And now here they are, Nick and Sue on Chatterbox.
When the stars talk, they talk to Nick and Sue.
Welcome back to the Chatterbox Redux Podcast
with Sue and Nick and today our special guest
is Chesney Hawkes. This is Nick and Sue with
Chatterbox giving you all you need to know about
music. And now in Charterbox UK, we're just lucky
enough to welcome back Chesney Hawkes. Chesney,
welcome. How are you? Hello, Chesney. Good, guys.
It's lovely to see you again. Really nice to
see you. Great to see you again. And I know the
listeners just love you coming by once or twice
a year for a catch up. You go down really well
with them. Now, we've had quite a busy year.
There's a couple of singles and some touring
and bits and pieces. uh what i'd like to do actually
your previous single before this one uh had rather
an interesting video with it it certainly went
down well with the the ladies of uh and what
we do i like those they certainly really did
enjoy that i must say i took a look myself and
i must say it is very very clever the way it
was done very clever and any ladies out there
have not seen the video uh it's uh got a hold
of yourself i believe yeah get a hold of yourself
Any ladies who have not seen that, may I suggest
they take a look at it. Some men. Absolutely.
Right, now you're ending what I would class as
a busy year and definitely a busy year next year.
We're sort of ending it with a new single which
is out right now called Live Forever. yeah that's
correct yeah that's the newest single off of
the album uh living arrows which is now available
for pre -order on chisneyhawks .com so it's all
it's all going guys it's all going off brilliant
brilliant okay uh and i know there's a kind of
interesting video with this one as well yeah
I did have to make sure I I've got to see that
one beforehand so yeah literally just dropped
last night so you know it's nice to hear people's
reaction to this video I mean it's not quite
as risque should we say is as the previous one
I actually I'm wearing clothes so you know you
can you can watch from the front of the couch
rather than behind But no, I got the boys to
wear these Lonsdale tracksuits, which is the
tracksuits from The Gentleman. Do you remember
that film, The Gentleman? Yes, yes. So yeah,
and this was all, you know, it was all a nod
to my best mate, Vic, who was diagnosed with
a third stage, fourth stage, sorry, lung cancer
a couple of years ago. And Vic is one of those
guys that is the... you know, the life and soul
of every party and the kind of the biggest heart
in the room and he lived his life, he is living
his life, sorry, like grabbing life by the horns
and living out loud, should we say. Fantastic,
fantastic. Right, so with your new album, your
single and that, is everything on the album,
is it all self penned? Yes, absolutely. It's
just a collection of my songs. I co -wrote with
Nick Kershaw a few, I co -wrote with my friend
Jake Gosling, who is also the producer of the
album, amongst a few other friends here and there.
So yeah, it's just a collection of my songs.
There's some kick the doors down bangers, as
you always expect, like Get a Hold of Yourself
and Live Forever, the first two singles. But
there were also some more introspective, kind
of cathartic songs about, you know, touching
on kind of more difficult subjects, I would say.
As the years go by, do you find, I know how it
is radio wise as to what listeners are into you,
but do you personally find that you now have
fans in more than one generation so you've got
the ones when you and I were like early 20s and
things like that and then their children am i
right in thinking that you you appeal to both
generations and possibly a third one even now
maybe I mean, I would hope so, Nick. It's just,
you don't really know until you start, you know,
going out playing live and seeing who's coming
to the shows. But if the last couple of years
or anything to go by, I would say, yeah. You
know, there's definitely a lot of my fans from
the early days of our age and, you know, they
definitely come and have stuck with me all these
years. But then, you know, there's... the next
generation on, who have kind of been educated,
shall we say, into 80s and 90s music, and the
kids seem to really like it, you know, they dig
the kind of... music of our youth. And that's
really nice to see, you know, kids sing along
to some of my songs. And of course, you've also
got, you know, the generation of my parents generation.
I do sometimes get some older people like that
come to gigs as well. So, you know, a lot of
the festivals where you go to retro festivals
like the rewinds and let's rocks and, you know,
the throwbacks. generally do have kind of families
and with all sorts of generations coming along
so yeah. Do you find, because you've obviously
stepped into your dad's place with the Tremlo's
when he's become poorly, have you had any time
for Tremlo's stuff this year? No, this year they
did do a tour. My brother took the reins, obviously
he's drumming, and my guitarist Martin, he went
out with them too, and also Al, our bass player.
But we got another singer, Colin Chisholm, to
come and take the reins for me because I just
couldn't do it. I just had too much going on,
mate. I can see, I can see, so yeah. And it's
great that your brother's... That's really cool.
