By Jeb Wright
Foghat have become part of
American popular music culture due to the song "Slow Ride."
Guitar Hero and other video games are introducing Foghat to
a new generation and they are picking up on the boogie goodness
of the band. Foghat are much more than a one-hit band,
however. They have several gold and platinum albums and have a
handful of classic tunes that are played to death everyday on
classic rock radio.
Foghat have released a new 'live
in the studio' album that is sure to impress longtime fans of
the band. Several of the classics are included as well as some
surprises. There are also in-depth band interviews and lots of
Roger Earl's unbridled wit. The band recorded the tunes for
The Long Island Blues Warehouse
radio program. As Foghat fans know, this band is amazing live.
This performance was no exception. Foghat live in any setting
equals an incredible, passionate and spirited performance. In
this interview we discuss the new album, as well as the new
Foghat wine that is now available.
On Halloween, I was in the
audience in a casino in Oklahoma to see the band play and to
meet with Roger before the show. Roger would not answer his
cell phone. Something seemed odd. Suddenly, paramedics showed
up and Roger was taken out on a stretcher. In this interview,
for the first time, Roger Earl discusses what happened, the
injuries he sustained that night and his road to recovery.
Read on and enjoy a chat with a
one of a kind man. Ladies and gentlemen, I present...Roger
Earl!
Jeb: Let's talk about the new
album.
Roger: We did a radio broadcast
where we gave away our performance for free. Oh why not? Rock
'n' Roll has been good to me. We did that with Mark Klein and
his show The Long Island
Blues Warehouse about a
year and a half ago. You heard about my fall didn't you?
Jeb: I was there.
Roger: That's right. I didn't
get to see you that night, did I?
Jeb: I called your cell phone
and there was no answer. Suddenly, they were blocking everyone
off and an ambulance showed up. Everyone wondered what had
happened.
Roger: Well, you can be the
first one to hear the story from the horse's ass's mouth. I
went up on stage to check my drums about a half an hour before
show time, to make sure everything was right and all the
monitors were correct. I stood up and looked down. The drum
riser was about a foot and a half from the edge of the stage.
Behind the stage was a big, dark curtain. It looked like the
stage was there. I put my foot down and there was nothing there
at all. I went over and I hit my head, on the way down, on a
concrete wall. I broke the fall with my right arm, and that
broke my clavicle . . .my collarbone. I, then, hit the base of
my spine, which crushed my L2; I had a compression fracture on
that. It was the most painful part. I am lying there, crying
like a baby, and I realized I had done some damage. After a
couple of seconds had passed, I was able to move my fingers and
toes, so I figured I had not severed my spine. I could not move
at the time because there was an unbelievable pain going up and
down my back. A couple of the security people wanted to take me
away but me tour manager told them to leave me alone and to call
an ambulance.
The ambulance people were very
good. They put me on a hard stretcher and put my neck in a
brace. I am laying on the floor on my left side, checking to
see what kind of damage I had done to myself. I looked at my
right hand and I thought, "That doesn't look right." The
hospital people were very nice but about three o'clock in the
morning, they decided there was nothing wrong with me. They
knew I had a broken collarbone. They pumped me full of drugs
and they told me to get up. I told them that I didn't think
that I could. They said to get up and when I did, I passed
out. I ended up staying there a few days. They missed the
fracture that I had on my back.
My wife, Linda, does all the
computers at the University Hospital for Neurosurgery in Long
Island. I have become friends with a number of the brain
surgeons. They are all guitar players and I have got up and
jammed with them on various charitable occasions. We flew back
and I got here on Sunday night. We went to the emergency room
and they pumped me full of pills and asked me to come back the
next day. I went home but I could barely walk; I was basically
crawling. On Monday morning, I went in and they opened my
shoulder up and clamped my clavicle together. On Tuesday, I got
Kyphosplasty on my spine. They put these two little needles in
the side of my spine and blew it up and filled it with bone
cement. Apparently, it was originally designed for people who
have Osteoporosis. I was able to sit up the next morning and
walk without too much pain. It was really amazing. I still
have a lot of soreness in my shoulder. I am starting to get my
range back. I had to move the drums in a little closer and I
ordered some smaller cymbals. I was very proactive about it
because there are eight people who rely on me to make a living.
I could not be lying there taking drugs and telling them that I
couldn't play.
Jeb: That was back in the
70's when you did that.
Roger: Hey, I could always
play!
Jeb: Drummers sit down when
they play. I would think that would have to aggravate your
injury.
Roger: When you get up after
about an hour and a half it is a bit uncomfortable. I have got
to tell you that I had never broke anything in my life. I have
dropped out of trees and I have fell head over heals on my bike
and walked away from it. After that happened to me, I kind of
realized what I had. You don't really know what you have till
it is thrown out the window. I had my arm in a sling for eight
weeks. My right arm pretty much disappeared. I pretty much had
a bone with flesh hanging off of it. It was not a pretty
sight.
