10-09-1998 – TFI Friday

CHRIS EVANS: What’s your name, pal?

BILLY HUNT: Billy Hunt.

CE: Now Billy why are you here today?

BH: Because on your radio station I rang up to see whether I could play on your show.

CE: Yeah and you played the guitar down the telephone this morning.

BH: Yeah.

CE: And you played the ding dinga ding ding ding so well that I said “Come and play it tonight”. So you took the day off school, and you’ve been here all day and when Roger Taylor from Queen, right, comes on, you’re gonna do the thing.

BH: Yeah

CE: Are you rockin and rollin?

BH: Yeah

CE: Are you nervous?

BH: Yeah

CE: So am I (audience laughter) – that doesn’t often happen. See how he does now – cummon let’s get behind him. This is for Billy Boy, Billy Boy – 11 years old.

Plays guitar intro.

CE: Please welcome Roger Taylor!!!!! (clapping, cheering)

CE: Hi Rog – welcome to the show. Meet Billy, Roger.

ROGER TAYLOR: Well played.

CE: That was very good Billy. (more cheering) Do you wanna carry on for a bit, or…. No – you gotta go actually, we’re over time (audience:: oh) but thanks a lot though. Thanks that was brilliant, well done my friend. So Rog, its nice to see the kids do the thing, isn’t it.

RT: Absolutely, yeah.

CE: When did you start, you started early, didn’t you?

RT: Yeah. I don’t think he remembers, us starting, no.

CE: When did you actually start?

RT: What, playing?

CE: Yeah, just playing instruments.

RT: Er I don’t know, I suppose I started drums about 12, but I sort of tried to play the ukulele at about 8 or something.

CE: That was your first instrument – the ukulele?

RT: Sort of.

CE: If only we had a ukulele here tonight – Roger laughs – and we have. Can you give us a burst on it – can you still do it?

RT: Well you see this – my own technique, which didn’t involve knowing what chords were.

CE: Alright.

RT: So I used to…….(plinks away a little tune) – not too much in tune. That’s it!! (audience laughter)

CE: And you too could be a rock star. (laughter)

RT: Takes that much talent.

CE: So you are a rock star, aren’t you?

RT: Oh not really – no.

CE: Yes you are – you’re a world-wide rock star. What’s it like?

RT: (laughs) I thought the easy ones were gonna come later – on it was difficult. I don’t know how to answer that really – I’m just a musician.

CE: Okay – let’s put you in the mood – let’s look at Roger being a rock star – a proper rock star…

Film/audio Extracts: Another One Bites The Dust, Killer Queen, Hard Life, Break Free, It’s a Kind Of Magic. (Cheering, clapping)

CE: Which was, which was your favourite look, out of all the looks over the years?

RT: I like the one washing the dishes!!

CE: Yeah – you like that one – and what kind of ticket does it buy you, being a rock star?

RT: Um (laughs) – a ticket?

CE: Yeah

RT: Um – I don’t know – it’s just, its a good living – we scraped by.

CE: I mean – what’s the best bit? Is it the work? Is it the life? Is it the girls? Is it the cars? Is it the houses? What is it?

RT: All of that!

CE: Yeah? (laughter) And out of all of you – who was it rocked it up most? Cos I think it’s a toss between you and Freddie

RT: I think you’re probably right – we were the absolute shockers.

CE: Yeah

RT: And er, but I think we went in sort of slightly different ways (laughter). But, er, we’d usually meet at the end of the evening. (more laughter).

CE: Okay – I know what you’re saying, er, let, let, well I don’t know what you say, but I can guess. Let’s, let’s, let’s ask you are these true – some facts about you – I’ve been reading all the stuff all week? You were the first major rock group to tour South America and the response was tremendous, but your single Under Pressure was Number 1 in Argentina throughout the Falklands War?

RT: I think that’s right actually. We’d just come back from there you see, and they started the war conveniently the week after.

