Chords for John Otway | Interview | 28th Sept 2014 | Music-News.com
Tempo:
72.375 bpm
Chords used:
G
C
Dm
F
Eb
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[Dm] [Fm] [Dm] [Fm] John Otway, nice to meet [N] you.
You're just here, HMV just about to launch the new DVD film.
How did it all come about?
Well, we had a campaign with the fans to [Eb] get a hit for my 50th birthday [N] and everybody kept wondering what I was going to do for the 60th.
And I decided it should be a movie.
And so basically sold tickets for the premiere for the OG of Lester Square and used the money for the premiere to make the movie.
And it's done rather well, we've been going to 50 cinemas last year.
No, no, unbelievable.
It's a real sort of career [G] retrospective.
When you look back on everything you've done, and you've done an immense amount, [Bb] and successful or not, [G] whatever way you want to look at it, you're still going and you're still doing it.
I mean, what [N] drives you forward?
The threat of having to do a proper day's work, I think.
No, no, that's true.
I mean, I decided when I was nine I wanted to be a pop star, but I always wanted to have more than two hits.
How do you measure success, sort of personally?
Hits.
[A] [Em] And there's not as many as I'd like.
I mean, I remember seeing you in about 87, 88, the play on Kenton, nearly 30 years ago we're talking now.
And I mean, you were jumping off the PA system thing, you're going absolutely, I just thought you were [F] crazy, absolutely brilliant, but more of [N] almost a performance artist than an artist, than a record artist in a sense.
But the film didn't seem to capture that sort of angle.
So anyway, even body talk was sort of left off it in a way.
I mean, there was a certain amount of theatrics in the movie.
I mean, certainly that bit in the Anthony Markey Square where I'm swinging from the scaffolding.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I remember that.
And there's bits from the Albert Hall footage.
Skipping with my shirt and stuff.
I mean, there's elements of that.
What do you think is your best single personally then?
I always liked Geneva, but not many other people.
[E] It's [Eb] a great song, you know, there's no doubt [N] about it.
But you say top three, what would you say?
I mean, just my favourite song, I like a song called Poetry and Jazz that took me two and a half years to write, so I quite like that as a song, just for the amount of sheer effort that went into it.
But obviously I like the hits.
And there's two of those, Bones and Burn are really great.
How do you write then?
What's the process that you go through?
I don't know, apart from the fact that I'm more a [B] wordsmith than a musician, so I do tend [G] to start words first.
Who do you listen to, let's say, if we looked at your iPod or record player?
I'm not going to joke about [N] this, there's basically two artists on my iPod, Bob Dylan and John Otway.
But John Otway just wins.
[Eb] It's just a little more John Otway than there is Bob Dylan.
How's Wild [G] Willie Barrett these days?
He's probably in the middle of a tour at the moment, and that's going really well.
And we're doing Leicester Co-Op Theatre tonight.
Yeah, I know, unbelievable.
Is that really the [N] best it's ever been?
Or is this a career sort of thing?
Yeah, the show's as good as ever.
Great stuff.
There's a bottle of water, we [Gb] might as well have that.
Oh man, thanks a lot.
[Em] [E] You always strike me as a man on a mission.
Are [N] you still on that mission?
And when are you going to get there?
What's the destination?
I don't know, I have [G] described it as a very steep [N] mountain with no summit.
So you just keep climbing up and up, and a very steep side so you can fall from.
I don't think you can fall, to be honest.
That's the beauty.
Yes, it has been fun.
I'm never back to work for anything.
Exactly.
And you've got a massive cult following, which is the best following to have really.
They'll follow you almost blindly through whatever.
[B] There's a bunch of people who share my sense of humour.
[Gm] Yeah, exactly.
[G] I'm one of them to be honest.
It's an absolute pleasure [F] to be here as well.
[G] What's left to achieve then?
What do you look at now?
The 60th birthday.
Are you going to plan for that now as soon as this is over?
We've got other projects.
[Bm] I've done a promo for the movie.
I'm working on a [C] Christmas single for this year, a Christmas hit.
[N] What's the title of that then?
We haven't worked it out.
I have though organised two reindeer to pull my C5.
So I suppose when it comes [B] down to it, how do I [C] write songs, I [D] think, and what would look [Eb] good for a Christmas single?
