2007
2006
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THE VOICE CORNERS TOBY
March 22nd 2007

Finding time to sit down with someone as busy as Toby has not proven to be easy.  Between touring, working on new music, planning a subsequent tour or three, being a husband and dad and planning world domination, "The Voice" has had to become creative in getting some time for an interview. So after being shut out in the rain time after time, and with the goal of of bringing the news to fans that the fans want, I took it upon myself to conveniently place myself in the shadows during Toby's visit to the studio and swipe his prized black custom Telecaster guitar while he wasn't looking.   

The Voice: Hello Tobe, thanks for taking the time from your hectic schedule to chat with me about the new album and all that!  I’m very excited about the prospects of you possibly touring with the new album.  What can we expect from your new album and stage show?

I come from the school of thought that is based entirely on performance being ‘real’ meaning, no ‘show’ apart from the ‘show’ that is conjured from nothing more but the pleasure and emotion of being there in the moment. I have tried in my early years to construct a performance but have always fallen flat on my face sometimes literarily. I would say that I completely believe in what I am doing and the show is that! Love it or hate it! I have talked a lot about this with the band and I think that we are very comfortable with the idea.  Now we have Dean in the band replacing Nick Dunne, he has in many ways completed the circle because he is the same; very confident but aware of his limitations and strengths and plays to them. Expect a show that is on the edge but always delivered with heart and not a hint of pretension…I hope…

The Voice:  I have no doubts you will deliver!!  In 2003, your fans thought that was last we may hear from you. Obviously we were ecstatic when we received news of your return. I can feel the excitement any time I chat with you! It’s infectious! Why now? What, if anything has changed in your life that has given you the drive to come back bigger and better than ever?

I have a complicated life and a complicated past. My past has been the best and worst thing that has happened to me. I love it for what we created but hate it for how it made me feel at the end. Being honest, I was completely shot down when the band finished and it effected me deeply in ways I didn’t expect. Consequently, I have had a rough ride back in as I have had to confront myself and my fears as well as gather the confidence to believe I was good enough again, as it has felt over recent years that my light had gone out. I have also become a Dad three times over and have completely embraced the family thing and have greater love of all that than anything to do with the music business, so it became a journey of priorities. When I came back out in 02/03, I really believed I could do it again, but made enormous mistakes with areas of the business and also with the delicate balance of my business and private life that stopped me in my tracks again. This time I wasn’t even thinking of returning in the same way, I had in fact begun to write again and was hoping to get music out to other artists when Bruce McKenzie (my record company boss) called and mentioned the Thunder tour and how their web site had suggested me as the opener…I was electrified with this and really did the tour as an experiment to ‘test’ whether I still had it and the audience were genuinely into what I was doing. Thankfully they were and all of a sudden my mojo returned and I could see some light again…Truth is that this is what I am and sometimes you take the wrong road and sometimes the right…this time I am approaching it from a clearer direction and it FEELS right this time. A lot of the reason it does is because of what was achieved in 02/03 as the Refresh EP is still high in the fans minds, so nothing was wasted really…

The Voice:  The Refresh EP still blows me away when I hear it! So tell us about your lyrics.  They always feel heartfelt and sincere. Where does the inspiration for your music come from? Is it all from life experiences and feelings, or do you role-play through characters?

I have two ways of approaching the lyrics. One is to allow the subconscious to surface through a feeling or inspirational moment and then write down the results no matter how garbled they first appear (womankind) or I have a riff or idea that somehow ‘suggests’ a lyrical subject matter by it’s very sound or rhythm. Most of the time I ‘scat’ write lyrics onto a tape whilst first forming the song and try to decipher the content after, often finding a crazy logic within…sometimes I literarily wake up in the night and rush to my studio and mumble an idea onto my Dictaphone and then go back to it in the morning. Very rarely I will compose music and lyrics simultaneously in minutes and end up with a song that I have no idea where it came from (Don’t prey for me) I do insist on being confident that what I am singing about has real meaning to me, not necessarily anyone else, but to myself…

The Voice: So which song is/was the hardest to perform due to personal experience behind the lyrics, if any?

