Graham Bonnet is a hard rock singer who has had an extremely colourful and successful career. He first came to prominence in 1968 as one half of the duo The Marbles, who had a huge and enduring hit with the song 'Only One Woman', which was written by Barry and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees. In 1978, he was invited by Ritchie Blackmore to join Rainbow, where his soulful and incredibly powerful vocal style made an immediate impression. Rainbow entered the singles charts with 'Since You Been Gone' and 'All Night Long' from the Down To Earth album, while they headlined the first ever Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donington in 1980.
After leaving Rainbow, Graham Bonnet had another hit with the single 'Night Games' from his solo Line Up album, where he was joined by musicians from Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Rainbow and Status Quo. After this, he sang with Michael Schenker of UFO fame, then formed another band named Alcatrazz with yet another guitar giant in the form of Yngwie Malmsteen, then Steve Vai, but his prolific touring and recording output continues to the present day.
I interviewed the rock legend for Minds.
What would you most like to be remembered for? Is it the music or the meaning?
I think I would like to be remembered for the meaning of the music because I put a lot of work into telling stories, but of course I would also like the melodies to be remembered. If its a serious question I would like all of it to be remembered... As I said I put a lot of work on the songs and it can take me weeks to work on one. I just have to be inspired.
We know most politicians were born in the fiery pit of hell as the spawn of Satan, but what’s your opinion of the politics of the world today?
Nothing, because nothing ever changes. All the guys who work within the government are all the same anyway. Basically it's a very well paying job and they get a very nice house to go with it.
Is it true that rock stars like yourself get laid at least twice daily? Or is this a myth?
Of course we get laid twice daily. Everybody does don't they?
What’s your favourite Monty Python film and why?
The Life or Brian because it took the piss out of religion. I'm very anti religious as everybody knows. I also don't believe in Santa Clause anymore I'm afraid...
If you were an alien visiting planet earth, what would you do? Would turn around and go back? Or stay and try and help? Or maybe conquer?
I would just go home!
What has been your greatest achievement so far?
Being born I think...
What has been mankind’s greatest achievement?
Having me!
If you had the chance to speak to every human being on earth, what would your message be?
To get rid off money and get rid off guns. There would never be a war. Money, religion and guns are the biggest cause of wars on this damn earth. If we didn't have them I think we'd be still alive and not blow each other up and poor little innocent children. All is big business... but if we didn't have guns or money the world would be totally different but of course that's never going to happen because we are the way we are, a bunch of idiots.
If your life depended on it, which Soap Opera would you do a cameo in?
I have no idea because I don't watch any!
If a tree falls in a forest, and nobody is around to see or hear it, does it make a sound?
Yes...
Have you ever felt pressured by the fact that what you sing about affects society? Have you ever wondered whether you were doing the right thing?
I think I always did the right thing and I always try to make comments on the way society is. What I think about good songs is that they are observations about the way people live and the truth about the world. Real stuff. Not your heavy metal dungeons and dragons... Probably it's still kind of political in a way but its only my opinion and my opinion doesn't really count because it doesn't really affect anyone. I'm just saying what I think. But some people do really listen and think "where do those words come from?" Well just look around...
What advice would you give to musicians today? And what’s your opinion of the highly engineered and marketed music we see in the charts today?
To musicians today I would say don't do it... get a real job.... and my opinion about the engineered music well I don't call that music anyway, it's just electronic bullshit with auto tuning and all that stuff. To me it just sounds like elevator music. There is no soul, there is no rhythm, there is no real emotion as everything is just too perfectly processed. So I would like to make an album, which I will eventually, with no effects, it will be basically as you will hear it, raw. And the music that comes out I have already heard ten million times before. Also now you don't have to be a real performer, you just need to have the right kind of haircut.
Why do you think music and words seems to work so much better than just words as a means to get a message across?
I think people remember melodies more than they do phone numbers. I can never remember a phone number but if I put a melody to it then I will remember it, and I think people remember words because they like the tune, if they like the tune then they remember the words. That's why I forget all the words to all my songs...
What kind of movies do you watch and why?
I like horror movies, adventure movies... I like a lot of movies. I don't particularly have one real special genre so I would watch anything as I'm basically mindless... I would watch a movie until the end and then I decide why the hell did I watch it in the first place. But I like loads of loads of different kind of movies, anything with a good story telling and good pretenders, you know the people who get paid to pretend to be people they are not. They call them actors I believe.
What are your opinions about the power of the internet?
