The first song I can remember hearing
Dawn feat. Tony Orlando – ‘Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree’
“It was on the radio a lot. My mum hated it. She was very opposed to the Vietnam War and hated the connotations of that song.”
The first song I fell in love with
Elton John – ‘Your Song’
“I had a brother named Tom. He was seven years older than I was, so I ended up wanting to be him and do everything like him; I was probably the first kid in second grade that was an Aerosmith fan. But the first song that I really fell in love with? It would have to be Elton John, ‘Your Song’. I just love the melody and I thought he sang it so beautifully.”
The first album I bought
Bob Seger – ‘Night Moves’
“Bob Seger wrote really linear stories. It wasn’t like a Pink Floyd song, which was loaded with metaphors. He wrote a song called ‘Mainstreet’ and it was about a kid walking down Main Street, passing a pool hall and a strip bar. He wrote these fantastic stories about those teenage years and, like, that first girl, where you took her to the point and made out. I really connected with that.”
The first gig I went to
Pat Benatar in Toronto, 1980s
“The first concert I ever went to was Pat Benatar in Toronto. I was 15 and it was embarrassing, but it was one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen. In fact, I met [guitarist] Neil Giraldo many years later and I said, ‘You’re the reason why I bought a B.C. Rich [guitar] and part of me won’t ever forgive you.’”
The first song I learned to play
Jim Croce – ‘Operator’
“It was the easiest chord configuration and my voice somehow worked with it. I remember really getting thrilled with knowing a song from beginning to end, including the bridge, and once I realised that was possible, I started to play a lot more.”
The song I do at karaoke
America – ‘Sister Golden Hair’
“If I’m drunk enough, I’ll do a song by America called ‘Sister Golden Hair’. You have to be drunk to start, so I’d expect that my performances of it are not great. I’m lucky if I keep my clothes on through to the end.”
The song by another artist I wish I’d written
Tom Petty – ‘Honey Bee’
“Oh, there’s a thousand. ‘Honey Bee’ by Tom Petty would definitely be one of them. It’s a simple song, but it’s such a badass rock tune and it’s so much fun to play. We played it last set but I certainly wish I’d written that.”
The song I want played at my funeral
Bruce Springsteen – ‘Born To Run’
“Oh, I haven’t thought about that! I spend most of my time thinking about the tombstone – I haven’t considered the song. Maybe Bruce Springsteen, ‘Born To Run’, or ‘Racing In The Street’. I think those songs would have encapsulated, on some level, my life.”
This interview was originally published in a June 2017 issue of NME
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