I don’t see it like that really; being able to write songs for me is ultimately a cathartic experience I am often drained after a show due to this because I sincerely believe in my songs and have every confidence that what I am singing about has an emotional core that delivers my idea one way or another. It is not important to me when I am singing the songs whether the audience ‘gets it’ or not, I am to in the moment, but I do hope that the emotion is understood

The Voice: I promised myself I wouldn’t ask you any questions about favorite bands and such, but as I talk to you I have “Motivated” playing in the background and it is the one song that brings a huge smile to my face and can snap me out of any kind of slump every time I hear it. Is there a song for you by any artist that does the same thing?

Yes, anything by queen. Freddy for me had the voice of purity that has always been able to reach into me and make me feel completely at ease. His magic was and still is indefinable but possessed of an ‘other-worldly’ power I don’t think I or anyone else can possibly understand or quantify. He is in that elite group of artist performers that have a gift that transcends all others. He made it look effortless, engaging, exciting beautiful, passionate and yet he was never overbearing or pretentious despite the wild behaviour and dressing, his genius is so out there is was never in question to me. I wish I had a millionth of his talent, wit and virtuosity.

The Voice: Groupies inevitably come with being in a band. What is the strangest request you have had from a fan?

Nothing to extravagant really, I think I presented an attitude of indifference to those folk who felt compelled to be that way. My sister always said I was naïve in the extreme and could never see it when someone had designs on me! Perhaps true, but I’m glad of it as it has most likely saved me from any number of bad mistakes. However, I have had a lot of requests to sing at peoples weddings and signed a lot of body parts that then ended up as tattoos…

The Voice: Being a writer myself, I always value people’s honesty whether the feedback is good or bad. Obviously you have a great back catalogue of outstanding songs, have you ever written a song that you have presented to your wife, band member or a friend and the response wasn’t exactly what you were looking or hoping for? If so, how did you deal with it?

Oh, too many! I am very prolific. Part of my thing is that my brain works harder than my hands and so I often end up with 20 ideas from one moment of inspiration that I then fashion into songs. More often than not I get fixated by an idea and convince myself that I have discovered the holy grail of song writing only to play it to those who I trust (usually my wife) only to be unceremoniously shot down…because the truth of the matter is that it is garbage. I have learnt over the years to trust my instincts and write EVERYTHING I can but to allow the dust to settle on an idea before presenting it, and I have to say that it has turned up better reactions because of it…

The Voice: So many musicians have their music overshadowed by their actions off stage. How come we’ve never heard stories of Toby Jepson being arrested for trashing his hotel and the like?

Now you are touching upon something that was the corner stone to why the Angels split up. I am a middle class boy who knows it, and I was brought up to be polite and respect others. This may sound sanctimonious but it is the truth. My parents always encouraged me to be wild but not wildly out of control and I love them for it. It allowed me to express myself completely whilst on stage but I was always content to be my true self off the stage never feeling the need to invent anything else. This fact annoyed the hell out of the others; after all I was the front man! I should be fucking mucky groupies and larging it up in hotel rooms and getting kicked out of clubs etc blah blah fuckin blah, but honestly I just saw that as moronic behaviour carried out by those who didn’t REALLY understand what Rock and Roll was about, and that to me was an attitude to life; freedom and raising your voice in protest and sheer excitement, being able to feel SOUL free and to engage with others in the same feeling…not snorting cocaine off the back of a slapper in the bogs of a shit hole club…that’s just. Well… shit isn’t it? The truth of it is that the media always have a soft spot for twats and find the gutter more endearing than good behaviour. It sells more papers because the reader can have a laugh about the stupidity and rejoice in the fact that there are those out there doing stuff that they WISH THEY COULD DO THEMSELVES (in there dreams) so what can you do…?

The Voice: Which three words would you use to best describe yourself?

