Interview with Jeff Scott SOTO.

Hi Jeff ! First of all, I’m always impressed when I see the rhythm that you work ! In just a few months, between your solo career and Talisman, you released about 4 cds ! What’s your secret ?
Jeff Scott Soto : I have no idea, I don’t even know how it happens ! At 1 point of my career, I was attacked for being too present & releasing too much in a short time. I don’t do it on purpose, but remember in this business, a recording process from writing to mixing takes months…when it finally gets released, the album could be about 4-7 months old. Who wants to sit around doing nothing for 4-7 months ? How boring !

As a French, there’s a question I can’t wait to ask. I read on your site that you will be back in Europe in September for a new solo tour. There are plans to possibly play here in France, I think. Do you have more information now, or could you confirm this venue yet ?
Unfortunately, France has been the hardest one to book ! I know I have many fans there, but the venues & promoters don’t know or are convinced of this so no one is willing to take the risk because as you know, it is business. I’m hoping somewhere as we’re booking the dates that would take us through France, we could book something, even if I take a financial loss. It’s important I cover as much ground on this tour because for me it’s a new chapter in my career & especially because it’s been about 10 years since my last performance there….much too long !

Your latest release is the Live At The Gods 2002 on cd & dvd. You got back to your main past projects during that show, so let’s follow about the same way for this interview. First of all, could you tell us how you were asked to play at the Queen Convention last year ?
I met the founder of the Fan Club about 4 years ago when I had a brainstorm idea of getting some material to Brian May, as he had just released his 2nd solo album & of course I’m a HUGE Queen fan, & thought after reading the many complaints about the only thing he hated about touring solo was being stuck behind the mic the whole show. I thought I could send him some material, show him my Queen influence/vocal abilities, & see if he might be interested in bringing a singer out on the road this time. Well, he didn’t end up touring, but as I was looking for ANY reference to send my CD along, I found a recent BBC article about Queen reforming…of course the alarm bells went crazy in my head. I found the Fan Club site & the woman running it, Jacky Smith, has been invoilved with Queen for 20+ years. I emailed her (remember, nobody on THAT side had any idea who I was…I was nobody to them !) & asked if I could get an address to send a CD to Brian. Of course, no reply. I wrote a few times & finally she gave in saying ‘Send it to me, if I think it’s good, I might pass it on’….good enough for me. Within a week of sending it, she wrote me saying ‘If Queen do reform, they must have you as THE singer !’ She ran the CD over to Brian immediately, who wrote me a very nice letter thanking me for sending it, but there were no truths to the reunion rumours. 2 months later, there was a fan club event celebrating Freddie’s birthday in which Brian was making a guest appearance. I was invited along & the rest is history. I left such an impression, I’ve been invited to several functions since.

I heard that a DVD of this amazing show is scheduled for September. Can you tell us more about it ?
Yes, the show went over with such overwhelming delight, the Fan Club & I have made arrangements for a limited release, available through personal resources. I wanted to keep it low key on the release, as I don’t want Queen to feel I’m capitolising on their name or for anyone to think I’m just trying to make a quick dollar on their music. The reason I’m involved in it is to control it from being sold through bootleg, 2nd generation resources or someone else’s financial gain….this is for the Fan Club members & my longtime followers exclusively.

Prism is your second solo album. You did everything yourself from writing to production, I think. Is that something you wanted to do for long ?
Yes, for so many years I have to share in the writing, decisions & arguments of songwriting with others…this time, I wanted to answer to just me. I’m happy with the outcome, although I’ll get it heavier on the next 1.

There was particularly two songs that blow me away on Prism. The first one is Eyes Of Love, and the other one is your duet with Glenn Hughes on the Sly & The Family Stone cover. How did you met him ?
I’ve known Glenn for about 10 years, we met in Sweden & have been great supporters of each other since. We share the same dilemma of wanting to do soul music within our rock & roll.

You’ve done a lot of covers in the past, between your various projects and a few tribute albums too. Do you have a favourite one ?
Uh, let me think…..QUEEN ! The Aerosmith & Van Halen ones were great fun too.

Howie Simon

Gary Schutt

You did two videos for Prism. We lost the habit to see that kind of stuff in melodic rock these days, since the majors left the style. Is that something you missed as an artist ?
Indeed, & with the technology of making videos again at home to look like some of the inflated budgets of the 80’s is a good reason to do them again. Both videos cost me about 1500 Euro to shoot, edit & author….not bad, huh ?

