Francis Rossi (Status Quo) - Hexagon Theatre, Reading, 8/5/2019

  by Nick Dent-Robinson

published: 14 / 6 / 2019

intro

Nick Dent-Robinson enjoys a spoken word gig at Hexagon in Reading by Status Quo guitarist and frontman Francis Rossi to promote his new autobiography, ‘I Talk Too Much’.

Status Quo's Francis Rossi has embarked on a 60-date tour promoting his recent autobiography ‘I Talk Too Much’ and his new CD with Hannah Rickard, ‘We Talk Too Much’. Both book and CD are selling fast! But this is a mainly “talking tour” - ably compered by radio/TV presenter and respected music writer Mick Wall and initially Francis Rossi feared nobody would show up to listen to him just chat about his life in and out of music. Judging from the sold-out hall and rapturous reception he received at Reading's Hexagon, he need not have worried! Plenty of people very much want to hear what Rossi has to say! “I really did wonder if a mainly talking tour might be a big mistake,” Rossi said. “My fear was there would just be a handful of rather uninterested people scattered around a big echoing hall. But, as it's turned out, it has been great – so far! And book and record sales have been amazing.” During the evening Rossi laughed about Status Quo “never knowingly playing more than three chords in a song” - but it was also revealed that if you total all the weeks the band's records spent in the charts it adds up to over eight years! Quo also appeared on Top of the Pops more than any other musical act...over a hundred times! And Rossi quickly scotched that three chords jibe by playing fourteen different (and quite complex) chords on his acoustic guitar and explaining that most of Quo's tracks comprise various combinations of nine chords! Speaking very eloquently about his childhood, family and the early years of Quo, Francis Rossi maintained a free-flowing conversation interspersed with jokes, a genteel good humour plus remarkably complex acoustic renditions of a range of material - from ‘The Mexican Hat Dance’ to ‘Caroline’. There were tales of his appearance with Rick Parfitt on Coronation Street, how they both received an OBE and how the Royal Doulton pottery produced mugs in honour of the pair of them. The events leading up to Rick Parfitt's death were described poignantly and Francis Rossi handled questions from his audience with great sensitivity and humour. Clearly he is a natural raconteur - and his performance on this this tour is an experience not to be missed.

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