So I start by hiring two reindeer for [N] a C5.
I saw you outside, obviously holding up all the traffic on Oxford Street.
Absolutely brilliant with the C5s.
Why the C5 then?
They were a complete disaster in 1985 when [A] they were made by Clive Sinclair.
There's some [B] synchronicity I thought between Rock and [N] Roll's greatest failure and the Sinclair C5.
Yeah, absolutely.
If you had to [C] pick three tracks, for somebody that's [G] laughing, news and news [N] watchers that are just watching this,
what three singles, I know you said that you're favourites, but what three songs would sum you up as an artist, do you think, across your whole career?
Poetry and jazz, I mentioned earlier, in terms of lyrics.
[G] I'm giving Ed butts in terms of stupidity and I'm really free in terms of a hit.
Fantastic.
Well, look, anything else to say?
It's been a pleasure to meet you.
Anything else to say to music news watchers?
No, but it's great to see the movie.
We will.
Thanks [F] a lot.
[C] Nice to get to know you.
Thanks a lot.
I'm [Dm] looking forward to this show.
[C] [F] [Dm] [C] [F] [Dm] [C] [Bb]
You're just here, HMV just about to launch the new DVD film.
How did it all come about?
Well, we had a campaign with the fans to [Eb] get a hit for my 50th birthday [N] and everybody kept wondering what I was going to do for the 60th.
And I decided it should be a movie.
And so basically sold tickets for the premiere for the OG of Lester Square and used the money for the premiere to make the movie.
And it's done rather well, we've been going to 50 cinemas last year.
No, no, unbelievable.
It's a real sort of career [G] retrospective.
When you look back on everything you've done, and you've done an immense amount, [Bb] and successful or not, [G] whatever way you want to look at it, you're still going and you're still doing it.
I mean, what [N] drives you forward?
The threat of having to do a proper day's work, I think.
No, no, that's true.
I mean, I decided when I was nine I wanted to be a pop star, but I always wanted to have more than two hits.
How do you measure success, sort of personally?
Hits.
[A] [Em] And there's not as many as I'd like.
I mean, I remember seeing you in about 87, 88, the play on Kenton, nearly 30 years ago we're talking now.
And I mean, you were jumping off the PA system thing, you're going absolutely, I just thought you were [F] crazy, absolutely brilliant, but more of [N] almost a performance artist than an artist, than a record artist in a sense.
But the film didn't seem to capture that sort of angle.
So anyway, even body talk was sort of left off it in a way.
I mean, there was a certain amount of theatrics in the movie.
I mean, certainly that bit in the Anthony Markey Square where I'm swinging from the scaffolding.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I remember that.
And there's bits from the Albert Hall footage.
Skipping with my shirt and stuff.
I mean, there's elements of that.
What do you think is your best single personally then?
I always liked Geneva, but not many other people.
[E] It's [Eb] a great song, you know, there's no doubt [N] about it.
But you say top three, what would you say?
I mean, just my favourite song, I like a song called Poetry and Jazz that took me two and a half years to write, so I quite like that as a song, just for the amount of sheer effort that went into it.
But obviously I like the hits.
And there's two of those, Bones and Burn are really great.
How do you write then?
What's the process that you go through?
I don't know, apart from the fact that I'm more a [B] wordsmith than a musician, so I do tend [G] to start words first.
Who do you listen to, let's say, if we looked at your iPod or record player?
I'm not going to joke about [N] this, there's basically two artists on my iPod, Bob Dylan and John Otway.
But John Otway just wins.
[Eb] It's just a little more John Otway than there is Bob Dylan.
How's Wild [G] Willie Barrett these days?
He's probably in the middle of a tour at the moment, and that's going really well.
And we're doing Leicester Co-Op Theatre tonight.
Yeah, I know, unbelievable.
Is that really the [N] best it's ever been?
Or is this a career sort of thing?
Yeah, the show's as good as ever.
Great stuff.
There's a bottle of water, we [Gb] might as well have that.
Oh man, thanks a lot.
[Em] [E] You always strike me as a man on a mission.
Are [N] you still on that mission?
And when are you going to get there?
What's the destination?
I don't know, I have [G] described it as a very steep [N] mountain with no summit.
So you just keep climbing up and up, and a very steep side so you can fall from.
