Back in my rock crit day, in the 1980s, I interviewed everyone from the Clash to, er, the Sex Pistols… and lots more, no, really. But there were two I had set up that never happened and I always regreted it.The first was Ian Dury. For a season Jean Doumanian took over Saturday Night Live from Lorne Michaels. It was an unmitigated disaster and soon she was gone but before she was finished with she had hired the late great Ian Dury to be the musical guest.Dury is, of course, the dancehall cockney godlike genius live Stiff mr. fabulous behind "Hit Me With your Rhythm Stick", "Sweet Gene Vincent" and, lest we forget "Sex And Drugs And Rock And Roll". So, really, I was a humongous fan, and really thrilled at the opportunity. Then she was fired, no SNL and no interview for Iman.
The second one was, to me, a little less of a loss. but only a little. Kate Bush was in town pushing Hounds Of Love and she had set up the usually load of interviews but apparently she wasn't happy with the quality of questions and got into it with a writer. She stormed out of the interview and tore back to the UK, leaving me high and dry. Actually, I didn't much like the album at the time (I've changed my mind since) and it is just as well I didn't get the chance for me to tell her The Kick Inside was the only thing she has ever done worth listening to.
I got a call from Creem Editor Dave DiMartino the day after Kate rushed back to England, telling me they hadn't been sure when i was doing the interview and were certain it was me who upset them!