Landing the Fish - #meetaxl week 5

For those of you new to this series of articles, a month back, I made a little wager with a friend of mine that I would get to interview Axl Rose before next June.

This series serves as a chronicle of my journey towards meeting the Guns N Roses singer, taking in the pitstops along the way.

In the first article, I stated that I was going to break up my end game by putting in a 4 other musical geniuses along the way. And in that first article, I made my first target a personal pleasure of mine - the man they call the Fish.

For long time readers of the journey so far (not sure if 4 weeks worth of articles is long time but bear with me), you will know that last week, I got a call from the Scottish legend to go and interview him. Well I am now delighted to say that the interview took place last Thursday at his home.

So without further ado, I will break from the usual progress report and offer up for this week only, a straight up interview.

On Thursday the 28th of June 2012, which incidentally was a bleak Scottish summer day (I was literally chasing the clouds home on the way back), I met Derek at his home in Haddington. And for a self confessed Fish/ Marillion fan, it was a musical dream come true. Derek was in superb form and after making me a cuppa (there's a story for the grandkids! A musical hero of mine making me a tea!) he took me around the studio. And what a tour it was - the studio is adorned not only with the original Mark Wilkerson artworks to Fish's solo work, but also his Marillion work.

After a brief chat about the studios history and various topics such as music piracy, we got stuck into the interview proper. Over the 90 minutes that I spent with Derek, he was welcoming and never short on thoughts. As you can see from my opening question of "hope you are well?", Yes and No answers were never going to be offered up!

During the time we spent together, we talked on quite a few subjects including the new album (Feast of Consequences), other projects on the go, celebrity culture and Scottish Football. Hopefully you will find it just as enthralling as I did - Derek is obviously incredibly well read and this shines through in his thought processes. In all of the interviews that I have done over the last 18 months, this has been by a long way my favourite and most interesting.

Having enjoyed his work for the best part of 25 years, having met him, I can clearly and easily understand how he has written some of the finest lyrics ever laid down on a track. A bold statement yes, but also very true. I could easily go into how he has put every emotional fibre into his lyrics but I might as well let you hear it from him directly!

So all it leaves me to do is to thank Derek for his generous time and to let you all know about my next two targets that hopefully Fish will help me meet!

Before I do that though, if you enjoyed what Derek had to say, and want to try out some of his music, feel free to drop me a line and I will make you some recommendations. Also, if, like me, you are already a fan, I would like to tell you that the Fish Heads (what a great name for the fan club! I will have to get one for my fans (both of them) - the Axl greasers perhaps?) convention is taking place over the weekend of the 20/21st October in Leamington Spa (details on the Fish website here.

So over to you Fish.........

http://v2journal.com/landing-the-fish-meetaxl-week-5.html

The next two targets on my list are.........

Thin Lizzy

and

Brian May

Meetaxl is now on holiday for two weeks but will be back with hopefully some news on my next two targets. Have a good one Axl-Greasers!!

I'll have a listen to it tomorrow, but did you use any of Fish's contacts to get closer to Thin Lizzie?

No - to be honest I was going after someone else but when I checked their website, noticed that they were on tour in America until late September so knocked them on the head for now.

I chose Lizzy as they supported GnR on their last tour of the UK.

This is cool. Well done so far H-bomb.

I have no idea about technology whatsoever - but is there anyway you could make interviews like this, and the TNA ones Podcasts? Is that a simple thing to do or do you need special software etc.?

It's just that I have no volume in work, and don't have time at home to listen to anything longer than 5 or 10 minutes, But I'm sat on a train for 2 hours a day doing absolutely nothing.

I have added a new page this morning where you can download the files - is that going to work for you? http://v2journal.com/interview-with-fish.html

I reckon it might.
I'll try on the train laters.

Cheers Adam

Right - email feelers out to both Brian May and Thin Lizzy - now its wait and see time!

Did anyone actually listen to the interview?

I've just listened to the first two segments of this interview this evening, and its a fascinating listen. An intelligent, interesting man who I'm enjoying listening to even though I don't know any of the songs he is talking about. Though this is going to make me go out and check some of them out - recommendations would be welcomed Adam.

Great work - can't wait to listen to the rest, probably tomorrow

recommendations hey?

His last album is very good although I dont like the first two tracks particularly (13th star)

i think you would enjoy 'forgotten sons' written in 82 about the war in NI.

My two favourite albums of his since solo are 'raingods with zippos' which has a 22 minute track called 'plague of ghosts' and 'field of crows'.

His music has changed completely from the early days where it was very raw and prog rock esque (script for a jesters tear album) to his last album with marillion which is my fave (clutching at straws) to his solo stuff where every album is completely different to the last.

So to recap(!)

early - forgotten sons
mid early - cinderella search
marillion late - clutching at straws/ misplaced childhood
solo - vigil from the first album, then plague of ghosts, then the albums 13th star and field of crows

Great interview - sounds like a thoroughly decent guy who enjoys his job very much. And that's what you like to hear. I hate to hear a whinging rock star talk about how hard touring can be. Sounds like Fish is just doing what he wants to be doing.

Still no idea what Raingods with Zippos means though - I get the impression your journalistic instincts were telling you to give up on that one Ad

And the sound files work for my phone (Blackberry) - so thank you very much for sorting that mate

Electric Demon wrote:

Still no idea what Raingods with Zippos means though - I get the impression your journalistic instincts were telling you to give up on that one Ad

There was an uncomfortable look between us at that point where we came to the realisation that I didnt have a clue!

Any updates?

I am planning on writing the next installment next week.

No updates so far but I have hopefully secured a interview with Marillion. I have a few feelers out for the other two acts. Thin Lizzy have sent the request on to their PR company and I am waiting to hear back.

My first attempts at Briam May have been unsuccessful but I have two other "ins" that I am exploring.

Adam I think this guy is worth contacting

http://www.nme.com/news/guns-n-roses/65526

Any more instalments?

Been waiting for a while!

https://www.606v2.com/t33234-going-on-a-summer-holiday-meetaxl-episode-6

Here is the next episode (last weeks).

I am doing an interview tomorrow evening, so the next one will be over the weekend