Roger and John 1984 The Works promotional tour in Japan

Interview with Viva Rock June 1984 issue - full article

Title: Dual Interview













Viva Rock: What are your impressions as you return to Japan after a long while?



Roger: It’s been a year and a half, but as always, every time we come there’s a sense of refinement. I just got back from Harajuku, where I bought a shirt.



John: Ummm… I have a feeling there’s more freedom. Particularly for the youth, it’s just a little bit, but I feel they’re more free.



Viva Rock: Please tell us about your thoughts about the Seibu stadium concert from 1982.



Roger: It was cold. So cold. I feel like the audience was far away. It was a good venue, though. I think there were about 2000 people on the field. I remember well how cold it was.



John: It was cold! And so spacious! The audience was far. I like the Budokan. The atmosphere is good there. These days the emergency exit lights are always on, but when we first played there, it would go completely dark. I still remember it well, and it was a good feeling.



Viva Rock: It’s been 9 years since your first appearance in Japan. What left the biggest impression?



Roger: Haneda Airport. I didn’t think we’d see so many fans there.



John: I remember it very well. We arrived at Haneda Airport, and Brian ended up in a rage. There were so many fans, and our clothes even got torn. But, the fun memories outnumber the bad ones. But boy, the fans were wild.



Viva Rock: It’s been 10 years since your debut; as you look back, what do you feel?



Roger: Surprise. The fact that we’re still popular. It also feels like it’s been a long time. We’ve done so much in these 10 years. I wonder what it will be like 10 years from now. Could be tough. But I really don’t know how we’ll be 10 years from now until we actually experience it.



John: It’s been tough. Ummm, and there are so many memories that come to mind, but the pace is so fast that it’s like watching a movie.



Viva Rock: Would you be able to name all of your albums, in order? If you can, please also tell us your memories from each period, and talk to us about the change in your sound.



Roger: I can, of course! Right from our debut album Queen, we were making large-scale things. That continued until Sheer Heart Attack, and after Races I think we went back to simple rock’n’roll. It’s not particularly related to our personal lives, but if you keep sticking to one music style, you reach your limits That’s why we try to make something new by trying a different style. With The Game we tried something like rockabilly, and with Another One Bites the Dust we tried heavy dance music, and tried lots of different things.



John: Yes, I think I can. I might get the order wrong, though. As for the changes, I think it changes a little bit from album to album, but I don’t think there’s a connection to our personal lives. When we’re recording, it’s crazy. It’s also crazy when we’re touring, though. I’ve been trying not to drink so much these past two years.



Viva Rock: As you look back in your 10-year career, what was your happiest moment?



Roger: When we released our first single as Queen.



John: The fact that we’re still popular.



Viva Rock: What has made you the angriest in these 10 years?



Roger: It drives me crazy when I hear bad reviews. Not that there was a bad review about any particular thing; no matter what you do, there will be good reviews and bad reviews. I really despise bad reviews. There are some ridiculous one, too.



John: Mexico! It was terrible. Lots of things came flying at us when we were on the stage. Stuff like bottles and big batteries, you know, those batteries you would put in big stereo systems. Those kinds of things would come flying at us. Even pairs of shoes. The left and right shoes would be tied together with the shoelaces and thrown at us. It’s terrible. You try getting hit by something like that. You’d be furious.



Viva Rock: What has been the most surprising moment?



Roger: The fact that Another One Bites the Dust became a big hit. Also, the shows in South America. Even if they don’t understand English, they were enthusiastic, and a great audience. Even during that stupid Falklands War, our song was number one in Argentina. Doesn’t make sense, does it.



John: Another One Bites the Dust being a bit hit in the US. I was surprised.



Viva Rock: What’s been your biggest screw up in these 10 years?



Roger: I drank too much last night. I was pounding back vodka, so I’m in a haze today.



John: There are too many of them, so I don’t know!



Viva Rock: I believe you’ve toured around many countries; which ones do you like?



