Interview by: Mark Lacey
Photos Credit: Michelle Livings
In the last 3 years since the Quireboys machine came off the rails, with four of the five members going one way, and their charismatic vocalist going the other, both sides seem to have finally found their peace. Spike used the opportunity to re-unite with his longtime mate Nigel Mogg, and is still performing under the Quireboys name, whilst the remaining four band members of that former line-up have re-invented themselves under the guise of Black Eyed Sons. It marks the end of an unhappy chapter for the fans, their mutual friends, and the musicians themselves.
Since the Black Eyed Sons released their debut album in January 2025, with a renewed sound and vibrancy, fans have been eager to hear them perform live. With shows now confirmed throughout November and December, Guy Griffin is enjoying his music again, and eager to perform some new material, and bring some lesser known material to life.
MGM: It’s been almost a year since you last spoke to MyGlobalMind.com in the run up the release of your ‘Cowboys in Pinstripe Suits’ album which came out at the beginning of this year. That feels like a lifetime ago. And now you’re about to embark on your first ever UK tour!
Guy: It’s a weird thing doing these shows quite a while after the album was released. But that’s just the way things pan out. We’re ready to go out and play and we’ll have another single out. By December, I’ll probably put another song out as well and a video. The video thing is quite a good tool now and I’m enjoying doing quite a bit of it nowadays.
MGM: I’ve seen some of your AI videos. You seem to have a real skill for that.
Guy: Well, the last video we did was pretty much all AI, but the other videos have been a mix of the two, really; conventional editing and using real footage with real people. I’ve just done one for a book launch. I’ve done a movie trailer, and that’s actually way beyond what I’ve done with the band. It’s like a Braveheart / Gladiator type thing. I’m quite pleased with it because you can just let your imagination run wild. I love movies and stuff. The video thing is quite a good tool, and there’s no rules. We could put something out for every song on the album if we wanted. I enjoyed that aspect of it.
MGM: Your album came out at the beginning of the year, and obviously, there’s a gap now between the shows. But are you happy with how the album was received? That was quite a brave move for you guys to change the name and create a new dawn for the band.
Guy: I didn’t really have any illusion about how difficult it would be. We’re the same band, but as soon as you change the name, it’s a whole different thing. You’re starting from scratch. The way it’s perceived is completely different. But then there’s something really cool about that, because now there’s no limitations, and we can do what we want. Everyone’s on the same page. There’s no, you can’t write this, or you can’t do this, or that’s not the right style. There’s no set style for what Black Eyed Sons is. It’s a project, really, as much as a band. With this first album, with all the different people we had on it, it was like a free-for-all, really. Once we had a couple of guests on there, it was like, why don’t we ask so and so? People were more than happy to be involved. There were a lot of people who were, not taking sides, but who were definitely encouraging us and behind us and wanted to be involved.
MGM: Did any of those sessions with those different collaborators happen in person or was it all sending files via email?
Guy: It was all sending files. It was teleporting like Star Trek. I teleported to Nashville or Georgia to see Charlie’s stuff. We’re going to put out a video for the song ‘Autumn Rains’, which we did with Charlie Starr. There’s me and him; it’s the real Charlie Starr in the video. So, it’s me and him singing the song, and I’ve just got to figure out how I want the video to look, really.
MGM: Aside for the collaborators that you brought in, I’m guessing that you recorded the core of that album together as a group.
Guy: Yeah, it was done in all sorts of different weird ways. Some of the stuff that Chip played bass on was when he was on tour with us at the tail end of the Quireboys thing. We had about three tours or something that we were contracted to do or otherwise go bankrupt. So that’s why we were out as the Quireboys. We had Chip on bass for the Spanish tour, and we were literally recording in a hotel lobby, putting bass tracks down. The drum tracks I’d done with myself and Pip. But the way we’re doing it isn’t any different than probably 90% of bands, and how they make records now. It wouldn’t make sense not to make records like that. There isn’t the budget; unless you’re a really big band, there isn’t the budget to be able to go to some exotic location and spend a month in a studio, or if there is, is it worth it? When you’re in a studio, one or two people are in there recording their parts and everyone else is just twiddling their thumbs or down the pub. It’s actually not a very productive thing, whereas when you send something to somebody and they’ve got time and they haven’t got any pressure on them with people watching them, you get a better performance.
MGM: You and the band seem reinvigorated right now, with a new sense of purpose.