The internet has become something I try not to use too much. I had several Facebook pages and all that kind of things and eventually I had my identity stolen and my bank account was cleared so I think the internet has become ridiculously like something like big brother and we are all going to die and sit in front of the screen and go nowhere, have all our food, all our everything delivered and never go out and meet real people. We'd all become just fat, lazy, blind people with very thick glasses...
Do you think man is created in the image of God or the other way around?
No comment...
A recent scientific report stated that religion will eventually die out completely. What’s your opinion on that? A good thing or a bad thing?
Well obviously a good thing. It will die out. How come people all around the world have a different God? Which is the real one? "Pick your God! door number 1, door number 3..." Which is the real God? There isn't one. We invented God because people are scared of dying. And if you are told that if you don't listen to God's "rules & regulations" the whole place would burn to death or something stupid, or you would be turned into a worm... Religion is based on fear of death, that's why I don't agree with it. It's a lot of bullshit. So there, I have spoken, for I am God.
Is "free will" the whole of the law? Can man ever be truly free?
Not as long as we are govern by people and having to follow other people's rules, I don't think so.
There were the hippie times though..., one of which I was part of, but then of course you suddenly realised you didn't have a job and you couldn't eat or do this or that or whatever.
But I don't think we will ever be free as long as there are guns around and things like that to kill each other with.
As a rock star, it’s a given that you’re obviously deeply involved in the occult, child sacrifice, Satanism and taking the virginity of young ladies. Why is this?
Because it's in the rule book...
Have you ever heard of David Coverdale?
No...
You are one of the giants from a period full of giants. Who, from that revolutionary period, do you admire and why, apart from Abba, which goes without saying!
I like Abba very much. I also like the Japanese version of Abba, which is called Jabba. They actually opened up for Rainbow when we first played in that wonderful country of Japan and they were great.
And well, before everybody else there was the Beatles. Every band had an element from them as we all "stole" from the Beatles as they covered every kind of music that there was and is. People now are still trying to be as good as the Beatles as they were the greatest songwriters ever. They changed the whole world of fashion. We all had long hair until the Beatles came along with all those funny clothes and everybody changed. They also changed loads of opinions. I remember because I was there when it happened back in the 1960s.
Do you back Nuclear Power? If not, why not.
No because is damn dangerous. Look at the tsunami in Japan... do I need to say any more? We could all die from it thank you very much.
Do you believe in Ghosts? UFO’s (i.e. aliens visiting planet earth)? God?
No... I'd like to. I'd like to believe in ghosts and about aliens visiting planet earth well maybe they did... why are we all so different? why are we so different in our colours, why are there different animals in different countries which are so different. Do all these different creatures and different looking people come from different planets? To me it feels as though possibly, I mean I don't really know... but its like we were all planted here and we all came from different worlds. That's why we are all so different. And do I believe in God? Of course not.
Have you ever experienced altered states of consciousness? How, why and was it beneficial? And would you recommend it to all politicians, business and religious leaders?
No, I think they need to be as straight as possible. I think they get drunk too much. I think they are always in a state of unconsciousness rather than consciousness.
Have I experienced it? yes, back in the 60s when I was a hippie type. Of course I did, like everybody else. It's something I would never do again though. I don't miss it for the love of the sun.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
I exposed myself onstage...
What would you still like to achieve?
Greatness (laughs) and to write music forever, to sing better and to keep on singing.
Would you ever record a duet with Justin Bieber?
Only if he sung the bass parts...
Do you believe in manmade global warming? Or is it natural?
I think its natural.
And lastly. Please feel free to say anything at all you want.
I don't give a shit about the world leaders basically. They don't interest me, they bore me. I'm bored of world leaders. And there is the world of actors too... and bitter musicians but I may be one of them...
I have no idea because I don't watch any!
If a tree falls in a forest, and nobody is around to see or hear it, does it make a sound?
Yes...
Have you ever felt pressured by the fact that what you sing about affects society? Have you ever wondered whether you were doing the right thing?
I think I always did the right thing and I always try to make comments on the way society is. What I think about good songs is that they are observations about the way people live and the truth about the world. Real stuff. Not your heavy metal dungeons and dragons... Probably it's still kind of political in a way but its only my opinion and my opinion doesn't really count because it doesn't really affect anyone. I'm just saying what I think. But some people do really listen and think "where do those words come from?" Well just look around...
What advice would you give to musicians today? And what’s your opinion of the highly engineered and marketed music we see in the charts today?
To musicians today I would say don't do it... get a real job.... and my opinion about the engineered music well I don't call that music anyway, it's just electronic bullshit with auto tuning and all that stuff. To me it just sounds like elevator music. There is no soul, there is no rhythm, there is no real emotion as everything is just too perfectly processed. So I would like to make an album, which I will eventually, with no effects, it will be basically as you will hear it, raw. And the music that comes out I have already heard ten million times before. Also now you don't have to be a real performer, you just need to have the right kind of haircut.
