WIX'S WORLD: an interview with Paul 'Wix' Wickens, 2017

Wix Wickens in 1993.

“This was Paul McCartney... this was different.

I was so nervous that I smashed my thumb and bled all over his grand piano.�

73

WIX’s WORLD

Macca’s multi-instrumental MD talks exclusively to Mark Cunningham about his long and winding career

I

f you happened to be one of the 70,000 people who

introductory contributions as a member of the Fab One’s unit.

attended either of Sir Paul McCartney’s two sold-out

The subject of the reissue gave me the perfect opportunity to

shows as part of the Desert Trip festival last October,

explore Wix’s career for the first time since in 1993, when

you wouldn’t have failed to notice the chap behind the

I last interviewed him at length. We both agreed there was

keyboards – the one who has consistently supported the exBeatle on stage for longer than any other living musician, performing nearly 600 shows over the last 28 years.

A man of numerous talents, Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens’ brief as

some catching up to do.

During a break in his touring schedule, we finally met again in the familiar territory of his north London home – the comfortable oasis of domestic charm that he shares with

keyboard player and musical director of McCartney’s live

singer-songwriter wife Margo Buchanan, daughter Lily Mae

band also includes playing accordion, guitar, harmonica,

and a ProTools/Logic-based project studio.

percussion and adding backing vocals. His long-time touring

With tea freshly brewed, the affable Wix, who turned

technician Howard ‘D J’ Howes claims that he is one of the

60 last spring, led me through to the lounge where, over the

nicest guys in the business.

next two and a half hours, we pored over his entire career,

This March sees the release of a remastered version of

the many other leading artists with whom he has performed

Macca’s Flowers In The Dirt, the 1989 album that preceded

and the shows that have taken him around the world as an

his first tour in 10 years – both of which featured Wix’s

in-demand musical director.

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74 REAL LIVES

Released in June 1989, Flowers In The Dirt featured songwriting collaborations between McCartney and Elvis Costello

Take me back to 1989 – how did your relationship

invited by MPL to go down to The Mill [McCartney’s Hog

with Paul begin?

Hill Mill studio in Sussex], and it was stressed that this wasn’t

That February, I went down for a play and we started

an audition but simply a chance to have a play with Paul

recording, completing the remaining numbers for Flowers In

and the guys, just to see what might happen.

The Dirt. He had a lot of other people come and play on

I’d previously turned down a few opportunities to tour

the sessions, and also involved different producers like Trevor

with bands because my studio career had taken so long to

Horn, Steve Lipson and Chris Hughes. But throughout those

develop. But this was Paul McCartney... this was different.

sessions, certainly the latter ones, Paul was looking to get a

The whole thing about arriving there and Paul walking

band together for what was to be his first tour in 10 years,

in to greet me was terribly nerve-wracking. I play hard,

and he was very careful about his choices.

especially when I play rock’n’roll, and because I was so

Robbie McIntosh and Chris Whitten had already been working with Paul on the album, and there had been discussions about forming a live band for a tour. When the

nervous I smashed my thumb and bled all over his grand piano which was a rather embarrassing start!

When we got in the studio, he was calling out things

topic of keyboards was mentioned, my name was suggested

like, ‘Who knows ‘Get Back’?” As a musician, it’s one of

by two independent sources – one of them being Robbie,

those numbers that you’ve played countless times in pubs

a long-time friend with whom I’d worked on the Pretenders’

and I knew the piano solo pretty well, but playing it with

Get Close album and a bunch of other projects. So I was

Paul was amazing because it wasn’t a pub singer – the right

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75 REAL LIVES

Above: The 1993 New World Tour line-up, L-R – Wix, Hamish Stuart, Blair Cunningham, the McCartneys and Robbie McIntosh.

voice was singing. That was my biggest ‘Oh my God, it’s Paul McCartney’ moment and I really had to keep myself together but I got through it.

