Anyone watching Rory Gallagher, Ireland's guitarist extraordinaire, performing at the Jethro Tull extravaganza at the LA Coliseum, really couldn't be be blamed for thinking Rory's a fierce, driven man. Onstage, Gallagher's sizzling guitar work , coupled with his dynamic stage presence, leads one to believe he must be a terror offstage: one of those rockers who heads to the hotel after a gig, and systematically tears his room to shreds - an assumption that couldn't be further from the truth.
Rory Gallagher is an articulate, unpretentious, accommodating man who speaks with an Irish brogue, softened by years of travel.
Growing up in Cork, Ireland, Rory invested 4 1/2 pounds ( approx. $20) in a guitar when he was nine. At fifteen, Rory joined the Fontana Showband ( later renamed Impact), and spent two and a half years with that band.
When Impact disbanded, Rory formed the legendary jazz-rock band, Taste. After four years with Taste, Rory left the group to form his own band. With fellow Irishmen Gerry McAvoy ( bass) and Wilgar Campbell (drums), Rory produced 3 albums and , in 1971, toured the US. Eventually Rod de Ath replaced Wilgar Campbell and Lou Martin ( ex killing Floor) was brought in on keyboards.
This lineup, of which the Rory Gallagher band now consists, and after their set at the Tull gig, Rory chatted about his new album, his band and his views of touring and life on the road.
PP Did you enjoy
playing
to a vast audience?
RG No. I can't foresee
the band playing many more gigs like this.
PP You prefer smaller
venues?
RG Yeah
PP You don't feel you
have to play a large hall to accommodate your following?
RG It's ironic because,
like I got a letter from a fan saying " How dare you play the Coliseum,
you're leaving all your fans behind', you know, then you've got the
other
alternative saying "You should be playing bigger places." I wouldn't
mind
headlining bigger shows that we're doing, but, be patient....
PP You've got a new
album
due to be released?
RG It's called " Calling
Card, " nine songs, I wrote them all. Same band, I think it's our
best....produced
by a fellow called Roger Glover ( ex-Deep Purple bassist.)
PP Haven't you
produced
your previous albums?
RG Yeah... I just thought
I'd give it a try. It was nice to have someone take the weight off your
shoulders in the studio. It worked out fine.
PP I've seen you on 7
or 8 tours in America, and knowing you tour 'round the world; I have to
wonder whether you're ever off the road.
RG I'm never really off
the road. I'm always doing something. Man in a suitcase, that's me.
PP Do you accept life
on the road?
RG Yeah, I accept it.
I don't even form an opinion of it, just accept it. New hotel rooms
every
night is terrible.
PP You've had 7 albums
released, and been touring the US as many years, and suddenly,
you're
being touted as a 'new sensation - a star on the rise.' How does
that effect you?
RG It's hard to know.
I suffer from being Irish. We're too cynical, the Irish. There's so
much
jive you can go through in this country to become a star. There are
certain
things I could do right now, go God knows where in a week. I'm
just
going to do whatever-play it by ear.
Claudia McQuillan
Licorice Pizza-Downey
This article comes
from
the 12/1/76 issue of Pizza Platters.
Thanks to Keith Whalen
for sending it.
reformatted by roryfan
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