Eric Favé

Thank you for coming to France

Francis Rossi

I'm very pleased to be in France . I love the French. Where was that gig recently? …

Bruno P

Colmar …

FR

Colmar . Lovely people, the French, eh? John and I and Andrew, we're all Francophiles, and when we came on stage, we said “The French, they listen!” Deutschland , England , Belgium , Holland , all that fucking <makes drunken noises>. You don't know if they're listening. It's good, but the French say “I'm not going to buy a ticket, get drunk and forget.” They're happy, but they're not <makes drunken noises>, and I'm so used to people being <makes drunken noises>, so we're really looking forward to playing France . Fantastic!

Eric Favé

Well, we have a few questions about the tour …

FR

Yes, you know I talk too much so slow me down. Chop me off.

Eric Favé

OK, so how would you rate In Search Of The Fourth Chord among your Quo albums?

FR

At the moment, I like it a lot, but to be objective about an album, I don't think I can until sometime next year. And that's what I usually do: I wait until the following year and I have a quiet period at home and I put it on and then you can be very objective about it. At the moment, I love the way it sounds – I love the energy coming off it, and I like most of the material, but that's now, and I'm out doing promotion. I'm not going to come out and say “My God, our album is shit!” It's just not going to happen, is it? But I do like it; I'm very happy with this album – so far. And I think that, for me, even if it isn't successful … I like it and I think the rest of the band is pretty happy too.

FR

I shan't forget that now, my grandfather had a dog called Bruno!

Bruno P

It's the first time so many musicians have been invited to collaborate on a Quo album , so where did the idea come from and what did they bring …

FR

Such as?

Bruno P

… to the album?

FR

Which ones? Who?

Eric F

The last one.

FR

Yeah, but which musicians?

Bruno P

Er, John's Son …

FR

When we were doing the song of John's – Bad News , you know …

Bruno P

Yes.

FR

We've done the demo and everything. “That's a nice solo. We'd better do the solo,” and I thought “I'm either going to try and do a better solo than John's boy, who's 18, who's learnt lots of stuff from me, lots of stuff from Rick and lots of stuff from everybody – I'm either going to try and do one better than him or copy him.” But why do that? I think the solo's fantastic. I don't even think I could play it. I think it's fantastic, so it would be a real ego thing to say “No, I'm not having that boy playing!” No, it sounds good. It's John's son. I love the boy, he's a great boy and he's a great guitar player, so it must be for him something nice to be able to play … if I could have played on someone's album when I was his age – 17 or 18 – on some big axe album it would have been quite, you know … he's a brave boy to do it. And it's very good.

And so various people … who else have we got on there? There's nobody else, is there? Who else has played bits? John, that's all. Next question.

Eric Favé

There are now five composers in the band. How were the tracks on the album chosen?

FR

Erm, everybody does a bunch of demos … I think Andrew and I did five or six different things that didn't get on there. Bob and I probably did twenty-something songs and a few didn't get on there. Rick did two or three with someone and only two got on there. I can't remember how many John did. You know, you put them all together on the first day in the studio and you sit there playing them and listening, and we go “Hmm, yeah” and we had Pip Williams who we allowed to say what he thought, and basically most of the mixture and most of the choices was down to Pip Williams.

But he knows how the band are feeling and he can tell in the room when it's being discussed – everybody may nod and go “I don't think so” and he may think “Yes, I still think we're doing it.” Or everyone may think “Yes, we're doing it” and Pip may be thinking “Hmm, I don't think so.” I still think it's come out the way it should – it's good.

Bruno P

So that's why you had the idea to collaborate again with Pip Williams?

FR

I was aware that I wasn't particularly happy with the last album and that's nothing to do with Mike … everyone thinks I've got a problem with Mike Paxman – I don't. But I'd gone home and I was listening … I have these days once every couple of years: I'll sit at home and my wife and children are away – in the evening – and I'll sit and play a few Quo albums. From the very early ones that everyone said were like “Oh my God!” to the 80s ones which everyone said were <makes vomiting sound>.

