TONY HADLEY | INTERVIEW PART 2
On being an individual, as a singer: “I’m not a terribly nostalgic person, but the one interesting thing from the 80s is that all the singers were very, very different. My voice compared to Simon Le Bon’s voice, or Martin Fry or Dave Gahan from Depeche [Mode], Midge Ure. Really. I mean seriously different voices. [With today’s singers] I find there seems to be… A lot of the singing tends to be very r’n’b, very generic these days. People wanting to sound like everybody else. But then saying that, you’ve got bands like the Kaiser Chiefs and the Killers who’ve certainly got very individual voices. John Newman, I do think, is very, very cool. Someone who’s got a very individual sound. I like his voice a lot. There’s loads of great talent out there. I like to try and keep my eye on the ball and find out what’s going on. I listen to as much new music as possible. I put Radio 1 on and listen to the new stuff.”
On starting out in the 80s with MTV and video and the music business then and now: “Oh, it was massive. It’s very difficult [now] for a young band or singer to get signed by a record company and for the record company to be there for the long haul. I always say to people if Spandau Ballet were a signed band today, we’d never have got to True because our first two albums didn’t sell very much. We would have been dropped. Definitely. It’s difficult, also, because the music business has changed so much. Music, everything, is a lot more transient than it ever was. Things come and go so quickly. There’s not the longevity that there was in terms of chart positions as it was years ago. Just the way people buy music and everything. It’s not as valued as it once was, I don’t think. Thank God people still want to see live bands, they want to see people sing and play, which is fantastic. With the advent of streaming it’s very difficult to operate musically.”
On limiting oneself to one style: “Unfortunately, some people are very, ‘I like this kind of music, and I don’t like any other kind of music.’ Well, then you’re not really a music lover. Because if you like music, you tend to appreciate whether it be classical, swing, pop, rock, hard rock, grunge. I get off on a lot of the kinds of different music. The only thing, only one… I don’t mind rap, but I don’t like heavy, misogynist rap. I’m not into that, which I find is kind of… [makes a Bronx cheer] leaves me cold. I don’t get that.”
On doing the fab Burt Bacharach tune, Wives And Lovers, originally sung by Jack Jones, which some say isn’t politically correct nowadays: “I’m a massive fan of Jack Jones. Oh God, no, I don’t do PC. Listen, it’s a classic song. It’s from the 60s. You know what? If you’re going to get upset by it, then well, go and see a doctor! I’m good friends with Jack Jones, and he’s a super singer. Still going strong, as well.”
On recording a disco/rap song: “I did a song with Caparezza [Michele Salvemini] called Goodbye Malinconia. He’s an amazing rapper, actually. He’s a really nice guy. I see him now when I go to Italy.”
On touring and recording in Italy so often: “The audiences have always been incredibly loyal, wonderful and beautiful, but also, I love it for the food! The food and the wine is just stunning. This year, I’m also doing a European tour as well. We’ll be in Holland, France, Germany and Spain. So, I get about. I try!”
On hearing we were looking for him to be doing Rio, which he’s sung before, at the Olympics opening ceremony: [Laughs] “Oh, that would have been good. I’ll leave that one to the Durranies, I think. They’re on a tour in America, anyway. They could have popped down and sung that! It’s been an amazing Olympics. What’s been fantastic is that Team GB have… You know, we’re only a small country. We seem to be batting well above our average, which is good. We could come second in the medal table, which is like, wow! I’m very proud.” [Note: Great Britain wound up ranking No. 2.]
On who would place if Spandau Ballet were running the 100 metres: “Who would win? Oh, God. Steve Norman’s quite a fast runner. It might be Steve. I was always better at 200m and 400m. Those were my races, especially the 400m. It took me 100m to get my speed up!”
On doing musicals and whether he’d like to do more: “Funnily enough, I was on a plane to Spain last week, and there on the plane was Roger Daltrey, who I haven’t seen in a long time. He was Judas. I was asked to be Jesus, and they said, “Who would you want to play Judas?” and I said, ‘Roger Daltrey.’ [Laughs] So anyway, we did it. It wasn’t an acting role. It was literally, a singing performance with the BBC concert orchestra. Tim Rice came down and thought it was absolutely fantastic. We did it before the rights reverted back to Andrew Lloyd Webber. It was a one-off. Then I did Billy Flynn. I did three months, but that was enough. They asked me to tour [for Chicago]. To go on and do something on Broadway, then maybe that would be different, super, but to tour it just around the [UK] that was not my idea of fun. I’ve been asked to do loads and loads of theatre. I know Marti Pellow, he does it all the time. For me, it was good fun, a great experience, but I like what I do with my band and the orchestras.”
On doing reality TV like I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!: “I’ve only done two reality shows. I did one years ago called Reborn In The USA, which to be honest, was a musical show where we went round to musical cities in America – Philadelphia, Nashville, Memphis, New York, Chicago – where classic songs and classic artists come from. There was an element of reality, but really, it was a performance show. The only one I’ve done was the Jungle. They’ve been asking me and asking me for many years to do it. Eventually, I thought, ‘Yup, I’ve just finished touring with Spandau. I’m back on my own again as Tony Hadley, and I want people to know that TH is back on his own again.’ So that’s the reason I did it, and I’ve got to say, loved it. Absolutely brilliant fun, no regrets at all. I didn’t think I could do it, and I’ve done jungle treks as well. I’ve gone through the Costa Rican jungle carrying 60 pounds of pack, so I love the jungle anyway. It was beautiful, amazing. I’d recommend anyone to do it.”
On being a radio presenter: “ I’m still doing my Absolute radio show. It’s on Saturday – Absolute 80s – between 6 and 8pm. We were just voted the most popular digital radio show in the UK. I’m quite pleased with that. We play loads of classic great 80s songs, and I talk a load of old rubbish! [Laughs] People seem to like it because I‘m not scripted. I just ramble on.”
On the perks of still singing and touring all over the world: “Yeah, it’s a great job. I still sometimes have to pinch myself and think, ‘Wow. I’ve been doing this professionally for 36 years, and I’m still enjoying and still loving it’ For instance, in October, I do a series of orchestral shows ending up in the Royal Albert Hall. So I think to myself, ‘I’m still doing great things.’ I like to keep busy. I’m a bit of a workaholic. I’m a very lucky boy. Very lucky.”
Tony Hadley, Caerphilly Castle, Sun 18 Sept. Tickets: £37.50. Info: your.caerphilly.gov.uk
words RHONDA LEE REALI