Bryan Adams
How the devil are you?
I'm quite all right. Iīve been working quite hard on trying to relax after my tour. That can be a very dificult thing because you get into a certain way of life onthe road. I tried going away. In fact, I'm going away to Jamaica soon to try and start writing again with Mutt (Lange). We wanted to go somewhere warm and somewhere that has a musical environment and Mutt wanted to go to a place that was convenient for America.
What do you get up to on a day-to-day basis?
I've been spending most of my time building a portable studio. I seem to spend a lot of time not doing too much but I really don't know where the time goes. And although I've finished touring with a big crew and everything, I'm still doing occasional gigs.
You sang with Pavarotti recently.
Yeah, I was a guest at his gig. It was quite chaotic but I took my dad down and we had a real laugh. He loves opera and he got to meet Pavarotti and hang out and eat spaghetti with him. Luciano cooked for us.
Does he make a demon spag. bol.?
A little too much cheese for my taste but it was OK. But my father is a huge fan and when he told Pavarotti that he bought his first UK release back in the '70s, he was really surprised.
What do you talk to The Pav about?
Music, man. But food mostly.
Wasn't it a bit of a contrast, your old croak and his fantastic operatic warble?
No, amazingly enough, our voices sounded really good together. They were compatible, which surprised a lot of people.
What do you think of when you think of Q?
I think about the time when they asked me to write a diary about being in Vietnam. I really enjoyed doing that. Itīs a bit frightening when I think about playing all those funny places now. Itīs like, Did I really do that? I normally pick up Q when I'm at airports. It's a good in-flight read.
What do you think would surprise people most about you?
That I take the tube when I get back to Heathrow. Itīs much quicker. There, Thatīll surprise people.
In your band Sweeney Todd in 1977 you looked like a member of the New York Dolls.
Actually, that ws a bit of a non event band. I cut my hair from being really long and it was a sort of glam thing, trying to be like The Sweet. I was the singer and the only reason I joined them was because I went to see them and told them that I could probably sing better than the guy they had singing, so they took me on. It lasted just over a year.
Does it embarrass you when you see a photograph of yourself with ludicrous hair and satin flares from that time?
No, I think itīs just really funny. I was 16, man.
When was the last time you were blind drunk?
What? Do you mean falling down drunk or just kind of giggly?
Snot-flying drunk.
That's a good question. Probably when I was in my twenties. A combination of Beaujolais Nouveau and German schnapps. Actually, we did a gig in Milan in '91 where I drank quite a bit on stage. I was drinking lemon vodka because the drummer was drinking it and I thought, Why not? I heard a bootleg of that show and, remarkably enough, it's pretty good. I thought my pitching might be out but I guess I was lucky.
How has your life changed in the last eight years?
I think it's got better. When I turned 30 it was like someone took the blinkers off me. I moved over here to Britain and I was suddenly very free. A lot of changes had happened in personal and business things and I was thrown into this adventure.
Are you a more evolved person?
Do you know what's probably the most important thing? I became vegetarian. I was getting ill on tour just eating steaks and stuff and it was making me feel bad. So I haven't eaten meat for six years. It was a very significant change for me physically and psychologically. I've heard that eating meat can make you more aggressive but I felt more energised after I became vegetarian. I wish someone had told me about it 25 years ago.
What's the king of the vegetable kingdom?
The potato. Without a doubt. It is The King. The Elvis of vegetables.
Have you ever talked to Linda McCartney about her vegetarian products?
No, I haven't but I'd like to. We could discuss the merits of veggie sausages. She uses eggs though, doesn't she? I donīt eat them.
What is the prince of cheeses?
That's difficult for me because I don't really eat cheese. I'll eat a little bit of cheese but the thing about cheese is that it has rennet in it. But generally the one I'll eat is mozzarella - it's versatile and it kind of takes on the flavour of whatever you're eating it with while retaining its own flavour.
Is what you do worthwhile?
I don't know. I don't think about my contribution, as such. (Rubs stubble).
So how do you validate what you do?
I don't! That a bizarre question.
As the co-author of the world's smoochiest hit, when did you last have a smoochie dance?
Just the other day. How did you know that? I was in my house and I put on some Otis Redding and me and my girlfriend had a smoochie dance. Just as we were standing there.
You a good smoocher?
She was pretty good. She took the lead, I just hung on and hoped for the best.
Did you feel relieved when Wet Wet Wet stole your title for the longest reigning Number 1 single?
I've been waiting for someone to ask me this. I was pleased for old Reg (Presley). Good for him, that's what I say. I think it's funny that someone might even spend time thinking about breaking a record like that. It's kind of amusing. Who cares?
You walk into a bar and Everything I Do is playing. What do you do? Run out? Blush a lot?
Oh, it's not too bad. It's worse when you go to a place like the Far East and the guy in the piano lounge notices you coming in and he'll look at you and wink and then it's, Dink-a-dink-a-dink.
Do you still play it live?
Oh yeah. It's actually a beautiful song to sing live.
Do people in the audience still contemplate the possibility of in-stadium reproduction while you're singing it?
No, that was a case for a while but I think the hardcore smoochers have probably moved on to Wet Wet Wet.
Tell us a joke.
A guy has been worried about an illness for some time, so he goes to a doctor for his diagnosis and the doctor says, Sorry, thereīs no cure. The guy says, No cure? What do you mean, no cure? I want a second opinion. And the doctor says, OK, youīre ugly too.
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