And I listen through … and I listen to Don't Stop , which was a covers album and I don't like doing covers albums, and so on. And I was aware that on Don't Stop , I think, When You Walk In The Room I think is some of the best stuff we ever did. I love the song, I love the way it was done, I love what Pip did with it, and from the fade onwards, the way it all works. And I was aware that In The Army Now , Rockin' All Over The World , Whatever You Want – fuck me! With Pip Williams, we've had our biggest successes, single-wise and album-wise. We've upset quite a lot of hardcore Status Quo fans who don't like him. Now, do we want to sell records or do we not? I don't want to sell records to <whispers> as few people as possible <stops whisper>. You're in a band, you want to do as many as you can, as big as it can be, and it seems to me the route was Pip Williams.

We go with a new producer, you've got two years of learning to go through. We know Pip Williams. Everybody's comfortable with Pip Williams. He's very very musical and he's very funny in the studio. We were doing this song of Matthew's <sings some of the tune> … in the studio, I was sat here; the amps were in there; Rick was here; Andrew was there; Matthew was there; John was over there and Pip stood over there. I said “Pip, will you do a guide vocal?” Which is great because one of us doesn't have to think about the vocal, we can just play, you know. And so he's over there and he can say to us “Now, in bar 15, 2 nd and 3 rd beat of the bar, blah, blah, blah.” And we were <sings some of the tune, as above>, and he said <to the same tune> “I fiddle about with myself in the bath.”

Eric & Bruno

<Small laugh>

FR

So there we are listening to this <sings some of the tune, as above> and he's going <to the same tune> “I fiddle about with myself in the bath”, and there's a smile on everyone's faces and something comes off the music like that. And then we'd be in the control room, discussing it quite seriously, and he'd say “Fiddle about with myself … bath! On the ‘bath', Matt can you do so and so? John, if you're in …?”

“Oh, on the ‘bath' or on the ‘fiddle about'?”

“No.”

And another one he comes up with: Andrew's A Figure Of Eight <sings part of tune>. So he says “When you come out of A Figure Of Eight, when it goes to the ‘Fuck my old red boots'…”

“To the what?”

<sings part of tune, as above> “Fuck my old red boots”.

Eric & Bruno

<Small laugh>

FR

See, you're smiling. So we're going “Da, da, da, da, da” and over there he's going “Fuck my old red boots” and so something – I think that – kept the energy up because something is coming off this album in terms of energy. There's not an ‘energy' switch anywhere. And we kept it down to as few takes as possible – we became aware that, you know, 15, 20 takes – it may be correct but it just comes off like that <makes boring-sounding noise>. Whereas this one, I put it on, I go “How did we do this? I don't know where the energy came from – other than someone's going <sings> ‘Fuck my old red boots'. Go on son!”

And then on the single <sings>, we're going to the chorus and he's saying “Remember, no chorus on the end” <sings loudly> “OK, bring it down, bring it down. Yeah, I like that shit.” And he's talking to you <mutters> “Bunch of fucking idiots!” <sings> “Come on Matthew, bring it back, bring it back.” And off it goes. And something's going on inside, and it's gone on tape.

So if nothing else Pip Williams brought, he brought all that, and apart from he's a very very musical man, great guitar player and comes up with great ideas. In fact I think I'm going to fuck him when I get home.

Eric & Bruno

Oh, OK.

FR

I love him that much. It'll be very safe of course, you know …

Bruno P

We'll cut this. <Laughter>

Bruno P

So Francis, why did you found your own label ‘Fourth Chord Records'?