I had my practice kit up in the
bedroom and I would practice. I have a hell of a left hand
again. Eventually, I was able to drag my right arm in and start
using it. I can play now. I am really fortunate because the
surgeons told me that they have seen people with similar falls
who are not here any longer.
Jeb: It sounds like you are
lucky that you didn't snap your neck in two.
Roger: I am lucky to be here and
I am glad to be here. I am rocking again. The band was
terrific. I spent a lot of time working on my practice kit in
the bedroom and when I got tired I would just go lay down. We
have a band rehearsal house down in Florida. At first, I could
only play about an hour. Then I got up to an hour and a half.
Now, I am back to rocking. I missed four months with these
injuries. The surgeons told me that normal people take a year
off after such a fall. They told me that they would treat me
like an athlete. What I do has physical side to it. I really
have improved my left hand, so I am looking on the bright side.
Jeb: Your drum tech filled in
that night. He looked nervous but he did good.
Roger: Danny is a great player.
He has been my drum tech, on and off, since about '86. I have
tried to get him gigs a number of times. If anyone calls in and
asks if I know a good drummer, I recommend Danny. He used to
play with Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. He's not me
but....
As I was being taken off on the
stretcher, I said, "Danny, just get up and play the fucking
drums tonight." He said, "I am coming to the hospital with
you." I said, "Go get on the fucking drums and play." The
thing is the plane tickets are paid for and we had the money.
It was Halloween, so there was a party going on.
We cancelled two or three shows
after that. Normally, throughout the winter we would have done
six to twelve shows but Linda called up our agent and told them
that we would let them know when we could book shows again. I
have got four shows done now and everything is fine. The first
show was in Phoenix and there were a lot of people there. I had
to get up at three thirty in the morning the next day to get to
the airport and fly to New Hampshire to play for a benefit for
the Make A Wish Foundation. It is something that is close to my
heart and I got to play with some friends that I had not seen
for some time. I played for about two hours and had a blast.
We made a bunch of money for the foundation. I jumped right
into the deep end and it was a bunch of fun.
Jeb: Knowing you like I do, I
can't imagine a life without music for you. It must have been
frightening.
Roger: It was scary. When I
first took the sling off my arm, my right arm, I am
right-handed, it was just skin and bone. It looked like I was
some sixty-year-old man. Oh, I am a sixty-year-old man, but I
am not supposed to look like one! It was scary not to be able
to lift it or have any strength in it. I am very fortunate
because I am on the right side of the grass, playing in a great
rock 'n' roll band and my wife loves me.
Jeb: I am glad you came out
of that okay. Let's talk about the new live album. Not many
bands put out back-to-back live releases.
Roger: You're right, let's talk
about that. We have talked enough about falling off stages.
The bottom line on that is: Don't do it.
Jeb: [laughter] So, you got
asked to play in the studio...
Roger: We were asked to do the
radio broadcast by Mark Klein, who has
The Blues Warehouse Show
in Long Island. He dug up a few tunes that we had not played
before, or had not played in a long time. It was a lot of fun.
It went direct to two tracks, so there was not a chance to mix
it. Afterwards, we came out to the house, out here on the
island, and we barbequed stuff and had marguerites. Carl, our
sound engineer, had a disc of the performance and we put it on
the stereo. It sounded terrific. We were all pleasantly
surprised at how good it sounded. It sounded so good that we
decided to just put it out. It was also the inspiration to put
out a blues album. We took about three songs from the
Blues Warehouse
session and we recorded six more songs that we had never done.
We also have two originals coming out. We should have a blues
album out later in the year.
Jeb: I can't wait to hear
that.
Roger: We have a number of
guests playing on it. My brother, Colin, is playing piano on a
number of tracks. Blues music was my inspiration for banging on
stuff.
Jeb: Is this Foghat boogie
blues or traditional blues?
Roger: We re-recorded a few
Foghat songs that we have done in the past, like "Feels So Bad"
and stuff like that. We did a couple of old Savoy Brown tunes
as well. It is exciting and a lot of fun. We have two more
tracks to do and then we can do the artwork for the album.
Jeb: The radio broadcast came
out sounding much better than a normal radio broadcast.
Roger: Carl, our sound engineer,
was mixing it as we were going along. I was really pleased with
it. The last thing we needed to do was to put another live
album out but it was so good that we just had put it out for the
fans.
Jeb: I like how you added the
interviews with the band on there as well.
Roger: It was a very different
kind of attitude than we had done before. A lot of the fans
told us they found it interesting. We covered the history of
the band. We also added a couple of songs on that one that we
had not played for ages. We have been around for quite a while,
you know.
Jeb: You also have nicknames
for all the band members. You are the Hounslow Kid. Where did
that come from?