CE: After you, you came back.

RT: Yeah. It was very good of them.

CE: You didn’t have anything to do with starting it, I hope, did you?

RT: (laughs) Probably didn’t help.

CE: Uhm – what’s this about er, your parties? Queen’s parties were notorious. True or False? Stories of strippers?

RT: (intake of breath)

CE: Yes. Okay. Transvestites?

RT: Ohrrh – yea.

CE: Now what – snake charmers? At your parties?

RT: Yeah

CE: Okay. (whispers something “****ers”)

RT: N’yeah

CE: Okay – alright then

RT: And does it say about the man who used to move under meat for a living?

CE: Move under meat?

RT: Yeah – he used ..

CE: No it doesn’t.

RT: Well – never mind then.

CE: Okay alright then. What does that mean? And at one photo shoot 60 women riding naked on bicycles around Wimbledon?

RT: Um – yeah.

CE: All that’s true?

RT: Yeah, yeah. Well I actually wasn’t there at that one – that’s to my great regret, Um.

CE: Is life dull now then or do you still do, you know, get up to mischief?

RT: Nah – I dunno about that, bit old for that, but um no life’s very full.

CE: Yeah

RT: Very enjoyable.

CE: I went to your house recently – thank you very much for inviting me – and I said “What’s the most fun you’ve had here?” and you said “I can’t tell ya.” (laughter)

RT: I’m certainly not going to now then. (laughing)

CE: Was it to do with – was it cos its private or cos its sexual, or illegal?

RT: Probably.

CE: All those things.

RT: Yup.

CE: And at your house, yeah, you have your recording studio.

RT: Yes I do.

CE: And what, and and, is that where the Queen songs were recorded?

RT: Er – no – actually we recorded some of the last thing there – the Made In Heaven album. Some of that was done there. Um but it was built mainly after Freddie’s er death, so, er, we we used to record anywhere really, anywhere we found handy or we liked the look of, you know.

CE: To be a real rock star, is it true that you have nearly have blown it – or have blown it?

RT: I hate that phrase “rock star”.

CE: I know…well

RT: Well you gotta be on the edge of sort of really being pathetic all the time – yeah.

CE: What what’s the closest you, you came to it?

RT: Oh – just the usual pitfalls I think – you know you fall into the er all those usual dangers that some people just go over the edge and can’t get back and …

CE: Was there ever a time you thought maybe I’ve gone too far this time, I don’t know any way back here.

RT: Most mornings, actually.

CE: Fantastic. So who’s the best rock star you’ve ever met – was Freddie the best do you think?

RT: Well, I’m a bit biased, I mean – yeah, I mean I loved him dearly, but uh – I’d say one of the most impressive people is probably David Bowie actually.

CE: Is he good at it?

RT: Yeah. He’s good.

CE: Good at the life. Can do it.

RT: Yeah, he’s good. ……………..

CE: Doesn’t phase him.

RT: Makes you sick, actually.

CE: No er -Queen weren’t a bad band were they, really?

RT: I think we were, we were okay.

CE: Yeah. And er….

RT: Barmitsvahs

CE: ..obviously, you know, you’re renowned as the drummer in Queen. If you could’ve been the drummer in the Beatles or the Stones –

RT: Ah!!

CE: ..which one would you have chosen?

RT: Well, I mean, the obvious thing to say is the Stones, but I think the Beatles recorded legacy is is just so much, so impressive – even the Stones wouldn’t touch that – although they’re a great live act – you know.

CE: And when you were together with the band I heard there were many rows. Is that true? Is that a fact?

RT: Yeah yeah – I think I think that’s an important part of being a band you know.

CE: Having really big rows. Were they fist fights, fights?

RT: Well almost – yeah – I mean tension sort of made all the best stuff, came out of tension.

