How has this affected you on a deeper level?
After he died, I was asked: “Did you cry?” No,
I didn’t. But I did one night when I was on the tour
bus. I played the original version of that song of
Rick’s All The Reasons [from the Piledriver album].
Rick wrote lovely little songs. All The Reasons is
fucking wonderful. And just for a second
I thought: “There he is” – there’s the bloke I loved.Did you think, in the days after Rick’s death
that Quo was finished without him?
I wasn’t necessarily going to carry on. I didn’t
know what I was going to do.Would he have kept the band going if you’d
died first?
Yes. We both knew that. One of the things that
kept Quo going in the early years was: “Fucking
chancers, the same old shit, they won’t last long.”
Oh really? We were going to fight. The same when
we split with Coghlan and Lancaster: “No good
without those two.” Really?The same is being said now.
I’ve read the comments: “Oh, he should fucking
stop it now. He’ll be no good without Rick.” Okay,
maybe those people are right. But what they’ve
done is make me go: “I’ll show you.” I thank those
people that said I can’t do it without Rick, just as
Rick and I thanked all the people that said we
couldn’t do it without Lancaster and Coghlan.
Because firstly, we did, and secondly, probably I’m
going to. And I have done already. With some of thegigs we’ve played in the last two years,
I’ve gone: “Fuck, it’s better than sex.” In
the final analysis, it’s still Status Quo.Are Quo underrated?
I can’t say that. And I really don’t know. Some of
it’s fairly simple. I listen to some of our albums
and think: “Jeez, that’s dreadful.” I listen to other
albums and think: “Fuck me, that’s a magical
moment.” Some people see Status Quo as
sacred. I don’t quite see it that way. Like any
other band, it had some
fantastic moments and
some shit. The only band I
never saw do any shit was
The Beatles, and maybe
the Eagles.There are so many
classic Quo songs:
Caroline, Down Down,
Rain...Which are you
proudest of?
There are songs you’ve
written over the years that you want people to
love, and there’s a handful where I don’t give a shit
whether you like them or not, because I love them
so much. Marguerita Time is one. All We Really
Wanna Do [from Rock ’ Til You Drop, 1991] is
another, and Tongue Tied [from In Search Of The
Fourth Chord, 2007].Do you think you’ll know when it’s time toknock it on the head?
There’s something in me- and I don’t mean this
morbidly – that thinks why
can’t I just sit around and wait
for death? Why not just potter about and grow
old gracefully? But then I get enthused. I’m
looking forward to getting back and playing with
the guys again in the summer.
And before that, your autobiography.
I won’t read it. Not for
a year, at least. I’m sure
there are things in the
book that I shouldn’t say.Looking back, do you
have any regrets?
I don’t know. I’ve just
done the best I can. I’ve
been selfish, as we all are.
We’re human.And do you think about
how you would like to be perceived?
No. That’s too much ego. I’m just a basic dickhead,
and a bit insecure. I hope that people would think
I was a reasonable bloke, not a nasty fucker. That’s
about all I could ask for.Both Rossi’s autobiography and the Rossi/
Rickard album are out this month. The spoken
GET word tour begins March 20 in Whitely Bay.
TY
“I’m a basic dickhead
and a bit insecure.
I hope that people
would think I was
a reasonable bloke,
not a nasty f**ker.”
Rossi with Quo at
Manchester’s O2 Apollo,
November 2017.CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM 49FRANCIS ROSSI