THE BOOTLEG BEATLES

Interview with Steve White (Paul). The Bootleg Beatles are: Adam Hastings (guitar, piano, bass, vocals), Steve White (bass, piano, guitar, vocals), Stephen Hill (guitar, sitar, vocals), Gordon Elsmore (drums, vocals). You’ve been going 36 years – setting a path for other tribute bands to follow. Some might say you’ve a lot to answer for, so what say you? Who’d have thought the tribute scene would be as big as it is today back then? I guess it is a lot to answer for. How long has the current Bootleg line-up been together? Does the occasional personnel change help keep things fresh? Gordon (Ringo) was the last member to join just over a year ago. Because the Beatles’ back catalogue is so vast it’s always quite fresh, regardless. Being a Bootleg Beatle has to be one of the best gigs going – you’re always in demand, you’re utterly adored and after the show, you’re utterly anonymous. Discuss… That’s the best part – we can just disappear. I can sing, I can play guitar and drums, I know the Beatles’ back catalogue back-tofront… should a situation become vacant, what else do I need to become a Bootleg Beatle? You need to know the character, his quirks, body language and be able to act them out. There are stacks of Beatles tribute acts in the UK alone. Is there an onus on staying one step ahead of the opposition in terms or performance and ‘audience experience’? The Bootleg Beatles have always been forerunners as far as Beatles tribute bands are concerned, so yes, there is an onus to maintain that level. George Harrison and George Martin gave their assent to the Bootlegs. Has the band played to or met any other Beatles ‘people’? The old line up were lucky enough to meet the aforementioned Georges and Paul McCartney, but we haven’t had such luck yet. You’ve appeared before actual royalty (as part of the Queen’s 2002 Golden Jubilee Party at the Buckingham Palace Concerts) and rock royalty (the Bootlegs were on the bill when Oasis played to a record-breaking 250,000 crowd at Knebworth in 1996). Name three non-Beatles related musicians you’d like to have the chance to entertain. Shania Twain, Brad Paisley, Garth Brooks. Is there an original item of Beatles clothing or memorabilia you’d give your right sideburn to own? I would love to own Paul’s bass. Same one he plays today is on all those classic Beatles hits. During the course of a year, how often do the Bootleg wigs get washed? Which spin cycle guarantees the best results? Two-to-three times a year I’d say as a rule, depending on the schedule. Has being a Bootleg-er afforded you the slightest sense of what it must have been like to be a bona fide Beatle? Yes, playing in the Philippines, albeit on a much more scaled-down version. Streets lined with waving fans and police escorts certainly give you a glimpse of how it was.