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In the early 80's, Paul Young was the quintessential heartthrob for girls and mothers. Blessed with one of the most soulful voices of his generation, he scored a slew of hits and even performed during the charity event of the century, LiveAid. In 1992, he gathered a few friends with one sole goal: having a good time while performing Tex Mex/Americana-style ditties. Dubbed 'Los Pacaminos', they soon developed a healthy following. The band's second album 'A Fistful of Statins' has just been released, which makes for an excellent interview opportunity with Mr. Young. |
Dear Mr. Young, thank you very much for taking the time to answer Keys and Chords' questions.
Julian: Does the saying "Wherever I Lay My Hat, That's My Home" still hold up for you today?
Paul Young: Not so much! Now I've had a family for almost 30years... but living out of a suitcase still comes easy to me, after all the years of touring.
Julian: You played in Belgium in 2012, in Wallonia (the French part) to be exact. When can we expect a solo Paul Young gig in Antwerp or Ghent? I'd love to see you live in concert - I never had that chance.
Paul Young: It would be great to do that. Because I have another life playing with Los Pacaminos, it makes it a pleasure to go back to the Paul Young material.
Julian: You rocked the crowd on LiveAid in 1985. Did you decline for the 2005 edition?
Paul Young: No, I wasn't asked! I don't think it's always a good idea to revisit these things anyway...
Julian: Los Pacaminos is a great name for a band. A sort of bastardized, Tex Mex variation on the phrase "let's pack 'em in". What other band names were considered when you guys started out?
Paul Young: It's hard to remember now; we were talking through lots of ideas as we were rehearsing, but this one stuck out as a suitable name. We're not Mexican, and Pacaminos is not a Mexican word; perfect!
Julian: Do you know what the secret of association actually is? And can anyone discover it?
Paul Young: It sounds like a sect, like the Freemasons... you can look as long as you like but you won't find it!!
Julian: Does the saying "Wherever I Lay My Hat, That's My Home" still hold up for you today?
Paul Young: Not so much! Now I've had a family for almost 30years... but living out of a suitcase still comes easy to me, after all the years of touring.
Julian: You played in Belgium in 2012, in Wallonia (the French part) to be exact. When can we expect a solo Paul Young gig in Antwerp or Ghent? I'd love to see you live in concert - I never had that chance.
Paul Young: It would be great to do that. Because I have another life playing with Los Pacaminos, it makes it a pleasure to go back to the Paul Young material.
Julian: You rocked the crowd on LiveAid in 1985. Did you decline for the 2005 edition?
Paul Young: No, I wasn't asked! I don't think it's always a good idea to revisit these things anyway...
Julian: Los Pacaminos is a great name for a band. A sort of bastardized, Tex Mex variation on the phrase "let's pack 'em in". What other band names were considered when you guys started out?
Paul Young: It's hard to remember now; we were talking through lots of ideas as we were rehearsing, but this one stuck out as a suitable name. We're not Mexican, and Pacaminos is not a Mexican word; perfect!
Julian: Do you know what the secret of association actually is? And can anyone discover it?
Paul Young: It sounds like a sect, like the Freemasons... you can look as long as you like but you won't find it!!
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Julian: You recorded 'Iron Out the Rough Spots', which was co-written by the legendary Steve Cropper. Did you ever meet him? And if you did, was he aware that you recorded his song? Did he like it?
Paul Young: Steve Cropper came to my first gig in Los Angeles, and said how honoured he was that I covered his song; that seems so wrong!! I was honoured to do an arrangement of a song written by one of my heroes.
Julian: How and where did you find your Pacaminos bandmates? Were they all old friends? Did they have to audition? And have they been with you ever since?
Paul Young: I just called a few friends, all had played with me before so I knew they would understand what I was trying to do... The original line-up still stands, but we've we've found more than a few other like-minded musicians that want to be involved...!
Julian: How did the final tracklist of 'A Fistful of Statins' come together? Did you have to kill some darlings, that may eventually see the light as B-sides?
Paul Young: The songs that didn't survive weren't completed. Some tight-fisted members of the band wanted a 10 or 12 track album, but I thought all the songs deserved a place on the CD! Because we have 4 lead vocalists, the balance of the album worked with 14 songs.
Julian: Los Pacaminos formed in 1992. Which changes have since taken place regarding recording, performing and simply being a musician? Would you do it all again if you knew then what you know now?
Paul Young: We all cannot imagine life without Los Pacaminos: it's a club of great friends, playing great, happy, loosely arranged music that guarantees each night is different. When we record, we save a place for our other friends that have been a Pacamino at one time or another. I've been lucky that in my life I've had The Q-Tips, a solo career and now Los Pacaminos, with musicians that I would gladly spend my time with!
Paul Young and his band Los Pacaminos will be live on stage at the Country Festival in Groot-Gelmen (St. Truiden on September 13, 2014. Festival will be closed by Los Pacaminos.
With thanks to Cherry Red Records
Dutch translation will follow shortly.
Paul Young: Steve Cropper came to my first gig in Los Angeles, and said how honoured he was that I covered his song; that seems so wrong!! I was honoured to do an arrangement of a song written by one of my heroes.
Julian: How and where did you find your Pacaminos bandmates? Were they all old friends? Did they have to audition? And have they been with you ever since?
Paul Young: I just called a few friends, all had played with me before so I knew they would understand what I was trying to do... The original line-up still stands, but we've we've found more than a few other like-minded musicians that want to be involved...!
Julian: How did the final tracklist of 'A Fistful of Statins' come together? Did you have to kill some darlings, that may eventually see the light as B-sides?
Paul Young: The songs that didn't survive weren't completed. Some tight-fisted members of the band wanted a 10 or 12 track album, but I thought all the songs deserved a place on the CD! Because we have 4 lead vocalists, the balance of the album worked with 14 songs.
Julian: Los Pacaminos formed in 1992. Which changes have since taken place regarding recording, performing and simply being a musician? Would you do it all again if you knew then what you know now?
Paul Young: We all cannot imagine life without Los Pacaminos: it's a club of great friends, playing great, happy, loosely arranged music that guarantees each night is different. When we record, we save a place for our other friends that have been a Pacamino at one time or another. I've been lucky that in my life I've had The Q-Tips, a solo career and now Los Pacaminos, with musicians that I would gladly spend my time with!
Paul Young and his band Los Pacaminos will be live on stage at the Country Festival in Groot-Gelmen (St. Truiden on September 13, 2014. Festival will be closed by Los Pacaminos.
With thanks to Cherry Red Records
Dutch translation will follow shortly.
