Nice summer apart from a couple of blips. I'd like to congratulate the Republican party for saving the billionaires pennies and the Tea Party for not understanding the world as we know it. This is what happens when little Reganites and Thatcherites 'grow up.' Hey - if Loopy Limbo can have an opinion - then so can I!!!

Dieter Jacob: 'Come to Germany.' I'll be in the UK in the fall of 2012 - something may be tied in then.

Francis L on Steve Holley playing in LA with Steve Postell, Lee Sklar and Russ Kunkel. Steve's all over the planet, but he still pops back to me when we go out.

Rick Graves: 'Have you written anything better than 'Dead Man Walkin' since 'Dead Man Walkin'? That is not an easy thing to do. We will have to see.

Lynne: Have I ever worn a kilt? Nah. They tried to get me into one for a wedding once when I was little, but I wouldn't do it. Alpha male!!

Tom Semioli wants 'Overnight Angels' redone in one day. Nah.

John Dalton on doing entire albums. I don't look at it that way. When tours come up songs kind of present themselves to me and that's how we work. Never say never.

Scott Weatherup: Just follow Bach's A on a G string.

Scotty Clement: Cheers!

Jim O'Brian on the fact I haven't aged much. You're toooo kind. Austin's a great town.

James Davis: 'Grew up listening to Ian Hunter and Ian Anderson - you two ever met?' Upon occasion. Very nice, intelligent chap he is too.

Donald Kernan: You never know on live gigs till your there. I'm usually amicable if you happen to bump into me.

Bob Swanson: 'Just bought 'Man Overboard' - been struggling with the economy.' It's a mess, isn't it. And of course it's all Obama's fault.

Fiona (Glasgi) - Should be there next year - 'if we're all spared.'

Jeffrey: I get that.

Tom Davis asks if I've worked with Albert Lee?' Actually we toured together a long time ago when he was in Heads Hands and Feet and I was in Mott the Hoople - great guitarist.

Carmen Ferrari on my appearance - exercise? Healthy eating? Most of the time.

Peter Jordan: 'Would you say the fairground section of 'little Star' your worst moment on record?' Nah. Done a lot worse than that!

Dennis Marcinik: 'Come to Sante Fe.' If we get the chance.

Catalina: Mick Ronson was extremely picky and a purist with his solos. He'd do a lot of them and he'd constantly chop and change - very good at mid-range subtleties. Wasn't too keen on the heavy handed approach and he wasn't a fan of running up and down the fret board just to show off. His whole thing was melody. Concert trained; perfect ear. I just let him get on with it. Whatever he finished up with was fine with me.

Kevin Lunt: 'How did MTH roadies stack up to roadies with other bands?' We only had one roadie for the first couple of years - Ritchie Anderson. He carted two sets of gear all over the U.S. in vans - on planes - and he never missed a gig. We tried various others but Ritchie hated them all until we found Phil and then there were two. We never had crew problems. Sound problems we had in abundance. How did they stack up with other bands? When MTH broke up - Queen snatched Ritchie up immediately.

Marty G: 'Would MTH tour without Watts?' Who knows. I think Pete has a lot to do with the spirit of the band and the erraticness.

Jeffrey: No. I meant Hawaii.

Jay Tashjian says Hunter/Ronson played Boston and he has a back stage pass to prove it. He's coming to Boston.

Perry Alan: 'Come to Eastern Canada - haven't seen you in a long time.' No one's asked us (officially, that is).

Tim Teddy: 'Will you be writing about The News of the World collapse and those Murdoch folks? They hacked 9/11 victims cell phones!!' Ever watch Fox TV? I haven't seen anything about this on the 'fair and balance' network. Murdoch owns Fox which is not a news channel at all. It's Alice in Wonderland; opinion - not facts. Murdoch also owns the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post - and he says he's not responsible (willful blindness ed.). You get fired if you don't make your story bigger, quicker and dirtier.

Jon White: 'I'm not sure if you already know this, but there is a Los Angeles based band called Foster the People and their debut single 'Pumped Up Kicks' - which is getting huge amounts of airplay in the UK, sounds suspiciously like 'Cleveland Rocks'. Different musical style, slower tempo, but the chorus is identical.!' Thieven sods.

