18th August 2010

The mixed emotions of the early part of the year (the historic and poignant Rich Kids show in January and Steve New's subsequent sad passing) contrast with three feel good projects which have followed during the summer months and point towards further exciting times ahead.

The acclaimed one-off group The Silver Machine, the much anticipated return of The Faces, and a brand new Philistines album, have all given Glen plenty of reasons to be upbeat.

Phil: Is it Silver Machine or The Silver Machine?

Glen: I think it should be The Silver Machine. It was billed as Silver Machine, but the jury is out on that one.

So how did that come about?

Bobby Gillespie phoned me up. Andrew Innes also lives around the corner from me. I bump into him because his kids go to school nearby. They asked if I was up for doing the 1234 Shoreditch Festival. I thought yes, I wouldn’t mind playing with these guys because I played on one of Primal Scream’s records, Medication (Vanishing Point album), which they never paid me for, the bastards!! But I did get a gold disc for it!

They are people I see out and about and have a chat to. They turned up in force to see the Rich Kids in January which was nice of them, and sent flowers to Steve New’s funeral. I also know Zak Starkey, he lives just around the corner; he’s normally just finishing jogging by the canal when I’m sat on the bench having a cigarette. I thought it would be nice to play with him. It was just a fun thing. We all came off saying we wouldn’t mind doing another one. Maybe we will, there’s a possible offer of a show in New York.

How did you decide on the songs you were going to play?

They had already decided they were going to play garage punk songs. When they told me I said fine, I like all those songs, they are no brainers really. I made a couple of suggestions such as I Wish You Would, which Bowie did on Pin Ups. The Yardbirds did it as well.

Barrie Cadogan, the second guitarist in Primal Scream, is someone I knew around. He used to work in a guitar shop, and is a really good guitarist. In music, certain strands of people know one another and it’s good to do something with someone that you’ve known for years but never worked with. That’s why I did Slinky Vagabond with Clem Burke. I’d never actually played with him until that came about. Whether that’s going to happen again I don’t know, but it was great to play with Clem, Earle Slick, and Keanan Duffty.

The guy who put the 1234 Shoreditch Festival on, Sean McClusky, he was stuck for a headline band, and it was a bit of a favour for him as well.

Moving on to The Faces. It’s already begun....

“It’s all over now” as The Faces said!

No it’s not, it’s only just beginning! You must be delighted with the response you’ve had in the media and from fans?

It’s been fine. There were a lot of people who were anti-Mick Hucknall. I think most of those who have actually seen him do it have had to eat humble pie, no pun intended. He’s been pretty good. The fact is, Rod Stewart isn’t going to do it, wasn’t going to do it, isn’t going to do it just now – I don’t know I’m not party to that – and Mick Hucknall is a damn fine soul singer. He’s not a bad bloke; he’s from a different strand of pop music, but so what? It’s only singing. He’s as much a fan of The Faces as I am. He had a poster of The Faces on his wall when he was 11, and I had a poster on my wall when I was about 14, I’m a little bit older than him. It’s like helping out one of your all time favourite bands. What’s wrong with that?

I heard you all on the Johnnie Walker Radio Show when he was at the Goodwood Vintage festival…

He had this jacket which was suited for the radio, a turquoise shirt and yellow trousers on; it was like “Wow Man!”

Johnnie Walker was talking to Ronnie Wood who was saying that when they got together with Rod a year or so back for a bit of a tryout, Rod was having to change the key of some of the songs.

For all those songs the key is really high. You can change the key of songs, but they sound different sometimes. It’s not really Rod’s fault, as you get older your voice changes. I’ve not been involved in that side of things, I know everyone would have loved Rod to have done it, and Mick Hucknall said he doubts if he himself could sing like he used to years ago.

How did you become involved with The Faces, I assume it’s through your friendship with Ian McLagan?

That was the main thing really. I‘ve been mates with Mac since the Rich Kids and we clicked initially, then he moved to America and I lost touch with him. About eight or nine years ago, I was driving when I heard him on GLR with Jah Wobble of all people. I pulled over and called up the station and left a message and my phone number for Mac, and when the show finished he called me up. We got back in touch and met up when we could. Then we did an acoustic gig together at the Wembley Record Fair a few years back for a laugh (Dec 2002), and I asked him what he was doing. He said he’d like to get The Faces back together. Ronnie Lane had passed away by then, so I said all the other bass players in the world are the wrong guy, and I’m the right guy, and you know that. He did know that and he had to convince the other guys. Then they had that practice with Rod Stewart - they brought another bass player down because they thought it would be easier. Anyway, every chance I had with anyone connected with The Faces I put my name forward and it paid off in the end. I knew that if I had a chance to play with them it would work. I like to play those songs.

