Dec 4, 2001 - Issue #18

Morning Campers.

I'm going to start at the front and work backwards. This way, I'll remember the recent events and you will jog my memory as we retrace recent adventures.

Steven Bore: Tony does have the CD's for me. Thanks for taking the time. Steve says he thinks we have a great band.

Jimmy Steal: To my knowledge, no video exists of the Uris Theater gigs. Brilliant marketing strategy by Fred Heller and Columbia records, don't you think? No, Mott will never reform - not even for one gig. It could never measure up to expectations.

Michail Solmon says the Village Underground was "incendiary". Thank you Michail.

Stephan was at the same gig. Says I sounded dynamic and the band was tight. Fed up because I didn't mention George Harrison's passing. Well, I did actually, Stephan.

Peter Ziering asks me to rate the three top drummers I've played with. This question is not really fair as drummers have all got their own feels and styles. Sometimes they suit, sometimes they don't. It's what you are doing at the time. I'll tell you the three that most immediately come to mind. Sheila E, Steve Holley and Mickie Curry. But I've worked with a lot of great drummers over the years and I wouldn't want to rate them, they're all different and they were all good.

Jan Peter Reeves: Is there a Ringo DVD coming out? I know they filmed and recorded a DVD in Chicago, so I assume it will see the light of day at some point. Yes, they plan to DVD the Oslo gig.

Michele Lynn wants to know about "Alice" of "The Hoople". I was talking to Joe Elliott about this song. I haven't got a clue who or what it's about. Maybe I just made it up. Sorry.

Paul Dakin loves RANT.

Stuart Clarke: Elaborate

Richard Tremblay: Doing a DVD in Oslo, in January.

Paul J says Rick Tedesco's a terrific guitar dealer to work with, and says his 14 year old rates me up there with Korn! Neato!

Phil Gatz says, "I've refined my talent." That's what I like to hear.

Lowdnes Grier: Thanks for the books. Glad you enjoyed Louisville.

Doug wants "Welcome to the Club" on CD - anybody?

Frank Campagna says they'll be a second leg of the tour including Texas. Don't think so Frank.

Jack Milling says "Dude, come to Australia." We'll see, we'll see.

Colin Burden: Looking for "Dirty Laundry". Anybody?

Amand Octeau: We'll see what we can do.

Bruce Helwig saw us in Louisville. "RANT" powerful and timely.

Robert Clayton: "Tale" it is.

Kelly Turner: Kelly's studying music for GSCE. Just got four A's. Well done, Kelly.

Marc Shafer: Noted.

Ben Frager: Why didn't I come out west. Simple, Ben. Radio won't play me so the promoters don't want me.

Kevin Keller: says his floored by RANT. Well, thank you Kevin and your family.

Jim Cunningham: Why didn't I come out west?

Jim Mcconnel: says the gig November 30th is St. Andrew's Day - give it some wetly. Now you tell me.

Suslik: All gone. I'll be in Oslo in late January.

Tom Tully: Tommy!!!!! I didn't see you in New York. How about a number?

Dave Harrington wants to play drums in my band! How does he get an audition? Well, you know Dave, Steve Holley's a pretty fine drummer, so I can't see the job becoming vacant for a while.

Charles Nightingale: What a nice name. Ex Pat, living down under. Waiting for RANT. Hope you enjoy it.

Jim Mcconnel: Needs more information about the Oslo gigs. This should be posted on the first page of the web site. The venue has been a bit slow putting the package together, just have patience.

Damian Mann: What was the name of the song on Craig Kilborn's show? I did two, "Wash Us Away" from RANT and "Dudes".

Ralph: The "EastEnders" reference in "Dead Man Walking." EastEnders is a famous, long running British soap.

Mike Constanza: Yankee fan from '81.

Charlie Warman writes Shrewsbury Town 2, Southend 0. Yeah, but they just lost 0 - 1 at home to Exeter. You just can't do that.

Robert Kleb: Great show in Philly. Love early Waterboys.

Margaret David: Norway's a going concern. Watch this sight for more details as we get them.

Wendy: Was I up in Maine? No, that wasn't me.

Bruce says Milwaukee Shank Hall was one of the best shows he's ever seen. Thanks, Bruce.

Mad Hatter: Noted and passed on.

