Interview Barrie Masters
Sunday 15th May 2016
Road Legend Festival (Vienne)
Welcome again on rock-interviews Barrie.
Barrie : Hello.
AM : The latest interview with us was in 2008,
so let's see what's the news with The Hot Rods.
Tell me Barrie, what is Class of 76?
Barrie : It is a new band, with
Nigel Bennet on guitar from The Members,
Russ Strutter on bass. He used to play with
Wilko Johnson and
Steve Nicol, the original drummer of the Hot Rods.
We are playing songs that we've all been involved in,
in someway or another and tracks that we just love.
People really want to see us live and play fast.
We have done a few gigs so far, and it's been really good fun..
Let's speak about 2 Sides.
Barrie : People asked us for another album.
We had a lot of old tracks, studio and live ones.
So it is a collection of released and unreleased songs
that we put together on a double album.
If I tell you, Christmas single, what can you say?
We had new songs and one of them was not right for an album.
Dipster came up with some great lyrics as a Christmas single.
We recorded it and it sounded quite good. So, we released it,
last year, but a bit early for Christmas, so it would probably
be released again this year.
AM : And it is called...
Barrie : It Feels Like Christmas.
40 year career, bravo!
Barrie : Yeah.
AM : So, what new bands or musicians do you think
you have influenced or inspired?
I don't know exactly who we have influenced.
There are a lot of new bands, but we never got to
hear about it until afterwards. We've been voted one
of the ninth most influencial bands of all time.
I think we are, because we've never tried to copy or
follow anyone, we have always just been us. Now, there
are a lot of bands seeing that we are an individual and
a different band. We wish good luck to all the new bands.
Who are your best friends in the music business?
Apart from the bands I am working with, there are lots
of people and producers, too many to mention.
The guys who came up with us in the 70's, the Punk and Rock'n'roll
bands. We still keep in touch and meet up on some festivals and gigs.
It is a lot of more friendly than people think, because we have
all been in the same game for such a long time, so everyone gets
on with each other really well.
Who are your best musicians friends?
The people I spend the most of my time with, the Hot Rods and Class of 76.
You know because we are always working, we have not much time
to speak to the other bands, to go out and have a beer together.
AM : Yes. You have toured with
Status Quo for instance.
Barrie : Yes, through all these years, also with
Aerosmith, and so on, we met and kept in touch with.
Barrie : Yes, lots of the English bands we toured with.
We know each others for such a long time, we are all friends.
Where are you going to tour in the months to come?
We've been to Denmark, Sweden, Finland, France, everywhere.
We've got two tours in Spain; we have to finish up a
Dr Feelgood tour in England, and another month left to do. So it never ends!
AM : Thank you very much for your time Barrie enjoy the gigs to come.
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