Roger: Japan! And I’m not just saying that to be nice, I really do love it. I mean, it was the first place where Queen became big, after all. Also, the Netherlands. You might think that all European countries are the same, but it’s not the case. I like the Netherlands, hehehe.



Viva Rock: There must be someone special there.



Roger: No, I just like it. The Netherlands, that is. Any particular stories? No matter where we go, we’re drinking. Although these past 2-3 years I’ve cut down on the drinking quite a bit. Also, Argentina is also good. The people are good there.



John: First of all, Japan. It goes without saying. Also, Argentina. The countries in South America vary quite a bit. Brazil and Argentina have different languages, for example. It’s completely, 100% different from Mexico. Argentina reminds me of Spain. Although there’s a strong British influence, Brazil is American-style.



Viva Rock: On your off days, where does everyone live? Do you guys have holiday houses?



Roger: I live in a suburb of London called Surrey. Freddie lives in London, and the other two live in the suburbs of London. Just regular residential areas outside of London. As for holiday houses that are strictly for holidaying, I guess it’s just my house in Spain. Then there are homes that we have that are useful for work. Uh, Brian, John, and I have houses in LA, and Freddie has an apartment in New York.



John: I do have a home in LA, but it’s more of a regular house than a holiday house. We’re often in LA for work, although I do spend some time there with the kids on vacation.



Viva Rock: What do you do in your free time?



Roger: Extremely regular things. Watching TV, reading books, doing some gardening, things like that. Everyone else is the same, too. Although I’m sure John and Brian also spend time playing with their kids.



John: When there’s this much work, when you also have kids there’s really no time for ourselves. When I have time off, it’s all spent with the kids.



Viva Rock: Please tell us about everyone’s family structure. Also includes things like cars and pets.



Roger: I’m not married, but I have a 3 year old son. He’s a naughty, naughty boy. His name is Felix. Brian and John are both married, but I don’t want to get married because I don’t believe in it. Brian’s wife is called Chris, and they have two kids, I think. Jimmy, and, uh… what was it again? Oh, Louisa. John has four kids. The fourth one was just born recently. His wife’s name is Veronica. Their kids’ names are uhh, Joshua, Robert, Michael, and Laura. I supposedly have a pet cat, but I wonder whose place it’s staying at now? There’s so little time, I can’t take care of pets on top of everything else.



John: I have four kids, and the eldest is 8. I try not to talk publicly about my family. My kids are a handful. I don’t have any pets for that reason. Last year, I think it was a bit of an extravagant purchase, but I bought a Porsche. A white one. Roger seems to like cars. He drives an Aston Martin. Freddie and Brian aren’t that interested in cars.



Viva Rock: What are your hobbies? Is there anything you’re hooked on these days?



Roger: I don’t really have any hobbies in particular. I’m so busy. I’m either working or just lazing around.



John: Music. These days I’m jogging and exercising. I guess you could call sports a hobby. I don’t particularly have any. When I go back to England, I’m going to race in an amateur marathon.



Viva Rock: On your off days, what kinds of things do you do with each other? Also, please talk to us about your personalities.



Roger: I often meet with Freddie even when we’re not working. I also see the other two, but they’ve got families. I go drinking with Freddie, and hang out at each other’s places throwing ideas back and forth. John is quite… quiet. He doesn’t do very many stupid things. Brian is serious. Freddie is crazy. Stories? Watch us on stage. You’ll get to see our personalities.



John: Yeah, sometimes I see the other members. Even if we weren’t planning on seeing each other, we might run into each other at the pub, and then sit together. But, as for everyone’s personalities, uhhhhhhhhhh… I don’t want to talk about that too much.





Viva Rock: There are theories that Freddie is gay, and theories that he is bisexual. But what’s the truth?



Roger: From my experience, no.



John: Hm? <makes a bit of a face> Let’s talk about music.



Viva Rock: In England now, after Queen we got Duran Duran and Culture Club emerge as superstars. What do you think about them?



John: Yeah, Culture Club is strong. I like Boy George’s voice. Their songs are good, too. I don’t like Duran Duran’s recent work very much. I like their earlier stuff more.