We broke a while later for tea and Paul played me some of the songs he’d been working on for the album. It was such a brilliant, eye-opening day and I hadn’t been home long before I got a call with the big question: Would you be prepared to tour with Paul if you were asked?’.

My response was that I would be delighted to if I could clear the work I had committed to doing, as I didn’t want to let anyone down. It was the right thing to do and I soon began going to the studio to record some parts for Flowers

In The Dirt while intermittently rehearsing with Paul, Linda, Robbie, Hamish Stuart and Chris Whitten for the tour.

We were going to play ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ and I happened to mention that as there was no keyboard part,

“LINDA WAS MY PAL. SHE AND I WERE THE KEYBOARD DEPARTMENT, AND WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TOGETHER FIGURING OUT WHAT WE COULD DO BETWEEN US, AND WHAT SHE WAS COMFORTABLE WITH.”

maybe I could play acoustic guitar for that one. Going through the song together with Paul in his kitchen was

That relationship has obviously changed

the closest I got to an audition, and I think I was able to

considerably over the years to the extent that

demonstrate that I could offer broader musical support than

it definitely has the appearance of a very tight

just keyboards.

road family.

I’m no virtuoso but I have been playing guitar since I was

You go through stuff together. Obviously Paul’s private life

11 and I can be a handy chord strummer in those situations,

is kept very private but I’ve watched his family grow up.

so it’s just been another part of my gig with Paul.

James, his son, was 11 when I first met him.

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76 REAL LIVES

Going places: Wix on screen in Moscow’s Red Square, 2003; playing for the Obamas at the White House, far left, 2010.

Linda was my pal. She and I were the keyboard department, and we spent a lot of time together figuring

to learn some pretty complex stuff. Some artists might want to find an easier way out, but not Paul.

out what we could do between us,

On every tour we’ve done since 1989,

and what she was comfortable with.

Paul has included more and more Beatles

Linda still knew all the parts she played

and Wings numbers, some of which he’d

live with Wings and was keen to keep

never performed live before. The most

playing those, so we weaved our way

recent additions have included ‘A Hard

around each other in a very supportive

Day’s Night’ and ‘Another Girl’ [from

way and became close.

Help!] and it’s always a lovely moment

My professional relationship with Paul

when we do those ‘world firsts’, and you

is such that I might occasionally need

get that instant audience feedback.

to suggest that he listens to a certain part. Expecting any high profile artist

You’ve gained some notoriety for

to closely study an aspect of their own

reproducing famous orchestrations

music is hard because they have such

with incredible accuracy and it

busy lives and it’s probably something they don’t want to do.

appears that you have been gradually refining

But Paul really can focus and he’s happy to learn stuff in front

those sounds.

of people.

I’ve refined some and added to others. I find it very difficult

In preparing for the various tours we’ve done together,

to find modern replacements for some parts, especially the

we have pooled an astonishing number of songs from all

pop brass. Maybe due to their outputs, some of the older

eras of Paul’s career from which to choose a live set, and

modules ‘bark’ in a certain way and a software version of it

they include many that he hasn’t touched since he recorded

requires a lot of treatment to get it sounding close, but it still

them; with a lot of those songs, he’d never sung and played

doesn’t have the right character. That’s one instance where I

an instrument together at the same time. That means he has

struggle to upgrade the rig and reduce its size.

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77 REAL LIVES

HEAD, HANDS & FEET WIX’S RIG: IN HIS OWN WORDS

I have a Native Instruments B4D organ drawbar controller and then a four-channel fader pad at the left of the bottom keyboard that I can reach for and turn each of my four main outputs up in my in-ears at any time without affecting anyone else.

Sometimes there’s so much going on that I don’t have the chance to quickly ask Grubby on monitors to adjust one element of my mix, so I can short circuit that with My touring rig is a gradual evolution of my original one from back in 1989, and that was built specifically to help me deal with playing a lot of different parts. I started working out how to trigger things like bass notes with foot pedals to free my hands to do other things and get

a fader move at my end. Live is live and you’ve got to be prepared.

