At departure super tramp In 1983, roger hodgson He made a deal where he would keep his songs and Rick Davis would keep his name. However, by 2010, this agreement was abandoned. That year, Hodgson said: Progressive rock He said he felt betrayed and that despite his offer to return, any chance of a 21st century reunion was ruined.
When Supertramp played the 02 Arena in October 2010, one member of the band was conspicuous by his absence: Roger Hodgson. For many, given his unique tenor voice and the songs he wrote for prog-pop groups, dreamer, I’ll give you just a little bit, logical song, breakfast in america, walk a long way and It’s raining again – That’s what made Supertramp so special, it was like going to see the Beatles without John Lennon or Paul McCartney. Indeed, the band’s other songwriter, Rick Davis (the George Harrison of this song, bloody well light, Goodbye, Stranger and gone hollywood – and Trump’s twin apples, John Helliwell and Bob Siebenberg, played saxophone and drums, respectively. However, their driving force, the main character, was missing, even though many of his songs were sung. And he wasn’t very happy about it.
why? Because the agreement between Hodgson and Davies in 1983 …famous last words… When the former decided to leave Supertramp, the album was for Davis to keep the band’s name and for Hodgson to keep the songs he had written for the band for solo purposes. In the Davis-led version of Supertramp, Hodgson’s compositions were ruled out of scope.
It was a verbal contract, apparently witnessed by other members of Supertramp, and Davis continued to abide by it for five years. However, since the late 1980s he has been touring irregularly under the name Supertramp, giving concerts consisting essentially of Hodgson songs.
Asked if it was difficult to watch the band achieve huge success, including sales of 20 million copies. breakfast in america, it was mainly due to his opinion – please continue without him after he leaves, he replies. I was going to start a career with my singing and voice. That’s the only reason I agreed to name him.
“The difficult part was when he broke that agreement and started playing my songs five years later. It hurt so deeply. I felt betrayed.” According to Hodgson, this betrayal , who has been preventing him from reuniting with Davis for many years. “If he hadn’t done that, it’s very likely that we would have done something together at some point,” he says.
Have they made contact? “Many times. I’ve talked to him and talked about working together no matter what happens, but things seem to be getting worse and worse.”
For Hodgson, the 2002 show was the straw that broke the camel’s back. “He promoted the whole tour with my songs and played seven of them. Basically he was saying, ‘Fuck you, Hodgson, I’m going to do what I want.'” And that’s good. Not in the mood. ”
What was his reaction when Davis brought up the topic? “He’s very shy and basically says he’s under a lot of pressure from everyone to make songs.” The song was a huge part of Supertramp, so I understand the pressure.”
We left the songwriting credit as Hodgson Davies, but this wasn’t the wisest move on my part, as most of my songs were hits.
Hodgson, a Beatle fanatic, hit it off with blues fanatic Davis when they met at an audition to join Supertramp in 1969, and admits that they were just the right fit. The former was a 19-year-old former civil servant. The latter is a schoolboy, the latter an older, more bluff working-class type. Nevertheless, Hodgson recalls, there were similarities. “We were both lonely,” he decides. “At first, we were good friends, but as time went on, we became estranged.”
In a sense, it was the songs that separated the two writers. That and their different attitudes towards success and the momentum needed to sustain it. “We were like Lennon and McCartney in that we wrote songs separately, even though I had a writing credit as Hodgson-Davies. Most of my songs were hits, so this wasn’t the smartest move for me,” Hodgson says.
Supertramp’s first two albums – their self-titled debut (1970) and an indelible mark (1971) – Commercially bombed, no problems.But by the time of the groundbreaking set in 1974, crime of the centuryperhaps starting to get irritated that Hodgson was carrying more of the burden than anyone else.
“I saw potential in the band,” he says, adding that he found an ally in engineer and unofficial sixth member Russell Pope. “Like me, he was inspired by the Beatles and saw how they changed our lives and helped change the world. He and I were driven by it and had similar passions.
“We didn’t join the band just to be successful and make money. We wanted to contribute and do something really special. I’m the main driving force behind the band and I really think Russell was a capable partner for me. We were just relentless. We weren’t going to let it go until we made it as far as we could in every direction, both in the studio and on stage.”
Even when I was writing songs about spiritual exploration, the band never asked what the songs were about.
Hodgson always felt separated from the other members of Supertramp.Even if it was in its early heyday crime… (And a less successful follow-up study, in 1975. crisis? What crisis?)which broke out in America in the mid-1977s. Even in the quietest moments… and the commercial glamor of 1979 breakfast in americahe felt “lonely and alienated”.