Why do you think music and words seems to work so much better than just words as a means to get a message across?
I think people remember melodies more than they do phone numbers. I can never remember a phone number but if I put a melody to it then I will remember it, and I think people remember words because they like the tune, if they like the tune then they remember the words. That's why I forget all the words to all my songs...
What kind of movies do you watch and why?
I like horror movies, adventure movies... I like a lot of movies. I don't particularly have one real special genre so I would watch anything as I'm basically mindless... I would watch a movie until the end and then I decide why the hell did I watch it in the first place. But I like loads of loads of different kind of movies, anything with a good story telling and good pretenders, you know the people who get paid to pretend to be people they are not. They call them actors I believe.
What are your opinions about the power of the internet?
The internet has become something I try not to use too much. I had several Facebook pages and all that kind of things and eventually I had my identity stolen and my bank account was cleared so I think the internet has become ridiculously like something like big brother and we are all going to die and sit in front of the screen and go nowhere, have all our food, all our everything delivered and never go out and meet real people. We'd all become just fat, lazy, blind people with very thick glasses...
Do you think man is created in the image of God or the other way around?
No comment...
A recent scientific report stated that religion will eventually die out completely. What’s your opinion on that? A good thing or a bad thing?
Well obviously a good thing. It will die out. How come people all around the world have a different God? Which is the real one? "Pick your God! door number 1, door number 3..." Which is the real God? There isn't one. We invented God because people are scared of dying. And if you are told that if you don't listen to God's "rules & regulations" the whole place would burn to death or something stupid, or you would be turned into a worm... Religion is based on fear of death, that's why I don't agree with it. It's a lot of bullshit. So there, I have spoken, for I am God.
Is "free will" the whole of the law? Can man ever be truly free?
Not as long as we are govern by people and having to follow other people's rules, I don't think so.
There were the hippie times though..., one of which I was part of, but then of course you suddenly realised you didn't have a job and you couldn't eat or do this or that or whatever.
But I don't think we will ever be free as long as there are guns around and things like that to kill each other with.
As a rock star, it’s a given that you’re obviously deeply involved in the occult, child sacrifice, Satanism and taking the virginity of young ladies. Why is this?
Because it's in the rule book...
Have you ever heard of David Coverdale?
No...
You are one of the giants from a period full of giants. Who, from that revolutionary period, do you admire and why, apart from Abba, which goes without saying!
I like Abba very much. I also like the Japanese version of Abba, which is called Jabba. They actually opened up for Rainbow when we first played in that wonderful country of Japan and they were great.
And well, before everybody else there was the Beatles. Every band had an element from them as we all "stole" from the Beatles as they covered every kind of music that there was and is. People now are still trying to be as good as the Beatles as they were the greatest songwriters ever. They changed the whole world of fashion. We all had long hair until the Beatles came along with all those funny clothes and everybody changed. They also changed loads of opinions. I remember because I was there when it happened back in the 1960s.
Do you back Nuclear Power? If not, why not.
No because is damn dangerous. Look at the tsunami in Japan... do I need to say any more? We could all die from it thank you very much.
Do you believe in Ghosts? UFO’s (i.e. aliens visiting planet earth)? God?
No... I'd like to. I'd like to believe in ghosts and about aliens visiting planet earth well maybe they did... why are we all so different? why are we so different in our colours, why are there different animals in different countries which are so different. Do all these different creatures and different looking people come from different planets? To me it feels as though possibly, I mean I don't really know... but its like we were all planted here and we all came from different worlds. That's why we are all so different. And do I believe in God? Of course not.
Have you ever experienced altered states of consciousness? How, why and was it beneficial? And would you recommend it to all politicians, business and religious leaders?
No, I think they need to be as straight as possible. I think they get drunk too much. I think they are always in a state of unconsciousness rather than consciousness.
Have I experienced it? yes, back in the 60s when I was a hippie type. Of course I did, like everybody else. It's something I would never do again though. I don't miss it for the love of the sun.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
I exposed myself onstage...
What would you still like to achieve?
Greatness (laughs) and to write music forever, to sing better and to keep on singing.
Would you ever record a duet with Justin Bieber?
Only if he sung the bass parts...
I think its natural.
And lastly. Please feel free to say anything at all you want.
I don't give a shit about the world leaders basically. They don't interest me, they bore me. I'm bored of world leaders. And there is the world of actors too... and bitter musicians but I may be one of them...
