which I did and started writing some song ideas that 1460 01:34:07,800 --> 01:34:11,200 Speaker 2: I had. And Van Gelis was in Paris, so I 1461 01:34:11,280 --> 01:34:15,120 Speaker 2: went to Paris for a while, and then I went 1462 01:34:15,200 --> 01:34:23,160 Speaker 2: to see Yes in this gothic castle and they've been 1463 01:34:23,240 --> 01:34:25,280 Speaker 2: there a couple of months and not much had happened. 1464 01:34:25,320 --> 01:34:29,519 Speaker 2: A lot of just wasn't happening on different levels. And 1465 01:34:29,680 --> 01:34:31,960 Speaker 2: then I was there. I came up with some ideas 1466 01:34:32,080 --> 01:34:34,679 Speaker 2: for the next ideas that da Dad, and the following 1467 01:34:34,760 --> 01:34:36,960 Speaker 2: day Trevor Horne said, I think the guys would rather 1468 01:34:37,000 --> 01:34:42,559 Speaker 2: you don't be here anymore. Don't be here anymore, f off, 1469 01:34:44,400 --> 01:34:47,639 Speaker 2: So I said, okay, and I went to to Paris 1470 01:34:47,760 --> 01:34:51,320 Speaker 2: and I went to the studio where vang Gellis was 1471 01:34:51,360 --> 01:34:53,600 Speaker 2: and I'm walking in and he's doing this goo goo 1472 01:34:53,720 --> 01:34:57,200 Speaker 2: goo goo goo goo goo goo goo cuckoo sound, and 1473 01:34:57,320 --> 01:35:00,519 Speaker 2: I said, it's the microphone on. He said, yeah, it's all. 1474 01:35:01,040 --> 01:35:03,960 Speaker 2: So I went to over sorry, singing trying to think 1475 01:35:03,960 --> 01:35:04,800 Speaker 2: of the sona. 1476 01:35:05,360 --> 01:35:08,160 Speaker 1: But I need of life, May I live, may I Love? 1477 01:35:08,840 --> 01:35:11,439 Speaker 2: Coming out of the sky, I named me her name 1478 01:35:12,960 --> 01:35:15,920 Speaker 2: coming up Silver were for it is it is the 1479 01:35:16,160 --> 01:35:19,479 Speaker 2: very nature of the sound of the game. And I 1480 01:35:19,600 --> 01:35:22,480 Speaker 2: went all the way through the song lyric and everything. 1481 01:35:23,360 --> 01:35:24,960 Speaker 1: Just came out of you, just like that, off the 1482 01:35:25,000 --> 01:35:31,639 Speaker 1: top of your eyes like that, and it blew my mind. Okay, 1483 01:35:31,880 --> 01:35:34,400 Speaker 1: there was a little bit of adoption of that song 1484 01:35:34,600 --> 01:35:38,320 Speaker 1: by the Landscape, but ultimately on her first gath in 1485 01:35:38,360 --> 01:35:42,880 Speaker 1: the album with Quincy Jones, Donna Summer Donna Summers Yeah, 1486 01:35:43,120 --> 01:35:45,600 Speaker 1: which is a good version, but I actually prefer the 1487 01:35:45,760 --> 01:35:48,880 Speaker 1: version by Mood Food on the Mood Swings Out Mood 1488 01:35:48,920 --> 01:35:53,000 Speaker 1: Swings Mood Food with Chrissy Hind. 1489 01:35:53,000 --> 01:35:56,880 Speaker 2: It's just she's great. She's great. But you know, Donna 1490 01:35:57,040 --> 01:35:59,960 Speaker 2: was brilliant And did you notice who sang on that song? 1491 01:36:01,479 --> 01:36:03,439 Speaker 1: Remind me I own the album. I can't remember. 