Video interview with Ian Hunter 07.09.07
Cleveland Rocks songwriter, singer, rock star
Ian Hunter is probably best known for his classic rock staple, Once Bitten Twice Shy, and the Mott The Hoople anthem All The Young Dudes, which Hunter still sings in concert, but was actually written by David Bowie. Hunter was also managed by Cleveland's Steve Popovich and released one of his top albums on Cleveland International records, You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic, generating classics like Ships, later turned into a radio sensation by Barry Manilow. That album also generated the hit Cleveland Rocks, which was later used as the theme for The Drew Carey Show, and became an anthem for our city and our region. Cool Cleveland's Thomas Mulready spoke with Ian just before their gig in the basement of the Beachland Ballroom at the vintage vinyl and apparel shop This Way Out, (the CD shop Music Saves is next door), about the impetus behind Cleveland Rocks. It turns out that Cleveland, thanks to our stellar early 70's FM radio programming, was the first market in America to pick up on Mott The Hoople, causing Hunter to think highly of our taste in music, and inspiring him to write the ultimate rock 'n' roll homage.
They also talked about the socio-political nature of his last couple of albums, Rant, and Shrunken Heads, the lost opportunity of not being able to work with guitarist Mick Ronson after Hunter's brilliant solo debut, and what it feels like to get 3 1/2 stars from Rolling Stone for his new album at this stage in his career. http://www.IanHunter.com http://www.BeachlandBallroom.com
A Cool Cleveland Conversation
with Ian Hunter 10/07/04
When British rocker Ian Hunter wrote and recorded "Cleveland Rocks" with guitarist Mick Ronson and members of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, our city finally had an anthem. Since Cleveland International Records released it in 1979, it has been used a the theme song for The Drew Carey Show and covered by the likes of The Presidents of the United States of America. With Mott The Hoople, Hunter sang lead on "All The Young Dudes," written by David Bowie, which is still a staple on rock radio in Cleveland, as is Hunter's own "Once Bitten, Twice Shy," also a hit for Great White in the '80s. Through it all, Cleveland has maintained its love affair for Hunter and his songwriting, a fact that was obvious on the evening of Thu 10/7 when Beachland Ballroom owner Cindy Barber jumped onstage in the middle of his set to present Ian Hunter with a proclamation from Cleveland City Council. Hunter returned the favor by serenading Barber elaborately, to her obvious joy and embarrassment. Cool Cleveland caught up with Hunter backstage at the Beachland immediately after an electrifying show with his top-shelf band featuring Graham Maby on bass (from Joe Jackson's band), James Mastro and Jack Petruzzelli [Joan Osborne] on guitar, Andy Burton on keys, and Steve Holley on drums (Elton John, Paul McCartney). The set included his popular chestnuts ("This is the part of the show where we shamelessly exploit the catalog...") as well as his post 9/11 composition, "Twisted Steel," his Mick Ronson tribute, "Michael Picasso," and songs from every stage of his prolific career. He talked about his songwriting, his favorite song, and his ever-present sunglasses.'''
Cool Cleveland: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us, you put so much into the show. You must be exhausted...
Ian Hunter: Oh, I’m all right. It’s a pleasure for me, because I’m playing with great guys.
Well that’s one question: What keeps you going? How do you do this at your age and stage in life?
Well, I don’t really do it. What I do is this. James Mastro, the guitar player with the little hat, he will force me to go out and do shows. And I don’t want to do it, 'cause it’s the organization of doing something like this before you go out. And I don’t have a manager, but when I get out, I’m really happy to do it. And the band’s great. But the organization and the accountancy…
And setting up the gigs...
Yeah, that gets on your nerves a little bit. But when you actually do it, it’s fine. I can go ten in a row…
And you do, I’ve seen your tour schedule...I play in a band and we play out a few times a month, and that's a lot of work.
Well, I like to put them together, 'cause what happens is, every night, people get better, the songs are organic…
You get tighter...
It’s like “The Truth, The Whole Truth, Nothing But The Truth,” the guitar player, every night he gets better. If you’re just doing weekends, it’s not much fun, but you put six in a row, it starts getting better.
You have two distinct songwriting styles, up tempo rockers and lush ballads, both of which reach the extremes of emotion. So how do you manage to write both styles?
