Long time no speak. This message is coming to you directly from the afraid nerve endings of my brain; guess I’ve been too long at the fair. Doctor, I’ve got a bad case of bananas. Yes , you are looking a little yellow….

The European festivals tour was short but in tents. Let me say that again – short but intense. Great gigs all.

The shows went smoothly (thanks to our superb crew, as usual). The Nandarin gig was a wonderful starter – the large amount of people there, all determined to have a good time. It was great to see our funky friend Claude Nobs in Switzerland. I don’t care to think too much about the one in Colmar when my rig packed up; maybe some people didn’t notice but it is a bit like standing there with your trousers down when you lose power. Charlie, who was working the bass that night made a manly effort to try and fix it but it was not to be. It was the direct result of the fluctuating quality of electricity and the heat. Even when the support band very kindly lent me their amp it blew up almost immediately and I had to play through the monitor amps. Still, the audience was truly spectacular and I am thankful for that, at least.

Graz was also memorable; Mats Wilander, the tennis player, is a good friend and, like me, spends long periods on the road, playing tournaments all over the world. We don’t see each other often (although he came to the Wembley show) but we found ourselves staying at the same hotel in Graz; he was there playing in the finals against Boris Becker on the same day that we played our show. Steve and I went to watch the match before going on to the gig. Unfortunately, our driver got a little lost and we were late getting to the gig. Status Quo were performing before us and it was suggested that they play a couple of extra songs to give us a bit more time to get there, but apparently they didn’t know any more. They could have repeated a few, who would have noticed? (Ooh that’s cruel, I take it back. They’re lovely guys, honestly, they really are.) Great to meet Bonnie Tyler and have her come on stage for a few moments to sing a verse or two of Honky Tonk Women in St. Gallen. Incredible pipes! And Welsh as they come.

We spent three very busy days in Berlin. Between us we probably did more than fifty interviews from journalists around the world, had two rehearsals where we ran through the new songs, and did an unusual, one-off gig at the Columbiahalle, debuting six songs from the album. It went very well, I particularly enjoyed playing Silver Tongue for the first time, what a giant groove. Bananas was a lot of fun too, but then again, I don’t have to play the guitar or organ parts!

So…. another tour goes past like a rocket salad and we find ourselves perched on the blocks and about to jump into the next mixed metaphor. Brazil is in our sights as Bananas starts to work its way into our collective system (sounds like bad grammar, doesn’t it?).

Odd isn’t it, that the word bananas rolls right off the tongue now that the shock of it being the album title has worn off? After all it is just a word – like Beatles, or saucepan, or pub. It is amusing to see what sort of reaction it gets; the more extreme, the more it justifies the – dare I say it – balls it took to make that the title. Somehow, having the title before an album gets recorded is a blessing; there is little worse than trying to think up a name for the album after it has all been finished (actually there is a lot worse, but you know what I mean!). Purpendicular was the title before we recorded the album and somehow it gave us permission to let go and explore new territories – likewise with Bananas.

The album sounds great and so far, reactions have been very favourable. Not all however, there are some detractors, and that’s as it should be. I always remember the early days when it was a case of love or hate from the public and media. The meeja! Bless ‘em. As long as they are talking about it, good or bad, that’s good.

I’d also like to say is that there are some who think that because they have waited five years for a studio album that we have been working on it for that same amount of time. Granted there were a couple of writing sessions (although they seemed a little halfhearted with no studio time booked) but the bulk of the writing happened over four weeks in LA, the recording was just over three weeks. I think that’s why it sounds fresh. Overall, I’m blown away with it, Michael did a great job, and I can’t wait to do it on stage…. play the songs that is!!

Good luck – RG

1st September 2003