I don't think you can fall, to be honest.
That's the beauty.
Yes, it has been fun.
I'm never back to work for anything.
Exactly.
And you've got a massive cult following, which is the best following to have really.
They'll follow you almost blindly through whatever.
[B] There's a bunch of people who share my sense of humour.
[Gm] Yeah, exactly.
[G] I'm one of them to be honest.
It's an absolute pleasure [F] to be here as well.
[G] What's left to achieve then?
What do you look at now?
The 60th birthday.
Are you going to plan for that now as soon as this is over?
We've got other projects.
[Bm] I've done a promo for the movie.
I'm working on a [C] Christmas single for this year, a Christmas hit.
[N] What's the title of that then?
We haven't worked it out.
I have though organised two reindeer to pull my C5.
So I suppose when it comes [B] down to it, how do I [C] write songs, I [D] think, and what would look [Eb] good for a Christmas single?
So I start by hiring two reindeer for [N] a C5.
I saw you outside, obviously holding up all the traffic on Oxford Street.
Absolutely brilliant with the C5s.
Why the C5 then?
They were a complete disaster in 1985 when [A] they were made by Clive Sinclair.
There's some [B] synchronicity I thought between Rock and [N] Roll's greatest failure and the Sinclair C5.
Yeah, absolutely.
If you had to [C] pick three tracks, for somebody that's [G] laughing, news and news [N] watchers that are just watching this,
what three singles, I know you said that you're favourites, but what three songs would sum you up as an artist, do you think, across your whole career?
Poetry and jazz, I mentioned earlier, in terms of lyrics.
[G] I'm giving Ed butts in terms of stupidity and I'm really free in terms of a hit.
Fantastic.
Well, look, anything else to say?
It's been a pleasure to meet you.
Anything else to say to music news watchers?
No, but it's great to see the movie.
We will.
Thanks [F] a lot.
[C] Nice to get to know you.
Thanks a lot.
I'm [Dm] looking forward to this show.
[C] [F] [Dm] [C] [F] [Dm] [C] [Bb]
Key:
G
C
Dm
F
Eb
G
C
Dm
[Dm] _ [Fm] _ _ _ [Dm] _ _ [Fm] John Otway, nice to meet [N] you.
You're just here, HMV just about to launch the new DVD film.
How did it all come about?
Well, we had a campaign with the fans to [Eb] get a hit for my 50th birthday [N] and everybody kept wondering what I was going to do for the 60th.
And I decided it should be a movie.
And so basically sold tickets for the premiere for the OG of Lester Square and used the money for the premiere to make the movie.
And it's done rather well, we've been going to 50 cinemas last year.
No, no, unbelievable.
It's a real sort of career [G] retrospective.
When you look back on everything you've done, and you've done an immense amount, [Bb] and successful or not, [G] whatever way you want to look at it, you're still going and you're still doing it.
I mean, what [N] drives you forward? _
The threat of having to do a proper day's work, I think.
No, no, that's true.
I mean, I decided when I was nine I wanted to be a pop star, but I always wanted to have more than two hits.
_ How do you measure success, sort of personally?
Hits.
_ [A] [Em] And there's not as many as I'd like.
I mean, I remember seeing you in about 87, 88, the play on Kenton, nearly 30 years ago we're talking now.
And I mean, you were jumping off the PA system thing, you're going absolutely, I just thought you were [F] crazy, absolutely brilliant, but more of [N] almost a performance artist than an artist, than a record artist in a sense.
But the film didn't seem to capture that sort of angle.
So anyway, even body talk was sort of left off it in a way.
I mean, there was a certain amount of theatrics in the movie.
I mean, certainly that bit in the Anthony Markey Square where I'm swinging from the scaffolding.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I remember that.
And there's bits from the Albert Hall footage.
Skipping with my shirt and stuff.
I mean, there's elements of that.
What do you think is your best single personally then? _ _
I always liked Geneva, but not many other people.
_ [E] It's [Eb] a great song, you know, there's no doubt [N] about it.
But you say top three, what would you say?
I mean, just my favourite song, I like a song called Poetry and Jazz that took me two and a half years to write, so I quite like that as a song, just for the amount of sheer effort that went into it.
But obviously I like the hits.
And there's two of those, Bones and Burn are really great.
