December 2011

Dear all,

Here is the latest news, not quite hot off the press, as I have been very busy recording new albums with both UFO and PRP, but I hope you enjoy catching up with what has been happening in UFO land!

Back in August we played at the Dolina Charlotty Resort & Spa in Slupsk, Poland, the fans there were terrific, they kept calling us “Rock Legends” which was very gratifying – but makes you realize how old you are!

The following day we were scheduled to play at a festival in Norway – but unfortunately shortly beforehand, the whole country had gone into mourning over the tragic car bomb attack and shooting of over 70 young people, by some crazy guy with an assault rifle. Understandable that going to a rock gig was not at the forefront of people’s minds right then, and the gig had to be cancelled.

In September we went back on the road in the USA – this time to the West Coast, starting in Santa Rosa on the 15th. This was a pretty long day, as Phil and I had just flown in from the UK the previous day and we had a photo shoot for the new album in San Francisco in the morning and drove up to Santa Rosa straight afterwards for a sound check in the afternoon. The photo shoot went very well. Pat the photographer had a very easy, relaxed manner and told jokes constantly. He kept us laughing throughout, hence the very happy looking UFO in the pictures.

We drove all the way to Portland in Oregan for one show, which is quite a way from our previous gig in Santa Clara. Usually, if we travel that far north, there are gigs in Seattle and Spokane, but I guess the good folks of Seattle have all the noisy rock bands they can handle?!!

Boulder Station Casino, near Vegas was outstanding as usual. This venue has become a frequent stop off on the way to Los Angeles, and it is always sold out. The people there are just fantastic. I remember we soundchecked “Try Me” in the afternoon, but never played it – I guess it was regarded a little too low-key on the night as the audience there get pretty wild!

On to L.A. and the Key Club show for which I turned up about 2½ hours too early as I was staying in a separate hotel from the other guys. Due to a lack of cell phone signal there was a communication breakdown between me and the tour manager and unknown to me, the show time had been revised! Phil’s nephew Nigel Mogg (ex-Quireboys) made a welcome appearance in the dressing room and helped fill in the time with some witty banter – Splendid Chap. Shame he didn’t make it back after the show – rumour has it he was thrown out for fighting... must be in the genes!!!

The next day was a day off. Time to get the laundry done – oh, the glamorous life of rock n roll! In the evening I attended a friend’s birthday dinner to which my first wife and family were also invited. When we split up in the 80s we were living in L.A. My ex-wife, daughter and step-daughter continued to live there but I (sadly) returned to the UK. The big reunion took place at a fabulous Japanese restaurant near the Magic Castle called Yamashiro. It was the first time we had all had a chance to properly relax and socialize together and it was a really fun night.

The following night in Ventura, the same gang pitched up for the show – including my two grandchildren, Devin and Fiona. Devin being 8 years old was totally enraptured, rocking out through the whole show – he got a T-shirt from Kate our lovely merch lady and apparently slept in it and went to school the next day still wearing it – that’s dedication for you! Fiona, being that bit younger at 6, got to about 10pm and fell asleep, missing virtually the entire show – she was carried up to the dressing room afterwards, and didn’t even open an eyelid – bless her! Next time maybe….

On to Fresno, and the Warnor Theatre. This is a beautiful venue from another age, built in the 1920s I believe. There were so many dressing rooms we each had our own! The road crew put signs on each door so we would know who each one had been assigned to - as you can see in the pictures below. Our tour manager Charlie Lewis and I had a drink with the staff after the show. Apparently the recession has hit Fresno so badly that the theatre is under threat of the bulldozer. Charlie was so upset he wanted to buy the place, bless him. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. I know how he feels, there are so many similar historic venues in the UK that have fallen into disrepair or are surviving by the skin of their teeth – very sad.

Moving on again, this time to San Juan Capistrano. Wonderful, loyal fans here – the venue was packed out – and Rob de Luca just couldn’t resist a bit of table dancing – stepping off the stage and tiptoeing between the beer bottles onto the tables in the front row! During the day I took a short trip down the road to Dana Point and had a great lunch at a restaurant on the marina. We took a stroll afterwards and came across a cute little boat with the fantastic name of “Captain Rehab”! Wonder who owns that?!

El Paso, Texas. Having toured for this long, you would have thought I would have got my head around time changes. So there I am, wrapped in a hotel towel, watching TV when I get a text from Andy. “Where are you? We are all waiting in the lobby!” OMG!!!!!!

Next was Dallas, our hotel turned out to be just two blocks away from Dealey Plaza, so I just couldn’t resist going to see the historic place of JFK’s assassination. In the past it had always seemed to be the other side of town and I had never visited it before. It was fascinating to be there – the book depository was in front of me just as I had seen it many times on TV. I have my own theories as to what actually happened on that fateful day – as I do love a good conspiracy theory!

San Antonio was a lot of fun, as we were sharing the bill with Dio Disciples and as everyone knows, their drummer is my old mate Simon Wright. Simon has filled in for Andy numerous times over the years and we have a very special friendship. I enjoyed their show very much, Toby Jepson and Tim “Ripper” Owens did a great job – more power to them for keeping Ronnie’s legacy alive.

My most recent news comes from Celle, near Hannover in Germany, working on the new UFO album “Seven Deadly” with Tommy Newton. Tommy has a new studio which has an indoor swimming pool. The idea of putting Andy’s drum kit in the swimming pool for added ambiance was really great. Let’s hope he remembered to drain the water out first! All is sounding terrific. Especially after Tommy introduced me to a fantastic all-valve amp by a small, independent German manufacturer called “Felleretta”. Wow – this amp literally blew me away – so much so, I decided to have one myself. Andi Feller, the owner of the company kindly agreed a deal with me – so next time I am on the road in Europe, I will have this amp with me. Apart from sounding great, all his amps are uniquely styled, mine is covered with black snakeskin leather – but some of his other creations are literally out-of-this-world. Check out his website - you will be amazed!

Subsequently, Andy Simmons and I had another 4 days of mixing PRP’s new album, “Terms & Conditions Apply”. As Andy now lives in the woolly wilds of Scotland, and I have been touring, no work has been done on it for some time apart from Michael Schenker kindly agreeing to put a guitar solo on one of the tracks, which I think is outstanding. Andy and I have now contributed extra material which has been penned along the way – we actually now have enough songs for a double album but have decided on 14 tracks which we both agree are “no-filler, killer songs”. Watch this space for further details – it shouldn’t be too much longer.

Best wishes to you all for the festive season, thanks for your continued loyal support and hope to see you in 2012!

Paul

CLICK ON EACH OF THE PHOTOS FOR THE LARGER IMAGE