Ian McLagan

Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Ian McLagan, affectionately known as Mac, is a former member of the seminal late '60s and early '70s Small Faces/Faces British rock band. His keyboard and organ work have graced several classic rock songs such as the Rolling Stones' "Miss You" and Rod Stewart's "Maggie May," and he has recorded and toured with musicians as diverse as Taj Mahal, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and Bonnie Raitt.

The Small Faces/Faces psychedelic, mod-influenced powerhouse rock and energetic performances are legendary, and the band has been called the best English band never to completely make it big in America. Some of the Small Faces/Faces well-known songs include the classics "Itchycoo Park," "Lazy Sunday," "Tin Soldier," and "All or Nothing."

Ian McLagan

In 1979, McLagan released his solo album Troublemaker and went on to popularity with the acclaimed Bump Band. But more recently, he has just released his new album Never Say Never.

In a small Mexican restaurant near downtown Austin, Texas, the upbeat McLagan spoke about his new record, the Bump Street Band, and his future plans to tour.

Jeff Boyce: How do you feel about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame not inducting the Faces/Small Faces yet?
Ian McLagan: Who knows who's in control? I could see us getting in. I don't know what the problem is. It's devastating.

Yes, I agree.
Thank you.

Which band were you the happiest in and why?
The Bump Band because I write all the songs. I enjoyed Small Faces very much. That was such a thrill for me, and I love the Faces too. I can't really pick between them.

Are you happy with the Bump Band where it is right now or happier as it was in the past?
I'll be happier when we get more attention, when we sell a few more records. Hopefully, we'll make better records over time, and I hope that continues. The shows are always good. We don't really have anyone upset or miserable. We play a few clubs around the country that when we go back for the fourth time we get the same money, and I'm thinking, "Well, wait a minute." What I don't have is a record company in this country, and that's why it's more difficult. No radio promotion.

That's really important.
Yeah, and no TV promotion either. That separates the men from the boys it seems, 'cause you can have a website and all this, but it's gonna be through the Website. We just played on the "CBS Sunday Morning News," and I was so thrilled because I got immediately 15 orders of my CD in America. I sell more in foreign parts than here. Everything with the band is great. I'm really happy with the guys and how we play and what we have.

Ian McLagan

That's good. What do you consider your best Faces and post-Faces album?
Our best Faces album had to be A Nod is as Good as a Wink. I think Ooh La La is almost as good, I mean, it's very close. A Nod had "Stay with Me" and a few other rockers on there…Ooh La La was more of a complete album and was more of Ronnie Lane's album.

What artist or artists would you like to work with in the future?
I worked with Patti Griffin over the last two albums. I'd like to work with her again. I find her to be an absolutely captivating and irresistible artist. Just love her songs, and how she sings. I've stopped doing sessions pretty much. I mean, I do sessions, but I prefer to write, record, and play…If I could make it work financially, that's what I'll eventually do, but I won't do any sessions.

Obviously, there were giant piano players in rock 'n' roll, from Fats Domino to Elton John. Then we have great keyboardists such as Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Rick Wakeman of Yes. As a keyboardist, what do you feel about the instrument's importance to rock music?
To start, Elton's a great songwriter and singer. And Fats is great, and I've seen him play in Japan. He's a real blues player if you ever hear him play the blues. He's an amazing young man. I mean, what he does is actually quite difficult, sounds really easy, "ah bop bop bop bop," but it's very fast, the left hand is very good. He's a great blues player, it's surprising to hear him, and that's why he's so good at what he does. I don't like the Rick Wakemen era players, boring. Booker T. is my hero, Billy Preston…

Oh, so more of the R&B artists?
Oh yeah, and the blues. My piano playing influences come straight from Otis Spann, there was Muddy Waters, Johnnie Johnson, Lafayette Leak, Sunnyland Slim, Roosevelt Sykes, and in rock, Jerry Lee Lewis, of course.

And Little Richard?
Oh yeah. But you know he didn't play a lot of his records. He can play brilliantly but his voice was too loud. A lot of that is Huey "Piano" Smith.