At the Gods, you finally sang on stage Stand Up which was written for the Rock Star movie soundtrack. Is that the first time you played that one live in front of the public ?
Yes, great fun that song !

I heard that you were singing the songs backstage when the live scenes of the movie were shot. Is it true ?
Not true at all…I wasn’t even in the US when they did the live concert sequence. It was a great day from what I heard, lots of energy & real bands in between the movie shooting.

The songs you’re singing were written by old legends like Sammy Hagar or Steve Plunkett from Autograph fame. Have you met them during the recording sessions ?
I’ve met Plunk at airports & music trade shows before, but not Sammy. Steve is a really nice guy, very approachable.

Don’t you think it would have been cool to get the role and do the show yourself ? ;)
Yes, but Mark Wahlberg is definitely much better looking ! I could have done the singer’s role that I sang for, but then Marky Mark would have had a different ‘animal’ to replace !

You stopped a few projects lately, like Takara and Humanimal. Do you want to work more on your solo career, now ?
Yes, that & Talisman…& hopefully someday, Queen , ha ha !

As for Humanimal, I heard that there was personal problems between Marcel Jacob and Pontus Norgren. Is that the main reason of the ‘split’ ? What did happened exactly ?
It’s a long story which has been resolved lately. It’s water under the bridge, but honestly, we did a great fucking album with Fredrik back in the band.

Does your problems with Z Records are settled now ?
I never really had problems as I was an outsider in the whole thing. With Humanimal, I was a hired session singer so I did my vocals, got paid & let the shit fly with the others. But the answer for their problems, no, not resolved at all.

Are you still in good relationship with Pontus since Fredrik Akesson is back in Talisman ?
Absolutely, Pontus mixed a couple of our shows recently in Sweden & we all jammed together at some of our shows. He’s a great human being.

You will play a few more dates with Talisman in Europe this summer. I guess that you will record a show for an upcoming dvd release. Is that right ?
Yes, that is the intention, we are planning a DVD archiving a good portion of our past, including clips from the early 90’s.

Let’s talk about Cats and Dogs, now. You did a long break since the last album. Is that something the band wanted ?
No, it just seemed to happen that way. We all went directions of keeping ourselves so busy, but moreso, it was the Humanimal/Z Records incident that made us decide to do it as Talisman again.

I think this is a fine mixture between your classic stuff and a more modern edge for songs like Friends To Stranger. Do you agree ?
Absolutely…we try to shake things up a bit on every album.

I was very impressed by Marcel Jacob’s playing on that album. Sometimes he reminds me of Billy Sheehan from MR. Big. I didn’t feel it that much before. Is that something he wanted to do for long ?
No, Marcel has played & written his bass parts like that long before he even knew who Billy Shehan was. I’ve heard demos of him at 15 years old playing like that….he’s now 40.

I guess you live in the United States and the rest of the band in Sweden. Isn’t it hard to work in that conditions, and where have you recorded Cats And Dogs ?
Not at all. Marcel generally writes all the music anyway, he’ll send it over to me, i write melodies/lyrics, put the music on my home studio, demo the songs with vocals & then we set a date to get together to record. Has worked great for many years.

Does the re-release of Talisman’s complete discography is done yet ?
I believe so… finally !

As you finished the Gods show with a Yngwie medley, let’s talk about your ‘Yngwie era’ briefly. Everybody knows that this is not the nicest person in the world, but did you have a good relationship with him ?
I’m 1 of the few people in the world who has a good relationship with him. Yngwie is a very ‘unique’ individual, you must really understand why he is the way he is to accept him. Most choose not to bother with it, may be too difficult for most….me, I get along with everyone.

Do you think your career would have been the same without your beginnings with Malmsteen ?
Who knows, in some ways it hurt me in the beginning because it took so long to escape his shadow & musical genre. Even today, I hate to be known as the singer of I’m A Viking, but hey, it is my past & I am grateful for everything that’s come from it.

OK. That’s all for me. Do you have something to add ?
I will do my best to come & sing for you all there this September, I need you all to prove to the cynics there is room for JSS in France…Merci !

Thanks so much for the time ! And maybe, see you here in France !

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