Paul Rodgers

Paul Rodgers is a legendary British rock vocalist. A man who left his mark during the most influential era in British rock, from the late Sixties into the mid Seventies. Rodgers has proven himself as deserving the respect of not only the critics from around the world, but the fans of classic British rock as well.

Among his many accomplishments, Rodgers is known for his role as the vocalist with the rock band Free and his leading role in the Seventies “super group” Bad Company, which Rodgers formed in 1973.

For 2002, Paul Rodgers and BAD COMPANY, are releasing a new live CD, DVD and VHS, titled, “In Concert — Merchants of Cool.” The CD contains two new Bad Company songs, “Joe Fabulous” and “Saving Grace,”.

With the new releases, Paul Rodgers and BAD COMPANY are embarking on a worldwide concert tour.

In the following interview Paul Rodgers bemoans the current state of affairs as he views them in Britain, in regards to the rock scene, talks about his days with Free, Bad Company and the new Bad Company recording projects and tour.

(Q)- State your name, place of birth and age please.
Paul Rodgers- I’m Paul Rodgers and I was born in Middlesborough, Yorkshire, England, I am fifty-two years old.

(Q)- You are considered by many rock critics and fans as one the top rock vocalists of all time.
Paul Rodgers- Thank you, that is very kind.

(Q)- Today, British rock music is very different from the sounds of the Sixties and Seventies. In some instances, rock is almost nonexistent as a popular music of choice among young British citizens. One British rock group, Oasis, defined what British rock music was in the Nineties and to a major extent what British rock is in 2002. What is your take on Oasis and the state of British rock today?

Paul Rodgers- There are a whole lot of aspects of the music business there is the entertainment side and then the music side of the music business. And, I mean with Oasis, I don’t want to even get to far into talking too much about Oasis because frankly they disgust me. I went with Bryan Adams once, Bryan called me and said to me,’ Oh come on over and see this band.” And I actually went to see Oasis in concert and I have to say, I was totally not impressed. I think they just rehash a lot of old Beatles stuff and they made a lot of headlines in Britain and the lower end of the media jumped all over it and they got famous. Frankly, I can’t stand them and I do not think they represent British rock or anything to do with it. They are just who they are and I don’t even know who the Hell they think they are. Frankly, having said all of that, I actually don’t care about them (He laughs).

(Q)- Where do you see British rock music scene currently at this time?

Paul Rodgers- I haven’t been in the country for a while. I think they have sort of cut the balls off British rock as things stand now. Because, there used to be a time when they had pirate radio stations and it was the healthiest time for British rock in years. It was a spawning ground of a lot of creativity, way back when. They (The British government.) took it off the air and then they replaced it with British Radio 101 or whatever it was. And it was like, “We the Government will give you pop music if that’s what you want.” Now I don’t know what is happening on the streets and in the pub level scene, but I do think they (The Government.) have taken control of it and cut the balls off of British rock.

(Q)- So to you it all appears pretty bleak?
Paul Rodgers- I am sure there are struggling musicians who are working very hard to create real rock music and they’re struggling to be heard. And, I think they’ll have a hard time to be heard because they (The British government) has kind of clamped down upon it.

(Q)- After thirty-two years, there are now plans to have another Isle of Wight Festival this year. Free, which as your band, was one of the acts appearing at the original festival.
Paul Rodgers- I don’t believe Island Records has ever paid me or Free for that video that they used.

(Q)- Are you planning to be a part of the upcoming Isle of Wight festival and will there be a possible Free reunion?
Paul Rodgers- Actually that never occurred to me. It would be ideal on the entertainment level. We’d all do it for nothing if the airlines said to us, “Oh, you’re in a band! Sure you can fly for free.” Then the hotel management said, “Oh, you’re in a band, then you can stay for free.” The same with the crew, the restaurants who the feed the road crew and ourselves, along with the Tax Man.” I mean it’s crazy. I don’t see us taking part in that festival.

(Q)- Why does the music of Bad Company remain so popular in Japan and other international locations around the world?

Paul Rodgers- The power of a song really lies in the fact that if you can play it acoustically and it still works, then it’s a real song. I can put a lot of stuff into the mix, like heavy sounding guitars and then it still works great. We actually traveled to these different international countries years ago. I traveled internationally and I think that to this day people still love that. Free was one of the first British rock bands to travel to Japan.

(Q)- What was your early tour of Japan with Free like back in the early Seventies?

Paul Rodgers- They had never seen anything like it and we had never seen anything like them. While we were used to the Japanese, suddenly we were onstage and looking out at an audience which was a sea of Japanese faces. They’re very, very polite, even at rock concerts. They’ll go nuts when they’re clapping and then they’ll completely stop. We had what was called, “Free-Mania” in Japan. I remember playing one show in Japan with Free and all of a sudden the audience stopped and they all got up from their seats and then they suddenly rushed the concert stage (He laughs). It was wild and wonderful actually! I don’t think it has ever been forgotten to this day in Japan either. (In May 1971, after a very difficult Asian Tour, Free disbanded.)

