So – Thanks to big Dave and AY for a fun tour. Got that Southern humour going now. Different again!
Keith Nickless: ‘Hope the road is kind to you (it wasn’t). Are you listening to any particular artists: Will you get the new Bowie album?’ Actually, I was spending most of my time freezing to death and catching up on UK telly.
Whalespoon thinks W.I.P. is the best Stones album they never recorded. I don’t get the comparison at all, but that’s just me.
Phyl: Hi Phyl, had a minor altercation with a hotel table.
Chris Miller wanted ‘Nightingale’ for his wedding to Andrea. Too late now, sorry!
Andrew Jones wanted ‘Soap ‘n’ Water’ or ‘Wash Us Away’ on the acoustic tour. Sorry! I wanted to give ‘Wash Us Away’ a rest. ‘Soap’ will be done at some juncture.
Peter: ‘I just watched the documentary on BBC4. You played St. Georges Hall – I met you with a chap who I thought was a tramp. It was Max Wall. Any memories?’ I just remember Max in the front row at sound checks leaning intently into the speakers. He loved the Who and he loved Mott the Hoople. Very gifted man – not only as a comedian, but as a serious actor. Also a very sad man; his personal life was in disarray.
Jim Porter wanted ‘Boy’ and ‘Wish I Was Your Mother’ at Dartford. Oh dear.
John: ‘What’s the opening violin music to R.I.P. on the ‘Strings Attached’ album?’ Ketjl Bergestrand wrote all of the additional orchestral music on ‘Strings Attached’. Beautiful, isn’t it?
Jeffrey: Don’t get me started – it was scary weather. Sorry about the other stuff. What can you do?
John Frawley: ‘How much longer do you think you’ll play live?’ How many gigs have we done – around 60 on top of W.I.P. – still in one piece. I don’t give it much thought. I guess nature will take care of itself.
Doc Watson: ‘Did you hear Chris Spedding’s last band, King Mob? Great CD – shame they split.’ Why split on a great cd?
Dave Hancox: ‘Two of my favourite songs on W.I.P. are ‘What For’ and ‘I Don’t Know What You Want’. This is partly due to the fact I can relate them right now.’ I think what you’re saying is do these songs pertain to annoying kids!! Well, we were annoying kids once, too. The one song didn’t motivate the other song – no – but I get what you are saying.
Rick Graves: As far as I know, it’s still in print in the UK and France.
Matt Nojonen: Yes, it was a weird ending to a life wasn’t it. I don’t know about Rose coloured glasses. The more I read, the grimmer it gets. Thanks for the book title.
Steven Defoe: Sorry – I don’t do facebook.
Robert Flynn: Canada? Eastern Seaboard? Truthfully, I’m not sure.
Pat Beirne: ‘Are you ever going to retire or are you going to be an old bluesman?’ Who knows. When I’m home; I want to go out. When I’m out; I want to be home. Bit of both is probably the most suitable.
Graham Hill: Hope you enjoyed Dartford.
Franchie wants a live ‘Rant Band’ C of last he last four cd’s. Who knows?
Jan Peter Reeves: Thank you for everything.
Michael McCreery: I think that’s the Rant Band.
David Conroy: ‘Will the original members of MTH reform?’ Hold your breath.
Keith Hollinshed is on bout a Beeb show called ‘Mastertapes’. I don’t go looking; they either come or they don’t.
Jean Clement Muller: ‘Hi – I’m from Luxembourg and saw your concert last night at 66 in Verviers. Let me tell you it was a really great gig and I felt luck to be there. Any chance you’ll release a live acoustic trio CD?’ We’re looking at it.
Dennis Yates: ‘What were your thoughts when you wrote ‘Beatles and the Stones’ in ‘Dudes’ ‘? You’ll have to ask David. He wrote it.
Howard: Hope Col enjoyed Sale. Give him my best.
Ian Crawford: ‘Shoreham was good. ‘Ta Shunka Witco’ was just amazing.’