There are some switch pedals for the Leslie cabinets and a bunch of volume and sustain pedals. I have Roland foot pedals for bass and percussion triggers; two Apple Mac Minis run

around some of the complexities.

At the moment, I have a Kurzweil PC2 and a Yamaha Motif, and they both have some sounds coming out of them as well as being controller keyboards. There’s also a Nova analogue synth and I have a rack of modules: a Roland 1080 and 5080, a Proteus Custom, Muse Receptor unit, Akai S5000 sampler and a Studio 5 MIDI controller/splitter.

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78 REAL LIVES

Main Stage is something I have been using more recently – in fact, I’ve worked on it with Apple for a couple of years to get it to do exactly what I need it to do, but so far I still haven’t managed to find a sound in software to totally replicate what I’ve achieved by blending with old gear and tweaking it myself.

I’m now on my second incarnation of the ‘Eleanor Rigby’ strings and moving them into software mode. When I created my original string parts for the first tour, that was Logic Main Stage with a variety of samples and

a moment when Paul saw what I could do and I found a

instrument sounds, and everything runs through

way solving a problem for myself. At first, I wondered how

a Soundcraft Performer Si mixer.

the hell I could recreate such a legendary sound with just

Occasionally, I’ll play some acoustic and electric guitar, going through a Line 6 Pro effects

two hands but after a bit of a journey I figured it out in the end, triggering chords with my feet.

unit with a floor controller. It depends on what’s needed at any one time. I’m a bit of a musical

The loss of Sir George Martin last year was felt

dustbin like that. If there’s something that they

by millions, not least yourself.

can’t get round to doing between them, they’ll

George was absolutely fantastic to me over the years and

say, ‘Oh, Wix can do that!’

very generous with his support. I would get access to the

A couple of wireless receivers are included

original sounds and George would very kindly let me

for guitar and accordion. On top of all this,

look at his scores. He often came to our shows and we’d

I have a few items of hand held percussion,

have a chat afterwards with him pointing out some subtle

Hohner harmonicas and even a kazoo, all

differences.

within arm’s reach. For monitoring, I use

With something like ‘Eleanor Rigby’, it isn’t possible for

Ultimate Ears in-ear moulds but I can turn on

me to be eight string players with all their nuances, but I

some Line 6 speakers behind me if I need a little

can approximate it in such a way that it sounds quite real,

extra. I balance my own in-ear mix through the

especially with [front of house engineer] Pab Boothroyd’s

Performer Si.

genius mixing in the most difficult arenas.

My onstage world is completed by a pair

Some of the things I play have to be like stage scenery.

of microphones: a vocal mic and one for

From a distance, they look like a great tree but if you get

percussion. Have I missed anything?!

close up, you would notice that it’s not so detailed. To work

With thanks to Howard ‘DJ’ Howes & MJ Kim

at distance, some of my things have to be signature, speak loudly and get the message across, such that it preserves enough of the root vibe of the original recording.

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80 REAL LIVES

The McCartney band: Wix, Rusty Anderson, Sir Paul, Abe Laboriel Jr, Brian Ray & front of house engineer Paul ‘Pab’ Boothroyd.

Inset: Sir George Martin.

You can’t approach this like you would if you were

our gig so they seeded the clouds to make sure there was

making a record – that requires a completely different way

a downpour well before showtime. Cloud busting actually

of thinking – although the latest equipment does allow for

happens! People often ask me, ‘What’s been your favourite

greater finesse.

gig?’, but it is hard to compare shows.

