INTERVIEW WITH JOHN MAYALL FROM TheCelebrityCafe.com ARCHIVES
DM) John, with so many albums out, and the line-up of the Blues Breakers having changed a little bit over the years, which was your favorite period in the history of the band?
JM) Well, obviously, the one that's together now, because it's been together forever. Joe's been my drummer for 14 years, and we've been buddies for six years. Obviously, this is the best year I've ever had.
DM) How do you maintain the sound of the band, even though the line-up has changed every so often?
JM) Well, compared to most bands on the planet who've been around as long as we have, it's been pretty minor.
DM) Of all the albums recorded, which was your favorite one?
JM) To me, they are equally important, as they represent a certain period in my life and times. With that in mind, it really is impossible to pick favorites. Obviously, the one that's most current is always the most in
my mind, because it contains the most up-to-date personal stories and captures what we're doing now. I shy away from having actual favorites, because the word favorites means that you single one thing out from all of the others. The way I look at it, they're all part of my musical diary, and I can listen to any one of them and it will bring up memories of what was going on at that time.
DM) What's the basic theme of the current album?
JM) There's not an overall theme. It's just an update of what's going on, really. It's a collection of stories. The thing that's a little different about this one is, there are no outside producers. My wife produced it with me. It's the same line-up, the same engineer, the same additional musicians joining us. We wrote all the songs instead of having outside writers; that was nice, too.
This makes it a more personal album. Bringing John Lee Hooker into the picture was good. He has been a friend of mine for 30 years, so we go back a long way. It's one of those things that makes this a very special album.
DM) When did you first get involved with John Lee Hooker?
JM) In 1964, actually. I'd seen him in a blues festival before then, but he came over in '64, and the Blues Breakers were his backing band. It was the pioneering of bringing back blues artists to England for club tours.
DM) In addition to John, you've had a number of "friends" who are nothing less than legends.
JM) Well, it is sort of a blues "Who's Who." Over the years, you do develop strong friendships that last a lifetime. Moving in the circles I move in now, it never crosses my mind, when I meet them, that these are the names that were special to me when I was growing up.
DM) Were you ever enamored with anybody you were hoping to play with?
JPJ) Once you meet those guys and you know what they do, and they know what you do, all that drops away, because you all are part of the same family; you recognize that instantly. You have that musical language in common that cuts away all of the barriers. It's a great privilege to know and work with these people and count them as friends.
DM) What first got you into the blues?
JM) I just found myself drawn to it.
DM) Do you remember the first song you heard?
JM) The Mills Brothers, "Bugle Call." I started listening to jazz and blues when I was a kid.
DM) What have you been listening to lately?
JM) I buy anything that's going on, except for rap. Rap's about the only music that I don't listen to.
DM) Are there any particular albums that you find that you're drawn to lately?
JM) I can always play Alanis Morisette over and over again. She's one of the greatest contemporary artists.
DM) How is the tour going now?
JM) It's fine. We're blazing away as usual, and regardless of if there's an album or now, we always do 120 shows a year. The road is no unusual place for us. The majority of the set is made up of songs from the newest album.
DM) Do you find that you've encountered a new generation of fans now?
JM) Always, the young ones are always right down in front. You got so many people at the end of the set who said they've seen me for the first time and others quite a few times. It's a great feeling. We're seeing more than one generation is there. You know you're doing something like that is a great feeling.