FR

It was definitely the time to do it in England, we have such a … if there's anywhere we don't get a record company, it's England, and Simon suggested it to me and Rick and we thought it was a good idea. Plus I think I have something I would like to put on that label later on. Not yet, but it's an act I'm working with that I think are really tremendous. And it may be something, again in the future … the record company could be defunct in five years – I don't know. But it just seemed the time was right and we can dictate things to a degree. We dictate the cover, the promo campaign and all that stuff because we are it, and we're quite pleased with that so far. I'm not sure it's going to stay that way, but that's how it is at the moment.

Bruno P

So now that you have your own label and more control over your work, have you any plans to re-edit your past albums or, in particular, to open up maybe a treasure box to allow fans access to rare soundtracks or videos that you have from the past?

FR

No I hadn't thought that before you said it, but it sounds like a good idea. But in terms of recording other material that we've already recorded, we can't do that because of contractual things. They belong to other people. That's another reason that it's a good idea now to do the, um … in England , have that thing … maybe. But at the moment, we're very happy with what's happening in France and we're very happy with what's happening in Germany . So, I don't know, but it would be good that <tails off>. Ask me again.

Bruno P

About the rare soundtracks or videos …

FR

Oh yes. Yeah, I think that's quite a good idea. Again, other people own that stuff, so from here on, we may be able to own it. The other thing we can do in England , which our fans often ask for, is why can't they buy the album at the gig? Well, up until now, you can't do that because a) you're shooting yourself in the foot – the dealer won't take the record if he thinks you're selling it in the venue. But we now may be able to sell it in the venue and lots of fans said they'd like to buy it in the venue because, blah, blah, blah. And so that's something we'll be able to do. As I said, I'm not sure it's the best move here, but at the moment we think that's a good idea, and I would like to see it develop as a label. In this climate, it's going to be difficult, but again it will still have, in the future, or anybody that knows Fourth Chord Records, it must be Status Quo. So rather than have a label called ‘ Status Quo Records ' … ‘Fourth Chord Records' is good. Does that answer your question?

Eric Favé

Yes, yes. Francis, how do you feel on the eve of this first French tour in 20 years?

FR

Very excited. I'm getting worried that … I try not to have expectations of … I keep thinking of ‘Bobital and Colmar, and as I said when we walked in, it was such a fabulous feeling to be in front of the French again because they listen and they appreciate when you do it well, and if you don't do it well, they can tell. We'll finish the number and they'll go “Yea! But it doesn't mean that because we like this one, we're going to like the next one. The next one better be as good as that one otherwise we're not going to go ‘Yea!'” And they do and I really like that, but I'm very worried that when I set expectations in my mind of those two gigs, I'm hoping that all the other French gigs will be like that. I have to take that out of my mind because …

Bruno P

Yeah, because Colmar was a very great experience …

FR

Yes, but I've been trying to live up to those expectations. I mustn't do that. You go out each night thinking “let's see what happens”. But something happened … I read an article about two years ago in some music magazine and it was about Pascal Bernardin so I read it because he's an old friend and I hadn't heard of him in a long time. It was a really great article … and it was talking about Status Quo – it was the first thing he'd promoted and he said – which was true – “I was a real promoter, not like promoters today – come and see the band once a month.” He was with us every day, on tour. And he loved the band and it was a great relationship. And he received a letter from one of our managers saying “We don't need you anymore”, and as soon as he received that letter, it seems, nothing happened in France .

And until I read that article, I thought “Well, the French have just gone off Status Quo – it happens – the French don't like Status Quo anymore ,” which was a terrible feeling because …

Bruno P

We do!

FR

I know. But I'd always liked playing to the French, for all those reasons I said. It can be very difficult because, like I said, if the first number's great and the second one isn't, you can feel it by the way the applause is. “Oh shit!” And that's what I used to think, years ago: “This is hard work. Jesus!” But you have to be right on the … whereas years ago, we would go “ Germany or France ? France or Germany ?” like that and I remember with Andrew, we were talking and saying to the management “Don't put us in Germany first and then into France ” because …

Bruno P

You were afraid to be disappointed?