Working with someone of Paul’s status opens

I’ve been fortunate to see you play with Paul in places as far flung as

doors. When we played the Coliseum in Rome, both inside to a group of dignitaries and

Rio, Tel Aviv, New York, Chicago and

outside to 500,000 people, they moved the

Las Vegas, but playing in Russia

election so that we could play that weekend.

for the first time in Moscow’s Red

That doesn’t happen to many people, if indeed

Square beside the Kremlin and Lenin’s mausoleum in 2003 must surely have been

anyone else. So you get to do so many of these crazy things. Another was playing ‘Michelle’ in The

one of the most exciting experiences.

White House for Michelle Obama. Each of these incidents

Oh yeah, that was special. Some weird and wacky things

are very special in their own way. It’s a far cry from The

went on there. Heavy rain was forecast for the evening of

Green Man in Brentwood.

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81 REAL LIVES

When was the last time you pinched yourself?

what sold Paul on the idea of progressing the medley as

I pinch myself regularly. When we get to the end of each

the show finale. After all this time, I still love playing it – it’s

gig, we usually finish with the ‘Golden Slumbers’ / ‘Carry

a wonderful shared emotional experience for us and the

That Weight’ / ‘The End’ medley from Abbey Road, which

audience at the end of every night, and it’s fantastic to feel

is my favourite piece of Beatles music and so significant to

the power that he has.

me. I’d heard other music via my older brother and sister, but Abbey Road was the first Beatles album I discovered for

Have you suggested adding any other classics

myself. When Paul was putting his set together for that first

from Paul’s huge catalogue?

tour, I suggested that we include this incredible piece with

It’s one of those things that comes up when we’re chatting.

Robbie, Hamish and Paul dividing up the guitar solos. I’m

It sometimes takes a while for suggestions to estalish

not sure Paul was convinced but the band learned it without

themselves. ‘Helter Skelter’ was one example. As a new

him and Linda, and once we had it nailed I asked Paul if he

band in 2002, we really wanted to have a go at that

fancied trying it in rehearsal one day.

because it seriously rocked and influenced so many bands.

We staggered through it the first time and Eddie Klein,

The idea kept reappearing; Paul thought it was interesting

the ex-Abbey Road maintenance technician who later

but nothing happened until three years later when he heard

managed Paul’s studio, came out of his little room looking

us play it in soundcheck and we managed to persuade him

very misty-eyed. It really took him back and I think that’s

to try it out – it’s now a regular feature of the set.

PAUL ‘PAB’ BOOTHROYD:

THE VIEW FROM FRONT OF HOUSE Wix is a lovely guy to be with

calming influence and methodical

on the road and he’s seriously

in his approach to performance.

at the top of his game as a

What I love about Wix is his

musician. From my engineer’s

uncanny ability to put his head

perspective, it’s all about what he

into some kind of mode whereby

gives me from the stage and it’s

he can simultaneously multi-task

always correct, and of very high

between his feet, hands and

quality.

mouth. That’s a helluva skill. In

It’s no surprise to me that he’s

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fact, there’s never been anything

held his position in this band

he can’t do and I don’t know

for so long, because he’s a very

another musician like him.

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82 REAL LIVES

GROWING UP

who was also the school’s music teacher. My first public appearances were at local competitions in the school hall,

You attended Brentwood School in Essex and I

playing four-hand piano pieces with my Dad. I also played

find it fascinating that three to four years above

French horn so we would sometimes do a duet. Dad was

you were Griff Rhys Jones and the late, great

also a choirmaster and so music flowed generously in our

Douglas Adams (pictured below).

household.

That’s right! I became big pals with Douglas after I joined

My parents played classical and religious choral music. It

Paul’s band and that’s when we

was the natural order of things. I wasn’t

discovered we had a bigger connection

particularly studious with music, nor was

than we realised. We shared the same

I a good pupil because I sometimes

music teacher, my Dad was the local

bunked off lessons due to lack of

veterinary surgeon and Douglas’ granny

interest. Nevertheless, I was very good

was the local RSPCA lady, so they had

at playing by ear which frustrated Miss

an ongoing relationship. Douglas even

Greaves because I was a terrible sight

came to stay at our house a few times

reader. That’s a skill that, like a foreign

although he had to remind me of that.

language, you have to maintain and I

Rarely do you come across such an individual brain like Douglas’ and when you’re not an academic, it’s staggering to be around a left-field intellectual giant as he was.

