Happy 80th Birthday BP Fallon: "I've been on stage all my life, one way or another"

Originally published in Hot Press in 2013:

Since the late ‘60s, Irish-born publicist, party-starter, mischief-maker, collaborator and co-conspirator BP Fallon has dedicated his life to rock ‘n’ roll. Whether you remember him as the man who coined the term “T-Rextasy,” or the bloke who provided the sonic thrills during U2’s Zoo TV tour, the guru is indelibly inked into the evergreen genre’s ongoing history and over the decades the self-declared “109-year-old” has performed many roles in music save one — that of frontman in his own right.

2013 sees all that change though with the release of his debut full-length album Still Legal. Naturally enough, when we catch up with the Austin, Texas-based vibe merchant, our first question is: why now?

“We had the band, we had the songs, we had the urge!” he replies. “Right from the beginning of all this, singing ‘I Believe In Elvis Presley’ live in the studio with Jack White in Nashville, it was one of the biggest highs I’ve ever had and at the same time it felt completely normal. I’ve been on stage all my life one way or another and I like it. It’s just a million times better now, with this killer band behind me who graciously allow me to be the singer and leap about and make a great album with them.”

Buoyed by the results of his Jack White-recorded first single ‘Fame #9', the rock ‘n’ roll soothe-sayer set about assembling that aforementioned all-star band (aptly dubbed The Bandits) to score his musical adventures in earnest. With former New York Dolls member Aaron Lee Tasjan and Blondie’s Clem Burke and Nigel Harrison forming the spine, David Holmes, Ian McLagan from the Small Faces and a host of others all appear on the album too. Did BP feel like he couldn’t fail with such a sterling line-up behind him?

“They’re among the best rock ‘n’ roll musicians in the world, no question. Clem’s not only in Blondie and The Bandits — he’s also the only man ever who’s been a member of The Ramones and recorded with both Brian Wilson and Bob Dylan. But it doesn’t matter how good the players are if the songs aren’t up to the reputation of the musicians and forgive me, but our songs are really good and also very catchy.

“I write the lyrics and we all collaborate on the tunes,” he continues. “So we’re literally drawing on the same fountain as, say, Nigel Harrison [Bandits bassist] was when he was in Blondie and wrote ‘One Way Or Another’ with Debbie Harry.”

Centred around love, lust, mutual infidelity, drugs, models and everyone from Jesus and Edie Sedgwick to Dylan and Columbus (“Normal New York stuff,” says Fallon), Still Legal was partly funded by the Pledge scheme. Does BP feel the fan-based programme is the future of the music business?

“Crowd funding is one of the futures. For The Bandits, this way we own and control everything. And if the man with the golden cigar makes us an offer we can’t diffuse, we can talk.

“We’re doing it our own way, we’re not part of any music business establishment, this is all off our own bat. We take this very seriously and we have a laugh,” he adds.

Featuring a live line-up that includes Stooges member Scott Asheton and Primal Scream’s Barrie Cadogan (because clearly you can never have enough current and future rock ‘n’ roll Hall of Famers in your ranks) BP reveals that while we shouldn’t expect a full blown “traditional” tour in support of Still Legal you never know where they might turn up next.

“A series of one-off shows is more our vibe,” he concludes. “For the last gigs we had the four of us [Aaron, Nigel, Clem and I] plus Scott Asheton on additional drums and Barrie Cadogan on added guitar. Can you imagine two amazing drummers pounding away behind you? Clem Burke and Scott Asheton...good Lord! Such a groove. We wouldn’t say ‘no’ to doing some Bandits shows with The Strypes who we love, though...”