Since the very early days of SITN interviews, it's been my ambition to Get Carter. One reason for my investigative determination (some might call it 'stalking') is because young Neil, unlike most of the wild, willing and innocent characters who've been part of The UFO Experience, seemed to disappear clean off the face of rocknroll at the end of the 80s, almost like diesel in the dust. Long gone indeed! So... I searched through what seemed like hundreds of (versions of) empty rooms, but there was no getaway, and after making contact I arranged to meet up with him for a secret rendezvous. (See what I did there?)

Hi Neil - it's great to meet up with you again! This interview could turn out to be one of the most difficult I've done though, cos your new website is so damn good that virtually overnight you seem to have gone from being a total enigma to a completely open book. Now that you've bared all so graciously - and all under one roof too - it seems there's very little left for me to ask you. But... I like a challenge, so I'll poke and probe and pry until there's no pebble left unpobbled. Within reason of course. Nobody needs to know about the incident on Brighton Pier with the curling-tongs, the seagull and the bag of Monster Munch, so we'll keep that one just between ourselves. Anyway... you start off your website Bio by telling us about your early days in West London, playing piano, clarinet, guitar, bass, tuba, bagpipes, trombone, xylophone, stylofone - was there any damn instrument you didn't play, you precocious little git? Well the Japanese nose flute passed me by, which is suprising - given the size of my hooter... and I NEVER played a brass instrument!

When you were in Wilder, how was it that Gilbert O'Sullivan saw the band and chose you to tour with him? From relative obscurity to playing big venues with a headline act must have been quite an in-at-the-deep-end experience. What can you remember from that first tour? And... did anything rhyme?
I think our guitarist answered an ad and Mr. O'S came to see us play. Without a doubt, and without being big headed, I was their secret weapon as I could play quite a few instruments and he saw that as a big plus point. I was the singer in Wilder so my job would have been redundant anyway! I remember being terrified and feeling totally inadequate, thrilled and excited in equal measures. But it was such great experience and he was a lovely guy and very encouraging. I fell in love with Doreen Chanter who was one of the backing singers and had been with Roxy Music who I worshipped, my first crush... aaaaah! Where did it all go wrong! Maybe she went off you after the photo session - need I explain? OK, well.... TAKE A LOOK... there's everyone lining up enthusiatically for the group mugshot - and where's Carter? Oh yeh, there you are, troughing from the rider, smug in the misconception that your cunning plan to disguise yourself as a deckchair has been a success. Wronggggg). Actually that was the last time I ate anything, except that crisp in 1980. Doreen had a lucky escape by the sound of it.

OK, now on to Wild Horses... and as you say, quite a grounding in rocknroll working with Jimmy Bain and Brian Roberston. Tell us some on-the-road anecdotes from touring with them. Oh jeez... I was very 'new' and they were Rock'n'Roll with a capital 'R'. On reflection it was quite OTT and they were young themselves at the time. I remember Robbo sitting me down in front of a video of Thin Lizzy the first day we rehearsed, pointed to himself on the screen and told me I need look no further for a role model. So a year later when he was staggering around the stage pissed I thought 'perhaps not'...
I probably have a lot to thank them for as they sort of gave me my break so I shouldn't be mean but they did put me (and the drummer) through a lot of balls, living in the 'Twilight Zone' as they did. When you get to a rehearsal at 6pm, don't play a note until 1am and are still at it at 9am none of it seems charming anymore! Good practice for workin with UFO though!

Regarding the UFO years, your memories of them are not always good ones - and you've been candid enough to write honestly about the things that went wrong, and where you saw it falling apart. Tell us some of the good memories of touring with UFO.
Well when it was good it was very very good and there were some excellent gigs and some funny moments (and rather too many not-so-funny ones). The Randy Rhoads incident was truly tragic and it was horrible at the time... I felt that tour had an air of 'something bad about to happen' about it right from the start. My memories are hazy but Randy was such a lovely guy and so very dedicated to his music. The aftermath, with them recruiting new players to resume the tour (I think they even asked Gary) was very hard for Ozzy and the band as a whole. Painful times. Mind you I am amazed at how wonderful Mrs. Osbourne looks these days, she must have a portrait in the attic - or a good plastic surgeon! Probably both.