Andrew Field: Re: The Joe Strummer catalog. You know, so much is gossip and hearsay. Financially, I guess I lucked out. There was always something going on. It wasn't only the big covers that I got, but obscure ones. Sometimes a DJ would use a song as his signature tune for a few months or there would be a commercial in a foreign country using a song of mine. One kid in Sweden had an EP out that sold a quarter of a million with a track of mine on it. It all adds up. The A.D. and D.L. idea is a good one. We'll see how it goes. I have talked to Bjorn about stuff like this and there is another track that's rather spiffy that nobody's heard yet.

Some of these I'm letting go as they are just thanking us for the gigs or signing autographs or pictures and there's not a lot I can say about that is there?

John Naler: Am I in touch with the original Motts. It's geography, really. If I lived down the road from them we would still go out, but I don't. I went out with Pete, Verden and Stan a little while back, and I always bump into Ritchie (our original roadie) when I'm in London. Ralpher's in the country and you can never pin the bugger down, but when I do see him, he's hilarious.

Oystein Reiersen wants me to do his set list in Oslo. There's a lot of songs - you always piss somebody off so bear with me. I'll do the choosing!

Tommy Green: Amazon.com has posted its year end poll and "RANT" was the number 4 Classic Rock release of 2001 and Number 21 (out of 100) of any kind this year. Sounds good to me. Does it help? I hope so.

Michael Battiste asks if I ever played or jammed with Bob Dylan. No, but it ain't over yet.

Bob Giles says to make sure we don't get short changed on the region 2 DVD - "we don't always get the extra's that appear on the region 1 version. What's he on about?

Ian E. at the Slade Archive: What happened to the Maltese Guitar? Some bloke in the south of England has it.

What did we think of the "opposition" SLADE. Actually, Noddy told me once that it was MTH that inspired them to form. They all came to see us at Wolverhampton Civic and Noddy said, "If they can do it - we can. And they did! Actually, Slade never seemed like opposition to us. We were more over in the Bowie, Roxy area, but I just wanted to be as good as the Stones and Dylan. The glam pop think was a means to an end, although I must say, we had tremendous fun doing it for awhile.

Steve H. writes the events of September 11th were horrific and makes a valid point about charity records. Yes, all the proceeds may go to charity, but it can still be a tremendous leg up for an artist who happens to have a record out at the time. I don't know. You can get caught up in these things. I like to think everybody does them for the right reasons and I think they do, but there's no denying business plays a part in it. I guess everybody wins except the poor people the whole thing is about. But that's over and done with anyway. You can't change what happened. Weren't The Who GREAT on the McCartney show. Their sound was tremendous.

Riki Sorsa: Why don't you come to Norway in January? You're nearer!

Harold Kaufman traveled 1700 miles to Milwaukee. I think that deserves a mention!

Stefan Stallgent - Come to Oslo in January. There weather's lovely and warm!

Keith Nickless: Says the guys in Queen are doing a musical in London and asks if I am in it. They've got my number if they want me they know where I am. I don't know anything about it.

Marsk Music Denmark: You can contact my agent Emma Banks at the Helter Skelter Agency in London. We were fab in Brighton. Do I prefer intimate gigs, medium gigs or big gigs? The smaller and more intimate would be a preference but with the smaller and more intimate ones the back stage facilities are pretty poor. A venue like the Park West in Chicago is ideal for me. The back stag e area is great, the stage is great and the sound system is great. I like to be with an audience. I don't like the separation you get in the larger venues. Obviously the bigger the venue the more the money so many factors come into play.

Bob C: Thanks.

Willie Robinson: Is there another book inside me? Yes. Do I still like Shepherds pie? Still goes down nicely, I don't do the wine so much these days, but I will down the odd bottle of Shiraz on occasion.

John Scialfa: Trade Winds show was great - Good.

Ron says he listens to WFUV via the web. They've added a feature where you can listen to archive shows. He looked through the "Idiot's Delight" (Vin Scelsa shows) and saw my name. He says it's good. I like Vin Scelsa, but apparently "RANT is unsuitable for WFUV. Go figure.

Stefano Ronzoni from Italy: Do I see myself playing Italy one day? Who knows.

