Phil Manzanera - Consequence Magazine - Fri 26th Aug
The post Phil Manzanera on Roxy Music’s 50th Anniversary Tour, The Joys of Being a “Weird Act From the ’70s” appeared first on Consequence.
There’s a lot going on in the world of Roxy Music. Not only is the band embarking on their first tour in over a decade – and their first American tour in two decades — but 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of their debut record.
But what can get lost within the whirlwind of dates, numbers, and anniversaries is the very thing that makes it all relevant: the transcendent music of Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera, Andy Mackay, Paul Thompson, and, yes, Brian Eno. With an airtight discography and a profound influence on the trajectory of art rock and pop music, the real excitement stems from being reminded of Roxy Music’s incredible body of work and the rare opportunity to see it performed on stage.
“Really, it’s back to the music,” guitarist Phil Manzanera tells Consequence by phone. “I’m here in my studio, I’ve got the guitars out, I’m listening to the old tapes, I’m listening to how we used to play, and I’m trying to make sure it sounds like it did before.”
Lest fans worry the upcoming press cycle is purely nostalgia-driven, providing what Manzanera calls “a bunch of guys who are in their ‘70s” a chance to bemoan how much better things were in their youth, rest assured: Roxy Music has their feet planted squarely in the present. Beyond a general appreciation for modern sounds, the group is bringing along St. Vincent as a special guest, a sign that the band, trailblazers in their day, have kept their fingers on the pulse.
“The minute her name was mentioned, I went, ‘Yeah! Who thought of that? That’s a brilliant idea’,” Manzanera says of Annie Clark’s inclusion. “It’s like a modern, interesting, weird, different kind of act and these other guys who are a weird kind of act from the ‘70s.”
The tour — which kicks off in early September — is a double bill that will, with any luck, both introduce St. Vincent’s work to Roxy Music’s audience and bring to light how indebted Clark’s era of indie-rock is to albums like For Your Pleasure or Avalon. It’s the mixing of generational pots, the folding together of two spots in time only to realize that the artistic goals haven’t ever really changed.
It’s also, unfortunately, increasingly likely that this is the last time Roxy Music tours as a full band. Though outliers like The Rolling Stones or David Gilmore (with whom Manzanera routinely tours) continue to play well into their golden years, Manzanera is realistic about the other side of the 50th-anniversary coin.
“You never know when you get to this stage in one’s trajectory whether it’s going to be the last time, so you treat it as if it’s going to be last time,” he tells Consequence. “I’m gonna have the most fun possible.”
The same sentiment applies to fans both new and old. It’s a celebration, after all, so why not have the best time possible celebrating such a foundational, revolutionary band? Roxy Music certainly seems ready to do so.
Check out the interview with Manzanera below, and catch Roxy Music on tour; tickets are available via Ticketmaster.
Not many artists can say they’ve written music that people still care about half a century later. What’s that experience like?
It’s obviously a new experience, isn’t it? I mean, it’s a new experience for me and I’m trying to come to terms with it. I mean, hey, I’m 70. Just saying the word sounds so old. When I was 20 and I joined the band, I didn’t have any grandfathers alive, but they would have been about 70. I mean, it’s ridiculous. But the way rock and roll has evolved, a lot of us are still here. The Stones, they’re the benchmark, because they’re the generation before me. I grew up listening to them, and they’re still out there. It is ridiculous, really. But the great thing about rock and roll was there were no rules. It wasn’t a career, you just got a bunch of chances. You just got together.
Thinking about it, there were no bands before the ‘60s. Actually, there were jazz big bands, and there were smaller jazz quintets. But, you know, the Beatles came along and they founded a band with their friends! When you think about it, it’s incredible. And then everyone else said, “Oh, yeah. I’ll start a band with my mates.” And here we are now. It’s the evolution of pop music. Popular music is just fascinating and ridiculous, but great.
