Ian Hunter - A Quick Word....
Ian Hunter’s latest studio album, When I’m President, is already being hailed as not just his best album in a decade or more but one of his best albums ever.
FabricationsHQ and one of rock’s sharpest songwriters and greatest performers engaged in a quick-fire question and answer session just before the singer headed off for tour dates in Sweden and Norway.
Following the Scandinavian gigs Ian Hunter will embark on an eleven-date UK tour.
But meantime, a quick word from the President of Rock and Roll...
Ross Muir: How happy are you with When I’m President and was it always the plan to produce a primarily up-tempo, rock and roll record?
Ian Hunter: We had a good time – in and out in four days. Andy York and I went back in to do harmonies and mix. And excellent engineer – Pete Moshe – very quick.
RM: You sing on the title track that you’d like to “lean on the one percent” and stop the bankers whining about their bonuses. Would you like to be able to do just that?
IH: Who knows – I'll never be in that position!
FabricationsHQ and one of rock’s sharpest songwriters and greatest performers engaged in a quick-fire question and answer session just before the singer headed off for tour dates in Sweden and Norway.
Following the Scandinavian gigs Ian Hunter will embark on an eleven-date UK tour.
But meantime, a quick word from the President of Rock and Roll...
Ross Muir: How happy are you with When I’m President and was it always the plan to produce a primarily up-tempo, rock and roll record?
Ian Hunter: We had a good time – in and out in four days. Andy York and I went back in to do harmonies and mix. And excellent engineer – Pete Moshe – very quick.
RM: You sing on the title track that you’d like to “lean on the one percent” and stop the bankers whining about their bonuses. Would you like to be able to do just that?
IH: Who knows – I'll never be in that position!
RM: 'Ta Shunka Witco' carries a musical mood and cadence that sets it apart from the other tracks. It’s inspired by Crazy Horse, famous leader of the Oglala Lakota who eventually surrendered to U.S. troops in 1877…
IH: He and Cochise are the only ones whose photographs were never taken.
He was the last to come in and he only did so because his nine hundred people were starving. A victim of his age.
RM: At seventy-three years young you belie your age and are still in fine form, both musically and vocally. What's the secret?
IH: There's no secret – I'm just lucky. Something could happen tomorrow.
One tries not to think about it!
RM: What do you do to stay in vocal trim because, as many critics have also noted, you are currently sounding as good as you did twenty, thirty years ago…
IH: Vocally, I try to sing in the keys that don't stretch the chords too much. There are other little tricks but basically, I don't talk much when not singing – and maybe that helps.
RM: Did you honestly think you would still be in the music business, to this degree, now?
IH: Nope.
RM: Am I right in saying your first taste of musical stardom was when you won a Butlin's Holiday Camp talent competition in a trio?
IH: Colin York, Colin Broome and I won a Butlin's talent contest. They were Northampton lads, so I moved there. Colin Broome died a while ago and Colin York lives out in the Southwest of the U.S.
RM: There’s a singer I’d like to mention; a vocalist that can carry melodic pop, ballads and rock with equal ease. Goes by the recording artist name of Tracie Hunter...
IH: She's great. It's nearly happened on a couple of occasions but she knows the odds. She does it for the right reasons – because she loves it.
RM: You provided some backing vocals on your daughter’s latest album Vasilisa; any chance we may see you working or performing together in the future?
IH: You never know.
RM: To this day there is a tremendous fondness for the music and musicians of Mott the Hoople, proven by the sold-out run of reunion shows in 2009, some thirty-five years after the band's split. Did you expect such a reaction?
IH: We had a great time – Tracie was there. Great fun, great band now, sad about the business end of things. The reaction was a huge surprise; pretty amazing.
RM: Mott the Hoople enjoyed success via hits such as 'All the Young Dudes' and 'All the Way From Memphis,' but there’s a theory those single successes led to the eventual demise of the band…
IH: It kind of took the band away from its roots, but that's the way it works.
Without hits, you fade.
RM: You worked with Mick Ronson for many years. Mick was your friend and a gifted guitarist; sadly missed?
IH: Mick was my best mate for 20 years. How would you feel?
RM: What would Ian Hunter be doing now if he wasn't making music? Other than being President, obviously...
IH: No idea. This is what I'm for. Kinda like archaeology and history.
RM: Thank you Ian, and thanks for keeping the Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll alive in the 21st century…
IH: He and Cochise are the only ones whose photographs were never taken.
He was the last to come in and he only did so because his nine hundred people were starving. A victim of his age.
RM: At seventy-three years young you belie your age and are still in fine form, both musically and vocally. What's the secret?