So, even though your own focus was mainly on the music, there must have been some 'leisure' moments, yeh?
There was a hysterical array of American groupies who stalked the bands on tour at the time. There was the famous 'Connie from Little Rock' who I think was a school teacher in her spare time and I remember in St. Louis, John Knowles was very taken by two temptresses, one called the 'Black Mamba' and the other the 'Red Snapper'... when John asked why she was called that, Mamba said 'show him, Snapper' and she lifted up the tiny piece of material that passed for a skirt and showed him... Not a pretty sight in a 19-stone girl, that's for sure! I think they are both now in a convent... Probably the best place for them, if you ask me. And I'm sure we occasionally had a manager at that time who could have taught Fagin a few tricks... I forget his name. Wright... oops, I mean right... Yes indeed - Wright! The worst moments with UFO have to be some of the spectacular show disasters... I'm thinking Hammersmith in 1981 or 1982(?), some US shows, and wait for it... ATHENS. Possibly the lowest point in my time with the band, although by the sound of it that Manchester show with Michael came pretty close. Yes, I think you could fairly say that. But heigh-ho... it all seems a long time ago now! Onward and upward, certainly.

What about the practical jokes?
Pete and Phil have a wicked sense of humour it has to be said and the 'no neck' jokes, 'big nose' jokes were never ending. To be honest some of the funnier things I can remember were substance-related so I will not go into it here! But we did play some good shows ... and rather a lot of them!

What were your favourite songs to perform live?
It has to be all the old stuff... I liked 'Lettin Go', 'Only You Can Rock Me' and 'Too Hot To Handle'... Is there any unreleased material from your UFO years that might still surface? Studio tapes? Video footage from Hammersmith etc? Hmmm... well there is the Rockpalast TV thing which can be obtained from any dodgy download site... and the last gigs were recorded but only a few tracks were released... I have the rest on tape (now CD) mixed and complete. It was meant to be a whole live album but Chrysalis (or someone... not us as usual) decided to include all the other 'band related' tracks.

OK, now even though SITNners know you mainly from the UFO days, the biggest achievements in your rocknroll career came when you were working with Gary Moore. Is it true that the seeds of Empty Rooms were sown when you were still in UFO? If so, how come it wasn't part of the UFO catalogue (we coulda been huuuuuuge!) and how did it develop instead into a Gary Moore track?
Well I began 'Empty Rooms' in a hotel room in the States when I was on tour with UFO. Then when I first teamed up with Gary we went to a studio and he put a rough vocal and a guitar solo on it. From there it was born. In fact I had just split up from my wife Sue and they were mocking my tragic state (trying to cheer me up probably) and I think Gary used the premise of 'break up' for the lyrics... he was happily married at the time so it wasn't autobigraphical! As it was we had 'You And Me' for Making Contact and we didn't need another slow number so I just discounted it for UFO.

Apart from Empty Rooms - which is of course THE ONE - which other songs that you wrote or co-wrote are you most proud of, and why?
I really like Blood Of Emeralds on Gary's After The War album as it was the most complete one I had written before I gave it to him to 'personalise' and All Messed Up from Run For Cover which is a gooood riff. As far as UFO ones... Let it Rain (cos it was the first one I had input in that was a single) and most of the ones on Making Contact actually... because it was a good album made in difficult circumstances.

Your fashion sense, which was firmly taking root in the UFO days, really blossomed during the mid-to-late 80s - and blossomed very colourfully if I remember rightly. That canary yellow boiler-suit, for instance... blimey. What with that and all the hairspray, I'm surprised you weren't under attack from a swarm of wasps for most of the 80s. Still, I suppose the shoulder-pads kept them at bay, hahahaha. Anywayyyyy, tell us about the clothes. Which were your favourites to wear, which were the ones that got the most attention, which ones do you still wear around the house or to go to Tesco's in?
I got stung a few times back then... and I never had a friggin' canary yellow boiler suit!!! Oh alright, if you say so. Maybe I'm mixing you up with Barry Manilow - I think he had one! Gee, thanks Batttttty. I liked the Gary Moore period from Run For Cover onwards as I had a much better idea by then of what suited (literally) me... and had the money to spend on it for once! It was around the Dynasty/Dallas glamour time and Gary and I were great fans of bad American daytime soaps (actually so was Phil)... I always studied the fashions in those shows! I had a few people who made stuff for me although some of the suits were 'off the peg'. I am a small-framed person so I think I have to dress accordingly but still I had to be 'larger than life' on stage... no video screens then, and at the end of my Gary time most of the venues were 7000-plus seaters. Now I wear suits every day! My boys at school have asked if I can lend them some old outfits for the 'House Song Competition' so I must away to the loft after this...