Well, I just write truthfully. Most of what I write is where I live. I find it easier. It’s very hard...'I’ve written songs where you have to make them up, like "Honaloochie Boogie," in the old days, but I don’t get much fun out of that. I like it when something strikes me, and it’s true. A lot of the songs, especially the slow ones, I just wrote because I experienced what happened.
It must have been hard for you to write a song like "Twisted Steel," where you are thinking about the theme of 9/11…
No, [my wife] Trudy’s cousin died in that, and quite by chance I was ringing someone and rang the wrong number. And instead I rang [Trudy’s cousin’s] mother, and this was not easy because [Trudy’s cousin] had rang her mother while it [the 9/11 attack] was happening, and [her mother] was dead to the world. And that’s what the song is all about really, it was a missed phone call; I didn’t know what to say, she didn’t know what to say. It’s unreal, something like this...
So you don’t sit down and say, “I need to put a rock and roll song together,” and get in a certain mood to write an up tempo number? They’re anthems, these songs you write...It’s just what affects you at the time. I remember going over to see Ronno [guitarist Mick Ronson] in September, he died in the following April. And it was that stage in cancer where you change into a ghost. And I thought, “He’s turned into a ghost...” And that started "Michael Picasso." It’s sad when you write a song out of something like that, but people like to remember Mick, and, I don’t know, there’s no logic involved in it. And you can never explain to somebody and say, “This is how you write.” Ray Davies said he could never write unless he was on a plane...expensive! There’s no logic with it. I guess if there was logic with it, everybody would be doing it. Publishing is where ever you want to be.
Do you get up everyday and write?
No. I used to. I’ve done that. It’s almost like you’re here to do it. So therefore, if you don’t do it, there’s a guilt feeling. It’s always up your ass.
You owe it to yourself…
Like, “You should be doing this, you should be doing this…” And I’ve always felt bad for [Bob] Dylan because it’s almost like he’s a perpetual observer. He never actually gets to live.
Your latest release, 2001’s Rant was the best work you’ve done in years; I think it ranks with your best work ever. There’s obviously a lot of anger and frustration. Do you think this is why the punk rock movement can relate to you, because of your anger? Someone tonight said the only other voice that sounds like yours is Johnny Rotten.
Well I know John. He’s an intelligent guy, isn’t he? We’re not quite as stupid as we appear to be. You sort of slowly sort it out. John was on a plane once and turned up next to me…
No kidding. Did he acknowledge a debt? He’s got to be a fan…
Some of the craziest people in the world are the soberest people in the world. [Frank] Zappa, all these people, when I met them they were great, just perfectly normal people. It’s a bit shocking really, cause when you meet these people, there’s this illusion about them because of the media, and it’s quite off-putting in a way when they turn out to be perfectly normal…
Like you are right now…
Well, you don’t survive otherwise.
You must have a great family life…
I’m married 32 years. You know what they call that? Lack of imagination…
So you’ve been writing songs almost as long as you’ve been in the music business since the late '60s, and many of your '70s contemporaries are doing nothing but oldies revivals, such as the Ringo Starr tour, but you do other things as well...
Well that was out there, that was out there. I mean, I just did a thing with Ozzy [Osbourne]. Anything that’s out there appeals to me, because I’ve been doing the norm, so when you get to my age, if something odd comes up, you’ve got to do it. It’s great. I loved working with Ringo. It's fabulous.
And you would do "Dead Man Walking." That must have been the peak of the set?
He [Ringo] was cool. Yeah, he didn’t have a problem with any of that. He was very soulful. The situation with Ringo was they had some great performers on that show, and they came from that Euro kind of thing; they were good musicians…
Like Supertramp…
Then there’s me and Ringo, like, rockers.
So why did you decide to do this DVD Strings Attached. I just picked it up…
Well again, it was off the wall. I just can’t believe they offered it to me. I mean, the way they were doing it...I mean, I’m a marginal artist, it’s not like I’m big or anything like that, and to be offered that...with a complete orchestra and lights and sound, and Miles Davis’ mixer. So I said, "I’ll do it if you want to pay for it." And that was how it went. And it sold a lot, I’m just about clearing...I mean, I’m amazed at how many that sold, worldwide. Sanctuary’s putting it out here [in the US] next February. So we have to scramble and find something extra so people buy it again. There were 21 songs; I think we used 17 for the DVD.
