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Cheap Trick Interview With Rick Nielsen

The Gauntlet: I understand Cheap Trick is in Australia?

Rick: Yes we are. We just got here last night. We were in Hong Kong before that. We are here until the day the Budokan! DVD package comes out. I understand you already have it?

The Gauntlet: Yes, I love it.

Rick: How did it mash up?

The Gauntlet: It is great. I have only heard the audio from the show before, never the video. It was great to finally see the show that goes with it.

Rick: Did you see �Ain�t That a Shame� on there? That is the one where the girl runs up and gets me. If you notice the original Live At Bodukan intro, we have the drums and solos and stuff. Well I got knocked out as the girl jumped off the balcony and ran up on the stage and forever altered the intro to the song. So you�ll notice the intros are different from the audio and the video versions.

The Gauntlet: Did you ever think 30 years ago you were doing a concert that would still be talked about now?

Rick: No. Not a clue. That is one of the reasons that �I�Want�You�To�Want�Me� We were asked to speak slow as the Japanese wanted to know what we had to say. It sounds kind of corny in a way and still might be now. It wasn�t the way we normally talked. It was a good thing the way we did it as I talk too fast and Robin talks faster than that. To slow it down for the audience has become as famous as the record itself. 30 years ago, we got off the plane and we were the only Caucasian people you saw over there. Now you see people from Russia, South America and other foreigners.

The Gauntlet: What was this originally filmed for?

Rick: I think it was filmed for Japanese TV. Were there commercials in it?

The Gauntlet: No, I did have Japanese subtitles for each song.

Rick: Ok. It was done for TV, something like Saturday Night with Cheap Trick. It is a pretty nice piece of our history.

The Gauntlet: Was everything remixed for the latest home theater sound systems?

Rick: Yes, the audio was remixed and brought up to 5.1 but we didn�t re-record anything. The whole thing is still live. That was our joke about Frampton Comes Alive�the high hat was live.

The Gauntlet: I always thought that �I Want You To Want Me� took off from the Budokan show. But when Robin sets up the song for the crowd, they go nuts. Was this song a hit before Budokan?

Rick: It was a #1 song over there in 1978. It never got any airplay elsewhere, unless you count one city playing it. But it was never like it got played all at once. Then they released the Live at Budokan EP or trailer that came out at the time and it started to get some airplay. It started out in Boston, but before you knew, it was being played in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. It was all over the place. The Live at Budokan album was the biggest selling import ever. The record label realized this and decided to put it out. It was never supposed to be out in the United States. It was the plan that got undone. Good plan huh?

The Gauntlet: Bruce Dickinson handled the mixing for this incarnation of the album?

Rick: Yeah, he was just a baby back in 1978. He has helped us before with stuff like the four CD box set we had out a few years back along with a couple other box sets.

The Gauntlet: How was the 30th anniversary show at the Budokan earlier this year?

Rick: We tried to play on the same dates exactly 30 years later. We played April 24th though. We got as close as we could.

The Gauntlet: Did you play the same setlist?

Rick: No, not completely but we played a lot of songs from that. We did record it and video tape it though.

The Gauntlet: Can I expect it next year for Christmas?

Rick: You know, I�m not sure what is going to happen with it. We are just glad we have recorded all the things we have in the past. We used maybe .001% of everything we have recorded. We have a lot of stuff in the archives so if we ever need it.

The Gauntlet: That�s always good to know. Pull it out when you guys retire.

Rick: Yeah, we are glad we still sound pretty good and get asked to go out on the road still.

The Gauntlet: When will Cheap Trick be inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame?

Rick: With your help, soon. Other than that, I don�t know.

The Gauntlet: Do you feel insulted for not even being nominated yet?

Rick: Ahhh, you know, I don�t know. If and when we get in, that�s great. If we don�t, it�s great also. We have no control over it though. It would be really good if we make it in. America�s favorite garage band� would be great. Name another band that has been together this long and still making records. You can�t.

The Gauntlet: Maybe you guys need to take a break or go on hiatus to get in.

Rick: That is not going to happen. I like to play. I will play at my own funeral.

The Gauntlet: When did you first realize you were a rock star?

Rick: I still haven�t. That terminology is not in my mind; recognized or semi-well known maybe. �Oh you are the guy from�� I don�t know. That is a weird question for me as I don�t think of things like that. Tommy Lee is a rock star. Steven Tyler is a rock star.

The Gauntlet: Those guys were both influenced by Cheap Trick.

Rick: Yeah, cool. I was at a hockey game not too long ago and this guy said that meeting me was the highlight of the week. I just thought it must have been a slow work week. I am in unchartered territory though; I don�t like to talk about this stuff. I am a working class musician and I kinda prefer that. You can�t spoil me though, I don�t mind that.

The Gauntlet: Cheap Trick was just that, a working class band.

Rick: Well, we never bragged about what caviar we were eating. [laughs] It�s not like you become a musician and then know everything about everything. You won�t see me at Tiffany�s. Tiffany is the guitar I am playing though.

The Gauntlet: Do you still take a lot of guitars on the road with you?

Rick: Oh yeah. I don�t know how many I have with me now. I probably have 20 with me here in Australia. We have two sets of gear, the A gear and the B gear. Our B gear is what most bands have for their A gear. Tom and I are both collectors of guitars and basses. Bun E. has a notorious drum collection too.

The Gauntlet: Does he still have the big sticks?

Rick: Um, we don�t use those very often. He pulled them out at the 30th anniversary of Budokan. You had to be there.

The Gauntlet: Do you still get the groupies like you used to?

Rick: Yeah, �hello sir, can I clean your room now?� We never were too worried about that kind of stuff.

The Gauntlet: There had to be some instances where you are at the hotel and some girl sneaks by security.

Rick: Yeah, like I was telling you earlier about that girl jumping on stage. It happens.

The Gauntlet: Did you get her number or have any further contact with her?

Rick: Yeah, she is my wife now. I�m kidding. I don�t even know who she was.