RAW & WILD - Interview - Nigel Glockler

:: INTERVIEW TO NIGEL GLOCKLER - ITALIAN VERSION

Q - Well Nigel, how is your life changed, since the time you had to leave Saxon? It was very hard for you to make this choice, wasn't it?

A - Yes, it was a hard decision, but my injury helped me make it - my doctor told me to stop playing for a while to let the muscle mend, which it has now, and i'm back in action! I had been wanting to do an album for a while and also i wanted try and break into doing music for film and tv which i'm now doing. I do miss the touring as i have a lot of friends in different countries and going there for concerts was a way of seeing them again - mind you, it's good to have email, so at least i can keep in touch. I also miss meeting the fans which i always enjoy. Nowadays my time is spent in my studio doing a lot of writing - being on tour would not have given me the time to do this. I haven't ruled out going on the road again - maybe with the Mad Men project - we'll have to see what happens.

Q - But you didn't break off your collaboration with 'em (at least till "Metalhead"ï¿½)

A - No, Biff and i are always in touch, Nibbs and Paul as well - we're really good friends, and will be for life - when you've been together for so long a certain bond develops and we'll never lose that. I wrote the intro for Metalhead and also co-wrote four tracks for Killing Ground - "Killing Ground", "Shadows On The Wall", "Dragon's Lair", and "You Don't Know What You've Got" - they asked me to go to the studio for the writing sessions and i jumped at the chance. Biff has also asked me to write the next album with them.

Q - How could we describe, in few words, 15 years of your carrer with Saxon?

A - Great fun, hard work, a great way of seeing the world, fantastic being able to meet so many people, and being able to constantly improve my playing.

Q - What do you think about their new releases "Metalhead" and "Killing Ground"?

A - I'm not being biased but I really do like them - they continue a trend that was started on "Dogs Of War" - that title track was pretty heavy musically, we continued it on "Unleash The Beast", and I think these two latest albums go along in the same vein, maybe even heavier!

Q - Talk me about "Mad Man And English Dogs" and the message hidden in it.

A - There really isn't a hidden message - the album started out as a solo project for me - i had a load of stuff written and, originally, i wanted to get Doug in as a session player, but we wrote some things together so it seemed a good idea to do it all together. I've always been into prog-rock, the melodic side of it, lots of keyboards etc - you know, Genesis, Yes, plus some of the heavier stuff that came along later, and that was the direction my writing sometimes took. So I had a lot of ideas that were not suitable for Saxon, but I wanted to use them somehow - hence the direction that is Mad Men. Doug and I wrote things that we liked, and used musical ideas that had influenced our playing through the years. As regards the name, Doug mentioned we needed something different like the English saying "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" - I just turned it around as a joke, but, the more we thought about it the more it seemed a catchy title!!

Q - I know, you are going to prepare a new album; talk me about it in detail.

A - I've still got some stuff that was left over from the first album, so i'm looking at that, plus a load of ideas keep popping into my head - i try and put everything down, however basic it is - if i get stuck where to go next, i leave it and come back to it later. I am planning on having some tracks with vocals this time round and maybe getting some guests in on the action! Musically, it will be in the same vein as the first album, maybe even more melodic, heavier, who knows?? Don't worry - I don't plan to suddenly go Hip-Hop!!!!!!!

www.nigelglockler.com

R