Ian Mant enjoyed Tavistock.
Ian: ‘Really enjoyed Rope + Tackle; great set – view limited. You should stand up more.’ Couldn’t stand up – my right foot was working a foot pedal.
Thom: ‘What’s your biggest achievement?’ I have no idea.
Nick Wood: Thought ‘Ballad of MTH’ was great.
Jeff Belcher: Tracie played with me, Jess has played with me – same lady.
Andrew Field: ‘Manchester (Sale) brilliant yet again. Bass player amazing and Yorkie in fine form. Arrangements were equally impressive. Too Many highlights to mention, but I loved ‘Life’ at the end. Catherine (my partner) liked the Beethoven influences on ‘Dead Man’. Cheers for what you’re doing.’
Kirk: ‘Sheffield – we both loved it.’
Gerry Pachter: ‘Any news on Buffin’s current health?’ I’m not privy to that; Jean is the person you have to ask. ‘Is Pete still making music (dunno); do you keep in touch?’ Not really, but I love Pete so – you never know.
Glyn Jones: Ain’t too popular in your neck of the woods. Straight up the middle is where we go.
Derek Sargeant: ‘You’ve slipped in Holmfirth again as a wam up to the Isle of Wight. I take it you were impressed with the gig last year?’
Ken Riley enjoyed Sale.
Richard Boote: ‘Totally blown away at the Wulfrun Hall. The sound of the three of you and the engineer (Pete Dutton) did a great job. The sound was incredible. Double bass – incredible.’
Ted: ‘Ian – as a Shropshire lad (Ludlow – 44) and S.T.F.C. fan, just want to say what a brilliant night we had in Wolverhampton.’
Colin Fowler: ‘Hey Ian – wondering if you remember two guys – myself and a friend – playing Mick Ronson’s guitar at Sheffield Octagon (Sheffield Uni). Mick did his crouch and we started strumming it – because we strummed in time he let us get on with it. He turned to you and shouted: ‘Look at this Ian.’ And you looked bemused – great times.’ I don’t remember this, but it’s totally believable.
Neil enjoyed Dartford, even though I didn’t do ‘Violence’.
Alan Davy enjoyed Dartford.
Geoff Bryant: Dartford was fantastic. Do ‘Henry and the H Bomb.’ Not a bad idea.
Twmas: ‘My wife and I travelled from Wales to Wolverhampton for the acoustic tour – utterly brilliant. Don’t know how you do it.’
Ma Nojonen: ‘Did you ever play or know Rory Gallagher?’ Once upon a time I played bass for Freddie Fingers Lee and Fred got dates in Ireland. Rory opened for us. I think his band was called Taste. Lovely chap. On the question of reggae – it doesn’t seem applicable in my geographic area, but when in Bahamia the cap fits perfectly. Love it. Segue into Adams and Jefferson a tad clumsy, but here we are. They even died on the same day!
Bob Allen: ‘In ‘Wild East’ what’s making that snapping air sound that is so cool?’ No idea.
Tyler: I believe the Dominion stuff is owned by the B.B.C. so it’s up to them. It was a great couple of gigs.
Clifford Bowen: ‘How long before you and Mick are inducted?’ Frankly, dear Cliff……
Art Munson: ‘Any chance of your doing the Stone Pony this summer?’ It’s not on the schedule at the moment.
Dr. Patricia Tillack: I know Mark – he’s a good lad. Thought he was piloting; give him my best.
Edward Shirley: ‘Do you still think Rock ‘n’ Roll’s a loser’s game?’ All depends what mood I’m in.
George: Album doesn’t belong to me; it belongs to Sony.
Chris Featherstone: ‘Just seen the acoustic set at Wolverhampton and you were immense – given the choice – electric or acoustic?’ Why choose when you can do them both? It makes a change now and again to mix it up. Don’t want it to become boring. Now I’ve done the trio I’m really looking forward to the Ranters.
