Q&A Sessions
Bob Weston: August 4 - 17, 2003
Page 2

Hi Bob! I have a videotape of FM on the Midnight Special in 1973 and you were particularly "on" playing-wise that night. Do you have any recollections about this performance? Also, as I am too young to remember, did FM ever play Nashville during your time in the band? And, what are your feelings or favorite memories about the Penguin album these days. Thank you and happy holidays to you and yours. (Thomas Helmick, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA)

Hi Thomas,

I do remember it, with fond memories, and have wondered if anyone had a copy of that tape; I've never seen it myself. I don't suppose we could grab a copy??

I vaguely remember Nashville; it was all a bit of a blur. I remember going into the Western stores looking for cowboy boots; and Mick and I visited a nightclub with very fine C&W music...

Favourite moment of the Penguin: playing a Martin tenor G banjo :). I busked the track from beginning to end, and it all worked; I think it was "The Derelict", with Dave Walker singing. Made a nice change from the usual guitaring.

I'm sure you'll admit (as Bob Welch has) that this is a unique forum, filled with knowledgeable folks regarding your FM and solo work (unlike a very short radio show, or print interview with some magazine flunky), so I have a few questions I'd like for you to explore with us:

1) You appear to be in good humor regarding your exit from FM (i.e., the roadie visit), but can you describe for us the gammut of emotions you must have felt after the dust settled and you were out of a job? Were you relieved to get out? Sad? Angry at anyone?

2) I'm sorry, but this next question might be "common knowledge" ... if it is (and I have somehow missed it), I apologize beforehand: Did Davis offer you a spot with his other incarnation of FM?

3) When you say "keeping in touch; cold response," who did you try to contact? Was that an effort on your part to mend those fences? When did you make the attempt?

4) This may be way too personal, so I'm preparing myself for a "That's none of your #$%@&-ing business" response, but were you and Jenny still an item after your split with FM? If not, have you had a chance since that time to speak with her? Are there any harsh feelings between the two of you over that whole episode? I'm laughing to myself as I write this next part, but please feel free to skip this question. God knows, none of us want to offend or make you feel uncomfortable!

5) I wish someone had asked B.Welch or Rick Vito this question, also, but is there anything you'd like to discuss? Maybe some tidbit of information that has or hasn't been in a book somewhere regarding your involvement with FM?

6) Speaking of Rick Vito, have you ever met him? Helluva nice guy. (I'm only asking because the FM family appears to sometimes have the strangest of interconnections - past and present.) Are there any other past members of FM you haven't met yet?

Thank you for this, sir! Have a great Christmas. (Also, a special thanks to Marty and Lisa for setting up this QA session! Very enlightening!) (Tim Bucci, Springfield, Illinois, USA)

Hi Tim,

Yes, I think it's absolutely wonderful to be able to communicate one-to-one with such enthusiastic folks as yourself, who really want to know the nuts and bolts of the whole thing.

Q1: Post-exit, I was emotionally very neutral. There was a whole big world out there, studio sessions, new opportunities etc. George Harrison approached me about playing guitar on his new album (alas, the album didn't come together as he was in the throes of a divorce and he disappeared to India for some time). Leaving the band was just part of the journey; as George said, all things must pass.

Q2: No, Clifford didn't offer me a spot with the bogus band.

Q3: You do tend to stay in touch with musicians you've worked with, spent a lot of time with, whether they're successful or not... it's the saying "hello" that's important. With Mick and Christine I detected a certain aloofness, a certain distance. As I said before, it seems a shame, as time is so short...

Q4: Re Jenny: she's since remarried, and is a qualified counsellor/psychologist; we keep in touch and remain the best of friends. In fact just recently she said much the same thing, that the Mick and Christine distance was sad given the shortness of time...

Q5: Anything to discuss: let's talk about the new record :). Let's hope there'll be lots to discuss in the New Year :).

Q6: No, I've not met Rick Vito. Apart from him and Dave Mason, I think I've met everyone - I've met Billy Burnette, and I think everyone else...

