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The Last of the Moodies: Justin Hayward on Outliving All His Moody Blues Bandmates (Rolling Stone) [View all]
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/justin-hayward-last-living-moody-blues-1235479197/-snip-
It seems that I’m expected to go through different processes, but I only have good and happy memories, really. I can’t say that we were close or that we saw each other regularly, or anything like that. The Moodies is a family, in its way, because it’ll always be linked because of business.
-snip-
Did band politics get tricky once you became successful?
If there were tensions in the group, it’s because we became two groups. We were a recording band that was quiet, with the acoustic guitars at the front, and the Mellotron with that big spread. And then we became a touring band that had to get louder and louder and louder. And some of us didn’t mind that. Me and John and Graeme didn’t really mind that, but Mike didn’t like the loud version. He liked the studio version.
-snip-
Did John agree it was time, or did he want to keep the band going?
I don’t know. I’m not sure that we saw each other. After that 2018 tour, I’m not sure whether we even saw each other after that, because of Covid. And then, we came out of that all a little bit different.
-snip-
You didn’t speak to John in the last seven years of his life?
I don’t think so, no. But then, I didn’t speak to Graeme either, much. I maybe had one call with him, or something like that. What we had in common was the group. That was what we were good at. That was our relationship. It wasn’t a group of friends.
-snip-
It seems that I’m expected to go through different processes, but I only have good and happy memories, really. I can’t say that we were close or that we saw each other regularly, or anything like that. The Moodies is a family, in its way, because it’ll always be linked because of business.
-snip-
Did band politics get tricky once you became successful?
If there were tensions in the group, it’s because we became two groups. We were a recording band that was quiet, with the acoustic guitars at the front, and the Mellotron with that big spread. And then we became a touring band that had to get louder and louder and louder. And some of us didn’t mind that. Me and John and Graeme didn’t really mind that, but Mike didn’t like the loud version. He liked the studio version.
-snip-
Did John agree it was time, or did he want to keep the band going?
I don’t know. I’m not sure that we saw each other. After that 2018 tour, I’m not sure whether we even saw each other after that, because of Covid. And then, we came out of that all a little bit different.
-snip-
You didn’t speak to John in the last seven years of his life?
I don’t think so, no. But then, I didn’t speak to Graeme either, much. I maybe had one call with him, or something like that. What we had in common was the group. That was what we were good at. That was our relationship. It wasn’t a group of friends.
-snip-
I'll admit that when I saw the headline, I was expecting more reminiscing from Justin about his favorite memories of his bandmates. I'd guess Andy Greene might've, too, and might've been surprised by Justin explaining that they weren't close friends. And it's possible Justin might have been shying away from what he could have perceived as a journalist trying to draw too-personal comments from him about those relationships.
But I can't help wishing - since Justin had referred to "good and happy memories" of his bandmates - that he'd been asked more followup questions about each of them to elicit some of those happy memories.
And yeah, it's easy to critique an interview someone else did. It's possible Greene was just so surprised by Justin emphasizing that the Moodies weren't close that some planned questions about them were simply dropped.
This wasn't the sort of interview I'd hoped for, though.
I hope Justin's working on a memoir, and that it will have a lot in it about the happier times with his bandmates. He comes across here as cooler, more distant, than he does in most interviews. There have to be so many stories he could tell that should be told.
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