Bernnd Spetzke: ‘Did you put a jinx on me? 5 years ago on my way to your gig in Hannover, I was involved in a heavy car crash and couldn’t make it to see you on stage having travelled 400K. This month I went to see your gig in Switzerland (long distance again -500 k), but really worth to go – great show and many thanks for the autographs. On my way home I crashed again (hit by a Swiss driver) so I’m very happy that I went by plane to see the MTH reunion. I don’t want to think about a plane crash. See you on stage next time!!’ You’ll be the one with the bandages!
Joe Allan: ‘Great show at Kinross on Friday. Liquid Room superb as well.’ Kinross was difficult. You’re playing on a hollow stage above a filled in swimming pool! OK for acoustic acts, but difficult with a double bass. Bloody cold too!!
By the way, we were stranded for ten hours 12 miles outside of Brighton on the A23. Nearly ran out of fuel. Scary. We all got the flu – different varieties but nasty just the same. Weirdest March ever?
The Kevsta: ‘Stamford – acoustic tour – stunning. Brilliant set. AY’s guitar excellent, Dave Roe – stunning! Set – prime first class. Came away beaming and grinning.’ That’s what it’s all about.
Rick Graves: ‘Was ‘Rose’ written for anybody in particular?’ Yup. ‘How did ‘Your Eyes’ not make it onto ‘Shrunken Heads’? I don’t remember this particular song, but usually we go with our instincts on what should or should not be on any given album. Maybe it doesn’t fit – maybe it’s not good enough. ‘Ever consider adding ‘Stretch’ to the set list?’ Not really.
Paul Cavani: Gotta do it somewhere!
Jay Tashjian: Alright, Jay.
Chris: ‘Just dug out ‘YUI ORTA’ and gave it some spins (yes, vinyl). Why don’t you ever play anything from it?’ We do from time to time.
Deirdre: My brother Bob was born in Market Drayton, Shropshire in 1947.
Paul and Jenny: ‘We LOVED Wulfrun – great mixture of old and new. New songs as strong as ever. See you next time.’ Cheers.
Gar Black: ‘Great show in Leeds last night. Any plans o include ‘Soul of America’ in future set lists?’ ‘Soul’ was in the set for a long time. We did it on the last acoustic trio tour, so I thought we’d give it a miss this time out.
Janet Mitchel: ‘Just had to say fab night in Stockton. Andy York was amazing. I was sitting right in front of him and couldn’t help watching his fingers. Don’t know how you feel after a show, but I was still high on Thursday after the Tuesday night.’ Thank you.
Seth Purvin: Susie’s still has that guitar.
Thom: ‘Do you still have the Maltese Cross as played with MTH?’ The original was crap. Joe Elliott had a facsimile made for my 70th. Sounds GREAT. Used it at the 2009 reunion.
Lee Ann: ‘Have you seen Mick’s Blues Band? Are you meeting him for his birthday?’ Haven’t seen the band because I don’t live in the UK. We were going to have a drink before I came home, but he got sick. He came to Milton Keynes, so we had a good old chat.
Mark Waite: ‘Leeds great – any chance of an acoustic cd?’ Don’t know yet; haven’t heard the stuff. I want AY to have a listen first.
Seth Purvin: ‘Do you get nervous before you go on?’ A little bit. Nowhere near how I used to be. I was too nervous for many years; like it better now.
Darren Johnson: ‘Just back from the Bloomsbury Theater. Thanks for a great gig. Love to see you at a UK festival. Do you get asked?’ We are doing the Isle of Wight on June 15th this year – main stage.
Pat Beirne: ‘Loved MK show – truly fantastic. New album great. Which of your albums would you record differently?’ Which album are you least proud of.’ ‘All of the Good Ones Are Taken’ – that’s off the bat. I might say different tomorrow.
