Perfect 10

He’s been rockin’ all over the world for longer than he cares to remember but how will he handle the 10 questions we ask everyone?

1 What was your first guitar and when did you get it? “A Guild Starfire, a single cutaway. I was probably 11 or 12 – my dad got it for me, he was good like that. It was red and I used it very high up because at the time Gerry Marsden and a few others held it high. I still think that’s the way one should play but now it’s gone way down. In one of the bands who supported us the bass player wore his guitar so low he tripped over it on a couple of occasions, which was quite hilarious!” 2 Suppose the building’s burning down, what one guitar from your collection would you save? “Any one... I tend to favour the guitar I’m playing; I think, ‘This is the one!’ I’ve got far too many guitars; I’ve got a lovely G&L sitting next to me which looks beautiful, but I’m still only the player I am – not that good. So whatever guitar would be at hand; one acoustic, one electric.” 3 What’s your oldest guitar? “Probably the old green Tele which is a 1958, I think. I bought it in 1968. When I was younger I did not want to be one of those people who collected guitars.” 4 When did you last practise and what did you play? “Last night. I practise one to two hours a night. There’s a chair in my bedroom, so I put a TV on far too fucking loud and play guitar – a bit of electric and a bit of acoustic. I’ve been talking about retiring for years and my youngest daughter said, ‘But dad, what would you do at night?’ They’d be these couple of hours where I wouldn’t know what to do!” 5 If you could change one thing about a recording you’ve been on, what would it be and why? “The solo in Whatever You Want. It’s shite. It’s quite a musical chord sequence when it goes into the solo, but it’s not an easy solo to make melodic and so I think it’s a sack of shit. I play it every night and think, ‘This is shite!’ There’s this whole thing about Quo, particularly former members, who want to go on about how wonderful [it all was]. I’m sure there were some wonderful moments, but, like most acts, there was lots of shit.” 6 What are you doing five minutes before you go on stage and five minutes afterwards? “Well, go 10 minutes before – me and Andrew [Brown, Quo’s keyboard player] get a call for a last piss. I’ve had a slight prostate problem for many years and you don’t want to be needing a pee when you get on stage. When I come off, there’s the bus and I’m at my happiest at that point. I’m in a very familiar place, I’ve got my food in the fridge, it’s usually Andrew and I, we’ve got a glass of Coke... it’s such a lovely feeling when you’ve finished a show.” 7 What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you on stage? “We were doing a massive corporate in the Hallenstadion in Zurich – it holds about 13,500 people – and suddenly my rig died. Everyone’s eyes are going everywhere, there’s pandemonium going on around us, trying to get this thing right. We were in a medley and I was thinking, ‘If it doesn’t come up, the solo’s coming, we’re in deep trouble here’. Then suddenly, at the last bit of this 12-14 minute medley it came back up. None of the punters noticed; I don’t know whether that’s gratifying or not.” 8 What song would you play acoustically around a campfire? “Margarita Time probably of my own, Save The Last Dance For Me or [sings] ‘If you were the only girl in the world...’ One of my daughters likes me playing that and so I had to do it on her phone for her. Those kind of songs which I hated when I was a kid – Slow Boat To China, Gonna Sit Right Down (And Write Myself A Letter) – there’s something fascinating about those chords.” 9 What aspect of playing guitar would you like to be better at? “Lead guitar. When we were really young, whether it was nerves, lack of talent, lack of study, but I didn’t want to be a lead guitar player. I wanted to strum and sing. Then I got pushed into doing a bit of lead and eventually became lead guitarist and I didn’t really even start to study until I was 40. I started to practise and learn a little more, doing scales. I would love to be a much better lead guitar player.” 10 What advice would you give your younger self about the guitar if you had the chance? “‘Learn, you thick dickhead!’ There’s something about us when we’re younger and we become successful. I remember Pip Williams, the producer we had, he said, ‘Why don’t you learn scales?’ I said, ‘I don’t need that shit!’ The cockiness of it!” [DM]

“The solo in Whatever You Want isn’t an easy solo to make melodic. I play it every night and think, ‘This is a sack of shite!’”