BBC Radio 2 Documentary Francis Rossi: Here We Are and Here We Go

Nicky Campbell chats to Status Quo’s frontman Francis Rossi, just before his 70th birthday and just after the release of his autobiography “I Talk Too Much”. In a frank but friendly reminisce through his remarkable life and career he relives the moment he met his friend and fellow band member Rick Parfitt. We hear about his inspiration behind their first hit “Pictures of Matchstick Men”, leading to their debut on Top of the Pops, a programme they appeared on a further 105 times, more than any other group. And we learn about the band’s mixed relationship with the BBC and Radio 1 including being banned twice, the first time for being too racy with the track “Almost But Not Quite There” and the second for not being racy enough on their collaboration with The Beach Boys with “Fun Fun Fun”. Although, they did achieve the rare John Peel seal of approval as he wrote in an EP sleeve note that: “many a disastrous gig was saved by a Quo record”. Francis offers his opinion on their three chord criticism, how Hale and Pace performed a micky taking operatic version of “Whatever You Want”, which was in fact not too far from its musical roots. Part 2 tomorrow will explore Francis’s love of country music and their historic opening of “Live Aid”.