Kermit Holiday: Radio has always been about money. In the old days it was a lot less! Now it cost so much to get a hit, even if you have a hit you're still in debt because what it costs is all eventually charged to your account. ClearChannel's latest thing is that they're not even going to use indies anymore. They want the labels to buy airtime from them directly. Thus radio becomes non-stop commercials for them that can afford to pay. Totally absurd. Clinton and the Republicans caused all this mess by passing and signing a bill allowing giant media mogul Rupert Murdoch to own both newspapers and radio stations. ClearChannel are making music one big monopoly. I don't blame them, but they're not in the business of letting you hear music. They want to control it all, they narrow your choices in the music that is available to hear on the radio. America hears only what they give you. How many colors do they paint cars these days? That's how many choices you're going to get.

Tom Villemaire asks if I am coming to Canada? Just been, mate.

Dr. Combs traveled 2,400 miles; deserves an honorable mention!

Tom Lupo - Mulchany's show - unbelievable energy. Actually, it doesn't take much energy with these guys. It swings and I just fall in. The main reason you get a little busted in these venues is the lighting which is much nearer to you than at Ringo venues.

Rose wants a list of I.H. rarities. Don't know, Rose - why don't you try Justin Purington's web site Just a Buzz.

Steve Bore wanted to give me a small gift at the Underground. Shit - missed a freebie!

Bill Harrity: I mean it is a small but valid complaint. If you wear black - as I am prone to do, you don't want fluffy towels. You come off before the encores and try to dry yourself off and return to the stage looking like your dandruff's gone mad. Memo to the promoters - no fluffy towels. I had bits all over me. The old worn ones are so much better.

Matt Nojonen: Yes, I did leave out "Death of A Nation" because of 9/11. The song has nothing to do with September 11th but the mood was low and I frankly didn't think the song would help.

Burt D: I have done "All American Alien Boy" from time to time. Canada comes to mind when I had the brass section. It really needs brass. Who got the title to "Death May Be Your Santa Claus?" Sounds like Guy Stevens to me.

Gerard Thomas York: Bootleg the bootleggers. I know, but I can't be bothered. Maybe someday.

Rich Graves: Has my writing gotten stronger over the last two albums. I think my writing's always been strong, but I lost the plot for a few years as most of us do from time to time. I think Mick's death woke me up to the fact that I had to get back on track. For some reason, I'm still trying to get better. Bjorn Nessjo and Andy York have helped a lot. Having said this, I haven't got the faintest idea what will happen next. It's getting the ideas that take the time.

Many of these e-mail are really nice, but they're not questions, so while I'm not answering them - keep them coming!

Ed: Hello, Ed. Hello English class. It's really simple. Life's boring unless you find something to do. Music's fun because you get to travel all over and they pay you. They also offer you lots of drugs, which, if you have half a brain, you don't bother with because they make you feel like shit and you die young. Romantic in an idealist setting - horrible in real life. It there's anger in you from growing up in less than fortuitous circumstances, you can convert this into music and music can become your therapy. Everybody is not out to get you. The grown up world is a busy playground. Everybody's got their own agenda. Nobody's against you. You can do anything you want to do; but you'd better be prepared for a lot of rejection and a lot of hard work. It's no secret. Those that work at it the hardest usually become the best. Either that or you can sit on your arse, moan, light up and watch TV for the rest of your miserable little life. What's it gonna be man?

Ellen Mcintyre: Louisville. Glad you enjoyed it.

Michael Sinagoga - Detroit, St. Andrews - Magnificent!! RANT too!

Dave Foucher: Here it is.

Dan Hathaway: Baltimore. Great.

Paul Stanich: Message away.

Colin Powell: He of the Newcastle soccer strip. Seems to be transferring his allegiance to my darling daughter. And why not!

Steve Aliment: Yes, Lisa Ronson is Mick's daughter.

Alan Q: Yes, we have looked into Satellite Radio. I have already done an interview with Sirius. This could be a much fairer alternative.

Willie Robinson: Thinks "Morons" should be a single in England. Where's Papillon when you need them?

Randy Carter: I can't remember much about "I'm A Cadillac". I just remember Mick Ralphs singing it in the house of the North End Road. That's all I can tell you.

Tony Adams: The acoustic guitars I play are called Rainsongs. They're made of graphite. Basically, I'm playing a pencil.

Keith Ewing is pissed about the fact that during the Detroit gig, the band started up in the basement, just as I was doing the encores. An alarming lack of respect. The promoter promised it wouldn't happen - and apologized when it did, but did nothing about it. To me it was a clumsy attempt at telling people to come downstairs after we were done. All they succeeded in doing was pissing off a lot of people - me and the band included. No class.

