Kenny Jones: Before The Fall

["Scott Schrade" <schrade@akrobiz.com>]

I just got the Sept. 1979 issue of Trouser Press magazine.  It's contains a nice
interview/article on Kenny Jones who, only months before, had joined THE WHO.
Here are a few of the comments from Kenny:


On the similarity between WHO songs & old Small Faces songs:  "The arrangements
are similar. You have to be precise, put an accent in a certain place every time or you'll
blow the song."

"We really didn't rehearse much at all. We booked Shepperton for two weeks....When
we did rehearse we only worked from two 'til six in the afternoon. Really, it boiled down
to about a week's rehearsal to learn everything."

On his then limited familiarity with WHO songs:  "No, I've never seen that many WHO
concerts, actually. In the early days when we used to tour together we always used to
leave after our set, or get there & go right on. I wasn't that familiar with them at all. The
last WHO concert I saw was at Charlton in about '73 or '74....It was quite a while ago,
& most of the time I was backstage hitting the bottle - I do like a drink."

"I don't want to be influenced, so I purposely didn't listen to anything. Just before the first
rehearsals started I put on a compilation album & the last album & listened to them once
but not even all the way through....So what I really did was just familiarize myself with
the sound....The first day was so good; it was a little insight into what it would be like by
the time we finished rehearsing. The next day it was down to using my brains - remember-
ing the numbers & stuff like that."

On working on the TOMMY soundtrack album:  "In the studio the second day I was just
sitting & playing & all of a sudden I realized that there was Pete on one side & John on
the other side. 'Hold on,' I thought, 'this is THE WHO.' Of course, I dismissed it immed-
iately, because I was in the Faces & I knew that after working on TOMMY for a week
I'd be back on the road with the Faces."

On playing with The OX:  "For me, he's not that difficult to play with because of those pre-
views I had. I'll never change my style, anyway - you either like it or you don't - & he's not
about to change his either. We accepted each other on that level, so we'd already cracked
the ice somewhat."

On the upcoming tour:  I think we can use brass on a few numbers - tracks that contain
brass already & maybe on new stuff, as well. That's why I'm so anxious to do a new album.
The extras we use on that we'll probably use on stage....THE WHO always wanted to do
that & now they can."

On Pete's aversion to touring:  "He wants to go out on the road, right, but what he doesn't
want to do is anything longer than a three-week or a month tour - which is long enough.
Those long, grueling tours, in my opinion, were fatal to a lot of bands & musicians; they really
fucked a lot of people up. That's what he doesn't want to do & that's what I don't want to do.
We've all got families & other commitments."

On getting the call that THE WHO wanted him to join:  "THE WHO's manager, Bill Curbish-
ly, called & said that the band have had a meeting & they're going to be staying together per-
manently & wanted me as an equal member....I met with Pete & Bill the next day & didn't say
yes or no at first, but after talking with Pete for two hours I agreed."

On seeing Mods in the audience at his first show with THE WHO:  "I walked on stage & didn't
realize it at first, but there were all these young 'faces' in the audience & I looked back & there
were older ones & I felt like I was 10 years back in time. I guess there will always be that WHO
audience....You should see the QUADROPHENIA film, it's exactly what we used to all do.
Fantastic!"

On Punk:  "I'm glad the punk thing is done with - sticking pins through your cheek, horrible!"

On playing with backing tapes:  "Bloody hard to play to. The track comes through the cans &
I have to keep in perfect time with the tape. If I go out the whole band will go totally out of
time, because they have to follow me. It's really hard to do. There's tremendous pressure to
play it right."

When asked if he stops drinking the day of a show:  "No. Start. I start in the bloody morning,
I always have a couple of brandies before I go on, then drink through the show & go off stage
pissed out of my brain...."


 - From an article entitled "Entering a Who Era:  Ex-Face Kenny Jones on Mods & Sods"
   Trouser Press magazine September 1979


- SCHRADE in Akron