An Englishman Thinks Bryan Adams Rocks

by Neil Bamforth

Rock stars usually have names that sound ‘cool’ and very ‘rock n roll’. They always have had cool names. Occasionally they have the name they were born with like Elvis Presley or Toyah Willcox. Toyah? What a great name for a rock star – well, she was a rock star back in the 80’s anyway. The Willcox wasn’t used too much but, when you have Toyah as a first name who needs it?

Other rock stars have the misfortune to have somewhat more mundane names. David Jones for example. Well, ok, it didn’t do one David Jones any harm. All he had to do was make it ‘Davey’ and hey presto, a Monkees idol. The other David Jones decided on ‘Bowie’ and the rest, as they say is history.

Michael Lee Aday decided his name wasn’t rock n roll enough so changed it to – er – Meat Loaf. Well, it takes all kinds I suppose. My wife loves Meat Loaf and, I have to say, a lot of his music does rock with me too. I try not to admit that too often in case it damages my ‘street cred’.

One rocker who seems to have been around longer than Elvis hasn’t been dead but has been working in a chip shop down the road, is the Canadian, Bryan Adams.

Bryan? Not very ‘rock n roll’ really is it? Think of other Bryan’s or Brian’s. Brian the Snail from children’s TV show ‘The Magic Roundabout’.

Mind you there is Brian May of Queen and Brian something or other, Wilson?, from The Beach Boys so, perhaps, Bryan is rock n roll enough. Brian Eno? Brian Ferry? All right, I give in. Brian is rock n roll. Besides, this one spells it with a ‘Y’ so it’ll do.

Anyway, back to the main Bryan with a ‘Y’.

Despite loving British punk (Sex Pistols etc), mod revival (The Jam etc) and Ska (The Specials, Madness etc), along with which ever incarnation Bowie had arrived at, on hearing Bryan Adams for the first time when his hit ‘Run To You’ was released I couldn’t help but think ‘WOW!’

Bryan Adams has been a not very guilty pleasure since 1984. I bought his album, ‘Reckless’ – Magnificent! I bought his previous album, ‘Cuts Like A Knife! and even went all ‘back catalog’ and bought his debut album entitled simply ‘Bryan Adams’.

His fourteenth album is out about now. ‘Shine A Light’. As his previous thirteen have done, it rocks!

He’s worked with Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Sting to name only a few of the great and the good. He’s had an excellent secondary career as a photographer and I’ve seen him live twice.

You know the best thing about Bryan Adams? – apart from his talent. He is so down to earth, laid back and not full of any pretentiousness he is, when ever he is interviewed, like a breath of fresh air.

He’s recently written the music for a stage musical of the movie ‘Pretty Woman’. I suspect I will go and see it purely because it’s Bryan Adams.

No ‘airs’, no ‘graces’ just Bryan Adams.

What you see, and hear, is what you get.

I saw some program about Tina Turner a long while back and various singers and musicians were waxing lyrical about her. I’m sure they were genuine but, it has to be said, they came across as, shall we say, a little bit patronizing? Well, I thought so anyway.

Then they got to Bryan Adams. Were everybody else had waffled on at length, usually managing to include their own work in, what was supposed to be, their homage to Tina Turner, Bryan Adams said one thing. “She rocks man!” – and that was it.

In three words he showed his love and respect for a fellow artist. No waffle, no false admiration, just the truth of his feelings stripped right down to three words that meant more than all the waffle that had preceded him.

On stage or record he is a mass of energy and rock n roll is in his veins.

Off stage? Quiet, effacing, humble and, for me, the most ‘genuine’ human being rock n roll has had the privilege of having in its list of super stars at anytime.

I think I must be a bit of a fan eh?

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