Roger: I like Culture Club’s records. They’re also good guys. Boy George is smart, you know. Super smart. I also know John from Duran Duran. He’s a good guy. He used to come to our concerts before Duran Duran formed. I’m not very interested in their songs, but they’re good guys. I like their outfits.



Viva Rock: If you had a chance to chat with them, what advice would you offer?



Roger: They’ve got a bunch of hits, so they don’t need advice.



John: We don’t have anything in particular to talk about, but I guess we’d just have a regular conversation. They don’t need any advice. Well, I don’t know how much longer Queen will be around, but I’m not worried about it, either. I think it’s a wonder that we’ve been able to do this for 10 years. Their songs are different from ours, so I don’t think we can lose our fans to them, but it’s possible that as time goes by we’ll be gone and they’ll still be around. It is what it is, though.



Viva Rock: Roger, you share your name and instrument with Duran Duran’s Roger Taylor. How do you feel about that?



Roger: It’s really quite the coincidence. There’s also a tennis player with the same name, but for there to be another dummer, it’s quite mysterious. I’m older, though.



Viva Rock: Please tell us a story about recording your newest album, The Works.



Roger: I like The Works. We purposely covered a lot of styles that we’d been doing up until now. Recording it was fun, too. We recorded most of it in Los Angeles, and lots of musicians came by to hang out. I was happy that Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck came by to play with us. We’re talking about how we should all go on tour together. Of course, we drank. Lots! Or more like, all the time. Also, we made videos and it was funny. Radio Ga Ga was of course interesting, but the next one is the best. We all dressed up as women. I’m a delinquent female high school student, John’s a grandma, Brian’s an ugly lady, and Freddie is, my god, such an extremely ugly woman. Ahahahaha! It was my idea.



John: It’s one of my favourite albums of ours. It was also good that we got to rest up last year. But we spent too much time recording. We’d go back and forth about things, and I would get so bored. The music videos are funny. It was embarrassing, though. We dressed up as women. Freddie and Roger even wore women’s underwear. They needed bras, because otherwise it’d be noticeable. Anyway it was a strange world. I wonder who suggested it; it certainly wasn’t me.



Viva Rock: Please tell us about your immediate plans, and also a message to your fans in Japan.



Roger: We just wrapped up our music video for our follow up single to Radio Ga Ga. After this we’ll return to England for a bit, and then do rehearsals in Germany and head out to Africa for a tour. After that, uhhh, we’ll probably go to the US. Whether it’s for a tour or some kind of festival, we’re not sure. And then… we’re planning on returning to Japan in October or November. Thank you for all your support. I hope you like Radio Ga Ga and our next single as well.



John: We’re going to South Korea for promotion work. We’d like to go to Seoul, Hong Kong, Singapore, and other places, too. That’s more of a wish and not a plan, though. Anyway, thank you for listening to Queen!


[Ongaku Senka full article on next page]

Interview with Music Life May 1984 issue - full article







Title: It Has Been an Eventful 10 Years

Interviewers: Kaoruko Togo and Midori Tsukagoshi



Roger Taylor and John Deacon make a sudden promotional appearance in Japan in late March for their latest album, The Works. It has been a year and a half since we last met, and they greet us, the Music Life staff, with their familiar smiling faces, “Woowww, long time no see! How have you been?” Roger and John both seem to be doing well. And, they were both wonderful again.



Music Life: For today’s interview, we’d like to talk not only about The Works, but also recognize the sum of your 10 years as a band by asking about your thoughts about each one of your albums.



John: Ahh, that’s not fair, haha.



Roger: We’re supposed to talk about all that work we’ve done in the past 10 years? Haha!



Music Life: We figured everyone else would ask about The Works, so we thought we’d ask about other things, haha. Okay, let’s start with your debut album, Senritsu no Ojo. [The Japanese title of Queen’s first album means something like “Princess of Shivers” (shivering from fear).]