Thanks for your interest and the questions. Have a great Christmas yourself!

Bob, my question for you is, did you ever meet Stevie Nicks? Did you ever work with her on a project? If so,what's she like? You said you get a cold response from the other members of the band, and I was just wondering if this includes Stevie? Thank you. (Anna, San Jose, California, USA)

Hi Anna,

Please see an earlier answer for more detail on this. Briefly, I found Stevie charming and engaging.

A small correction: the "cold response" was not from the band as a whole. For instance Bob Welch and I remain firm friends.

Hi Bob, time for a "tabloid question", someone has to ask (in fact if anyone already has, I apologise for the repetition). Any regrets about getting involved with Jenny? Was it love or just one of those things? How did it feel to be the third guy to be fired from the 'Mac? Do you regard Mick as a hypocrite given his later behaviour particularly regarding Stevie? On a musical note, did you have the same rapport on stage with Mick that Bob said he had in the last Q&A regarding spontaneous jamming etc? Have you been asked to participate in any solo albums by 'Mac members (Danny excepted)? Thanks for the time taken on this Q&A, I look forward to receiving the album and if you do decide to tour, keep Dublin in mind. (Peter Cunningham, Dublin, Ireland)

Hi Peter,

No, no regrets. Jenny and I are still good friends.

Re leaving the Mac: it might sound strange, but I didn't feel at the time that I was fired. Usually you're fired by the boss; in my case there was no boss there. It felt more like a parting of the ways.

Re Mick's behaviour: I really didn't follow that situation; I wasn't interested, not my business. Don't know.

Re musical rapport: working with Mick on drums was a pleasure, but our stage set was a fixed format, very rehearsed, and we never digressed into jamming/improvisation.

Re solo albums: no, Danny was the only one.

See you in Dublin! Mine's a Guinness.

Considering what Bob Welch said in his Q&A last month about there being some separation between he & the trio of Mick, John & Christine, I was wondering if you, being English, felt that "us vs them" kind of vibe? (Steve Denison, Long Beach, California, USA)

Hello again Steve,

As the new boys, Bob and I had to prove ourselves. I wasn't aware of an Anglo-American divide; it was essentially an English band. But music was the passport; I could have been a Chinaman so long as I could still play my guitar :).

See you in Peking :).

Bob. re; "monogrammed underwear"......do you still like the "shortie" pajamas ? ;-) Here's hoping ! (Bob Welch, Nashville, Tennessee, USA)

Hi Bob,

We'd better get this one right or we're all going down the swanee.... with stained underwear :^)

(Teehee!)

Hi Bob. Where's that fiver you owe me? Only joking. Just read you Q&A. Keep up the good work, it's important. I don't have a question but if you need a place to play the connaught's always available. See you soon (Bernie Akehurst, Hove, Sussex, UK)

Hi Bernie,

Never mind a place to play, how about somewhere to stay? Things might get tight in the New Year... could I owe you the fiver?? :)

Thanks for your support, mate.

I really like your guitar playing on Mystery To Me. Do you know of any live performances that were recorded during your period with FM? What was your inspiration for Caught In the Rain? Do you have any special memories regarding the recording sessions for both Mystery To Me and Penguin? (Tom Kirby, Roswell, New Mexico, USA)

Hi Tom,

Thanks to you and the others for the reviews - they gave me a nice "up" - first reactions from the new project. Very encouraging!

Re live performances: as far as I know there's only the Midnight Special that Thomas Helmick mentioned; I'd be delighted to hear of others. Perhaps there are more... but I'm not sure.

Re "Caught In The Rain" - I think it was simply that I was playing around with open-D tuning, and that was one of the first results. Sorry if this is not poetic enough for you :) - it was more of a musical inspiration.

Re recording sessions: each project probably absorbed a couple of months of our time. I can't really pinpoint specific highlights; our approach was quite methodical, workmanlike. The music would tend to reveal itself towards mix time, and from my own point of view I would then realise the validity of the work, which I found very pleasing. That in itself would be the highlight for me.