Has the interest from UFO fans and Gary Moore fans via the internet made you want to ferret through your drawers and having a trying-on session of all the old gear? Or even get back into the rocknroll groove?
My drawers slammed shut years ago but I still have sooo much stuff, I find it very hard to throw things away and have had ample opportunity over the years (having moved house 10 times in 18 years). But no, the drag is firmly packed away... although me waist is still the same (actually slightly smaller) so I could 'recapture the moment'... unlikely though. Well if you ever feel the urge, be sure to have a camera handy.

How did you feel when Paul Chapman mentioned the idea of getting together for a new musical project?
I did say 'yes' to Paul about the project so if it happens I will sing on it if he needs me (if I still can).

What were your favourite songs to perform live with Gary Moore?
With Gary it was most of the 'Wild Frontier' stuff... if you take the 'Live At Isstadium' video, that to me was a real high point and it is a great show... they really should re-release that on DVD.

And what about the TV appearances with UFO and with Gary Moore? What can you remember of those?
TV wise, well we did the Pops with 'Lonely Heart' which I have on video. Typically UFO we were booked to play in Exeter the same night and were whisked away just before 8pm after recording TOTP to Heathrow to board a private (bi)plane and whizz down to Exeter to go on stage at 10.30'ish. Sounds glamorous but it wasn't! And we did a TV show in Italy with Billy Sheehan in 1983 which I have never seen. (Anyone got it?) The best UFO one is the Oxford Road one... that holds up well. Gary did loads and there are some great ones... the 'Friday Night Live' and 'OGWT' are brilliant.

What's your opinion of the way Gary immersed himself in recording Blues albums during the 90s, and almost for a while seemed to deny the existence of his rock catalogue?
We had a conversation around 1995 about it and to be honest I felt a bit sad he viewed it like that but he feels differently now I think. I said to him at the time it would all come round again ... and it did! I am glad he is looking to do more rock orientated things... good on him! He does it really well!

You also worked on the production of a couple of Cockney Rejects releases. How did that come about, and what do you remember of that experience? Their new album, which is being recorded at this very minute, is a far cry from their Oi Oi Oi war-cry of the 80s. It is much more rock-oriented.
I'm glad they are still at it... it was quite a larf at the time, and on reflection I'm amazed Pete asked me to be involved (evil imp that I was with my saxes and keyboards) but I think I sung backing vocals on one album... did I? Ask them - they might remember better than I do! I always thought they had designs on being a rock outfit... they had a great enthusiasm for what they did and a crunchy sound.

How different/similar to touring or to being in a band was it, when you worked on A Slice Of Saturday Night etc. Give us some insight into your memories of being a musical director in a stage show.
Oh dear lord... well, my school friend who was in my first band with me had worked on musicals for years and had been in the West End with the show. He was off to start another production and needed a replacement MD. It was quite 'specialized' as he used state of the art keyboards and drum machines, sung and played geetar. Who you gonna ask, right? So as I was not doing anything I said 'yes' which initially seemed a good idea. Cut to four months later, eight performances a week, up to London each night, no social life... I wanted to end it all I can tell you, so when the show looked like it might close I sung three choruses of 'Halleluiah' and got the flock out. I did do it again for a short while on tour (with Alvin Stardust... more glamour... ) but talk about monotonous. I have friends now who play in shows in the West End and I do not know how they do it, but it is much-in-demand work. I kept feeling a bit ungrateful at the time but after the life I had led two years previous to that it was horrible. Next time you go... look for the ones in the orchestra pit who have books, newspapers, Ipods... that is how bad it gets. Hahahahaha yeh, I saw a fella once in the pit at Miss Saigon, doing a crossword in one of those wordsearch puzzle magazines. While it was his turn to play he kept lookin down at the puzzle and as soon as his bit was over, he filled in about five answers, bam bam bam.