Roger: This album took a really long time to finish. One reason is we had a lot of songs, but also we went to the studio to record when it wasn’t being used, so we’d do 2-3 hours of recording at a time. It feels like a long time ago.



John: It really was a long time ago, though.



Roger: We wanted to combine harmonies and melodies with a heavy performance. That’s how we ended up with that sound. Oh yeah, that’s right <while looking at the back cover of the album>, a bunch of these photos were taken at Freddie’s flat at the time. This was our first real photo shoot. The clothes we’re wearing were clothes that Freddie and I made ourselves and sold. We dressed like this quite often back then.



John: The Queen lettering and crest were drawn by Freddie. The picture on the cover, too.



Music Life: The following year, in 1974 Queen II was released.



Roger: The first album was fairly successful, so we were able to get proper recording time in the studio. We were able to do more of what we wanted in the studio compared to our first album. For example, for the B-side Black Side, we were able to go quite thick with over-the-top harmonies. That said, it’s a 16-track recording.



Music Life: It’s divided into White Side and Black Side; is there a special meaning to this?



Roger: Yeah, to a certain extent. Black Side has an atmosphere of darkness. Side White has what you might call a more a pure mood… lyrically speaking, anyway.



John: What was memorable for me was that Freddie in particular used the capabilities of the studio to the fullest extent. That’s why the sound is so much better than the first album.



Music Life: I think this album established the “Queen Sound.”



Roger: Yes, that’s exactly it! With the first album, we weren’t sure how to proceed, but for Queen II, we were able to make an album with a clear vision. But I think we did even better with our next album.



Music Life: You mean Sheer Heart Attack.



Roger: Right, the sound itself is better, and the execution of the album is better, too. The fact that it’s 24-track is one reason, but more importantly we figured out what we wanted to do. We also got Killer Queen, our first big world-wide hit out of this. Personally, I like this album.



John: Oh yeah, and while we were recording, Brian got a stomach ulcer. He needed surgery to remove it. They also removed some nerves, so when he feels anxious, he doesn’t feel it in his stomach. That’s why it’s a good surgery to have if you’re the kind of person who worries a lot, haha.



Roger: Yup haha. And anyway, that’s why the backing track was done mostly by just the three of us.



Music: Next up, A Night at the Opera (Japanese title:Operaza No Yoru or “Night of the Opera House”).



Roger: This album has a very special meaning for us. If Sheer Heart Attack can be called a big success, then you could say this album brought an unbelievable amount of success. Thanks to his album, you can say that we established ourselves world-wide.



Music Life: This album also has “No synthesizers!” on the sleeve.



John: Yes, and there’s an interesting story about that. So, Melody Maker magazine had a review of our debut single, Keep Yourself Alive, and it said, “Their use of synthesizer is quite good.” Brian got mad at this. He wanted it known that it was his guitar, and not synths, and that’s why we made those statements.



Music Life: Since this album produced the world-wide hit Bohemian Rhapsody, I think it has some historical merit.



Roger: Yeah, we get told that a lot. Like, how it’s still a great album. And I think Bohemian Rhapsody crushed conventions of what a single should be. When we first played that song for some record company executives and management, they asked us to shorten it. But we insisted that we couldn’t because the meaning would be lost. So, we were really lucky that everyone liked that song. It was No. 1 for nine straight weeks in England.



Music Life: The next release was A Day at the Races (Japanese title: Kareinaru Reesu or “The Great Race”).



Roger: These two albums are like a set. It’s similar to A Night at the Opera, and you can say it’s an extension of it. I think the sound is better on this album. Both of these album titles came from movies. [The Japanese titles of the Marx Brothers’ movies are not the same as the Queen album titles, though.]



Music Life: The photo in the inner sleeve is from the free concert at Hyde Park, isn’t it?



John: Yeah. We’d like to do another one at Hyde Park, if it’s possible.



Roger: The reason why Teo Torriatte is in Japanese is because we received such a warm welcome in Japan, and Brian wanted to express our gratitude. We recorded it at Manor Studios in Oxford, and mixed it in London.



