Classic Rock 2nd GH story

[wolfysmith]

Here is the other article in July’s “Classic Rock� magazine.


Get the funk out!

Glenn Hughes returns to his roots (quite literally) and rediscovers rock.


There’s a song on DéjÃ* vu, the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young album from 1970, with the lyric: “almost cut my hair/It happened just the other day/It’s getting kinda long…â€?.
David Crosby wrote those words because he was cheesed off with being harassed by authority figures such as the police who didn’t like hippies and their long, greasy barnets.
Crosby didn’t cut his hair in the end, however, because he said he felt like “letting my freak flag fly�. And who could argue with that? Instead he decided to wait for a while and let it fall out naturally.
Glenn Hughes, on the other hand, did cut his hair. And that’s when everything started to go pear-shaped. His career as well as his physique.
“When I cut my hair short I found myself wearing silk shirts, slacks and loafers – you cant rock in clothes like that!� Hughes exclaims. “I’ve got a video of myself singing Deep Purple songs wearing an Armani suit. It didn’t look right.�
Hughes is growing his hair again now. Because he’s worth it’ His luxuriant dark locks – pretty good for someone who turns 51 on august 21 – are skimming his shoulders, and he feels like a new man.
Hughes hasn’t been “this grotesque, behemoth-looking fellow,� for a long while now, not since he got sober 11 years ago and “lost 75 pounds overnight�. And also lost the sobriquet “Glenn Huge�.
The new, tousled-tresses tactic appears to be paying off for Hughes, the bass player and vocalist from Trapeze who first found serious fame as the replacement for Roger Glover on Deep Purple’s 1974 album, “Burn�. Now Hughes is trying to recreate that 1970’s vibe with his latest offering, “SIKTOR�.
“I found out the longer my hair gets, I can scream better and throw more shapes, as they say,� he declares. “So said to myself, if I was in Deep Purple today, what kind of songs would I write? For the new album, I got in old Marshalls, old Strats, I had that Hammond organ thing going on, I got acoustic-sounding drums, older synths like the ARPs Jon Lord had….�.
Hughes made a monumental effort to beat a 20-year addiction to alcohol and cocaine back in 1991. A year later, the British dance band the KLF asked him to do vocals on their single “America: What time is love?�.
The KLF immediately christened him “the Voice of Rock� – but Hughes says it’s taken him “years and years� to come to terms with such an accolade. “I was in Deep Purple and I made a lot of successful records but I shunned it by trying to be rebellious and artistic…. By trying to be this horrible soul fanatic freak,� he complains. “But then, wow! The light bulb finally came on. I love to play funk, I love to play all that soul stuff, but if I want to be on stage under the name Glenn Hughes, ex-Deep Purple member et cetera… Well, “I yam what I yam� as Popeye would say.�
Tossing his head back and ruffling his black curls defiantly, Hughes proclaims: “It’s taken me a long time, but I’ve finally realised that the Voice of Rock must rock. He must do his thing�.



As you can see, the rag made no mention of the fact the album was reviewed elsewhere and got a 4 star rating. They reviewed 35 new albums, only 10 of which got that much and 2 of those were “Various Artists�.

“Crazy� Grace, you can email Jerry Ewing - the “reviewer� of SIKTOR that I posted on Tuesday - at classicrock@futurenet.co.uk I have, but I don’t expect to see it on the letters page.

[top cat]

Pleasant enough reading but not exactly essential! Thanks Mr Wolf - I wouldn't have seen it otherwise.

As far as the rag is concerned, it's like the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing! (Or doesn't care!)

TC

[James Gaden]

So basically, in true Kerrang! fashion, they decide column inches would be far better off discussing the length of Glenn's hair (and, reading between the lines, sniggering at the colour of it) than they would be talking about his new album. God forbid they should review some new music which by it's very nature fits the name of the "magazine".

And maybe I'm being over-sensitive and over protective toward Glenn, but saying he's "rediscoved rock" is, quite frankly, bollocks. There's plenty of head shaking, foot tapping material on "The Way It Is", "ROCK", "BTM", "From Now On", even some on "Feel", but the man has the talent to juxtapose them with other sides to his songwriting. And what about HTP? Oh yeah, we won't dwell on that album.....

Pathetic.

JG

"How can you lose, when you're destined to be a winner?"

[Grace]

Really enjoyed the article!!!!!
Did you say it was from "Hairdressing Weekly"
Magazine? I enjoyed all the styling tips.....but they forgot to mention Glenn's favorite shampoo and conditioner........

Or was it from "Bible Story Review" with the reference to a "Samson-esque": long hair equals rock; short hair equals disco.

I'm so angry, I could spit.

Does EVERY interview with Glenn have to go over the same details again and again? Wouldn't a music fan already know Glenn's entire life story, by now? I guess not, since interviewers would then have to do research, and then actually have to think up questions that haven't been asked to death a thousand times before.

I hate to say it, but if THIS is good publicity, we're in a lot of trouble.

And I'm still really angry about the lack of respect shown to GH's talent, in this article.

[Pete Stanford]

Well guys...reading the above has just re-confirmed why i don't buy the mag anymore.
I think i've mentioned in a previous post that it is just another outlet for the writers prolonging their grudges way back from the days when they did it in Kerrang.

Cheers...

Pete S.

[Keith Thompson]

But thanks Wolfy for sharing it with us. I agree with all the above comments - Glenn will be horrified that the article emphasises style notes as though that is all there is to Glenn's "package" - insulting and patronising. At least SIKTOR gets a look in though.