Waiting for the audience to catch up...
Muirsical Conversation with John Young
Muirsical Conversation with John Young
Singer songwriter keyboardist John Young is not a household name but many a progressively orientated rock fan will have heard of the musician, seen him or have his contributions somewhere in their collection.
Young has recorded or performed with many notable names in rock and prog including Uli Jon Roth, John Wetton, Fish, the Strawbs, Asia, Qango, Greenslade and the Scorpions.
For the last twenty years he has also been part of Bonnie Tyler’s touring band.
The classically trained John Young is a gifted musician with an inherent sense for melody and composition, and not just within the progressive genre – Young has a number of solo albums to his name including two singer songwriter styled releases and a clutch of ambient/ instrumental works.
More recently John Young has been making progressive ears prick up and a number of magazines, reviewers and critics take notice through the band Lifesigns.
The band's outstanding 2013 debut album was followed by a number of impressive live performances across 2014 and 2015, culminating in the excellent Live in London - Under the Bridge CD/DVD set.
Lifesigns were also part of the YES led Cruise to the Edge sails in 2014 and 2015.
While 2015 was a good year for Lifesigns 2016 is already looking like a better one.
There is talk of a second album, the band will perform at a number of festivals (including The Ramblin’ Man Fair, Cropredy and Loreley Night of the Prog) and will support Marillion on their summer dates in Germany.
John Young chatted at length with FabricationsHQ to talk about just what is wrong – and right – with prog rock and the music business in general, the difficulties for groups such as Lifesigns in the current musical climate and his hopes for both the band and progressive rock in the immediate, and long-term, future…
Young has recorded or performed with many notable names in rock and prog including Uli Jon Roth, John Wetton, Fish, the Strawbs, Asia, Qango, Greenslade and the Scorpions.
For the last twenty years he has also been part of Bonnie Tyler’s touring band.
The classically trained John Young is a gifted musician with an inherent sense for melody and composition, and not just within the progressive genre – Young has a number of solo albums to his name including two singer songwriter styled releases and a clutch of ambient/ instrumental works.
More recently John Young has been making progressive ears prick up and a number of magazines, reviewers and critics take notice through the band Lifesigns.
The band's outstanding 2013 debut album was followed by a number of impressive live performances across 2014 and 2015, culminating in the excellent Live in London - Under the Bridge CD/DVD set.
Lifesigns were also part of the YES led Cruise to the Edge sails in 2014 and 2015.
While 2015 was a good year for Lifesigns 2016 is already looking like a better one.
There is talk of a second album, the band will perform at a number of festivals (including The Ramblin’ Man Fair, Cropredy and Loreley Night of the Prog) and will support Marillion on their summer dates in Germany.
John Young chatted at length with FabricationsHQ to talk about just what is wrong – and right – with prog rock and the music business in general, the difficulties for groups such as Lifesigns in the current musical climate and his hopes for both the band and progressive rock in the immediate, and long-term, future…
Ross Muir: As I mentioned in the introduction, Lifesigns are starting to make a name for themselves through some excellent and well received gigs, the live set Under The Bridge, the announcement of a number of festival appearances in 2016 and support slot on Marillion’s summer gigs in Germany.
Things are most certainly on the up…
John Young: Yes, that’s not too bad, is it? With what’s going on in the musical world at large it’s not too shabby at the moment – we’re especially pleased to be supporting Marillion on those July dates.
RM: You’re definitely starting to reap the benefits of what started with the outstanding, self-titled debut album in 2013 – but what made John Young think "I need to get some fresh, modern and melodic prog out there" in the first place?
JY: It’s actually fairly long-term, as regards the beginnings of Lifesigns, but where the seeds were sown was in a pub – as a bet!
It started off by me decrying the general mundanity of prog and how it was just kind of treading water, when somebody said to me "well, if you think you can do better…." [laughs]
It became just like that moment where, in the film Back to the Future, the guy calls him chicken – that "if you think you can do better" comment had that exact same effect on me!
So whoever that was in the pub, because I certainly can’t remember now, they owe me a bloody fortune – it’s cost me an arm and a leg to get it this far! [laughter]
RM: Joking aside I’m glad you have got this far because Lifesigns clearly have something to say and not just within the progressive waters – the band’s music is rippling out beyond prog rock because the album is as melodic as it is progressive.
Nor do you do twenty minute songs just because you could – the songs are weighted perfectly and never outstay their welcome.
The antidote to the "mundanity" as you describe it of what a lot of prog has become, or stagnated to…
JY: I think so but, as we both know, there are a lot of fresh or younger bands around at the moment, which is really heartening for the scene. It’s almost as if we’re now waiting for the audience to catch up.
In fact I did a little test just the other night which I called "Experiment Thirteen."
I sent out thirteen emails, all quite short and snappy, but giving details of who I was and why I was sending out emails about Lifesigns to people who really like this kind of music, whether that be the more melodic side of the genre, the Supertramps the world, or the more archetypal proggers from Camel and Caravan to YES and Genesis.
One person answered.
I sent the Under the Bridge DVD sampler with the email and I can guarantee to you, without trying to be blasé about it, that nine times out of ten, anyone pressing play on that sampler will get back in touch with me.
I can pretty much guarantee that will happen so this, for me, proved that only one person pressed play.
That I find disheartening because on Cruise to the Edge a lot of people were saying how much more of a response there was this year and I totally agree – we had a gig in Miami where we played to eight hundred people and they loved it; there was also one particular gig on the boat where had about three hundred in the room, which was pretty much a sell out.
But, that gig had been rescheduled and the only reason people were in that particular room at that time was because we had docked in Nassau – everybody had to go to that room to get tickets for whatever they were going to be doing in Nassau. So they were all in that room before disembarking for Nassau, but nobody left! As soon as we finished there was a rush for the gangways [laughs] but only because that’s what they meant to do earlier – they had found this band they didn’t know, stayed to listen and clearly liked what they heard.
Now, I have a feeling that this would have been the same for any of the newer or smaller bands on the boat and that’s what you’re up against – all the people that go to the YES concert are not going to go to the Lifesigns concert – only by accident, or circumstance, or somebody telling them it’s a good idea will they come in.
This is the same kind of ethos that I was seeing with that one in thirteen email response, if you see what I mean.
RM: I know exactly what you mean because it’s akin to something I call "the ten percent of ten percent rule." Now that sounds the same as one percent [laughs] but bear with me…
Let’s say Lifesigns and similar bands have a potential CD buying, gig going, music listening audience of around forty thousand people – ten percent of that number, four thousand, will spread the word in conversation and recommend the band to their friends but ten percent of that number – four hundred – will be the ones who take that extra step and become extremely pro-active by making direct contact and contributing, or getting in touch with booking agents or local venues that might host a gig, emailing radio stations for airplay and what-have-you.
