AS heroes of 1970s heavy metal, rock legends UFO have seen it all. But, drummer Andy Parker tells TIM HUGHES, they are enjoying life on the road more than ever

Hard, heavy and badly-behaved, UFO were the epitome of all that was great about ‘70s rock and roll.

But few people watching their raucous early shows could have dared think that, 44 years later, they would still be at it. And, if original drummer Andy Parker is to be believed, doing it better than ever.

“I live a vampire existence,” he laughs. “I drink off the energy of the crowd - and things are going well.

The ‘70s were fabulous, the ‘80s less so, but this is great. I love the music we are turning out.”

UFO are a British heavy metal classic, influencing everyone from Iron Maiden and Metallica to Pearl Jam. They have released 21 studio albums, six live long players and at least 10 compilations. Their most successful album 1982’s Mechanix, recorded at Sir Richard Branson’s old house, The Manor Studio in Shipton-on-Cherwell, reached number eight in the charts.

But while the glory days may be behind them, Andy, and bandmates Phil Mogg, Paul Raymond and Vinnie Moore, show no sign of running out of steam.

“Older bands have a lot to offer,” he says, talking from his home near Fort Worth, Texas. “The only way to get well known back then was to play, and if you stank, that was it. It’s not like now where you can put yourself on YouTube and everyone and their dog thinks they are a rock star.”

Formed in 1969, and taking their name from the London club where they were spotted, UFO rapidly gained a reputation as rock monsters. Stories of drink, drugs and wild parties abound, and the band have a reputation as one of the craziest of a particularly hedonistic decade.

“The 70s were amazing,” he says. “Rock was god then. There was a gig every night and we played endlessly with no days off.

“The partying was legendary and we weren’t angels.”

Incidents included frontman Mogg’s arrest for public indecency after dropping his trousers at a gig in Lubbock, Texas.

“The Sheriff was there with his daughter, and didn’t take it very well,” Andy flinches. “But we were a lot younger then. We could stay up all night partying but not any more. We are older and wiser now.”

They were also one of the inspirations for the rock comedy film Spinal Tap. “That part where they got lost trying to find the stage was us,” Andy laughs.

The band’s history is nothing if not eventful. Its list of former members runs to 35, and includes guitarist Michael Schenker, of Scorpions fame; Skid Row and Lonestar’s Paul ‘Tonka’ Chapman; AC/DCs Simon Wright, and bassist Pete Way. The band itself broke up twice.

“I’ve left a couple of times,” says Andy, “But my philosophy is ‘if it isn’t fun, what’s the point?’. And there were times when it wasn’t fun.

“I do miss Pete though,” he says about his fast-living former bass player, now exiled from the band. “I love him to death, but he’s such a loose cannon. He wasn’t willing to change, so we told him to take time off and get himself well. After all, one guy can start a whole cycle of destruction.

“I miss his presence on stage, but not the puking and falling down. The fans were getting sick of it too, and they deserved better.

“We haven’t replaced him though – we are just using different bass players. The door is always open.”

Like a true rocker Andy is not keen to reveal his age, and, hearing him drumming, it is fairly irrelevant. Still bursting with energy, UFO classics like Doctor Doctor, Shoot Shoot, Rock Bottom and Too Hot to Handle are given the legendary Parker treatment, as fans will see when he plays the O2 Academy Oxford on February 24.

And Andy can’t wait to get here. “I only do this because I love playing drums,” he says. “I didn’t do it to make money or be famous. We just wanted to get out and play, and we have stuck at it.”

  • UFO play the O2 Academy Oxford on Sunday, February 24. Tickets are £22.50 from ticketweb.co.uk
     

Michael Schenker plays the same venue on April 19.