The other thing is, when we started, it was a lot more exclusive in some ways, almost smaller. The whole industry, there was no real “industry.” It was all very organic and very, what we call in England, Heath Robinson. There weren’t computers. You had to actually get in a room together and play and record on analog tape. That’s why, bizarrely, it still sounds fine now, because it sounds like a bunch of guys in the room playing. Like, it could have been last week.
A bunch of inspired amateurs got together, they could hardly play anything. They had an idea, they played, and it was captured on tape. There’s lots of young guys and girls out there doing it now. And, obviously, technology has really advanced incredibly. It’s quite expensive to actually go and just all play together in a room now, but [you can record] in your bedroom for nothing.
You guys haven’t performed together in over a decade. Is it any different this time around? Different priorities or a different energy?
Well, obviously it is literally a different energy because you’re older. [Laughs] But, the music, we’re playing stuff from our eight albums. We finished doing albums in 1983, and we’ve picked songs from those eight albums and songs that people want to hear. So, really, it’s back to the music. I’m here in my studio, I’ve got the guitars out, I’m listening to the old tapes, I’m listening to how we used to play, and I’m trying to make sure it sounds like it did before. Get prepped up and then just go out there and do what we set out to do right from the beginning, which was to make interesting music presented in a visually attractive way.
Now, with the invention of screens and all that, the visually attractive way doesn’t have to rely on a bunch of guys who are in their seventies. We have a younger cohort of great young musicians with us, both men and women. So, it’s just going to be a fun time to go and play those songs.
And it’s been even longer since Roxy has been to the states.
It’s 20 years since Roxy have performed in America. I can’t believe it myself. Obviously, Bryan’s done solo tours and I’ve been out touring with David Gilmore. So, I have come to America in the last 20 years, but not as Roxy. So it’s, you know, it’s very exciting, quite frankly. I’m really looking forward to it.
Is it any different performing to American audiences? Any difference in the type of people who come to the shows or how they respond to the music?
Well, it remains to be seen. It might be older people with their grandchildren, who knows? Like, “You gotta come and see this band. Believe me they’re pretty interesting!” I don’t know who’s gonna turn up, but I hope somebody will turn up. It’s just gonna be a fun time. And who knows, this might be the last time. You never know when you get to this stage in one’s trajectory whether it’s going to be the last time, so you treat it as if it’s going to be last time. I’m gonna have the most fun possible.
And the audiences in America I’ve always found a lot more vociferous. Yelling like, “Yeah!! Alright!!” They are much more restrained in the UK — until the right time — but [Americans] will voice their opinion whether it’s, “Where’s Eno!?” or, on the Gilmore tour, “Spoke to Roger recently!?” There’s a lot of jokers out there.
But I’ll tell you what is very exciting is that we’ve got St. Vincent as our special guest. Now that package, to me, when I heard that, I thought, “If I wasn’t in Roxy, I’d buy a ticket to see Roxy and St Vincent.” It’s like a modern, interesting, weird, different kind of act and these other guys who are a weird kind of act from the ‘70s. So I think it’s gonna be a great package. Speaking about the audience, I hope we get her fans coming along and checking us out. The minute her name was mentioned, I went, “Yeah! Who thought of that? That’s a brilliant idea!” Whether it’s an agent or whatever, but what a cool idea. So, I gave it my full backing straight away and thought, “Oh shit, she’s really good. I better start practicing.”
Are there any other modern artists that excite you like that?
I listen to a channel called BBC Channel 6 Music, and there’s lots of young bands. There’s so much great stuff. There’s a few names that have come through of really new bands like Wet Leg and Self Esteem in the UK. And then we’ve got the whole rap scene from like Stormzy and Dave, really intelligent lyrics and interesting subject matter. And so, I’m aware of all these people.
And Glastonbury, I watch it on the TV, and you can just check out so many great bands. I mean, I love the Swedish band First Aid Kit. All different ranges. Obviously, I love Crowded House, because I’ve been friends with Neil Finn for years. And he played there with his sons on stage. And I’ve just brought out an album with Tim Finn, from Crowded House, so, you know, there’s, there’s a lot of good music out there.