How do you write then?
What's the process that you go through?
I don't know, apart from the fact that I'm more a [B] wordsmith than a musician, so I do tend [G] to start words first.
Who do you listen to, let's say, if we looked at your iPod or record player?
I'm not going to joke about [N] this, there's basically two artists on my iPod, Bob Dylan and John Otway.
But John Otway just wins.
[Eb] It's just a little more John Otway than there is Bob Dylan.
_ How's Wild [G] Willie Barrett these days?
He's probably in the middle of a tour at the moment, and that's going really well.
And we're doing Leicester Co-Op Theatre tonight.
Yeah, I know, unbelievable.
Is that really the [N] best it's ever been?
Or is this a career sort of thing?
Yeah, the show's as good as _ ever.
Great stuff.
There's a bottle of water, we [Gb] might as well have that.
Oh man, thanks a lot.
_ [Em] _ [E] You always strike me as a man on a mission.
Are [N] you still on that mission?
And when are you going to get there?
What's the destination?
I don't know, I have [G] described it as a very steep [N] mountain with no summit.
So you just keep climbing up and up, and a very steep side so you can fall from.
I don't think you can fall, to be honest.
That's the beauty.
_ Yes, it has been fun.
I'm never back to work for anything.
Exactly.
And you've got a massive cult following, which is the best following to have really.
They'll follow you almost blindly through whatever.
[B] There's a bunch of people who share my sense of humour.
[Gm] Yeah, exactly.
[G] I'm one of them to be honest.
It's an absolute pleasure [F] to be here as well.
[G] What's left to achieve then?
What do you look at now?
The 60th birthday.
Are you going to plan for that now as soon as this is over?
We've got other projects.
[Bm] I've done a promo for the movie.
I'm working on a [C] Christmas single for this year, a Christmas hit.
[N] What's the title of that then?
We haven't worked it out.
I have though organised two reindeer to pull my C5.
So I suppose when it comes [B] down to it, how do I [C] write songs, I [D] think, and what would look [Eb] good for a Christmas single?
So I start by hiring two reindeer for [N] a C5.
I saw you outside, obviously holding up all the traffic on Oxford Street.
Absolutely brilliant with the C5s.
Why the C5 then?
They were a complete disaster in 1985 when [A] they were made by Clive Sinclair.
There's some [B] synchronicity I thought between Rock and [N] Roll's greatest failure and the Sinclair C5.
Yeah, absolutely.
If you had to [C] pick three tracks, for somebody that's [G] laughing, news and news [N] watchers that are just watching this,
what three singles, I know you said that you're favourites, but what three songs would sum you up as an artist, do you think, across your whole career?
Poetry and jazz, I mentioned earlier, in terms of lyrics.
[G] I'm giving Ed butts in terms of stupidity and I'm really free in terms of a hit.
Fantastic.
Well, look, anything else to say?
It's been a pleasure to meet you.
Anything else to say to music news watchers?
No, but it's great to see the movie.
We will.
Thanks [F] a lot.
[C] Nice to get to know you.
Thanks a lot.
I'm [Dm] looking forward to this show.
[C] _ _ [F] _ [Dm] _ [C] _ _ [F] _ [Dm] _ [C] _ _ [Bb] _ _ _ _
You're just here, HMV just about to launch the new DVD film.
How did it all come about?
Well, we had a campaign with the fans to [Eb] get a hit for my 50th birthday [N] and everybody kept wondering what I was going to do for the 60th.
And I decided it should be a movie.
And so basically sold tickets for the premiere for the OG of Lester Square and used the money for the premiere to make the movie.
And it's done rather well, we've been going to 50 cinemas last year.
No, no, unbelievable.
It's a real sort of career [G] retrospective.
When you look back on everything you've done, and you've done an immense amount, [Bb] and successful or not, [G] whatever way you want to look at it, you're still going and you're still doing it.
I mean, what [N] drives you forward? _
The threat of having to do a proper day's work, I think.
No, no, that's true.
I mean, I decided when I was nine I wanted to be a pop star, but I always wanted to have more than two hits.
_ How do you measure success, sort of personally?
Hits.
_ [A] [Em] And there's not as many as I'd like.
I mean, I remember seeing you in about 87, 88, the play on Kenton, nearly 30 years ago we're talking now.