Thanks so much for doing the Q and A!! I have just ordered your new album and I can't wait to hear it! I read Mick's book, and in that, Mick comes across as thinking of himself very much as the "father" figure to the band - he thinks Christine's Oh Daddy is about him. He also comes across as being very possessive of the band, also. Am I on the right track here in thinking that is how he perceives himself? Mick is definitely the spokesperson for the band now. Was he then? What was it like to work with Christine and John? (Vianna, Alexandria, Virginia, USA)

Hi Vianna,

Mick was definitely the boss, the backbone; he definitely held it all together. Credit where credit is due - at the low points, if it wasn't for him, the band could quite easily have experienced a parting of the ways. I'm not sure about the "Daddy" thing; although I did sense that Christine did admire him strongly. I sensed it more as an older brother relationship.

Re Christine and John: touring as a married couple obviously had its pressures. Because of the sheer amount of touring that was incurred, I suppose it must have become intolerable for them. But they had the dignity to keep the personal stuff separate from the job at hand. As musicians, they were a delight to work with.

Of course, I must thank you for participating in the Q&A. I must also tell you that "Mystery To Me" is in my top 5 FM albums ("Rumours" isn't), in large part due to your presence. Now to the questions...

1.) About your two solo LP's from the 80s: Upon learning of their existence, I've been curious as to what they sound like. Are the production values "of the times" (i.e. early synths/drum machines)? It seems unlikely that I'll find them soon, so I'd like to use my imagination.

2.) What have you been up to in the interim (1982-1998)?

3.) I'm the Danny Kirwan website guy so I can't resist; have you seen or spoken to Danny since the "Hello There Big Boy" sessions? The album cover seems similar to Bob Welch's "French Kiss" and "Three Hearts" album sleeves. Do you think he was "satirizing" Bob, or was it an ill-conceived marketing attempt on the part of his record company?

Thanks for you time. I'm looking forward to buying the new CD when the $ is available! (Chris Frohring, Cleveland, Ohio, USA)

Hi Chris,

I'm not answering any questions until you slap the greenbacks down! :) Only kidding.

Q1: Solo albums production values: no, it wasn't synths & drum machines. More of a standard line-up, i.e. bass, drums, keys, guitar. Good songs, good production, but slight timidity with the vocals as these were my first singing sessions.

Q2: Re 82-98: touring, gigging, recording... forgive me, but this has been answered in some depth already throughout the Q&A.

Q3: No, sadly I haven't had any contact with Danny since those sessions. Re the album cover: to the best of my knowledge, I don't think there was any conscious parody of Bob's cover. Probably best to ask Clifford Adams/Davis. I'm afraid I don't know much about it.

Keep up the great work with the Danny website, and let's hope we see him back on the scene in the not too distant future.

Hi Bob :) Thank you for answering some questions for us. I have a weird question for you. First of all..congrads on the new album..and I loved your work with FM! I was wondering...tho it seems totally unrelated..but you worked with John and Christine as a married couple..I wondered how they were back then..how close they were..if the relationship seemed to be strained even then.

Also..what is your fav. Fleetwood Mac song as a member...and what is your favorite from after you were no longer in the band? And also..how did you feel about the success of Rumours? Thank you so much!! :) (Janet, Palmyra, New Jersey, USA)

Hi Janet,

Funnily enough, I've just answered a similar question about John and Christine above. Obviously there was a strain, being a married couple constantly touring. There was a closeness between them, but I think the road just took its toll in the end.

My favourite song is probably "Why" from Mystery to Me. Probably my favourites from when I wasn't in the band go back to the early Peter Green material, "Oh Well", "Rattlesnake Shake". Raw and gutsy. The latter FM sound got a bit too refined for my taste. I do like the odd tune, such as "Oh Daddy", which I think Christine sings really well; very haunting.

Re Rumours: fabulous! I was delighted. Must have been initially an incredible surprise for them. What a transition from a blues band into a world-class pop band!

