Rock Overdose and Zisis Petkanas had the chance to talk to the legendary rocker Suzi Quatro about her new album, "The Devil in Me". Suzi Q paved the way for a new generation of female rock stars in the 70s and is still able to kick out the jams!
Enjoy!
Rock Overdose: Hi Suzi and welcome to Rock Overdose. How are you these days?
Suzi Quatro: I’m fine, just very busy promoting the album, which I’m happy to say is going in the charts all over the place, so yeah, very busy.
Rock Overdose: It’s really great that you released a very special album and you continue through the years to do this really well.
Suzi Quatro: Well, I didn’t get in this business for a day, I got in it for a lifetime and that’s what I’ve done, it’s been 57 years now and you know, I love my job, I love what I do and I always feel fresh doing that.
Rock Overdose: How did the pandemic affect you and your plans?
Suzi Quatro: It was mainly the gigs, there are no gigs, I have something like 85 shows in the books, I think my son had like 11 days off last year, he was supposed to be on the road and I was on the road with mine and the pandemic came, so we couldn’t go on the road at all and the company took up the option of album number two and I said to my son “right, that’s what we do, we make this album”. So we put our energies into writing, recording and releasing this album. It’s been a very, very creative time for both of us.
Rock Overdose: As you said, you had plenty of time to create new music and record maybe?
Suzi Quatro: It wasn’t the time element, it was just so unusual, I’ve always produced and I’ve always written a lot, all the time, but there was a certain creativity in the air, it was a certain inspiration in this time, so I found that really creative for myself.
Rock Overdose: So, “The Devil in Me” has just been released. Would you like to talk to us about the new album?
Suzi Quatro: Tell me what you need to know and I’ll talk about it.
Rock Overdose: A few things about the album, about its music direction, the lyrics…
Suzi Quatro: Ok, well it’s a diversed album, it’s managed to be totally “Suzi Quatro”, but everything I can now do at the age of 70, so there’s a little bit of diversity in there, the songs are very much from the heart, there’s not one lyric written that I didn’t go deep down inside of me, there are some great riffs, there’s some great rock n’ roll, there’s a couple of exquisite ballads, a great blues number, “Motor City Riders” is just me at my best. My son has somehow managed to re-introduce me to myself, because he’s 36 and he brings all that energy, he sees me in a certain way and he’s been able to show me that, so it’s been a very exciting project.
Rock Overdose: Are you going to release any other single or video from this album?
Suzi Quatro: Well, the Christmas singles are already up, “the Devil in Me”, the title track, is up and there’s also a video up for the third song, called “I Sold My Soul Today”. You can watch all those videos on YouTube and now, on Sunday we’re shooting another video for “Do Ya Dance” and I think the final one will be “Motor City Riders” in the summertime. The album is out now, it came out on March 26, it’s charting everywhere, so you can get it, it’s doing great.
Rock Overdose: As you said, the reaction of fans and the Press was great, I suppose.
Suzi Quatro: Oh, I’ve never read such reviews in my entire 57 year long career! It’s incredible, everybody’s loving this album, they’re just loving it. They’re saying it’s fresh, great guitar riffs, great diversity, great lyrics, great this, great that, so I’m really, really happy with the result.
Rock Overdose: Happy and proud I suppose.
Suzi Quatro: Absolutely. Very proud, very happy for my son! I’m very happy for my son, because he did the first album, “No Control” with me and that was the first time we worked together, then he got his confidence on and now he’s really flying, so I’m happy for him.
Rock Overdose: What are your future plans? Are you planning to write new songs maybe?
Suzi Quatro: I’m writing all the time, we’re actually writing for the next album now, we’re definitely doing that now, I’m writing with a few other people, just finished my fifth book, it’s due to go to the publishers, I’m working on my next book, I’m writing all the time, I’m very much an artist, I always have to be creating something.
Rock Overdose: I suppose you live for music.
Suzi Quatro: I live for creation.
Rock Overdose: And right now you’re writing a new book, you said?
Suzi Quatro: I just finished my fifth book and it’s due to go to the publishers very shortly, as soon as the pictures are inserted and then I’m starting to work on my sixth book, which is my second novel, my second fiction, so I’m always busy, that’s just the way I am.
Rock Overdose: How easy was it for a woman in the early 70s’ to sing, play bass and lead a rock band?
Suzi Quatro: I’m not a gendered person, I don’t consider myself as a female musician, I consider myself a musician. I don’t do gender. So I never had a problem with it and therefore nobody had a problem with me doing it.
Rock Overdose: Looking back to your career, which is the most proud or biggest moment for you?
Suzi Quatro: In 57 years, you just can’t pick one moment out, you have to have a bunch of moments. The first number one is always great, the first big show you do is always great, turning 50 in front of 22,000 people, that was great, you know and on New Year’s Eve 2019 playing in front of 14,000 people, that was great. You can’t pick one moment, it doesn’t exist.
Rock Overdose: What does Rock mean to you?
Suzi Quatro: It’s my chosen form of expression, most of the time. It’s the freedom, it’s the joy, it’s “put your foot on the gas and go”, it’s one of the purest forms of music I think.
Rock Overdose: You’re also an actress and a radio producer. Right?
Suzi Quatro: I’ve done everything, I’ve done a lot of acting, I’ve done musicals, I’ve written a musical, I’ve been on radios for 15 years, on BBC radio too, I’ve been on TV, I had my own talk show, I’ve kinda done everything.
Rock Overdose: Which of these activities do you love the most?
Suzi Quatro: Well, I have to say number one is performing. That’s what I love doing more than anything, but after that, everything kind of comes up together, I just love being an artist, I don’t like being boxed in, I wanna do whatever I wanna do, whenever I wanna do it, that’s how I am.
Rock Overdose: What about Greece, do you have any memories from our country?
Suzi Quatro: I have never been there. One of the few places in the world that I haven’t been and I would love to go, because I love Greece. So, I’m hoping to get there.
Rock Overdose: Even for holidays?
Suzi Quatro: For anything, I would just love to come. I mean, somebody just came to Cyprus. But I wanna go to Athens, I definitely want to see Athens.
Rock Overdose: So, would you like to leave a message to your fans here in Greece?
Suzi Quatro: To all my fans, thank you for sticking around, to all my old fans, thank you for sticking around all these years and to my new ones, welcome on board and enjoy the new album!
Rock Overdose: Are there any other news that you would like to reveal?
Suzi Quatro: No, I think we’ve talked about everything. There’s a documentary out, “Suzi Q”, you can get that on Amazon, it was at the top of the Amazon charts for a long time, it was released on 2019, the “No Control” Album was the first work I did with my son and “The Devil in Me” has been out since March 26 and it’s in the charts.
Rock Overdose: And it’s a great album I must say.
Suzi Quatro: Thank you very much.
Rock Overdose: Thank you very much for your time, I really admire you and your career. Congratulations for all you’ve done for music.
Suzi Quatro: Thank you! I appreciate it, thanks a lot.
For Rock Overdose,
Zisis Petkanas
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