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After the impressive Excalibur concert, mastered by Alan Simon, Roger and Karuna Hodgson took us (Jordi Sabater, Luis Gouveia and Jorge Cassinello) to Roger's dressing room at Le Liberté. Comfortably seated, we interviewed the great musician for nearly 30 minutes. A short but intense time.
THE INTERVIEW:
Jorge Cassinello.- Sixteen months later here we are again having the chance to ask you about your impressions and ideas on music and anything you wish to comment. My first question is about last year tour around the world, those very first shows from which you recorded the Rites of Passage seem so far now... what is your main impression about this last tour?
Roger Hodgson.- It felt like the first tour of a whole new way of touring. It's all about connecting with the people. With no one behind you, you have to move forward and connect with the people... and it was new for me; with Supertramp even up to 1983 I was a very different person, I was very shy, I never talked on the microphone... the first thing I said on the microphone was "I'm leaving" [laughs] Yeah, that was the first thing I said and the last thing I said with Supertramp. And I was nervous every night, you know. So to get up, to be up there by myself and do a show by myself was a whole new chance, and I've loved it, I've really loved it.
JC.- How do you explain that change in your character? I mean, you were shy then you changed... at the age of... thirty years or something?
RH.- I don't know, I think that just all the things I've gone through in the last... whatever is, sixteen years? I've got more confidence, been through a lot of things... so now I'm emerging a very different and stronger person. But I think that something has awaken in me, I love being on stage now, it was different with Supertramp, Supertramp was more... I loved being on stage with Supertramp but it was very different, we were doing a perform every night. Now on this tour I was... many times I didn't know what I was gonna do, I walked out on stage and I didn't have a plan, didn't know what I was gonna say, didn't know anything; so I just [Roger clicks his fingers] and that! so do that! You know, with Supertramp it was the same priming every night, when we knew what we're gonna do.
JC.- Although you used to do some jams on the shows... Well, at least we've got... er... you know, those CDs we don't know where they are coming from... [laughs] And there is an interesting one from 1977, that must be Even In The Quietest Moments Tour, and particularly Sister Moonshine [Luis confirms this point, indeed I've got that recording from him], amazing the version you were performing at that time...
Luis Gouveia.- The singing, Rick with the harmonica, John... amazing. It's something I wouldn't expect in a show today of Supertramp, because I think it's always the same thing. Now hundred of shows... well like in 1979, when you did Breakfast... but in 1977 and 1975 there was such a fantastic stuff...
RH.- I think it was looser back then, fresher and looser... as the show got bigger and more complicated things had to be more precise. I really think that the band died when we stopped jamming; we used to jam in sound checks... you know, but half way through Breakfast In America the band stopped... and I think that then something died. It got too serious then.
JC.- Do you have any anecdotes you would like to... or that you remember; and that in a way are indelibly stamped in your mind? Something that happened...
RH.- During the tour?
JC.- Yeah, a particular country or people...
RH.- Five crazy Spanish people that showed up in...
JC.- Except this one [laughs]
RH.- Anecdotes?... I think the biggest surprise was... I mean, really everyone... was fantastic, yeah.
LG.- I saw a concert in South America, there was an amazing audience I've never seen before... don't you remember any particular place like that?
RH.- I love Latin America, I love it! But you saw the show or saw a video?
LG.- A video.
RH.- Buenos Aires... yeah. I loved that tour... I just loved the people, the Latin culture has much more heart quality, their hearts are much more open, more than in northern countries.
JC.- Let's change a bit the subject. What can you tell us about Alan Simon? It seems to me that there has been some sort of "love at first sight" between the both of you... I mean, have you connected easily or has it been something that evolved...?
RH.- No, I think it has been many things. He's been really responsible for many things, the fact I'm making an album really very much is his doing, he peeped the pieces together to allow to make it happen, connected with the record company...
JC.- You're talking about Open The Door...
RH.- Yeah. Most of the musicians on this album are his connections. I mean, in France I didn't know anyone. So many of the musicians tonight are probably gonna be playing on it; the orchestra, the vocal choir.. they are all on it, they will be.
JC.- So, some of the musicians here in Excalibur are going to be in Open The Door.
RH.- Yeah, a lot of them.
Jordi Sabater.- Carlos Núñez?
RH.- I hope so. If he can make it in November.
JC.- Oh well, so in a way, it's going to have some Celtic atmosphere.
RH.- Yeah... it's a .... well I don't think is very much Celtic atmosphere, unless listening bag pipes on one song. But I think is just a lot of different colours, I don't think is gonna be any saxophone...
JC.- No John Helliwell!
RH.- No. For example, I think there will be electric violin, there's gonna be a lot of harmonica and flutes... but I don't think that saxophone...