Hi Bob,

I only know your playing and singing from MYSTERY TO ME and PENGUIN and I've always wondered what happened to you. It's good to know you're still making music. I'm ordering the new CD right away and looking forward to hearing it very much. Anyway, here are my questions:

I've always heard that Fleetwood Mac from that era ('72 to '74) was a hot band in concert -- you certainly were one of the band's most distinctive lead guitarists -- do you remember any particular on-stage high points from that period?

I love PENGUIN, even though a lot of folks consider it a "spacey" record. What was your experience making it?

Thanks, Bob, and I'm really looking forward to hearing your new CD. (Rock Stamberg, Riverside, Connecticut, USA)

Hi Rock,

I've never stopped making music :). I just got into the TV/film area, which probably looked as far as the commercial record stores as if I'd died or disappeared!

Re highpoints: it's always unpredictable. You could go on stage exhausted and have a fabulous gig. (And sometimes the converse.) They tended to happen when least expected, which I suppose is what makes touring worthwhile. I'm trying to remember specific highpoints; and really can't, it was a continuum.

I enjoyed making the Penguin. It was very diverse; in retrospect we were attempting to break new ground, which I suppose was inevitable with fresh input. Overall I thought it was a very good album; I enjoyed being involved with it.

Thank you too. If you've enjoyed the other work I'm sure you'll enjoy this one :).

I really liked your work on Penguin (and Mystery to Me as well), in fact "Caught In the Rain" is one of my favorite FM tracks. And both solo albums are very good. I promised Marty I'd write a review of the new CD once it arrives. Best wishes for that...and future recordings! Now...on with the questions:

After you put out you last solo album, Night Light, what've you been up to? What other albums did you guest on since then (1981)?

Do you have "control" over your two early records? Any chance they'll be released on CD?

Are there any other tracks (besides "Good Things") left over from the Penguin and Mystery to Me sessions that haven't yet seen the light of day? Any more Bob Weston-penned stuff? (Mark Trauernicht, Alexandria, Virginia, USA)

Hi Mark,

Again I'm surprised you've heard the solo albums, as they were European releases. And the record label went bust, so they didn't reach many ears. Glad you enjoyed them!

Re post-82: I've covered this ground pretty thoroughly in the Q&A already; forgive me for not going over it again. Also Marty's discography is pretty comprehensive.

Some years ago I tried to obtain the masters to the two solo albums from Simran, the production company. The producer, Alan Callan, was amenable; another European label wanted to re-release them. But alas, Alan became more and more cagey and never did pick up the option.

I'm not aware of any more dormant material. I'd forgotten about "Good Things" until now.

I hope you get the new CD soon, and enjoy it. I'm looking forward to your review! Thanks.

Hi Bob, just wanted to say I think your a wonderful guitarist and Penguin and Mystery To Me are two of my favorite FM albums. I wanted to know what kind of guitars you play and if you have a favorite. I noticed in the FM days you played Les Paul Gibsons. I have a Fender Telecaster thinline that I make noise with, knowing only three chords, but I'm trying :)Hopefully one day I can play as well as you :)

Also I just have to ask what you meant in the Bob Welch Q&A if he bought any ice cream vans lately??? I've been wondering about this for some time. Inside joke perhaps.... Anyway, all the best to you and hope to see you in Southern California soon!! (David Gaines, Norwalk, Connecticut, USA)

Hi David,

Re guitars: I still use the same Les Paul Gibson, which I bought in New York in '72 from a guitar store next to Manny's called Peter Stuyvesant. I immediately took it for a refret, and the luthier expressed surprise and told me it was a handmade custom Gibson - lucky me. I used this on both the Penguin and Mystery to Me albums. I also used a custom f-hole Telecaster as rhythm guitar on some tracks. I have other Gibson and Fender guitars, but that Les Paul is my favourite. I think it was made in '68.

Best of luck with your Thinline Tele; they do have a unique tone. Enjoy it.

Re the icecream van: very simply, at Benifolds Bob Welch bought a British Mini which had been converted into an icecream vendor's van - you could stand up in the back and dispense icecream cones, or with a bit of luck have a waltz with your partner :). I just thought it was hysterical, and typically Bob Welch, eccentric as usual!

