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JOHN MCCOY - KEEPING A STEADY PACE (OF LIFE)

There are musicians and there are legends. Some are up there showing off with their solos or mikes, others are in the right place at the right time, and then there are legends in their own right without always being spotlight kids. JOHN MCCOY has been in so many great bands e.g. GILLAN, MAMOTH and SAMSON, but has also produced bands like THE U.K. SUBS. There are few musicians that has been around in the business for so long. What is the secret? What are his reflexions on the industry? etc, etc
I´ll waste no more of yer time and leave the rest to John himself

Pt1, The Early Years

What did the young John want to become?
John - I began playing music at age seven, so there was allways a chance I could have been a classical player, Cello and Trumpet were my instruments, but when Rock and Roll got a hold on me, I just wanted to play my guitar. Can´t remember being interested in much else, though I did work on a dairy farm and loved that life.
Having seen that old GILLAN movie I could have sworn he wanted to become a janitor!

Were there other musicians in your family?
John - My father was an accordian player when he was young and he would play harmonica, my sister was learning piano and went on to qualify as a teacher. There was always music in the house.

Bands often complain there´s no money in music. You´ve been in the biz for a long time, do you think there´s more or less money in music now or any decade you´ve bben playing?
John - In some respects its better now. Young musicians seem much more aware of the business side of things and the dangers there, but with record sales dropping drastically there becomes less and less money available to fight for.

How did the change from 60´s rock/jazz rock into NWOBHM come about? Was it compulsory to stay in the game or was it natural to you?
John - It was natural, I´ve always been attracted and played heavier things, even when I write what I think of as a ballad, it still comes out heavy in some peoples minds, but from the beginning I´ve always just followed my heart and been interested in playing all kinds of music. The Jazz and Rock things I´ve done are just some of the things Ive been involved in, I´ve played Folk, Rockabilly, comedy, Soul, anything really. It´s good to play other styles and you never stop learning. Also I had a family at an early age and had to take any job which paid!

John McCoy
JOHN MCCOY - KEEPING A STEADY PACE (OF LIFE) -- There are musicians and there are legends. Some are up there showing off with their solos or mikes, others are in the right place at the right time, and then there are legends in their own right without always being spotlight kids. JOHN MCCOY has been in so many great bands e.g. GILLAN, MAMOTH and SAMSON, but has also produced bands like THE U.K. SUBS. There are few musicians that has been around in the business for so long. What is the secret? What are his reflexions on the industry? etc, etc I´ll waste no more of yer time and leave the rest to John himself Pt1, The Early Years What did the young John want to become? John - I began playing music at age seven, so there was allways a chance I could have been a classical player, Cello and Trumpet were my instruments, but when Rock and Roll got a hold on me, I just wanted to play my guitar. Can´t remember being interested in much else, though I did work on a dairy farm and loved that life. Having seen that old GILLAN movie I could have sworn he wanted to become a janitor! Were there other musicians in your family? John - My father was an accordian player when he was young and he would play harmonica, my sister was learning piano and went on to qualify as a teacher. There was always music in the house. Bands often complain there´s no money in music. You´ve been in the biz for a long time, do you think there´s more or less money in music now or any decade you´ve bben playing? John - In some respects its better now. Young musicians seem much more aware of the business side of things and the dangers there, but with record sales dropping drastically there becomes less and less money available to fight for. How did the change from 60´s rock/jazz rock into NWOBHM come about? Was it compulsory to stay in the game or was it natural to you? John - It was natural, I´ve always been attracted and played heavier things, even when I write what I think of as a ballad, it still comes out heavy in some peoples minds, but from the beginning I´ve always just followed my heart and been interested in playing all kinds of music. The Jazz and Rock things I´ve done are just some of the things Ive been involved in, I´ve played Folk, Rockabilly, comedy, Soul, anything really. It´s good to play other styles and you never stop learning. Also I had a family at an early age and had to take any job which paid!
	Pt2, The Mid Period John, have you ever regretted not staying on with PAUL SAMSON instead of joining GILLAN? John - Its the same answer really, I loved Paul and the music we wrote/played together, but at that time I became very busy as a session player and Producer so Paul understood I had to go after the first album. Samson at that time had no management backing or record company finance and were not working often. If I´d stayed who knows? I´d have loved to have been in the band with Bruce Dickinson, but Samson seemed like an unlucky band dont you think? You´ve been in many bands featuring famous lead singers, e.g. GILLAN, BELLADONNA, SUN RED SUN. How would you describe these vocalists? Are they really as hard to work with as some rumours have it? John - I think theres something inherent in rock singers that has to do with ego and self confidence to be able to do what they do, this crosses over to their personal lives and can make problems for those who are working with them
Another thing that´s been nagging me. Could MAMMOTH have been done differently? I think I trace in your liner notes that you would like to have had a different approach to that band? John - Mammoth was a great idea that went slowly wrong. What started out as the heaviest band in the world became a kind of comedy act like Spinal Tap, this was at odds with the music we produced which I believe was quality rock but it didn´t fit with the "joke" image. I´m releasing another Mammoth album this year made up of unreleased album tracks,demos and live stuff. Good news to all us MAMMOTH fans out there! In Sweden you´ve always been famed for your humour. Is it possible to work with humour these days when record companies seem to market mostly aggressions and hate? John - I have always had a sense of humour about what I do. I dont think its good to take yourself too seriously, its like beleiving your own press release. I don´t care too much about the music business, just the music, and if it makes me smile...so be it. Maybe I´m a little crazy? More of that craziness please, the music biz needs it badly these days! Pt3, Now How much work have you done for the BBC? John - Most of the bands I´ve had did BBC sessions, Rock Shows TV , TOP OF THE POPS etc, In concert etc and I´ve done a few sessions for the BBC over the years.
What other work have you done in the last decade? John - In the last decade most of my work has been in the studio. I´ve been busy preparing products for AngelAir records, always writing and recording something. What´s going on in the G.M.T. camp? John - We have started our second album, which is going well and last week we played a gig in London for CliveAid charity (Clive Burr from Maiden). Bruce Dickinson came down for the show. We´ve done a few gigs which have been a lot of fun and we are now booking shows for later this year. We are doing the Rock and Blues festival 28th July with the Scorpions. We´re in discussions with a European agency to set up a European tour. I dare not hope for Sweden... Which has been your worst band moment? John - My worst band moment was in 1982 when Gillan finished in the most disgusting and unfair way. Exactly the answer most of us expected I believe, I still remember John expressing his thoughts on Mr Gillans actions in the most flamboyant way back in the 80´s. But having heard and read some about the circumstances I understand his reactions. Which has been your finest band moment? John - My Best moment was finding out that the Gillan album Mr Universe went into the British charts at no.11. After working for the previous two years it was a great satisfying moment that felt very good......little did I know I didnt have anything to be pleased about, but thats another story! Finally... after ll these bands and years, is there any band you´d like to have played with or done a session with? John - I would have liked to work with Frank Zappa, and Joni Mitchell. There you have it, the simple and straightforward words of one of my bass idols. If you are interested in keeping up with the latest and, not seldom, greatest of JOHN MCCOY check out http://www.AngelAir.co.uk and http://www.gmtrocks.com Interview by Miggo