Whether you know him as the lead singer of Silverhead, Detective, Chequered Past or The Power Station, whether you’ve seen him in To Sir, With Love or MacGyver, whether you’ve heard him on the radio as a free-thinking DJ, Great Britain’s Michael Des Barres checks all the boxes. A real Renaissance man for the ages, he was once married to the notorious groupie Pamela Des Barres. His new release — Live! by Michael Des Barres and the Mistakes — is a totally rocking affair a la The Faces or Mott the Hoople with covers of T. Rex, Marvin Gaye, Little Richard and more. At 73, he sounds better than ever!
GOLDMINE: Your voice, unbelievably enough, is actually getting stronger with age.
MICHAEL DES BARRES: It is! Isn’t that weird? Maybe it’s because of my sobriety and all of that bollocks, but I do run and I do cling to life because I love life, and I want to sing my ass off until I’m 100 years old.
GM: To what do you attribute your longevity in this business?
MDB: It’s been 60 years! Longer even. I did my first commercial when I was eight years old. It’s been a long time. But it doesn’t feel like it. It feels more like one long incredible moment with me bouncing from gig to gig. That ball has not stopped bouncing. I should say balls in plural, shouldn’t I? I’m very happy about that.
GM: I love what you did with the Marvin Gaye song (“What’s Going On”). I’ve never ever heard it done like that!
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
THE GRAND POOBAH!
SINCE THEIR INCARNATION in the early 1970s, the band Poobah have recorded over a dozen albums with various lineups, while openi ng for some of rock and roll’s biggest names.
THE MAKING OF PEARL
JANIS JOPLIN IN 1970: A NEW B AND AND THE MAKING OF HER CLASSIC ALBUM, PEARL.
There Must Have Been Something in the Water
If The Beatles never happened, if the British invasion never occurred, then music fans around the world would more than likely never have been exposed to some of the finest white blues singers that the U.K. produced between 1964 and 1970.
The SAGA Continues
SAGA WERE NOT THE ONLY band to make an album during the pandemic — far from it.
Ten Years After MORE THAN 50 YEARS LATER
DRUMMER RIC LEE TALKS TO GOLDMINE ABOUT A TEN YEARS AFTER DELUXE EDITION OF THE A STING IN THE TALE ALBUM AND HIS RECENTLY RELEASED MEMOIR, FROM HEADSTOCKS TO WOODSTOCK.
SUZI QUATRO IS BACK!
WITH A NEW ALBUM, THE DEVIL IN ME, THIS PIONEERING FEMALE ROCKER REMAINS AS DRIVEN AND DETERMINED AS EVER
RE-SHAKE & RE-MAKE
WITH THE RERELEASE OF THEIR DEBUT ALBUM, SHAKE YOUR MONEY MAKER, THE BLACK CROWES FLY HIGH BY REFLECTING ON THEIR ROOTS.
LOVE FOR PEARL
2021 will be a big year for fans of Janis Joplin. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland is curating a special exhibit devoted to her that is scheduled to open in May.
Q&A WITH JANIS' SIBLINGS, LAURA AND MICHAEL JOPLIN
Q&A WITH JANIS’ SIBLINGS, LAURA AND MICHAEL JOPLIN
CHERISHING CITY TO CITY A timeless classic by GERRY RAFFERTY
It’s early 1978 and the new single by Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty, “Baker Street,” is blasting out on the airwaves on my small transistor radio.
