Chatterbox, when the stars talk, they talk to
Nick and Sue. And welcome back to the Chatterbox
Redux podcast with Sue and Nick. And today our
special guest is Susie Quatro. This is Nick and
Sue with Chatterbox giving you all you need to
know about musical entertainment. Oh, yeah! Chatterbox!
And now in Chatterbox UK, we're just lucky enough
to welcome back Suzy Quatro. Suzy, hi, welcome
back. Hello, Suzy. How are you? I'm fine. I'm
busy, busy, but I'm fine. How are you? We're
good. Thank you. Thank you. And you are right
in the middle of interview season, as you often
are when we talk to you. I know. Freedom. We
have heard it. In fact, well, we got the single,
haven't we? The album is called the same. Freedom
is the single right now. And then the album is
called the same. Okay, and the good news is is
in time for the tour in April will be the kick
out the jams the the duet I did with Alice Cooper.
So that's exciting Wow That it better be to die
for Yeah, right. We've got some good news about
freedom as a single. We do mother told you before
we do a show on Radio North Sea International
called hits or miss this is where the the audience
literally vote if they think she'll be hit or
miss and You know, we still get several hundred
votes and that Well, should you want to tell
Susie how well she did? You didn't only get a
hit and smash it. You got the maximum points
you can get Yeah And only one person's ever done
that before. So here you go. Fantastic. Yay.
Great. Well, everybody does seem to be loving
this song. It is. It's in your face, isn't it?
It is amazing. It is. Well, it's right. Listen,
it's right up there with anything you've done
before. And is it right to say, I don't want
to knock any of your because I loved your early
stuff, you know, right up to she's in love with
him and all that going right up to 78 and stuff.
But can I actually say it's to me, it's the most
live. lifeless Susie Quattro I've heard, is that
alright to say? Yeah, we have returned to my
roots on this album, so everybody's picked up
on that. It's kind of like everything you expect
a Susie Quattro single to be and an album to
be, it's there. It's me firing on all four cylinders.
It is. It is. How much part has your son played
on this? Because he's been working with you very
closely for some years now. I know he's in his
early 40s, wherever, and he's really there with
you writing. What bigger part has he played this
time? Very big. He said that we should strip
it all back and go back to the original feeling.
So all the songs took on that kind of flavor
and. It was all it's all about being comfortable
in your skin the whole album choose yourself
things like that you know it's a it's very very
strong lyrically it's about. Well it's about
me i know who i am and i'm not taking any bs
from anybody. I don't have nothing left to prove
going down i'm going down my road my baggage
is excess baggage is away. So down I go Really
so all the album we've got freedom to single
Because some other titles here. I mean barmese
tell me something about them as we go through
but little miss lovely Yeah, that's that little
miss lovely that that's very much I call it my
Gemini song Black and white black and white black
and white so she's innocently hardcore. I mean
Positively negative. There you go. It's Germany.
It's Germany. But I have to go. Little Miss Lovely.
I've got Choose Yourself. Yeah. That was going
to be the title track and it was going to be
the album called. That's a lot of people love
that song. But when we were mixing and I was
listening to the mixes, Freedom just kept jumping
out. You know what does that a single does that
but choose yourself as an excellent track I loved
it from the time my son sent me that the recording
I loved it it's an it's an it's got a lot of
good lyrics in there hanging over me. Yes five
o 'clock shadow hanging over me there's a few
on there like this it's my way of saying go bye.
