I think you've got to be very careful with fame.
Fame's a, as they say, well, you know, old cliche, fame's a very fickle thing.
You know, you can't really believe the hype all the time because in this business,
one minute you're up, one minute you're down, one minute you're being screamed at and one minute you're not.
My career has been up and down. I've been applauded. I've been torn down.
So I've never taken the kind of adulation too seriously.
Hi, I'm Jess Rowe and this is the Jess Rowe Big Talk Show,
a podcast that skips the small talk and goes big and deep.
From love to loss and everything in between, I want to show you a different side of people
who seem to have it all together in these raw and honest conversations about the things that matter.
I don't know about you, but in this time of social isolation, I really crave connected conversations.
So I'm going to dig deep to give you a new window into the souls of the people we're curious to get to know and understand.
There might be tears as well as laughter as we celebrate the real life flaws and vulnerabilities that make us human.
80s icon Tony Hadley is celebrating 40 years in music.
He fronted one of the biggest bands of the 1980s, Spandau Ballet, and sold over 25 million albums.
He's now a solo artist, still creating music and touring the world playing the band's famous anthems alongside his new songs.
I'm so excited to be talking to the man whose unique and powerful voice was the soundtrack to my teenage years.
And I can't wait to see him perform later this year in Australia.
Now, we did record this conversation over Zoom.
You might notice that Tony's earpiece, it is a little bit scratchy, but bear with us because we did sort it out thanks to Tony's gold touch.
Tony, I must confess, I have been singing gold all afternoon.
I've even got sparkly gold pants.
Well, you'll have to come to the show and wear your sparkly gold pants and top.
Well, I will be doing that.
Of course, you've got your shows coming up here later in the year in Australia and New Zealand, but I'm going to bring my daughters.
They're 13 and 15, and they also love your voice, Tony, and they also love your music.
Yes. So I think, I mean, it's a voice that is ageless and it connects across generations.
Thank you. I mean, I'm very lucky.
I think the secret to it is, I mean, Tom Jones has got still kind of amazing voice.
He's still and he's a great guy too.
I think the thing is, if you sing all the time, and that's the secret to it.
So even during the pandemic, I would practice in the car.
I practiced at home. I was singing to care workers, NHS, just to keep people happy, I suppose.
I did a little song a week, you know, one of my favorite songs.
So I think the secret to it is really just keep singing all the time.
It's something I never want to give up.
I still love it. I'm still like a kid in a sweet shop. It's a great job.
I wonder too, it's probably more than a job. It's a part of you, isn't it?
Yeah, I think if you get the music bug, it's something you can never really give up.
I think the minute you start moaning about it is the minute you should really give up.
When you hit that stage, it's one of the best feelings in the world.
The audience are there. You can hear yourself, the band are rocking behind you.
It's euphoric. And also, I love being in the studio as well.
We're working on the new album because of you.
Well, hopefully we'll be out in Australia, but you can get it on Spotify.
So I love making new music, love singing the old stuff. I'm quite a happy boy, really.
Could you ever have dreamt of the career that you have,
that you would have been entertaining so many people, selling millions upon millions of records?
Well, at the age of 14, it was just a dream, but I was a very determined young lad.
Yeah, I mean, I think when you're a kid growing up watching Top of the Pots and stuff,
watching all your heroes, and you get that kind of vibe for music, that's all you want to do.
And I remember saying to a girl at the time when I was on holiday,
I think it was down in Devon or somewhere like that.
She said, what are you going to do with your life?
I said, well, I'm going to be a singer and I'm going to be really famous.
And she looked at me and she said, yeah, you will.
And I said, oh, okay, great. That was it.
And she was my girlfriend then.
And then it was 16 when we formed the band at school, which was amazing.
We were called the Roots.
Michael Ellison was our first bass player who just literally came along to one of our shows that we did recently.
Michael Ellison, then we were the Cut, then we were the Makers.