With little or no label backing these days, certainly in financial terms, and A&R men a thing of the past, that direct fan-to-band interaction has become vital.
JY: For sure. The Under the Bridge release is a great example of that; it was a fan funded through Pledge Music but the band has already moved on from where we were then.
We’re still doing the same set but the band has moved further forwards – we did a gig at the Lexington in London in December and I’ve got to admit it was a tear jerker.
There were only about one hundred and twenty people but the room we played doesn’t hold that much more so it was a really good atmosphere and they knew every word and they sang every song.
It was magical, absolutely magical, and you could see with that gig, along with festival slots like Ramblin’ Man and the Prog magazines starting to finally say "oh yeah, there are these guys as well!" we’re starting to make progress.
But my two biggest thrills, of all the positives, were being invited to Cropredy – one stage and an audience of twenty to thirty thousand people – and the Pye Hastings comment from our Cruise to The Edge appearances.
RM: I saw that. Fantastic little accolade to get from Pye, especially with you being such a fan of Caravan.
JY: It was amazing! But then it was an amazing time for the band because within the space of a week and that comment we had the Ramblin’ Man announcement and confirmation of the Marillion tour shows.
But that’s very rare – we’ll probably go two or three months without getting any more gigs now [laughs] – but then the difficulty for me has always been to look across to the other side of the room and watch the Marillions and Steve Hacketts go out on tour after tour after tour and think "if only we could do that!"
But that’s the genuine hope, that we get to the stage where Lifesigns will play the US, South America and wherever else. We can definitely do it and there’s more and more people helping to push in that direction.
As you said earlier, there’s that ten percent of ten percent – our Esprit De Corps page on Facebook has got over four hundred people now and they are the ones that want to help make Lifesigns really work.
There are some quite influential people on there, too – a few people tipping us the wink, a few others with connections we didn’t have before – and, as the core of me, Steve Rispin and Frosty Beedle keep saying, while we would have killed to be in this position last year this is now our raison d'être.
If this can continue, over the next couple of years, it could be fantastic, Ross.
RM: I’m glad you mentioned Frosty and Steve because I want to name-check all the individuals who have, or had, a part to play including Nick Beggs who featured on the debut album.
But with Niko Tsonev and Jon Poole joining forces with you and Frosty you have a cracking and talented live quartet – although you are really a five-piece when you consider what Steve brings to the table – or more accurately the sound desk…
JY: Every gig we play people come up to us and say "that’s the best sound I’ve heard in here."
That’s why we have Steve there; from day one he was part of the whole.
We have our moments, I have to be honest [laughs], but I think last year was quite good because we went through that Honeymoon Period of finding each other and realising that we really did have something interesting.
But then we had to go through the hard graft of creating and producing the Under The Bridge live DVD and there were times when we pushed each other to the edge – but that was good because in its own way that made us stronger.
In fact one of the things that happened during Cruise to the Edge was when a guy came up to me and said "do you know what I really love about your band?"
I said "what’s that?" and he replied "that it’s just that – a band!" [laughs]
But I knew exactly what he was saying because absolutely, without question, it’s a band – and I feel honoured to be part of it.
RM: That’s a great point because when this all kicked off with the debut album it was easy to see it as an extension of the John Young Band or a John Young project.
But now, with the addition of Niko and Jon, and Steve doing what he does so well on sound?
You are one part of a fine, fine band, albeit also its primary song writer and lead vocalist.
JY: Absolutely; as we all started to realise what we were creating together was pretty much unique, it became more and more special to everyone involved – the whole attitude turned from being one of "I play in this band" to one of "I’m part of this band."
And that’s great, I love what we have on stage. I love watching Niko go off on one in front of me [laughter] and I love people saying it’s just amazing, which it is.
Because I know, when we come off the stage, some ninety minutes later, people will think it’s been about twenty minutes.
That’s what good music does – it takes you into that zone and it keeps you on that hook for ninety minutes or however long. That’s the beauty of what it can do for both the band and the audience.
The first time I sussed that with Lifesigns, not that I want to be blowing our own trumpets, was... actually, do you remember when we were all kids or teenagers and we used to go and see Genesis or YES do the "first time performance" of something, or a specific album?
RM: Indeed…
JY: You would walk in to that theatre and the hairs would go up on the back of your arms because you knew something was coming that was going be amazing, but you didn’t know quite what to expect.
Even if you did somehow know some or even all of the tunes you were still looking forward to what was coming – so much so that it gave you an "electricity."
That electricity I’d not felt since those days, but then it came to one of our earliest gigs, at the Robin in Bilston in 2014.
I went downstairs just to see what was happening – I didn’t think anything of it, there was no particular reason to do it – but I went down in to the venue and I felt that electricity; I felt that "we know something is going to happen here" thing.
They weren’t wrong, it did, but the incredible thing about it was I hadn’t felt that since I was that teenager and I loved it; I absolutely loved it.
RM: I’ve had a number of conversations with musicians and fans about that connection or "electricity" as you describe it. For me it’s an energy; one that’s clearly tangible.
People think that’s simply a myth or misunderstand it to mean nothing more than a feeling but it does happen – and with this particular band, with that live electricity and collective chemistry, it bodes well for the future and a second album…
JY: Yeah it does but – I also know anything can happen.
Tours might be offered to any of the individuals in the band that we'd be foolish to turn down, but I also think everyone knows just how special this is.
From my perspective, even if this never went any further, I think what we have done is amazing – but I would love to see it build and build.
I also think that’s kind of how we all see it – it’s all about the music and it’s all about the empathy.
We also have that positivity in the music, which is very important, and there is a great camaraderie between us and the people who enjoy our music. All those things make it the unique thing that it is.
RM: And it all started with the outstanding debut album, built on a foundation of melody that supports the structured rise and fall of a track like Lighthouse, which in turn is complemented by a song such as Telephone and its prog-pop charm and harmonies...
Things are most certainly on the up…
John Young: Yes, that’s not too bad, is it? With what’s going on in the musical world at large it’s not too shabby at the moment – we’re especially pleased to be supporting Marillion on those July dates.
RM: You’re definitely starting to reap the benefits of what started with the outstanding, self-titled debut album in 2013 – but what made John Young think "I need to get some fresh, modern and melodic prog out there" in the first place?
JY: It’s actually fairly long-term, as regards the beginnings of Lifesigns, but where the seeds were sown was in a pub – as a bet!
It started off by me decrying the general mundanity of prog and how it was just kind of treading water, when somebody said to me "well, if you think you can do better…." [laughs]
It became just like that moment where, in the film Back to the Future, the guy calls him chicken – that "if you think you can do better" comment had that exact same effect on me!