I still miss him greatly and was very proud to write the

haven’t. It’s there if I need it but it always requires a lot of brushing up.

The guitar turned up at around age 11, as I mentioned, and I also used to bash things so I got a hi-hat and a snare drum, and that’s when I began to veer

music for the BBC audiobook of ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide To

away from classical music. I used to bore everyone with

The Galaxy’ after we lost him.

my harmonica playing. One year we went on holiday to Germany where my parents bought me a tiny accordion

It comes as no surprise that you were classically

which was more like a concertina, but I soon got myself a

trained.

slightly larger model with six bass buttons and I was then

Everyone in my family had piano lessons. I was number

getting the hang of playing with bellows. Of course, the

three of four children so I just did what everybody else was

keyboard wasn’t a problem because I was used to the

doing, and started at age six. I did my recorder lessons

piano and as soon as I graduated to a bigger accordion

at school and learned piano privately with Miss Greaves

with a few more bass notes, around the age of 12 or 13,

“I wasn’t particularly studious with music, nor was I a good pupil because I sometimes bunked off lessons due to lack of interest. Nevertheless, I was very good at playing by ear.”

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83 REAL LIVES

I got co-opted into playing in church with other people.

Despite all the formality, was there much room

Everybody wanted to play guitar so, by playing accordion, I

for pop music in the Wickens household when you

could join in and give the music a different layer.

were a boy?

One of the reasons I played the French horn was

My older brother and sister would play Cliff Richard, The

because my godfather, a paratrooper, was in the military

Beatles and ’60s pop music in general, and it all sunk in

band at Aldershot. I fancied playing saxophone but we

with me, as did watching Chuck Berry on TV singing ‘No

didn’t have one in the orchestra; the nearest was the

Particular Place To Go’. Later on, hearing some of Elton

clarinet but it didn’t appeal to me then. Then my godfather

John’s early records inspired me to try a few different things

suggested the French horn, saying that it had a harder

on piano. The first major gig I saw was Elton at the Royal

embouchure and was difficult to play. Being cocky, I said,

Festival Hall in the spring of 1971. Tumbleweed Connection

‘Oh right, I’ll do that then.’

hadn’t long been out so it was still early days for him.

Of course, it’s not very rock’n’roll and in hindsight the

I think the most profound moment for me was when I

trumpet would’ve been much more useful but it taught me

met a guy at school who collected old 78rpm records and

another discipline with some breath control. It’s been many

played guitar. He told me that he had a 78 by Pinetop

years since I last played a French horn although I think my

Perkins [above left], who I’d never heard of. I went over

original choice indicated that I was up for a challenge even

to his house and he put on this record, ‘Pinetop’s Boogie

as a boy, and I still enjoy testing myself like that.

Woogie’. I’d never heard anything like it. This guy had the

84 REAL LIVES

most extraordinary left-hand piano technique, kind of like Professor Longhair but simpler. It was very early blues music and a real moment for me – the moment that turned me on to the blues and made me realise there was a whole world of exciting potential for the piano that just opened up for me.

After that day, I regularly visited his house to trawl through his collection and made some incredible discoveries, like Howlin’ Wolf. His knowledge and enthusiasm started me off, and we started jamming old Jerry Lee Lewis together at the school folk club that we founded and soon renamed the folk AND blues club. I was raring to go at that point.

I think ‘Juliet’ by The Four Pennies may have been the first single I ever bought, because I’m a sucker for an emotional tune. The first album I could afford was a Jerry Lee LP that I played to death.

