THE SHOW MUST GO ON

LOADED LEGENDS: Leo Sayer lifts the lid on the backstage backstabbing, massive egos, and brutal warfare of 70s pop stardom.

“Adam Faith had a hit out on me once. He thought he’d make more money out of me dead than alive.”

In the mid-1970s, you couldn't turn on a radio or open a music magazine without seeing Leo Sayer. With his trademark curls and a string of chart-topping hits, he was riding a fast-moving staircase of global stardom that threatened never to stop. 

Flash forward to today, and Leo has traded the chaotic streets of Los Angeles and London for the tranquil Down-Under lifestyle of Australia's Southern Highlands. But don't mistake peace for retirement. At 78 years young, with his powerful voice completely unimpaired, the vintage pop icon is as prolific as ever. From shocking industry secrets and Muppet Show memories to the cutthroat competition of Top of the Pops, Leo opens up about the magic, the madness, and why the show must go on.

A belated happy birthday to you, Leo.

Thank you. I’ve just turned 78. I’ve spent the past week feeling my age, but I’ve bounced back, and I’m ready to go again. My energy’s back, and it’s all cool again. So long as I’ve still got my voice- and it seems to be completely unimpaired- I’m doing okay.

I did a packed-out show at the State Theatre in Sydney recently. I was on for two-and-a-half hours, which is incredible really. 

Did you ever get time to enjoy your pop stardom in the 70s and 80s, or were you too busy to party?

Kind of, but not as much as I would have liked. The design of my manager at the time, Adam Faith, was to make as much money out of me in as short a time as possible. That was before he changed his mind, and he was very good at that. He lost interest in me eventually, even when I was still signed to him.

The hard part is, the more successful you are, the less time you have to yourself. It creates a speed that’s very hard to keep up with. It was like being on a moving staircase that just wouldn’t stop. I think the problem was that those around me didn’t plan for me to be around that long. I fooled them all.

Adam Faith had a hit out on me once, because he thought he’d make more money out of me dead than alive. But that’s another story…

All the time, I was just trying to catch up with what was going on.  Tours in America were different as they were often long and drawn out. The Americans didn’t seem as organised as the British were, so you wouldn’t be playing every night, so you could go out and absorb the vibe. From ‘76 to the mid-80s, I was in and out of Los Angeles a lot, and I got to love that lifestyle.

The English dates were too close together, and when I wasn’t on stage, I’d be sleeping.

Who did you get to hang around with?

There were loads of folk. Rod Stewart, Gary Wright, and Bernie Taupin were a few. We all hung out together.  Actresses like Jane Seymour and Jenny Agutter were always fun to be around. We’d all be over in America for work, but we acted like cheeky schoolkids ‘cause we didn’t feel very responsible. You’d bump into David Bowie, and he’d be laughing about something daft he’d been asked to do that day. 

You’ve sung When I Need You in a couple of strange places: On a guy’s back on a treadmill during Vic and Bob’s Families At War, and also up a tree on The Muppet Show.

Haha, yes. I met Jim Henson when he was doing Sesame Street. It became his show. It was the logical thing for them to come to England, and I was honoured to be one of the first people asked. The best part for me was singing The Show Must Go On with Animal on drums.

Jim and I spent a lot of time together. I took him to Lotus and bought him a ‘Kermit green’ Elan.

Did you ever get any stalkers? I speak from personal experience, cause I remember by Aunt stalking Gilbert O’Sullivan back in the day.

I used to bump into Gilbert now and again. He once told me that people kept asking him if he’d written You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, and I’d say, “Well, people keep asking me if I wrote Clair.”

He’s a lovely fella, but I do hold one thing against him. Apparently, he jumped on a Steinway piano after a gig, and we couldn’t get hold of one afterwards for love nor money. He must have had a moment, ‘cause he’s usually quite reserved.

When I was living in Newbury, sometime in the 90s, there was a lovely girl who used to camp outside my house in a tent, so it does happen. And now she’s a friend after all these years. 

I still get letters from people telling me how I was on their wall. It’s touching. I was on the front covers of all the music magazines. I never considered myself to be good-looking, but some people clearly thought I was. I was once voted one of the best-looking pop stars, which was a compliment, being up against some really good-looking folk.

Do you think the music industry has changed for the better?

Well, marketing happened, and it changed everything. I did an album called Have You Ever Been In Love?. The producer and I wanted to cover some of the older songs, but with a new angle. Marketing got involved, and they ended up putting some of the original songs on that album, which kind of watered down the concept.

But this was marketing, and they had to work out the best ways to sell things. There’s the classic line, “Why isn’t your record like Taylor Swift’s, ‘cause we’re selling a lot of those?” Every song had to be like whatever they were selling the most of. Like when Stock, Aitken and Waterman had their moment. They had a conveyor belt of music production going on.

It all changed around 1980 when the music industry started telling us what they wanted instead of us giving them what we’d made. It was the age of the CD, which sold people everything they already had on vinyl.

These days, it seems to be a case of throwing stuff up against a wall and seeing what we’ll accept, rather than producing something special. Having said that, now and again, someone will surprise you, and a sudden surge in people interested in new material from classic artists is a great way to tell the music industry, “This is what we want.”

“The Faces and I superglued Garry Glitter’s dressing room door shut.”

You were on Top Of The Pops so many times. What was your best experience?

I can tell you my worst! I was performing The Show Must Go On and Jimmy Savile kept knocking the parapet off the stage while I was trying to sing. There were some great moments, though. Like when The Faces and I superglued Garry Glitter’s dressing room door shut, so when they announced him, he didn’t appear.

We all hated each other back then. We were so competitive, like Formula One drivers. 

“Mud? They’re shit. Garry Glitter? Fuck off! David Bowie? He’s not that great. Marc Bolan? It’s all in the image.”

We stuck to our own principles, and we were horrible to each other, it must be said. It was a way of pushing ourselves. Magic times.

Do you still enjoy touring?

I live on stage. That’s my real home. Unfortunately, I have to turn down loads of stuff, but I’m still so busy. My shows work best in theatres, so they’re the best places to play. The London Palladium is amazing. You feel that everything is in the palm of your hand. Everyone has a great view.

I love the big festivals. I can still do all the Mick Jagger movements, and my voice is still strong and powerful.

How are things different these days?

I’m very lucky. I can do exactly what I want to do today. I’ve got a very supportive record company in Demon and great partners in America who are doing a 50th anniversary remix of You Make Me Feel Like Dancing. I’ve not heard it yet, but I’m told it’s brilliant.

I’ve got so many projects going on at the moment. There’s a musical being written, and a documentary film that we’re currently working on. On top of that, there’s the UK tour, which is being billed as our final one. I don’t know if it will be. You’ll need to drag me kicking and screaming off the stage to stop me performing.

I’ll need to slow down eventually, of course. I can’t keep up this pace forever. People are already complaining that I’m not coming to their town. Blimey, I’m coming all the way from Australia. But, seriously though, I do appreciate that these are difficult times these days, which is why we’re keeping the ticket prices down.

We have an 18-CD career-spanning box set coming out on the 14th August this year. It’s basically my whole recording career and two bonus albums of slowed-down, orchestrated songs. Including Prince and Bob Dylan covers. I was a prolific writer in the late 80’s and early 90’s, so all of this stuff is really well produced. It sounds amazing.

Finally, any advice for your younger self?

Don’t get ripped off! Read the bloody contracts, don’t just sign them! Never give anyone Power of Attorney. 

But believe in yourself. If you think you’re making great music, fight for it. Don’t let anyone tell you what to do.

Grab your tickets to catch Leo on what could be his final tour.