So whoever that was in the pub, because I certainly can’t remember now, they owe me a bloody fortune – it’s cost me an arm and a leg to get it this far! [laughter]
RM: Joking aside I’m glad you have got this far because Lifesigns clearly have something to say and not just within the progressive waters – the band’s music is rippling out beyond prog rock because the album is as melodic as it is progressive.
Nor do you do twenty minute songs just because you could – the songs are weighted perfectly and never outstay their welcome.
The antidote to the "mundanity" as you describe it of what a lot of prog has become, or stagnated to…
JY: I think so but, as we both know, there are a lot of fresh or younger bands around at the moment, which is really heartening for the scene. It’s almost as if we’re now waiting for the audience to catch up.
In fact I did a little test just the other night which I called "Experiment Thirteen."
I sent out thirteen emails, all quite short and snappy, but giving details of who I was and why I was sending out emails about Lifesigns to people who really like this kind of music, whether that be the more melodic side of the genre, the Supertramps the world, or the more archetypal proggers from Camel and Caravan to YES and Genesis.
One person answered.
I sent the Under the Bridge DVD sampler with the email and I can guarantee to you, without trying to be blasé about it, that nine times out of ten, anyone pressing play on that sampler will get back in touch with me.
I can pretty much guarantee that will happen so this, for me, proved that only one person pressed play.
That I find disheartening because on Cruise to the Edge a lot of people were saying how much more of a response there was this year and I totally agree – we had a gig in Miami where we played to eight hundred people and they loved it; there was also one particular gig on the boat where had about three hundred in the room, which was pretty much a sell out.
But, that gig had been rescheduled and the only reason people were in that particular room at that time was because we had docked in Nassau – everybody had to go to that room to get tickets for whatever they were going to be doing in Nassau. So they were all in that room before disembarking for Nassau, but nobody left! As soon as we finished there was a rush for the gangways [laughs] but only because that’s what they meant to do earlier – they had found this band they didn’t know, stayed to listen and clearly liked what they heard.
Now, I have a feeling that this would have been the same for any of the newer or smaller bands on the boat and that’s what you’re up against – all the people that go to the YES concert are not going to go to the Lifesigns concert – only by accident, or circumstance, or somebody telling them it’s a good idea will they come in.
This is the same kind of ethos that I was seeing with that one in thirteen email response, if you see what I mean.
RM: I know exactly what you mean because it’s akin to something I call "the ten percent of ten percent rule." Now that sounds the same as one percent [laughs] but bear with me…
Let’s say Lifesigns and similar bands have a potential CD buying, gig going, music listening audience of around forty thousand people – ten percent of that number, four thousand, will spread the word in conversation and recommend the band to their friends but ten percent of that number – four hundred – will be the ones who take that extra step and become extremely pro-active by making direct contact and contributing, or getting in touch with booking agents or local venues that might host a gig, emailing radio stations for airplay and what-have-you.
With little or no label backing these days, certainly in financial terms, and A&R men a thing of the past, that direct fan-to-band interaction has become vital.
JY: For sure. The Under the Bridge release is a great example of that; it was a fan funded through Pledge Music but the band has already moved on from where we were then.
We’re still doing the same set but the band has moved further forwards – we did a gig at the Lexington in London in December and I’ve got to admit it was a tear jerker.
There were only about one hundred and twenty people but the room we played doesn’t hold that much more so it was a really good atmosphere and they knew every word and they sang every song.
It was magical, absolutely magical, and you could see with that gig, along with festival slots like Ramblin’ Man and the Prog magazines starting to finally say "oh yeah, there are these guys as well!" we’re starting to make progress.
But my two biggest thrills, of all the positives, were being invited to Cropredy – one stage and an audience of twenty to thirty thousand people – and the Pye Hastings comment from our Cruise to The Edge appearances.
RM: I saw that. Fantastic little accolade to get from Pye, especially with you being such a fan of Caravan.
JY: It was amazing! But then it was an amazing time for the band because within the space of a week and that comment we had the Ramblin’ Man announcement and confirmation of the Marillion tour shows.
But that’s very rare – we’ll probably go two or three months without getting any more gigs now [laughs] – but then the difficulty for me has always been to look across to the other side of the room and watch the Marillions and Steve Hacketts go out on tour after tour after tour and think "if only we could do that!"
But that’s the genuine hope, that we get to the stage where Lifesigns will play the US, South America and wherever else. We can definitely do it and there’s more and more people helping to push in that direction.
As you said earlier, there’s that ten percent of ten percent – our Esprit De Corps page on Facebook has got over four hundred people now and they are the ones that want to help make Lifesigns really work.
There are some quite influential people on there, too – a few people tipping us the wink, a few others with connections we didn’t have before – and, as the core of me, Steve Rispin and Frosty Beedle keep saying, while we would have killed to be in this position last year this is now our raison d'être.
If this can continue, over the next couple of years, it could be fantastic, Ross.
RM: I’m glad you mentioned Frosty and Steve because I want to name-check all the individuals who have, or had, a part to play including Nick Beggs who featured on the debut album.
But with Niko Tsonev and Jon Poole joining forces with you and Frosty you have a cracking and talented live quartet – although you are really a five-piece when you consider what Steve brings to the table – or more accurately the sound desk…
JY: Every gig we play people come up to us and say "that’s the best sound I’ve heard in here."
That’s why we have Steve there; from day one he was part of the whole.
We have our moments, I have to be honest [laughs], but I think last year was quite good because we went through that Honeymoon Period of finding each other and realising that we really did have something interesting.
But then we had to go through the hard graft of creating and producing the Under The Bridge live DVD and there were times when we pushed each other to the edge – but that was good because in its own way that made us stronger.
In fact one of the things that happened during Cruise to the Edge was when a guy came up to me and said "do you know what I really love about your band?"
I said "what’s that?" and he replied "that it’s just that – a band!" [laughs]
But I knew exactly what he was saying because absolutely, without question, it’s a band – and I feel honoured to be part of it.
RM: That’s a great point because when this all kicked off with the debut album it was easy to see it as an extension of the John Young Band or a John Young project.
But now, with the addition of Niko and Jon, and Steve doing what he does so well on sound?
You are one part of a fine, fine band, albeit also its primary song writer and lead vocalist.
JY: Absolutely; as we all started to realise what we were creating together was pretty much unique, it became more and more special to everyone involved – the whole attitude turned from being one of "I play in this band" to one of "I’m part of this band."
And that’s great, I love what we have on stage. I love watching Niko go off on one in front of me [laughter] and I love people saying it’s just amazing, which it is.
Because I know, when we come off the stage, some ninety minutes later, people will think it’s been about twenty minutes.