And I just like that there's still that family
link it like yeah, exactly And we wanted that
and I don't think it would have happened without
that to be honest with you. That's good Okay,
live forever Video with it, by the way, we've
got the video on as we're talking to you. Thank
you. Yeah, that was exhausting I like what you're
doing with the guitar, it's brilliant. Yeah,
I know, chucking guitars about and kicking mic
stands and taking clothes off again actually
at some point, throwing my jacket off and...
Just generally prancing around like a pop star.
I guess that is the name of the game on this
one. He's on his knees now. Yeah. There's all
sorts of movement going on. My son's in there
too. If you catch a glimpse of my boy. The one
you did that to. Yes. Exactly. That's Indy. I
love it. Love it. Brilliant. So when it comes
to doing your videos. The choreography if that's
the right wording. I'm not even sure but it's
but you're an actor really aren't you as well?
So is it you that comes up with everything? It's
gonna happen in the videos or Well with get a
hold of yourself. There's a slightly different
kind of You know production to to to get going
My idea was I wanted to dance around naked through
a stately mansion And so we had a choreographer,
a young girl called Trixie, who was fabulous.
And so she gave me, you know, kind of movement
through, she worked out the movement through
the house. So we went room by room and, you know,
she would give me, she would show me or we'd
work it out together. you know, the movement,
where to turn, where to kind of move, where to
jump on the bed, where to flop onto the chaise
lounge and all that kind of stuff. It was, you
know, strategically, it had to be strategic,
otherwise you would be seeing a lot more than
you would want to see of me, believe me. I must
admit, the rowing machine bit, or whatever it
was on the handle, that was so clever. We've
seen the video, haven't we? Yes, yes. Well, if
you, yeah, I mean, if you'd seen the first cut,
you might have to wash your eyes out with soap.
So we were on what you would call Todd your watch
to get rid of, make, make sure that that was,
wasn't, uh, there wasn't too much of me showing.
Oh, I'm sorry. My, my dryer is making noises.
I apologize. Let me shut that door. I'm sorry,
guys. See the video. Yeah, I like it. Let's do
that. Modern technology, eh? I apologise for
that, guys. Absolutely. Well, we normally have
something goes off somewhere, so yeah. Yeah,
it's normally the washing machine door that clicks,
isn't it? It bleeps. Yes, indeed. Yeah, it just
won't shut up. That's the thing. So I knew I
had to do that because it's not just like a...
It's ready. It's like... And it just keeps bloody
going. Oh, that noise that you just made, that
was brilliant. You should put that in one of
your songs. So we've now sold... It's a video
of got a hold of yourself. We just sold that
to everyone who's listening now We got to do
the job of getting everyone to want to want to
buy and listen to live forever So we got to do
just as good a job. They will soon as they see
that video It's perfect because it goes with
a song if you see the watch the song with the
video. Yeah, ever so I mean you're two years
younger than me, but I could I haven't got a
I have to say I was pretty exhausted after that
day because you can imagine when you're making
a video like that, you have to do it all day.
That's not just a one -off performance. And then
once you do it once, this is the funny thing
about a video like this. There was no choreography.
It was just like, let's just go for it. And that
my kind of idea for the boys, I was just like,
let's make this like crazy energy mental, just
fun, let's jump around, let's go and, you know,
go and kind of like ruffle each other's hairs
and like, you know, I'm going to kick a drum
cymbal, you know, I'm going to throw my guitar,
I'm going to kick the mic stand, you know, and
did that. But of course, what we didn't think
about is we have to keep the continuity. So,
you know, I had to remember what I was doing,
what part of the song, which was almost impossible.
And in fact, there is continuity issues in the
video. uh you know because i took my top off
at one point and i threw it at the at the camera
and i so yeah it was it was an all -day workout
that one perfect good fun yeah it looks like
it it looks like it so yes uh that's live forever
and you so had a question about live forever
didn't it song live forever you've got a lovely
chorus how did you do that chorus it's like it's
got an echo uh you mean production wise um Well,
I mean, this is a song I wrote with my very good
friend Nick Kershaw and Jake Gosling, who's the
producer of the record. I think... What did we
do on that moment? I mean, for a start, there's
a lot of things that come in on that chorus that
will kind of like lift the feel of the track.
I think there's a big bass that comes in and
a piano note. And of course, there probably is
some kind of delay, reverby thing that comes
in in the chorus. Just let your vocals live forever.
They've done something with it. I like that.