See ya. Here's your boots. That's another one
of saying here's your boots. My mom used to always
say that. Here's your hat. What's your hurry
used to always make me laugh. It's a nice way
to say. It's a nice way to say goodbye. It's
very cheeky that song. Okay, very cheeky. Yeah,
brilliant. Can't let it go. Yes, you know that
one was born out of and we all we all have this
in our lives. If you're with your partner and
you're arguing. And you just want to, okay, we've
had the argument now, let it go. And sometimes
it can be you too. I've done this too. You can't
let it go. And so this song, you can't let it
go. You know, you just can't let it go. So it's,
it's that frustration that the argument keeps
going, going, going enough already. Nobody held
my hand. Nice title. Great title. And that was
my, that was my son's title. And he had came
up with some lyrics, too. And he wanted me to
write a song about my story of doing everything
alone, because he always relates to that, that
I didn't have any help. I had to strike out on
my own and make it on my own. I left the family,
came over here alone as alone can be. So nobody
held my hand. That's absolutely correct. It's
very anthemy, that song. It might go in the show,
actually. It's a good song. Shake down. Shakedown
yeah, oh boy that that was born out of a situation
again that happened to me within my family And
I felt like I was being just shaken down by everybody
so That was getting my frustrations out that
shakedown Take it or leave it It's one of my
favorite lyrics take it and even just don't judge
Okay, it says it just don't judge take it or
leave it you're giving somebody the option if
they don't want to be around you then don't be
around me bye i like the next title the next
one's going to be very interesting because i
don't class but of course i don't really know
we only know you through the interviews of course
but i don't really know you but you don't come
over as a feminist to me but woman song could
mean anything you know you but i don't so what
what's that mean what's that about well I'm as
you know i'm a non gender person i've never done
gender never call never call myself a female
musician and i never was i never was like women's
live by me live but at the age of seventy five.
I have finally for the first time written a woman's
song so important my son says it's the most dangerous
song on the album because of what it says lyrically
but i really mean it so i'll probably never write
a song like this again but i've. taking my hat
off and said a woman's song this is my my woman's
song to all the women out there now okay has
this song been in the making since 73 or before
you came over here even or or has it been just
in the background brewing and growing you thought
i got it now 2026 i've got it this is it has
it been or is it just something you've come up
with for this album recently Yeah it just the
way that the almost going so personal about my
life and you know about being you know. In charge
in charge of my life being who i am it's it just
seems to take on that flavor and i thought. Why
not why not do a woman song for once which i
don't do i don't do i don't do gender but i've
done it but only the only the one time. That's
enough in a career like yours. It's great you
tackled it, it's wonderful. Kick out the jams,
featuring Alice Cooper. I've got a feeling there
might be interviews about this nearer to time,
somehow, but how, why, whatever. There's obviously
two great artists together, and obviously Alice
Cooper must be a great friend of yours, but why?
Why now? Why? Great, I'm pleased, but yeah. It's
traditional since 73. that i do two covers on
every album and we've kept that tradition so
there's going down by freddie king and then my
son kept saying kick out the jams and i love
the song i'm from detroit but for some reason
i couldn't get my brain around it but he was
insisting and then he finally came and he said
he said mom kick out the jams with alice and
i said now i hear it now i hear To two guys from
Detroit, we've known each other since teenagers,
going back, back to Detroit to honor the MC five
and singing it face to face in the studio. So
then it made sense. And when you hear it, it's
it you hear the connection. You see Detroit,
you feel Detroit, you hear the connection that
we have. Sure, and the other one, Going Down,
which I was going to mention at the end. Yes,
so that's the other one with the different artists.
It's a bonus tag. See, you must have known I
was going to link them together, knowing there
was... But yes, so tell us all about Going Down
and how that collaboration came about and why.
Was it the same as Alice Cooper? Maybe, I don't
know. Well it was it was suggested again my son
wanted to cover that night kept saying cuz i
like bb king, and we always have the argument
albert freddy or bb i'm a bb king fan and he
said he'd like to do that because you will sing
the ass off this one and he was right because
i and it's a feel you got a groove that's such
an important group if you can't play it right
you shouldn't touch the song but actually went
out there and did one take. So he was right.
Yes, it was right. It was right down my street.
And I put a little personal lyrics about Detroit
in it myself, you know, so. This is Nick and
Sue with Chatterbox, giving you all you need
to know about musical entertainment. Chatterbox,
Chatterbox, Chatterbox, Chatterbox, Chatterbox.