That’s what good music does – it takes you into that zone and it keeps you on that hook for ninety minutes or however long. That’s the beauty of what it can do for both the band and the audience.
The first time I sussed that with Lifesigns, not that I want to be blowing our own trumpets, was... actually, do you remember when we were all kids or teenagers and we used to go and see Genesis or YES do the "first time performance" of something, or a specific album?
RM: Indeed…
JY: You would walk in to that theatre and the hairs would go up on the back of your arms because you knew something was coming that was going be amazing, but you didn’t know quite what to expect.
Even if you did somehow know some or even all of the tunes you were still looking forward to what was coming – so much so that it gave you an "electricity."
That electricity I’d not felt since those days, but then it came to one of our earliest gigs, at the Robin in Bilston in 2014.
I went downstairs just to see what was happening – I didn’t think anything of it, there was no particular reason to do it – but I went down in to the venue and I felt that electricity; I felt that "we know something is going to happen here" thing.
They weren’t wrong, it did, but the incredible thing about it was I hadn’t felt that since I was that teenager and I loved it; I absolutely loved it.
RM: I’ve had a number of conversations with musicians and fans about that connection or "electricity" as you describe it. For me it’s an energy; one that’s clearly tangible.
People think that’s simply a myth or misunderstand it to mean nothing more than a feeling but it does happen – and with this particular band, with that live electricity and collective chemistry, it bodes well for the future and a second album…
JY: Yeah it does but – I also know anything can happen.
Tours might be offered to any of the individuals in the band that we'd be foolish to turn down, but I also think everyone knows just how special this is.
From my perspective, even if this never went any further, I think what we have done is amazing – but I would love to see it build and build.
I also think that’s kind of how we all see it – it’s all about the music and it’s all about the empathy.
We also have that positivity in the music, which is very important, and there is a great camaraderie between us and the people who enjoy our music. All those things make it the unique thing that it is.
RM: And it all started with the outstanding debut album, built on a foundation of melody that supports the structured rise and fall of a track like Lighthouse, which in turn is complemented by a song such as Telephone and its prog-pop charm and harmonies...
RM: We also get a taster of potential second album material on Under the Bridge by way of some new songs and reworked older numbers from your back catalogue – Different, Voice in My Head, Impossible, all point to a mellower but still inherently melodic and progressive future…
JY: Well, whereas the first album had these five epics the idea is that this time – with songs like Voice in My Head and Impossible – there will be smaller pieces.
There will still be longer tracks, like Different, and we are starting to write other songs to come up behind the ones we have, but there's also a plethora of other stuff because through Lifesigns people are now discovering John Young, the John Young Band, Niko's solo albums, The Dowling Poole and Jon's other band projects – in fact everyone! [laughs]
So there are loads of songs we could go back and play around with, as we have done with Open Skies and Kings.
Someone said to me not long ago "ah, but they are old tracks." But they are only old tracks to a fairly small number of people unfortunately [laughs] – so it’s not as if your potential target audience of forty thousand wouldn’t mind hearing them, Ross!
RM: Well, you have some great back catalogue material so why not give it a new lease of Lifesigns?
As regards a second album – would you consider a fan funded route again, as was so successful for Under the Bridge?
JY: I think we would definitely go that route because as you just said Under the Bridge was so successful.
And we have a great relationship with Pledge Music – they are lovely people who have been very fair with us and very helpful, so for me that gives them the nod over a funding site like Kickstarter, who have a more normal approach where they don’t necessarily care that much about the music or take an interest in what you are doing.
I would happily recommend Pledge Music and in fact did recommend it to the Marillion boys, who are now using it. I don’t think that necessarily came from my recommendation though, I was just one of a number of people who was voicing my opinion about how good they are.
I think it’s the way forward for bands, to an extent, because if you have control over things you also start to build up your own financial stability. We did the first album the normal label-distribution way but we certainly didn’t make much money out of it; this other approach we have already seen massive differences.
For example we did European shows towards the end of last year – Lithuania and Germany – and we couldn’t have done those shows if we didn’t have money in the bank.
Although, when we got to Germany, we didn’t get paid [laughs] but we have since published the story behind that because I don’t think people should get away with that, quite honestly; especially as bands are struggling to make a living as it is.
JY: Well, whereas the first album had these five epics the idea is that this time – with songs like Voice in My Head and Impossible – there will be smaller pieces.
There will still be longer tracks, like Different, and we are starting to write other songs to come up behind the ones we have, but there's also a plethora of other stuff because through Lifesigns people are now discovering John Young, the John Young Band, Niko's solo albums, The Dowling Poole and Jon's other band projects – in fact everyone! [laughs]
So there are loads of songs we could go back and play around with, as we have done with Open Skies and Kings.
Someone said to me not long ago "ah, but they are old tracks." But they are only old tracks to a fairly small number of people unfortunately [laughs] – so it’s not as if your potential target audience of forty thousand wouldn’t mind hearing them, Ross!
RM: Well, you have some great back catalogue material so why not give it a new lease of Lifesigns?
As regards a second album – would you consider a fan funded route again, as was so successful for Under the Bridge?
JY: I think we would definitely go that route because as you just said Under the Bridge was so successful.
And we have a great relationship with Pledge Music – they are lovely people who have been very fair with us and very helpful, so for me that gives them the nod over a funding site like Kickstarter, who have a more normal approach where they don’t necessarily care that much about the music or take an interest in what you are doing.
I would happily recommend Pledge Music and in fact did recommend it to the Marillion boys, who are now using it. I don’t think that necessarily came from my recommendation though, I was just one of a number of people who was voicing my opinion about how good they are.
I think it’s the way forward for bands, to an extent, because if you have control over things you also start to build up your own financial stability. We did the first album the normal label-distribution way but we certainly didn’t make much money out of it; this other approach we have already seen massive differences.
For example we did European shows towards the end of last year – Lithuania and Germany – and we couldn’t have done those shows if we didn’t have money in the bank.
Although, when we got to Germany, we didn’t get paid [laughs] but we have since published the story behind that because I don’t think people should get away with that, quite honestly; especially as bands are struggling to make a living as it is.
Lifesigns : Jon Poole (bass, vocals), Frosty Beedle (drums, vocals), John Young (lead vocals, keyboards) and Niko Tsonev (guitars, vocals). Sound guru Steve Rispin makes the talented quartet a talented quintet
RM: Given that you are trying to manage Lifesigns on-line, off-line, in the studio and on the stage, have been an integral part of Bonnie Tyler’s touring band for some twenty years and have a number of other irons in the fire... how do you juggle so many balls with one set of hands?
JY: Actually it’s not that hard; you’d be amazed at the stuff I do! [laughs]
One of those irons you alluded to is I write for television – well I did, those royalties are dwindling now but as I say that I realise I really do need to get someone to check up on that!