Guy: I love the way it is now. I’m not chasing my tail, being on the road all year round just to make a living. That’s how the previous band was. It got to that point where we were all reliant on it for a living. I wouldn’t say it’s Groundhog Day, but you’re playing the same venues, you’re playing the same towns, same countries.
MGM: And a lot of the same songs, right?
Guy: Well, especially in our case. Obviously, we made a lot of records, but it was hard trying to get any new songs into the set. It took me a couple of years to realise that, with a band like that, most people aren’t really particularly interested in hearing new stuff. They want to hear the hits that remind them of being 20 years old in 1989. They come along and sing along to Seven O’clock. That’s pretty much what it is. That was the purpose the Quireboys served. And it’s not just the Quireboys; it’s the whole classic rock genre. Unfortunately, the fans, in a way, contribute to its demise because they only want to hear the old stuff. Musicians … if you’re a real musician, you want to keep creating. But even like the media, the radio stations and stuff, they won’t play anything new even by quite big bands. They just play the same old thing. Black Sabbath had more songs than Paranoid, you know what I mean? And AC/DC has more songs than Back in Black, or You Shook me All Night Long. But that’s all you ever hear by those bands. So, it’s become such a nostalgia thing. I love nostalgia as much as anyone. It’s a thing. It makes you feel good for a while because it reminds you of the old days. I’m not knocking it. I’ve got great memories of those days. I was there too, despite what’s been said. I was actually there and played those songs. But after a while, it does become a bit of a job. Sometimes it’s going through the motions.
MGM: The fans have cited many things they love about your album. Apart from having some great collaborations on it, you’ve also managed to capture some of the characteristics of the old band. ‘Foolin’ Yourself’ has got all that swagger of those early Quireboys albums, and ‘Autumn Rain’ stands alongside some of the best ballads you’ve written.
Guy: The thing is, we were that band for the last 20 odd years. It’s like this big elephant in the room. It’s like, it’s the band that made 12 albums, and plus I was on all the other albums as well. I love that style of music, of course, and we’re still doing some of that style of music, but also it’s nice that we can branch out a little bit. There’s certain styles of music that I like, and probably that Paul and Keith like, that our old singer didn’t really like. He didn’t like Tom Petty. Guy Bailey loved Tom Petty. Tom Petty was Guy Bailey’s favourite. I love that stuff. I love the Americana stuff, but I also like all the punk rock stuff. like Mink Deville, Johnny Thunders and Lords of the New Church and stuff like that. There’s elements of that we could bring in, that wasn’t just the Stones / Faces thing, which I still love. There’ll always be some element of that in any rock n roll music I make.
MGM: I’m pleased to hear you mention the New York Dolls. I remember being at the Old Vic Tunnels in London, when they had Sylvain Sylvain and Earl Slick on guitars. That was a show!
Guy: I forgot about that. When they were doing the reunion show, the first reunion at the Royal Festival Hall, I lived in LA, and a good friend of mine was Arthur Kane. I was in a band called Glimmer, and the last time he ever played apart from with the Dolls, he got up with us when we played at the Rainbow. We did a private party for Hustler magazine of all things. We did ‘Bad Girl’, and he got up with us, but he sang it. Arthur was a fantastic guy, but what happened was I had an email from them, asking if I’d be interested in playing guitar because Arthur had recommended me and they said they were looking. I couldn’t do it, and I kick myself now because it was just a one-off thing at the time, but we were playing with UFO the same day. I suggested a couple of people. Obviously, I probably wasn’t the first person asked, but it was nice to be asked. Then Steve Conte, who ended up in the band, and who was perfect, ended up on our record. That was how we all got to know each other back in the day.
MGM: I noticed you posted on social media to commemorate the late Guy Bailey’s birthday earlier this week. He is still fondly remembered and still influencing so many people.
Guy: I played with Guy the last time he ever really did a gig; it was with myself when we were with the Dirty Strangers, who I was playing with, and I’m back playing with again now. I was in contact. The whole thing that happened in the end with the band just made things awkward, but he reached out to me, and I regret not actually having met up with him after what happened. But I went to see him a couple of days before he passed and all that. But, through a friend of mine, he said, he’d really like to meet up because he’s uncomfortable with how all this is being played out. Obviously, I was at his funeral. I carried his coffin, and I was one of the pall bearers. How things were portrayed in media and all that, it wasn’t the reality. He was very dear to me.