Roy Jones: Any UK dates in the new year? Not as yet.

Tracy S. If you ain't got nothin to say; don't say it. That's my motto.

Tommy Rocker - Thanks.

Ron Peterson: Says he's still reeling from Milwaukee. The Brewers should sign me!

Dave Ramshaw: Thanks for the Freddie Fingers Lee article. Hey Fred - you don't mention me! What, I ain't big enough for you anymore! Still haven't called him. Looks like he's busy. I am too, at the moment. He's right about Lonnie Donegon. Wished I'd have met him.

Fred Prellberg: Glad you all liked it. I enjoyed myself and the band did too. Keep the flag flying at Universal for me.

Jamie says the "Artful Dodger" can be easily bought at Amazon, U.K.. He ordered his and got it within a week.

Vaughen Hunter: Loved the Milwaukee show. I did get the CD. All in all I got over 4 0 CD's. Now I've just got to find the time to give them a listen.

Tim Bricklay: Glad to have been of service. Best of luck.

J.D. Munroe: Contact David Millman our publicist in LA (323-852-1428).

L. L. Swieca: Chicago was 100% better than he'd hoped. Lovely!

Pat W: Shank Hall - Excellent.

Dennis Lee: "Thanks for being a rocker in an age of sappy ballads and crap music."

Joe Picarelli bombards DJ's at KLOS (Jim Ladd in particular) with requests for RANT. The thing is (I don't know what KLOS plays or who they're owned by), but you can request it the cow's come home on a lot of radio stations, but it's not going to work because they're told what to play by some programmer thousands of miles away. "It's all taken care of - you don't have to worry." Still, it's fun to annoy them! Keep it up!!

Mario Desantis wants a copy of "All American Alien Boy" - anybody? Yes, there is a book. I think the author gave me a copy a while back. Try Amazon.com.

Dan Beck: We enjoyed Minneapolis. We liked the sound of the place. The promoter got on the bus after the show and asked us to come back, and if we get the chance we will. Tell Prince to come next time. I hear he nearly made it. Thanks for your help with RANT at KNOW NAME RECORDS.

David Riske: "All The Way From Memphis" was about a "Mott" gig in Memphis one magical Christmas time night circa 1972.

Don B.: Yes, I saw myself on the multi-camera video system at the V.U. Nice shirt, I thought. Hair not bad. Trudi asked the promoter if the show had been recorded and he said it wasn't. Sorry, we tried.

Dean Smith asks have we ever considered releasing some of my prior albums on Angel Air. That's between Angel Air and the owners of the copyrights of the albums i.e. Sony, Chrysalis etc. I don't think they would want to do this as they re-release the records themselves now and again and they do rather well.

Nick Ritrovato: Ed Sciaky was at the Philly gig and he came up after the show and we talked. There's nothing anybody can do. They just tread over everything. What a bore.

Michael Corbett: East Enders is a British soap opera.

Chip and Patty: Sorry, I never saw you. Trudi said you both looked great. Glad you enjoyed the show.

Jeffrey Wachowiak wants to know where he can get a CD of YUI ORTA?