That is a very obscure market; it’s almost a case of "what do we think we should pay him today" because I got royally robbed by C.N.N, who used one of my instrumental pieces, but then from nowhere somebody from Saturday Night Live suddenly sends you a cheque!
So I find that whole area very vague, very obscure and somebody is making a fortune – but it’s not me!
But anyway, if you take that as one of the balls you are juggling with, then throw in a ball for Bonnie Tyler and any ancillary stuff that relates to that job, then another ball for Lifesigns as both a touring and recording unit, it’s not too difficult – and in fact we’ve just taken up the lease of the studio where we recorded a lot of the album as part of the Lifesigns building project, so we have to make sure that’s ticking over nicely.
But if you can combine or juggle all those things it’s manageable.
Oh, and I also do eBay, would you believe!
I’m a complete aviation nerd as you well know Ross, so I also buy and sell old aviation stuff – in my other life I’m a rock star [laughter].
RM: But that’s the thing, now more than ever; having to have different strings to the bow.
JY: That’s the point I made quite clearly on the boat during Cruise to the Edge.
Beyond YES and the established bands on the cruise, once you look at the new bands coming through, I can guarantee not one of them is professional.
And these guys are no slouches – these are bands culled from the top thirty or forty prog bands in the world, but they all have to do what we do and some of them have other jobs.
I think that sums up where it all is right now – it really is, as I said earlier, like we are waiting for the audience to catch up.
You mentioned earlier, and as you have said before, about Lifesigns reaching outside of prog?
I’ve often found bar staff coming up to me after a show to ask "what was that?" because they were genuinely interested, intrigued and liked it enough to buy the record.
That tells me we are doing something right, Ross, because it doesn’t just appeal to the people that came to hear it.
RM: Which all goes back to my point about "melody" and the fact you have a classical meets rock sensibility in your song writing – the use of major, uplifting keys and a positive sound to a lot of the material.
It all leads to an accessibility, even within very progressive structures…
JY: I think you have to play to your strengths. My days of being a Keith Emerson or a Rick Wakeman are behind me; I did all that when I had to, for other people, but it was never my choice.
It was more a case of "well you can play fast so we’d like you to do this" but I can’t play that fast now – my hands don’t work like they did when I was younger but to be honest I don’t really want my hands to work like that, I’m far more interested in chord structures and melody...
RM: Given that you are trying to manage Lifesigns on-line, off-line, in the studio and on the stage, have been an integral part of Bonnie Tyler’s touring band for some twenty years and have a number of other irons in the fire... how do you juggle so many balls with one set of hands?
JY: Actually it’s not that hard; you’d be amazed at the stuff I do! [laughs]
One of those irons you alluded to is I write for television – well I did, those royalties are dwindling now but as I say that I realise I really do need to get someone to check up on that!
That is a very obscure market; it’s almost a case of "what do we think we should pay him today" because I got royally robbed by C.N.N, who used one of my instrumental pieces, but then from nowhere somebody from Saturday Night Live suddenly sends you a cheque!
So I find that whole area very vague, very obscure and somebody is making a fortune – but it’s not me!
But anyway, if you take that as one of the balls you are juggling with, then throw in a ball for Bonnie Tyler and any ancillary stuff that relates to that job, then another ball for Lifesigns as both a touring and recording unit, it’s not too difficult – and in fact we’ve just taken up the lease of the studio where we recorded a lot of the album as part of the Lifesigns building project, so we have to make sure that’s ticking over nicely.
But if you can combine or juggle all those things it’s manageable.
Oh, and I also do eBay, would you believe!
I’m a complete aviation nerd as you well know Ross, so I also buy and sell old aviation stuff – in my other life I’m a rock star [laughter].
RM: But that’s the thing, now more than ever; having to have different strings to the bow.
JY: That’s the point I made quite clearly on the boat during Cruise to the Edge.
Beyond YES and the established bands on the cruise, once you look at the new bands coming through, I can guarantee not one of them is professional.
And these guys are no slouches – these are bands culled from the top thirty or forty prog bands in the world, but they all have to do what we do and some of them have other jobs.
I think that sums up where it all is right now – it really is, as I said earlier, like we are waiting for the audience to catch up.
You mentioned earlier, and as you have said before, about Lifesigns reaching outside of prog?
I’ve often found bar staff coming up to me after a show to ask "what was that?" because they were genuinely interested, intrigued and liked it enough to buy the record.
That tells me we are doing something right, Ross, because it doesn’t just appeal to the people that came to hear it.
RM: Which all goes back to my point about "melody" and the fact you have a classical meets rock sensibility in your song writing – the use of major, uplifting keys and a positive sound to a lot of the material.
It all leads to an accessibility, even within very progressive structures…
JY: I think you have to play to your strengths. My days of being a Keith Emerson or a Rick Wakeman are behind me; I did all that when I had to, for other people, but it was never my choice.
It was more a case of "well you can play fast so we’d like you to do this" but I can’t play that fast now – my hands don’t work like they did when I was younger but to be honest I don’t really want my hands to work like that, I’m far more interested in chord structures and melody...
JY: You and I both love Focus; if you look at the chords Thijs van Leer is coming up with and the melodies he creates, those fingers of his are going to places that I’ve never been.
I’m thinking "you bastard, I’ve never been there" [laughter] but I love that!
It was quite funny at a recent Caravan gig – I took the boys to see Caravan, unaware of what sort of reaction they might have, but they all absolutely loved it!
Niko came up top me afterwards and said "Man, that was so fresh; it just felt beautiful!" and that was great because I had said to them "it’s bands like this I get my melody from."
They are the people that help me see things in a slightly different way and I feel – as I think you do because we’ve had this conversation before – that prog went into this post Pink Floyd-esque period where the scenario became all the chords you’re familiar with, played on a tune you're pretty sure you've heard before, but played backwards – and here’s a girl singer I’ve stuck on the front of it.
That just seemed to happen ad infinitum over the years and that’s one of the reasons we started all this.
RM: Triggered by the "well, if you think you can do better" remark.
JY: Yes [laughs] but we weren’t alone – if you look at bands like Lazuli from France and Jolly, who were on Cruise to the Edge with us and were very good, and a bunch of other bands I’ve seen like A Formal Horse, there are young kids coming through who are saying "No, let’s make this truly progressive, let’s move forwards with this." And I think we are all now waiting, as I said earlier, for the audience to catch up.
I’m thinking "you bastard, I’ve never been there" [laughter] but I love that!
It was quite funny at a recent Caravan gig – I took the boys to see Caravan, unaware of what sort of reaction they might have, but they all absolutely loved it!
