Rick Springfield, Colin Hay, John Waite Preview ‘Unbelievable’ Tour

Rick Springfield and Males at Work are becoming a member of forces this summer season for an 18-city tour that includes particular visitor John Waite. All concerned say it may be an “unimaginable” run.

The Australian rocker invited UCR to his home in Santa Barbara, the place he shared a variety of humorous anecdotes from his profession. Springfield was joined by Waite and Males at Work’s Colin Hay, and loads of lighthearted banter and the occasional jab ensued.

The summer season dates will function a night filled with MTV-driven hits that scaled the charts time and time once more. Through the dialog, the three rockers detailed what followers can anticipate whereas additionally sharing some particular person updates on initiatives they’ve arising.

This tour goes to be lots of enjoyable, it appears. What are you all wanting ahead to?
Colin Hay: I am wanting ahead to creating some loud noises. , popping out on stage and seeing huge crowds and seeing the opposite bands is at all times actually good. I am not considering, “Oh, I’ve received to do the entire night time myself.” It is actually good.

Rick Springfield: Yeah, if folks present up, it is you. And if they do not present up, it is their fault. [Laughs]

John Waite: There’s going to be a stampede of individuals.

Springfield: There’ll.

Waite: However they’re all going to be leaving. [Laughs]

Springfield: We play very loud. No, it is nice. It is nice to share a invoice, as a result of in a means, you are form of competing. They had been nice and also you need to be at the very least nearly as good. So it ups your sport. Particularly if it is guys you want, which we like one another up to now. As soon as we get on the highway, which will change utterly. However up to now, so good.

Watch Rick Springfield’s ‘Jessie’s Woman’ Video

It looks like you all have new music that is both executed and popping out or on the best way.

Waite: I’ve received a brand new EP referred to as Something [on the way] that is very upbeat. I feel I owe it to folks [because of] the instances that we have lived by. I made Wood Coronary heart [the three-volume acoustic anthology] when the world was form of in a darkish place with the COVID factor. The brand new EP is 4 songs, and they’re songs I’ve had for some time. I recut lots of songs on the again of the Wood Coronary heart launch, and we’re simply making an electrical album. However making electrical music is de facto troublesome, as a result of it may be cliche virtually instantly. You end up being rock and roll, otherwise you’re not doing one thing, as a result of it is cliche. It turns into very self-conscious. It took me some time to take a run at 4 songs. They’re actually good songs. I am fairly pleased with them. It is going to be out in a couple of month, arduous copy within the shops, Goal throughout America.

Springfield: We’ve got a second Pink Locusts [featuring Matt and Gregg Bissonette] album truly able to go. We’ve not blended it but. However as soon as we began, we could not cease. It is extra Beatle-y stuff. However I’ve a brand new document that I’ve virtually completed that may be very, very completely different for me. Like John was saying, it’s extremely up. I do not know how you can describe it. It’s totally arduous to explain your individual music, but it surely’s hooks, which I form of middle each track on. And it is received bizarre manufacturing. I do not know. You will simply must hear. You even have to purchase it and discover out. As a result of there shall be one copy on the market for $1 million.

Hay: I’ve received a brand new document that simply got here out. It is referred to as Now and the Evermore. It was a terrific second for me, having Ringo [Starr] play on the title observe. I completed the track, and once I was messing round with the thought for the brand new track, I at all times imagined him taking part in on it for some motive. Then I assumed, “Properly, I will simply ask him.”

Colin, followers will get to listen to these Males at Work songs for the primary time in a very good whereas. How do you look again on the unique period when the band was making these albums?

Hay: Properly, you realize, the preliminary band and the individuals who had been in it wasn’t actually destined to face the take a look at of time. However the music has, which I am very grateful for. , the music retains resonating over the a long time. I play the songs with the present band that I’ve for the time being, and everybody responds to it in the identical means that they at all times have. , you may’t actually inform in case your music has any form of timeless high quality to it except a sure period of time goes by. I really like taking part in these songs. I at all times love taking part in them and I nonetheless do. I’ve made lots of data since then, however I am pleased to exit on this tour and simply play Males at Work materials, as a result of it is unimaginable to play and I really like taking part in the songs. The audiences appear to adore it as properly.

Springfield: It is these songs, too, that allow us to [do something like this].

Waite: Properly, it is the voice that is nonetheless going, too.

Hay: Talking of voices!

Waite: The factor that we have all received, I feel, is a really completely different vocal presence. You could not think about anyone else singing Males at Work songs however Colin.

Springfield: I will give it a shot.

Waite: And being the author, it form of corners the market on who’s going to place Males at Work again collectively.