Hello Pat: HARP

Pat Fitzgerald: 1) How does where you live affect your writing? I don't think where I live affects my writing at all. You've got more time to think in the country and you can make more noise, so that's a plus. I'm a slow writer, and I need silence and boredom. Doesn't sound overly exciting, does it? I need a distance between the ideas and then it takes a while to funnel through my computer. You mention tracks on RANT. They're all basically things I've been running round my head for years. You just got to spit them out at some point. 2) The ballads: Have I ever not written something because it's too personal? Well, yes. There's stuff I wouldn't write about because it's too personal, but then "Michael Picasso" was one of those songs that was too personal, but I still knew it was right to put down, because it was honest and Mick's family loved it. I remember Mickey Rooney singing this dirge to Judy Garland on TV once - his arms reaching out - "Judy, Judy." I mean - the guy most likely was sincere, but my quality control won't allow me to do that. 3) What do I write on. Piano, guitar, bass, sometimes nothing at all - it's in your head - get to a cassette player and hum it. One thing I do know, always have a mini-cassette near. Songs can come at anytime- mostly when you least expect them. Be ready. 4) Dylan was my inspiration. If you're gonna be inspired, might as well be inspired by the best. The Stones were great writers; the best in their field. So many great writers about, but few are consistent, and who's to blame them. Our lives are not consistent. 5) Over the last 40 years, was any particular period especially fruitful? Well, it was always crazy working with Guy Stevens and stuff came out of my mouth on its own. Working with Ronno, especially early on, was great - we bumped off each other. Bowie was a tremendous leg up at one point and then more recently Andy York and Bjorn Nessjo. Working with Ronno and the E Streeters and John Cale made Schizophrenic a much better album. Jocko Pastorious pushed me and Bobby Columby around "All American Alien Boy". Andy York will tell you it all comes from the songs, but I disagree. It's a combination of the song and what the musicians do with it and where they take it. RANT is a typical example of great people pooling their resources. 6) What do I listen to today? Nothing. Radio killed music for me. 7) What's the key to writing a great rock and roll song? There are so many factors. Get Little Richard on it and any old 12 bar with a kitch hook lyric will sound incredible. From the writing angle, the song has to be as simple as possible, but must have that little twist in it that lifts it above the rest. The twist may be musical or it may be lyrical, but it's that little address that makes it. "Brown Sugar" is the classic example, and I'd like to think "Once Bitten's " in there somewhere. That's that!

Kathy says Towson was excellent. Calls the band the "Roaming Jollies". Not bad.

Randy Tyler wants the set list from Towson? Anybody? Check the web page links to Justin's or Phil's web site.

Claudio Alan wants the lyrics to "Good Man in a Bad Time." Same advice as above.

Kerry Peace: 1) How did Jeff Tweedy and I hook up on the Chicago show? James Mastro knows him. Actually, John Eddie's van broke down that day and it looked like they might not make it, so Jeff was actually going to open for us (or rather - we were going to close for Jeff). Fortunately, John Eddie and his excellent chaps made it in time, getting Jeff off the hook. By the way, it was a pleasure having John and the guys on tour with us - we all had a great time. Is Kenny cool or what. 2) Recollections of Jocko Pastorious? A big gangly 21 year old who played bass 8 hours a day, meditated, didn't drink, didn't smoke, didn't do dope. Before he went (to) LA.

Andrew Field: Oslo dates. I think by now Trudi and Justin have them posted. It's the last week in January 29 and 30.

Frank Cino says he loved everything but would rather me sprinkle songs from "RANT" throughout than put them in a block early on in the set. The thing with me is I don't like moving from guitar to piano - backwards and forwards. Usually the set is structured so there will be a block of electric - then acoustic, then acoustic harp - then piano. I don't like jumping up and down like a yo- yo.

Andrew Field: Am I knackered with the work. No, but I can't drink as much as I used to, and this band is strictly, Sam Adams.

Greg Luker came to Cleveland from Australia! Honorary mention!

Don B. asks which was my favourite show? I don't know. I tend to think more in terms of sound and the professionalism shown by the club. You want to put on the best show possible. A lot of things come into play. I liked most of them. Our crew was great. John Foster ran a tight ship and I felt comfortable with him. All of us did. Rocky and Nelly did great on stage and Andy was great not only sound wise, but he works his ass off.

Bill Marshall: Left cheese on the bus in Detroit - Thank you!

Paul Dakin prefers "RANT" to "Love and Theft". What guy!

Kitty Hawk loved Toronto.

Sherry Bell said I looked tired in Cleveland. I was! But I enjoyed the gig. Remember Berwick Wickens? Now there was a character!

Joe Barranco: Hope you made it to Milwaukee. Regards to the Boyzz.

Bill Holmes: Thanks for the review of Rochester.

Kristen: Say hello to W. and G.

Ian Kell asks will I play stuff from "Overnight Angels" or "All of the Good Ones" in England next year. Don't know yet. Any plans for a new album? Next album being done is Oslo. live, unplugged retrospective with six piece band and 20 piece orchestra. Will be released in the fall of 2002. That's the plan at the moment.

Doug Smith from Australia asks if RANT will be released in Australia? Papillon are responsible for licensing RANT throughout the world aside from the U.S. and Canada and they tell us - yes - though getting details from them is slow.

Peter Marc loved the Toronto show and loves RANT. Says buy 'em don't burn 'em for Xmas presents. Here, here. He says Syl Sylvain's new CD is awesome. I like Syl. You know where he's from.

Geoff Byrant: Again asks for details for Oslo. We're giving you as much as we can get.