1492 01:36:04,200 --> 01:36:11,439 Speaker 2: Here they go, I gotta remember Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, 1493 01:36:15,240 --> 01:36:23,920 Speaker 2: Stevie Wonder, who's the guy in America's got talent on 1494 01:36:24,080 --> 01:36:29,240 Speaker 2: the ceiling? Was dancing on the ceiling? Anyway? A dozen 1495 01:36:29,400 --> 01:36:33,320 Speaker 2: of the top singers ever sang on that song. And 1496 01:36:33,439 --> 01:36:39,559 Speaker 2: I feel blessed that I saw the photograph. But if yeah, 1497 01:36:39,640 --> 01:36:43,800 Speaker 2: if you just google Michael Jackson instead of Independence, yeah, 1498 01:36:43,920 --> 01:36:44,360 Speaker 2: i'll see. 1499 01:36:44,439 --> 01:36:47,320 Speaker 1: I'm seeing if I can find it right now. 1500 01:36:47,640 --> 01:36:48,200 Speaker 2: They're there. 1501 01:36:48,720 --> 01:36:50,760 Speaker 1: Did you know that? 1502 01:36:52,000 --> 01:36:52,160 Speaker 2: Oh? 1503 01:36:52,280 --> 01:36:55,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, lit of Richie Richie? 1504 01:36:55,320 --> 01:36:55,600 Speaker 2: That was it? 1505 01:36:55,720 --> 01:37:02,040 Speaker 1: Sorry, Diana Ross, Brenda Russell, Christopher Krawan, Cannon, James Ingram, 1506 01:37:02,120 --> 01:37:06,040 Speaker 1: Kenny Loggins, Penny Lipton, Patty Austin, the great Michael McDonald 1507 01:37:06,160 --> 01:37:08,080 Speaker 1: and Stevie Wonder, all the. 1508 01:37:08,120 --> 01:37:10,960 Speaker 2: Great sing on the song that I wrote. I'm so blessed, 1509 01:37:11,040 --> 01:37:12,360 Speaker 2: Thank you very much God. 1510 01:37:14,320 --> 01:37:17,320 Speaker 1: And then it also says here in Wikipedia Summer's version 1511 01:37:17,439 --> 01:37:19,839 Speaker 1: is one of Brian Edo's favorite songs. 1512 01:37:20,240 --> 01:37:21,559 Speaker 2: Excellent, well done, Brian. 1513 01:37:22,360 --> 01:37:25,720 Speaker 1: Okay, so did you know that they were covering it 1514 01:37:26,000 --> 01:37:27,559 Speaker 1: or just one day you got the record? 1515 01:37:28,080 --> 01:37:32,839 Speaker 2: No, It's funny that our good friend Lee A. Brams 1516 01:37:34,040 --> 01:37:42,160 Speaker 2: sent Quincy the album before Thriller, because if you if you, 1517 01:37:42,520 --> 01:37:48,439 Speaker 2: if you read that album, it's it's a carbon copy 1518 01:37:48,520 --> 01:37:51,360 Speaker 2: of and Quincy always says that, yes, John, we just okay, 1519 01:37:51,439 --> 01:37:56,000 Speaker 2: we stole it. Okay, because they used voiceovers, because we 1520 01:37:56,160 --> 01:37:59,240 Speaker 2: you know, in Friends of Mister Cairo there was voiceovers 1521 01:37:59,320 --> 01:38:03,479 Speaker 2: of Peter Lauri and all the greats, and then that's 1522 01:38:03,520 --> 01:38:09,240 Speaker 2: what they used in Thriller. Of course, everybody, everybody is 1523 01:38:09,439 --> 01:38:11,439 Speaker 2: part of everything, you know, it's just. 1524 01:38:11,479 --> 01:38:15,479 Speaker 1: The way of the world. And okay, so as you 1525 01:38:15,560 --> 01:38:18,200 Speaker 1: moved on, hold on, that was it. 1526 01:38:18,479 --> 01:38:20,080 Speaker 2: That's the end of my story, Bob. 1527 01:38:20,400 --> 01:38:22,400 Speaker 1: Okay, I got one more question and then we're going 1528 01:38:22,479 --> 01:38:26,960 Speaker 1: to go. So you know, you leave Yes. You work 1529 01:38:27,040 --> 01:38:30,759 Speaker 1: with members of Yes. At this point in your life. 1530 01:38:30,960 --> 01:38:34,880 Speaker 1: To what degree is it frustrating that you have to 1531 01:38:35,040 --> 01:38:38,920 Speaker 1: play the old music live as opposed to the new music? 