![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/gillan9.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/paice2.jpg)
Very much calling the shots
Truemetal.it has an interview with Don Airey on the occasion of his new solo album Pushed To The Edge about to be released. The conversation also veered to discuss other parts of Don’s illustrious career — just check out the anecdote of parting the Red Sea at six o’clock in the morning to meet Jerry Garcia. Hopefully, such stories will be part of the book he is working on:
You mentioned some of the stories from your career, and I imagine you could have so many more to tell. Have you ever thought of writing a biography?
Well, I’ve written a lot of it down. I’m kind of writing the book, and the publishers are interested. “How are you doing?”. I’m always halfway through, you know, because career keeps going on [laughs] and on and on [laughs]. But I’m going to finish it this year. So, I’m making a determined effort. I know I’m quite amazed when I look back at some of the things I’ve done and what I’ve been through. It’s quite unusual, especially now. You know, it’s so long ago. It’s a different world that we live in now to the one I grew up in, musically. So many things have changed and yet nothing’s changed, you know, with music, really. It’s the same story. You know, what you need is a tune and a riff. When you’re somebody who looks alright and can sell it, you know. I remember Crosby, Stills and Nash saying something. The first time they toured, they toured for the girls. The second time it was for the money. And the third tour was for the music. [Laughs] And that’s something that always stuck with me. Being in a band, for me, when I first joined a band when I was in my teenage years, life changed. My life changed. I went from being a rather lonely, academic kind of guy who was interested in Chopin and Schumann to… You know, the world opened up to me, even though it just meant playing different places in my hometown. But sometimes going 12 miles to do a gig. And of course, you know, chased by girls and making new friends. It was very exciting. And it’s still the same, really.
Read more on Truemetal.it
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Don is a treasure for DP to have. Smart choice.
Humble beginnings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zujFqlJYVhI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12ENohs_QRM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nHIVnurZLU
A very young and fresh-faced Donnie Boy here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyLf3HRixW4
March 18th, 2025 at 03:58