Life is no holiday for this super group

By Nina Myscow (in London)
Australian publication, ca 1978

Life is moving fast for 10CC these days.

The group's new single, "Dreadlock Holiday," shot to the No. 3 slot in Britain in three weeks and is sitting at No. 2 on the national Australian charts.

Their classic pop single, "I'm Not In Love" was voted the top single of all time by the BBC station Radio 1.

And Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman are rated, with Wings, as possibly Britain's most consistent songwriting hitmakers.

10CC—slightly stubborn.

But I found them a bit of a washout. And in a recent concert 10CC didn't quite measure up.

Perhaps the weather had something to do with it. In Copenhagen, where I had been invited to see them, torrential rain fell continuously.

The band were pleasant enough to chat to, but got a bit drippy - downright stubborn, even - when we asked them to pose for photographs at some of Copenhagen's sightseeing spots.

A reasonable request, I would have thought, considering that their new album is called "Bloody Tourists," and they complain they never get a chance to be tourists themselves.

"We travel all over the world and never see anything but the insides of planes, cars, hotel rooms and dressing rooms," Stewart, 33, said sadly into one of his many rum and Cokes of the evening, after their concert.

We were sitting in the beautiful Library Bar of the Plaza Hotel in the centre of Copenhagen.

The walls are lined with books and the leather chairs are real. It is a very civilised room and seemed at variance with the rock business party that was going on around us.

"That's why we called the album 'Bloody Tourists'," Stewart said. "Because that's what we are. The only time we ever get to see any sights is when we're actually on holiday."

It was a holiday in the West Indies that inspired their current reggae hit.

Stewart explained: "It was an incident that happened when I was in Barbados at the end of last year that made me write the second verse of the song.

"One of my closest friends, Justin Hayward, and I had decided to go para-sailing. That's when they strap a parachute to you and you're towed behind a speedboat, so it's almost like flying.

"There were three black guys with us and one turned to Justin and said. 'Hey man. I'll give you a dollar for your camera.'

"Justin's camera is worth about $600 so he said: 'Don't be silly.'

"This guy then offered to pay 50 cents for the silver chain Justin was wearing.

"When Justin refused, quite politely, this guy suddenly said, 'If this was Jamaica man, I'd cut your hand off.'

"It was at this point that my para-sail took off, me with it, leaving Justin in the middle of the ocean with this bizarre situation."

Stewart can be amusing, charming and entertaining. He is obviously very talented. But he can be downright moody and difficult.

People tend to tip-toe round him, and he has a short fuse.

Graham Gouldman, 32, on the other hand, is a pleasant, friendly bloke - much more open.

There are four new band members: Stuart Tosh, 31, on drums and vocals is ex-Pilot; Paul Burgess, 28, is on drums and percussion; Rick Fenn, 25, plays guitar; and Duncan Mackay, 28, is the keyboards man.

On stage the sound is excellent. It's just that two hours of it in freezing surroundings in the Ideatspark football stadium seemed a little tedious.

There are no plans at present for a 10 c c tour to Australia.