And I mean, you were jumping off the PA system thing, you're going absolutely, I just thought you were [F] crazy, absolutely brilliant, but more of [N] almost a performance artist than an artist, than a record artist in a sense.
But the film didn't seem to capture that sort of angle.
So anyway, even body talk was sort of left off it in a way.
I mean, there was a certain amount of theatrics in the movie.
I mean, certainly that bit in the Anthony Markey Square where I'm swinging from the scaffolding.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I remember that.
And there's bits from the Albert Hall footage.
Skipping with my shirt and stuff.
I mean, there's elements of that.
What do you think is your best single personally then? _ _
I always liked Geneva, but not many other people.
_ [E] It's [Eb] a great song, you know, there's no doubt [N] about it.
But you say top three, what would you say?
I mean, just my favourite song, I like a song called Poetry and Jazz that took me two and a half years to write, so I quite like that as a song, just for the amount of sheer effort that went into it.
But obviously I like the hits.
And there's two of those, Bones and Burn are really great.
How do you write then?
What's the process that you go through?
I don't know, apart from the fact that I'm more a [B] wordsmith than a musician, so I do tend [G] to start words first.
Who do you listen to, let's say, if we looked at your iPod or record player?
I'm not going to joke about [N] this, there's basically two artists on my iPod, Bob Dylan and John Otway.
But John Otway just wins.
[Eb] It's just a little more John Otway than there is Bob Dylan.
_ How's Wild [G] Willie Barrett these days?
He's probably in the middle of a tour at the moment, and that's going really well.
And we're doing Leicester Co-Op Theatre tonight.
Yeah, I know, unbelievable.
Is that really the [N] best it's ever been?
Or is this a career sort of thing?
Yeah, the show's as good as _ ever.
Great stuff.
There's a bottle of water, we [Gb] might as well have that.
Oh man, thanks a lot.
_ [Em] _ [E] You always strike me as a man on a mission.
Are [N] you still on that mission?
And when are you going to get there?
What's the destination?
I don't know, I have [G] described it as a very steep [N] mountain with no summit.
So you just keep climbing up and up, and a very steep side so you can fall from.
I don't think you can fall, to be honest.
That's the beauty.
_ Yes, it has been fun.
I'm never back to work for anything.
Exactly.
And you've got a massive cult following, which is the best following to have really.
They'll follow you almost blindly through whatever.
[B] There's a bunch of people who share my sense of humour.
[Gm] Yeah, exactly.
[G] I'm one of them to be honest.
It's an absolute pleasure [F] to be here as well.
[G] What's left to achieve then?
What do you look at now?
The 60th birthday.
Are you going to plan for that now as soon as this is over?
We've got other projects.
[Bm] I've done a promo for the movie.
I'm working on a [C] Christmas single for this year, a Christmas hit.
[N] What's the title of that then?
We haven't worked it out.
I have though organised two reindeer to pull my C5.
So I suppose when it comes [B] down to it, how do I [C] write songs, I [D] think, and what would look [Eb] good for a Christmas single?
So I start by hiring two reindeer for [N] a C5.
I saw you outside, obviously holding up all the traffic on Oxford Street.
Absolutely brilliant with the C5s.
Why the C5 then?
They were a complete disaster in 1985 when [A] they were made by Clive Sinclair.
There's some [B] synchronicity I thought between Rock and [N] Roll's greatest failure and the Sinclair C5.
Yeah, absolutely.
If you had to [C] pick three tracks, for somebody that's [G] laughing, news and news [N] watchers that are just watching this,
what three singles, I know you said that you're favourites, but what three songs would sum you up as an artist, do you think, across your whole career?
Poetry and jazz, I mentioned earlier, in terms of lyrics.
[G] I'm giving Ed butts in terms of stupidity and I'm really free in terms of a hit.
Fantastic.
Well, look, anything else to say?
It's been a pleasure to meet you.
Anything else to say to music news watchers?
No, but it's great to see the movie.
We will.
Thanks [F] a lot.
[C] Nice to get to know you.
Thanks a lot.
I'm [Dm] looking forward to this show.
[C] _ _ [F] _ [Dm] _ [C] _ _ [F] _ [Dm] _ [C] _ _ [Bb] _ _ _ _