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10cc Radio Interview 1992

Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman & Nicky Campbell

Nicky : 10cc, I mean, I used to snigger at school, as the conventional wisdom on the name. That used to be the average male ejaculation - I'm still sniggering about it, actually

Graham : I know, I noticed that. Actually the average male ejaculation is 9cc

Nicky : Aahh, hence one better.

Graham : But I hate to disillusion people, I mean, obviously that's the most popular one because it's the most terribly shocking version, but in fact, er, the name was thought up by Jonathan King, who ran the first label that we were on, and er, he was coming up to see us to listen to some stuff that we'd recorded, and we didn't have a name and he said "I've got a name for you. I had a dream last night, and"

Nicky : What sort of dream was it then?

Graham : Not the sort of dream you're referring to, and er, he said he was standing in front of Hammersmith Odeon, and up there it said 10cc, so we said "Oh, we'll have that"

Nicky : Hmm, he was your Svengali, wasn't he?

Graham : Yes

Nicky : Before you actually...

Eric : We'd recorded a track called Waterfall, which was the B-side to Rubber Bullets and taken it round to every record company we could find, and they all turned it down, and we also had Rubber Bullets in the background too, and Jonathan King used to want to manage the Mindbenders back in the '60s and he'd just started UK Records. I rang him and said "Would you like to listen to these tracks?" I played him the tracks and he said "It's a smash, Rubber Bullets is a hit record" and then the story about the name, what's the group called, it was all true.

Graham : In fact there's a very interesting story connected to what Eric has just said, because we were a very democratic band. So, whoever wrote the A-side, the other writers would write the B-side. So Eric and I had written Waterfall but we didn't have a B-side and because we thought there was another record label that was interested in it, we thought we should do a B-side, and the B-side of that record was... Donna

Nicky : Donna, Oh Donna

Graham : Our first single

Nicky : Which was the sort of rock 'n roll pastiche

Graham : Yes

Nicky : I always thought it sounded a bit like Oh Darling by the Beatles

Graham : Quite right. It wasn't a rip-off, it was more a sort of nod in their direction, a token of great, um, what's the word I'm looking for?

Nicky : Respect?

Graham : Respect, yes

Eric : I remember going to see Wings at the Free trade Hall in Manchester, and we were talking to Paul afterwards and he said, er, I know where you got that Donna from!

Nicky : Well, a nod's as good as a wink. Can you spot the difference?

Donna - Oh, Darling

Nicky : It's Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart with me tonight. After it all sort of '82, '83, through until well, you did your stuff Graham, with Wax, it was a lean time for 10cc, wasn't it?

Graham : Well, it was about as lean as you can get - it didn't exist

Nicky : Very meagre, very meagre

Graham : It was pencil thin

Nicky : Yes it was. You didn't exist and you did all that bit with Wax. I mean, some good songs came out of that. Not too much commercial success certainly this side of the Atlantic

Graham : Erm, Bridge To Your Heart did, that did very well.

Nicky : Right Between The Eyes was a very good song

Graham : Actually that did very well. It was number one in Spain for 6 months

Nicky : Number one for six months?

Graham : It was unbelievable

Nicky : That was Bryan Adams proportions

Graham : It wouldn't go away

Right Between The Eyes

Graham : We did three albums as Wax and, um, it was getting increasingly difficult to work together because Andrew was living in LA and I was living in London. It was hard to sort of pop over with an idea for a song, and, er, in fact, right before the idea of doing a new 10cc album came up, we decided that if we didn't have a big hit from the last album that we did, then we would call it a day as Wax, and that in fact happened. So it was a kind of coincidence that finished and then the offer of doing a 10cc album came along.

Nicky : And all this time, Eric, you were doing quite a lot of work with Paul McCartney

Eric : Yes, I did. I guested on two of his albums, Tug Of War and Pipes Of Peace, and then wrote most of the songs with him on Press To Play

Nicky : And you were in Give My Regards To Broad Street, weren't you?

Eric : Yes, I acted in that

Nicky : Yes

Eric : But they cut my word out though

Nicky : But you didn't get an Oscar though?

Graham : What was the word you said?

Eric : "Excuse me" See? Brilliant, wasn't it! Still sounds good, very original.

Nicky : Maybe if it had been left in, the film would have been more kindly reviewed by the critics 'cause it was slashed to pieces, wasn't it?

Eric : It was, yes. We had fun making it

Nicky : Do you think it was a good film?

Eric : I don't think the story was very good, the music was fabulous, some of the filming was brilliant but the story was very shallow.

Nicky : Have you seen it, Graham?

Graham : Yes I saw it in LA actually, when it came out.

Nicky : You enjoy it?

Graham : No. I think it was a mistake, we all know that.

Nicky : It brings us nicely to a track you both wrote with Paul on the new album, Don't Break The Promises. Is that the first time? I mean, I know you, Eric, you've worked with him a lot but was that the first time you've worked with him, Graham?