Southern California - hmmmm... sounds tempting, as we're sitting here in close to subzero temperatures waiting for Santa in England. Yohoho!

Hello again, Bob! I just received your new CD in the mail today, and I am truly delighted! You have created a great mix of light pop tunes and mellow blues. One of my favorite tracks is the instrumental "Shaken Not Stirred." Was there any particular James Bond movie or scene that inspired this song? Are you a big James Bond fan? (If so, who is YOUR favorite Bond?) I also found "Lady Hurricane" and "Walkin' Blues" to be especially creative. How long did they take to fully write and record? Do you foresee any similar songs on your next CD? Thanks, and keep up the great work! (John Mauro, Almond, New York, USA)

Hi John,

"Shaken Not Stirred" was not written consciously as a James Bond reference, but you're kind of right in that the imagery I had in mind was Riviera, Monte Carlo, Maserati, romantic fantasy... It had a working title of "Latino", and at a late stage my co-producer Rory Cameron suggested "Shaken Not Stirred", which seemed to encapsulate it nicely. And there's only one real James Bond: Sean Connery. I love the early Bond movies; I thought the music was fantastic.

"Lady Hurricane" and "Walkin' Blues" were written in a flurry of activity with three or four others, probably over a couple of weeks. (Incidentally the album was recorded and mixed in three and a half weeks.) Some of the lyrics to "Walkin' Blues" were written a while ago for a previous incarnation of the song; I resurrected it, and found it worked very well with the bluesy slide guitar.

I've already written several of the songs for the next album, and yes, there does appear to be a sense of continuity so far.

Thanks also for your review. Your comments are very encouraging.

Hi Bob,

I am very pleased to be able to have the chance to ask you a question or two. I truly feel that you are, by far, one of Fleetwood Mac's best guitarists, and you are vastly underrated in my opinion. now, since no one else has asked you this question yet, I guess I'm the man to do it, so here we go: What do you think led to your involvement with Jenny Fleetwood? Did Mick ever correspond with you after you left the band? How was Mick's temper during the Mystery to Me tour following his realization of your involvement with Jenny, prior to your dismissal from the band? Lastly, are Mick, John and Christine as difficult to deal with as Bob Welch makes them out to be? Thanks again for your time.:) (Rick Spataro, New Kensington, Pennsylvania, USA)

Hi Rick,

Jenny and I were born within an hour of one another, and, take it or leave it as an answer, we seem to have enjoyed a certain empathy between us, initially as real good friends. It's the classic situation: Mick was unattentive towards her, and in turn that pushed our friendship that much closer, to where the parameters became blurred.

Mick and I were initially the best of friends; understandably he was wounded when he discovered my involvement with Jenny. During the first part of the tour he was his usual together self. Then the strain started to show... he had a young family to consider as well as his relationship with his wife. Again understandably the tour became secondary for him and he felt the need to take time out. Jenny had left the tour; I believe Mick flew directly to Africa to consider his next move.

Mick didn't initially correspond with me after the breakup. Sometime later he very graciously agreed to play on a track on my second solo album. It was a great pleasure to meet and work with him again.

Re Mick, John and Christine: my viewpoint is very different from Bob's. I didn't spend half as much time with them and therefore have a more pleasant memory. Perhaps they were a little more down to earth in those days.

Just wanted to let you know I just bought your new cd off the Penguin and Its excellent. I really enjoyed your work on The Fleetwood Mac albums and this release reminds me much of your earlier work. I love the guitars. The instrumentals are great. Caught in The Rain was always one of my favorite Tracks. Thanks Bob! (Bill, Bel Air, Maryland, USA)

Hi Bill,

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the record, and thanks a lot for your support!

Hey Bob, I see that you have worked with Murray Head, isnt he the guy who was Judas on the original Jesus Christ Superstar? The only other work of his I am aware of is One night in Bangkok written by Bjorn and Benny of Abba! How did you meet him and what works of his would you say are worth checking out? Your work on the two FM albums was outstanding ! (Andy Bishop, Arlington, Virginia, USA)

Hi Andy,

Yes, Murray was indeed Judas in Superstar, one of Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's early musical successes. "One Night In Bangkok" was a hit single from the musical "Chess", and yes, Bjorn and Benny were involved, together with Webber and Rice again.

