“Whether I’m asleep or awake, I am always thinking of the blues”

Plans were made but not fulfilled due to various circumstances. So, it was fourteen years later that Rory finally returned to Japan for his fourth visit. At that time, a rare encounter with heavy metal magazine BURRN! took place, where Rory spoke about his music and metal guitarists.

It is your first performance in Japan in fourteen years. The rock scene has changed enormously during this time. What do you think of these changes?

I think it has changed a great deal, but the situation has improved somewhat from the 1980s. That was an unfortunate time for many musicians. Although bands like the Sex Pistols were good for music, others that emerged perhaps not so much – like the New Romantics, techno, disco, crazy raps. I wasn’t particularly keen on them. But interest in the blues is increasing again, particularly in the United States. Artists like Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker are starting to be re-evaluated. And with people like Stevie Ray Vaughan, attention is going back to guitarists. For young rock fans today, Eddie Van Halen and Steve Vai are popular, but even artists from the 60s and 70s like Jimi Hendrix are starting to be appreciated again. Things go full circle. People want to learn about rock from that generation. There was too much technology going on in the 1980s. I wasn’t happy with the sound in the studio.

What do you think of hard rock and heavy metal?

It was okay a while ago. Up until then, they had neglected the acoustic guitar a little bit or, rather, they didn’t think it was important. That it lacked power in the sound. That’s why. But for example, if you listen to the Rolling Stones, they use and play it for part of the rhythm and the sound itself stands out. Music is always something that changes, but there are some things that don’t change.

Since the 80s, musicians long to be stars, but you don’t seem to be that way. In an interview in the early 70s, you said that you can only be a star once you start to know the truth of the music, and that this is a lifelong task. Has that feeling changed now?

It’s good to be successful. It’s nice. But I would rather have my own opinions, do things my own way, not abandon my spirit, have passion. Show business can be tough and it can be dangerous to express your music. I can’t be free to do what I want to. So, I am a musician first and foremost. It is great to sell records, but that’s only 10%. It’s more about the spirit of wanting to do it that’s important to me. But I guess that’s the nature of modern show business.

Even if it’s only 10%, it looks like you are successful financially.

Well, in the 1970s, I couldn’t say that. I had a terrible manager that I paid the price for. That was the problem. I wanted to succeed. It was a natural request to have a voice. We did our best, but it was more about enjoying it. That was enough if possible. Certainly, in the last 10 years, I feel like music has gradually fitted into this format, on the same tracks. As you go on as an artist, this increases. Recently, with record companies, the contracts are too strict. Almost theatrical. ‘I work with this person. Don’t do that. It’s useless to speak up.’ I felt a bit like that. I couldn’t continue. And then the media is all about pop stars. But maybe in the 90s, the spirit will gradually return. I’m looking forward to it. I have that rebellion spirit.

Give me a specific example. What is that spirit?

It’s vague. For myself, I can only say that I feel like that… I don’t know. I am a serious person who has high expectations. When I want to do something, I don’t calculate it. This is my… I’m happy to just go into a studio and record without the clear intention of actually trying to make a record. I just want to play and see where it takes me, and if the feeling is right, that can develop into a record. I want to spend more time like that.

In the early 70s, you recorded several live albums. Recently, the number of bands doing live albums are increasing. Perhaps there is a difference of ideology in live performances. Do you agree?

Certainly, I think the same thing. The next album is four track. It’s really primitive. Eight track. Live using simple equipment. I wanted to record with that raw feeling that I like. Current technology is too fancy and often relies on high-tech sound technicians. There is all sorts of individual equipment for everything. For example, ‘this is used for this mixing’ and ‘this is used for… Many excellent effects can come out, but you can’t beat the old transistor, good distortion. It’s great. Classic. Like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Even though the current portable equipment is inferior to what you find in the studio, I like it. I’m only recording the sound, so I should be able to do that. Music technology can add to the ability and make an exquisite combination. It would be great if you didn’t have to, but technology walks alone. The musician remains. It’s a problem that you can fix. I saw a young guitarist recently. He was good. But I thought, ‘Express your emotions’ instead of relying on technology.

Gary Moore has said, ‘Recent guitarists analyse their music too much, meaning that the mystery of the guitar is lost.’ Do you have a similar opinion?

Well, I think fast players like Yngwee Malmsteem and Steve Vai are excellent guitarists, but I think you need a balance… I’m a person who plays both rhythm and lead guitar. There is no point in playing something that you do not value. The older you get, the more importance the nuances of the guitar become for me. I look at it not as a machine but a spirit from above, almost living. Guitar is part of my daily life. So, it’s like a part of my body, or as close to an extension of it as possible. It has nothing to do with show business. That’s it. That kind of attitude is a recent one in the music business. I’m not keen on it and I feel like it is becoming the norm.

You play blues, Celtic, folk, rock and roll. You listen to music and build your own sound, combining melody with a shining emotional solo. For many modern musicians, it can be easy just to copy, particularly the performance. The expressiveness of the expressiveness is inevitable. Do you agree?

When I play, for example, the lyrics are also technical. I’m not just playing. With songs, the lyrics should evolve in the same dimension. Nevertheless, rock and roll, heavy metal, particularly, you don’t see this, but… every time you see people doing the same thing, singing. ‘Even playing blues, lead guitarists do not tend to look further back. Country blues, city blues, electric. BB King, Albert King, Muddy Waters, all great lead guitarists. But blues does not end with them alone. Lead Belly is a great player who does not play lead. Many modern guitarists see rhythm guitar as something different. It isn’t for me. I am getting older and I’m interested in all sorts of things, more primitive play. There are a lot of guitarists I like who retired before becoming famous. Not just them, but film professionals, writers and other genres too. But it’s the same. But I somehow succeeded. The same is true for rockabilly. There is a rootsy feeling and I try to capture that myself with a reasonable style. That’s it. But it’s sad that it has become that way. When playing blues, for example, to follow only Albert King is a mistake. Blues goes much deeper than that. Dig deeper. By digging deeper, you can really appreciate the style of music.

It may be a little abstract question, but what is blues for you?

[pauses]

It’s hard, isn’t it? For example, the paint peeled off your Stratocaster is the blues, some people say…

First, the definition of the blues, it’s a guitar, piano and harmonica or other instruments. The blues is never a guitar. It’s not just something.

Vocals too?

That’s right. Blues is part of a lifestyle. An inner thing. It is acted on emotions. Certainly, an abstract feeling. I’m sorry…

What is the difference between rock and roll and blues?

Rock and roll is energy. Pursuing, aggression, speed. Blues is the grandfather of roll [laughs] Blues is melancholy, associated with sadness. Look at the lyrics. You know, 90% of blues is tragedy or rather sad lyrics. There were many players in the 60s and 70s… BB King who was successful in that era, he was a blues player. They capture the pain experienced at certain times. Same in the 30s, 40s, 50s. The pain in their life and environment. Many of the players had such a sad life. I haven’t experienced that same melancholy feeling as them, but I have digested it myself, feel it.  I think that’s possible. At least I am in contact with the blues like that.

For modern musicians, you need a good digestion method.

I think so. More blues, you need to go back to the roots and listen to country blues, 1940s blues that is not electric. You can learn a lot from that. When I was young, I listened to folk and, listened to rock. Of course, I listened to Irish folk songs. I liked it, but when I listened to the blues, it felt like a completely different dimension. It went right into my soul. And blues will not put food on the table. It’s about feeling. Really smooth. Since then, whether I’m asleep or awake, I am thinking about the blues. It’s part of my daily life. It’s my life.