Niko came up top me afterwards and said "Man, that was so fresh; it just felt beautiful!" and that was great because I had said to them "it’s bands like this I get my melody from."
They are the people that help me see things in a slightly different way and I feel – as I think you do because we’ve had this conversation before – that prog went into this post Pink Floyd-esque period where the scenario became all the chords you’re familiar with, played on a tune you're pretty sure you've heard before, but played backwards – and here’s a girl singer I’ve stuck on the front of it.
That just seemed to happen ad infinitum over the years and that’s one of the reasons we started all this.
RM: Triggered by the "well, if you think you can do better" remark.
JY: Yes [laughs] but we weren’t alone – if you look at bands like Lazuli from France and Jolly, who were on Cruise to the Edge with us and were very good, and a bunch of other bands I’ve seen like A Formal Horse, there are young kids coming through who are saying "No, let’s make this truly progressive, let’s move forwards with this." And I think we are all now waiting, as I said earlier, for the audience to catch up.
RM: Lifesigns and bands like the ones you mentioned are also fighting against the power of nostalgia and classic bands – or more accurately classic names – playing the classic material; that’s what the majority want to hear and that’s what sells tickets.
JY: I think also, as we mentioned earlier, some bands are professional and they have to assess what’s going to keep then professional, but that’s why I love bands like Focus and Caravan because they are still producing new material – and it's very good material, to the extent that I’ll even find myself preferring it to some of their old stuff.
The Scorpions are the same – they’re still producing new material but at the same time they know what people want to hear, they want to continue to play the bigger venues and they want the audiences to enjoy what the band are doing.
But as regards the audiences that go to see the big name prog bands, like YES or King Crimson, what I’d love to do is be able to lock the audience in after the show and say "right, now listen to this" and we play a set or play the album to them.
Or, alternatively, if you said to me "would you like to go and see King Crimson, John?" I’d say "Yes!" – in fact I saw Crimson recently with their three drummer set up – but if you said "when would you like to go and see King Crimson John?" I’d say "1973 with John Wetton please!" I’d be there like a shot!
Because I just think of the energy they had then – and I think that’s what we have now, with Lifesigns.
RM: That "electricity" you mentioned earlier.
JY: Yes, that’s something we’ve got and I’d much rather see a band with that electricity, or energy, than not.
RM: Which returns us to the issue of getting noticed, convincing others and getting decent numbers out to see those bands. But clearly, from what we have been discussing along with the upcoming festival appearances and the summer gigs with Marillion, you’re working hard at just that…
JY: Yes, and it is hard work. We’ve thought long and hard about it and one of the things that came to mind are the baby boomers that came up through my era; some of them are now fairly well off and this is the kind of music a lot of them like, or grew up with.
We’ve had a few people approaching us to say "what do you need?" – they might not have anything to do with the music business but they know what they like and they want to help take you somewhere.
But if you use that approach it has to be co-ordinated; there is no way you can throw money at things and hope it’s going to work, you have to have a plan – and we do have a plan...
We want to play the States but for that we need Visas; with Visas we can get in and out as we please for two years. That way, if and when a festival rings up to say they would like us to play but they can’t afford to pay for our Visas we can say "no worries we’ve got them; it’s not a problem."
So we can beat the traps and pitfalls but everything is set up against you; that’s the real difficulty.
I watch these young bands coming through on a week by week basis but how many are going to survive?
We are, supposedly, one of the bigger fish in the progressive pond now, certainly as regards the new bands, and I know how hard it is for us.
I was just saying to someone the other day, when trying to explain how difficult and how changed it is now, that you should try to imagine a singer songwriter like Bob Dylan or Joni Mitchell coming along now, but with absolutely no business acumen.
They would be lost; they would have no chance because they don’t look like a million dollars.
RM: Indeed. Not marketable; not music to watch.
JY: Exactly. There’s all this wonderful music talent out there going to waste because nobody is prepared to go "you know what? Let’s give them a go." And if you listen to mainstream radio? It’s pants.
I’m not saying that’s everybody in the charts of course but for the most part it’s a case of auto-tuning the vocals, getting a bassline going, dropping in a standard drum beat, adding a bit of hip-hop and you’re off... with something of no musical value.
It’s the old Danny Kaye song The King’s New Clothes, isn’t it? "The King is in the altogether…"
I’m not saying you should get rid of all of it – some of it is fun – but why get rid of all the good stuff?
The problem is we would need a brave person or a new Bob Harris to come along and go "you know what? let’s listen to this…" because I think if you find someone with the ability to lead the people they will follow, because a lot of them are fed up with what’s going on.
And a lot of kids have started to follow Lifesigns. I looked down at the front rows of our gig in London and they were all eighteen, nineteen, twenty; I thought "where did you all come from [laughs] but it was fantastic to see.
RM: To go back to your point about how hard it is for new bands with something fresh to say, or the fact that the Bob Dylans and Joni Mitchells would struggle if starting out now…
The value of a marketable commodity far outweighs the value of musical creativity in the twenty-first century. We have a fast food, cookie cutter entertainment industry and it’s a hard ask to change that diet because mediocrity sells – that’s the bottom line.
JY: Yep, mediocrity sells. Another strange one came from a conversation I had with one of the guys who runs The Craufurd in Milton Keynes. That’s a nice gig; we’ve played it a couple of times now.
The guys that run it are all quite young, very go ahead and trying to put money back in to the venue, a rarity these days. While we were talking one of the guys mentioned that the bands that were coming through, or at least playing their venue, were all out of public school.
I had looked at him, not sure what he meant by that and he went on to say "yeah, we have a lot of Indie bands, but all the members come from public schools because they are the only people who can afford to do it – their parents give them the money to go and be in a band." And this is Indie bands! [laughs].
RM: I hadn’t even thought of that as a scenario… mum and dad writing the cheques for the equipment to get their boys on the stage. That’s… [pauses] wow [laughs]
JY: I had exactly the same reaction! It had never occurred to me either but apparently they have had two or three bands in there and it’s been a case of "oh we need a PA system, mum" or "I need this, dad."
RM: Of course you also have the scenario where these kids are in their bedrooms with Auto-Tune, a Mac computer, some editing software, a microphone and a guitar.
One quirky, rapid-beat jingle of a song later, with little or no musical value, and you’re on YouTube with half a million hits – and if you’ve got a gimmick or the look? One million hits and rising virally…
JY: Without question. Unfortunately there is no grapevine for what we do, at least not at the moment.
Even the audiences that do come to the shows – they will watch the gig, enjoy it, and then go home.
Now, some of them will go on to Facebook and say something like "great gig tonight – Lifesigns – check them out!" but when you look to see how many people "liked" what they posted?
None.