I met Murray via a mutual friend, who quite rightly thought it would be an ideal partnership. Very interesting period, for me as a guitarist - the songs were kinda "unplugged" and I feel I really got the hang of recording acoustic guitar well. The two albums that we made are definitely worth checking out: "Say It Ain't So" is considered a bit of a classic and was a massive success throughout Europe (including the UK) and Canada. The second album was titled "Between Us", again a very nice piece of work in my view.

Did any of the band contact you after the 'Rock Family Trees' documentary? (Thomas Powell, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, UK)

Hi Thomas,

Finally someone from the UK!!

After the documentary I got a call from Bob Welch; it'd been a while, and he'd moved in the interim, so it was nice to catch up. And it was a very pleasant surprise to hear Jenny's voice on the phone after a long interval. We had the opportunity to meet, to talk about old times, new times. I didn't hear from any of the other members; in fact for some reason Christine was not even on the programme.

You worked with FM on one of their most underrated and underappreciated albums: Penguin. I love your angular, sharp-edged guitar work there. I was wondering if you were the one who created the infectious guitar melody in Christine's "Remember Me," or if she wrote that part out for you to play. (By the way, you're also the best-looking guitarist the band ever had.) (Tony Leuzzi, Rochester, New York, USA)

Hi Tony,

I'm glad you enjoyed the Penguin; it's a pity it didn't receive the recognition it perhaps deserved. Re "Remember Me": I created my own guitar melody over the basic structure of the song she presented, i.e. voice and piano.

I completely agree about the best-looking guitarist comment. God, there were some ugly bastards!! :)

I just received your new album in the mail and IT IS GREAT!! I particularly like the instrumentals. I was wondering if you have heard of Leo Kottke and Michael Gulezian?? You seem to be influenced by their styles of guitar playing. How did you get inspired to write such great material? What other accoustic guitarists would you recommend listening to? (Tom Kirby, Roswell, New Mexico, USA)

Hi Tom,

Many, many moons ago I used to listen to Leo Kottke. Is he still recording these days? I don't know the other chap's work, although I know the name. Honestly can't say I'm influenced directly by that style of guitar; if anything my influences reach towards the old masters such as Mississippi Fred McDowell, Big Bill Broonzy, Elmore James etc.

Re inspiration: as someone once said, not so much inspired as perspired :). I might get the seed of an idea out of the ether, but the rest of it is work.

Re other acoustic guitarists: I have to go back in time, every time, and listen to Django. It doesn't reflect my style at all, but perhaps that's why I find him so refreshing.

Hello Bob,

I got a chance to hear your new album finally. I quite enjoy it. I sent a review in yesterday. I wish you much success with it. How about a little information on your film and television work? The album at times feels like a soundtrack. Your guitar work is so tasteful, precise. Best wishes. (Timothy Kee, North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, USA)

Hi Timothy,

Thanks for the review; it's appreciated. Re the film/TV music: it's been very diverse and extremely interesting - by which I mean there are no boundaries and limitations, unlike the mainstream commercial market, where one has to strive for hook lines, catchy lyrics, etc. For example, just recently I completed a full-length feature TV movie for LWT. Of course you're given a brief, an outline of what's required; but the parameters seem to be extremely flexible. I was involved with a French movie, "Diesel"; rather like a French "Mad Max" :). This was completely different to the LWT movie - there's so much variation, from orchestration to one solo acoustic guitar. I hope this answers your question!