ENTERING THE BUSINESS It was at college in the mid-’70s that our man was dubbed ‘Wix’. When he left in 1977, his regular gigging on the Essex and London circuits led him to become a member of power pop band The Young Ones.

We played guitar music with catchy riffs and harmonies, which was very in vogue when everything was getting faster and louder. We did a showcase in my

of hits and we did very little apart from gigging frequently

parents’ lounge because it had a piano and a drum kit, so

around the UK, notably supporting The Boomtown Rats on

we moved the furniture, set up the gear and played for three

their Tonic For The Troops tour. The gigs were a nightmare

guys – two of whom were connected to Virgin.

though; as well as the hellish sleeping arrangements, we

That day, we landed a management deal and it led to

were competing with the rise of punk and I moved to the

Richard Branson signing us to Virgin in his flat on the same

back of the stage because we were getting spat at. People

day that XTC came onboard. Of course, they had a lot

would chew up digestive biscuits to get a bit of distance.

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86 REAL LIVES

Left: Just a few of the many records that have been graced by the Wickens touch.

I ended up sticking a little umbrella on my

When were you able to turn pro?

head as a vain attempt at deflecting the

I suppose it was when I began to consistently

avalanche of gob.

earn money. In 1977, after training to be a

When The Young Ones fizzled out, my Dad lent me the money to buy the synthesiser

was dossing on floors, going back home

that our management had bought for the

to eat Sunday lunches after my mother had

band, so I now owned a decent piece

somehow arranged for me to play accordion

of equipment. The third guy who saw our

for the hospital service in the morning. After

showcase was Bob Ward and he was

five years, I wasn’t quite where I wanted

working with Kevin Coyne in a little eight-

to be and I kept on extending my time limit

track studio in Wimbledon. Bob was aware

every six months to avoid taking a job as a

that I played accordion, which was just what

teacher.

he wanted on some of Kevin’s tracks.

A drummer I knew from my old local

Bob also introduced me to a singer-

scene, Mick Clews, had gone on to work

songwriter friend of his called Ed Sirrs and

with Chris Thompson from Manfred Mann’s

in 1980 the two of us started writing and

Earth Band and his side project, The

recording as Woodhead Monroe. We spent

Islands, which featured Robbie McIntosh

many hours in a darkened room with a

and Malcolm Foster. Mick suggested that I

TEAC four-track and got a deal with Charlie

audition as the keyboard player at [London

Gillett’s Oval Records, releasing our first

rehearsal studio] EZ Hire. Unfortunately,

single ‘Mumbo Jumbo’.

Chris hadn’t yet made it back from a session

Charlie later arranged for our records

in America, but the rest of us jammed some

to be licensed by Stiff and we loved mad

blues and got on like a house on fire, so it

Dave Robinson [Stiff founder]. Whenever he

was a done deal by the time Chris returned.

played our latest tracks, it was through these

We went on to make a record [Out Of

massive JBL speakers about four feet from his

The Night] and promote it on tour in Europe,

ears with the mid-range cranked right up, so

Scandinavia and the UK for several months,

it was unbelievably painful to be in that room

and we also had a residency at The Golden

with him. If we caught him on a good day,

Lion in Fulham. That’s when Robbie and I

he’d agree to a four-colour picture sleeve

formed a bond.

– Dave let us do our own thing with the artwork: very ‘art school’ with odd graphics.

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teacher, I gave myself a five-year plan and

It was also the connection that gave rise to my career as a session musician, because

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87 REAL LIVES

Right: Wix performed with wife Margo at her gig at Camden Town’s intimate Green Note in January.

Chris was a friend of the record producer, Peter Collins. Chris had sung on the Abbey National jingle that Peter produced. Peter came to see one of Chris’s gigs and liked my playing. He was about to make a single with Tracey Ullman and asked if I’d play rock’n’roll piano on it. The next thing I knew, I was at Wessex Studios. In my favour, I’d done a lot of recording by then, so I wasn’t fazed by the studio environment.