One of the worst-kept secrets in rocknroll is that you know a nice bit of pussy when you see it.
Weeeeell... very much a source of jokes was (and still is) my love of pussycats. And I still do a fair amount of judging both in the UK and on the continent but now I have less time. The cats aside - and in all sincerity I love the animals and find the different breeds fascinating... (chorus of 'get a life') - I find the people can be very funny. It's all a bit Alan Bennett/Victoria Wood... I have made many friends both here and overseas. I enjoy judging in France as it's mad (all the champagne you can drink and a few cats), and in Romainia the cats were all wild and I feared for my life. In Scandinavia they have LARGE pussies and in Germany they have naked ones with fat bottoms! Blimey.

So... to the present day now, and you're passing your skills on as a teacher. Godddd I remember going to school concerts and having to sit through the bleedn Recorder Ensemble doing their party-piece. Unbearable. But I imagine you're in it at a less excruciating level than that...
I know what you mean! One of my most discordant childhood memories is of an annoying female relative of mine who kept showing off to anyone who would listen that she could hit a high C on her cornet(to)! Wherever you were, and whatever you were doing, she'd creep up behind you and blast in your ear. What an intensely irritating child she was. She sounds horrendous. I wonder what became of her... ? We'll probably never know.

But hey, as a teacher, it must be wonderful to spot a talent in someone and be able to help them get the best out of their abilities, and see them go on to fulfil their potential. Do you get many pupils like that? How does it feel when that does happen?
I have to say yet again that the best part of what I do at school is the kids and I get great satisfacion from watching them develop as musicians. Not all do successfully, but I have taught quite a few 'stars' over the years and I have a girl I teach at the moment who is sure to do something fabulous in the future... I almost feel like offering to be her manager! I also conduct a Concert Band where I am which has eighty members and it is just fantastic to do. Alright it may be a 'school' concert but it makes me quite happy to see how much of a buzz the kids get from it. My school is very good and nothing like the one I went to (my parents wouldn't have paid out £15,000 a year I can tell you!) so I get lots of support, and money is plentiful.

When you look back at the last 25+ years of your career in music what is your proudest and/or happiest moment?
EEEK it is nearly 30 years now ... I suppose high points were Reading with UFO and the first US tour with them doing huge arenas. With Gary the shows in Europe with Queen... I think it reached the ultimate then. After that it was all on a 'plane'.

I notice a kind of artistic symmetry in that your career has gone from Gilbert O'Sullivan to Gilbert and Sullivan (well, some kinda opera anyway, even if not G&S). If you were to say the word 'opera' to most SITN readers, I'm sure they'd think you meant Miss Winfrey, or even Jerry Springer. You're a teacher, so can you have a go at explaining opera to SITN readers, in a way they'd understand it.
'Artistic symmetry'... get you! Actually there is a quote about opera that sums it up beautifully... but lack of brain cells permit it to be recounted here. But I have quite a narrow band that I enjoy. Most opera is in a foreign language, so you can't underestand the ridiculous plots and dialogue, the music is fantastic and beautifully crafted, the female leads are usually 'past it'! I went to Covent Garden a few weeks ago and the 'jeune fille' character was played by a soprano who looked like she should be collecting her bus pass... fantastic voice though. Any interested SITN readers should try 'La Boheme' by Puccini (he wrote Nessun Dorma... world cup anthem... Pavarotti?) Start there, as to me that has some of the most wonderful music ever (he knew a good tune did Puccini). OK, thanks, I'll tell 'em.

What's next for Neil Carter? Any unfulfilled ambitions? Anyone you'd still like to work with, musically?
Sooty! Errrr, no I already did that... That was on your Puppet Show headlining tour, yeh? There was a great support band on that tour, if I remember rightly! Errr, yes Batttttty, there was! Unfulfilled ambitions, you ask... well, musically, no. I am kept so busy, although next year I may (dare I say it) retire from teaching and just do examining and more playing, as the by-product of being a busy music teacher is you get very little time to play yourself. With my past life I never totally rule out 'coming back' in some form but as time goes by it seems more unlikely. I have to be realistic and I am quite happy with what I do now. Also can you imagine me leaping around like I used to, when I'm pushing 50? (Errr... yes... certain other UFO members do it - so can YOU!) Becoming a music examiner was such an achievement for a man with my dodgy pedigree, but I like to think I know what I am doing and it is very interesting work... they are sending me off to Malaysia next July for two months and after that, who knows? Bless you all my children! Bless you too, darlin! High C to ya! Ooops, I mean a High 5!

This interview © Batttttty - 8th October 2005