1532 01:38:39,320 --> 01:38:43,280 Speaker 2: Bob said, perfect question. I just came off tour with 1533 01:38:43,400 --> 01:38:48,120 Speaker 2: the Bank Geeks. These Bank Geeks are there's five six 1534 01:38:48,240 --> 01:38:59,840 Speaker 2: sorry great on two six players, five players, two keyboard players, drummer, bass, guitar. 1535 01:39:00,439 --> 01:39:07,080 Speaker 2: Unbelievable people, unbelievable musicians. Somebody sent me a rendition of 1536 01:39:07,560 --> 01:39:10,960 Speaker 2: Heart of the Sunrise again with them playing it, and 1537 01:39:11,120 --> 01:39:13,840 Speaker 2: I just went crazy and said, I got to work 1538 01:39:13,880 --> 01:39:15,960 Speaker 2: with these guys. I've got to go on to with 1539 01:39:16,080 --> 01:39:18,120 Speaker 2: these guys and play all the music from the seventies 1540 01:39:18,400 --> 01:39:23,040 Speaker 2: because that's the great music of yes, and that's what 1541 01:39:23,160 --> 01:39:23,640 Speaker 2: we just did. 1542 01:39:24,240 --> 01:39:27,920 Speaker 1: And do you feel frustrated that you can't go live 1543 01:39:28,200 --> 01:39:30,320 Speaker 1: and play your new music to a large audience. 1544 01:39:30,960 --> 01:39:35,960 Speaker 2: No. Eventually, whatever I'm doing now will evolve into what 1545 01:39:36,080 --> 01:39:40,200 Speaker 2: it's going to be. And I have great feelings and 1546 01:39:40,600 --> 01:39:44,120 Speaker 2: dreams like any normal guy, and that these things will 1547 01:39:44,160 --> 01:39:49,479 Speaker 2: come to pass and people will hear my latest work, 1548 01:39:49,640 --> 01:39:53,559 Speaker 2: and I have great dreams about it as well, where 1549 01:39:53,560 --> 01:39:55,120 Speaker 2: it's going to be played, and so on and so on. 1550 01:39:55,880 --> 01:39:59,559 Speaker 1: Okay, So as you and myself or in the sunset 1551 01:39:59,600 --> 01:40:03,040 Speaker 1: of our years, and you're a deep think or metaphysical guy, 1552 01:40:03,880 --> 01:40:06,160 Speaker 1: So what ultimately happens to us at the end of 1553 01:40:06,200 --> 01:40:07,000 Speaker 1: our lives. 1554 01:40:07,320 --> 01:40:09,679 Speaker 2: Well, we go to the next level, in the next 1555 01:40:09,840 --> 01:40:13,400 Speaker 2: level of consciousness. It's very been well written throughout the 1556 01:40:13,479 --> 01:40:16,000 Speaker 2: ages as that we keep forgetting that we go to 1557 01:40:16,120 --> 01:40:18,840 Speaker 2: the next level of consciousness. That's all there is to it. 1558 01:40:19,720 --> 01:40:22,720 Speaker 1: Take it or leave it, buddy, Okay, I think we're 1559 01:40:22,720 --> 01:40:24,720 Speaker 1: gonna leave it. Dear John, I want to thank you 1560 01:40:24,840 --> 01:40:27,760 Speaker 1: for taking all the time tell us so much about 1561 01:40:27,800 --> 01:40:32,439 Speaker 1: yourself and your career than to Bob in any event. 1562 01:40:33,080 --> 01:40:35,719 Speaker 1: Till next time. This is Bob left sets