Graham Broad has been playing drums professionally since he was 15. His work has included playing with The Drifters, Benny King, The Temptations, Edwin Star, Vanessa Mae, and many other established artists.
After touring with many other acts, he then entered into session work playing with The Beach Boys, Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, George Michael, Roger Waters, Culture Club and many more. He has also written and produced many songs for up and coming solo artists.
The following is a short interview of drummer Graham Broad while he was on tour in Spain July 2001, with former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman and his band. As everyone knows Graham Broad has been a longtime member or Roger Waters band for many years.
This interview was conducted by Jose Abellan, the editor of 'Animals,' a Spanish Pink Floyd fan magazine. And quite a good magazine I might add. The magazine is extremely well done, though unfortunately I don't understand Spanish. So now, thanks to REG member Benito Perez in Spain, here is the interview:
How does it feel to have worked with Roger Waters on various projects through the years?
Roger Waters, when I was doing the album, he's really very very creative. And he's a great innovator, and when you start with something, that's very basic and he creates something that becomes a big epic... production, you know... and we tend to do... we record the albums as demo's at first which is rough copies. And then we remaster everything. And then he has another idea when we remaster. And the progression goes on and on and on... you know... and it's really good in the studio to work with Roger. Plus the shows have fantastic production. And Roger just works on every little detail. And it's a good band to be with... you know.
You toured with Roger waters in 1999 and 2000, can you comment on your experience?
Yeah, yeah I was on tour with Roger. And I've been with all his tours since he's been a solo artist (actually from Radio KAOS on ed.). And um, the last tour which was called "In The Flesh" which we basically just toured America, is a slightly different show, it's done with stills... still shots of pictures, projected on the back wall, and it's ah... every detail is put together so clever... you know... I mean it's very esthetic watching it. One particular show... I mean we had our own plane when we were playing in America. And ah.. we were playing in a place called The Gorge. And this is a big valley, and water down below and the stage was on the side of the mountain and then it went up like an amphitheater. And Roger got the plane to come down low at the beginning of the show, to come over the audience... the aircraft. And when it came over, everybody ducked... (laughs). It was a great show... I mean Roger's fantastic to work for. And the show...
After finishing your involvement with Bill Wyman, are you going to work with Roger Waters on an album or tour?
...We're actually going to be touring in 2002. In Europe.... were doin... we'll start off in South Africa. We'll do South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, then we come in into Europe, then we do Moscow, then we do England and then that part of the tour finishes. And then we'll finish recording the album.
When will the tour begin and when will you play here in Spain?
We'll do from February through July. And at the end of it, June and July we're in Europe. But I don't know the exact dates yet, where we are. But hopefully I should think we would definitely come to Spain. Yeah.
How did you come to work with Bill Wyman?
Yeah, I worked with Bill on his own solo projects when he was doing the More Dance thing. And Bill had this great idea of putting this band together doing authentic music. With some of the... with the actual best players that he could actually get together that know this style. So we started off with a very small section; Piano player, Bass, Drums and Guitar, which was Terry Taylor. And he wrote songs with Terry and we put the project together, and then guested different people in the band. And then at Bethenys Gate, we had Albert Lee, Martin Taylor, then we had a guy also playing piano called Dave Hartly, but only in the studio, he doesn't do the live thing. But we have Gary Brooker, and Georgie Fame. And the brass section which is Fred Nead and Nick Payne, and then we have another singer called Janis Foy. And then this is the touring band.
We've done now three albums, and after this tour we'll be recording another album, and uhm.. it's a full on tour, it's working every single day... you know... plenty of work... (laughs). And a straight after this... Spain... we do... we then start doing festivals in Europe, and then we do a tour of America, which is the first tour the band has done... as a band called The Rhythm Kings... Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings... and Bill's worried about flying (laughs).
What's the name of the new album, is it "From The Underground"?
I can't remember. Nobody knows. Something ...From the Underground, there's a four or five part song... four or five songs are titled ...From the Underground.
Maybe you will release the new album in September?
With Bill...? ...with Roger? With Roger... No we start... we don't... we haven't recorded it yet. The new album with Roger won't come out till next year. Cause we start... I'll have two dates will Bill again in August... and then we finish... we come home in September. Then I go home for three days. And then I go into the studio. And that will be the first time... then we start to record it. Yeah.. then this could take a year. One year maybe. It could be 2003 that the album comes out. There will be a live album of the show that comes out next year...?
We have it already.
Oh you have... well this comes out with a film... a video as well. And that is the show that we will tour with. Those are the songs that we will do when we tour. Then this new album, when we finish (the tour) in July next year, we'll go back in the studio and record the rest of the album. So, then that's 2003. Then by the time it's finished it won't come out until 2003.
But you will be touring here with Roger next Summer.
Yeah, the tour in Europe will be June and July, next year.