Richie Miller joined the band on bass.
Then we were Gentry. That's where Martin joined.
And then we became Spandau Ballet and the whole music scene in London completely changed.
The thing is, is that when you release your first record, to cut a long story short, in 1980,
you are so happy, I can't tell you.
It's the happiest people on this planet.
But then all you do then is worry about the next hit.
Is the next one going to be a hit?
I remember Paint Me Down, I think it only got to number I think 17 or something.
And you could hear all the journalists were saying, oh, we told you they were a one hit wonder.
So it's a business that you love, but you also you want to survive it and you worry about it sometimes.
And how do you cope with that worry?
Just single minded determination.
Anyone who goes into the music business think it's going to be easy, forget it.
It's a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication.
There are going to be tears at times.
And some people's careers flounder after just a few years.
You know, I've been lucky enough to sustain a career and still be singing and still be making music
and having a wonderful time.
I suppose in a way, I'm quite rare.
There's not many people that are around for 40 odd years.
You say luck, but it's talent, isn't it?
And sheer hard work and single mindedness.
Yeah, I think you're right.
It's definitely single mindedness.
And you've got to have a degree of talent.
I mean, people come up to me and they say, oh, you know, my son or my daughter, they're a singer.
They're brilliant.
And I say to them, well, number one, have they got an original talent?
If they have, then you've got to pursue your dream.
You've got to pursue your dream to the nth degree because otherwise you'll never be happy.
Even if it doesn't work, you've got to give it the full shot.
And that's the same, you know, every time I make an album, it's like the first album.
So my new album will be released in spring next year.
And I'm hoping and praying that everyone's going to love it.
Oh, of course we will, Tony.
I read a quote about when you told your grandmother that you wanted to be a rock and roll star.
What then did she say to you about that?
Well, my family can be a bit like Matthew or something.
And she said to me, she said, yeah, you have my blessing if that's what you want to do.
She said, but you must make me one promise that we will never take any drugs.
And I've kept that promise, always kept that promise.
And thank God, because I've seen some casualties along the way.
You know, some really lovely people have got involved in, I don't know, whether it be cocaine or whatever.
And it's just something that I'm so, so glad I never touched.
And what was it within you that made you think, no, I don't want to touch it?
Because I would imagine in those heady days of the 80s, it was party town.
There was lots of amazing things happening and amazing people around you.
Yeah, what it was, I mean, it was incredible.
I mean, it was fantastic times and stuff.
But to be honest, you know, I'm pretty hyper enough without taking any substances.
So, I mean, God knows what I would have been like.
It would have been terrible.
I don't need to take anything to enjoy life.
I mean, I like a drink, love a beer, glass of wine.
But other than that, I don't need anything else.
I'm happy with, you know, friends, family, music.
That's enough for me.
And is it true you brew your own beer?
I did brew my own beer and it was brilliant.
It was a five percenter based on a sort of an American kind of IPA beer.
Brilliant. Went down a storm.
The Japanese then brought the brewery, which I didn't own, unfortunately.
And do you know what?
I was putting a lot of work into it.
And I just thought sometimes stick to what you know.
Although the beer was great, we were doing OK.
It was just it was taking too much of my time.
And I'd rather be spending time making music.
And also starring in reality TV shows.
I mean, you were on MasterChef and you did so well in it.
I did well by default.
Oh, come on. What do you mean by default?
I don't know. I don't think I'm a great cook.
I like bringing loads of spices in and loads of chilies and stuff and garlic.
And John and Greg, when they tried some of my stuff, I was like,
whippin' hell, man, you're blowing my head off.
So I'm not a particularly good cook, but I loved it.
I enjoyed it. I had a really, really good time.
So, I mean, you've done so much in such an incredible sort of varied career and life.
Is there a moment that you could say, that is my moment?
Is it one of the big things being performing at Wembley
or is it something smaller and quieter that's made you really think,
yes, this is what it's about?
