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Heep of
rock ‘n’ roll
Reprinted from
Feburary 9th 2006 |
The Levi’s Showroom at the Forum Mall, on Tuesday, played host to one
of the biggest bands in the history of rock and roll, Uriah Heep. A
band which has been on the rock scene for the past 35 years churning
out hits like ‘Easy livin, Birds of Prey, Gypsy, Sweet Lorraine, Lady
in Black’ and several more. Metrolife caught up with them for a quick
chat.
Thirty five years of rock and roll and still going strong. How has
the ‘Uriah Heep music’ aged?
Our music hasn't aged as such. We have stuck to the kind of music that
we are most comfortable with and the kind that has appealed to our
fans. Over the years we have experimented around that.
From wizards to rainbow demons, lyrically Uriah Heep has been very
rich in the fantasy element. Would it be fair to say that aspect in
your music has reduced as opposed to your earlier albums?
Fantasy has always been and will continue to be a part of our lyrics.
With so many bands that have followed, the fantasy theme has reached a
saturation point but fantasy will find its way into our music one way
or another.
An artiste feeds on experiences and art around him. So as a band,
what's influencing your music these days?
Life’s experiences definitely influence our music but we make it a
point to keep away from religion and politics.
Musically our influences are very varied as we all listen to different
genres.
Is there a band philosophy?
No, there is no band philosophy as such but we give our music
everything and hope that our fans can see that.
Quite a few songs revolve around dreams? Any comments?
It’s all part of the fantasy theme, everybody dreams and it’s a very
fascinating topic so I guess our music reflects the fascination.
Apart from music, you have occasionally entertained audiences with
a beer cans (like your concert in Chicago). So if I were standing in
the front row in Bangalore, will I be lucky to get a can or two?
(laughs) We weren’t planning to... but why not?
You are on a big tour covering Thailand, Indonesia, Russia and
Ukraine, all in one month. How different are the tours these days?
They are very hectic. These days musicians have to be more of
athletes. Earlier, tours used to be all about sex, drugs and rock n
roll. Now, we don't do drugs, and sex... well, it’s only rock and
roll.
Second time around in India, how different is it since ‘84?
The traffic. There are so many vehicles, where did so many people come
from? It’s fascinating that with so many vehicles moving around in
such close proximity nobody bumps into each other.
Metrolife passed off the average Bangalorean’s riding skills as an
art form, something they all agreed upon without hesitation.
Uriah Heep is Bernie Shaw (vocals), Mick Box (lead guitarist), Phil
Lanzon (keyboard/ vocals), Trevor Bolden (bass guitar), Lee Kerslake
(drums).
Hemanth M Rao |
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