Hi all, I finally got to read the Classic Rock interview with Roger Taylor. I thought I'd give you the highlights that you would care about...
CR: Let's cut straight to the chase, Roger - What is the status of Queen right now?
RT: I'm still in the band, but there's only two of us left, Brian and myself. And only one of us can walk! We still run the brand - that's what it is these days.
CR: So If Queen is a brand, operated by you and Brian, where does Adam Lambert fit in?
RT: I wouldn't say he's always going to be a part of Queen. We're doing the live TV show in Vegas with Adam and a couple of other guests, in a 10,000 seater, but that's all we've got planned. There are no rules, really. We do things very much on the spur.
CR: But you plan to continue performing as Queen, with or without Adam Lambert?
RT: Yeah, but it's only an occasional thing now. Last year with Adam, we did three really big shows in Europe and three at Hammersmith Apollo, which was a lot of fun. Brian and I realised a long time ago, this is what we do, this is what we are. I;m afraid readers, it goes on forever.
CR: Are you happy with Adam as Queen's singer?
RT: He works very well with us. He's an incredible singer. He's got a really magnetic stage prescence. He's very sexy. And of course our more theatrical songs suit him perfectly. He's a diva - a male diva. And that's what he should thing about being.
CR: Before you began working with Adam, you toured and recorded an album as Queen+Paul Rodgers.
RT: Paul is a singer that Freddie admired. He led two of rock's greatest bands, Free and Bad Company. In that sense he is the antithesis of Adam Lambert. We actually loved playing the Free and Bad Company stuff with Paul. But strangely enough, although Paul was wonderful, with that amazing blues-soul voice, Adam is more suited to some of our bigger songs than Paul was.
CR: Some Queen fans thing you're selling the band short by having a guy from American Idol as your singer. Do you understand that?
RT: Whatever you do, people have to take it or leave it. That's always the case.
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And i'll risk a little Queen/Roger plugging here - these parts are Adam-less
CR: There were rumors in 2011 of a new Queen album, based on 'lost' demos of Freddie's
RT: Not true. We wouldn't want to put out an album of demos anyway.
CR: Are there any remaining Queen songs, recorded with Freddie, which might be released in the future?
RT: Yes, there's a couple of tracks. Brian and I are going to work on them. One of them we all worked on, the other was mainly a Brian song.
CR: Were both songs written near the end of your time with Freddie?
RT: Actually, no. They're quite old. I'm not bigging them up or anything, but yes there are a couple of things that we're going to finish, and I dare say they will cmoe out.
CR: Are there any plans to record another Queen album
RT: Universal wants us to put together an album of the slower songs that people don't know so well, so I'm compiling that this week with Brian.
AND
CR: You also have a new solo album out soon
RT: It's been written over a five year period so it's very eclectic. Some gentle stuff, some rockier stuff, and some fairly political stuff.
CR: What's the title of your new album
RT: My first solo effort (in 1981) was called Fun In Space. I was reading a lot of science fiction at the time. So I've called this one Fun On Earth. I've come down to earth a bit, but there's still a bit of fun in there - some smiley tracks.
CR: Is it influenced by any modern music?
RT: The best band I've seen in a long time is Sigur Ros. I love that atmospheric, semi-ambient thing they have. They're magnificent melodically. And their show is magnificent too. I Saw them at the Academy in Brixtno.
CR: Also released in September is a collection of all the music you'e made outside of Queen - including your solo albums and your 80s side project band The Cross
RT: Yes. It's called The Lot. I said 'Let's have the lot in there', so I thought let's call it that.
CR: Is it all good stuff, or is there some rubbish in there too?
RT: Like anything there are some things you regret. But my last solo album, Electric Fire (1988 (sic)), still sounds great.
CR: What's the best song you wrote for Queen?
RT: Hard to say. I like Radio Ga Ga. It was a nice fusion of synthesizers and...what can I call it...epic pop.
CR: And the worst?
RT: There's a few. I hate Delilah (on Innuendo). That's just not me.
CR: What's next for Roger Taylor? A solo tour for your new album?
RT: I'm thinking about getting together some mates in a really hot band and getting out on the road. And if I did, I'd have my son Rufus Tiger Taylor playing drums. He plays with Queen when we tour. He plays percussion most of the time, and when I do anything out front he plays drums. He's Brian's favorite drummer I think!