MGM: It’s a shame to hear you talk about it in those terms. Some fans have found themselves torn between two rivalling factions. And to hear that friends, including Guy, also felt caught up in the middle of that situation, feels sad.
Guy: It was, and it is what it is. It was ugly, but it didn’t really need to be ugly. The way it all panned out, there was no other way, but it was something that was inevitable to happen at some point.
MGM: The big Black Eyed Sons news is that you’re just about the tour. You played a sold out show at the Lexington, in London in December last year. What happens in between shows? You and the rest of the band are pretty spread out, aren’t you? Do you see each other socially? I noticed you and Pip are currently playing shows with the legendary Dirty Strangers
Guy: We speak on the phone a lot to everyone. I saw our drummer Pip over the weekend. I’m loving being back playing with the Dirty Strangers because it’s a rock n roll. I was there playing for a dear friend of mine who passed away. I was gifted a guitar by a dear friend of mine, who has passed away. It was a Gordon Smith guitar. Then after the gig, Charlie Harper from UK Subs was there and he came up to me and was complimenting me on my playing but also wanted to know about the guitar. My friend Dan, who’s guitar it was, would have loved that because he loved UK Subs. I played with Brian James from the Damned for a while as well. Unfortunately, he passed and he’s much missed. But he had one of my guitars; he had an SG, which he used for the tour, and I got that back as well. So, it was a real punk rock moment. I’ve got Brian James’ guitar, I’m talking to Charlie Harper, and it’s just great because it’s a great rock n roll band. Great songs. Alan Clayton writes great songs, with great lyrics. There’s no agenda. It’s just got a bunch of guys enjoying playing. Even before I joined the Quireboys, when it was the Queer Boys, the Dirty Strangers were the rock n roll band in London at the time. Obviously, they had Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards on the first album, and there’s all that connection, which makes it really cool. But it’s like joining a gang, being in the Dirty Strangers. It’s like a badge of honour.
MGM: The Dirty Strangers are supporting you in London at the end of December, which will be the last date of your tour. Before you get there, you’ve got eight shows including the HRH festival in Great Yarmouth. I see you’re doing two sets at HRH; one electric and another acoustic.
Guy: I think the Thursday night is the main show, the electric show, which we’re looking forward to. It should be a good crowd in there. It’s a good lineup as well, and it’s very well run. It’s a more civilised way of doing a festival where you’ve got accommodation, rather than being in a tent somewhere. So, we’re going to do that. Then we’ll do a different shorter acoustic set on Friday afternoon.
MGM: I see Mike Tramp is also playing on that Friday. He played on your album. Any chance of him joining you on stage?
Guy: I’ve got a feeling we’re probably just going to be ships in the night because it would have been great. Mike played on ‘Your true colours’. He pretty much sings the whole song. When he sent it to me, I was like, do I really need to sing on this? Sometimes when you’ve got two people singing, it’s a bit jarring when it goes between the two. I said, you sing the whole thing, and then I listened to it, and he’d sang one middle eight, but he’d sang it in the wrong timing. I told him and he goes, why don’t you just sing it? So, I sang the middle eight, but he’s singing the rest of the song. It’s great. It’s a very Stones like mid-tempo song.
MGM: What happens after these shows? Hopefully this will be a catalyst to further shows. I recall you telling MyGlobalMind.com in November last year that were hoping to put out a second album at some point. Is that still something you’re considering?
Guy: Oh, yeah, definitely. Paul Guerin has been spending a lot of time in the States this past year, and he’s been working on some tracks. I know he’s been working on some stuff with a band called Blacktop Mojo over there. Paul has become really good friends with them because they’re local to where he is in Texas. Paul’s got some stuff he wants to play me, and I’ve got loads of stuff too. Over the last two or three years, I was recording so much I wasn’t sure what I was going to use it for. I was either going to use it for myself or a new project. But now, obviously, it became Black Eyed Sons, so there’s a lot to go through, and finish off. When we get together on the road, we’ll jam some stuff out. But it’s a pretty quick process once you know how you want to approach it.
The Black Eyed Sons will be performing across the UK between 6th November – 20th December.
For more information: https://blackeyedsons.com/shows/
8th November: Cobblestones, Bridgwater
9th November: The Brook, Southampton
12th December: Nightrain, Bradford
13th December: The Cluny, Newcastle
17th December: The Robin 2, Bilston, Wolverhampton
18th December: Motorsport Lounge, Llandudno
20th December: Camden Underworld, London
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