JP: Well, I left school at fifteen. I worked in a factory. But I was still playing in bands. I really turned professional at nineteen. RF: What kind of music were you playing at nineteen? JP: A mixture of ... well, basically hits. English hits and American things. RF: Who would you consider to have been your influences when you were getting started? I'm one of those people who doesn't believe absolutely that Britain leads the way musically. JP: The Beatles and Elvis and Cliff Richard were the influences that got me to start playing. RF: Would you say if you went back and listened to tapes that might have been made during that era that you sounded more like one of those then any of the others? JP: I think we probably sounded like a cross between The Monkees and The Beatles if you could imagine that RF: I think there was a similarity there anyway. Did any of the mates you were playing with then go on to brilliant solo careers? JP: Ummm ... I couldn't say people I was playing with, but I think people who saw me perform. You see, in Northern England, although I never made it on a national scale, there were a lot of bands that later went on to make it who used to come and watch me play. Bands like Saxon, would come and watch my band play. Let me think ... Def Leppard, Human League, ABC, people like that. They were lesser bands in Northern England when we were kind of a top band. RF: I got the feeling in reading your biographical material that you were doing more of an American rock 'n' roll sound than English. JP: Right John Parr: RF: Did you ever get the feeling that you were swimming upstream in your home country? JP: I always had that feeling. In the end I became obsessed with not changing my style just to suit Britain. As soon as the St. Elmo's Firema punk thing started in Britain, that was it for by Ron Fell me. I just closed the door on 90% of the RF: What was your background prior to British music. I mean, I only really An Englishman with many years of rock your solo career? considered people like Elton John and 'n' roll in his blood, John Parr debuted on JP: I'd been with club bands for many The Police and Phil Collins, the executive American playlists last year with the years. I've done everything from rock 'n' level of the British music scene. I'm one of single NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY, but the BIG roll through caberet You name it those people who doesn't believe BREAK came earlier this year when he RF: But you are not a kid. absolutely that Britain leads the way, and David Foster teamed up to release JP: No, I'm thirty years old. musically. the title track from the hit movie, "St. RF: Thirty? RF: If I'm not mistaken your records are Elmo's Fire ". JP: Yeah. I was out there for ages. From not available domestically in England, is As his hit single makes its way to the top twelve years old I was out there. that the case? of the chart, we talked with him about his RF: And was this while you were trying to JP: Not until next week. new -found success. go to school or were you one of those RF: Next week. You'll finally crack it. that was so committed to the art form that JP: (laughs) That's right. you dropped out? RF: How do you think you'll be accepted? 23 the GAVIN REPORT/August 30, 1985 www.americanradiohistory.com.