FR

No. Yeah. At the time as well, the Germans had the efficient roads, you could eat whenever you like. And we'd come to France , and you eat when the French tell you, the roads weren't as good then, the venues weren't as good then, you know. But it was very good for a band's discipline to work in France because we would have to be up and try and beat the traffic when the trucks go off the roads for two hours – we would do the travelling then and, you know, you'd get to a hotel and ask “Could I have…?”

“No, it's not open yet.”

“Eh? What the fuck's going on?”

So you had to adjust to being in France , which I think is really good for anybody, and that used to make us work really hard, and then if you go into Germany , fine, but coming to France has always been great. I don't want to sound like an American <puts on American accent> “We love your country”. I don't. I live where I live and I like it, but I love playing to the French. And you have food too, which is not bad.

Eric Favé

<small laugh> Good food

FR

Better than that English shit. Don't let anybody English know that I said that about English food <laughs>. I have to tell you a story – I had this aunt who used to live with my mother, and something came up about food one day and I was talking about Indian food or something, and she went “Oh! Foreign muck! I like good English food.” I said “What?!” She said “Good English …” I said “We boil everything!” I call it boiled shite in England – don't you dare let the English hear me say that <laughs>. We boil everything – fucking useless! Right. Sorry.

Bruno P

So about the tour, er, are you going to modify the set list to include titles from the last album?

FR

We will try and get two or three from this new one and the set will basically be the same as it has been. I think if we change it now, its …

Eric Favé

So which songs from the new album?

FR

I don't know …

Bruno P

You don't know yet?

FR

Well, the single …

Bruno P

The single obviously …

FR

Yeah, and I think we will do, erm, Gravy Train and then we may either do Alright or the bluesy track, er, <sings> I ain't wasting no time . The others seem to want to do that one. Alright, maybe we'll try that. But what happens, remember, is we put it on paper and the idea sounds good: “That'll go there. That sounds lovely.” And we rehearse them and go “Oh shit! That doesn't …”.

When we had Down Down out, you must remember, we were told by the record company, by the management, by the promo people “You must do Down Down on stage.”

“Why?”

“Because you are promoting it.” And we played it and “No. It doesn't sound good.”

“But you must, you must.”

“Don't tell me I must.” It didn't sound or feel right. The record was great but what we were doing didn't … We did it four or five years later, then it went in the set because it felt right. And I think it'd be great promotionally – business sense – it'd be really good for us to do six or seven tracks from the new album. But that will just fuck with the set. Finally, we'll advertise the six or seven tracks, but the set on that evening will not flow correctly. I has to have Caroline, Don't Waste My Time, Down Down, Paper Plane, Whatever You Want, Rockin' All Over The World and it has to have those songs, otherwise who the fuck is on that stage? It's definitely Status Quo and they're the songs they do. We can shuffle them around, which we did once – it was a bad mistake

Bruno P

In Guildford !

FR

Huh? You were there, right. And we did about ten shows, which I though was disgraceful, before we put it back to normal, because we had … there is that pressure in your mind that you should change it, you should change it, you should. I'm sure we should , but when we do, it doesn't feel good, it doesn't feel right. We took Caroline and put it where Down Down is; Down Down was at the front, which on paper sounds a good idea. Rick and I were talking; he said “You're at the front. The intro starts, it's completely black with the light on you, and the band come in <makes guitar/drum noise>.” And I said “Good, yeah, sounds good.” We did it, finished Down Down and thought “That's funny”. And then other songs were slightly different and when we got to where Caroline was, Caroline sounded <makes dreary-sounding music noise>. “What the fuck is wrong with Caroline ? It sounds slow and dreary.” Put it back to the front, it sounds better – faster energy. Put Down Down back where it was and the audience go “Whoa!” I don't understand this, but that's going there and that's going there.