That's very clever. With everything else that's
going on, it's amazing. Yeah, amazing, yeah.
Anyone could do a reverb, I've got to slide that
up and I've got it, but you know, at the end
of the day, it just works so amazingly with the
whole build up with the... Well, you had a great
team there, so it would. I had a great team and
I have to give credit to Soren Anderson who mixed
it and he is... bit of a genius with mixing.
He mixed Get a Hold of Yourself, Live Forever
and a couple of other ones on the record and
he's a new friend, a new acquaintance, someone
I work with and someone that I will absolutely
be carrying on working with because he is so
good with radio friendly mixes. He's brilliant.
Chatterbox! Chatterbox! It takes two to tangle
And two to present a radio show So here's Nick
and Sue Your musical duo The new album, that's
dropped already. Remind me, because I've just
lost a bit on the screen, what was the album
called? The album is called Living Arrows and
it is now available for pre -order on chesneyhawks
.com. You will physically get it, if you order
now, you'll physically get it in February and
it's available on vinyl, cassette and CDs. How
about that? I love that. Like that old school
Wow, I like that. No, you know, I'd love to have
a hot should we got a high five here? What's
nice the CD player? Ah CD. Yeah, go and get it
sorted out for you. Yeah, don't worry. We're
sort You know where to go. Don't you? Chesneyhawks
.com? Yeah And the vinyl for me just so I can
open him So I go me too. I love I love vinyl
and it's a particularly good vinyl this one.
It's a burnt orange color disc So yeah, really
cool, really cool. okay now we've also got i
mean you were announcing this like in the summer
and that when i first got noticing he's got a
lot of gigs coming yeah that is one mega tour
now 2025 chesney and there's a lot going on tour
wise isn't it so yeah and more to be announced
actually we've got some exciting news i can't
tell you about that we'll be in europe put it
that way but but it's going to be really fun
and and then we've got the the live in 25 tour
which is in march and april and plus all my other
gigs, which I don't quite know how I'm gonna
fit it all in. I've got one day, I think it's
in May, where I'm doing three festivals in one
day. I know, don't quite know how I'm gonna do
that, but I love the challenge. Rock and roll,
eh? I think the only, no comparison of course,
but the only artists I think that have done three
concerts in a day, or three festivals in a day,
I think was actually Black Lace. Yeah, I could
see them doing that. Those boys are up for it.
You've got the energy, Chesney. I think you can
do it. You've got the energy. Bring it on. I
think you have. Yeah, definitely. Have we got
to the stage now, end of 2024 and looking at
2025? Is it one of them times where you're actually
going to spend more time in the UK rather than
back over there with the sunshine and the fresh
air and stuff? Well, actually, it's funny you
should ask that. We've moved. We are now back
in the UK. It feels nice to be a UK citizen again.
I've missed being here and having a home base
here. And to be honest with you, if we were still
living in the States at this particular moment
in my career, I would not see my wife at all
because I'm not going to be there. I'm going
to be here. you know on tour and stuff so so
i'm very grateful that um we've made that move
now and it's all done um one little question
about uh a family uh it is only to do with music
of course now i remember during the lockdown
you you guys were all you know the kids and that
they were all playing uh on youtube and doing
stuff and that um How is their musical side to
them? How's that all transpiring? Are they wannabe
rock stars like you? They certainly seem talented
anyway. Yeah, I mean my youngest is my lead guitar
player. So he'll be out on the road with me when
we do this tour. So if you want to see him...
come out and see it, it's going to be great,
you know. My daughter, she's 21, so Indy, who
I just mentioned, he's 19, he's going to be on
the road with me. And Jessie, 21, she's still
at university up in Scotland. And then I've got
a 23 year old boy who is up, who's here, he's
wanting to act and stuff. So yeah, they're all
into it. That's brilliant brilliant. Well, we
we would like if possible for you to put by next
year's I know you're very busy. Hopefully you
can find 20 minutes for us because obviously
me we've Start working with your promoters a
lot anyway, not not just with you We certainly
opened it up with them and doing quite a bit
with them. So I will get to hear about it So
but we would come back on maybe just when that
albums actually dropped maybe and you yeah a
bit more We can have a nice, nice little chat
about what people expect from you in the spring
and summer, something like that maybe. Yeah,
wonderful. Well, congratulations, you guys. It
sounds like you've really, you know, gone on
in the world and I'm pleased to hear it. It's
really wonderful. And it's true having top guests
like yourself, interesting guests like yourself,
that obviously keeps it going as well. that's
us and you do your sides of it we do ours it
just works somewhere and uh we like real people
like you and we like to think we're real people
so that's it seems to work it seems to work you
know we do it for the artist don't we yeah absolutely
yeah is he real is he real or is he ai what do
you think oh don't he's got don't go there he's
got enough he's got one pinch it pinch him just
to make sure he is yeah there you go yeah he's
real all right yeah there you go He's got his
own avatar. I have, that's for the crime videos.