Hi Bob. Thanks for your participation in this Q&A. I wanted to pick you brain about the Penguin album. Were you given free reign with your musical ideas when you first joined FM? How is it that you came to sing with Christine on the song 'Did You Ever Love Me'? Did you ever perform that song live? Did you sing any other songs while touring with FM? Who's idea was it for the steel drums on that song? You played slide on that album, was there a concious effort to bring in a country feel to the album to mesh with Dave Walker's style? When did it become apparent that Dave wasn't gelling with the band and who was the first to notice? That's all for now, thanks again Bob and happy holidays! (Doug LeVasseur, Providence, Rhode Island, USA)

Hi Doug,

Yes, "free rein" loomed important with the band. It was important for me because that's the only way I can work, as I'm not formally trained. And it was important for the others in that I was expected to contribute to the material.

Re "Did You Ever Love Me": I think we were messing around in the studio one afternoon, and unusually for me at the time, I was doing a little bit of singing, just for fun. The rest of the gang picked up on it, and Christine suggested we sang a duet. I think we may have performed it live once or twice, but it wasn't a regular fixture. There were no other songs I sang on; I was simply into guitar. The steel drums were, I think, a band decision; general consensus.

There wasn't a conscious effort to go country on that album; it was just the way the music was tending. Perhaps the country tag comes from my use of a tenor banjo on one of the tracks.

I think we've covered Dave Walker's exit in some depth earlier. Forgive me if I refer you to that.

Happy holidays to you too; and thanks for the question.

Did you read Mick Fleetwood's bio, and if so, did you find out anything you didn't know? Also, did you follow the group's music after your departure.(Probably couldn't avoid it during the Rumours era)and finally,(I'm new to the pre-Buckingham/Nicks history, so I don't know if you were around for any of this) what happened to Danny Kirwin specifically to trigger his eventual "retreat" from society. Thanks. (Todd Fox, Evansville, Indiana, USA)

Hi Todd,

I did read Mick's bio; I found it extremely informative and heartfelt. I pretty much knew the whole background, so nothing new really revealed itself :). As for following their career post-me, as you say, it would have been hard to avoid them :). I thought they were really excellent, much more commercial.

Re Danny: I don't know what the "specific trigger" was that resulted in his illness. You'd need to be a qualified psychologist to answer this one... sorry. Peter and Danny did experiment with acid in the early days, when Danny was still young and tender, and they were both very sensitive people. Perhaps this was a contributory factor.

Hell-o again Bob. Just few for you Bob:

1.I got your new cd what a nice listen ! Can you tell us about the wonderful young lady who sings and about working with Max?

2.Tell Max we want the hummingbird stuff out please. Great music. 3. Seen you play 2 times in Minnesota. Great shows-- one with the Purple and a solo show a few weeks down the road. How did you like touring with the Purple vs the solo tours?

4. Did you like Minnesota Bob [cold] ? 5. Funny thing Bob. I just saw a man in a ice cream truck wearing big glasses and a teddy singing about Future Games. Know him Bob?

Thanks Bob. Hope to see you in Minnesota some time we can look for the "ice cream truck". (Bill Seamans, Buffalo, Minnesota, USA)

Hi again Bill,

Q1: Nice question! Lianne Carrol - yes, she is a wonderful lady, a true musician. She plays piano and sings par excellence. She pursues a solo career with her husband Roger Carey, who also appears on the album on bass. They play Ronnie Scott's in London, which is considered a classy gig; she's that kind of gal.

I've worked with Max Middleton for many years, since his days with Jeff Beck. I consider Max to be a master musician; he has conducted the London Symphony Orchestra on sessions for Chris Rea, for example. His musical resumé is MAXimally impressive, and a lovely guy to boot, which I do often :).

Q2: I will!

Q3: Fleetwood Mac touring with Deep Purple was always fun; we'd done it so many times together it became like a bit of England on the road in America.

Q4: To be honest, touring tends to become a bit of a blur, i.e. one Holiday Inn after the other. You must realise there's no time for tourism. One arrives at the hotel, quick change of clothes, down to the auditorium for soundcheck, back to the hotel to eat, back to the auditorium to perform, and then, with luck, so to bed to do it all over again the following night. (Partying was not an option, contrary to popular belief - just too exhausting.)

Q5: Did you go for the banana split or the icecream sundae? And did you say Bob Welch was wearing a teddy??! Whatever next! (Perhaps a tuck, daahling...!)