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MC: That’s interesting. Do I have a favourite track on the album? I think ‘Telegram’ itself is
rather good because it was all done pretty much, each instrument was pretty much one take.
It’s very real. I think it’s an intensive listen. You’ve got to kind of listen to see what’s going on,
but it goes through all these different types of rhythm. There’s even a bit of Sister Rosetta
Tharpe-type guitar in place, which is not intentional, but it just sort of came out a bit like that
and then it goes back into a sort of Hooker. John Lee Hooker’s kind of thing and it’s just live. It
was first take. I think it was first take, certainly all in one take. Then I just tidied it up and put
the bass on afterwards and mucked about with the drumming a bit.
BiTS: I believe that ‘Night School’ is one of your own songs. Is that right?
MC: Yes.
BiTS: My favourite track on the album. I think it’s terrific.
MC: Oh, okay. ‘Night School’?
BiTS: Yes, absolutely terrific.
MC: Fantastic. I love it.
BiTS: Plus ‘World In A Jug’,
MC: From Canned Heat’s “Boogie
with Canned Heat” album. That’s
the one that’s got ‘On The Road
Again’.
BiTS: I think that’s terrific as well.
Tell me what you plan to do with
the album. Are you going to go out
and gig this in some way?
MC: Well, not a lot. I’m sort of semi-
retired from gigging and I’m not
rushing back. I’m not going to
spend my life sitting in the back of
a van on the M1. I’ve no interest in
any of that, but we might have a London gig coming up later in the year, which I won’t say
anything about because it’s far from set. But I hope that happens and then maybe some
festivals. I’ve got a feeling that I might get offered a few things just because it’s been a few
years that I haven't been, and I think things have probably piled up a bit and I might get a few
offers. So I’ll take each one as it goes, but I’m not bothered about live work. But then I say that,
but it’s a good thing to do. It’s a whole different discipline from recording and I’ve done an
awful lot of recording and it probably would be good for me to sort of concentrate on the live
side again. It’s a different job.
BiTS: Mick, I’m not going to take up too much more of your time.
MC: No, it’s been fun.
BiTS: One of the things that I’ve learned over the years is that the longer the interview is, the
longer it takes to transcribe [laughing].
MC: [Laughing] Well, I’ve talked a lot. You’ve probably got plenty there.
BiTS: Can I ask you about one more track and that is ‘Barbecue Bob’? What a fabulous song.