And we've got a bonus track, track 13. Completely
different, completely different. It all comes
down to you. Yeah. Again, the same theme, because
it's all about who you are, choose yourself,
blah, blah, blah, blah. But we were doing, we
had a a song in a movie a house music kind of
song in a movie and we had written three or four
for that project and this one was a perfect bonus
track it's the same theme but a bonus track should
be totally different than everything else and
this is okay yeah i understand that i understand
that a couple of questions i'd like to ask you
before we sort of move on about the tour and
uh obviously we talk about the book as well because
we need an update um when we spoke last time
we did speak about obviously susie quattro being
your real name and so on One question I wanted
to ask, at any point before you said to Mickey
most about changing your name or what should
it be, what names did you have in mind? Did you
have any ideas of what your stage name should
be before you were told you got the best name
in the world? No, no, I didn't. I just assumed
I needed I needed a new name. But he said no.
Everybody asked me that. What's your real name?
Because it sounds it sounds like a stage name.
Yeah. Yeah. It's a great name. It's a very strong
name, isn't it? It's the best name in the world
for us music guys. The honest truth is, you couldn't
make it up. No, you couldn't. You couldn't make
it up. And one last one. Also, just when you
came to the UK. Did you know the UK was going
to be where you made it big time? Did something
inside tell you or did you know Mickey beforehand
and he got you here or how did you end up in
the UK because it worked pretty well and pretty
quick really when you got here? Well I was in
a band called Cradle which was the second wave
of the Argo band and my little sister came in
and I was kind of pushed back from the front
position to mainly being the bass player which
is great because I got really good on my instrument
at that point jamming all the time and doing
solo. and blah, blah, blah. And that's the band
that Mickey saw in Detroit. And I only did two
songs and he offered me a solo contract. And
it was the second offer in one week that I'd
have to go solo. The one guy from Elector wanted
to make me into the next Janis Joplin, no thank
you. And Mickey said, come to England and I'll
make you into the first Suzy Quattro. And I was
a fan of Mickey's production too. all the stuff
he did, but I particularly liked Donovan. I like
the production on that. And so when I said Mickey
Mouse, I went, yeah, that's the guy I want to
go with. And he saw me. He saw me who I was,
you know. Fantastic. I always wondered. That's
great. And of course, Mickey Mouse, to those
of us over a certain age, not only on the record
side, of course, he was well known on TV. He
was on New Faces as one of the paddlers. He was
up there, wasn't he? Yeah, he was. He was. Fantastic.
Absolutely. Sue? Yes, Susie, I've got a couple
of questions for you. What keeps Susie Quattro
going? My passion and my need. I need to do what
I do. I like that. And how is your book going,
the one about the gravestones? We like that.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, very good. In fact, I'm working
on a screenplay as we speak. We're trying to
turn it into a 20 part TV series. So, yeah. Well,
a couple of our regular listeners on the Hit
or Miss show saw you in a show in the last two
months, I'd say, in London. And it wasn't like
you singing or doing it. It was like a night
with Susie Quattro, an anecdote show. It was
hilarious. They loved every minute of it. So
that was really good. I love doing stuff like
that. Anyway, I'm a real communicator. Yeah,
I loved it. It was feedback from two listeners.
So I thought I'd give that back to you. But they
loved everything. That's nice. That's nice. Right.
Back to the present day. This tour, Susie, tell
us all about April. I will. I'm going to read
them out. I'm going to read them out so I'd be
a good girl. Okay. April the 7th, Glasgow, 8th.
Gateshead ninth manchester eleven th walford
twelve oxford fourteen south and fifteen my fourth
time at the london palladium seventeen seventeen
bath nineteen birmingham and twentieth and born
with so it's a great tour there's gonna be two
songs two songs from the album going in the show
freedom of course and probably kick out the jams
cuz i think that's coming out. As the third single
which will be just in time along with the release
of the album that'll be the third single altogether
So looking forward to doing this talk very much.
Well singles was something I was going to mention.
So you've done that Well, this show also goes
to Quite a lot of the Commonwealth countries
Australia included. I know that you've been there
so many times I think you might be there last
year. Were you Australian last last year and
at the end of this year that will be my 40 second
time in Australia. Wow. That's where I was going.
