RORY GALLAGHER

Even if the man’s health seems to have taken a hit, the liberal rock/blues of Rory Gallagher continues to warm the hearts of rock fans. Rory, who truly has music in his bones, promises a new album for the spring and his concerts, like the good old times, are fully sold out. Forever credible, good old Rory and his legendary Fender Stratocaster.

You have witnessed a lot of changes in the world of rock since you took your first steps?              

What disappoints me is that the notion of commercial profitability has really taken over rock. It’s MTV’s fault, the video boom and the important role given to publicity. It’s true that it has become a sort of farce. On the other hand, I agree that many young bands are starting to return to the musical values of the past. Now there are young musicians who give more importance to their pure talent rather than the image of what a rocker supposedly should be. I think that the golden age of rock is behind us, but I hope that we do relive some promising times.

If you were to start off as a professional musician again today, do you think that you would have trouble?

I wouldn’t even think about doing it as a career! Business rock and me have always been in a situation of conflict and I have never pretended to be part of the ‘rock and roll circus’. In that sense, I am perhaps a bit of a misfit, but it’s what enables me to keep a clear head and concentrate on the music. It’s music that thrills me and if I haven’t fallen into the quagmire of easy fame, that’s because I am a folk musician who loves the blues and also plays rock and roll. My music has never been a stereotype.

People have often wrongly considered you to be a bluesman… 

It’s true that I venerate the blues, but my life is not made up of it. I also love good soul, James Brown style rhythms, the type of jazz interpreted by Ornette Coleman, Django Reinhardt or John Coltrane. I have a broad range of musical tastes. However, it’s true that, with age, I am more and more drawn to the blues, I try to bring fresh musical ideas to it with  snippets of hard rock, rock and jazz. My openness of spirit is certainly due to the fact that I am Irish because the musicians in my country above all just want to play, not become stars… If my health allows, I am truly going to explore the roots of the blues in my own way.

People consider you to be a legend. How would you respond to that?    

I don’t want to analyse myself because it will give me a complex. The image that I wish to give of myself is above all that of a musician who plays endlessly for the public and not for himself. Then, if people want to call me a legend, that’s up to then. I consider myself to be an ordinary human being who lives just like everybody else, except I constantly try to improve my music because it’s my reason for living.

Are you globally satisfied with your career?       

Yes, but only recently. I have always been the type of person to be hard on himself and have never been totally happy with my work. To the point that I have even thought about retiring a while ago. However, the reaction of the audience at my recent concerts showed me that music lovers like me and it is only recently that I have realised that I’m not as bad as I thought!

A short while ago, you jammed on stage with Slash from Guns n Roses. Did you notice a big difference between you and him?           

No, not that much. I knew the first two albums by Guns n Roses and, therefore, Slash’s style.  One evening, he came to ask me if he could come on stage and jam with me and I agreed without hesitation. Between us, there are no human or musical problems. It’s true that we had to adjust our styles, but once we started, it worked like clockwork. What is good about Slash is that he respects the blues and rock tradition. He told me that it was an honour for him to play with me, and I was very touched by that. My only small regret in terms of that evening is to not have had the chance to play with Izzy Stradlin as well who I admire a lot. Perhaps though, Slash and I will work together on an album because we discussed the possibility.

What is your opinion of noisy groups and grunge that haven’t came out of the same school as you?

I don’t mind. I actually see all this carry-on as an extrapolation of free jazz. I admire their nerve and their madness even if, to my ears, it sounds unidimensional and fairly humourless. I accept this new approach to rock music, but I cannot really get into it.

Are there any new guitarists who have impressed you recently?

I have a hard time remembering, but certainly not those who use modern techniques like tapping or vibrato. I think that Eddie Van Halen said it all with his style of modern guitar. Then a bunch of clones came along, some of which are very talented like Joe Satriani, However, that doesn’t do anything for me. I much prefer strange series of chords than machine gun notes played at 200 mph. I think that these new guitar geniuses are too spoilt by effects and don’t think that they will be as spectacular if they were given an old Fender Telecaster and a Vox AC20 amp… without pedals!  Effects are truly a pitfall that I have always tried to avoid. I do not have any bitterness towards the new guitar prodigies, but I much prefer to listen to three chords by Keith Richards or if you are talking about speed of execution, the incomparable Jeff Beck!