Well, I mean, you know, immediately springs to mind Live Aid,
which was just one of the most sort of pivotal moments, I suppose, in music.
Ladies and gentlemen, will you welcome on stage here at Wembley's Vandale Ballet.
The way the world changed in terms of the way it felt about donating money
and charity to people less well off.
I mean, it really did change the whole world in a lot of ways.
I suppose in some ways, just the fact that I'm still going is amazing.
I'm not a nostalgic person.
I never get the old Spando albums out, videos or the Tony Hadley old videos
or records or whatever. I never sit down and listen to myself.
I'm still trying to listen to new music.
We went to see Harry Styles at Wembley.
My daughter Zara loves Harry Styles.
So I'm still, you know, just really love listening to music.
And today is always as great day because I'm here.
Oh, yes, that is worth celebrating.
I love that you went to Harry Styles.
My youngest daughter is obsessed with Harry Styles.
So not only does my 13 year old enjoy your music, she loves Harry Styles.
And she really would like to marry him one day.
Oh, well, she's in the queue.
Honestly, she's in the queue behind her.
Zara was working out.
She said, OK, Danny, she's only 50.
She said, Danny, so Harry Styles, Harry Styles is 28.
So that's not that much older than me, is it?
You know, and I've met Harry and the 1D guys when they were 1D.
And they were a lovely bunch of guys.
And he's a really good performer, really good performer.
It was a good fun concert.
And for you, I suppose, looking at someone like Harry Styles,
you are a heartthrob still.
And you very much were a heartthrob in Spandau Ballet.
Like you were the spunky guy in the band.
What was that like?
Wow. To be honest, I've never taken it that seriously.
Yeah, I know it sounds weird.
I think you've got to be very careful with fame.
Fame's a, as they say, well, you know, old cliche, fame's a very fickle thing.
And, you know, you can't really believe the hype all the time
because in this business, one minute you're up, one minute you're down,
one minute you're being screamed at, and one minute you're not.
My career has been up and down.
I've been applauded. I've been torn down.
So I've never taken the kind of adulation too seriously.
So let's talk a little bit about those ups and downs.
And of course, you know, Spandau Ballet, you guys splitting up.
Yes. Tell me a bit about that.
I know whenever I've heard you interviewed about it,
you really don't reveal too much.
Is this the last time we split up or the first time?
Well, let's go for the first time and then we can move on to the second time.
Well, the first time was when we were recording the Heart Like a Sky album,
which is an album I actually cannot listen to.
Not a great experience.
I just felt that the camaraderie within the band sort of disintegrated.
I mean, we were a very close band and we had some great times.
And when I do my show, I thank the band and say,
without those guys, I wouldn't be here entertaining you now.
But that was a difficult album to make.
And people were off having relationship problems
and looking at different kind of careers.
And we, I don't know, we just disintegrated really.
I found myself, you know, as a solo artist.
And I think what people don't realise that I've been a solo artist
for longer than I was ever in Spana Valley 4 anyway.
But we finally buried the hatchet, got together in 2009, 2010.
How did you bury the hatchet though?
I think for people listening, any sort of animosity
when you share something so incredible with a bunch of people,
then that sort of breaks up almost like a divorce,
but then you get back together.
How did you bury it the first time around?
Well, it's never the same.
I mean, you know, you're never going to just go,
wow, yeah, great.
There was a lot of bad blood.
There was a lot of bad feeling.
But we recognised that the fans wanted it.
And I suppose in a way we wanted it as well to try
and sort of rekindle something that we had from the past.
And we kind of pretty much got there.
We had a good time.
It was a good tour.
Then we sort of drifted apart again.
And we got back together in 2014, 2015
for the South Boys of the Western World Tour.
That's when we had the film produced by George Henkin,
a very honest film, very honest documentary.
There were problems though.
So when you say problems, what do you mean, Tiny?
