Joe Cocker @ The Celebrity Cafe
The Celebrity Cafe (2002) - Interview réalisée par Dominick A. Miserandino
thecelebritycafe.com

With a collection of hits showcasing his trademark gravelly voice, rock and blues man Joe Cocker talks about making the music he loves and people want to hear in his career spanning a few decades.

I understand INXS had quite a positive reaction to your recent cover of "Never Tear Us Apart".

Yeah, they sent me a note expressing their thanks and gratitude, which was really touching. It's nice to get a response from the artists that I cover.

 

 

How did you decide on choosing that one to cover ?

I always loved the idea of doing a song in time, waltz time, and when I heard the song the first time it really struck me. Being originally a rock and blues man, we changed the arrangement around a little bit to fit my style and switch the saxophone solo to a guitar solo.

When you perform live, do you still enjoy going back to the songs you're most well known for ?

Well, over the years, I've developed a stable of songs of which I'm known for and never get tired of singing. "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window", "With A Little Help From My Friends", and "Feeling Alright"... For me, the focus are songs, which really get the audience moving. I love songs that have a rocking and grooving feeling.

 

 

Is that how you decide what songs you want to cover ?

Yeah, one of the main ways is for songs that make me want to move. I have to feel it inside. It's all a matter of hearing what I like and seeing if I can make it fit into my style.

With all of the moving around of touring, what do you do to relax when you're not on tour ?

Well, we have this place in Telluride, Colorado. It's somewhere I can just get away and relax and think. It's a very different pace for us, plus we have our restaurant there, Mad Dog Ranch Fountain Cafe.

What do you want to do with your career looking forward ?

I only look at things in a short term of a few years, but admittedly, I reevaluate what I'm doing, and whether I want to continue touring or not.

You've just passed your 56th birthday, and bands like the Rolling Stones have now reached their 40th anniversary. Could you see yourself doing this 10, 15 years longer or more ?

Absolutely, I enjoy what I do, and I'm going to keep on doing it as long as there are fans and an audience for it.