Graham : Well, actually, I never actually worked with him, because it was a song that Eric and Paul had started during the Press To Play period

Nicky : Oh right

Graham : Obviously Eric's always liked it but it was unfinished, and, um, Eric played it to me and said "what do you think?". It sounded fantastic, it obviously needed some work doing to it which I was very glad to do

Don't Break The Promises

Nicky : Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman are with me tonight. So Lol and Kevin are back on this album, 10cc...meanwhile, albeit in a backing vocal, and on one occasion lead vocal, capacity but when they actually split from you in 1976 and the whole of this schism happened, er, they went off to do their Gizmo thing, didn't they?

Graham : Yes

Nicky : Well, there must have been more to it than that, there must have been some acrimony and there must have been differences?

Graham : There was no real acrimony. I think it wasn't just the Gizmo, I think they were kind of, my feeling is that they got kind of bored with the sort of writing - recording - touring thing.

Nicky : Although they did continue to make records though

Graham : Yeah, but it was really the record Consequences which turned out to be a three album set that was really like a huge demo' for the Gizmo

Nicky : Was it, did you think it was any good?

Graham : Oh it had some fantastic things on it, that record. Unbelievable.

Nicky : Any bits of it that stick out, that you can think of?

Graham : There's Da dum bum bum bum bum - clap clap clap clap - ba bum bum bum bum bum. That was a good bit.

Nicky : Oh, you mean this bit?

Plays an assortment of Consequences music

Nicky : There's a little bit of Godley & Crème, and your relationships with them, obviously they've been working on this album with you, singing, but are they still good? Do you think there could still be that coming together again whereby they write songs and you write songs and it's the old 10cc, you think that could ever happen

Graham : It would be very nice if that were to happen, I think it would be great, it would be nice to record together properly, be in the studio together, but whether it will or not, you know, they have their own commitments, but it would be nice.

Nicky : They've got all their video bit, haven't they?

Graham : Yes and Lol directed a film that is out here called "The Lunatic"

Nicky : Well it's been fascinating having you in here to speak tonight, Eric and Graham, and I think I'll play another one off the new album to finish with. Anything you particularly like that I haven't played so far?

Eric : Yeah, there's a track which is going to be our next single from the new album called Welcome To Paradise. It's another sneak into the reggae field for us.

Nicky : Well, I tell you what, we could do a little segue here with Dreadlock Holiday, couldn't we?

Graham : Excellent idea

Nicky : Would that work?

Graham : Yes

Nicky : Eric and Graham, thanks a lot

Eric : Thank you

Graham : Thank you

Welcome To Paradise - Dreadlock Holiday

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Copyright © 1999-2002 The Official 10cc Pages
All articles published for your personal enjoyment only.

