"When I was 13 years old, I was a real Mick Jones, Joe Strummer
freak. I used to go and see them in the Glasgow Apollo and stand in the front
row," pipes Aztec Camera singer, songwriter, and all around chief Roddy
Frame. "Recently I got to meet Mick because we played the same kind of
festivals together and we got to hang out.
"He was just such a positive guy, I called him guru Mick and we talked a
lot about the state of the nation," he continues. "I was quite negative
about the things in Britain and he was saying 'Yeah, but there's more to
life than that.' So I went home and wrote this song for him in about 45
minutes. I said, 'Mick, this sounds so much like the Clash that you're
either gonna sue me or you're going to wanna sing on it' and he wanted
to sing, so it was fantastic."
Roddy Frame is probably the best pure pop songwriter to come out of
Scotland in the '80s. As the sole member of Aztec Camera, Roddy has put
out some of the most treasured and enjoyable melodies ("Oblivious," "All
I Need is Everything") to come out over the past 10 years. Now he's back
for the '90s with a new haircut and a new album called Stray featuring a
single recorded as a duet with Mick Jones that Roddy just can't stop
talking about called "Good Morning Britain."
"It was a dream come true to work with Mick, as I said he's such a
positive guy," Roddy declares. "I think we finished the vocal on this at
about half past five in the morning. It was a one-day job."
And what else has the Rod-ster been up to besides a severe case of idol
worship?
"We played all over the British Isles," Roddy offers. "It was great
because we got a chance to play places I'd never been before like
Limerick, Cork and Ireland. Ireland's such a beautiful country. It was a
great tour you know, just a great vibe."
And can America expect the same?
"We're coming to play here in October. I'm not sure which venue we'll
play in, but come along folks, it'll be fun," suggests Roddy. "What I
would like to do actually is play the Southern states again. The last
time I got to do that was a long time ago when we supported Elvis
Costello in 1983, so I'd love to get down there and play again."