They’ll say to me "Oh, I put a post up for you on Facebook,” which is fantastic, but no-one, other than your ten percent of ten percent, took any notice.
Which goes back to my Experiment Thirteen and just how do you get them to take some notice?
RM: I wish I had the answer for you; right now we just need to keep ringing the bells and knocking the doors until that one door opens that’s the right door…
JY: What was interesting is the one guy that did get back from Experiment Thirteen came back all guns blazing! He replied saying "I have to get your stuff, it’s wonderful. Thank you for this unique approach and getting hold of me."
Of course as it turned out he was the unique one because he was the only one that got back! [laughs]
RM: But he did get back and, as we’ve been saying throughout this conversation, while it’s extremely difficult there has been progress – and I know you find it gratifying and feel it’s worth the effort when even one person, whether that be a fan, or someone in the business or a fellow musician says to you "I get it, I really get it."
JY: I was doing a show with Bonnie Tyler in Germany and we were on the bill with Kim Wilde.
As we came off stage I passed Kim’s dressing room; she saw me and shouted me over.
She said "John, I so, so get it." I knew she was referring to Lifesigns so I thanked her for the compliment but she said "no, you don’t understand – you’re in my Top Five of all time."
That bowled me over and there has been more of that sort of thing coming across lately.
Another example was Pye on the Cruise to the Edge boat, as we talked about earlier.
I really was gobsmacked with that, but then you have to remember that as a kid I used to go and see Caravan at the University of Liverpool, and Manchester, and had all the records.
And there I was, sitting in this lounge, looking out over the harbour of Nassau, at night, watching Caravan, thinking "it just doesn’t get any better than this." I had to pinch myself [laughs]
After their set I went over to Pye and said "Come and see one of our shows, because you’ve given me so much music, and enjoyment, over the years."
So he did come along and no sooner had our set finished than he was through backstage saying "I love it, I absolutely love it!" We became great chums off the back of that.
And these are the things that show me we are not doing this wrong, Ross, you know?
I know it’s all there, I know it has longevity; I know we could do a US tour. I just hope we can make enough to make all that work and make it worthwhile.
Because can you imagine what we could have done on a level playing field? How many records could we have sold? How many times could we have played around the planet?
RM: And therein lies the tragedy of where we are today, musically, and in the entertainment world. Sometimes it really is all in the timing…
JY: [laughs] It's funny you should say that because a few years ago I was out supporting The Humans, who feature Toyah Wilcox.
Robert Fripp was also playing with the band and I had noticed on the first night that Robert had watched my set; the next day he watched my soundcheck.
As soon as the soundcheck finished Robert came over and said [drops in to Robert Fripp’s light Dorset accent] "Hi, I’m Robert Fripp, I think we should talk."
After I replied it was nice to meet him he said "Do you know what you’re only crime is, John?"
"What’s that, Robert" I said. "You were born about five years too late!"
And that made me giggle because I thought yeah, maybe he’s right, if only I had been around just that little bit earlier [laughs]. But while that might be true it’s no big deal; we move forward and get on with it…
RM: While waiting for the audience to catch up?
JY: [laughs] While waiting for the audience to catch up.
RM: John, thanks for spending time with FabricationsHQ and taking us for a ride on the Lifesigns carousel...
JY: Cheers Ross, always a pleasure and thanks for all the support – greatly appreciated!
JY: I think also, as we mentioned earlier, some bands are professional and they have to assess what’s going to keep then professional, but that’s why I love bands like Focus and Caravan because they are still producing new material – and it's very good material, to the extent that I’ll even find myself preferring it to some of their old stuff.
The Scorpions are the same – they’re still producing new material but at the same time they know what people want to hear, they want to continue to play the bigger venues and they want the audiences to enjoy what the band are doing.
But as regards the audiences that go to see the big name prog bands, like YES or King Crimson, what I’d love to do is be able to lock the audience in after the show and say "right, now listen to this" and we play a set or play the album to them.
Or, alternatively, if you said to me "would you like to go and see King Crimson, John?" I’d say "Yes!" – in fact I saw Crimson recently with their three drummer set up – but if you said "when would you like to go and see King Crimson John?" I’d say "1973 with John Wetton please!" I’d be there like a shot!
Because I just think of the energy they had then – and I think that’s what we have now, with Lifesigns.
RM: That "electricity" you mentioned earlier.
JY: Yes, that’s something we’ve got and I’d much rather see a band with that electricity, or energy, than not.
RM: Which returns us to the issue of getting noticed, convincing others and getting decent numbers out to see those bands. But clearly, from what we have been discussing along with the upcoming festival appearances and the summer gigs with Marillion, you’re working hard at just that…
JY: Yes, and it is hard work. We’ve thought long and hard about it and one of the things that came to mind are the baby boomers that came up through my era; some of them are now fairly well off and this is the kind of music a lot of them like, or grew up with.
We’ve had a few people approaching us to say "what do you need?" – they might not have anything to do with the music business but they know what they like and they want to help take you somewhere.
But if you use that approach it has to be co-ordinated; there is no way you can throw money at things and hope it’s going to work, you have to have a plan – and we do have a plan...
We want to play the States but for that we need Visas; with Visas we can get in and out as we please for two years. That way, if and when a festival rings up to say they would like us to play but they can’t afford to pay for our Visas we can say "no worries we’ve got them; it’s not a problem."
So we can beat the traps and pitfalls but everything is set up against you; that’s the real difficulty.
I watch these young bands coming through on a week by week basis but how many are going to survive?
We are, supposedly, one of the bigger fish in the progressive pond now, certainly as regards the new bands, and I know how hard it is for us.
I was just saying to someone the other day, when trying to explain how difficult and how changed it is now, that you should try to imagine a singer songwriter like Bob Dylan or Joni Mitchell coming along now, but with absolutely no business acumen.
They would be lost; they would have no chance because they don’t look like a million dollars.
RM: Indeed. Not marketable; not music to watch.
JY: Exactly. There’s all this wonderful music talent out there going to waste because nobody is prepared to go "you know what? Let’s give them a go." And if you listen to mainstream radio? It’s pants.
I’m not saying that’s everybody in the charts of course but for the most part it’s a case of auto-tuning the vocals, getting a bassline going, dropping in a standard drum beat, adding a bit of hip-hop and you’re off... with something of no musical value.
It’s the old Danny Kaye song The King’s New Clothes, isn’t it? "The King is in the altogether…"
I’m not saying you should get rid of all of it – some of it is fun – but why get rid of all the good stuff?
The problem is we would need a brave person or a new Bob Harris to come along and go "you know what? let’s listen to this…" because I think if you find someone with the ability to lead the people they will follow, because a lot of them are fed up with what’s going on.