Mark Holian: 'When are you coming back to Cleveland?' November.

Doug Monka: Like I always say - you never know what's going to happen on the day in question.

Rich Michi: 'Will the song election be the same as last year this fall - or totally different?' It'll be somewhat different on different nights.

Ian Mack: The vocal jamming at the end of 'Dudes' referred to an incident at the Rainbow. We used to have a 'hecklers ten seconds'. This allowed any nut in the audience to shout 'F-off' - and we would then douse him with a bottle of beer. I know - times change!

Mark F: We never know until we're there. It's a crapshoot.

John McMillan: 'Have you performed 'No Wheels to Ride' live? I'd love to hear an up to date version.' Who have you been talking too?

Bryan McGowan: Re: Clarence Clemens. See last Horse's Mouth.

Michael Coleman: Northampton's up for the 2012 autumn tour. The dates are not confirmed yet, but there are offers on the table. I knew the Cross Keys had gone. I went looking one day and it wasn't where it used to be.

Chris Miller: 'Ever thought about writing with D.B.?' No.

Gareth Toms: 'Will the Union Chapel ever come out on DVD. I've no idea what's going on with that, but I'd like to see it myself. We have a really good CD in the can from the another evening with the Strings.

McClenghan: 'Always liked Spike Milligan's burial headstone quote: 'I told you I was sick.' What do you want written on your head stone?' 'Bugger Off' No - haven't really given it any thought.

Mick Smith: 'Can you explain 'Waterlow'? It's written for a couple of people who know it's about them.

Jimmy D: 'Just watched 'Strings Attached' (ordered from NetFlix) now I'm gonna have to buy it - must have been a kick playing with the orchestra and that awesome band. 'Boy' reduced me to tears - so beautifully done.' I don't often get the opportunity to actually do things properly. Here, for once, was a 'no budget' situation. I shall always be grateful to Petter Singsaas, Bjorn Nessjo and all at Universal Norway for that opportunity. So glad we got to air some of the slower songs with Kjetel Bergestrand's beautiful arrangements.

Phyl Falkner: Ain't it funny - how time slips away!

Megan Tenzer: 'Love your music - have most of your LPs - any chance of Canada?' Nothing at the moment, but there's always a chance.

Ed: 'Listening to Fox Sports on the radio, one of the shows played 'One of the Boys' as their theme music, I recognized your voice, but it wasn't MTH. Do you know anything about this?' No - I'll alert the wife!

Liz: Nobody inspired me. I just happened to function well in reverse psychology. The more people told me I was crap the harder I tried. I loved the stage when I was young. Always wanted to know what went on behind the curtains. I loved the idea of show biz - exciting - more fun than real life. Then along came Jerry Lee - Little Richard - the Stones and Dylan - I became a songwriter - and here we are.

Paul Sasle: Paul got 'Man Overboard' played on Planet Rock (DAB radio) last night. Nick Horne (good bloke) has a slot called Amps off - acoustic based songs and I asked for this to be played. Apparently it got great response on line. Listened to it over an over today.' Nice one Paul. Every little bit helps!!

Geoff s: 'You say Florida doesn't seem to appreciate your stuff - well I'm going in August and they won't have much option. Are you returning to Bristol?' Don't know at this time.

Peter Jordan: 'Did you ever do 'Restless Youth' live? Nope. Thought about it, but it never quite makes it.

Peter Moreland: 'Did some totting up the other day. Gave up counting CDs when I hit 1500 - of these 188 are MTH and 110 are IH. It isn't the number that counts - its how often they're played. I never go more than a couple of days without an Ian or a Mott fix and I don't mean a track - I mean an album. This means you not only provide the best music but the best value! I have been wearing out your vinyl and cds for 40 years and long may it continue.' What he said.

Dave Parry: 'See U.S. dates only - you haven't forgotten us, have you?' Next year.

Tom L wants 'American Spy' on 9/17.

