Author Topic: Ken in The Times 2010  (Read 3860 times)

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Offline Iain Fisher

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Ken in The Times 2010
« Reply #1 on: April 12, 2010, 10:27:32 PM »
Jeff Beck A Life of guitars, cars and no starriness
Ken writing in The Times 9 Apr 2010.  The online title is Ken Russell meets Jeff Beck.

Ken meets guitarist Jeff Beck as he issues a new CD Emotions & Commotion.

Ken starts
“I hear you play Mahler,” I burst out, startling us both. “Yes, Mahler’s Fifth — George Martin, the Beatles’ producer and mine, turned me on to classical music.” He plays some for me.

And Ken has some good insight "Beck’s so iconic that was spoofed as the character Nigel Tufnel in This is Spinal Tap".

But Ken is a good interviewer, so Jeff does most of the talking
- when Beck destroys his guitar against the amplifier, copying The Who “Except that I used a cheap guitar,” Beck laughs.
- “Gene Vincent was my hero. As a kid I saw Hendrix and Buddy Holly play. The Beach Boys killed rock’n’roll. So we Brits took roots music like B. B. King, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry and gave it back to Middle America, who didn’t know their own stuff.”
- “I hired Rod Stewart to sing in the Jeff Beck Group — what a voice. But when my bassist Ronnie Wood  left and took Rod with him I went crazy every time I heard Maggie May.”

Ken says "Beck has a reputation as a contentious, stubborn perfectionist. This guy? He’s relaxed, a brunette mop-top, thin and incredibly young-looking [Iain: I can confirm this- I saw him about 25 years ago, and again a couple of years ago, and he hasn't changed]. His wit is wry but without a smirk. Instead he wears the secret smile that can be earned only by sticking to one’s own instincts in the face of incredible industry pressure to do otherwise.

On the CD Ken says "...a collection of originals, covers and subtly complex instrumentals. It’s just so damn pretty. Though it’s got rock, the whole is melodic... He plays the guitar like whales sing.

You can buy the CD from Amazon:
www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B003405MF6/savagmessiakenru (Amazon UK)
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B003405MF6/savagemessiah (Amazon USA)