LG.- Sorry, what if Alan Simon didn't appear? Would it be very different the whole concept of the album?
RH.- Well, I actually started the album in America, I worked for almost three months in America, but I really didn't get very far. There were many reasons for that. But the thing really started to happen when I came to France.
LG.- But did you change the general idea of the album after meeting Alan?
RH.- Musically I really know what I want with this album, what Alan's been able to do is just present me with many colours in different musicians. I gotta trust him, and then try this colour and this colour, and I've been plenty surprised, you know, it's different to what I would've chosen; it's very good he's gonna make the music feel a bit different.
JC.- Does it mean that it's going to be maybe music by Alan on this album?
RH.- No...
JC.- Or is it going to be all your music?
RH.- Yeah.
Karuna Hodgson.- One song is by Alan.
RH.- Actually, that's true. One song...
JC.- Oh... maybe we should ask Karuna instead... [laughs]
JS.- Let's change! let's change! [laughs]
KH.- He wanted you to say that... it's a very great one.
RH.- Yeah I know, I'm sorry, I forgot about that. Actually the final song is a beautiful song, that he wrote and I put the lyrics... beautiful.
JC.- And... can you tell us something about the songs?
RH.- You probably know some of them.
JC.- Yeah, I hope so...
JS.- Sound check in Amsterdam maybe?
JC.- We are worried about very beautiful songs you were singing during your last tour, and from the mailing list and the web sites and from different fans we've got the news that songs like Say Goodbye or Lone Child are not going to be on this album... is it true?
RH.- Lone Child won't be.
JC.- You didn't find the right drummer? [laughs] You were trying every single night but... [Karuna and Roger laugh...]
RH.- Say Goodbye is on the album...
JC.- Oh, great!
RH.- Along Came Mary, Love Is A 1000 Times, Death & A Zoo...
JC.- The new Showdown...?
RH.- The new Showdown.
JS.- Jorge knows better...
JC.- Oh no... [laughs]
RH.- What? [Roger looks amused...]
JC.- Keep The Pigeons Warm?
RH.- No.
JC.- Teach Me To Love Again!
RH.- No...
JC.- No??!!
KH.- Oh no... it's terrible... next time [she laughs, like saying "always the same story"] I love this song...
JC.- Yeah.
LG.- Next time...
RH.- I know, it was difficult, very difficult. I tried both Keep The Pigeons and Teach Me To Love Again and they didn't...
JC.- Didn't fit?
RH.- Oh no, they would've fitted but I just didn't... for some reason...
JC.- Is it going to be a long album? I mean 70 minutes or something like that? You don't know yet?
RH.- No, probably about 60.
JC.- OK, you can add those two! [laughs]
JS.- You can add two more!
RH.- [laughing] ... but I wanna finish it! [opening his eyes wide]
JC.- Oh, yes! sure, that's right! [more laughs] Do you expect you're going to release in a different, I would say, frequency from now on? I mean, you're going to wait for 10 years or something? [Karuna laughs]
RH.- The biggest problem is that I don't have a band.
LG.- Is that a problem?
RH.- Well, it's a problem because when I'm going to make an album and there in't a band there... if there was a band there, it'd be easy to maybe do a tour and work the songs up, and then going to the studio and doing it quickly.
LG.- How do you like to have a band?
RH.- I'd like to have at least some musicians that I could call.
KH.- Particularly a rhythm section.
RH.- Yeah, particularly drummer and bass player.
JC.- What about the musicians from Rites Of Passage? You are happy with them but not...
RH.- No, they were right for that project, I really appreciate everything they did, but...
JC.- You're looking for something special?
RH.- Andrew on drums, he's an incredible drummer, but he's doing his own things... I wanted to find my drummer, so it' going to France and try a few...
JC.- And what about an advertisement, like the one you did when Rick was looking for somebody... [Karuna laughs]
RH.- I did auditions in Los Angeles a few years ago.
JC.- But you haven't found the spark...
RH.- I did actually, I did find a great drummer, and I was gonna do a tour and then The Eagles called up and said "please, we want you".
JC.- No! You can't compare Roger Hodgson with The Eagles [laughs]
RH.- So... he was a good drummer... and so puff! my band went puff! [once more, a funny and expresive Roger here] Anyway, now I've got a very good French bass player and drummer that I really like... And so, to answer your question, next album I hope will be much quicker. A lot of the songs on the next album I will be doing with a band, and sound checks, during the shows...
JC.- Are you still composing more songs? or you are just trying to arrange what you've got, 'cause there are so many...
RH.- I'm not doing much... music is coming very easily now, I don't really have to try...
JC.- So, sorry, last year you've got 80 songs, now you've got 100 or more?
RH.- They are coming all the time... I've still got a big backlog to get out. Teach Me To Love Again... a lot of songs... The Journey...
