Few artists have vibrantly carried the banner for guitar-based rock music as long and successfully as Canadian Music Hall of Famer Bryan Adams, who has kept fans singing along to his hits for four decades and counting. Adams' 1983 breakout album, Cuts Like a Knife, celebrated its 40th anniversary last January, and the musician is currently on tour wdelighting audiences with both his roster of classic hits as well as new music from his latest set and 15th studio album, 2022's So Happy It Hurts.
Adams' musical career is matched by his other well-known and much-lauded passion, his extensive photography career. Having shot some of the world's most iconic portraits -- including a surprisingly relaxed and open sitting with the late Queen Elizabeth II -- as well as award-winning fashion work, Adams' dual talents in visual and auditory formats sets him on a level of his own among his peers.
Speaking to Music Times in between tour stops (he's currently on the road with the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart), Adams weighed in on the experience of playing his beloved hits live, how audiences are responding to his newer music, the state of guitar rock today, what new artists have caught his ear...and the surprising thing he bonded with the Queen over.
Well into your 40th anniversary of Cuts Like a Knife, can you pinpoint why this album holds such magical nostalgia for so many music fans?
BRYAN ADAMS: Looking back on making Cuts, it was an incredible time, especially once [songwriting partner] Jim Vallance and I had written that particular [title track].We knew we were onto something special.
The live album was recorded at the Royal Albert Hall which of course had to be meaningful for you. Were there any other tour stops/cities that had particular meaning (due to special memories, or anecdotes, etc.)?
Yes, of course. It was great to be back at Madison Square Garden last year, and the funny thing was some of the security guards there remember my first gig there and were saying "welcome back." I was so touched by that.
What has struck you most about performing your biggest hits four decades after their release? As an artist critiquing your own work, do you ever think that you might have liked to change anything about anything in your classic songs, having lived with them this long and played them so often?
I wouldn't change a thing, and a nice thing about having all these songs after so many years, is everybody sings them back. In some cases, all you have to do is play the opening guitar chord and they're away. It's very cool.
How has the live response been to So Happy it Hurts?
It's been good; it would've been even better if there was a way to get rock music played on the radio... but I fear that guitar-based music no longer has a place on radio. So we gotta keep touring.
How did you come about pairing up with Dave Stewart for the tour? Has it been great collaborating with him?
I love Dave, he's always been a great mate, and of course the songs that he and Annie [Lennox] wrote are incredible. So it's been great having him on tour.
Your photography career is, if anything, even more prestigious than your highly respected music career. It must have brought back many memories when Queen Elizabeth died in 2022. What was it like photographing her?
Thank you, it was of course, a great honour. The thing was, I didn't realize she had so many dogs, it was quite funny seeing them running around while we were doing the shoot. I love dogs too, so I think we bonded on that.
You've photographed an amazing number of famous and interesting people. Which portraits over the years would you consider your favorites?
Very difficult to say, sometimes i see a portrait of somebody that I worked with, for example, Amy Winehouse, and it brings back so many memories. I worked with her a few times, and we became friends. It just makes me sad to think that she's gone. And it's the same for other portraits of people that I've worked with, for example, Tony Bennett, Tina Turner, and so many others. It's been a privilege to have been in their company.
Photography and music are two very different disciplines. How do you shift from one "mindset" to the other, when you are working on both in the same timeframe?
I don't know I just get on with it. Sometimes I wish I was busier, but I am not very good at promoting myself or my art. I recently worked with Jack Antonoff, and he was wonderful to work with. So easy, so expressive. I love it when artists contribute, especially when we come from the same background. It's usually very easy working with musicians.
Are there any new musical artists you are excited about or listening to lately that you would recommend to fans?
I love Raye, she's from England and she's the most exciting new artist I've seen in years. There's also Amyl and the Sniffers, they are great too.
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