A Few Minutes With... Graeme Edge of the Moody Blues

Nippertown.com Yes, it may be hard for baby boomers to believe, but the Moody Blues – featuring guitarist Justin Hayward, bassist John Lodge and drummer Graeme Edge – are touring in support of the 45th anniversary of “Days of Future Passed,” their groundbreaking concept album that takes the listener on a day-long journey from “Tuesday Afternoon” to “Nights in White Satin.”“The Moody Blues: The Voyage Continues – Highway 45 Tour,” as they’re calling their current road trip, is making a tour stop at Proctors in Schenectady at 8pm on Thursday (April 5), and we had the opportunity to chat with the band’s drummer (and poet laureate) Graeme Edge last week:Q: Hi. How are you doing?A: Not bad for an old fart.Q: Well, at least you’re still out there playing.A: Oh yeah, but there’s really no way around it. Once you hit 70, you’ve entered advanced middle age.Q: And you’ve got another birthday coming up soon, don’t you?A: Yes, I guess I do. It’s on Friday (March 30).Q: What do you think your bandmates will get you for your birthday?A: Oh, I don’t know, but I bet the boys can’t top what they bought me for my last birthday. They called it an “all-terrain walker.” They bought me a walking frame and painted it camouflage.Q: But at your “advanced middle age,” do you sill enjoy the touring?A: We’re loving it. In fact, we’ve slipped four new songs into the show. Well, they’re not new songs, but they’re new old songs, not brand new songs. Two of them, we’ve never played before. One we played very briefly in the ’80s and one is an old favorite that we bring back for a couple of years and then drop it back out again. It’s always good to play some different songs, but you’ve got to pay attention to the pacing of the show – the tempos and the keys.Q: So no thoughts of retiring?A: Oh no. You’ll never stop us from playing live while we can still do it. Well, I guess the only thing that would stop us is if nobody booked us.Q: Has there been any thought about recording a new Moody Blues album?Continue Reading...