NO LOOKING BACK
Story and photo by John Chambrone
(Published in Dec 2006, thanks John Chambrone for sending this to JWOL)
LARGO FL-
It was twenty two years ago to the day that I saw John Waite in concert for the first time. Back in 1984, his hit “Missing You,” topped the charts and continues to be a favorite of his fans as well as his contemporaries. In the nineties, Tina Turner did a version of the song and this year not only did Waite update it by making it a duet with Allison Krauss, but rocker Rod Stewart also released his version of Waite’s signature tune. I got the chance to sit down and chat with Waite after his recent Largo performance. He said he
was honored when Turner decided to sing his song, especially since it was her
song “River Deep Mountain High,” that he cranked on his record player in his bedroom when he was 11 years old. He said that she did a “fantastic” job and that he was moved that she used his phrasing. A few years later, it was Stewart’s voice with the Jeff Beck Band and the Faces that emanated from that record player. Stewart was a huge influence on Waite. “To have Rod do one of your songs, for an Englishman, it meant more to me than Tina. It blew my mind, but for Rod to say, ‘Here is a song by an old friend of mine,’…I was really touched. I thought it was really great. I met him a few times and had a few
drinks with him. I have always liked Rod.” Stewart will be performing at the St. Pete Times Forum on January 17.
The duet with Krauss came about by his manager calling hers and asking. They
called back in an hour with a resounding ‘yes.’ The two met in Nashville and instantly connected musically. “She is the most intense, sincere person and I feel very privileged to have worked with her. To have her sing 'Missing You' with me... it is one of my five biggest moments in my career.” When asked what the other three were, Waite mentioned the time he jammed with the Who’s Pete Townsend and the time he performed with former Small Faces founder Steve Marriott. Both of those moments took place in New York City, Waite’s adopted home of almost twenty years. It happened at a time when he was disgusted with his career and it is just what he needed. “They were two people that I revered and really truly loved. It changed how I felt about New York. I stayed there for eighteen years. I miss everything about that city; the architecture, the weather, central park, the snow, the ruggedness of the weather, the people…they are so truthful. All of my deep relationships have been about the eastern seaboard." Waite left New York for a couple of years due to personal reasons, but plans on moving back there next year.
These days it seems like every band under the sun is having some sort of reunion. During his three decades in the world of music, Waite fronted not one but two very successful bands. In the late seventies his pipes were heard singing the songs “Headfirst,” “Isn’t it Time,” and “Midnight Rendezvous,” with the Baby’s. In the late eighties it was “When I See You Smile,” that made the band Bad English popular. I wondered if any type of reunion was on the horizon for either of his former bands. I was surprised that he practically said no way in hell. “I would never go backwards. When I work with bands that is what I do. It is a great wild time and it is a hit and everything, but I
don't do it for the money. After the energy has been gone from a situation I can't imagine why you would go back to that sort of thing. Why would you go back unless it was for the money?” These days Waite is very content to be touring with his guitarist Jimmy Leahey. The pair has been playing together for the past three years. During that time, they played what seemed like every Border’s Book Store in America. This experience gave Waite a chance to reconnect with America and the public. " I lost all of my stage fright and it made me into a better artist.”
We talked a little bit about the power of music. The ‘product’ that has been coming out recently is just that. Calling most rock and roll “homogenized, ” Waite refuses to be a cookie cutter artist. “No matter who comes out, they are dominated by some guy behind a desk. Unless you are from the East Village of New York and have a really good rock band with a really good lawyer that will keep those people away from you, it is all product. How can you be in a world where rock and roll is a product? Right now it is dominated by companies that are losing ground because of I tunes and the internet, telling the artists how to do things, and artists are coming back with rock and roll.”
Twenty years ago John Lennon proved to us that music can change the world. “
Lennon gave us a tremendous political statement that alters how we think about
the world, and how our government runs our life. Songs like 'Give Peace a Chance' were instrumental in ending the Vietnam War because it gave the man on the street a song to sing outside the White House. The White House eventually had to say 'all right we have to pull the troops out.' That is how great rock and roll can be. Rock and roll is bigger than the ******** ****. Rock and roll is incredibly powerful and it is our voice. It is the people that don’t wear suits, the real people, and it will survive, and maintain and change politics.”
Speaking of the Beatles, Waite revered the fab four. “I love the Beatles more than I can put into words.” He jumped at the chance to tour with Ringo Starr a couple of years ago. The Beatles former drummer usually enlists some pop stars for a summer tour and Waite was one of them. He said that Starr was a nice guy and great to work with. He also admitted to being spoiled a bit on that tour. “We all adored Ringo, it was fun playing with him then flying around in a private jet eating lobster sandwiches and champagne.” His latest tour may not be as lavish, but he is having a blast just the same. This time around, he performed for a couple hundred folks at the Largo Cultural Center. The acoustic show gave Waite the chance to get up close and personal with his fans. He even offered anyone who wanted to come on stage and sing with him. One concert go-er took him up on his offer and sang the chorus of “Back on my Feet Again,’ with him. He thought she was cute so called her back up to sing the song, “Change,” with him a few songs later. During the performance he joked about how bad the show was the night before at Arrowfest in Houston, Texas where he played for thousands of people. He liked the mellow atmosphere of the Largo show and seemed to be enjoying himself with the
more intimate crowd. The acoustic set showcased his career by including most of hit hits whether they are solo or with one of his former bands. Waite prefers to perform acoustically, “I like being truthful with the sound which is what you get unplugged. I am fortunate that my audience allows me to do an unplugged country thing. Then we kick out the jams and do 2/3 of the set with a full band usually.”
Waite’s version of “Missing You,” with Krauss, can be found on his latest release, “Downtown – Journey of a Heart.” Describing the new record as kind of a greatest hits album, Waite stated that musically he is going back to square one. He went back through his catalog and re-recorded some of his favorites. The magic of the duet inspired him and he wrote two new songs that he put on the record. “The record really changed. It isn't really a greatest hits and it isn't really a new record. I think people might get it. It is like a crash course in John Waite. ‘Missing You’ is just so profoundly beautiful. It is better than the original.” When I mentioned that I hadn’t heard that version yet, Waite asked for my address and said he’d mail me a copy. Three days later, I received a personally autographed copy of the cd. I thought that was very cool of him. The disc is out in Europe now and should be in stores in the states early next year. “If you buy it I will be able to come back and play for you again.”