Hay: Thank God for that! [Laughs]

Springfield: It is like, Little River Band is not Little River Band anymore. At the least we’re those.

Waite: Yeah, I imply, if you happen to’re the singer, you maintain the important thing to it. It is horrible stuff, but it surely’s true. Bands at all times break up as a result of the drummer at all times desires to be the singer.

Springfield: I’ve written a track! [Laughs]

Waite: Yeah, you realize, it is at all times the identical means!

Hay: Spinal Faucet may be very near it.

Springfield: It is frighteningly near actuality.

Waite: It does not matter how calm or good you’re. There’s at all times the identical issues in each band. If it is not any person else making the issue, it is you. , there’s like a Spinal Faucet, pure development in each rock band. [Laughs]

Springfield: I have been each the identifier of the issue and the issue.

Watch Males at Work’s ‘Who Can It Be Now?’ Video

John, you’ve got been revisiting your catalog of songs with the Wood Coronary heart collection, as you talked about earlier. What did you glean from that complete train?

Springfield: Let me take that one. [Laughs]

Waite: I at all times mentioned that if you happen to can play it on the acoustic and not using a band and with out the amount, it is a good track. , if it stands up in a folks membership, it may kill ’em in a stadium. The Wood Coronary heart factor, I went again and seemed on the most advanced songs. I even did “Isn’t It Time,” the Babys track, which had brass, a full orchestra, African American backup singers and a rock band, the Babys. I did it with one guitar and a vocal. It reveals you the power of the track. However I used to be solely within the songs that had been lyric-driven or uncommon items of music. … There was sufficient songs to make it a extremely fascinating triple album.

Rick, you’ve got had an affiliation with Sammy Hagar for lots of years now. What’s certainly one of your favourite Sammy tales from through the years?

Springfield: Nothing I can in all probability say on digicam. [Laughs] , Sammy’s at all times been very useful. After I first began having some hits, he helped me pull collectively a PA system and lights for a present I did right here. He is at all times been very supportive. , we have stayed in contact, and when he had this rum deal, I assumed, “Why not?” We’ve got a rum collectively referred to as Seashore Bar Rum, and I am not plugging it or something, I am simply saying, since you introduced it up. It is superior.

Hay: You are within the rum enterprise?

Springfield: Yeah, Seashore Bar Rum. It’s wonderful. Do we have now any we will share with our buddies? Let’s give John some rum.

Waite: No, no. The pants are staying on, my buddy.

Making music throughout the MTV period, what had been a number of the issues that went unsuitable as you had been doing movies?

Hay: We had been doing a video for a track referred to as “Excessive Wire” a few years in the past. We employed the companies of a circus. Within the background, there was a camel and the camel’s handler. I feel the camel’s handler was not a really good particular person and had maybe abused the animals. So he was distracted by the digicam and what we had been taking pictures. The camel seen this and picked him up by the shoulders and simply began shaking him round. You possibly can see that within the video.

Springfield: What prompted you to have a camel within the video?

Hay: Properly, we had the entire circus. That is what sprang to thoughts.

Springfield: I used to be doing a shoot for a video in England for a track referred to as “Don’t Stroll Away.” I had this nice concept. We had been on the seashore, down in Brighton, I suppose it was. I mentioned, “I will lie down within the water, after which we’ll reverse it and I will come up out of the water dry.” So we used it, however I did it after which I got here up and I see this constructing, like on the coast, and I am going, “What’s that?” They mentioned, “It is a nuclear energy station!” I went, “Oh! I might need simply bathed myself in nuclear waste.”

Waite: I wrote a track referred to as “In Desires” with Mark Spiro for a Quentin Tarantino film referred to as True Romance. The director needed to shoot the video. Tony Scott. I met Tony at Monument Valley, and he took me up in a helicopter and dropped me on prime of a mesa. It was like 6,000 toes up, and I am afraid of heights. They drop me from the helicopter on prime of this factor and put a wire cable up my leg and nailed me to the highest of this factor. Then they had been dive-bombing me. You possibly can see the curvature of the earth, it is that prime. It is Tony Scott and it is a lovely, unbelievable film. I am very pleased with having a track in it. I really like Tony, and he was a extremely beautiful man. I actually fell in love with the man instantly. He was only a nice man and a terrific expertise. Then he took me within the helicopter. I imply, you must get off this mesa due to the updraft. You went to the sting in a helicopter, after which he goes straight down, so you do not get blown again. I am afraid of heights, proper? I am within the again with Tony Scott. Then he is received me hanging out of the helicopter on straps singing the track, as you do.

Watch John Waite’s ‘In Desires’ Video