fR314 PAGE 23 2/7/09 20:02 Page 1
23 f
root salad
12 shots from the fRoots
Rocket Launcher
a dozen leading questions to fire at Ashley Hutchings
If you were given the funds to organise a And what was your worst? Despite my advanced years I find I can
concert bill, who would the artists be?
Call me unbelievably positive or just
still experience lust, which is some kind of
I’m going to do some either/ors in this senile, but I can’t recall a really, really bad
comfort. I’d prefer to keep the last-but-
feature, for which apologies. The thing I gig right now. Not one that’s worthy of
one’s name under wraps. Oh, alright then
find hardest about getting old is that I find relating anyway.
– Steve Knightley (ha, ha, just kidding).
it difficult to make decisions. When I was
What’s the professional achievement
If you had a rocket launcher, who or what
younger I could make decisions quickly –
you’re most proud of?
would be the target, and why?
brave or foolhardy. That’s the confidence
My album By Gloucester Docks I Sat
Now could that be an aggressive or
of youth and that’s no doubt why I got so
Down And Wept.
benign rocket? If the former I’d target who-
much done in the past. Now I can’t make
ever it was at the BNP who decided that
up my mind. So, whereas I would have
What’s the most embarrassing thing you
using British folk music allied to their cause
organised a concert without blinking, now
ever did in public?
was a good idea. Many musicians have
I would run a mile. However, I’d really like
I wasn’t embarrassed at the time but I
been much offended by this monstrous
to see Bob Dylan, Richard Thompson and
have been since, in occasional dark
idea. If the latter, then I would go in the
Ian McMillan interacting together on
remembrances. I literally pulled the plug
rocket to somewhere in space where in my
stage… but then it could be a disaster.
on the Albion Country Band at a New
dreams the weather is always gorgeous.
Which totally obscure record do you most
Year’s do at the Howff, London, 1972-3. In
treasure and would like more people to
my opinion it had got out of hand and the
Ashley Hutchings’ latest album, My
know about?
music had descended into a free-for-all of
Land Is Your Land – a celebration of
rock ‘n’ roll classics. It was late, but how
English and Italian cultures, is out on Cher-
They won’t thank me for putting this
could I have been so po-faced?
ry Red.
www.folkicons.co.uk and
under ‘totally obscure’, but the recently
defunct Yorkshire female group Waking
Which song or piece of
www.rainbowchasers.co.uk F
The Witch were very good. Becky Mills’
music would you most
Man Of Moon song on Hands And Bridges
like to have written
and Jenny Thornton on the Boys From The
yourself?
Abattoir album are greatly treasured.
The songwriters I
What was the best live gig you ever saw?
greatly admire – like
Dylan, Springsteen,
Well now, there have been so many. I
Thompson, Jackson
recall seeing Ravi Shankar and Alla Rakha
Browne – I can do quite
at a packed and boiling hot folk club in
good imitations of, so it
Soho with Bert Lloyd presenting in the
would have to be some-
mid-’60s. That was amazing. Then seeing
thing which I couldn’t
The Byrds at the Piper Club in Rome, ‘67,
get anywhere near.
and expecting the hits, then being present-
Vaughan Williams’ Fanta-
ed with the first country-rock we’d heard.
sia On A Theme By
Gram Parsons had just joined. We spoke
Thomas Tallis (with Barbi-
with him in the street after and he was so
rolli conducting).
wide-eyed and enthusiastic. This, of course,
was to change in legendary circumstances.
Who was the first
musician or singer you
Then Ry Cooder and the Chicken Skin
were inspired to
Band at the Hammersmith Odeon in the
emulate?
late ‘70s. But also my life being changed by
accidentally attending a poetry event at
Chris Hillman, bass
the Edinburgh Festival in 1980 and witness-
player with The Byrds. I
ing Elizabeth Smart and George Baker’s
went to see them at The
electrifying interaction on stage. They had
Roundhouse in ‘66 (?).
been passionate lovers and now, after that
They divided up into
time, they read from their opposing books.
soloists and sat around
the perimeter of the
And what was the worst?
venue answering ques-
It could have been dear Tim Hardin
tions. As a budding bass
struggling to hold it all together on stage
player I had loads of
under the weight of his crippling drug
questions for Chris but
addiction. So sad.
they’d just had a number
What was your own best ever gig? one hit with Tambourine
It was pretty special doing the reunion
Man and he was sur-
Liege & Lief set at Cropredy a couple of
rounded by nubile
years ago. But also I ran a dance workshop
young teenage girls ask-
together with my band about a dozen
ing him what his
years ago at the Rudolstadt Festival in Ger-
favourite colour was, so I
many. I remember the feeling in that tent
didn’t get a look-in.
was so special and the participants were Who was the last-but-
wonderful – adventurous and giving. It one musician or singer
was a spiritual experience for me. you lusted after? Photo: Bryan Ledgard
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