An Enthusiastic, determined, believer

The Voice: Something I have thought long and hard about is the start of your career in the US. Indeed I even share my thoughts in the biography section of this site. Would you agree that approaching the American music market will be an easier task with out having the “Ex-Little Angels Singer” label attached to you and starting with a clean slate? (I hope that came out right. Not meant as any kind of insult to the Angels years)

America is without doubt the most important market for ANY English language artist. Period. To achieve success in the US would be the greatest thing for any self respecting rocker. It will live and die with the music and the ability to take that music out to the very heart of Middle America where the silent majority cast their vote. Too often English artists are hyped on the West coast and in New York, but have no relevance outside the heartlands of the entertainment business. If I have a chance, it is to ‘speak’ to the average American on any street of any town in any state and be believable. I don’t think the name of my previous band will help that. Having toured the US the one thing that hits you is the size of the place. To physically move about over there is a task in its self. But I think that if you have the music right and can get those people who can REALLY affect the possibilities of success such as the radio producers and the agents on your side then I have as good a chance as any. Look what Def Leppard did! 5 working class lads from Sheffield with an EP recorded in HULL!!!!

The Voice:  If Toby 2007 could go back and visit Toby 1986. What advice would you give to him?

Change nothing, embrace everything, hold on for dear life and enjoy it, but probably more importantly I would say, don’t take it so seriously, allow everyone to have a say and don’t be so defensive…

The Voice:  If you could live the "Little Angels Era" over again. Is there anything you would have done
differently?

Not artistically, because I believe we had something that others did not. But I would try to relax a bit more and cultivate my friendships within the band. The trouble with being young, gifted and stupid is exactly that. What the fuck do any of us really know at 20 years old? I knew nothing about how to from solid emotionally important relationships with anybody.

The Voice: If you hadn’t become a singer, what would you have done with your life?

Film

The Voice: You're a well-documented film buff, which movie title best describes your life?

The good, the bad and the Ugly

The Voice: For me, at a concert, crowd banter is just as important as the music. You have a great connection with the audience. Have you ever said anything on stage that as soon as it came out you realized you shouldn’t have said it?

How long have we got? I once chastised a guy for not standing up at a show only to be told later that he was in a wheel chair…called many a guy a girl due to poor lighting…was told by a ‘mischievous’ German record company chap how to say ‘thanks and great to be here’ in the mother tongue only to discover later that I was telling the audience that the all smelt like monkeys…
The list goes on and on…still it amused the rest of em. These days I just let it roll and bugger the consequences. Its more fun that way and to be honest, I love the feeling of closeness I get at a show when the music is slick and the feelings are high…

The Voice:  Have you ever been misquoted in an interview?

All the time. The British press are practised at it, especially the tabloids. They go out of their way to use the language against you. It is generally regarded as fair game and if it isn’t on the tape, they will invent it. The more famous the more ludicrous. I never read my press. Used to and got so mad about it I decided that it was out of my hands. And if I have another paper called me Tony Jackson I’ll spit…

The Voice:  I think it's fair to describe you as a fans musician. Meaning, you are quick to acknowledge your fan base and seem humbled by our loyalty. Granting this interview is a great example. Pulling fans on stage to sing with you is another (and a VERY cool one may I add). This is a rare trait in musicians and celebrities and is greatly appreciated. Why are you different?

Because I remember queuing up in the rain to buy the latest Kerrang or the new queen album, I went to gigs when I was very young and was part of the crowd being pushed and pulled trying to exit the hall, I made my first guitar from bits and pieces and wished I could be as good as my made Wayne who had a real strat…I am still a fan of music and will always remember the feeling of loving a band and wishing that that singer would acknowledge me and make it more real. The only time that happened to me (as most of my hero’s are either dead or were a huge let down when I met them) was when Ronnie James Dio held my banner aloft at Donnington 1983 (I think that was the year) and it made me want to burst with pride, as I had spent hours drawing his face and name onto an old sheet my mother had given me and I managed to throw it onto the stage. Awesome.

The Voice:  I could imagine that playing on stage provides a lot of adrenalin, so what, if any normal activity brings “Rock God Toby Jepson” back to earth the fastest?