Marcus: ‘Saw you last night at the Stables – totally blown away. Too many people around after to get to say thanks for a cracking night. Will the Stables be a regular tour date for you?’ Well, definitely be back in some acoustic configuration.
Marty G: I don’t know about being ‘ahead of their time’ but something about Mott just doesn’t go away. It’s quite incredible the interest the band still garners. It’s getting harder to turn stuff down. I’m glad there isn’t much video footage as it gives the band mystique. Zep never bothered with TV. And I think TV stinks as an R + R tool.
Jim Chisholm: Come to Vancouver and do ‘When the World Was Round’. That’s one song I would have liked to put in the acoustic set, but too many slow songs can knock it off balance.
Sara from Western, MA: We have a plethora of kick ass venues.
Colin: Two things you have to take into consideration – 1. The amount you need to pay the bills and 2. The overheads of the venues you are likely to play. I can assure you, if we can find a Liverpool venue that fits the criteria – we’ll be there.
Owen Kelley: W.I.P. out sold the previous four albums – both in the U.S. and in Europe. The radio station you mention sounds like it only plays fast rock.
Paul: It’s not up to me. It’s up to my agent and Welsh promoters.
Neil McCormack: ‘Do you ever sit back when a lyric is finished and glow with pride? Some lyrics – especially cute ones can bring a smile involuntarily. It’s nice to know it’s still there.
Ian Mack: ‘What’s your beef with Tony Defries?’ He messed up Hunter/Ronson because he couldn’t get full control. (p.s. from Trudi: He messed up MTH too.)
Jay Tasjian: I remember Arthur coming into Mott’s dressing room at the Felt Forum – he was huge with a tiny voice: ‘Pete – you’re bootiful!’.
Jack Benson: Just watch this site. I’ve only just got back from the UK so I’m a bit behind time.
Jonathan Cullinane: ‘Stables wonderful. Front row – truly blown away by ‘Ships’.
Colin Powell: Glad all was well.
Graham Stark: ‘Just wanted to say thanks for the UK acoustic tour. Probably better than I thought it would be – so many good songs. We all know how good Andy is technically, but Dave Roe also played brilliantly. High lite: ‘When My Mind’s Gone’ ‘.
David Shasta: ‘Loved Dartford and London. Lucky enough tot sit behind Maggie and Lisa Ronson. Took my wife – who enjoyed it more than Boston in late December – and that’s saying something! Were any of the shows recorded?’ I believe so, but we haven’t heard anything yet.
Chris Brett: As above.
Peter Jordan: ‘Thanks for a great night in Leeds. Loved the Rant Band in October, but I’ve never seen a crowd reaction quite like City Varieties including last time you were there.
Steve from Tulsa: ‘Firstly, let me say how much Judy and I enjoyed the shows at the Winery. The band was terrific and the new stuff sounded great live – Dennis is a great addition. He had awesome B3 sounds during ‘The Moon Upstairs’.
Steve Yardley: Saw you in Sheffield, great gig. Really like the new stuff.
Kent Engstron: ‘Flew over from Sweden. Saw the London show. Blew me away. 12th time I’ve seen you since 1977, but this was probably the best so far. ‘Dead Man’ made my wife cry (and she’s a tough cookie) – even though she’d never heard the song before. Magnificent!!’ Lovely.
ARF ‘Great show at Bloomsbury. Really enjoyed ‘Letter’. I’d given up hope of hearing that one again.
Phil Wood: They’ve told me twenty times what it is, but I still forget.
Clyde: ‘Denver’? Doesn’t seem to be much call for us round there.
Shep: Didn’t one of MTH write a book about Mott on the road?’ Yes, I did. It’s called ‘Diary of a Rock Star’. Get googling.
John Dalton: I can’t really answer this one as I don’t use session musicians per se. Some of my guys do sessions, but we’re all pretty much of a mind that machines can’t replace people. Machines are cold and accurate – that’s why pop is so stale and boring. I think you’re talking more about pop than the field I’m in. We don’t use machines – we use people we respect.
