by Dianne Trimble
Derry Journal, 21st July, 2006
Les McKeown is no stranger to Derry. His next visit will be his fourth within the past year, including an appearance at the Big Buzz Music Awards in Derry City last September.
Now he's due to play here on Thursday, August 3rd at a venue to be announced.
Affable and outgoing, Les connects with his audience from the moment he walks on stage. When I talked to him recently he said, "I am totally in my element on stage and in the studio. It's always been that way."
McKeown, an Edinburgh native of Irish parentage, is best known as the Bay City Roller's lead singer. Amidst the seemingly unblemished, wholesome tartan clad group his sensual, somewhat rebellious manner was magnetic.
His compelling voice and charismatic personality helped propel them up the charts, resulting in nine Top 10 singles (including two Number 1s) and four Top 10 albums between 1974 and 1976. Not to mention all the fashion gear...
Since the 70s McKeown's lithe form has matured but, at 50, his mellow brogue is pleasurably familiar.
He formed the Legendary Bay City Rollers in the early 90s. Venues rock when McKeown and his latest band sing his old hits, interspersed with reggae and blues adaptations of some favourites as well as new songs they have written. Last summer they shared the bill with David Cassidy, David Essex and the Osmonds on the Once In A Lifetime tour.
McKeown understands nostalgia's powerful draw. When I asked him the secret of his continuing popularity, he said, "I believe it is because people want to stay in touch with that time of their life, the time when they were 'Rollerised', and they do that through the music.
"I myself remember with great fondness growing up to the music like David Bowie and people like that. I think it's probably the same for a lot of people. Somebody's grew up with the Beatles or the Searchers or something like that. They still go back and see the old bands, harking back to the time when they first got switched on to the music."
McKeown quit the original band in 1978 amid internal rivalry and feuding. His autobiography, "Shang-a-lang: Curse of the Bay City Rollers", released in paperback in February, frankly recounts the sharp contrast between the Rollers' pure image and the reality. He is working on a second autobiography.
"(It) is a new book that picks up on some of the issues that were not fully explored in the first and continues on. It's going to cover what I've been doing since the last book," he said.
McKeown will easily have enough material. His experiences often made sensational headlines. He has weathered the pressures of pop stardom, financial hardship (the Rollers are still fighting to collect what they claim are unpaid royalties), the struggle to change musical direction in his solo career, legal battles for the right to use the Rollers' name and a recent drug trial.
Despite his resilience, he hasn't survived unscathed. But he is confronting his alcohol and drug addictions as well as depression and grief (after his parents' deaths in 2002).
Acquitted of conspiring to supply cocaine in February, a charge he vehemently denied, his battle with drug and alcohol addictions attracted media attention. When I asked him about his problems he said, "I've managed to beat quite a lot of them. Alcohol is the last hurdle which I'm undergoing counselling for right now. But I've also taken up bereavement counselling...to try to resolve issues there.
"I'm getting help through my counselling about different things in my life and I'm trying to get away from the negative things and also the negative people...So it's just a day to day thing. You've got to work on it every day."
A fan of David Bowie and Led Zeppelin, his tastes are at odds with the pop music which made him famous. What else would he like to perform?
"Rock. If I wasnae in the Rollers I wish I was in some band like Pink Floyd or something. Something a bit more easy and anonymous," he said, laughing. "But maybe that's a reaction."
Outside the Rollers, he collaborates with co-writer/bassist, John Mazurka, to write and perform their own Indie material. The dark, brooding results, very different from the Rollers' catchy tunes can be heard on their website www.damagedmedia.com.
Residing in London with his Japanese wife, Peko, he donates time to KidsCharities UK appearing at benefit concerts and auctions to help disadvantaged children.
Warm and down to earth, McKeown was optimistic about the future. He said, "I'm looking forward to a very productive future - just to get all these ghosts laid to rest and get back working hard. I'm determined to write a new album this year too. I'm setting myself positive goals."
Judging by his tenacity so far, they are realistic goals for the resilient Roller. And he'll rock Derry.