McLagan

What track are you the most proud of on the album?
Actually, it's either "Where Angels Hide" or "When the Crying Is Over." For "Where Angels Hide," I wrote to a dear friend of mine whose wife died about seven years ago, and the song came to me as a way of giving him a hug, you know, try to help him through his misery. I had no idea what grief was like. My mom and dad died, but it's different when your wife does, someone you love that close. So I wrote the song for him, but I could never play it for him. It was just too tender. So when my wife died, the day after she died, I went to the piano and started playing that song, for me. And as I played the verse, I went to the bridge, and I thought, "Maybe I'll do it without the bridge." The song was already finished. As I recorded it, 20 or 30 times at home, I had to be vocal…and I told a friend of mine, Stewart, and that's why I recorded it down here (in Austin). And I recorded it there once, then they said, "You should come back later in the day, like after a session, ten o'clock at night"… and so I did that, and on the fifth take, I got a migraine, so then we just had a drink, and I went home. And then a friend of mine works at this place called the Festival Hill in Round Top, 60 miles east of here, towards Houston, and it's a most fantastic place…so they allowed me to go out there, I took all my recording equipment out there, and played it 26 times that day. So that meant something to me that it was something for my friends, but eventually I was doing it for me, you know. Hopefully it will bring comfort to others. That's why it's so special to me.

What does the artistic work inside the CD represent?
That's a good question. Nobody's really asked this…This photograph of Kim was taken in 1974 (in Kenya), a year after we got together…I was wearing a T-shirt, and there's a crown there, then there's a big heart shape. Anyway, I was wearing the shirt in Africa. Kim liked the shirt. She wore it that day, and I took a picture…so I had to find the shirt, and I eventually did, and it's 43 years old now, it's in perfect condition. So I put it on. And I photo shopped the shirt with clouds, Texas sunset, and I did the same with Kim's…that's Texas sky right there…It's all about the sky…

I really liked that story.
Yeah, it's clouds. It's like she's gone. She's in the sky. She's right here (pats his heart). I drew that in the middle of the night in the middle of a dream (points to the sunglasses camouflaged in the clouds)…sleeping glasses made from clouds (laughs). Years ago, when we were living in LA, my bass player was Japanese, and I asked him if there's any way he can write "Kim" in Kanji, and he said, "Well, it can mean two things" (Ian shows me the two black Japanese characters in the CD sleeve and pronounces "kim-b"). It means "your dreams." She was…

That's really clever.
It's nice. It doesn't need explaining…It's all about Kim. It's always Kim.

I can see you put your heart and soul into this.
Oh yeah, absolutely. And there's a message here for everybody. It says, "Multitasking is not possible when using your cell phone in an automobile. Turn it off and put it away." She was checking her voicemail when she died…

You say this album is dedicated to family and friends and "to all the good people of Austin, the beating heart of Texas."
I'm really proud of that expression because it's true. I mean Austin is a lot of things to a lot of people. But it is the beating heart of Texas.

McLagan and band

How has the Austin music scene helped you?
It's helped me a lot. Especially since Kim died, people have been very kind and very warm, but before that, she didn't know Austin before we moved here. We actually came here a couple of times to look for houses and just to get in place. We have friends here…I always loved it. She really blossomed and loved it here. There were no plans for us to ever move, and I don't think there's ever any chance…It's been great for me. Every week at the Lucky Lounge, somebody will come up and they will say, "Thank you for coming to Austin." And I say, "You have no idea. Thank you." It ain't a way to make a living playing music here, but you will get listened to. And people, if they like you, they'll come out again. It's very special. …trying to get a gig in L.A. is hopeless.

April 6, 2006, in Austin, Texas, was Ian "Mac" McLagan day. How did you feel about that?
I was very honored. It's very special. But somebody said, "Oh, it's April 6, this is your day." And I said, "No, you only get one. Not every April the 6th." It was very nice. It was very sweet…I got to play a song at the Capitol. They gave me a plaque…I was in L.A. 16 years. I was in England 33 years. Nobody made me "king of the world" there.

Well you gotta love Austin.
Yeah, they show me that love. I give it back.

Are there any last comments you'd like to leave your fans?
Come out and see us wherever you are. We love to play.

That's good.
I love the Lord. I hope he loves me.