So we will do our best. People don't believe us, but we really do our best. It'd be great to go out and play an entirely new set, but it'd be like “Where's Rockin' All Over The World ? Oh, right. Where's Down Down ? Oh, yeah.” In fact, I think it might have been that tour that we took out Don't Waste My Time , and I got to the first announcement and some fucker in the audience said “ Don't Waste My Time! ” and we all looked at each other and said “Shit, we only just took it out.” So we do try and please the audience: we aren't one of those acts that, sort of <makes dismissive noises>. It's them! Without them, there's a bunch of old men on stage going <hums aimlessly> It's them! It's everything. And it's the same with all bands, all acts – they pretend it's not, but that's it! Without those people, you are unemployed. And the unemployed of this world are not revered <laughs>.

Eric Favé

Will Rhino sing lead on stage?

FR

Maybe. We call him ‘The Singing Kettle' You know what a kettle is? He has that ‘Weeeee' <makes noise of kettle whistle blowing>. There's a few things we did on the album where we're talking with Pip; he said “D'you know, we should get The Singing Kettle in to do that.” We just call him ‘The Singing Kettle' now; he can do this noise. And I think he does that track very very well. Whether or not we'll do that on stage, I don't know.

Eric Favé

Maybe one day you'll get tired of this and you can switch to him …

FR

Well that's the other thing: if he sings something, I get a break, which I do need.

Bruno P

Talking about getting tired, how do you manage to give hundreds of concerts a year all over the world after a forty-year career?

FR

Dunno.

Bruno P

You should know, you should know. You still look fit.

FR

Other than you know I go to the gym regularly. When I'm at home I go five days … where are we? Am I going home tonight? I'm going home tonight and I'll be in the gym early tomorrow morning and then I go and do television, then I'll be in the gym Friday … and I'll be in the gym all next week. I watch the diet. I get to sleep nowadays.

Bruno P

So you have a problem coming to France though? You know, with the diet – you have the best food in the world. How will you manage ten days in France ?

FR

I went for sushi last night. I love sushi. Erm …

Bruno P

Sorry

FR

Yeah sorry. But I try and keep fit. I realised when I was 40 … “Oh fuck, I'm not 25 am I?” So, you know, look … someone's been living in here for a long time. And they've been abusing it. And so I do my damnedest to keep fit. I like the way I feel. I like to feel alert. I like it when I'm on stage and I can fell that I've been working out and I have the energy to do it. I swim every day at home as well, and even sometimes now I'm teaching my trainer to swim – he can't swim <laughs>. And he has this swimming teacher that comes to see my children, blah, blah, blah, and he's 27 and I can swim better and faster than him, which is quite good at my age.

But I do that mainly to stay alive and <sighs> I have the energy and the breath. We have a very sedentary job most of the time; I've been sat here since 9 o'clock this morning, and I haven't moved yet. Well that isn't particularly energetic, is it? So I will go home and then exercise and it's good because a lot of my kids do as well. And it's good for all of us. We need to stay alive; I don't want to be dead yet

Eric Favé

No, no, no <laughs>. Not good.

What do you prefer to sell, a CD or a concert ticket?

FR

What do I prefer to sell ?

Eric Favé

Yes.

FR

That's a nasty question – a really good question <pause>. It's equal. I can't … one can't be without the other. In theory, if I sell an album, I'm probably going to sell a ticket afterwards, but with Status Quo, we invariably sell the ticket first because we have a reputation for selling tickets. Lots of people come and see us but won't necessarily buy our records. Now whether that's because of the way the media is these days … it's so dissipated, the media, I mean the chances of us being on MTV are fucking remote, if at all. So that's a medium that we need and we can't get. Radio is so different these days that it's hard to get, so this is why we had the Fourth Chord thing and it's to get in people's faces because it's the only route these days.

Sorry, what was the question?

Eric Favé

What do you prefer to sell, a concert ticket or a CD album?