Roger: I think we had been
drinking. I grew up there. I believe Phil Collins came from
Hounslow. Isn't he a terrific drummer? He does not play as
much as he used too.
Jeb:
Live II,
the album that came before the new one, is an amazing live
album. Foghat Live
is one of the best live albums ever but
Live II
is equally amazing. What makes
Foghat such a consistent live band?
Roger: I think you have to have
a passion for music. Without passion, it won't come through.
Charlie Huhn is a great singer and musician, who is always up
for the fight, and ready to play. We take it very seriously.
People pay good money to come and see us. Before we went out
this year, we spent a week in Florida rehearsing. Prior to
that, we picked out a couple of new songs that we had never
played before. The bottom line is that if you don't love what
you are doing then why are you out there doing it? We are very
fortunate to be able to do this. Other people have to go to
work but we have to go to play.
Jeb: Rich Williams of Kansas
told me that he gets paid to travel but he plays for free.
Roger: That is good; I like
that. Travel can also be fun. We get to go to some pretty
interesting places. I have been touring this land since the
late sixties. Even now, I find some very interesting places to
see and I get to meet some really interesting people. If I
weren't doing this, I would probably be a bum and travel. Oh
wait, I am a bum and I do travel!
Jeb: Does having Craig back
in the band bring it to a higher level than before?
Roger: Craig is my brother from
another mother. I love playing with Craig. Bryan Basset, our
guitarist, said that Craig really lit up the stage when he
started playing with us again. He brings energy to the show.
He makes a huge difference, as far as I am concerned. Craig is
one of the reasons that I wanted to do
Live II.
I knew we had something special going again. He was the missing
link for a while.
When the original band was going
to reform in 1993, Craig was Lonesome Dave's and my first choice
to bring back. Nick Jamison was the second choice but he is an
actor now and was not available.
Jeb: Bryan is still getting
better. He has not had the best come out of him yet. You can
tell he is really getting ready to break out.
Roger: Bryan is one of the
reasons that I wanted to do the blues album. It really gives
Bryan a chance to shine. Bryan used to produce a lot of blues
albums for Kingsnake Studios down in Florida. He has always
been a huge blues fan. This project will really show people
what an incredible guitar player he is.
Jeb: People always talk about
Charlie's vocals but he can play the guitar too.
Roger: He is a great guitar
player. He is not unlike Dave in lots of ways as he pushes
everything up to ten. You ask him to turn it down and he tells
you the knob broke off.
Jeb: Going way back, three of
you were members of Savoy Brown. Lonesome Dave, Tony Stevens
and yourself were having a lot of success. Why did you step
away from that?
Roger: We were on the road and
playing in San Francisco. Dave, Tony and myself were jamming at
sound check and Kim [Simmonds] came in. He was not happy and he
ended up firing Tony - who was always getting fired. Kim
offered Dave and I some kind of agreement...I am not really sure
what that was all about. We all went to my room, back at the
hotel, and the three of us had a meeting. Dave always carried
an acoustic guitar with him, and that night he wrote "Fool's
Hall of Fame," which is on our first album.
Tony had been axed, so it was up
to Dave and I to decide. The band was getting kind of strange
and Kim wanted to take things in another direction. Having said
that, I believe they had a number of hit records after we left.
We don't want to go there...
The next day, we went downstairs
and had breakfast with Harry Simmonds, who was Kim's brother,
and the band's manager. We told him that we would stay for as
long as he needed us but we were going to leave. He said, "You
can't do that." We told him that we were basically told that
Kim was not happy with the way we were playing and that if we
wanted to stay then we would have to do this or that. So, we
decided it was time for a change.
Harry told us that we would
never work in England again. True to his word, we went back to
England after the tour was done, and we tried to get with an
agency and no one would touch us. Harry was managing Chicken
Shack and Savoy Brown, who were two of the biggest acts in
London at the time. We were really struggling and floundering
around for a while. Harry Simmonds really did stop us from
working for a while. He was a real scumbag. I think he ended
up going to jail for some kind of drug charges after that. It
serves him right.
Jeb: Did Kim try to make
Savoy Brown into The Kim Simmonds Band?
Roger: I am not sure. Both
Lonesome Dave and I were really grateful to Kim for giving us
our shot. We had some really good times. Kim did very well
after we left. They had three or four big selling records after
we left. At the same time, we didn't do too badly either. I am
still good friends with Kim and I talk to him a couple of times
a year. I did a session with Kim about ten years ago and his
playing is sounding great.
Jeb: Foghat was a very
American sounding British band.
Roger: I am the only tea bag
left in the band at the moment. The rest of the guys in the
band talk a bit funny but I like them. I have seen Foghat on
compilations that advertised us as Southern Rock. We did come
from south London [laughter].
Our influences were American.
