The Pretenders leader talks songwriting with an unplugged electric guitar, the evolution of punk and her stunning new Fender signature Telecaster

[www.guitarworld.com]

Ps- I was very fortunate to catch Chrissie Hynde & the Pretenders as the opening act for the Stones at the First Union Ctr in Philly on the Licks Tour and she and the group were awesome! Truly one of the better billings on a Stones show I had ever seen.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 2021-02-06 18:49 by Sighunt.

Just finished up reading Nick Kent's Apathy For the Devil and he had some interesting insights into his gf Ms Hynde's earlier life before fame. Quite a depressing book about a complete nut case who squandered what little talent he had at the alter of heroin but I guess that was to be expected in that place and time.

I was always glad I found Rastafari in those times and spared myself a lot of potential grief.

jb

Her autobiography "Reckless" is a great read. She is fantastic live, with whatever sidemen she is calling The Pretenders at the time.

Nick Kent's book is very interesting too. A Keef wannabe who couldn't handle the hard stuff like his role-model, but he's got some good anecdotes, that's for sure.

Nice interview with Chrissie Hynde and thanks for posting.
She has always had really good musicians with her and James Walbourne and Carwyn Ellis have been there for a while now.
A few months ago they did a half hour gig in the BBC garden that was on the TV.
Probably the last live gig they did although James Walbourne has done a few pub gigs with his pal Peter Bruntnell.

One of the songs that three members of The Pretenders did in the garden.
Probably a few more on YouTube.







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-02-06 15:28 by crawdaddy.

Quote
HonkyTonkJan
Her autobiography "Reckless" is a great read. She is fantastic live, with whatever sidemen she is calling The Pretenders at the time.

Agree, great book, and always a good show., seen them a couple times, the recent tour and back in the 90's I think opening for the B52s.

She is very cool. As noted, she has a knack for finding good musicians and putting together good bands.

Last night there were two really good programmes on BBC 4 on Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders.

One of them was the gig in the BBC garden not shown since it was on TV about two years ago.

Available for the next 29 days on BBC i-player if you are in the UK.

Featuring James Walbourne on guitar, who I've been lucky to see play in local bands in London area the past couple of years.
Usually with talented bandmates like Peter Bruntnell among many others.

BBC link here to watch on BBC i-player.


[www.bbc.co.uk]

Quote
jbwelda
Just finished up reading Nick Kent's Apathy For the Devil and he had some interesting insights into his gf Ms Hynde's earlier life before fame. Quite a depressing book about a complete nut case who squandered what little talent he had at the alter of heroin but I guess that was to be expected in that place and time.

I was always glad I found Rastafari in those times and spared myself a lot of potential grief.

jb

I think you are being a little hard on Nick Kent. Sure, he couldn’t keep up with Keith doing the hard stuff but he wasn’t the only one. Back in the day, he and Charles Shaar Murray were the leading rock journalists in the UK and their writings in NME were required reading. Wonder that Charles is doing now.

Christie Hynde wrote some great singles which have stood the test of time and her voice is well suited to rock music as she sings in a lower register and avoids the common screech of many rock chicks who go for shouting to hide their lack of ability to sing outside of the studio with all its enhancements.

If any Pretenders fans missed it on UK BBC 4 a couple of weeks ago, its still on BBC i-player for another 17 days.

[www.bbc.co.uk]

Chrissie Hynde has just finished six gigs at small venues of 200 capacity, all over the UK.
The line up for the gigs with Chrissie was James Walbourne and his great band, His Lordship.

I tried for tickets at any gig, but all sold out within a couple of hours.
Quite a few more videos on YouTube.

Quote
Sighunt
I was very fortunate to catch Chrissie Hynde & the Pretenders as the opening act for the Stones at the First Union Ctr in Philly on the Licks Tour and she and the group were awesome!

Truly one of the better billings on a Stones show I had ever seen.

And now Mick outright sells their opening gigs to a billionaire who slapped together a faux, derivative, non-descript blues-rock band nobody cares about and can't even tour on its own, for the sole purpose of personal vanity, for said billionaire to "open for the Rolling Stones."

Mick likes being pandered to by a self-made billionaire Hollywood mogul who's a total Stones freak, I've concluded. (Keith, my suspicion is, probably merely tolerates the guy.)


In stark, stark, STARK contrast to the billionaire's insignificant music, I often wonder, has there ever been a debut album of original rock n roll better than Pretenders I? I have a very hard time coming up with one.

I feel very lucky to have seen the original Pretenders line-up... The Pretenders at their very best. In the Reckord Armory, the University of Maryland College Park campus, on a very snowy day January 18, 1982. James Honeyman Scott would OD 5 months later.

Chrissie is indeed great at assembling good line-ups. Nothing would ever approach that first one, though.

****
I'm down in Virginia
with your Cousin Lou

Luv Chrissie and this sounds great!
Glad she is getting out there and mixing it up.
Thx for posting the videos.


@TheBluesHadaBaby - totally agree with you about Ghosthounds.