| A Conversation With Air Supply |
| Written by Alex Zaglin | |||
| Wednesday, 18 April 2012 04:44 | |||
 You might recognize one of Air Supply's classic songs such as I'm All Out of Love (that one gets stuck in my head all the time) and Lost in Love. Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock have continued to play since the band gained popularity in the 70's and 80's. d Graham filled me in about their history, including the story of their first meeting, and how their relationship has remained so strong—(spoiler!!!) they still get along famously. Times Square (TS): I didn't realize that the band members met during a production of Jesus Christ Superstar! Can you tell me a bit about that? Graham Russell (GR): It was very early, 1975, and Russell and I didn't know each other. Independently, we just applied for a singing role in Jesus Christ Superstar. We met on the first day, and I think we were the only two people who had never done theater. We were kind of the odd men out and for that reason, we gravitated towards each other. Plus, we found out we both had the same name, we were born in the same month, and we both loved The Beatles. So we had something in common, to grab onto, in a room full of people that we didn't know at all. We became very good friends, and in the chorus changing rooms we sat next to each other. Between shows, I'd play songs I had written and he'd jump in. We started singing together straight away. TS: Was it always your ambition to do Top 40 Pop music? GR: After I saw The Beatles in 1964, I decided that I'd really like to do that. I was a Beatles fanatic. I started writing songs when I was eleven, so I had already written a lot of songs when the Beatles came along. Once I saw them, everything changed. I just wanted to be in a band, to sing, and to play shows. That was my goal at a very early age. TS: Were your plans always to come to America like The Beatles? GR: I went to Australia first, because my family was there. I went five years after they went there from England. I didn't really have any ambition to go to America at that point. I wanted to take it one step at a time, and I wanted to be in a band in Australia, where I was. I always wanted to create my own band. I was never the kind of person that would go into another band and play other people's songs.From an early age, I wanted to play my own songs. I didn't want to do what anyone else had already done. I wanted to carve a new path. That was very hard to do in the very early 70's, especially in Australia where hard age rock and roll was the climate. When we came along, we were once again the odd men out. We had a lot of trouble finding venues in Australia. We made a record when we were still in Superstar, and it went straight to number one in Australia, and it took everyone by surprise. We had never even done a show together, and we had this big hit record. When the show ended, we made an album in a week, and that went to number one, too. So suddenly, there was this band that no one knew anyone about called Air Supply. In Australia, it was the top of the charts, but no one knew anything about us! We had never done an interview or anything. We were just very lucky to get our single on the radio, and it just took off. It was just the right time, but it was very different because it was a big ballad. Then, Air Supply was launched, but we really didn't have a band. We created a band, and we went on tour. That's how we really began. TS: Has it always been the just the two of you? GR: It's always been Russell and myself. It's always been our vehicle. We've had guys come in and out over the past 35 years. But Air Supply was [Russell and] my creation. The other musicians have come in and out because it's not their creation; they're kind of ancillary. The beauty about Russell and I is that we're not locked into anything, and that gives us great flexibility. We can play with whomever we want, as opposed to a band where there are five or six equal members. I can understand why so many bands break up, because people have arguments! With Russell and myself, it's really cut and dry. I think that's why we've never had an argument in 40 years. We both know our objective, and we both have different roles in the group that we perform well. TS: What has been one of your top touring experiences? GR: We decided to go and see places. We were the first band to tour China, Indonesia, and Malaysia. We played right in the demilitarized zone in Korea right on the border of North and South Korea. One of the highlights was being the first band in China. Sitting on the great wall, Russell and I just chatted and said, "We can't believe we're sitting here!" TS: The recording process has changed exponentially since you've started out, do you embrace the new technology? GR: Oh, yeah! I have a studio in my house, but everyone has a studio in his house now. Everything is digital and compact. We do vocals on the road, sometimes. You don't need a massive studio. We've done vocals in hotel rooms now! It saves a lot of time. TS: What does music mean to you? GR: It's everything. It's my connection to life. I think there are certain people put out to do things from a very early age. I can remember being five years old; we lived in a very modest house in England. The front room downstairs was only reserved for guests we had on Sunday, and it had a piano. I wasn't allowed to go in there, but I'd sneak in and play this piano. I remember doing it when I was five years old, and my parents would kick me out. I eventually was locked out of there. But even at an early age, I was fascinated by tones and sounds it made. Music is everything. The first second I awake, there's music going through my head. I'm very thankful for that, by the way. Air Supply plays B.B. King's on Saturday, October 13th. For info and tickets, please visit http://www.bbkingblues.com/ For more Times Square articles like A Conversation With Air Supply, please visit the Music Interviews Section of TimesSquare.com
|