So the Australian people listening to this show,
they know you're coming back again this year.
Fantastic. They do. Brilliant. Susie, Nick's
received the press release about you. There's
a picture of you, a picture and there's a motorbike
in it. What's that about? Oh, that's that. That
was to say that that was my vision. As soon as
I decided. That freedom would be the single and
the title of the album cuz we like i said it
was gonna be choose something soon as freedom
had to be the single and i had the vision of
i saw the album cover i saw it in my mind. And
I put the word out to everybody who's photographed
me for many years. And Julie, Julie Ainsworth
from Australia, she found a picture of me from
the back with my base. And then she had a I create
this my vision with her photo. And then, of course,
the art department got involved then. And then
they made it into artwork and they took out the
one, but they took the idea. So it's exactly
how I saw this title and this album cover. Wonderful
cover. Wonderful. Very good cover. I like it.
Everything from the cactus to the right on the
right hand side to everything. And the freedom
and the freedom along the road, you know, and
the bass in my hand, the fist up and you see
my face in the rear view mirror and you see my
logo on the tailpipe, you know, so it's it's
great. Great. Fantastic. Very good. And of course,
the other thing about you about you carrying
on, of course, it is. You're a natural on stage.
you know you are, you're a perfectionist, and
you do it for the fans. We've been getting a
buzz off radio, what it's like for you on there
doing what you do, but I know you do, I know
you love every second of it up there. I do. And
we're talking about, you were in your 60s when
we were latecomers getting to know you I suppose,
but now you're 75, you ain't going no place are
you? We'll be talking to you when you're well
in your 80s and hopefully further on with that,
but you're not going anywhere are you? No, I've
got no intention of going anywhere. So what's
next then? Yeah, I am. I've got, like I said,
the screenplay for Grave Runner Takis. We're
working on a movie script, a two part of my life
working on that. I'm thinking about maybe the
next film, maybe I'll make it Susie and Friends.
I'm thinking about that. I've got eight books
published. I will be doing one more poetry book,
which I've got. Maybe 15 done already, writing
songs, just doing what I do, being an artiste.
Well, there's certainly plenty more to talk about
this year, isn't there, at some point? So, obviously
we wish you every success. Suzy Quatre and Freedom,
the album, is released on the 27th of March,
so pre -order your copies now. That's today,
isn't it? No, darling, this is 27th of February.
Oh, 27th of March, sorry. That's okay. I am so
sorry. I do stuff like that all the time. I'll
tell you why it throws you, because when Mike
was booking this up with us, with Susie and today...
We're Friday, this is 28 days of February. It's
easy. 27th of February, 27th of March. Yeah,
yeah, yeah. I know why you've done that. I know
exactly why you've done that. Mike honestly did
the same. We'll take that bit out. We might not.
No, it's funny. Leave it in. It's natural. Absolutely.
Susie, so social media, so people can take another
look at you and order tickets and do whatever
they want to do really. all yours websites and
so on please uh www .susiequatra .com um susie
quatra reveal is my instagram i'm on tiktok i'm
everywhere facebook i'm everywhere all the social
medias are being attended to my video for freedom
was just released on the 25th on youtube so you
can go on that and watch the video the video
is great oh i love the video for this Really,
really good job. We're looking at it now. We're
looking at it now. As I say, every success, Susie.
Look forward to the next. Thank you. And enjoy
your tour. Thank you very much. And we'll talk
again, I'm sure. Absolutely. Thanks for coming
back on Shatterbox. Thanks. Thank you very much.
Bye. Thanks. Bye. You've been listening to the
Chatterbox Redux Podcast with Sue and Nick and
today our special guest was Susie Quatro If you're
interested in becoming a future guest on the
Chatterbox Redux Podcast or the radio show Chatterbox
UK you're welcome to submit songs, books or whatever
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bye. This is Nick and Sue with Chatterbox giving
you all you need to know about musical entertainment.
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