He was the only one to become a vegetarian at the age of 21, “the rest of the band thought I was crazy,” and when the band came to the United States to record The Band. It was he who, after leaving the camp, began to pursue a more spiritual existence. The quietest moment… and breakfast. “I was the only one interested in spiritual answers,” he claims. “Even when I was writing songs about my spiritual quest, babasil, the band didn’t really ask what they were talking about, so they were lonely in that sense. ”
He was also the most at home on the West Coast (aside from surfing California drummer Siebenberg, of course). “I thought he had died and gone to heaven,” he recalls. “There were health food stores on every street corner, yoga facilities and meditation classes… I found everything I longed for. It was also a way for me to escape from my English roots. I needed to redefine myself. It was like a breath of fresh air.”
Although Hodgson considers himself “always out of step with the times” and balks at the idea of himself being an unreconstructed hippie, “the late ’60s and early ’70s were “It had a big influence on me. I went with it,” he admits. That wave. There was a big change in consciousness. Our imaginations were set free. ”
Surprisingly, especially because of the way the band ended, he believed that “one of the special things about Supertramp was that we all tolerated each other, even though we were all so different.” ing. At their peak, “there was a great atmosphere within the organization that people took notice of. We were a very nice band. No one was going crazy, no one was getting out of control. We weren’t running wild like a lot of other bands, and we were basically touring all over the world and putting out a lot of good energy. It was like a community of travelers, or a big family.”
He said, “I just want to make music with dignity”…What he’s doing is making music with dignity.
Unfortunately I’m halfway through the tour. breakfast… All over the world, “fun disappeared” and families began to fall apart. “That’s when people started thinking independently,” Hodgson says. Hodgson said he “struggled to reconcile the business side of music with the true passion he put into it.” He also wanted to devote more time to his two young children and his wife, whom he met on an American commune, so he moved to Northern California and “built a house for my family. This is the first tour in 16 years. ”
Between his departure from Supertramp in 1983 and the turn of the century, Hodgson released three studio albums. eye of the storm1987 High high and the 2000s open the door.It was around the time of the release of High high He fell at home and broke his wrist, which put an end to all of his touring plans. Additionally, less than a year later, Davis’ use of his own songs on the ongoing Supertramp increased his dissatisfaction with the industry, which Davis was willing to distance himself from.
He still remembers the promise Davis made to him in 1983, and it still hurts. “He said, ‘I know the band won’t be as successful in the future, but I just want to make music with dignity.’ Those were exactly his words. And , what he’s been doing in the last three or four tours is not making music with dignity in my opinion. It’s a shame that the artist in him has sold out. ”
Doesn’t Hodgson have any spiritual convictions and accept that the remaining members should be allowed to perform their songs for the fans? necessarily. “It’s a picture-cake mentality that’s not based in reality at all,” he says. “When fans think of Supertramp, I know what they think of.” logical song and breakfast in america. But it’s not a question of spirituality, it’s a question of right and wrong.
“If we hadn’t made that agreement, if we’d broken up the way we did, we wouldn’t have had this conversation. I don’t mind. [Davies] I’m playing songs I didn’t even like at the time! ”
Despite this, Hodgson insists he would have appeared at the recent reunion show. It was Davis who rejected him. “I sent him a message: ‘It’s clear that we have thousands of fans who want to see us on stage together. We’d love to show up when your schedule allows and we’d love to hear from you guys. We’ll do some special shows with him.” He was also on tour, but the offer was rejected in no uncertain terms. He gave a very strange reason. There’s no benefit to him. I didn’t understand that.”
Was he afraid of you being in the spotlight? “I think that’s it.”
I put my heart and passion into sharing my songs.I have more fun now than when I was in Supertramp.
While we wait for hell to freeze over, Hodgson is having the time of his life, touring his songs with an amazing backing band and collecting music over the past ten years (60 at last count). He has been thinking about the many songs he has recorded. He primarily enjoys the impact his own music has on his fans.
“I’ve been touring for the past six or seven years and have put my heart and passion into sharing my songs,” he says. “I have more fun now than I did with Supertramp. The fans come to my shows and love them.”
Does he think it’s ironic, or does he think music born of emotional turmoil and inner tension should produce such good feelings? “I don’t think it matters,” he says. “Artists are not perfect beings, but their art represents the best parts of them. It’s the artistic part that’s important to me.”