They are not my heroes or anything, but they were the only band in town before the Pistols came along as far as I was concerned. I learnt to play along to their records. A lot of people, when they come up to me at gigs, say “when I bought Never Mind The Bollocks it was a life changing moment for me.” Well, I went down the Portobello Road for the first time when I was about 15 and found this record in a cardboard sleeve with stitches down the side like an old 78, and it was their album Long Player. And that was a life changing moment for me. It was the key point that led to me getting involved in music and picking up a guitar. It coincided with other things in my life but it hinged around that moment. Then I went to see The Faces at the Rainbow when all the power cuts were on. I also saw them at Wembley and the support was the Pink Fairies, Them, and the New York Dolls with their original drummer Billy Doll who died that night after the show. Then about a year or so later I saw them at the Reading Festival with Tetsu Yamauchi on the bass in place of Ronnie Lane, and it wasn’t the same.

How did it feel playing the material with the band?

It just felt right, really. We had a laugh. With them you have a laugh all the time, always. They play so good. All the music is based on feel, and it’s a pleasure to hear Ron playing guitar when he’s not in the Stones. He’s a very inventive guitarist in his own particular style. Someone asked him at The Faces Q&A last week, where did he get his style from, and he replied Big Bill Broonzy. Ron doesn’t really play a lot of lead, he fills in between the gaps in the singing, which is what Big Bill Broonzy did, an old Blues guy, and I was hip to all that stuff. By listening to The Faces, I got into Bobby Womack, I took The Temptations more seriously, the Staple Singers, the Meters, all the Stax Records stuff. The Faces were a door into all kinds of cool Americana music.

With The Faces shows a success, will there be further activity?

I think so, yes. As we speak, we’ve one more show to do in Denmark, then that’s it for now. The idea was to get the new line up across. All the feedback has been really positive, and I think there could be a proper tour in 2011. Mick Hucknall has now got his Simply Red farewell tour. The thing is with Mick, he doesn’t have to do The Faces. He’s doing two nights at the O2 Arena himself with Simply Red. But he still did it despite all the stick, which was very brave of him.

You talk about it being a laugh; anything amusing happened so far you can share?

Kenney Jones has a kettle drum set up, which he hadn’t used all through the rehearsals. We got to the Goodwood gig and he still hadn’t yet used it; it was for his drum solo. I said to Ronnie I’d never been in a band where there's been a drum solo before. Ron, who uses Johnson’s Baby Powder on his fingers so they slide up and down the strings better, said, “hang on a minute, watch this.” He sneaked around the back of Kenney’s kit and sprinkled baby powder all over his kettle drum without Kenney seeing, then egged him on to play it. As soon as he hit it, there was a big cloud of Johnson’s Baby Powder, which looked like smoke! It was silly, but a laugh. In front of 26,000 people at Goodwood.

The Faces is a laugh, and I like doing things that are a laugh, its part of life’s rich tapestry. If you are enjoying yourself on stage, it’s going to rub off on the audience. It you are uptight, the audience will get an uptight vibe. I’ve done all that, I want to have a bit of fun, I’m 54 next week and I want to do what the fuck I like. I’m not angling on the fact that it’s my birthday coming up; I’m just hanging onto the fact that I’m still just 53!

That’s what Born Running is all about! Do it while you’re 53, no point in waiting until you’re 54. So let’s come on to your new album. Are you excited about it?

Yes I am. I’ve a feeling it’s going to do alright for me. I’ve been over to Berlin to do some press for it, and it’s had a good reaction. Yes, I’m looking forward to the record coming out. I’ve been rehearsing with the band on and off. We are going to play the 100 Club on the 5th October as an album launch show.

Will you be doing any shows around the country?

I hope so. Nothing further will be happening with The Faces until January at the earliest, so I have the autumn free. I don’t want to play somewhere just for the sake of it, but I do want to promote the record properly. It’s a grand record, I think it’s the best one I’ve done, I think there are some good songs on it. I’ve got my singing together a lot more; I picked the keys of the songs better. It sounds good.

It’s well produced. It’s got a good sound to it, a good vibe.

A good vibe. Uplifting. The album would have been out earlier, but The Faces came along so I’ve had to combine the two. The Faces is one of those things I’ve always wanted to do in my life.

Coming soon. Born Running: Track by track interview and review.

Photographs ©Roger Sargent 2010

Text ©Phil Singleton 2010 / www.sex-pistols.net

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