Ihm ging es nicht um strenger oder weniger strenge Ordner von früher oder heute, sondern eher denke ich um die Zeit des Rumstehens beim Filmen, in der man ja schlecht abrocken kann.
Francis talked to Sweden's Rock'n'Roll magazine about being friends with Alan Lancaster again, the Hello Quo! jam session, and next year's reunion tour.
Here is a translation of the full article:
Rossi chooses Rock'n'Roll Magazine to be the first media in the world, when he confirms that the classic line-up with him, Rick Parfitt, Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan is back.
- We will do a tour and write new songs, says Francis.
When I phoned Francis he was working on 2-3 new songs with Bob Young, the songwriting partner which he has written most of the Quo classics with.
- One of them would fit Quo, but I also need new songs for my next solo album.
Francis, who's usually very talkative, seems to be going for a record this time. He even answers before I ask the questions. And there is one question which is more interesting than any other at the moment. Hold on to your potatoes, here it comes:
Will Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan play...
- Yes. ... with Quo again? - Yes, yes! So, everything is set up now? - Yeeah! I knew you'd ask. We have booked a tour in Britain in march next year, 8-10 gigs, or something.
A handful of concerts in one country, that should be enough, surely?
-If we had been gone for 20 years, then we maybe would have been able to book all the big arenas around the world, but we have a modern day Quo up and running and quite successfully too. Who knows how the old band will be perceived? And, we have to rehearse...
Will you tour in Sweden?
- Sure, no problems, book us and we'll come.
You might think Francis is overly sceptical about people's opinions about the reunion? The classic line up can't possibly fail can they? Francis doubt lies in whether John and Alan will handle it physically. They haven't been on long tours since the early eighties.
- I'm most worried about John, Alan looks like he couldn't do it, he's still frail and his legs are a bit shaky, but he's getting stronger every day. He's lifting weights and eating himself into shape.
Alan was diagnosed with MS in 2002.
- It's a strange disease, but since a couple of years back his doctor can't find any trace of MS at all, says Francis.
Great! What will you be playing...
- I don't know, Francis interrupts with a giggle. He has guessed right again.
- You're trying to squeeze a setlist out of me aren't you? Well, of course we'll play Backwater, Alan's anthem, but will we play RAOTW? I don't think so. I want us to focus on the really old stuff, like April, Spring, Summer And Wednesdays, which was Alan's suggestion. I think we have decided to start the gigs with Junior's Wailing. Maybe we'll play Roadhouse Blues and other songs Alan used to sing. In that way this will feel fresh again, because we haven't played those old songs for such a long time.
There will probably be new songs by the classic line-up as well.
- I just asked Alan when we are going to write new material together. Our idea is to record a live album and add some new tracks as well.
They have already jammed together. They played parts of songs like 4500 times and Railroad, which was filmed and will be included in the documentary Hello Quo! in October. Alan and John were nervous. John hadn't been able to sleep at all, so he had problems with keeping the tempo. The energy was too low. That must improve, stresses Francis.
He had kept it a secret to Alan that they were going to play.
- Alan said desperately "You knew we were going to do this!" Yes, I admitted. "You could have said something?!" Alan said. I replied Nah, you'd just have been nervous, says Francis with a laugh.
- Oh, I just love to be able to talk with Alan like that again, he adds with a happy sigh.
Francis and Alan hated each other bitterly for 25 years. Alan lost a court case about the band name and was unwillingly bought out in 1987. He changed his mind after a few years and had tried to sue them for a fortune.
This is what Francis told me, a couple of years ago:
- The deal was just as definitively as a divorce, but he just couldn't understand that.
Just to say this in the next interview:
- I won't have anything to do with him again. How could I, when he says things like "Francis has stolen my kids heritage".
Finally Alan came in contact with Quo's manager, Simon Porter.
- Alan realized that he had been misled by his attorney. He had fooled him to believe that they could sue us for 30 million pounds. Now all Alan has got left is an attorney fee for 3.5 million pounds.
- The poor b*****d has been so used. Alan apologized, we talked things through and we became friends again. This was during Spring 2010 over a cup of coffee in Sydney.
Time after time Francis returns to how much he has longed to meet Alan's family. Alan and Francis are friends since the childhood and Alans family became Francis' "extra family" during the early '60s.
- I talked to Alan's brother recently, a guy I thought would like to kill me. He cried over the phone and I thought, "What the..."! And Alan's cousin then, a girl I used to have a crush on. I must meet Alan's mother again. Wow, how I have missed all these wonderful persons. I mourn that I could not meet his father who died recently, one last time. Alan's uncle, who I really liked, has also passed away, to my despair. He was really important to me, Damn, I managed to complete 60 before I realized it.