With Kevin Coyne, it was very artistic and all about the feel, and I think that was a good way for me start,

Another positive aspect of working with Peter

whereas this was a very professional environment with more

Collins was that he introduced you to your wife,

pressure for me to deliver the goods quickly and precisely.

Margo – a gifted artist in her own right.

‘Breakaway’ was in E flat, which wasn’t a great key for

Peter brought us together in 1983. He was producing her

rock’n’roll piano but I got through it, and came up with a

first single on MCA Records and I got the call to come down

few hooky ideas. Peter was delighted and he earned himself

to play on the session. That was the first time we met and

a Top Five hit. I had already written to studios, promoting

around that time I also backed her on a live TV show in

myself as a session player, but it’s a Catch 22 situation –

Birmingham, and we became good pals.

when a producer has a finite budget it’s unlikely that he’s

It wasn’t until 1990 that our relationship became a

going to hire someone without a proven track record, so I

romantic one, and things progressed to the point that we got

had to wait for that lucky break which came in the summer

married at the end of January 1992 during the recording of

of 1982.

Off The Ground with Paul. Margo put her career on hold

Once Tracey’s single became a hit, Peter started to use

to be a mother to our daughter Lily Mae but she’s continued

me for other sessions and it also let other producers know

to be active as a singer-songwriter and backing vocalist

that I was a safe bet. I started to get somewhere when I

throughout the years, working on a lot of very cool projects,

stopped looking for it.

some of which we’ve done together.

Around this time, one of the boys in Musical Youth, Michael Grant, had to go on a school trip and couldn’t

You had your fair share of the big time even

make a session, so I covered for him and the record,

before joining Paul.

‘Pass The Dutchie’, went to No.1. This all came out of an

I got to do some fantastic things. Every successful musician

unexpected meeting at a pub gig and with my paid work

has a moment when the lightbulb goes on and you think,

now being regular, I knew I had turned a corner.

‘That’s it, this is really happening!’, and your head gets a bit

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88 REAL LIVES

bigger. For me that was when I flew on Concorde to New

What is it that makes Wix Wickens the right

York to record with The Pretenders in 1986, but my friends

choice of MD in these lofty situations?

made sure that I soon got over myself, thankfully. Had that

I understand how to converse with musicians and hopefully

all happened 10 years before, I may well have been the

get the best from them in most situations, and have a good

casualty my parents warned me about.

overview. I can offer an informed opinion and say, ‘Let’s

A lot of promising careers have been destroyed by

try it this way and see what happens’. To have input from

premature success. If you get a lucky break, you need a

everybody all the time doesn’t work, even if they’re the best

lot of help from that moment onwards or you will burn out.

players. You need too much time to process all those ideas

For example, I co-produced the Tasmin Archer record,

so you need someone to steer that ship.

‘Sleeping Satellite’, which was No.1 in the UK and Top 10 in America. It was her first release and it freaked her out.

Tasmin still has a great voice and I think if she’d had a

Sometimes you have to say ’No’ a lot and one classic example of that was at The Concert For Diana rehearsals.

TV and live music are difficult bedfellows. Even though

slower rise, she’d have had success over a longer period.

live music is the prime element of a concert broadcast, TV

Fortunately, in my case, it was a slow burn; everything

people just think you’re part of the scenery. So you have to

happened at the right time and having a degree of self-

fight your corner until they respect your position. When it’s a

awareness has helped me deal with people and getting me

multi-artist event like that, the house band has to play a lot of

where I am.

different music; there’s a lot to juggle.

I might grit my teeth now and then but I mostly remain

THE MUSICAL DIRECTOR

calm in the face of stress. At The Concert For Diana, however, songs were cut from the show without informing

Shortly after Wix came to prominence through

myself or the band. I’d seen the final running order, the

McCartney’s band, his versatility and easy character earned him the role of house band musical director on several high-profile, multi-artist events, such as The Concert For Diana, Party At The Palace, Songs And Visions, The Great Music Experience in Osaka (“with Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and the world’s largest Buddha statue”) and charity functions like the annual Pancreatic Cancer UK events.