Talk about these guitarists that you always manage to hook up with, like Mick Ralphs, who went on to form Bad Company, and Mick Ronson, who worked with David Bowie, and now Andy York. Is this by design, or does it just happen?Well, I’m very particular about guitar players, because they have to come from the song. I don’t like guys who play like draftsmen, up and down the keyboard. They know how to do it; they’re up and down a hundred miles an hour, showing off, now it’s my turn for eight bars. So I like guys who come from the song, but it's difficult. For five years after Mick Ronson died, I was looking, and then [drummer] Steve Holley took me to a charity gig, and I met a guy named Andy York, who was with [John] Mellencamp. And Andy has been wonderful for me, because through him I got Mastro, and through him I met [Joan Osborne's guitarist] Jack [Petruzzelli], so when [Andy’s] out with Mellencamp, Jack’s with Joan Osborne, but somehow it works that when Jack’s not working; he can come with me. I mean, Andy’s blood. I love working with Jack. Jack’s a bridge between…he’s tasteful and he’s very raucous…
He lets loose up there, it was a very loose feel tonight…
It’s tight on the bottom and loose on the top.
Well, you’ve got that tight rhythm section with Steve Holley on drums and Graham Maby on bass. That was a surprise to see him playing with you…
You know Graham Maby the bass player played with Joe Jackson for a long time. Jazz bass, it’s great to play with him. And Holley’s played with everybody - McCartney, Elton. And that’s why you can only go out now and again. You can only get these guys...I can’t go out without these people.
You always have a great band, every time I’ve seen you…
Well, I’m a band guy, I ain’t a front man. I always feel like I’m in a band.
Someone leaned over tonight and said, "Let’s name the five best front men," and you were one of them, but you don’t see yourself that way?
I’m not a front man. Writer first, band guy second. These guys, we hang out. I can’t work with anybody I can’t share a room with. Not that I share a room with anybody, but if I had to, any of these guys I could share a room with. And it’s the same with the crew. I have to work with decent people. I like intelligence. The keyboard player we have [Andy Burton] is brilliant intellectually.
Let me ask you about the sunglasses you always wear. To me, they’ve always represented the fact that you’re a little bit wiser, a little bit older, and a little bit above the fray that you created around yourself. What do the shades represent to you?Well, when I started wearing them, it would have been the late sixties, so you were considered very bedecked. What actually happened was, I was squinting all over the place, just normally, just driving;. It was a perfectly normal thing; I just started wearing shades. And they told you that you would go blind if you wore shades. Well, I went fucking deaf. So I don’t know how that works out. I can still see perfectly. So apparently if you wear shades long enough, you go deaf.
But you still wear them all the time.
No, I don’t wear them all the time. In fact, it’s great, you can take them off and go anywhere you want.
What song are you most proud of, and why?
"Dead Man Walking" because it’s a complete thing. I can sing it; it’s beautiful for Andy or Jack tonight, it’s great, it’s quality, it’s in a line with composers. It goes back to European composers. You very seldom hit on things like that. It’s a mistake how I got it. That’s complete to me.
It’s such a window into who you are now. The lyrics really sum up your life. You can listen to that and understand the flip side of your persona and your history, and it’s so honest.
Yeah, because why not. You’re gonna pop off, you might as well tell the truth. It’s greatly lacking in the world we’re living in. But I like truth. With truth, you can sleep nights.
You look like you sleep nights.
I do.
What about your favorite album of your own?
No, I can’t give you that. They’re all babies. And some didn’t come off, and some did.
Forgive me, let me ask this, what song have you made the most money from?
Well, I really don’t know at this point, 'cause it’s still coming in. But the Drew Carey thing [Cleveland Rocks] was enormous. I do alright. I don’t have to go to work again for the rest of my life. I worked the first fifteen years of my life, I never want to do that again.
Then why do you do it, the touring? It’s so grueling.
It’s not grueling. Don’t ever believe it when they tell you it’s grueling. This is a free pass to the world. It’s brilliant. It’s wonderful. That’s why you keep writing, because you feel you’ve been given a free pass. And the least you can do, especially after you see Mick pass, the least you can do is the best you can.
Well you did a great job out there tonight. You rocked that place tonight. The people loved it.
We had a great time. We had a couple of monitor things. Sound all right in the front?
I wasn’t in the front. Most of the time I was onstage taking pictures of the back of your fuzzy head!
So you haven’t got the faintest idea what went on... ha!
No, I heard the show through the monitors. I’m a drummer, I’m always hearing the show from back there. That’s my normal mix.
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Interview and photos by Thomas Mulready (:divend:)