Music Life: Next is News of the World (Japanese title: Sekai Ni Sasagu or “An Offer to the World"), but I think Queen’s musicianship changed with this album…



Roger: Yeah, it changed a little after the previous two albums. I think we became simple, as well as tough and hard. This album helped us succeed in the United States because We Are the Champions and We Will Rock You became big hits.



John: It also became our biggest hit in France. It was number one for 12 weeks. It’s hard to do well in France because of the language barrier. Compared to the people of Japan, the French really don’t listen to English rock.



Music Life: There’s a song called Sheer Heart Attack, but was this song written around the time of the album of the same name?



Roger: No, it’s true that the album inspired the song’s title, but it took a long time to finish it. We took that incomplete song and finished it and put it on this album, but strangely even though it’s an old song, it matched that era well, I think. At the time, the punk movement was starting to go big in England, and when we were recording this album, the Sex Pistols happened to be recording in the same studio. Their first album was really wonderful.



John: It’s a mystery why they didn’t do well in the US, isn’t it.



Music Life: Next is Jazz.



Roger: I don’t like this album very much. We ended up with too many songs, and I don’t like it because it sounds like a mish-mash.



John: It’s also the album I dislike the most.



Roger: Ummm…. Ah, whatever. I hate it so let’s put it aside.



John: You can put it in the garbage bin over there, haha.



Music Life: Well then, let’s leave it at that for Jazz, and go to your first live album, Live Killers.



Roger: The best thing about this album is the cover.



Music Life: He’s the one who took it. <referring to Koh Hasebe, photographer for Music Life>



Roger and John: Of course, we remember! Quite a few photos were taken to get a shot of our silhouettes. It was taken in Japan in 1979, wasn’t it. We like this cover!



Roger: But unfortunately, the quality of the sound is not very good because the recording conditions were bad.



John: That’s right, and we had a much better live tape, too... That’s why even when we were mixing it, it wasn’t very fun.



Music Life: Okay, next we have The Game.



Roger: This album was a big, big, big hit around the world. I think it’s our best selling album.



John: Yeah, it sold well in places like the US and Argentina.



Music Life: It seemed like the sound changed a bit, too…



John: That’s because we did it with Mack. This was our first album with him.



Roger: It was completed quickly. The album was very simple, hard, and frankly it went well. It feels very direct, doesn’t it?



John: Mack breathed in new ideas and new ways of thinking for us. For example, if the mood was good, even if the technical conditions weren’t perfect, he would just record us and try to capture what was good.



Roger: It produced two number ones, so I think it’s a good album.



Music Life: Next is…



Roger: Flash Gordon. I don’t think it’s a proper studio album, because it was made for a movie.



John: I think we should have put more songs on it. Movie soundtracks are difficult. It’s interesting, but it’s tough to do with a group.



Music Life: Okay, let’s go to Greatest Hits.



Roger: We ended up making seven different versions because different songs became hits in different countries. There wasn’t any point in not putting in the hit songs, so we met with record company representatives from the various countries to decide what songs to include.



Music Life: It also includes Under Pressure with David Bowie. How was it, working with him?



Roger: It was really fun. It was the first time working with a musician outside of the band, but -- and there wasn’t anyone really that we wanted to work with anyway -- but I was thinking I’d like to work with Bowie one day.



John: I thought it was a good experience, but Brian’s personality didn’t mix well with Bowie’s.



Roger: Technically speaking, we can’t say it was a perfect piece of work. I think there’s room for improvement. But, it’s one of the songs I like the most. Also, there’s another/other track(s) we did with Bowie, but we haven’t released it/them yet. Was Under Pressure a big hit in Japan, too?



Music Life: Of course it was a big hit!



John: I still have a souvenir. <John pulls out a red lighter used to promote Under Pressure, and shows it. Everyone laughs.>



Music Life: And, Hot Space.



Roger: I don’t think it’s bad as an album, but it looks like it was too ahead of its time. It appears no one wanted something like that from Queen. Anyway, I don’t like this album cover. These colours, they’re the worst, it’s disgusting <bursts out laughing>



John: <smiling and nodding> This cover was Freddie’s idea, and he also did the artwork.