Dennis Lee: Sometimes - even when you're getting no air play in a town. The promoter wants it. It's not clever to do this, but some promoters follow their hearts and splurge out now and again. That's what happened here.

Mike Bridge: Toronto. Band was awesome, show incredible. How did I get involved with Andy York. I met Andy through Steve Holley (Steve also found Georgie Woods - the keyboard player). Andy and I hit it off and the rest is history, as they say.

Kevin from Belfast is fascinated that Joan Osborne's guitarist Jack Petruzzelli did the first two gigs. Thinks Jack is awesome. So does Andy, and so do I. Just did the Underground in New York and Jack was there and was going to get up on 23A, but I messed up the song order, so it didn't happen. We consider Jack as one of us. Hope Joan doesn't mind.

More and more stuff about RANT. I'm not listing them all, but it's very gratifying. Keep spreading the word. I don't think this album will ever be over. It just keeps ticking.

Tom Joyce on "Picasso". The first reason I didn't play "Picasso " was because of 9/11. The second reason was I didn't think anybody would know it. We did, however, eventually put it in the set and the reaction to it kind of took me aback.

Chris F: Toronto was brilliant. Sorry about the poor turn out. Well, I thought it was kind of ambitious myself, but the guy wanted it. I didn't know the place was that big. We used to do smaller places, like Heaven, in Toronto on the weekends. We'd have been OK in a club that size, but the Government where we played holds two and a half thousand and it was a Wednesday night - and Halloween to boot! Having said that, you lot were great and we had a good time.

Jimmy A: What was it like working with the E-Street Band, and do I see any of them or even maybe, Bruce? It was great working with Gary, Max and Roy on Schizophrenic. They were totally committed. I think we might have had a hit if Roy Bitten would have had his way on Just Another Night. (Roy heard it more commercial), but Mick and I talked him out of it! Worked with Clarence on "All of the Good Ones" and I had a chat with Miami and Bruce last year at the Garden. The first part of that show scared the life out of me. It was so amazing. What did Bruce say? Now that would be telling, wouldn't it!!!

Todd Seager loved Toronto - bought RANT. That's what it's all about.

Greg Osborne: "It's frustrating hearing all the great reviews of the shows and living on the west coast." I'm sorry, Greg. We did have a ball, but not enough interest was coming from your neck of the woods.

Frenchie loved Boston. Special kudos for Jack the Mechanic.

Kevin Ruane asks if I would do a solo acoustic tour? You know, one of the reasons I still go out is because of the characters I work with. Anybody who knows the bands I have knows we have a total ball. Yes, it costs money, but it's fun and so it's worth it. I am asked to do it - maybe I just haven't got that far yet.

Tom Dyer - Thanks for the journal. Lovely.

Pat loved Irving Plaza.

Charles La Polla enjoyed Irving Plaza. Loves in Katonah, NY. Did I live there? Yes, circa'78-84.

VYT Iskeliunas: Ellen married a building contractor and has a couple of kids. Still does movies. Capt. Void was on "All of the Good Ones".

Jason Clark: Loved Philly. No Mott reunion.

Dave Drew: Philly show incredible. RANT best album in years.

Look it's not my fault if they seep saying it.

Rich Bruciati: It's up to them.

Steve Hancock: Ichabods - comes up quite a bit. I was in there with Trudi and Jesse and Ashes. Oslo, here I come.

Bill Holmes: Thanks for the reviews.

Michael Kupka: I remember that huge picture of Mick in Times Square. They put it up, and then the bill posters went on strike and it stayed up there for months.

Jeff Fojtik works for 96.5 WKLH in Milwaukee. Hey Jeff, what's the chances off playing RANT?

Joe A. traveled 400 miles. Honorary mention!

Jim Hogya: It's a RAINSONG.

Richard: Boston Globe called me a "Geezer Rocker". I know there is an element of geezer in me that I've tried valiantly to eradicate over the years but it's still there and some folks recognize it in me. I guess it's my fault. I should be more studious all round. Anyway, Richard doesn't see me this way, and I'm glad of that.

Mike Gebhardt: Glad all was well with you and John Ford.

DMJ: Philly a killer! 1) No, I've never met Jerry Lee Lewis. I could have, but I didn't want to. I trust the message - not the messenger. 2) Never met Elvis, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Roy Orbison. Saw Sam Cooke. Saw Jerry Lee. 2) I sat in on some Neil/Dennis/Joey jams and we formed some songs and they recorded them and Joey told me the first lot sold out. That's all I know, because I've been busy.