(Q)- Is that why you will include Japan on your upcoming concert tour? Paul Rodgers- I love the Japanese culture. I was married to a Japanese lady for a while and I love the Japanese people and their culture. I think I began to understand the workings of the Japanese soul to some extent. And I love the culture and I find it very unique. Traditional Japanese culture runs right through the entire Japanese experience. They’re a bit like the English in that respect. When we (British and Japanese.) get home we’re both pretty traditional actually. Many things in Japan are kept in a ritualized manner. They have martial arts in Japan and the British have proper tea serving over in Britain, it’s all very compartmentalized. My two kids have a band called The Boa Band and they perform in England and they are going to perform with Bad Company this year as the support act in England and they are going to tour in Japan as well.

(Q)- And they are Japanese?
Paul Rodgers- They are English, but they have a Japanese mother. Stephen and Jasmine are their names.

(Q)- What is The Boa Band about?

Paul Rodgers- They very much want to make it on their own. They don’t want to do anything on the strength of their dad. So they ask me for advice and then they promptly don’t take it (He laughs.). They do their own thing. But they’re going to be performing with me in England and Japan on this tour and I’m quite happy regarding that.

(Q)- When did you start performing live music as a vocalist?

Paul Rodgers- I used to be in a band when I was twelve years old. And there was clubs in my home town where they’d have rock bands like the Who, Rod Stewart, Creem and even Stevie Wonder once played there. A lot of current people who were very powerful performers played there. I saw Creem perform there on a stage that was just three feet high and I watched Ginger Baker perform such a long drum solo that Eric Clapton told him, “OK, that’s enough”. I was that close. I saw the intensity that they had put into their show. Then after the show that night, I watched them get into a little old van that they traveled in and I realized that it took so much hard work, to do what they wanted to do. They had to really believe in the music to turn out and play these shows like they did back then. I mean those fellows in Creem had to really believe in it because they weren’t turning up in limousines and staying in five star hotels or anything like that, to play the club in my home town back in England. I took a lot from that experience and I took a lot from listening to blues music and soul music and I’m still imbued with it to this day actually.

(Q)- Bad Company is one of the top British rock bands that define Seventies British rock.
Paul Rodgers- Thank you.

(Q)-Bad Company has a new single titled “Joe Fabulous” and Bad Company is releasing a live CD, DVD and VHS, titled, “In Concert — Merchants of Cool.” You say “They’ve cut the balls off of British rock.”, yet Bad Company is taking on one of the band’s biggest challenges in years, by releasing so many projects simultaneously. What are your feelings regarding putting out new product in what you have said is such a hostile environment towards a British rock music at the current time? And, why the live album at this time in Bad Company’s long career?
Paul Rodgers- It’s always been a struggle hasn’t it? To do your thing and then be free to do it. Sometimes you get a record company actually getting in the way between the band and the band’s music and their audience. I’m happy to say that is not the case with Bad Company today. However, because the record company doesn’t always understand what it is that you’re trying to do, the audience and the fans always do. In a live show, nothing can stop that, but it is sometimes, difficult. As far as the live album our management and our record company loved how the band sounds now and they said, “We’ve got to capture this amazing sound live now.” So we said, “Yeah, let’s do it.” And so we recorded a show and it came out well. I think it is a good way of getting the band Bad Company out there and reestablishing and letting people know where we’re are right now. The band sounds good and looks good and we’re also moving forward as well with doing new tracks.

(Q)- How do the lyrics to your songs come to you?

Paul Rodgers- Sometimes a song comes to me and it reflects a whole range of thoughts that I’ve had and I just put it down in a finite way. It even surprises me at times because I don’t even know where the songs came from.

(Q)- What is your take on seeing a young generation coming out to support the rock music and fashions of the Seventies?
Paul Rodgers- I think that fashion and trends go around but never come exactly around in exactly the same fashion as it did in the original version.

(Q)-Is it at all odd to you to witness so many people around the world wearing the clothing from the Seventies and listening to Seventies rock music by bands such as Bad Company and Free?

Paul Rodgers- What is important I think is the power and the spirit of the music. When you have that all of the components come together. It’s timeless and ageless. The spirit is so powerful that it transcends and the past, the present and the future. It goes to happening right now. That is why, whenever I go out and perform with Bad Company or my own solo band, I always like to feel that every show is very special and it’s an event and that the audience is a part of that event and that I make them a part of that event. Because their energy is who we are and what we’re doing. It is not just a part of it, it is it. So, we’re communicating and it’s a flow of energy between us and the audience.

(Q)- Why does Paul Rodgers continue touring and performing? Why does the music of Free and Bad Company continue to remain popular?

Paul Rodgers- It has spirit to it, it lives today that’s the key to it all. The music is still happening now.

(Q)- How long have you been working within the cycle of record and album of music, promote the album and then tour once again? Paul Rodgers- I have taken a few breaks at various points in my life, but it has been a very constant process. To me it’s not a job, it’s more of a way of life. It’s all encompassing. I like to view the world and interpret it and then write songs about it. So however the world comes to me, I’m absorbing what is going on. But, it is always from a musical point of view because I translate everything into music. One of the things I’ve found is that people need a connection and they love to be part of something. Because we all are actually connected. We live our own separate lives, but we’re actually connected and united. And in touring and performing it becomes very apparent that one of the great things that music does is that music brings people together.