Since I started my Praying
Mantis Web site I have carried several interviews with the band.
Bernie Shaw (Now
Uriah Heep, Ex-Grand Prix) Interview
Mark Thompson Smith Interview
Interview with
Colin Peel
Dave Potts Interview
Dennis Stratton
(Ex-Iron Maiden) Interview
Steve Carroll Interview
Horakane Interview
with Tony O’Hora
Rodney Matthew
(Cover Artist For Many Bands)
During 2000 I was asked to write a history piece on Praying Mantis for Powerplay
Magazine. This tickled me somewhat as at school, I was always considered poor
at English. I warned them of this but said I would have a go and the results
got used much to my delight.
About a month later Fireworks
magazine asked me to do a new interview with Praying Mantis so I laughed again
and did so and that was used to. Very nice.
I am a very inquisitive person and magazines rarely go into the detail I would
like. I fancied a go at writing an article on Ayreon
or Lane Lane. So I asked
if either magazine was interested and Fireworks said yes to Lana Lane. I did
the interview by phone and trimmed it to the size I thought Fireworks could
use and then it was all expanded out again and published.
Next I fancied doing an interview on Mostly
Autumn who are a new band I am very keen on. They just happen to have taken
out advertising in Fireworks so again I was approved. My interview was twice
as long as the Lane one so was published in cut down form.
Next I was invited along to a Roger Dean press
conference. He is a famous album cover artist and since I knew some of his work
I thought I would go along. The session was very good and I transacribed it
but Roger didn’t seem keen on me putting it online without a serious rewrite
so that is just sat on my hard disc now. I did put some of this information
on my pages for the exhibition though.
It is good fun being able to interview the bands I like and get the answers
I as a fan want to know.