MUSIC WEEK, APRIL 14, 1979 IN THE seven years that have elapsed since he sprang to fame m the W ^ films Stardust and Essex has succeeded in most branches of showbusiness hit sing e variety Club Of Great Britain That'll Be The Day; a television series; sell-out tours, and most receny, ^ reCording success with award for his role as Che Guevara in Evita. Now he has made a full-s after the |aUer He talks to the hit singles On What A Circus and Imperial Wizard, and an album CHRIS WHITE about his success, past, present and future ever going to do, I'd had enough of everything, and to be honest, I went DAVID ESSEX is currently enjoying another peak in a career along feeling totally disinterested which has seen several. Last year he and just doing my own thing, as it garnered enthusiastic reviews for his M were. They were all Americans role as Che Guevara in the West End involved in the audition and hit musical Evita, and since leaving suddenly they went crazy — I felt the cast to concentrate on other like the Ugly Duckling who'd aspects of his career, has turned his changed overnight! I got the part of full attention to his recording Jesus and then we found that there activities, resulting in a new album, wasn't a theatre available in" the Imperial Wizard, his first for West End. As a result, we opened at Mercury and arguably the best that the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm and he has ever made. In addition, he there were queues around the block. has recently completed a UK tour Suddenly we found that there were which took in towns not usually no less than three West End theatres visited by well-known rock acts as open to us." well as playing all the large UK After the interest he aroused in his cities. role in Godspell, Essex began to "I enjoy doing extensive tours, I move back into rock music — but on think that pop stars owe it to their his own terms. A deal was signed fans to make an effort and that it is with CBS which resulted in hit why we often include places not singles like Rock On, Lamplight, usually associated with rock Gonna Make You A Star and Hold concerts," Essex explains. "For Me Close. Overnight, David Essex instance, two years ago I did a tour was a star. which involved about 40 dates and He says that he has never found we did places like Bridlington. The any conflict between the different reaction there was tremendous, aspects of showbusiness that he simply because they weren't used to / moves between. "I'm lucky in that seeing rock acts in their town. It is a I'm able to adapt. I have to do new experience both for me and the things for my own fulfilment, 1 audiences to play gigs at places like would find it completely shallow just that." standing there and singing other Essex has been happy with the people's songs. Anyway, all the success of his latest tour, which things that I have done, whether many critics say has revealed a more DAVID ESSEX with drummer Kenny Jones at the recent BAFT A Piccadilly playback for Essex's first album for they be recording, acting, filming or mature pop/rock performer — even Mercury, Imperial Wizard, currently climbing the charts. singing onstage, are the same in that though some of the teenybop fans I am trying to move people by have still been in evidence! emotion." Visual event David Essex retraces the Moving on "The entire show has been built around the Imperial Wizard album He does admit however: "I have a and logo. It has been very much a very low threshold of concentration visual event, right down to the stages of his success and have to move on to other things Imperial Wizard stage backdrop, after a few months. That is why five and 1 think that everyone has in such surroundings," Essex months in Evita was long enough for enjoyed it. When so much time and musicians and we only had two album that I have ever done — and I explains. "I was 16 when I met me. I did two years in Godspell and I effort has gone into staging such a weeks beforehand to rehearse. But am not saying that because it is the Derek and at that time I was playing just didn't know what I was talking show, then it is silly to play only everything worked well." latest. It was good to be able to in blues bands. He always wanted about, towards the end." about five dates — you might as well Essex's first album for produce myself on certain tracks, me to work in the theatre and So far as the US market is go the full way and do as many dates Phonogram was several months in and also co-produce a couple of although now he is very aufait with concerned, he says that the desire to as possible. the making, mainly because of his songs with Christopher Neil and the pop business, it wasn't always break there "comes and goes". "Mind you, the lour was rather commitment last year to Evita — Mike Batt. Because we had so long that way. Surprisingly, he has had no product traumatic in that after working for recording sessions had to be held to work on the LP, it gave time to "The major gift that Derek has released in America for three years five years with the same band, I had whenever time allowed. "Musically, reflect where the album was going. It given to me is his experience from and doesn't have a contract there. surrounded myself with a new set of I think that it is probably the best has a lot of variety and some of the his years of involvement in the "Rock On was a Number One best songs I have written. theatre. He acted as a buffer million seller there and the album between me and the 1960s pop music was Top 10 — in addition I got a "The Bells are ringing out the News, Theatricality industry. 1 remember lying ill in Grammy award," Essex says. Hokey Cokey's in the Grooves. hospital with pneumonia, at a time 1 "Since then, things have faded away A Disco Beat to blow your Mind, was on the road consistently, and I suppose that if I had wanted to Stock it Now and this you'll Find." "It isn't easy producing yourself, sleeping in vans, and getting about succeed in the US I should have gone IklubI IklubI there is the tendency not to be 30 bob a week out of it. I thought, over there at the lime of Rock On. objective enough, and I enjoyed 'This can't go on, I'm not gelling "I'm in the enviable position of KiubRucoids Ltd Klub Records Ltd working with Chris Neil because of anything out of it'. being something of a cull figure in the feeling of theatricality he could "Derek came to me and suggested the US because of my work in Evita, bring to the proceedings. On the that I work in theatre repertory. I the two films that 1 made, and my NEW SINGLE RELEASE - APRIL 13th other hand, I enjoyed working with had never seen a play in my life so 1 contribution to Jeff Wayne's War Mike Bait because we had known had no idea what he meant, but he Of The Worlds album project. Til KLUB 15 (7 inch) each other a long time — we started giving me his second-night do a record deal with the US market KLUBL 15 (12 inch) virtually paid the rent when CBS tickets and it opened up a new world when I feel the lime is right, but so opened up over here — and I had for me. I was struck by the civilised far as being famous over there is always been dumbfounded that he quality of it all. 1 saw an advert in concerned, it comes and goes." could write songs about Wombles The Stage for an audition and went For the immediate future, Essex THE BELLS which were so good. along, with the result that I spent has other projects to work on. He "To be a good producer you have two years with a rep. company, will soon begin work on his third HOKEY-COKEY to get the right people together at the touring the country and learning film, a non-musical role involving a right time," he continues, "and I every aspect of theatre and playing storyline about motorbikes. The was lucky enough to get the right all sorts of different parts. We once film is being made with US financial c/w musicians, people like Kenny Jones played to only 14 people in an backing and will be distributed and Chris Spedding. It wasn't just audience, but it enabled me to make across the Atlantic. After that, he DISCO SYMPHONY that they were respected names in some fairly terrible mistakes in a will start writing material for his the business, they're all excellent fairly anonymous way. second Mercury album. And later in A SMASH follow-up to The Bells successful 'Auld Lang players. It would be silly having "1 began to get larger parts and the year there is the prospect of a Syne' disco single.