Midge Ure The Interview
It has been 24 years since Midge was on tour with Ultravox. Here is your chance to read his very First interview in 24 years about playing with them after a Tour.
Doing this job certainly turns up a few surprises.
One such nice surprise was having the chance to chat to Music Legend Midge Ure.
The reason for chatting to my mate Midge, is because he is playing at the Cumbria's biggest Party the 1980's Hear and Now concert in Whitehaven on the 15th August.
Are you looking forward to the upcoming gig I enquire?
‘ Yeah, I love Whitehaven having played there a few times over the years and The Hear and Now gig's are great. I have done a few of these up to date, there is always a great a band and it's a chance to plug in an electric guitar and Kerrang a few tunes, it's different from the acoustic gigs. The other acts on the bill are always great and the people know that they are going to listen to hit after hit after hit so the atmosphere is always electric.'
And Whitehaven? You say that you have played up here a few times.
‘ Yes I have played at the Rosehill Theatre a few times, I love the history behind it, The Silk importers, the big red Curtain and the thought that someone built their own theatre to support the arts is great.'
Before speaking to Midge, I thought I had better do some homework on the fella so went to Wilkepedia which, threw out loads of info. Hence the next question.
Do you ever wilkipedia yourself?
No, but I do know that there is a lot of errors on there as people have told me, but I have never looked myself'
For some odd reason I was disappointed as I thought being a rock legend he would be sat in-front of his computer clicking to see his name come up, I would, but then again I am an egomaniac.
Midge released another great album this year, called 10.The Album consists of cover versions by Midge.
‘The idea behind this album was to pick songs that had really special meaning to me and to do my own personal version of them. They are songs that had real meaning to me when I was growing up, songs such as The Carpenters ‘ Goodbye to love' David Bowies Lady Stardust' Alfie, The Small Faces My Minds Eye and more.
My main thought was I don't want to bugger them up, I simply wanted to put my own sound, influence and thoughts into them.'
To buy 10, go to http://www.midgeure.com/
Midge who is originally from Glasgow now resides in Bath where he now whiles away his hours working in his home studio.
Do you do most of your recording from home now?
‘ Definitely, what's the point of travelling to Australia for three months to record, you end up having to get a huge mortgage forever. All you need these days is laptop and a spare bedroom or shed, but more importantly, it's about the Ideas in your head. I made Troy (Midges Workington Mate) buy his own equipment and he has gone onto produce not only his own stuff but produce for other artists and in the process he has saved a fortune and become a better producer for it.'
What are you on with at the moment?
‘I'm actually editing and mixing a live album from the Ultravox tour that we have just finished as the Dvd will be out sometime in the year. As well as getting that sorted I have a few Hear and Now gigs in the pipeline and a few acoustic shows and I will also be taking a bit of time out with the family. We lived in Canada for a year and have a house there so we will all be heading there as the summers are beautiful.'
Midge, as well as being a great musician is also an avid cook and appeared on tv's celebrity chef a few years ago making it to the semi finals.
‘ I love cooking, when you are in a band all you tend to do is eat, breathe and live music and there is nothing else, you need some kind of escape and I found cooking by accident.
I was on tour with Thin Lizzy in Japan, they came back with saki amongst other things and I came back with a cookbook.
I love to spend all day preparing, so, I get rid of the family for the day and get on with everything. It's a great release.'
Midge who was the lead man for Ultravox for many years tells us about the recent reunion where the band played for the first time together since the break up in 1985.
‘We split in 1985 and haven't played together since, but this is the 30th year since we wrote Vienna, so it was a good reason to go on tour. The 18 date tour which we have just completed has been nothing but phenomenal.'
What was the feeling like getting together with the lads after so long?
‘Well, it's like meeting three ex wives all at once, you think the old arguments are going to resurface at some point so it is with reasonable trepidation that you agree to something like this, but, it wasn't like that at all.
Musically, emotionally and physically it was fantastic. We have had the best reviews that we have ever had which I think is down how we played. We simply played the songs as we have always played them, we didn't try to modernise any of the tracks or be clever with them we just played them as we know how to.
The crowds where absolutely brilliant and we are can't wait for the festivals we are playing.
Getting back together was like going home and putting on an old Jacket and I can't enthuse enough about it. Let's face it, it is a one chance in a lifetime where you get to revisit one of the best times in your life and relive it.'
So is this it then with the band is there a future on the horizon?
‘ As I said this year was the year with the anniversary and I'm looking forward to the rest of the gigs together. We are playing at The Isle of White Festival which I am really looking forward to, as we couldn't do festivals years ago because technology was an utter nightmare, we would have to sound check for five hours at a time back then.
When we played in the states we could only do 3000 seater venues we couldn't do the stadiums as everything was midi and the machines couldn't talk to each other like they do nowadays. So after all these years we are still breaking into new territory.'
I see you linked up with Eddie Izzard for the Live aid festival what happened there then?
‘Eddie was hanging round and I didn't even know he could play until one afternoon I heard him and invited him to join me and Troy the whole unification was fantastic.'
I read that Malcolm Mclarren invited you to front The Sex Pistols is that true?
‘No although he did invite me joina new band he was putting together but not where I would sit in the band, what actually happened was Malcolm Mclarren and Bernie Rhodes who went onto manage The Clash where both in Glasgow trying to sell nicked Guitars and mps form the back of there car.
I was walking out of a music shop and was approached by Bernie who asked was I a musician to which I replied I was, Bernie then asked me to speak to this fella in the back of a car. That was Malcolm, ‘I'm putting a band together are you a musician, yeah I said, well do you want to be in this new band,' at this point I just thought this is so Wrong, so I kindly declined the offer but I did walk away with an Amp.'
What are the Highlights so far?
‘ After Band aid - Live aid actually going out to Ethiopia and meeting people who survived and to think that in some small way you may have been responsible for the fact that this person is alive is humbling and outshines anything and everything I have done.
Somethings are just so random, never in a million years would I ever thought that I would be involved with something so unique and as I said to actually meet a human being who survived is amazing.'
So what was the story with The Band Aid song I ask, did you write some of it in a taxi?
‘No that was Bob, while he was coming over to my house he was scribbling lyrics down and at the same time I was in the kitchen on a Casio ½ size keyboard coming up with the main chorus line.'
Was your mum or dad in bands or involved in music?
‘No not at all, the only musical thing we had was the radio playing away in our tenement.
What bands are floating your boat at the moment?
‘Loads of good stuff is out there at the moment, my daughters going to hate me but Lilly Allen seems to be coming on really well, but I couldn't listen to a whole album.
The main thing is that people are wanting to pick up instruments to be in a band again as opposed to wanting to be in a girl band or a boy band.'
Midge will be performing at The Hear and Now gig on the 15TH August at Copleand Athletics Stadium.
Others on the same bill also include Paul Young - Rick Astley - Toyah Wilcox- Belinda Carlilse - Curiosity Killed The Cat and Johnny Hates Jazz.
Tickets for this Funtastic gig are available from http://www.thefestival.org.uk/ or call 0870 534 44 44.