Lectric Eye: I think if I fell off that particular stage I’d remember it, so non, I don’t think that happened. For the record, he may speak highly of me now, but he didn’t in the old days.
John Caswell: ‘It seems like Proper Record have done a great job promoting the new album in the UK – even putting out the vinyl limited edition. What has the U.S. label done – not that much that I can see. It’s a shame – this record has some of your finest songs on it. What do you think of the job they’re doing?’ I thought Missing Piece was a great move on SlimStyle’s part, but now that deal has run out they seem to have disappeared. SlimStyle- where are you!!!
Pat: Thanks for the melodies!!! (Bob Hope) ‘Was watching the movie Chicago last night and got the sudden urge to hear ‘Pearl and Roy’. Then it hit me. ‘The Hoople’ would make a great show. You already have all of these characters: The ‘Golden Age’ announcer, The ‘Marionette’, ‘The Teacher, ‘Trudi’, ‘Alice’, ‘The Crash Street Kids’, ‘Pearl and Roy’, The mirror. Pearl and Roy could have come out of ‘Oliver’ – now all we need is somebody to write a book!’ You have a point.
Billy: Great show at Bloomsbury – neat reaction at the end of the gig. Do you ever do ‘River of Tears’? We did it for a while when that record came out.
Mark Trude: ‘I recently contributed to several artists ‘kickstarter’ like campaigns to pay from production costs. What is your take on this?’
I’m all for it. As long as you believe in the artist and what they’re doing – I think it’s great. Why not.
Ooour Wullie: ‘Hello – while I absolutely love the Rant Band, I also thoroughly enjoyed hearing the different arrangements and versions by the trio. Superb. Your in the form of your life.’ Appreciated.
Chris: ‘Artful Dodger’ was me on the way back from nowhere. ‘Shrunken Heads’ is more confident.
Steve K: I had a good time. Those guys are seriously good.
Gaz T: ‘I think your band is as tight as it’s ever been and just for the record – Steve Holley’s outstanding!
Peter Kane: ‘Australia?’ By the time I get there, most of England will be there too.
Aaron Davis: ‘Get the boys back together and make another run at it. Saw you in Kansas City. Queen and Aerosmith opened for you and haven’t seen anything like it since. Overend just a Rock + Roll star. Theatrics and Rock – can’t beat it.’
Gerald Lynch: It’s all here – on this site. All you have to do is drop by and check the updates once in a while.
Stefan Carlsson: ‘Thanks for a great gig at the Bloomsbury Theater. Flew over to Heathrow in the morning. Took some pictures you can see on our friend Fred Pettersson’s website ‘Ian Hunter Rocks’ .’ I used several people for ‘Boy’
Jack: Cheers
Daniel Allanson: My pleasure, Daniel.
Patrik: ‘Wow! I was terribly impressed!!’ About what, Patrik?
Pasquale Truglia: Nice meeting up. They looked after us really well. Their reps were with us everywhere – great splitter!
Brit Fan: ‘Acoustic at Sheffield outstanding; Dave Roe superb. Who’s idea to go back to Holmfirth?’ Everybodies.
Ian Mack: ‘Your thoughts on Margaret Thatcher’s passing?’ I always thought that she and Reagan took the guilt out of greed. The rich kind of got nastier and more openly arrogant. But she also made a lot of sense that people didn’t want to hear. So grudging respect. She stuck to her guns did Maggie. Not my cup of tea, but Conservatively spot on. Now, had I been a miner……
Fish: Bloomsbury – brilliant.
Paul Rivers: Graham’s doing pretty well over here as we speak.
Jeffrey Williams: I got a better idea. Pack!!!
Sorry I was late, but you know how it is. Somebody’s hacked all this spam into the Horse’s Mouth -totally useless info that nobody wants. Computers are great and all that, but I think they’re actually extremely annoying.
Nice to see a bit of sun again!!
IH
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