Music Life: Now, why don’t we talk about your latest, The Works. It’s been 2 years since your last album.



Roger: That’s right. It’s because after our 1982 shows in Japan, we decided to take a year-long break. Also, we took our time making this album. We wanted to show a different look, and wanted to create something that people wanted from Queen.



Music Life: This album was rated 5 stars by an English music magazine. Of course, the review from Music Life was good, too.



Roger: Oh, really!? That’s amazing!



John: There was an interesting experience with this album. Hollywood photographer George Hurrell took the album cover photo for us. After the photo session, he carefully retouches the photo to remove pimples.



Roger: He’s famous for that skill. He’s 75 years old now, but he’s great.



John: <to Koh Hasebe> Koh, you keep on taking photos even when you’re 75, okay?



Koh: <bashfully> Thank you!



Music Life: By the way, how many songs did you have for this album?



Roger: We had over 30. Not that they were all finished songs, but we picked the ones that we thought were the best. Anyway, there were a lot.



Music Life: Radio Ga Ga is a song that I love very much, but I was surprised to hear that Roger wrote it! It looks like it will be your first number one big hit single.



Roger: Yeah, that’s actually true. I don’t write songs with singles in mind. I wrote this one at home.



Music Life: Can we take this song as an ode to the radio?



Roger: Yeah, that’s what it is. The song is also a criticism of how videos are seen as too important.



John: Yeah, like how they’re becoming even more important than the song itself.



Music Life: By the way Roger, you’re about to release your second solo album; can you tell us something about it?



Roger: The title is Strange Frontier. I started over a year ago, but I had to pause at one point because we started recording the Queen album. But I just finished it a week ago! I think we can release it in May or the beginning of June. The subject matter is mostly to do with opposing nuclear weapons, and with a strong political tone, the material is quite serious. There are 10 tracks in all, and includes Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen covers, so they’re not all original songs.



Music Life: Who did you record with?



Roger: John helped me with a few tracks. Rick Parfitt of Status Quo is also involved in two songs. He’s a great rhythm guitarist. I played drums and guitar.



Music Life: I’m looking forward to your second solo album. To wrap it up, a message for Music Life readers, please.



Roger and John: We’re happy to be here in Japan again. We’re hoping to be back in Japan around October for some concerts. We’ll see you then!



Music Life: Thank you for all your time today.



While talking about their memories and stories about various points in their life, before we knew it an hour and a half had passed. We had to cut quite a bit of the interview due to lack of space, but when we look back at the journey Queen and Music Life took together up until today, it’s impossible not to feel the deep importance and significance of these past 10 years. Roger Taylor and John Deacon were wonderful, as expected. They have a true sense of dignity and profoundness to them that only bands with a legacy in the rock scene have. As they take their important first steps as they embark on another brilliant 10 years, we would like to send them off one more time with heartfelt .

Thanks!

I need to fix up some things, though. I mentioned "Page 1, Page 2" etc. in my post but of course that's not correct because everything's on Page 1. Do we not have access to the "edit" feature anymore? I've used it on other posts but don't see it now.

edit: The "edit" button appeared for that post I just made (I'm editing it with this sentence), but not for the three long ones with article translations.

They only like the popular albums...

Thank you very much again! A lot of very interesting and spicy comments were made by them during that trip. Surely they wouldn't have said some of these words nowadays.

Thank you again deathtoming! Wonderful as always.

I think we know of at least two other songs from the Queen/Bowie sessions: Cool Cat, which has leaked, and I Don't Wanna Be a Rolling Stone, which has not (and turned into I Go Crazy). There are probably more songs that we don't know of, but whether they're complete or not is anyone's guess.

Interesting, too, that John mentions the friction between Bowie and Brian. It seems like only recently it's come to light how little they got along.

I think was talking bout getting old without having kids, not about his deeply closeted state

Loads of valuable information here. Thanks!