BARCELONA 1984 - RADIO CLUB 25
I = Interviewer, R = Roger Hodgson
I.- Today live in Radio Club 25, and as we had already announced, Roger Hodgson! He is visiting Barcelona at the age of 34 and with his solo career just started with that great album entitled In The Eye Of The Storm.
I.- Welcome to Barcelona Roger Hodgson.
R.- Buenos dias!
I.- Congratulations for the piece of art that you've just given us, which is your new LP.
R.- Many many thanks, I am happy with it too.
I.- How do you feel now that you've started a solo career?
R.- I feel better than I have for years. It is like a new beginning, a rebirth, and I feel very excited about this album and also the future.
I.- What do you do with your personal life? Besides working, writing and producing an album or recording... what is your usual life like?
R.- Well, there is no more life for Roger Hodgson. I keep very very busy with my work. When I'm not working I like to get outside, do sport and hike, walk around on my land, in California, a lot.
I.- Everybody in Barcelona has responded very positive to this album. What are the criticisms in the rest of the world? specially the English... what have they said about this album?
R.- Well, the criticism has been very very good generally in the world. A lot of people are very surprised... how much of my sound was Supertramp, that is causing a lot of surprise. A lot of people are also commenting on the vitality of the record, the life of the record, which makes me very happy. In England, the English music scene is very strange, it's a very pop scene, and England is the one place actually in the whole world that the album is doing less better than other places.
I.- Do you know what are the plans that Supertramp has? Is Rick Davies, your friend, continuing with the group?
R.- Yes, the other four are making a new Supertramp album now. It is an experiment to see if they want to continue after this album for the future.
I.- You've done almost all the work in this album. Not only the voice, but you have played many of the instruments, produced, arranged. Why to do everything on your own?
R.- I think that after all these years of telling other people what I wanted to hear and getting other people to play my ideas, I wanted to make an album where I had no excuse, and I wanted to do all this by myself.
I.- Have you thought about producing other groups?
R.- Yes... the main problem is time. All my time is taken up with my own music.
I.- What you express in your album... is regarding peace? Do you think there is a solution to all the problems that we're facing now in the world?
R.- There are many many problems and there are no easy solutions to most of them. I think that first of all people must change, all the world over; and one of the biggest problems is that basically people are selfish, and the first place that people must change is in heart. The Russians must change their hearts, the American must change their hearts... before people learn to live with each other rather that fight each other.
(Had A Dream is played...)
I.- Do you think that your music may help people to get the message and at least to analyse their feeling and the situations about life? Do you think it may revive a feeling, a new feeling in them?
R.- I would like to see rock music again become more of the voice for the people, voice for people's concern about the world, because I think music speaks for the people much more than politicians do; politicians do not touch the heart, music can touch the heart and awaken the heart. I am trying to do the best I can, but I'm a small cock in the wheel, all music must change to make a big effect.
I.- Have you reached as a musician the top, or do you still have to go a little bit ahead?
R.- No, I have a long way to go, a long way to go. There are many new areas of music that I haven't investigated yet.
I.- Do you have plans to go on tour? Do you have that in mind?
R.- Yes, I'm looking forward to it very much. I'm going to make one more album first and then go on tour. So I will see you in Barcelona in 1986.
(I'm Not Afraid is played...)
I.- Is it convenient to wait for this period before you go on tour?
R.- It is gonna take some time to find the right musicians to put together a great band, and also to put together the kind of show I want to have when I go out for the first time.
I.- Will Michael Shrieve be one of the musicians?
R.- Yes, he will, he will be with me.
I.- How does the friendship between you and Michael Shrieve started?
R.- Well, we met through a publicist, friend of mine, and immediately the spark happens, it was fantastic.
I.- Is it true that some of the songs that you've recorded in your new album could have been included in Breakfast In America?
R.- Yes, the first song, Had A Dream, and also Hooked On A Problem were both candidates for Breakfast In America.
(Hooked On A Problem is played...)
I.- One of the most beautiful songs in the record is Lovers In The Wind, can you explain anything about it?
R.- It's funny I think Lovers In The Wind touches the Spanish passion or something, Spanish emotion, cause others have said the same thing... Lovers In The Wind is a love song for my lady.
(Lovers In The Wind is played...)
I.- Give Me Love, Give Me Life covers all the vitality that Roger Hodgson has. It's so fresh, it's a sound so fresh to us.
R.- Well, I noticed in the last European tour that people were responding much more to the up, positive songs than the old Supertramp dramatic side of the music, and I was enjoying playing the up songs more too; so I wanted to make an album full of more positive, energetic, vital music and Give Me Love, Give Me Life is a good example.
(Give Me Love, Give Me Life is played...)
I.- Are you interested in literature and painting, an art?
R.- A little bit, not too much. I read a little bit, my favourite books would be Shogun, Doom... but, most of my time is for my music.
I.- Do you like cinema?
R.- Yes, very much.
I.- And what opinion do you have about it?
R.- There are many good films nowadays, the film industry is very healthy. Also making music for films is very interesting for me.
I.- Could this be one of your proyects?
R.- Definitively, yes. I have two film proyects next year that I will be studying.
I.- Could you tell us any details about the recording of video Had A Dream?
R.- Yes, I wrote, produced and directed it. The video is a dream, but it's also a series of images and ideas to stimulate people's imaginations and to make them think about the enemies that we are all facing, both within ourselves and without ourselves. So the video makes you think.
I.- What are your favourite musicians?
R.- I like Bruce Springteen, The Cars, Steve Winwood, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Tears For Fears, U2... enough?
(Laughs)
I.- In one of their concerts Supertramp paid a small tribute to Mark Bolan... what is your opinion about him?
R.- Mark Bolan was a very very talented musician... very talented. I think that fame and success killed him, unfortunately.
(In Jeopardy is played...)
I.- What album of Supertramp do you prefer?
R.- The album that was the most successful for Supertramp, artistically, was Crime Of The Century. Another high point in the Supertramp career was obviously Breakfast In America. My favourite actually is Crisis? What Crisis?
I.- Here in Spain these three albums were real hits, and still nowadays people buy these albums and want to listen again and again to the songs... because it's a... it's a piece of...
R.- Timeless.
I.- Right, timeless.
(Breakfast In America is played...)
I.- Do you know any of the current Spanish music?
R.- I'm afraid not, not too much.
I.- Thank you, welcome to Spain and we wish you a lot of success.
R.- Muchas gracias, thank you.
(Fool's Overture is played...)
Transcribed from the radio interview by Jorge Cassinello