Right, OK, let me paint.
I'll paint you a picture.
I'm a guy that I get so euphoric when I'm on stage.
I love being on stage.
When I come off stage, it's a great feeling.
Let's go and have a drinky booze at the bar and stuff
and, you know, a bit of a celebration,
sit down with my band and stuff like that.
And there were times when that wasn't happening
as much as I would have liked.
And we did have some fun times.
There's no doubt about it.
And then very sadly, John Keeble, the drummer, fell ill.
So we had to replace him with Sterling Campbell,
a great guy and great drummer.
So there was a little bit of sort of tragedy on the way,
if you like, which I think soured the tour a little bit.
But John's fine now.
By all accounts, he's absolutely tickety-boo.
So yeah, it was a few anxious moments on the tour.
Then you released a statement saying that you were leaving.
Yeah, well, they embarked on a course of action.
I mean, they've been fairly disingenuous, actually,
about the reason that I left.
And they've been on TV saying, oh, we just decided
we didn't want to do it anymore.
And that actually wasn't the case at all.
They embarked on a course of action that was,
inevitably, lead me to quitting the band.
Not something I wanted to do.
I think we definitely would have had our own 40th anniversary
But I was in a position where I just I couldn't do it anymore.
I need to be happy.
And I think music's about happiness.
And I'm really happy with Fab TH band, my crew.
I think it's very sad for the fans.
But I just couldn't do it anymore.
And so therefore I quit.
And you know what?
You have to be true to yourself, don't you?
It is about finding joy and things that make your heart sing.
Yeah, I think you're right.
When you go on stage, you want to feel good.
You want to feel happy.
You don't want to be looking over your shoulder.
You don't want to feel that there's any animosity going on
And that's why I love my band, because we're great mates.
A lot of us have got young kids.
Our kids are friends as well.
But the whole crew and the whole band just work together so well.
The other thing is, is when I sing the songs like True, Gold,
Barricades, Only When You Leave, Fly For You,
all the songs that I'll be singing on the anniversary tour,
people say to me, how do you feel about singing those songs?
I feel absolutely great.
I don't have any, you know, do I feel awkward singing True?
It's a great song.
It goes down a storm every time.
And I love singing it.
So I still love singing the old songs, love singing the new songs.
You've said that rock and roll is a selfish business.
Yeah, absolutely.
And how have you changed over time?
You've got younger kids.
And how have you changed your life compared to those early days?
I tried to be at home more than I...
I mean, when Spana Bali was happening,
I mean, it was especially around the True period,
because all of a sudden the whole world opened up
and everybody wants a piece of you.
And so therefore I just had to go with the flow.
There were times, you know, three and a half months away
and people say, well, can't take your family.
When you're doing back-to-back shows, traveling and everything,
and then the kids are at school, it's just not feasible.
So what we try and do now, we do a lot of festivals
where we're just away weekends.
When we come to Australia and New Zealand,
we're off then to Japan, South East Asia.
So we're going to be away for about six weeks,
but the longest I've been away for some time.
So like I say, most of us have got young kids,
so none of us want to be away for too, too long.
But it's something that families just have to cope with.
That's your job. It's a wonderful job,
but we miss them and they miss us.
What do your kids make of what you do?
Do they think you're cool? Are you a groovy dad?
Am I a groovy dad? No. They sound miserable, dad.
They say, come on, get up for school.
Come on, get in the shower.
Our family is like every other family.
I mean, it's no different at all.
It's bonkers mad. It's crazy in the mornings.
You know, trying to get the kids to do their homework
or whatever is bad.
And my big kids, equally so.
They're all slightly bonkers as well.
And so, but they're lovely, lovely kids.
And the great thing is, is my big kids and my little kids
love each other to bits.
In fact, we've just been away for a few days away
in a hotel down in Devon, and we had just such a great time.
And that is really the stuff of life, isn't it?
