Spike (The Quireboys) – Interview @ Clusone Rock 2014

Spike (The Quireboys) – Interview @ Clusone Rock 2014

13 Luglio 2014 1 Commento Alessandro Lifonti

First of all let me thank you Federico Martinelli for arranging such a big event and for giving me the chance to interview Spike. My friend and partner in crime Gianluca Firmo is with me! Federico takes us to the hotel where Spike is waiting for us! We open the door of Spike’ s bedroom and singer of The Quireboys is right there! There are many cocktails on the table and Spike is happily drinking them one by one 😉
He notices my Mike Tramp shirt and he tells me that Mike is a big friend of his, so he starts telling me about the times the quireboys used to tour the UK with White Lion…..that’ s how the interview begins…

interview by Alessandro Lifonti

italian version

SP: ….back then at the Marquee club, I think we played with every band that came in the town and the white lion was one of these bands. But for the bands when they played at the Marquee club, there were no drinks….so fuck off LOL.
We used to play there all the time. The first week Guns ‘n’ roses played, and we played the night before, so that’ s how we all got to know each other.

MR: I have to ask you this: where the hell is Vito Bratta?
SP: Ohhh, I remember Vito! I haven’ t seen him since the Marquee. He is probably still practicing with his guitar LOL! Then I saw him again when we supported Ozzy. Our paths crossed a lot of times. This is my first drink after eight days. No alcohol for eight days, ahhhhh!!!

MR: Spike, we have this show tonight. How did you get here to Clusone?
SP: I have no clue. I thought we were playing in Milan, ahhhhh. I didn’ t even know why we were driving so far, so I asked: “where are we going?” Then I saw all these mountains and I asked again: “are we going to Switzerland? Ahhhhh!”
I have to check my bank account. LOL.

MR: The Quireboys released several albums. People still dream with open eyes when they talk about “a bit of what you fancy”! In your opinion why that record is still remembered maybe a bit more than the others?
SP: Well, you know, obviously because when you think about it that was….it took us five years to get a record deal. It was our first album, first songs, first writing. 7 o’ clock when we used to play it, never ever had a chorus, I put that chorus in when I went to LA to do the album. I think it was a lot easier for us because we had so much time to record it.

MR: I think one of your best songs is “Mona Lisa smiled”. How did you come up with that song? Why the Mona Lisa?
SP: Well, I was in Barcelona with Neil Taylor. We were doing an acoustic album together, and I was speaking to a friend of his, this girl, and she has explained to me the whole scenario about what happened in Spain around that time with Salvador Dali and when his girlfriend or wife died, she was buried in the casket with the hand sticking out and what was supposed to happen when he died he was supposed to be near the casket with the hand joining her. And he is still in the museum so she is still waiting for him, and the reason was for the Mona Lisa thing is that everything that Salvador Dali has done, there is always something on the Mona Lisa of the painting he uses in the backdrop of every painting a little thing to like and I thought that was the story about that. It’ s not about drinking this time, ahhhhh.

MR: The band has a brand new album coming out (black eyed sons) and you have a brand new solo album as well! What can you tell about these new records?
SP: The new album is three cd’ s package. One is live in London. Our manager wanted to do something special for the fans because it’ s our 30th anniversary. We went into the studio and we recorded 16-17 songs for black eyed sons, and then we said “let’s just put 10 on because there’ s a lot of stuff on it”. These days some bands even put 20 songs on an album, but c’ mon it’ s too much. For the money that they pay you for, it’ s a great deal. My solo album is called: “100% pure Frankie Miller. It all started about 4-5 years ago when I met Frankie’ s wife. Frankie is my hero, he is one of the greatest songwriters. His wife came to a lot of the quireboys shows, and one day she told me she had something like 300-400 demos that he recorded in his house and nobody ever heard. So I picked up 16-18 songs for the album. I didn’ t wanna do a tribute album. Everybody who is playing on it, has a connection with me or Frankie. I’ m really happy with it and hopefully in September we’ ll be doing a few shows.

MR: If you coulp pick up just one memory of these 30 years, which memory would it be and why?
SP: Obviously I would think when we toured America, and then when we got asked us to play with Rolling Stones in my hometown Newcastle at the football stadium. We got there the day before and I spent my entire day at the football pitch, ahhhhh.
Since then I had the honour of writing a song for Sir. Bobby Robson who managed Newcastle.

MR: You will also tour the North America in a little while. What’ s the difference, if there’ s any difference, between the american and european rock scene these days?
SP: We toured a lot in America, but being an english is not that easy when you are surrounded by americans. I lived there for 15 years and had an american girlfriend. She took me to A.A. ahhhh LOL! In California they think you are an alcoholist if you have a drink in the afternoon, ahhhh! We did the monster of cruise twice. It went so well that the promoter said you should do a tour. It’ s a long tour, there are not many days off!

MR:: Anything you want to say to your italian fans?
SP:: I love Italy, I would like to buy a house up here, ahhhh. We didn’ t play enough in Italy because we have way too many agents. I’ m looking forward to tonight!

MR: Spike, thank you once again for being with us today!

© 2014, Alessandro Lifonti. All rights reserved.