JC.- The Journey? Is it the name of the last song?
RH.- The name of the last song is the working title for the next album, which probably will change.
KH.- No.
RH.- The Journey is a big piece, a big long piece, but I may lose interest in it... [laughs] Open The Door is the big piece, and Death & A Zoo.
JC.- How do you feel inside in this stage of your life? Happy about what you've have done? If you look back, how do you feel? Now you are at a certain age and... did you expect this maybe 20 years ago?
RH.- No, I didn't expect to be having a rebirth at 49 [laughs] But I feel, it's funny, I feel like age has nothing to do with it, it's all about energy, I have more energy now than I certainly had ten years ago. Since I left Supertramp I have been in a very challenging and wonderful journey. I feel like... because of Rites Of Passage and because of the tour, the Solo Tour, a new me emerging... boy, I've got no time to waste, I've got to do a lot, hopefully in the next five years.
JC.- We heard this morning in an interview recorded in Canada, that you were even surprised that people still remembered you; obviously you are deeply inside our minds, we really love your music... so, maybe that was another part of the whole thing, just to see that you were not forgotten.
RH.- Oh yes I was... I mean... I was totally out of touch with the music industry for many years. So I didn't know what to expect, I knew that people remember Supertramp probably, but...
JS.- Were you aware of the two Very Best of Supertramp? Were you aware that they were going to the market?
RH.- Yeah.
LG.- I will tell you five names of musicians, some passed away, some are still with us, now you can tell me whether you would feel like to play with them and what you think about them... Paul Simon.
RH.- I have a lot of respect for Paul Simon, he's an incredible writer of songs, great poet.
LG.- Would you like to do something with him?
RH.- I'm not particularly drawn, but I enjoy him a lot.
LG.- John Lennon.
RH.- He's probably made the most impact, I think... for me anyway on rock music, in an important way. I love what he did...
LG.- Paul McCartney.
RH.- Again, I'd love to meet him...
LG.- Never met?
RH.- No, I haven't.
LG.- Do you think you could do something musical, the both of you...
RH.- It could do...
LG.- Cat Stevens
RH.- Great... he's great but he's also very happy doing his religion...
JC.- He's composing again...
RH.- Is he?
JC.- He's doing some prayers or something... apart from you, he's my second favourite musician.
RH.- Yeah, I know he's great. Gerry Conway, the drummer tonight was his drummer. Jerry actually did some sessions for me at the beginning of Open The Door. He often phoned up Cat just trying to persuade him to do music again. Yes, I think Cat's very focused on his religion. And it's fine.
LG.- Finlly, Freddie Mercury.
RH.- I love Queen. It's a great combination. I love Freddie attitude... it's like buuf!! [Roger imitates the funny arrogant way of looking at the world of Freddie] [laughs] I love that!
JC.- Laughing at the world.
RH.- Outrageous, yeah. He was outrageous, I love that stuff.
LG.- And the music... together...
RH.- Oh, together with Freddie? Yeah, when I get up there...
JC.- But you wouldn't compare, sorry to go back to The Beatles, but from what you said about Paul and John, would you say that you prefer... I mean they fitted good, they fitted OK...
RH.- They were a magical combination. I love John Lennon, I think that he was a very tortuous soul, he put that into his songs and spoke for a lot of people, very confused or angry or whatever... Paul was a genius, musically...
JC.- But he was not probably touching very much...
RH.- Well, I don't know, I'm not so sure. Sometimes I hear that in the experimental days Paul was more experimental than John. But we all think "oh, John was the rebel and the genius, and Paul wrote the pop songs", and I don't think it was like that.
JC.- And he's doing classical music now...
RH.- Paul?
JC.- Yeah, he's written a symphony.
RH.- I think Paul is experimenting in trying to find his creativity.
JC.- Any news from your son Andrew? Is he going to release any album soon.
RH.- Not soon, but I've seen his band, it's really very hot...
JC.- What's the name?
RH.- At the moment Pocket for Corduroy.
JC.- Which song of all times, from other musician or band is that one you say: Gosh, I wish I had composed it!
RH.- Oh la la... that's a difficult one... Imagine, and Across The Universe, I love that. "Words are flowing out like endless rain... [all together now] nananna.. across the universe" John Lennon. And Imagine.
JC.- And just a pray for you to come to Spain next year, to Portugal, to Italy, to Hungary... we've got many friends all over Europe.
RH.- Yeah. I want to put a great show together, and go to a lot of places... [addressing to Luis] You're from Portugal? I wanna go to Portugal. Karuna loves Portugal too.
KH.- I've only been there once... but I loved it.
JC.- Well... thanks a lot!
Satisfied and once more touched by this charming man, we left Le Liberté and took theway home, to meet our friends and comment the experience of such