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camera blocking, so I knew we

“Even though live music is the prime element of a concert broadcast, TV people just think you’re part of the scenery. So you have to fight your corner until they respect your position.”

were fully prepared. But just as we’re about to count in one particular song, someone said it had been cut. They’d made that decision at 11am and I found that out while we were on stage during the live broadcast. I had the producer up against the wall over that.

The Party At The Palace in Her Majesty’s back garden was stunning, with Phil Collins on drums. He’s a lovely guy and if I thought we needed something, I could use him as a

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89 REAL LIVES

mouthpiece because he carried more weight, being a star.

I talk to each artist privately and get all the information I need to make them comfortable and present them in the best possible way, because these are the people at the sharp end. But in doing that, one has to avoid making it sound like a cruise ship showband.

It has to feel and sound authentic.

Naturally, being with Paul for so long helps to establish some confidence as an MD and I suppose it’s a leveller in team talks. Ultimately, it all comes down to the performance.

At what point did you progress from being Paul’s keyboard player to his MD? That was when the current band lineup with Abe Laboriel, Jr [drums], Brian Ray [guitar & bass] and Rusty Anderson [guitar] got together in 2002. By then, I had a thorough knowledge of how Paul liked things which meant that I could rehearse our old arrangements with the band in advance of Paul arriving. I became a conduit between Paul and the new guys, so if there was a problem with anything, I could sort it out on his behalf. But he’d already been recording with Abe and Rusty on Driving Rain. Giving me the responsibility of MD was a little like

03.2017

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90 REAL LIVES

getting a gold service medal, but he and I still sit down

someone else to shine. It can take years to get there and it’s

and talk about the set, and I offer my suggestions. Perhaps

very satisfying when you arrive at that awareness.

because I’ve been there for so long, I can step a little closer to the line than some other people, and I don’t take that for

You are currently the only member of McCartney’s

granted but he knows he can trust me as a sounding board.

band who has not released his own album. Do you have any plans to address this?

Is there anyone you would class as a mentor?

I like such a variety of musical styles that I could never

No single person has taken me under their wing as such.

single anything out and say that this was me, so I think it

Obviously, George Martin was very ‘mentor-like’ with all the

would be a real mixed bag and maybe that’s acceptable

things I’ve done with Paul. There are icons who I believe

now in contrast to several years ago when you had to be

have influenced me, like The Band’s Garth Hudson, Bill

packageable. I also need a reason to do it. I’m not the kind

Payne of Little Feat and, out of the plethora of jazz musicians

of musician who will sit in the corner and play you my songs

I could name, it would have to be Count Basie.

whether you want to hear them or not. That’s not my burning

I’m not blessed with a fantastic technique. I was technically at my best when I was 14, but I stopped the academic side early enough to develop my own approach

urge. I just love playing and engaging with other people – that’s my drive.

So far, the closest I’ve got to doing it has been when

to music. Count Basie taught me to shut up. There’s actually

I’ve thought of working with some people from my past

a skill in knowing when to remain silent and allow space for

and seeing if they’d be interested in writing with me, and recording with my house band, make some lovely tracks, maybe film it and have a theme that knits it all together. And do it all for a very worthy cause without trying to be Bono. That would then have some meaning, rather than ‘Wix does a solo album’.

In fact, the reason I accept so many invitations to play at charity events is because this industry has been so good to me. I’ve worked hard but I haven’t really chased it – that’s not something I take for granted. Things have come my way and I’m very keen on giving back. I think it’s the right thing to do and I get so much enjoyment from it.

Photography by MJ Kim, Bill Bernstein, Linda McCartney, MPL Communications Ltd. Mark Cunningham, James Cumpsty, Jonathan Stewart

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