Dave, Rod and myself actually moved to the States back in 1973.
Tony Stevens didn't want to move here. He was living with his
mother back in London. He wanted to take two years off and not
do anything. I couldn't sit around for two years and do
nothing. Playing music is a huge part of life. I ate that
stuff for breakfast.
Jeb: Where did you find Rod
Price?
Roger: We advertised in Melody
Maker and Rod applied for the job. Dave had already met Rod and
played with him. We had a couple of Eric Clapton and Peter
Green wanna-be's but they were not good. Rod had a very unique
way of playing, especially with his slide playing. He was a
very emotional player.
Jeb: Was it special for you
guys that you were able to get the original Foghat back together
before Dave died?
Roger: I love to play, as you
know. Just give me a pair of sticks and sit me in a blues or
rock club and I will have a blast. Getting the original band
back together was great but it could have been handled better.
We needed proper management. I really, really enjoyed
Return of the Boogie Men.
Rod was struggling with various things at that time but he
pulled it off. It was not handled well. We got the band back
together and we went out on the road for three weeks and then
sat around for a year and a half. It was like, "What the fuck
is this all about?" I will tell you that manager is no longer
with us.
Jeb: How is the wine
business?
Roger: Good subject! The wine
is going great. Our first offering...did you get one yet?
Jeb: Remember, I don't drink.
Roger: You don't drink? What is
wrong with you?
Jeb: I used to drink.
Roger: You used to drink more
than your fair share. Ah, then I won't send you one. I won't
be cruel. You would start drinking again if you tasted this.
Actually, I have a number of friends who don't drink...and they
are still my friends [laughter].
The first offering is a 2005
Cabernet. It is from central California and it is great. We
have a
Chardonnay that is in
barrels right now that I helped pick last year. We also have
Celebration Sellers out of Southern California. Several artists
have done this sort of thing. Celine Dion has her own wine. I
think Cher has one. Wait, it is not Cher, it is Bon Jovi...I
knew it was someone like that. The Rolling Stones and Kiss have
one. Kiss don't drink anymore do they?
Jeb: No, but if Gene can sell
it then he will have his name on it.
Roger: That's right. He is a
slut. I have met Gene a number of times and I really like him.
The wine is going really well. We went to a friend's house, out
on the island, a while back and I brought out a couple of
bottles of wine. The bottles are engraved with 'Foghat' on it,
one is red and one is a sort of florescent green. There is also
a bottle with the cover for
Fool for the City
where I am fishing out of a manhole
cover.
I gave them the wine and I told
them that they were not for drinking, that they could just put
them up on their shelf. It was a party and everyone had a few
and somebody opened one of them and everyone said, "These are
pretty good." They really are good tasting wines. When we went
to Celebration Cellars, we tasted their wine and really liked
it. You get crappy stuff from France but California doesn't put
out bad wine. You can get Two Buck Chuck and it is drinkable.
In France, you get cheap wine and it tastes like bad vinegar.
Some fans told us that our song
"Driving Wheel" was in a move called
Bottle Shock.
I rented it and really liked it. It is based on a true story
about an Englishman living in Paris, who wants to put the
California winemakers in their place by having a blind wine
tasting contest. The California wines won, hands down.
I really have enjoyed meeting
the people who grow the grapes. They are farmers, salt of the
earth people. Our winemaker, Steve Rasmussen, is very special.
He introduces us to all these terrific winemakers. It is a lot
of fun. Winemakers and wine growers are not that different than
rock 'n' rollers. Music and wine go very well together.
Jeb: Last question: You know
I love the music that you have made. But I have to ask what
were you thinking with "Third Time Lucky?"
Roger: I didn't write that one.
That song was off of the
Boogie Motel album and
was a big hit for us. It was played on soft rock stations and
nobody knew it was a Foghat single. Here is one for you,
Jeb...are you ready? We are playing that on tour this year.
Jeb: No way.
Roger: Yes way. We are playing
it. We never have played it live before. Rod was going through
a difficult time. He played on the record but he never played
it live. I told the guys this year, "I want to try playing this
song." Bryan was up for it because it was a song that was very
close to Dave's heart. Craig and Charlie were like, "I don't
know about that."
I told them, "Just learn it and
bear with me." After the second or third time playing it,
everyone agreed that the song sounded really good. We played a
couple of biker events and the bikers knew every word. I used
to say that we would never play a stinking ballad but now we are
playing one. It is our token ballad. I must admit that I am
really enjoying playing it.
This is how I talked the rest of
the band into it...I said, "Eric Clapton does ballads. Bruce
Springsteen does ballads and even Kiss did a ballad." I am not
aligning our selves with those bands but I said it to prove a
point. It is okay to play a ballad; it is not illegal for a
boogie band to play a ballad. We have a token ballad and you
may well enjoy it. I will admit; it was a hard sell to the
band.
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