You say with your music you want to do things
that bring you joy and make you happy,
but then also being surrounded by the people you love most.
That is what it's about.
Yeah, I mean, although I say, you know,
it is a selfish business, you know,
because when you do music, you love it to bits.
I mean, you can't stop thinking about it.
You're always thinking about new songs.
You know, I'm always checking myself the way I sing.
Can I do that better? Can I be a better singer,
better songwriter?
But then I also do like time off.
I love my time off with my kids, my family and everything else.
So I work really hard, but I love spending time with my family
because that's just, before you know it, here I am at 62.
How did I get to 62? I don't know.
I still feel like a kid.
I can't believe you're 62.
I mean, my oldest son is 38. Tom's 38.
Oh, how does that make you feel?
Is that a spin out?
It's just, well, he took his first, I mentioned it many times,
but he took his first steps at the Siebel townhouse in Sydney.
You know, it's just, he's now six foot six,
looks like a GQ model, has a great job,
not interested in settling down.
It's kind of weird.
But yeah, it just, it does go really quickly.
And I remember, you know, when you're a kid,
your aunt say to you, oh, don't wish your life away.
It will all go very quickly.
And you think, oh, shut up.
You're just being an old person.
And then you realise that they're telling the truth.
It goes far too quickly.
Oh, it does, doesn't it?
When you're talking about your son taking his first steps at the Siebel,
I also read, did you have a bit of a good time with Freddie Mercury
in Australia as well with some vodka?
Well, that was in Auckland, actually, in New Zealand.
So we did an Australian tour.
We were due to go to New Zealand and then go to America.
For some reason, and I still don't know why,
the New Zealand tour was cancelled.
So we had a couple of weeks on our hands and I thought, oh, no.
Freddie and the boys, Queen of Plan Auckland,
I'll get on a plane and I'll go and see Fred.
And so I went to the soundcheck and then me and Fred,
we went to the bar at the hotel, hit a bottle of Stolich Nye,
then went to his room, did a bottle of port.
We were both absolutely plastered.
And then he said, do you want to come on stage and sing Jailhouse Rock?
I said, yeah, all right then, Fred. Do you know the words?
Neither of us were sure what the words were.
And I ended up on stage in front of 40,000 people
when I should have been keeping a low profile.
But there you go.
Because Queen always had a party.
So I went up to see him and he was in bed and I said,
are you coming down for the pice?
He said, oh, darling, I've got to look after my voice.
He said, especially after drinking with you.
He was a lovely, lovely, lovely man.
And funny enough, when we played the golf in Adelaide,
last time we were there, Roger Taylor came along
and he was just on the side, watching us from the side.
And then we went back to the hotel, we were all sat in the same place.
And we started talking about the old days and Freddie
and it was just a lovely bunch of guys.
And here he is, Queen's Roger Taylor recalling that very day.
One big gig in New Zealand in the big football stadium
or whatever it was, rugby stadium.
And Tony Hadley from Spandau Ballet was there
and Fred had been up to all sorts of tricks.
And then the two of them got completely arse-holed in the hotel.
And we suddenly realised when we were in the dressing room
that Fred was completely pissed
because he put his tights on back to front.
And of course, Princess Diana was a huge fan of yours.
Well, she was and she was absolutely lovely.
And Prince Charles and her, I mean, not just live,
but we were invited to Kensington Palace to have drinks.
And she was just, I mean, a beautiful looking woman, I mean, stunning.
And just a really nice woman, you know, chat, chat, chat, chat, chat.
As you would with anybody else.
She was absolutely delightful, really was.
Terribly tragic, terribly tragic what happened.
So, so, horribly heartbreaking.
What do you think your grandmother would have made
of you getting an MBE from the Queen?
Oh, you know about that, wow.
Do you know I've still not received it?
No, because I couldn't make the times they gave me.
Then I ended up in the hospital at a little leg operation this January.
So I've been out of commission.
I was on crutches and stuff like that.
