Interviews

Karan's netsite



Q:What was the most recent album that you bought?
BA:The first was probably CCR Willy and The Poor Boys, and the most recent was by Canadian singer Nelly Furtado.

Q:Where do you most like listening to music?
BA:I love having music on in the house, but nothing beats a great tune on full blast while driving.

Q:What songs do you sing in the bath?
BA:I don't do much singing there.

Q:Is there any kind of music you can't listen to?
BA:I can only listen to music that is real and artists that have real voices. It's easy to spot who are the imitators amongst them.

Q:Do you ever get bored of hearing your record-breaking hit Everything I Do?
BA:Of course not. What a silly question. Everyone has heard the big production of the record many times, so that now I sing it very simply with my acoustic guitar, which is the way it was meant to be played when it was first written.

Q:If you could work with any musician on the planet (dead or alive) who would it be?
BA:Jimi Hendrix, maybe.

Q:What song by another artist do you wish you had written?
BA:Hmmm...difficult question. I love a lot of different kinds of songs, but if I had to choose one then it would be You Send Me (by soul legend Sam Cooke).

Q:Can you remember what it felt like to play in front of an audience for the first time?
BA:I remember feeling very awkward, especially when the band stopped playing and I had to chat to the crowd - that was bizarre.

Q:If you were organising a rock concert, who would you have as the headline act and who Would you have as support?
BA:Metallica headlining with the Kingston Trio supporting.

Q:You're appearing at City In The Park in Nottingham on August 25. What other concerts have you got planned for this year?
BA:We're playing a lot in the US this year, and I'll probably do another show in the UK before Christmas.

Q:What other projects are you looking forward to in the future?
BA:My new album, which will be out next year.


Q:How the devil are you?
BA: I'm really quite all right. I've been working quite hard on trying to relax after my tour. That can be a very difficult because you get into a certain way of life on the road.

Q: What do you think would surprise people most about you?
BA: That I take the tube when I get back to Heathrow. It's much quicker. there, that'll surprise people.

Q: You walk into a bar and Everyhting I Do is playing. What do you do? Run out? Blush a lot?
BA: Oh, it's not that bad. It's worse when you go to a place like the Far East and the guy in the piano lounge notices you coming in and he'll look at you and wink and then it's, Dink-a-dink-a-dink.

Q: Do you still play it live?
BA: Oh yeah. It's actually a beautiful song to sing live.

Q: Tell us a joke!
BA: A guy had been worried about an illness for some time, so he goes to the doctor for his diagnosis and the doctor says, Sorry, there's no cure. The guy says, No cure? What do you mean, no cure? I want a second opinion. And the doctor says, OK, you're ugly too.


Q: Have you ever been tempted to move to America?
BA: No, I haven't; although I do love New York and I spend a lot of time there. I would never be tempted to move away from home because my family is there. My friends are there and I have a great, warm feeling about the town when I go back. It is home.

Q: How did you get into the music business?
BA: I started through the publishing divisions of the record companies, not actually going through the record labels. Sometimes record labels are more interested in finding someone who has more of an image, than just a songwriter.

Q: Do you listen to your own music?
BA: Occasionally. I don't make a habit out of it, but I have been known to for cross reference. When we were mixing the latest album, we put on a copy of the previous one and, after three minutes, pulled it off. The sound was so different! I wouldnīt try to re-mix any of the tracks because I like them as they are. I would be disturbed if anyone tried to re-mix them.

Q:Do you like to see new groups on the music charts?
BA: Yes. We shoudn't ever put down a new young act because they are not popular. We should listen to them. When I was starting out, all I wanted was for people to listen to my music just once.

Q:Are you a well-organized person when it comes to getting things done, such as writing music and lyrics?
BA: You have to be or you would get lost. You have to make a plan for yourself. I am organized only because I have enormous responsability and I have to make sure everyone is taken care of. I like to know the tours are booked, planned and we know what we are doing. I set little goals for myself all the time. Itīs important to do.

Q: How do you manage to play the guitar and sing at the same time?
BA: It's a bit like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time! It is a definite skill to be able to sing and play at the same time. Not many guys can do it brilliantly, but the guys who can, like Chuck Berry, are famous for it.

Q: Is there, like, any special award which you'd really like to have got?
BA: "Not really. I was very honoured to get the humanitarian award in Canada because of my work for Amnesty and various other causes I've been involved in. But it's not why I do what I do."

Q: What about the Oscar? I think everybody thought you should have won the Oscar for best song?
BA: "We thought we were going to win that too. I mean, if it would have been in Europe maybe we would have won it, but in America there was a lot of films coming out and I don't think they give Oscars to rock'n'roll singers."

Q: Do you still live in your house in Vancouver?
BA: "Yes, I still live in the same place."

Q: And you still have the same friends?
BA: "I hope so."

Q: Would you ever wear something different?
BA: "I have worn different things on stage but the next day it was back to the simple stuff."

Q:What's an ordinary day at home in Vancouver all about?
BA: "When I'm at home? There is no such thing as an ordinary day with me. There are always different things going on. Jamming, building a recording studio in Canada... it takes a lot of time and energy. If it's not that it's making a video. If it's not that it's thinking about a record."

Q: How do you keep fit on tour? Any special training?
BA: "Do you think I need to be more fit than I am. I just try to keep a good balance of diet - fresh food, drink lots of water and keep physically fit. I walk a lot. I think two hours on stage is a lot of workout."

Q: Are you interested in sports?
BA : "Actually I'm a big football fan. Soccer. It's the only game I can play."