FR

That's really tricky. I don't … er, both. One leads to the other. While I'm out on the road, I want to sell fucking tickets <laughs>. You know, if we're playing to a hall with nobody in it and they say “You sold lots of records today”

“Fuck the records, I want to sell fucking tickets!” Because I'm here today, now, and that's always been important to me. And it's always been important to me whenever we're trying to do live TV stuff and they've got cameras … “Will you fucking get out the way!” … This becomes important, while I'm talking about it with the crew and the managers … “That camera will be across there.”

“Fine”

“And he'll be …”

“Yeah, OK” I get on stage … “Fuck off!” … These people are all important to me. I understand that we're making something that's going to be seen over and over, but at that point, I don't care – this is important right here and now. These people are here now, and my bottom's going <makes farting noise> in case I don't get it right, so I desperately want it to be right for these people. And when it's right for those people, I come off going <makes sensual love-making noises>. It's like sex.

Eric Favé

It's like sex?

FR

Yeah! We do the same thing over and over again – sometimes it's good, sometimes it's better! That's sex.

FR

<some chat about the interview and over-running and the number of remaining questions – none of which is relevant to this transcript.>

Bruno P

Earlier in the interview, we were talking about the gigs in France … do you remember the gig at Olympia last year, with all the balloons?

FR

Yeah, yeah.

Bruno P

Do you think the success of that night weighed on your decision to do a full French tour?

FR

No, we've always wanted to do a French tour; something else has happened and I don't know what it is, whether it's the thing with Pascal, but we've always wanted to … “Why aren't we playing France ? We love France !” But as I said, particularly with John and Andrew …

Bruno P

It's been 20 years.

FR

I know! I was here! <laughs> John and Andrew, particularly, are really really so typically English that anything French … “Oh my God, that's me, you know – women, dogs, food, anything … countries, anything.”

Bruno P

Dogs?

FR

Anything! They are that French … Plus, Andrew and I remember really enjoying working here, as I said … erm, what did you ask me?

Bruno P

About the Olympia …

FR

And the other thing about that Olympia gig was so wonderful is that … you know I started with my back to the audience, right. I could see everyone and I could feel something going on … “What?” … I thought “I can't turn round” … “What is it? What?” And I turned round … “Fuck!” <laughter>… It was almost as though we were a French band or a Parisian band and we were coming home! It really felt like that and that was such an emotional moment for me – to have that “Fuck, they like us!” It was such a lovely feeling. As I said, the only thing I'd liken it to is ‘A Homecoming' – you know, where they always talk about such-and-such a band <adopts American accent> “They're playing in their home town tonight.” It was like that. For the first ten minutes, I was … drunk. Wow! Lovely!

Eric Favé

Well, that pleases us because we know it took a few weeks to organise …

FR

I bet, yeah …

Bruno P

We printed a flyer and bought the balloons and …

FR

I had a cousin … one of my cousins was there who's been coming to see … I grew up with this cousin from when I was two, three, you know, and he's a big macho guy … big Italian macho fucker … and he always comes to see me, never asks for tickets, never … for years and years and years … he was in there, and I could see the tears in his eyes. And he phoned me afterwards and it's like “Ah, cuz,” he said “That's great.” And what I like about him is he's a true fan, he doesn't just … He'll say to me “Ah, cuz, that fantastic …” But once we've finished talking about the band, I'm his cousin again … “Ah, fuck it!” … He's like “Those French, aren't they marvellous?” And then he'll say to me “Erm, can you get Persha to send me an itinerary?” I say “Yeah.” And he'll phone me and say “Now, I want to do Amsterdam …”

“Fine”. He'll say “I'm going to be in Paris . I like Paris . The French are good. Yep. Er, where else are we going? Anything down in Spain ? Yeah, I'll come to that if I can.”

I say “Well, I'll get you tickets.” He'll say “No, I don't want a ticket; I'll buy my own tickets.” That's fantastic. I don't know why I told you that shit, but it was on that night – that was such a ‘coming home'.

Eric Favé

Well, that was our last question anyway

FR

Lovely.

<wrap-up, thank-yous, etc, until the end of the file at 31.14>