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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!!
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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.

julian de backer / foto's: cherry red records


A WOODLAND HILLCREST PROMOTION PRODUCTION  I  KEYS AND CHORDS 2001 - 2025

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