IH: There's no secret – I'm just lucky. Something could happen tomorrow.
One tries not to think about it!
RM: What do you do to stay in vocal trim because, as many critics have also noted, you are currently sounding as good as you did twenty, thirty years ago…
IH: Vocally, I try to sing in the keys that don't stretch the chords too much. There are other little tricks but basically, I don't talk much when not singing – and maybe that helps.
RM: Did you honestly think you would still be in the music business, to this degree, now?
IH: Nope.
RM: Am I right in saying your first taste of musical stardom was when you won a Butlin's Holiday Camp talent competition in a trio?
IH: Colin York, Colin Broome and I won a Butlin's talent contest. They were Northampton lads, so I moved there. Colin Broome died a while ago and Colin York lives out in the Southwest of the U.S.
RM: There’s a singer I’d like to mention; a vocalist that can carry melodic pop, ballads and rock with equal ease. Goes by the recording artist name of Tracie Hunter...
IH: She's great. It's nearly happened on a couple of occasions but she knows the odds. She does it for the right reasons – because she loves it.
RM: You provided some backing vocals on your daughter’s latest album Vasilisa; any chance we may see you working or performing together in the future?
IH: You never know.
RM: To this day there is a tremendous fondness for the music and musicians of Mott the Hoople, proven by the sold-out run of reunion shows in 2009, some thirty-five years after the band's split. Did you expect such a reaction?
IH: We had a great time – Tracie was there. Great fun, great band now, sad about the business end of things. The reaction was a huge surprise; pretty amazing.
RM: Mott the Hoople enjoyed success via hits such as 'All the Young Dudes' and 'All the Way From Memphis,' but there’s a theory those single successes led to the eventual demise of the band…
IH: It kind of took the band away from its roots, but that's the way it works.
Without hits, you fade.
RM: You worked with Mick Ronson for many years. Mick was your friend and a gifted guitarist; sadly missed?
IH: Mick was my best mate for 20 years. How would you feel?
RM: What would Ian Hunter be doing now if he wasn't making music? Other than being President, obviously...
IH: No idea. This is what I'm for. Kinda like archaeology and history.
RM: Thank you Ian, and thanks for keeping the Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll alive in the 21st century…
Ian Hunter on tour – October:
5th: Nalen, Stockholm, Sweden
6th: Falkenhallen, Falkenberg, Sweden
8th: John Dee, Oslo, Norway
9th: KB, Malmö, Sweden
12th: Mill Volvo Tyne Theatre, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
13th: O2 ABC, Glasgow, UK
14th: Picture Drome, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, UK
16th: The Y Theatre, Leicester, UK
17th: HMV Ritz, Manchester, UK
19th: O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, UK
20th: Town Hall & Symphony Hall, Birmingham, UK
23rd: Komedia, Bath, UK
25th: The Royal Hall, Harrogate, UK
26th: Concorde 2, Brighton, UK
27th: Roadmender, Northampton, UK
Confirmed US/ Canadian dates, November/ December:
23rd Nov: At The Tabernacle, Mt Tabor, NJ
24th Nov: Havana, New Hope, PA
1st Dec: Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA
7th Dec: Lee's Palace, Toronto, Canada
5th: Nalen, Stockholm, Sweden
6th: Falkenhallen, Falkenberg, Sweden
8th: John Dee, Oslo, Norway
9th: KB, Malmö, Sweden
12th: Mill Volvo Tyne Theatre, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
13th: O2 ABC, Glasgow, UK
14th: Picture Drome, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, UK
16th: The Y Theatre, Leicester, UK
17th: HMV Ritz, Manchester, UK
19th: O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, UK
20th: Town Hall & Symphony Hall, Birmingham, UK
23rd: Komedia, Bath, UK
25th: The Royal Hall, Harrogate, UK
26th: Concorde 2, Brighton, UK
27th: Roadmender, Northampton, UK
Confirmed US/ Canadian dates, November/ December:
23rd Nov: At The Tabernacle, Mt Tabor, NJ
24th Nov: Havana, New Hope, PA
1st Dec: Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA
7th Dec: Lee's Palace, Toronto, Canada
Look for a Muirsical Conversation feature with Tracie Hunter on FabricationsHQ in the near future.
When I'm President available on Proper Records in digital and CD format.
Audio tracks presented to accompany the above promotional article and to promote the work of the artists.
No infringement of copyright is intended.
'When I'm President' from the album When I'm President (2012).
'The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll' from the album The Hoople (1974).
Audio tracks presented to accompany the above promotional article and to promote the work of the artists.
No infringement of copyright is intended.
'When I'm President' from the album When I'm President (2012).
'The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll' from the album The Hoople (1974).