Going back to touring, are there any particular memories of touring with Roxy that stand out?
Well, when we were going to be on stage at Madison Square Garden. I mean, I did it with David Gilmore, but our first gig in 1972 in America was supporting Jethro Tull at Madison Square Garden. And it is a recurring anxiety nightmare I have, even just recently, because we went from playing small little pubs and bars. And then we found ourselves on stage at Madison Square Garden in this enormous, cavernous, dark sort of place.
We didn’t have special lights or anything, and we had tiny little amplifiers. And it came and went and and we sort of came offstage and thought, “What happened there? What was that?” Totally an experience we’d never had, and then we watched Jethro Tull with all the lights and the movements and the stage acts and everything. And we thought, “Ah, okay, that’s what you’re meant to do.”
And then we were put on the bill with the strangest people, like the The J. Geils Band, Johnny Winter. And then eventually, we played in Fresno, supporting Carlos Santana’s brother, who had a band called Marlo. I always remember, it was a tiny place where people were shouting and throwing water bombs at us. And we were Brits, so we are gonna continue playing whatever you throw at us. We’re doing our little show, you know?
Coming to America in 1972 was just one of those incredible experiences, but we attracted all the freaks in every town. All the freaks would turn up, and then most of them would come back to our hotel afterwards. It was a great party, too.
Just so I can save you from the Americans shouting it while you’re on stage, is there any chance of Brian Eno making an appearance at one of the dates?
No. You know, he always used to call himself a small, independent mobile unit — and he still is. He wasn’t really made to be in a band. He was, like, made on another planet and inserted and happened to pass through Roxy. He’s an extraordinary guy, and I love him to bits. We communicate often. But it’s not his thing now. He’s into so many other things.
On the day that I announced my album with Tim Finn, The Ghost of Santiago, he announced his album. So on Twitter and everything, it came up one after the other. I said, “This is incredible. We’re all still making music 50 years later.” Bryan Ferry is doing his own album. I’m doing stuff. Andy’s done rock symphony, all sorts of classical stuff. Eno now brings out an album. We’re still just all into music.
When Roxy gets back together, does it ever spark an interest in recording new music?
Well, yeah, we did try it. I can’t remember how many years ago, it could have been even seven years ago. We went into the studio with Eno and with Chris Thomas, the original producer. And we did a couple of days recording — it wasn’t brilliant. We thought, you know what, perhaps this is just like crazy stuff. So let’s not do it. Let’s not spoil our legacy. Let’s just get on with our own. We’re all working with different people. Let’s just get on with that. Maybe this particular combination worked then, maybe it won’t resuscitating it now.
Because people always say, “When are you going to do some new music?” And then you say, “Okay, great, we’ll do it.” And then they listen to it and say, “Nah. Why did you do it?” Well, you asked! Who knows, but at the moment, it’s a non-starter.
Speaking of your solo work, do you have a different mindset when you’re playing with Roxy compared to a separate project?
All my albums that I’ve done under my own name are just excuses to get my mates in and have a good time and just try any kind of music we like, no limits on anything. There’s never the thought of, “Wow, this might be successful.” It’s just like, you’re going from A to B. Keeping yourself mentally healthy. Doing what you do as a musician. And going on a sort of journey with no destination. So, sure, I have done albums with lots of friends, I’ve done some where I’ve sung. Then I thought, “Right, I’ve done that. I’m not doing that anymore.” [Laughs]
I just made sure that I had the means of production. It’s a very sort of socialist principle, to control the means of production, so you never have to go and beg someone to make an album. Of course, now we have the technology where anyone can do it at home, which is fantastic. But right from 1975, I built a studio. And we did use it for Roxy and then lots of famous albums were done there.
But having said that, my last two albums that I did with Tim Finn, I’ve done in the shed in the garden with a laptop and one mic because of COVID. So, really, you can record anywhere. But it’s just a desire to have fun with other people, other musicians and have what I call musical conversations, and you record them. And then you put them out. I have my own label, I don’t have to ask permission from anyone.
Previous Article | Next Article