And I've got a tail of the AI avatar who's been
doing her own shows and she's yeah. Mention about
the listener, the person painting the chat room.
This will not be going out on your interview,
I promise. I think you've picked up some sort
of perv. Yeah, I did a sticky. Well, I was sick,
but he did an AI, didn't you, for that day? Brilliant.
Yeah. She's got to learn how to kick people out
of the chat room if she's going to be doing that.
But there you go. Oh, geez. Yeah, definitely.
Yeah, you can get yourself into all sorts of
problems there, can't you? We don't want to get
too good at it because we don't want the day
that... It's fascinating at the moment. We would
want to get to the stage where... They don't
need disc jockeys or presenters anymore. Or musicians
even. I mean, God, it's... No, you can't have
an avatar of an artist, can you? It's not right.
Well, Abba did quite well, but yeah, I know what
you mean. So anyway, we won't be talking about
avatars next time. It's a bit of fun, but yeah,
it can't be let's take over, of course. Well,
Chesley, it's been absolutely fascinating as
always. It's great to see you again. You too,
guys. Sorry, I've got two questions. What merchandise
have you got? I can see your t -shirt. At the
moment that we've kind of taken everything off
the site Because we're concentrating on the pre
-sales pre -orders of the album and there's strategic
planning there because We we really really want
my dream in the team is to get a chart position
on this album in February when it comes out so
You know, that's why we have kind of like only
got Vinyl, CD, cassette, and there is a t -shirt
there as you know. But yeah, that's why. We will
have some merch pop up at some point. That's
something we can do. We must make sure time's
up right. And I'm being serious here. Must get
Joe, you know, the Heart Media or somebody. We
must get it so it can go out and all of our radio
stations, if they're going to buy your CD, they're
all going to do it in the same week. Well, actually,
the good thing about pre -orders is that they
do, if you pre -order now that actually counts
towards charts, you see. So, I mean, obviously,
if it's out and you go and you're going to buy
it, like in a shop, which, you know, who does
that anymore? Then it would have to be that week
to count towards charts. But yeah, that's the
great thing about pre -orders. Okay, interesting.
And your website is Chesneyhawks .com. Yeah.
and we click on that and we no longer have to
go through the other social media because we
scroll there and we can find with click on Facebook
or X or whatever it's all there and you've got
a direct link to all your other social media
there. Yeah absolutely and we're in the process
of changing all of that as well so you know it's
all new at the moment but at least when you go
to chesneyhawks .com everything's available there
you can just you know get your bundle. We've
got plenty to talk about in, you know, next year.
Looking forward to it already. I haven't asked
my second question, do you? Yes, you didn't.
The second question is, now you've got indie
involved with your music and singing. Have you
thought of writing, like, a story or a book about
your son being involved with your singing now?
That's not something that I have on the burner
at the moment. I'm obviously concentrating on
this record. But yeah, never say never, I guess.
You know, there's stories like the Buddy Song
story is what got me into your living rooms,
I guess. So yeah, I mean, it is an interesting
story, but I think that might be something for
the future. Okay. Yes, I was running, well, running,
I actually was leasing the cinema bill when that
came out and, yes, so I saw it from being a cinema
owner's side as well when it came out. Oh wow,
wow. Great movie, great movie, yeah. Chessy Hawkes,
I'm wishing you, your family, everyone a great
Christmas and we look forward to chatting next
year. There's a lot to talk about then as well.
Absolutely. Alright guys, great to catch up.
Thanks for coming back on Chats Book. Bye -bye,
then. Cheers, guys. Bye -bye. You've been listening
to the Chatterbox Redux podcast with Sue and
Nick. We thank our special guest who today was
Chesney Hawkes. The email address is nickelbum
at myyahoo .com. Alternatively, our postal address
is P .O. Box 26, The Old Observer Building, Telford
Road, St. Leonard's -on -Sea, East Sussex, England,
TN 38 9 LZ. Twinkle, Sue and myself, Nick, would
like to thank you for your company this week
and look forward to welcoming you again for another
Chatterbox Redux podcast in the near future.
Take care, bye bye. This is Nick and Sue with
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