I'm fine now, I'm absolutely fine.
But so I haven't been able to receive it.
So I've got to make another appointment.
So, yeah, I mean, I was absolutely honored.
I'm the only person in my family to have ever received an honor like that.
My wife's family is different.
Her mum's brother had a KBE.
Other cousins have got MBEs and CBEs.
But no, just a boy from the Angel Islington.
I'm the first one.
And so I bet your grandmother would have been super proud if she would have known.
My grandmother, Rose, would have been absolutely over the moon
as would have my granddad and all.
And my dad, I lost my dad when I was 30.
My dad would have been absolutely over the moon.
Thank you so much for talking with me.
I've had the most incredible time.
Do you think, Tony, you could indulge me very briefly
since I am wearing gold for you?
And I was singing gold in the studio.
Do you think you could sing a bar or two of gold for me?
We could do a bit of gold.
Yes, that would be so good.
It's early morning. Do you want the chorus?
Yes, that would be great. That would be brilliant.
Gold, always believe in your soul.
You've got the power to know you're indestructible.
Always believe in...
Gold! Oh, that is so...
Oh, Tony, you are such a good sport and so amazing.
Finally, let me just ask you, though,
after that beautiful sing,
what do you want to tell your Aussie fans
and your fans in New Zealand?
Well, just to everybody out there, come along.
It's a great show.
We're doing all the hits that you want to hear.
Obviously, as I said, true gold through the barricades
and everything else, plus some new stuff from the new album
and some surprise songs that influenced me over the years.
So it's quite an anecdotal show.
And come along and have some fun.
I will be there in gold with my daughters
and we will be cheering and dancing.
Thank you so much, Tony.
Oh, brilliant. Thanks, Jess. Thank you very much.
What time is it? Gold at five past nine in the morning?
You've got to be joking me.
Thank you for humouring me. You're just very generous.
Oh, that's OK. That's OK.
And thank you for all of your time.
Well, nice to have a chat.
And thank you. Thank you very much.
And see you in September, October.
Yeah, September, October.
I tell you, honestly, every time we come to Australia,
we have a great time.
Cannot wait. Me and my band, we are very excited, I have to say.
Woohoo! Well, so are we.
Cannot wait. Thank you.
Cheers, Jess. Thanks very much.
Oh, wow. I could feel all of my teenage years come flashing back
and I remember spinning around the dance floor,
dancing to those incredible songs that Tony sung.
And wasn't he a good sport to sing to me?
I mean, I did dress up in all of my gold sparkles for him,
but, gee, he was wonderful to sing those bars.
I won't sing them anymore, don't you worry.
As you can probably gather, I cannot wait to hear Tony
and to listen to his extraordinary voice
performing all of those big Spandau Ballet hits.
And I'm sure you want to check him out, too.
So there is a link in our show notes
where you can buy tickets to his 40th anniversary tour.
He is going to be heading to Australia and to New Zealand.
He is going to be heading to Australia and to New Zealand.
You do not want to miss it.
I am going to be there dancing and singing
and probably embarrassing my daughters,
which will be a lot of fun.
And for more big conversations like this,
search the Jess Rowe Big Talk Show podcast.
And while you're there, how about you follow the show,
leave a review as well, share the review with a friend
and, you know, just spread the love.
And if you did enjoy this episode with Tony,
you might like my chat.
In fact, you'll love my chat with the wonderful Dani Monogue.
It didn't break me,
but it left something inside me that was damaged.
I look at those pictures now and I'm like,
how could you even have thought that?
So the damage was there.
There's, you know, been time later as an adult
where I've realised that that happened
and I've repaired that damage.
The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show was presented by me, Jess Rowe,
executive producer Nick McClure,
audio producer Nicky Sitch,
supervising producer Sam Kavanagh.
Until next time, remember to live big.
Life is just too crazy and glorious
to waste time on the stuff that doesn't matter.