Mike Pecucci is ready for Chicago. 'Do you ever consider doing folk standards live in an acoustic setting? Not really but if one raises its head - I'm on it.

Bertie McSpudden: 'What three people would you invite to your dream party?' Ali, Crazy Horse and Ronson..

Kellianne Flynn: Hey ladies! For the most part our dogs were all mutts - rumoured to have better brains.

Hugh Henry: Hey!

Lee Ann: 'Any pre-show rituals?' Those days are over.

Don Gerbing: 'Play bigger places - two years in a row and it's sold out.' I don't know where you are.

Dmitry Novoselov: We don't do that on this site - but hey - welcome aboard!

Seth Purvin: 'Amy Winehouse - I seen in some music paper you was gone and I went right out and wrote you a farewell song girl, they had you dead before you were born and it's a shame - you were such a great mover.'

Bill C: Already know the title

Rick Goward: 'With the recent death of Amy Winehouse do you think you owe your longevity and good heath to becoming a star a little later than some? It seems to me too much too soon is a bad recipe. You toiled in other jobs before you found success and perhaps this grounded you. You seem to be level headed - which seems to be what others lack. See you in California soon, don't care what you play - just come back and come back often.' Some people need support systems while others seem to get along fine without them. Amy seemed particularly needy ala Monroe. It's difficult to deal with this 24/7.

Seth Purvin: 'Have you ever been asked to do 'Later with Jools Holland?' Done that show a couple of times.

Peejay: Bridgewater Hall in 2012 May??? Any chance? Nah - October perhaps.

MO: I revisited 'Skeletons in Your Closet' recently, especially the lyrics given the recent dreadful and ongoing News of the World phone hack scandal. Spot on on that one Mr. H. You summed up British Tabloid media perfectly - and now the chickens are coming home to roost. Yet again - topical, pertinent and great to listen to. How do you do it?' Mirrors.

Geir Gunnarson: 'Any plans for the Rock Palast show on DVD or CD? There was talk of a double CD/DVD to come out with the Union Chapel show. Politics.

Callmeafan3: Strange.

Edward Shirley: 'Glad to hear 'Win It All' mentioned in the Horse's Mouth. I took inspiration from that when all was going tits up in 2009 but it all fell apart. How did it turn out for the person in mind when you wrote it?' It wasn't written for anyone in particular - it was written for people who had problems.

Richie Cornacchio: 'Do Trudi's Song at the Winery.'

Johnny Ray (a fine name!): I don't know what we'll be playing as of yet - hope you enjoy.

Michael Moser: 'Ian - as a eulogy at my funeral I will have them play 'Rest in Peace.' It sums up my life to the tee. Thank you for rockin' the universe for 40 years. Anything new in the works?' Andy came round today and seemed to be happy with the new songs.

Steve Baratta: 'Chicago says some nice stuff about you. https://www.oldtownschool.org/concerts2011/9/24_hunter.php' Goodho.

Pasqual Truglia: Keen on 'Coldwater High'.

Paul Terry: 'When I first heard 'Death of A Nation' I ached for your country. Now I'm aching for ours.'

Steve L: 'Can't wait for Tarrytown. 'Standin' in my Light'; 'Sea Diver?' ' We'll see.

Sara Novelli: 'Would you be up for the Green River Festival next year?' That's High Road Touring/Frank Riley territory.

Brent Cousey: We found some super 8 footage, but it's not 'Alien Boy' I'm not sure if 'Alien Boy' footage exists. Sorry.

Charlie Hyneman: 'Found out MTH played Cowtown Ballroom in '72. How bout comin 'back to K.C.?' You gotta be asked.

Stewart Sharp: Don't do that Stewart, but if you send this site his name I'll say something directly to him.

Ian Mack 'Apart from a house or car - what has been your biggest purchase?' Just did the kitchen!

Wille Ahnberg: 1) Go for it. 2) Go for it 3) EMI/April 4) Send it to: Jesse John Music, P.O. Box 245, Bridgewater, CT 06752 Say hello to Sven and his brother for me. Top men.

Sorry to those I missed.

We'll Talk

IH
The Horse's Mouth