Ricky
Warwick
Well, Ricky Warwick is
a legend in the heavy metal scene and I'm sure that most of you have listened
to his songs, be them with The Almighty or on solo works. A couple of months
ago Ricky released his second solo album, which contains some really great
songs and it's definitely amongst the best solo releases I've ever heard.
You know most famous musicians usually sound rather disappointing on their
personal albums. However, this is not the deal with Ricky... Trust me!
1. HELLO RICKY AND CONGRATULATIONS ON “LOVE
MANY TRUST FEW”! IT’S A VERY BEAUTIFUL ALBUM. I WANT TO KNOW HOW LONG IT
GOT YOU TO COMPLETE ALL THE SONGS THAT ARE INCLUDED ON YOUR NEW ALBUM.
Hello and thank you. It took me about 18 months
to write all the songs for LMTF. I kept writing after I finished my first
solo album “Tattoos & Alibis”. The album took about 6 weeks to record
and mix.
2. YOUR NEW EFFORT HAS A MORE AMERICAN BLUES/ROCK
ORIENTATION, ALTHOUGH YOU ARE BRITISH. WHY IS THAT? DO YOU PLAN IN YOUR
UPCOMING WORKS TO ADD MORE INFLUENCES FROM THE MUSIC OF GREAT BRITAIN?
I have always loved American music as much
as I love punk and hard rock. My father was a Johnny Cash fan so I heard
his music from a really young age. A lot of artists I am influenced by
are from America like Cash, Springsteen and Steve Earle. America is the
home of rock n roll as far as I am concerned.
3. I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO KNOW IF ANY OF THE SONGS
WERE MEANT TO BE ON AN ALMIGHTY ALBUM…
No. None of the songs on both my solo albums
were intended for an almighty album.
4. CAN YOU TELL ME, BASED ON YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES,
WHICH THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COMPOSING AN ALBUM ALONG WITH OTHER PEOPLE
AND ON YOUR OWN ARE? WHICH OF THESE 2 SITUATIONS DO YOU PREFER THE MOST?
I prefer working alone. Even with The almighty
I would write the song by myself then bring it to the other guys for their
input. I have been to Nashville and worked with some great writers there
which was a lot of fun. But I get the most satisfaction out or writing
alone.
5. DO YOU FOLLOW ANY SPECIFIC METHODS WHILST COMPOSING
SONGS OR IS CREATING A SONG SOMETHING SPONTANEOUS FOR YOU?
I like to get a lot of ideas together and
then head off into the middle of nowhere with no distractions. I have just
returned from The Joshua tree desert in California, I was there for 5 days
and wrote 9 new songs.
6. LET’S SUPPOSE THAT YOU WERE ASKED TO WRITE
A REVIEW FOR YOUR ALBUM. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY, TRYING TO BE AS OBJECTIVE
AS POSSIBLE? WHAT’S ITS BEST AND WHAT’S ITS WORST MOMENT, ACCORDING TO
YOU?
I couldn’t do it. It would probably be something
like “the guitar should have been louder there” Or “I could have
sung that line better” once I finish an album I am pretty good at letting
it go and letting the people judge it.
7. THE TITLE OF THE ALBUM, I THINK CARRIES A LOT
OF WISDOM IN IT. SO HAVE YOU FELT MANY TIMES BETRAYED BY PEOPLE YOU THOUGHT
THAT LOVED YOU?
It was words my father said to me while I
was growing up. Words to live by. I know a lot of people who I like but
wouldn’t trust. I have a few very close friends who I would trust with
my life. I find a lot of people can be disappointing I have had a few people
let me down recently.
8. NOW LET ME CHANGE A BIT THE QUESTION: HAVE
YOU EVER BETRAYED A PERSON THAT YOU LOVED?
9. I WOULD LIKE YOU TO TELL ME A FEW THINGS ABOUT
THE LYRICS. WHAT KIND OF THINGS GIVE YOU INSPIRATION TO TALK ABOUT? WHICH
ARE THE THEMES THAT YOU “TOUCH” WITH YOUR LYRICS ON THIS ALBUM?
I get inspiration from life. Places I have
been, people I meet and the stories they tell me. I have traveled all over
the USA a lot in the past few years and have written from those experiences.
My lyrics are a diary of my life you could say.
10. DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS TO REUNITE THE ALMIGHTY
OR AT LEAST RELEASE A NEW ALBUM WITH THEM?
The Almighty reformed at the start of 2006
for 2 sold shows for Cancer charities. Floyd The almighty bass player has
fought and is winning a long and brave battle with Leukemia. We had a lot
of fun playing those shows and this has led to us being offered more shows.
We headline the bulldog bash festival in the UK this summer. We are also
playing 5 shows in the UK in December. There is the possibility of a best
of album coming out early in 2007. But an album of new material? I don’t
think that is going to happen.
11. ARE YOU IN TOUCH WITH THE OTHER MEMBERS OF
THE ALMIGHTY? DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING NOW?
I think I just answered that in the last question
for you.
12. LET’S GET BACK TO YOUR SOLO ALBUM. DO
YOU HAVE ANY PLANS TO SHOOT A VIDEO – CLIP? IF YES WHICH SONG WOULD YOU
CHOOSE AND WHY?
I would like to. And probably will soon. I
think I will do a live DVD first. For the next solo album I hope to make
a promotional video. I am also planning on filming the making of the album.
13. IT WAS REALLY A SURPRISE HOW SUCH A BIG NAME
LIKE YOU SIGNED A DEAL WITH A NEW METAL LABEL HERE IN GREECE. WHICH WERE
THE REASONS THAT LED YOU TO THAT DECISION? ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH SLEASZY
RIDER SO FAR?
I have been on a lot of big record labels.
All seem to get were people who tried to tell me how to write and record
my music… When they clearly didn’t know anything about what I was trying
to do.
I like the integrity that sleaszy rider has.
They work hard for their artists and let them be themselves. I have been
making music and releasing albums for almost 20 years now. I don’t need
anyone telling me how I should sound and look.
14. WHICH WAS THE BEST AND WHICH THE WORST COMMENT
THAT YOU READ ABOUT YOUR SOLO ALBUM? WHICH IS ALSO THE FUNNIEST COMMENT
THAT YOU READ?
One of the reviews I read said that I sounded
like Bryan Adams on acid. That was probably the worst and funniest. Most
of the reviews I have seen have been pretty good.
15. I BELIEVE THAT OSCAR WILDE ONCE SAID THAT
WHEN THE CRITICS ARGUE ABOUT AN ARTISTIC WORK, THEN THE ARTIST IS IN PEACE
WITH HIMSELF. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT STATEMENT? HAVE YOU EVER FELT
THIS WAY?
I don’t give a fuck what critics say about
my work to be honest. As long as I believe in it that’s all I care about.
My family and friends are the only critics I trust.
16. YOU ARE IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS MANY YEARS,
SO WHAT WAS THE WEIRDEST OR FUNNIEST QUESTION YOU’VE BEEN ASKED?
When I first got my hair cut, a journalist
asked me if it would affect my songwriting……I think I punched him.
17. RICKY THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME! THE LAST LINES
BELONG TO YOU AND LEAVE A MESSAGE TO THE READERS OF BEHIND THE VEIL WEBZINE…
Thank you very much for your questions! I
would like to thank everyone who has ever bought one of my records. If
you haven’t heard the solo stuff, please check it out. Thank you for all
your support!
Cheers,
Ricky Warwick
Nick “William_Kidd”
Parastatidis
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