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10cc Radio Interview 1992 Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman & Nicky Campbell
Nicky : 10cc, I mean, I used to snigger at school, as the conventional wisdom on the name. That used to be the average male ejaculation - I'm still sniggering about it, actually
Graham : I know, I noticed that. Actually the average male ejaculation is 9cc
Nicky : Aahh, hence one better.
Graham : But I hate to disillusion people, I mean, obviously that's the most popular one because it's the most terribly shocking version, but in fact, er, the name was thought up by Jonathan King, who ran the first label that we were on, and er, he was coming up to see us to listen to some stuff that we'd recorded, and we didn't have a name and he said "I've got a name for you. I had a dream last night, and"
Nicky : What sort of dream was it then?
Graham : Not the sort of dream you're referring to, and er, he said he was standing in front of Hammersmith Odeon, and up there it said 10cc, so we said "Oh, we'll have that"
Nicky : Hmm, he was your Svengali, wasn't he?
Graham : Yes
Nicky : Before you actually...
Eric : We'd recorded a track called Waterfall, which was the B-side to Rubber Bullets and taken it round to every record company we could find, and they all turned it down, and we also had Rubber Bullets in the background too, and Jonathan King used to want to manage the Mindbenders back in the '60s and he'd just started UK Records. I rang him and said "Would you like to listen to these tracks?" I played him the tracks and he said "It's a smash, Rubber Bullets is a hit record" and then the story about the name, what's the group called, it was all true.
Graham : In fact there's a very interesting story connected to what Eric has just said, because we were a very democratic band. So, whoever wrote the A-side, the other writers would write the B-side. So Eric and I had written Waterfall but we didn't have a B-side and because we thought there was another record label that was interested in it, we thought we should do a B-side, and the B-side of that record was... Donna
Nicky : Donna, Oh Donna
Graham : Our first single
Nicky : Which was the sort of rock 'n roll pastiche
Graham : Yes
Nicky : I always thought it sounded a bit like Oh Darling by the Beatles
Graham : Quite right. It wasn't a rip-off, it was more a sort of nod in their direction, a token of great, um, what's the word I'm looking for?
Nicky : Respect?
Graham : Respect, yes
Eric : I remember going to see Wings at the Free trade Hall in Manchester, and we were talking to Paul afterwards and he said, er, I know where you got that Donna from!
Nicky : Well, a nod's as good as a wink. Can you spot the difference?
Donna - Oh, Darling
Nicky : It's Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart with me tonight. After it all sort of '82, '83, through until well, you did your stuff Graham, with Wax, it was a lean time for 10cc, wasn't it?
Graham : Well, it was about as lean as you can get - it didn't exist
Nicky : Very meagre, very meagre
Graham : It was pencil thin
Nicky : Yes it was. You didn't exist and you did all that bit with Wax. I mean, some good songs came out of that. Not too much commercial success certainly this side of the Atlantic
Graham : Erm, Bridge To Your Heart did, that did very well.
Nicky : Right Between The Eyes was a very good song
Graham : Actually that did very well. It was number one in Spain for 6 months
Nicky : Number one for six months?
Graham : It was unbelievable
Nicky : That was Bryan Adams proportions
Graham : It wouldn't go away
Right Between The Eyes
Graham : We did three albums as Wax and, um, it was getting increasingly difficult to work together because Andrew was living in LA and I was living in London. It was hard to sort of pop over with an idea for a song, and, er, in fact, right before the idea of doing a new 10cc album came up, we decided that if we didn't have a big hit from the last album that we did, then we would call it a day as Wax, and that in fact happened. So it was a kind of coincidence that finished and then the offer of doing a 10cc album came along.
Nicky : And all this time, Eric, you were doing quite a lot of work with Paul McCartney
Eric : Yes, I did. I guested on two of his albums, Tug Of War and Pipes Of Peace, and then wrote most of the songs with him on Press To Play
Nicky : And you were in Give My Regards To Broad Street, weren't you?
Eric : Yes, I acted in that
Nicky : Yes
Eric : But they cut my word out though
Nicky : But you didn't get an Oscar though?
Graham : What was the word you said?
Eric : "Excuse me" See? Brilliant, wasn't it! Still sounds good, very original.
Nicky : Maybe if it had been left in, the film would have been more kindly reviewed by the critics 'cause it was slashed to pieces, wasn't it?
Eric : It was, yes. We had fun making it
Nicky : Do you think it was a good film?
Eric : I don't think the story was very good, the music was fabulous, some of the filming was brilliant but the story was very shallow.
Nicky : Have you seen it, Graham?
Graham : Yes I saw it in LA actually, when it came out.
Nicky : You enjoy it?
Graham : No. I think it was a mistake, we all know that.
Nicky : It brings us nicely to a track you both wrote with Paul on the new album, Don't Break The Promises. Is that the first time? I mean, I know you, Eric, you've worked with him a lot but was that the first time you've worked with him, Graham?
Graham : Well, actually, I never actually worked with him, because it was a song that Eric and Paul had started during the Press To Play period
Nicky : Oh right
Graham : Obviously Eric's always liked it but it was unfinished, and, um, Eric played it to me and said "what do you think?". It sounded fantastic, it obviously needed some work doing to it which I was very glad to do
Don't Break The Promises
Nicky : Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman are with me tonight. So Lol and Kevin are back on this album, 10cc...meanwhile, albeit in a backing vocal, and on one occasion lead vocal, capacity but when they actually split from you in 1976 and the whole of this schism happened, er, they went off to do their Gizmo thing, didn't they?
Graham : Yes
Nicky : Well, there must have been more to it than that, there must have been some acrimony and there must have been differences?
Graham : There was no real acrimony. I think it wasn't just the Gizmo, I think they were kind of, my feeling is that they got kind of bored with the sort of writing - recording - touring thing.
Nicky : Although they did continue to make records though
Graham : Yeah, but it was really the record Consequences which turned out to be a three album set that was really like a huge demo' for the Gizmo
Nicky : Was it, did you think it was any good?
Graham : Oh it had some fantastic things on it, that record. Unbelievable.
Nicky : Any bits of it that stick out, that you can think of?
Graham : There's Da dum bum bum bum bum - clap clap clap clap - ba bum bum bum bum bum. That was a good bit.
Nicky : Oh, you mean this bit?
Plays an assortment of Consequences music
Nicky : There's a little bit of Godley & Crème, and your relationships with them, obviously they've been working on this album with you, singing, but are they still good? Do you think there could still be that coming together again whereby they write songs and you write songs and it's the old 10cc, you think that could ever happen
Graham : It would be very nice if that were to happen, I think it would be great, it would be nice to record together properly, be in the studio together, but whether it will or not, you know, they have their own commitments, but it would be nice.
Nicky : They've got all their video bit, haven't they?
Graham : Yes and Lol directed a film that is out here called "The Lunatic"
Nicky : Well it's been fascinating having you in here to speak tonight, Eric and Graham, and I think I'll play another one off the new album to finish with. Anything you particularly like that I haven't played so far?
Eric : Yeah, there's a track which is going to be our next single from the new album called Welcome To Paradise. It's another sneak into the reggae field for us.
Nicky : Well, I tell you what, we could do a little segue here with Dreadlock Holiday, couldn't we?
Graham : Excellent idea
Nicky : Would that work?
Graham : Yes
Nicky : Eric and Graham, thanks a lot
Eric : Thank you
Graham : Thank you
Welcome To Paradise - Dreadlock Holiday
Part 1	Part 2	Part 3
Copyright © 1999-2002 The Official 10cc Pages All articles published for your personal enjoyment only. Home \| News \| 10cc \| This site \| FAQ\| Links \| E-mail