Mary P: Glad you liked it.

Marty G: The big tall guy's John Foster who looks after us. He was only doing his job, but you need time to figure out who's genuine and who isn't. He's a great guy. Glad you loved it.

Andy Baker: What happened at Liverpool Stadium on the Mott Circus tour was that they didn't want to shut up while Max Wall was on stage. Max was a genius, but in order to weave his magic, he had to have quiet. This, of course, is totally alien to the Liverpool approach. Poor Max was devastated and wanted to leave the tour. I told him - tell them to shut the f_ _ k up, but he was an old vaudevillian and gentleman. The customer's always right. Fortunately, the further south the show went the quieter they got for Max and he unleashed his unique brand of humour to devastating effect. I actually saw people fall out of their seats at Guildford Civic - so it all ended happily. Max was a sad man, but I like to think we perked him up. He would sit right in front of the speakers at sound checks. "You and The Who" he used to say, "You and The Who." The Who loved him as well.

David Anderson: Never knew them mate, sorry.

The Pills: Hello chaps. Thanks for letting us close for you. Best of luck in the future.

Madelaine: Glad you loved it as much as I do. And so we carry on.

John says Philly was great. Best he's ever seen me live.

Rohana: Andy and James kicked ass. Must have been good.

Steve Robinson: Am I still anti NRA? You bet I am. Charlton Heston should be ashamed of himself.

Doug Lighthall loves RANT, especially "Wash Us Away." "Ripoff" IS on the UK release, I don't know why you think it isn't.

Dave Firoenza: Loved Philly. Best yet. Kudos for John Eddie as well.

Bep Bodde Holland: Watch the site for what you do.

Steve Fitzgerald: Likes the voice better than before. So do I. Somebody in Southern Ohio won the Borders contest, but Len says they can't get hold of the winner. They aren't claiming me! (Truly, this is what Len told us.)

Monica Devane loves RANT. Concert was "transplendant".

Barb Shewchuk still misses Mick, but has to say Andy is a great guitarist. Morons - too much like hard work!

Diana writes that the bands hot. Same birthday as Trudi. We were at Seabright. Says show was great.

Jeff Dingfield has converted his friends. New converts - that's what we need! Nice one, Jeff.

Randy Tyler was at Towson - traveled 150 miles. Deserves a mention!

Rikard: So - go to the Oslo gig in January. They still let Swedes in!

Brent: There you go.

John Mitchell: Don't remember anything about Ginger Baker. North Carolina. People have to pay to see us. Have never heard from any promoter in N.C.

Bob Papp asks how do I keep so youthful. Blush, blush. My record collection is about to perish. I save one record - what is it? RANT.

David Pike: I actually have a soft spot for the Wyvern in Swindon. I'd like to work there again. We'll see.

Jim Hardy says he can get Suzanne the backs of the albums she wanted. email address: [email protected] Thanks Jim.

Bryan McGowan loves RANT. Says it's getting some airplay for WLNG 92.1 in Sag Harbor. Thank you, Bryan. We need all the radio we can get.

Linda L. Johnson: Hope you got your pictures.

Joe Eglash: Appreciated.

Ally: No problem.

Rosalind: The Astoria's not creepy. I love playing there. Make sure you're there next time!

Hillary loved LUPOS - loves RANT.

Ken: Now we've been through this L.A. thing too many times.

Michael Doyle: I don't have a problem with Ireland. It's got to be right, though.

Ed Waters: The old autograph signing thing varies. I'm usually pretty tired when I come off stage. It's a question of potluck, really. But the show we've been doing is tiring. So forgive me if I missed you.

Clyde Hartman: Are there any "uncredited" performances by Ronno and me. Probably. Try EBay. Thanks for the idea, as well.

Kate: How is Morelli doing these days? Haven't seen him in a while.

This week in NY: Thanks for the review.

George Manglaris: I'd love to play Austin, but there's nothing around that area I can do before or after.

Amy Bevevino: Only just got this so it's too late. Hardly timely, but there you go!

Rick Pikula: Former love God, now King of Scotch. Hey Rick. That was then and this is now. We had a good time over at the place, whenever that was. Was Sparky there? Somebody said he was. Oh, Well.