Francis sighs deeply.
- That's life. I was only 10-11 years old when I got to know Alan and his family. Only now I realize the profound impact they had on the person I have become. I wanted to be like them. I tried to wash away my strange Italian-English accent and talk like them. I had repressed all those memories and now, as Alan and I are friends again, the dam burst and all those feelings wash over me.
He sounds taken.
- So unnecessary, really, everything that went wrong, Francis mumbles quietly.
But after a while Francis is in a better mood again at the thought of being friends with Alan again.
- The nice thing is that we now can be straight and honest with each other again, which we could not be in the past. I took up some problems we had with each other and the only thing Alan says "what problems?" It's so refreshing to hear. Alan came to my house for dinner. One of my youngest sons, Finn, was sitting at the table. Alan giggled and said "If you do not eat Finn, you'll be thin Finn". Francis giggles the pun. - It's just like before! I had repressed Alan's witty humor. I think in itself that it disappeared during our final years in the band. We were all pretty ****** up.
Francis admits that he, in the '80s, was abusing cocaine for 1,000 pounds a week and drank tequila like it was water. I was tired of all and above all, Alan, who at all costs would pretend to be the tough macho rocker. I just wanted it to end. He got his way. Status Quo dissolved 1984. Alan was frozen out when they started again in 1985.
Before the reunion kicks off it will be a new tour with the current Status Quo. One wonders what the others in the band think of reunion with the old band.
- They do not mind it. The reunion is no threat to them, they are still in the band. I cannot believe that we will play together with Alan and John for long. They will not cope. I do not think that Status Quo will be much longer either. It is increasingly difficult to cope with the energy discharge that a Quo concert requires.
Francis added that the current band will release an album late next year. So for a while there will be two different Status Quo.
- We will be the first band in the world that has two different editions of the band simultaneously active, says Francis, just as amused as proud.
ZitatGepostet von Stucki - You're trying to squeeze a setlist out of me aren't you? Well, of course we'll play Backwater, Alan's anthem, but will we play RAOTW? I don't think so. I want us to focus on the really old stuff, like April, Spring, Summer And Wednesdays, which was Alan's suggestion. I think we have decided to start the gigs with Junior's Wailing. Maybe we'll play Roadhouse Blues and other songs Alan used to sing. In that way this will feel fresh again, because we haven't played those old songs for such a long time.
Da wird es ja dann wirklich mal interessant über die SEtlist zu diskutieren, als immer über die abgestandene Brühe die es in letzter Zeit immer gibt. Quo ohne Rockin kann man sich ja irgendwie gar nicht mehr vorstellen, würde ja wahrscheinlich bedeuten auch ohne Whatever, würde ja wahrscheinlich auch fast bedeuten, dass die Gigs wohl ohne Andy Bown stattfinden. Möchte jetzt nur noch die Daten wissen, damit ich die Termine freihalten kann. Ciao TIll
ZitatGepostet von musiktruhe Da wird es ja dann wirklich mal interessant über die SEtlist zu diskutieren, als immer über die abgestandene Brühe die es in letzter Zeit immer gibt. Quo ohne Rockin kann man sich ja irgendwie gar nicht mehr vorstellen, würde ja wahrscheinlich bedeuten auch ohne Whatever, würde ja wahrscheinlich auch fast bedeuten, dass die Gigs wohl ohne Andy Bown stattfinden. Möchte jetzt nur noch die Daten wissen, damit ich die Termine freihalten kann. Ciao TIll
Warum sollten die Gigs ohne Andy stattfinden. Auf der LIVE ist auch noch kein Rockin und WyW und trotzdem war der Andy schon dabei.....!
ZitatI cannot believe that we will play together with Alan and John for long. They will not cope. I do not think that Status Quo will be much longer either. It is increasingly difficult to cope with the energy discharge that a Quo concert requires.
heißt auf deutsch, er denkt nicht, dass es Status Quo noch lange geben wird richtig? Zum einen natürlich keine hellseherische Leistung, aber so wie Rick auf den Bildern aussieht, wunderts mich nicht. Hat der irgendwelche gesundheitlichen Hammerschläge in den letzten Monaten gehabt? So viele Haare verliert man doch nicht auf einmal
ZitatGepostet von AndyQuo [b Hat der irgendwelche gesundheitlichen Hammerschläge in den letzten Monaten gehabt? So viele Haare verliert man doch nicht auf einmal [/b]
Wie schon im Liveforum geschrieben hatte er im Dezember kurz vor der UK-Tour wieder nen Herzinfarkt. Medikamente + Alkohol + Kippen + Abrocken ist halt nicht unbedingt die beste Mischung.
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