And a lot of kids have started to follow Lifesigns. I looked down at the front rows of our gig in London and they were all eighteen, nineteen, twenty; I thought "where did you all come from [laughs] but it was fantastic to see.
RM: To go back to your point about how hard it is for new bands with something fresh to say, or the fact that the Bob Dylans and Joni Mitchells would struggle if starting out now…
The value of a marketable commodity far outweighs the value of musical creativity in the twenty-first century. We have a fast food, cookie cutter entertainment industry and it’s a hard ask to change that diet because mediocrity sells – that’s the bottom line.
JY: Yep, mediocrity sells. Another strange one came from a conversation I had with one of the guys who runs The Craufurd in Milton Keynes. That’s a nice gig; we’ve played it a couple of times now.
The guys that run it are all quite young, very go ahead and trying to put money back in to the venue, a rarity these days. While we were talking one of the guys mentioned that the bands that were coming through, or at least playing their venue, were all out of public school.
I had looked at him, not sure what he meant by that and he went on to say "yeah, we have a lot of Indie bands, but all the members come from public schools because they are the only people who can afford to do it – their parents give them the money to go and be in a band." And this is Indie bands! [laughs].
RM: I hadn’t even thought of that as a scenario… mum and dad writing the cheques for the equipment to get their boys on the stage. That’s… [pauses] wow [laughs]
JY: I had exactly the same reaction! It had never occurred to me either but apparently they have had two or three bands in there and it’s been a case of "oh we need a PA system, mum" or "I need this, dad."
RM: Of course you also have the scenario where these kids are in their bedrooms with Auto-Tune, a Mac computer, some editing software, a microphone and a guitar.
One quirky, rapid-beat jingle of a song later, with little or no musical value, and you’re on YouTube with half a million hits – and if you’ve got a gimmick or the look? One million hits and rising virally…
JY: Without question. Unfortunately there is no grapevine for what we do, at least not at the moment.
Even the audiences that do come to the shows – they will watch the gig, enjoy it, and then go home.
Now, some of them will go on to Facebook and say something like "great gig tonight – Lifesigns – check them out!" but when you look to see how many people "liked" what they posted?
None.
They’ll say to me "Oh, I put a post up for you on Facebook,” which is fantastic, but no-one, other than your ten percent of ten percent, took any notice.
Which goes back to my Experiment Thirteen and just how do you get them to take some notice?
RM: I wish I had the answer for you; right now we just need to keep ringing the bells and knocking the doors until that one door opens that’s the right door…
JY: What was interesting is the one guy that did get back from Experiment Thirteen came back all guns blazing! He replied saying "I have to get your stuff, it’s wonderful. Thank you for this unique approach and getting hold of me."
Of course as it turned out he was the unique one because he was the only one that got back! [laughs]
RM: But he did get back and, as we’ve been saying throughout this conversation, while it’s extremely difficult there has been progress – and I know you find it gratifying and feel it’s worth the effort when even one person, whether that be a fan, or someone in the business or a fellow musician says to you "I get it, I really get it."
JY: I was doing a show with Bonnie Tyler in Germany and we were on the bill with Kim Wilde.
As we came off stage I passed Kim’s dressing room; she saw me and shouted me over.
She said "John, I so, so get it." I knew she was referring to Lifesigns so I thanked her for the compliment but she said "no, you don’t understand – you’re in my Top Five of all time."
That bowled me over and there has been more of that sort of thing coming across lately.
Another example was Pye on the Cruise to the Edge boat, as we talked about earlier.
I really was gobsmacked with that, but then you have to remember that as a kid I used to go and see Caravan at the University of Liverpool, and Manchester, and had all the records.
And there I was, sitting in this lounge, looking out over the harbour of Nassau, at night, watching Caravan, thinking "it just doesn’t get any better than this." I had to pinch myself [laughs]
After their set I went over to Pye and said "Come and see one of our shows, because you’ve given me so much music, and enjoyment, over the years."
So he did come along and no sooner had our set finished than he was through backstage saying "I love it, I absolutely love it!" We became great chums off the back of that.
And these are the things that show me we are not doing this wrong, Ross, you know?
I know it’s all there, I know it has longevity; I know we could do a US tour. I just hope we can make enough to make all that work and make it worthwhile.
Because can you imagine what we could have done on a level playing field? How many records could we have sold? How many times could we have played around the planet?
RM: And therein lies the tragedy of where we are today, musically, and in the entertainment world. Sometimes it really is all in the timing…
JY: [laughs] It's funny you should say that because a few years ago I was out supporting The Humans, who feature Toyah Wilcox.
Robert Fripp was also playing with the band and I had noticed on the first night that Robert had watched my set; the next day he watched my soundcheck.
As soon as the soundcheck finished Robert came over and said [drops in to Robert Fripp’s light Dorset accent] "Hi, I’m Robert Fripp, I think we should talk."
After I replied it was nice to meet him he said "Do you know what you’re only crime is, John?"
"What’s that, Robert" I said. "You were born about five years too late!"
And that made me giggle because I thought yeah, maybe he’s right, if only I had been around just that little bit earlier [laughs]. But while that might be true it’s no big deal; we move forward and get on with it…
RM: While waiting for the audience to catch up?
JY: [laughs] While waiting for the audience to catch up.
RM: John, thanks for spending time with FabricationsHQ and taking us for a ride on the Lifesigns carousel...
JY: Cheers Ross, always a pleasure and thanks for all the support – greatly appreciated!
Ross Muir
Muirsical Conversation with John Young
January 2016
Article dedicated to David Bowie (1947 - 2016)
The Man Who Sold the World a career of truly progressive, ever-evolving pop.
Live in London - Under the Bridge is available from the band's website and Burning Shed:
https://www.burningshed.com/store/progressive/product/99/7155/
Lifesigns debut album is available on Esoteric / Antenna
Lifesigns website: http://www.lifesigns.me/
Lifesigns on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Signslife/?fref=ts
John Young & the John Young Band website: http://www.johnyoungband.com/
Muirsical Conversation with John Young
January 2016
Article dedicated to David Bowie (1947 - 2016)
The Man Who Sold the World a career of truly progressive, ever-evolving pop.
Live in London - Under the Bridge is available from the band's website and Burning Shed:
https://www.burningshed.com/store/progressive/product/99/7155/
Lifesigns debut album is available on Esoteric / Antenna
Lifesigns website: http://www.lifesigns.me/
Lifesigns on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Signslife/?fref=ts
John Young & the John Young Band website: http://www.johnyoungband.com/
Audio tracks presented to accompany the above article and promote the work of the artist/s.
No infringement of copyright is intended.
Photo-credits: © Martin Reijman
No infringement of copyright is intended.
Photo-credits: © Martin Reijman