Lenny Verne want the chords to "Rose". Can't remember them.

David Jackson: Haven't got as far as thinking about doing London in 2002. Maybe. We record a lot of gigs.

Steve O'Neill: My regards to David Sandison. It's been awhile.

John Hassan: Loved Irving Plaza. Found "Diary" in Virgin Megastore on 44th and Broadway in NYC. He found "Artful Dodger" at Sam Good's in a Mall in West Hartford. Funny old world. Do I have any memories of Johnny Thunders. No, not really. The "Dolls" were a lovely bunch of guys, but I remember David and the bass player best. The bass player literally worshipped Pete Watts and David - well, David's a star - a real one. What, you work for ESPN? You got the champions league (soccer) on ESPN 2, right? Not really, but thanks for your offer. You have some good stuff over there. Yeah, you're not far from me.

Jack has been nagging VH1 for storytellers. What did they tell you?

Dave Foucher: Boston does rock. I just like to have fun with it. I use two Les Paul Juniors on the road - both 1956. "Ain't gonna trade with paid n' the New York Dolls." There was much ado with the "Dolls" in NY at that time and I resented it because at that point they lacked substance and were not being allowed by their managers time to catch up. If somebody had put the Dolls in a house for a year, taught them how to play and kept them away from dope they could have been the biggest band in the world.

Nora says there was a lovely review from the Boston show. I did see it, Nora. Thanks.

Richard M. Reid says "Two Miles From Heaven" is brilliant. Angel Air sent me something a while back. One I liked; one was dodgy.

Danny Nova: I've got a number for Kaufman. I'll get Trudi to email it to you. I saw him in NY a year ago. Just the same, only slightly larger. He's a pilot, but still dabbles. He was trying to get a protege off the ground.

Hill: You're welcome.

Mitchell: The track was called "23A Swan Hill". The album is "The Artful Dodger."

Steve Parsons: Yeah, no problem. Me and Mill will pop round and do a few on the sofa.

Charley: Go for it.

Nicole Apostola loved Boston. Will we do Worcester, Mass. Actually, a few people mention Worcester. Must be something going on up there. We'll see.

Bryan McGinnis: Asks if "Overnight Angels" is available anywhere. I believe Sony is re-issuing it in the UK in January of 2002.

Jane T: We'll get to Austin eventually.

Glen Jones: Better late than never. Thanks for the invite but this is not the best place for last minute interviews as I only see it after said tour is over. Fuel 2000 in LA, Len Fico. or David Millman our PR man in LA is the way to go.

Danny Finnel: How was it for you. Louisville, I mean.

Ellen McIntyre: How was it for you. Louisville, I mean.

Kermit Holiday makes a point. Do some people take it personally if I don't make it to their town, i.e. all this stuff about me not making the west coast? I don't think they take it personally, but some get a little pissed off. It is really weird being dictated to by radio. That's totally the wrong way round. This is where radio makes its big mistake. Play the people what they want. This eventual suicide. Radio is just so unbelievably stupid. I tried listening to it last night. It's so bad. I mean, it's not bad because it's not playing RANT. It's just bloody awful in general. The premise of "giving people what they want and what they are used to" is so incredibly short sighted. You cancel the unknown - you cancel being led somewhere else - you cancel the magic of radio. Sick. Radio is taking you guys for idiots and killing music and the knowledge of music in the process. So, promoters don't know you've got an album out because it's not on the radio so they don't book you on the West Coast and then I get moaned at. You know the weird thing is that 50% of my email comes from the West Coast. I know there's a demand, but they know better.

Randy Tyler: Andy York (lead guitar), Steve Holley (drums), James Mastro (guitar/mandolin), Tony Shanahan (bass), Georgie Woods (keyboards).

David A. Kulczyk: Sorry about that David. Only now checking emails.

DR Combs: Didn't we do this before? Wants to know if Trudi has ever been on stage with me? No, she hasn't. I tried to get her up in San Francisco once on her birthday, but she disappeared on me.

Masayo Hisatomix: Thanks for the photos - they're great.

So, that's it then. I'll try not to leave it so long in the future. We've been running about so things have gotten a little behind. We do have a life apart from all this, you'll be happy to know, so it's onward to Christmas. Have a good one everybody. I'll try and get to you again sometime before the new year.

Bye for now,
IH
The Horse's Mouth