CE: And who were the main protagonists? Who were the big fighters? Was it you and Fred – cos I can’t imagine Brian May getting his…

RT: You’d be surprised. (audience laughter)

CE: Well I would be surprised. I mean, I mean, who had the tantrums – was it you and Fred?

RT: Well we had the tantrums but Brian fought a good war of attrition.

CE: Yeah. Just broke you down – grinded you down.

RT: No, oh no.

CE: And what was the biggest misconception about Queen?

RT: Um

CE: If there was one.

RT: Yeah I really don’t know actually – no – I couldn’t answer that.

CE: What was the best moment?

RT: Best moment – well one of the best moments was definitely Live Aid, I think, and er, the stuff in South America sticks out, yeah.

CE: (to audience) Would you say they were number one band on Live Aid – I would have said that, wouldn’t you?

AUDIENCE: Yeah

CE: Completely. And er as far um as your music now is concerned, you’ve got this song called “Nation Of Haircuts”, which I’ve seen you do. (Roger laughs) Now just give us some of the lyrics out of “Nation Of Haircuts”.

RT: Ere – oh dear – what’s that – “We don’t make ships and we don’t make cars.”

CE: Yeah

RT: “We look real good hanging out in bars.”

CE: Yeah. So what I’m worried about – you’ve seen the show and it’s the Nation of Haircuts is about the people in the bar here every Friday. (laughter)

RT: Not this bar. There’s a bar down in Notting Hill Gate….. No… (laughs)

CE: Are we that bad, do you think? Have we become a Nation of Haircuts?

RT: I think we’ve been in danger for about 30 years.

CE: (laughing) That’s what the song says.

RT: It, it’s a very light light observ…. sort of amusing observation.

CE: And you sang it with a gnarl when I saw you sing it.

(Demonstrates “HAIRCUTS”)

RT: Oh dear, did I mean it.

CE: Look, look – Freddie’s watching tonight.

RT: Yeah – maybe. I feel he’s always there somewhere actually.

CE: Yeah, yeah. What would you say to him?

RT: I’d say “Whaddya think?”

CE: Yeah. Alright. Who will he be hanging out with?

RT: Uh, God, I know who he’d like to be hanging out with?

CE: Who?

RT: He’d like to be hanging out with Jimi and er – yeah – no the others aren’t dead yet. Um – (audience laughter).

CE: Jimi Hendrix

RT: Yeah I think Jimi Hendrix and er John Lennon I think.

CE: So there’ll be some band they’ve got going up there.

RT: Yes there would actually, wouldn’t there.

CE: Okay. Do you want to fall down the stairs?

RT: I just, I was just waiting for you to ask.

CE: Okay er Roger Taylor’s gonna fall down the stairs. (Applause)

(RT goes off and closes door – lots of loud thumping. Comes back in with glasses askew) (Audience: Laugher “Hooray”)

CE: It’s not as easy as it looks, is it Rog?

RT: Easy

CE: Something very special’s … for now – you wrote the song “Radio Gaga”?

RT: Yeah yeah.

CE: Okay – Roger wrote “Radio Ga Ga”. He’s now gonna sing “Radio Ga Ga”, folks. (Cheering)

CE: “Radio Ga Ga” – a special treat!!!

(Band strikes up and RT makes his way downstairs to the stage. Sings “Radio Ga Ga”. Huge cheering)

CE: Oh. Oh – so good – One more time……

(Encore) More huge cheering.

CE: Enough, cool – and we’ll be horing – hearing, hearing not horing, we’ll never whore, we might hear, no we’ll be horing as well – what the heck – we’re gonna be horing and hearing (laughter) hearing and horing but not snoring, that’s for sure, from Roger later on in the show. Now…………

But now with another rocking time please welcome- see you in a bit Sam – please welcome back Roger Taylor, from his brand new album here we are “No More Fun” – Mr Roger Taylor. He’s very good – cummon …………

(Clapping, cheering – band strikes up )

(RT sings “No More Fun” – live.)