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1.Congratulations for The Lizards Rule CD. How
easy or hard was the
songwriting process?
Thank you. Songwriting
happily comes very easy to this band. Most
songs come very quickly, from jam sessions.
2.Who writes the lyrics for Lizards? What do the lyrics talk
about?
We all write lyrics. They seem
to be about lots of different things.
One repeating theme seems to be fighting against difficult odds. I
guess that I write maybe 60-70 % of the lyrics, but some of the best
lyrics are written by John and Pat.
3.How did you get in contact with John Garner and how did you
decide
to form The Lizards?
I have been writing a book on early
heavy rock for 10 years with a
friend of mine. We looked long and hard for John. Once I got to know
him, I knew that I wanted to be in a band with him.
4.When can we expect a new studio album from The Lizards?
The 3rd Lizards album is well
underway. Four songs are already mixed.
12 basic tracks are recorded. I believe that it is our best effort.
It
will be finished by the summer , if we don't tour too much!
5.Any chance for another european tour and maybe a visit in
Greece
again?
We will be touring Europe, supporting
Vanilla Fudge again, from
March 10-April 10. 23 shows! Unfortunately we won't be playing in
Greece this time. I loved Greece and I'm sure that we'll be back soon!
6.Will there be any songs on the next
Lizards album in the style of
The Battle Rages On? I think it's an incredible song.
Thank you. John Garner wrote
that one. He's playing a lot of acoustic
12 string now. We have a song on the new album called "Tale of a
Broken
Heart" which John wrote that may remind you of "The Battle Rages
On"
7.You have played in so many bands. Which ones do
you consider the most
important ones in your career?
I had a long, successful run in
New York City with a funk band
called "The Funky Knights" The 2 singers from that band were
in" Star
People" with me, a science fiction themed prog-rock band that did 2
records and toured a lot. A band called "Sharks" was an early
blue-print for the Lizards.
8.For how many years have you been using a six
string bass and who is
your biggest influence on your playing?
I've been playing 6-string
exclusively for 12 years. My favorite
rock bass players are Tim Bogert, Andy Fraser (Free) and Glen Hughes
9.Any new bassists nowadays that you admire?
The guy in Mudvayne is cool.
10.Which bands do you listen to lately?
I don't listen to much music.
We play all the time.
11.Do you think that the music of today lacks the feeling of the 70's
bands? Do you like the way music progresses in our days?
I don't like the way that music
is progressing for two reasons. It's
getting further away from the blues, and becoming more calculated and
business oriented. The 70s may have been the "Last Hurrah"
12.And the last question is...let's say there is a tower and on
top of
it there are three bands. You have to push down the two of them and
save only one. The three bands are Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Blue
Oyster Cult. Which one will you save and why?
Of those three, Black Sabbath would
be at the top. My personal
tower would have Trapeze, Led Zep, James Brown, Sly Stone, Cactus,
Hunble Pie...etc.
Thank you so much
Thank you for your interest...The
Lizards are going to stay around, so
watch for us!!!
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16/03/2004
THE
LIZARDS : interview with Randy Pratt
"
Niederrohrdorf
- Switzerland