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Status Quo, the grand
old men of rock and roll are on their 'Never Say Never Tour' which stopped
off in Portsmouth and Bournemouth this week. Indy Almroth-Wright caught up
with frontman Francis Rossi before their gig at the Bournemouth International
Centre.
Are you amazed at the amount of work you've done over the years?
I'm amazed at all that we've survived this long. When we were younger
everyone said it will never last it's not a proper job.
I remember mixing 'Rocking All Over The World' in the Marquee studio, I was
about 27, there was some punk band recording next door so Rick and I went to
have a look. This punk turned round and said **** off Rossi you boring old
fart. I was stunned and from that moment on we had the older generation
telling us not to do it and then the younger generations saying that we were
too old.
If I'd died when I was 30 people would have said 'oh its such a shame he had
such a life ahead of him'. You get to 52 and people say you're too old.
What do you think about being the old men of rock and roll?
My manager died recently and every one said he died a young man, he was 57. I
think we have a strange society with this age thing. I think I was pretty
much the same when I was young. I remember judging people by thinking they
looked about 40 and there was something wrong with that. But we are born to
grow old, and if we don't, we've missed out.
How come you're still the best of mates after 30 years?
There's so much pressure on our relationship, there's far less pressure on my
marriage than our relationship. It's very much like being married but the sex
isn't as good.
Do you ever fall out?
We had an argument this year in Munich, I think it was over the tempo of a
song. There's a lot of tension on a show day. If you catch us when its not a
show day I'm kind of 'well everything's ok really' and it's forgotten. We're
very alike but we're also very different, perhaps that's what makes it work.
He's much more of a rock animal he likes to drink and likes to party and
stuff and I can't stand parties.
How do you prepare for a show?
You make sure that you do all the things you have to do. I do my juice we
have bananas, mangos, kiwi's and pineapple crushed and we drink it. I have to
eat at 2.30pm so that I have an empty stomach when I go on stage. Today I had
protein, tomorrow it's carbohydrate.
Don't you find that restrictive?
I have to restrict myself but I like that it gives me a focus. I don't want
to go on stage with a full stomach. I don't want to go on stage tired, hence
I don't drink anymore. All that stuff of staying up till 5, 6, 7o' clock in
the morning you're going to feel like a sack of **** the following day and I
don't want to feel like that.
We have a responsibility to the people who come to see the show. I want to be
in the right condition. Rick just said to me 'I better go and truth up' (lie
down) before the show.
How do you feel after a show?
I feel quite guilty that after a show its such a fantastic feeling to finish.
Whether it's the tension that's built up in the day.... coz I'm very much
aware that in the mornings particularly after a good show you think 'I can't
do that again tonight' - you can't imagine, you can't picture yourself being
in that kind of frenzy and that fantastic again.
I'm not saying that you're past it but where do you get the energy from to
keep touring and gigging - do you work out?
When I was young I said that I could never marry a red head (I married a
redhead), I could never marry an American (I'm married to an American) and
I'd never sleep with a best friend's wife - I did that. I said I could never
be a coke freak - I did that, I could never be a drinker - I did that. So all
the things you say you'll never do, you end up doing. Like I said I could
never get into a gym, now I'm now keen on working out.
Have you every come a cropper when you've been on stage?
When we fall over we call it 'getting our wings'. I haven't done that for a
while but last night in Portsmouth during the encore of 'In the Army'. I
think we hadn't been concentrating enough and I switched the pick-up on the
selector to the middle to get this rounder sound. John's supposed to move to
a different spot - well he hadn't moved so I did it again so the whole thing
just ground to a halt and I just collapsed.
The audience laughed and we went into the next number. We are human and we're
not miming. I think I heard the other day that Steps go the award for the
best live act. Who's kidding who?! That's a lie - loads of kids out there
will think they've seen a live act and they haven't.
What music have you go in your car?
I've got the ELO album, Squeeze's greatest hits. I like bands like Feeder,
Stereophonics, I quite liked Supergrass for a while I like Del Amitri,
Britney Spears but I don't want to marry her or join the fan club, Christina
Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez although I'm not keen on her bum like everyone else
seems to be.
What's your most prized possession?
The home I live in. I've been there 27 years, I don't know what it is about
it, I just love it. Most people when they come to my house say there's a
great atmosphere, there's something about it. I felt that when I first moved
there and I bought it when I was 24. I can't wait to get back there.
Do you have any hobbies or interests?
I like doing stuff in the garden. I like to go clay pigeon shooting. It's
such a thrill. I used to collect Koi but I sold them all off recently because
it was too much of a responsibility. They were huge and would eat out of your
hand. I found a friend of Rick's who has built a special place for them
somewhere up near Leicester. He's got 14 fry at the last count which means
they're happy.
Do you have any regrets?
I don't really think I should have done cocaine. And I've often said that I
wish I hadn't been with certain girls. I've said this to Eileen my wife but
if I hadn't done that and then I might have married Eileen and then gone off.
I'm a very lucky man I met her in 1973 and didn't marry her till 1988/89. She
thinks the sun shines out of my derriere.
How will you be spending Christmas?
I'm always home for Christmas. We have 50 Italians coming round so that will
be a massive foodie jobbi. I've ordered a hundred pounds of salami, they'll
be these funny cakes that my grandmother used to make and loads of pasta
dishes.
Christmas Eve we eat ourselves stupid we have aglioli spaghetti with garlic
and red chillies. We put cannelini beans in ours because we come from a
little peasant village that will be the main dish along with 100's of pounds
of salami. I can't wait!
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