We Interview Graham Parker!!!!

Backstage at the Narrows now features ORIGINAL interviews, starting with this one.

Graham Parker is returning with his band The Figs to the Narrows on Thursday, June 9th. Get your tickets ASAP, because, particularly since this will feature a full band and Graham at his rocking best, we expect tickets to begin moving out the door quickly.

Here's our interview with the legendary Graham Parker:

BATN (Backstage at the Narrows): Graham, tell us how you hooked up with The Figgs.

GP (Graham Parker): I was in Atlanta in the early '90's, doing a sound check at a venue called the Point, when the Figgs came in and introduced themselves. They were due to play the graveyard shift at the same club later that evening. They seemed to be big fans of my work, especially guitarist Mike Gent. They gave me one of their CDs and finally, somewhere around 1996, after I'd made"Acid Bubblegum," I gave them a call and invited them to be my road band for a tour to promote the album. I've toured with them a few times since then, and now I've got them backing me on my new release, "Songs Of No Consequence."

BATN: Who are the players in The Figgs and how do they affect your music? How do they compare with The Rumour?

GP:The Figgs are: Mike Gent on guitar/backing vocals, Pete Donnelly on bass/backing vocals, and Pete Hayes on drums. We'll also be bringing a young guitarist named Brett something or other on tour with us so that I'm not nailed to the guitar for the entire show and will be free to shimmy around in a most provocative manner. I've used many different combinations of musicians since those Rumour days and I'd say that for sheer energy and gnarliness the Figgs come closest to that outfit.

BATN: When you play the Narrows in June, what kind of show should people expect? Do you plan to do the Ramones' "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" like on your official bootleg, and, if so, will Frank Black suddenly join you onstage?

GP:Right now, the songs we will rehearse are still being decided upon, and I rarely repeat cover tunes from tour to tour (on my last tour with the TwangThree, for instance, we covered the Stones number "Tell Me."). Now what are the chances of Frank Black being in the vicinity of Fall River on that particular day? One, two, three in a trillion? If he is, and happens to pop in at sound check time, we will most assuredly whip up a version of "Sheena" for your listening pleasure! All the best and see you at the Narrows.