------------------------------------------------------- JULY 2004 ------------------------------------------------------- Source: BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/oxford/music/2004/07/yes.shtml Yes men coming to Oxford By Jeremy Stern Rick Wakeman went from being a member of 70s prog rockers Yes, to Countdown's dictionary corner....and back again. He spoke to BBC Oxford's Jeremy Stern about the old days and a charity show at the New Theatre on July 11. Jeremy Stern: As Yes made their name during the 1970s you lived a hedonistic lifestyle to the full. How close were you to not surviving this period? Rick Wakeman: VERY CLOSE . APPARENTLY ACCORDING TO DOCTORS I SHOULD HAVE POPPED MY CLOGS AGES AGO. THREE HEART ATTACKS, SCLEROSIS OF THE LIVER, ALCOHOLIC HEPATITIS, CHRONIC AND DOUBLE PNEUMONIA, PLEUROSY, A PLANE CRASH, TWO MAJOR CAR CRASHES .......I THINK I'LL STOP HERE, IT'S BEGINNING TO WORRY ME!! JS: What was your defining decadent rock'n'roll moment? RW: I'M AFRAID IF IT WERE PRINTED ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB , RADIO OXFORD WOULD LOSE IT'S LICENSE! I HAVE HAD MY MOMENTS I MUST ADMIT. SOME ARE FUNNY, SOME ARE NAUGHTY, AND SOME ARE JUST PLAIN UNBELIEVABLE. THE BEST KNOWN OF THE ONES THAT CAN BE TOLD PROBABLY INCLUDE THE ORDERING AND EATING OF A CURRY ON STAGE IN MANCHESTER, HIRING TOPLESS WOMEN TO RUN ON STAGE DURING A FINAL YES SHOW OF AN AMERICAN TOUR AND HAVING A RADIO STATION CLOSED DOWN FOR THE NIGHT FOR GETTING THE DJ DRUNK AND INCAPABLE OF CONTINUING. JS: What were the best/worst things about being in the band first time round? RW: THE BEST WAS THE MUSIC ....IT WAS A PERIOD OF TIME WHEN THE MUSICIAN WAS AHEAD OF TECHNOLOGY. THE EARLY SEVENTIES WERE AMAZING FOR THIS. THE WORST WAS UNDOUBTEDLY BEING TOTALLY INEXPERIENCED AS REGARDS THE BUSINESS SIDE OF THINGS... AND BOY DID WE PAY FOR OUR INGNORANCE! (STILL PAYING IN FACT)! JS: Was David Bowie a delight to work with or was he a difficult man? RW: HE WAS AND STILL IS A GENIUS AND A DREAM TO WORK WITH, I LEARNED MORE FROM DAVID THAN ANYBODY AT THAT PERIOD OF TIME. HUNKY DORY IS ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF MY EARLY CAREER AND I AM REALLY PROUD TO HAVE WORKED WITH HIM AND TO KNOW HIM. JS: The concert at the New Theatre on July 11 will raise money for the Helen House Hospice in Oxford. How did you get involved? RW: I VISITED THEM DURING THE RECORDING OF AN EASTER TV SPECIAL FOR THE BBC. I VOWED I WOULD TRY AND HELP THEM IF EVER THE OPPORTUNITY AROSE. HELEN HOUSE IS SUCH AN INCREDIBLE PLACE AND DOES SUCH WONDERFUL WORK THAT NOT ONLY WILL THIS CONCERT RAISE MUCH NEEDED FUNDS BUT ALSO WILL BE REALLY GOOD FOR ALL CONCERNED SPIRITUALLY. ----------------------------------------------- Concert details: Who: YES plus Guests Where: New Theatre (formerly the Apollo Theatre) George Street, Oxford. Box Office: 0870 606 3500 or 24hr ticket hotline No: 0870 735 5000 When: 11th July 2004 Why: A Special Charity Show To Raise Money For Helen House Write: BBC Oxford, 269 Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 7DW E-mail: oxford.online@bbc.co.uk>oxford.online@bbc.co.uk Phone: (08459) 311 444 ----------------------------------------------- Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, inquiries, corrections, or additions, contact yitp@yesservices.com