Conversation with my kids and my wife as they always remind me that this is not real life, and I love them for it. Bills that remain unpaid, home sickness

The Voice:  What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you on stage?

Fell over into the monitors on our first headlining time at Bradford’s St Georges Hall. I could hear the audience laughing ABOVE the pa…

The Voice:  If I played Twisted Rhapsodies backwards, what hidden messages would I uncover?

The where about of the Holy Grail, the missing chord and a recipe for disaster

The Voice:  I don’t know if you are familiar with www.thesmokinggun.com but they have a great section about musician riders (for those who don’t know, a rider is a list of demands that a musician demands backstage before agreeing to perform). At the Angels most popular what, if any outrageous or out of the ordinary demands did you have before you would appear on stage? Do you have any now?

Riders are a bit of a farce really. They are one of the ‘romantic’ notions young bands get obsessed with whilst in the early throws of ‘making it’ for the hardened touring band, it is about survival at its worst and home comforts at its best. Remember that when you hit the ‘big time’ everything is accounted for and all has to be paid for, so we used to use the rider lists as a way of making sure the promoters were doing as they said they would. When you get bigger, the need for better stuff is important as it becomes one of the few things you look forward to. We used to get cigarettes and booze (when I smoked that is) and I always wanted certain herbal voice remedies to be available but really it was basic stuff. The quality of the brands goes up and to a certain degree the quantity of everything increases. A rider extends to all kinds of things like access to the best dressing rooms, towels, beds etc and many other mundane touring essentials, rarely is it about exotic stuff. Although Van Halen did demand, no word of a lie, bunny girls to swing from a trapeze under the stage where Mike Anthony had his Jack Daniels bar…I shit you not.

The Voice:  Do you think the spectacle has gone from rock music? If so, do you think it has a place in current music today? Is it even needed?

I think it is hard to conjure excitement from old ideas. I think that we see so much that the idea that anything is new is almost impossible. Folk try to reinvent the wheel all the time and it usually takes the form of heaping more spectacle on top of more spectacle, but the forgotten element is the quality if the music and the musicians. The most powerful shows are the clear delivery of a solid idea that doesn’t need whistles and bells because it connects and that will never go out of fashion. I talk about Queen a lot but it is mainly to do with the greatness of the music and the performers and rarely to do with how big the lighting rig was or how many days it took to build the stage. That stuff is just fairy dust on an already incredible package. Spectacle can be small as well as huge. Just think about John Lennon at Madison Square Garden, or the Beatles on the roof at Apple records. Those events were about the personalities and the music and nothing more and we still talk about it and wonder about the nature of it. I think John wore that coat because he was cold not because he thought it would prompt a reaction.

The Voice:  Many of your CD’s don’t include the lyrics in the liner notes, is it your wish to have the listener interpret them for themselves or do you have another reason?

Yeah, pretty much although I have not objection to the lyrics being out there. I think it is quite cool for the listener to have to figure it out. When I was a kid I thought sting was singing ‘many days have passed since I broke my nose…’ I only discovered it was ‘wrote my note’ recently and I preferred my version!

The Voice:  The CD single and B-side is a lost art, do you have any intentions to release a CD single with your new album either in the UK or abroad?

In Truth, I will do what is right. Formatting material is expensive and now pretty redundant as the tide of the internet marches on. I think it will evolve and I’m sure the day will come where formatting will return one way or another because the marketing machine demands it and where there is a will etc…

The Voice:  Do you have a message for your potential American audience?

I am a rebel at heart and believe the American spirit is rebellious at its core and so I think I can connect in spirit so take a listen and tell me you don’t get it! I got into rock and roll to make a difference and to grab hold of life and kick it positively in the ass to try to achieve some kind of illumination and sense of freedom. If that is the feeling I give you, then I have done my job as I see it.

The Voice:  What is your definition of Nirvana?

It certainly does smell like teen spirit! And I am afraid as I get older that I really do know less now than I did and the only way to reach that incredible feeling of immortality so beautifully experienced in youth is to keep going, keep creating and never surrender.