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An interview with the late Noel Redding.

Noel was one third of the phenomenon that was The Jimi Hendrix Experience. In the late sixties bassist Noel, along with drummer Mitch Mitchell and Jimi himself, created a sound that had never been heard before or even thought possible and which their contemporaries scrambled to imitate. This was effectively the birth of the three-man supergroup and an antecedent to the likes of Cream, The Nice and Emerson Lake and Palmer. But the sound was decidedly blues based, harking back to the origins of the early sixties beat boom, and, of course, to Jimi's ethnic origins too. This was at a time when Mod and beat were running their last laps and psychedelia and drug-induced lyrics were in vogue.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

The debut album, Are You Experienced, was full of classics, although this was followed by an ill-judged supporting tour with The Monkees, not quite in keeping with the image. 'The Experience' was a sensation upon their appearance in the US for the Monterey Pop Festival where Hendrix was welcomed back home with open arms. The album, Axis: Bold As Love followed and the band were at their zenith, although Noel and Mitchell were already beginning to get itchy feet due to the gruelling tour schedules and alleged frictions within the band. Electric Ladyland produced several hits - Voodoo Chile and All Along The Watchtower are legendary. Two years after forming, personal pressures caused The Experience to split and Jimi formed a new group - Band Of Gypsies and toured with them culminating in an appearance at the Isle Of Wight Festival. This band was more experimental and proved less popular although Hendrix could still do no wrong with his audiences. He returned to London for a rest from the schedule in September 1970. It was here that Jimi died, suffocating while under the influence of drugs.

Until his death, Noel lived a relatively sedate life on the beautiful coast of county Cork in Ireland. Noel very kindly agreed to answer some questions for www.retrosellers.com and here is that interview.

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Digger: The Who sang 'hope I die before I get old' and in the case of Jimi, Jim, Janis and Brian this came true. Do you count your blessings that you managed to survive the experimentation with drugs? How do you think their relatively short lives affected us all?

Noel: I'm glad I survived. I think the affects of drugs seemed to differ with who was taking what and when.

Digger: Can you give some examples of input that you gave into the creative process of songs for The Experience?

Noel: The ending of Foxy Lady was mine. And the bass and guitar riff on Remember. On Ain't No Telling I came up with the bass solo. The rhythm on Red House.

Digger: Did you find it frustrating playing bass when you were an accomplished guitarist, or did Jimi's virtuosity and originality, at least in part, compensate for this in your eyes?

Noel: No, I enjoyed playing bass and still do.

Digger: Were the disagreements you had with Jimi just a consequence of talented and ambitious young men living close together on a gruelling touring schedule?

Noel: YES!

Digger: There are all sorts of arguments about who is the best guitarist, with Jimi, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and Eddie Phillips as prime contenders, at least from the British sixties. What are your views on this in retrospect?

Noel: My personal favourite is Jeff Beck. All the others are wonderful as well.

Digger: You met The Beatles and The Stones quite regularly. Despite your and Mitch's outstanding contributions to The Experience, these other major bands were more equal in terms of not pushing a front man quite so much as Jimi in The Experience. How did you cope with Jimi being in the limelight and how would you have coped with the sort of fame that The Beatles had?

Noel: Jimi was the FRONT MAN so it didn't bother me. I wouldn't know how I would have coped with The Beatles' sort of fame.

Digger: How would you describe the creative atmosphere in Britain in the sixties?

Noel: Better than now!

Digger: Can you tell us some of the most outrageous things that you can remember getting up to?

Noel: Putting stink bombs under Mitch's soft pedals, as they couldn't move.

Digger: If you could create a supergroup from sixties musicians, living or dead, who would be in it and why?

Noel: Jeff Beck, John Bonham, John Entwistle, John Lennon. The group would be GOOD!!!

Digger: Have you listened to Electric Landlady by Kirsty MacColl?

Noel: No.

Digger: What five records and five films would you take with you if you were to be stranded on a desert island. What two people would you take and what luxury?

Noel: Films - The Party, Le Grande Boofe, Alien, 2001, The Pink Panther.
Music - The Byrds, The Small Faces, The Kinks, The Move, Foghat.

Digger: You live down the road from my sister outside Cork. Can you describe your life there?

Noel: VERY QUIET.

Digger: What ventures are you involved in these days?

Noel: My anthology - music from '62 to 2000 - lots of previously unreleased material. My lady, Deborah McNaughton is doing a documentary on me.

Digger: What have been your biggest achievements and what have been your biggest disappointments?

Noel: Playing Monterey. Being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. NEVER GETTING PAID!!!!

Digger: Of all the bands you have been in, The Experience, Fat Mattress, The Noel Redding Band ( AKA The Clonakilty Cowboys ), Road - which one gave you the most pleasure?

Noel: The Clonakilty Cowboys.

Digger: If a comfortably luxurious and leisurely tour came along, would you still be keen to get back on the road?

Noel: No.

Noel Redding

Digger: How did you meet your girlfriend? What does she think of your 'colourful' past?

Noel: I met her in a telephone box three years ago.

Digger: How would you sum-up your sixties?

Noel: Glad I'm still here!

Digger: Who from that period do you still keep in touch with?

Noel: Mick Avory, Johnny Gus, Jimmy Leverton - not many.

Digger: One hears a lot of bad stories about the music business. These days it is run by accountants and lawyers. Do you think that the 'do it yourself' and highly creative spirit that was prevalent in the late fifties with skiffle and the mid seventies with punk will ever return to music?

Noel: I hope so.

Digger: Name your top five American and top five British bands of all time.

Noel: U.S. The McCoys, Booker T. and The MGs, Spirit, Moby Grape, Blue's image.
U.K. Johnny Kidd and The Pirates, The Big Three, The Merseybeats, Nero and The Gladiators, The Shadows.

Digger: Please describe the following in a sentence each:

Jimi Hendrix...

Noel: A gentleman and a wonderful musician.

Mitch Mitchell...

Noel: A very talented drummer. Very talented.

Eric Burdon...

Noel: A wonderful singer and person.

Brian Jones...

Noel: An old and good friend. God bless him.

John Lennon...

Noel: Great, funny bloke. A wonderful songwriter.

Mick Jagger...

Noel: Kept at it for a long time. A very nice guy.

Paul McCartney...

Noel: Wonderful bassist and old friend.

Chas Chandler...

Noel: I miss the guy. R.I.P.

Pete Townshend...

Noel: Great writer, performer and guitarist.

Eric Clapton...

Noel: Such a tasty, talented player.

Digger: What would you say are the keys to a happy and successful life?

Noel: To be happy with oneself and to care for others.

      

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