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GAY WOODS IN CONVERSATION WITH NICK CLARK
PART ONE – THE BEDLAM BORN TOUR With the back-to-back tours of the USA and UK now over, the members of Steeleye Span have now returned to their homes. In Gay Woods’ case this is Ireland where I found her stocking up with woolies for the forthcoming winter. Bearing in mind the terrible weather the country has already experienced, I asked her first whether the rain and severe flooding had affected the tail end of the bands touring schedule….. When we went to Weston Super Mare it was horrific, the high winds and all that but we seemed to leave places just before they got flooded so we were blessed. The fuel crisis thing was just kicking in as we left so somebody was on our side. But it went well? It went very well. The last date was just great. It sold out so we were very happy with it. It’s quite a testing time isn’t it, trying all the new stuff out? Very testing yes. It’s testing for the old Steeleye Span fans. How did it go down? It was mixed. We are getting a newer audience, that’s for certain. Lots of new faces and people who enjoyed it for different reasons so that’s very healthy. We managed to escape two or three gigs without doing ‘All Around My Hat’ and survived. I think that’s a time that’s now gone. You had some smaller venues as well. We played a small place in Hunstanton, it was a lovely little place but I believe we were too loud for them! It’s nice there; did you have a wander around? Earlier in the day I was taken to a very interesting place – a wildfowl sanctuary and gardens. Bill Machin runs it. I’m dying to get back there or write and thank him. It’s a lovely part of England and we drove back along the coast road back to King’s Lynn and we saw some lovely places. It seems so far away from everywhere else, I think they should be given their freedom. It should be a province all of its own ! So, what now you’re back in Ireland? I have some very exciting things musically going on in my head at the moment. I am going to get cracking next week. So is this solo project going to happen? Oh I think so yes. I think it’s got to. I can’t keep it quiet any longer. I’d like to record something for sure. I’d think I’d better do it now. I have the music in my head and the songs and things and I want to get some interesting people who want to play with me for the same pay I’ll get – nothing! Just to start like I started years ago. I might actually do it from here (Ireland) because it gets too complex having to go away, at least the initial stages, getting the band together. So you are talking about writing straight away? Using some traditional stuff as well. Actually singing on the ‘Bedlam Born’ tour, messing around, making stuff up on stage, the audience was great. There’s quite a lot of you on ‘Bedlam Born’ isn’t there? Creatively at least. More than in the past that’s for sure. I don’t know whether they (the fans) like it or not but I’m sure I’ll get some feedback, if they don ’t. Well they keep turning up! They sure do. It’s astonishing. I’ll tell you which was a great gig – Bolton. It was bloody marvelous. There were lots of young kids – children, in the audience and there were lots of new people there and the audience were full of life. It was great. How much of Auto Da Fe has gone on tour with you this time? In my performance? It’s coming out in my persona again, it’s great. Not so much in that style but incorporated in it. It’s just putting a hard edge in the songs. I dislike people who just swallow words. I like to spit it out. It’s nice to be quiet sometimes but it’s great with something like ‘Thomas the Rhymer’ to give it new life, not to have it all 70’s. You give it like somebody coming from Hades or the underworld. This beautiful woman, this queen, she’s got such power over Thomas. She’s gonna change him you know? I have read the long poem of it and it always annoyed me that some of it was missing. He comes back with the gift of seeing. He doesn’t in the song. I’d like to finish the story. Given what you’ve said, it’s surprising you haven’t done Tam Lin. It’s strange, I was discussing that with somebody on the last gig. And I said, why does she feel obliged to change him? Lots think they have to change the man to fit into their world. I don’t think that’s a good thing. Why can’t she just leave him there? I wouldn’t do that song because if I did, I would have to change the music. It belongs in another time to another Steeleye Span, back to another band and that’s where it should stay. I find that version very whimsical for the power that’s going on it. Again, the complete work of it is so complex. I did rework it two years ago but I found I was striking out so much and changing so much I thought I might do it some other time … not with the band, not with Steeleye Span. Lots more of them though! Lots more new ones to put new music to… 11th November 2000
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