There'll be some special guests on the album:

Ian McLagan-piano, Hammond.
Terry Miles-piano, Hammond.
Dave Kusworth-guitar.
Darrell Bath-guitar.
Anthony Thistlethwaite-saxophone, mandolin.

And a few others… I'll have to wait and see.

What happened with the Jacobites?

The Jacobites is Dave Kusworth and myself and whoever we play with. The last gig we did together was last summer in Berlin-the two of us with acoustic guitars. Before that it was a band show in Los Angeles at the end of the nineties! We're talking about recording a new album with Glenn Tranter and Mark Williams from the last line-up. I want to get my new record finished first and Dave has a new band, The Tenderhooks-they've released three albums on English label, Wagging Dog-and are in the studio recording their fourth one now. The Jacobites will finish when we're dead and not before!

You have played recently with Freddy Lynxx. How was the thing?

The last time I played with Freddy was in September 1997. I first met Freddy in Paris in the early nineties-he turned up at the flat where I was staying with a portastudio. Got me to sing on his versions of the Tammy Wynette tearjerker, Apartment # 9 and the Stooges song, Open Up And Bleed. I had a girlfriend in Toulouse at the time and played there occasionally-the next show I did Freddy came along as special guest. We ended up going in a local studio and recording a few songs that ended up on Seven Lives Later. Then Freddy ended up at WSRS working on the rest of the album and came on tour with me a few times. We haven't seen each other for a few years now. A really cool guitarist and a great friend. We'll play together sometime before too long.

And how was it with Jeff Dahl?

Freddy introduced me to Jeff in Paris in early 1996. The three of us did 'The Lost Acoustic Tour' around Europe that autumn. Stayed at Jeff's place out in the Phoenix desert last year. I've only seen Jeff play electric guitar once-that was at Wild At Heart, here in Berlin-I got up and jammed with the band on a few songs. Jeff is a real gentleman.

And with REM?

Last saw Pete Buck when REM played Germany on the Up tour. Pete, Mike Mills, Bill Berry and Pete are great musicians and it was real cool playing with them. I'm not into REM's music but Peter likes what I do, so… And it was great staying and recording in Georgia. Most English musicians are fascinated by the Southern States and I'm no exception. It'd be a place to live-it's a great place to record.

And With Johnny Thunders?

Johnny was a friend of mine-but we never played together save for two minutes during a chemical LA night back in 1990. I still miss him. I always thought Johnny would outlive us all-if he was going to overdose he would have done it many times-some people are beyond that. One of my favourite guitar players ever-others include Keith Richards, Ron Wood, Marc Bolan, Paul Kossoff, Dave Kusworth, Mick Taylor, Jimmy Page-all the usual culprits!

Which are your main influences?

Well apart from the guitarists listed above I listen to the Stones, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fairport Convention, T.Rex, Faces, Charlie Feathers, Robert Johnson. I listen to music most of the time-I read a lot-my favourite living writer is Bernard Cornwell. All the others are dead! Influenced by the people I meet, the things that happen to me. A lot of my songs are short stories. Really you can be influenced by almost everything. Every time I get a new guitar-I've got 8 or 9 at the moment-you know you're going to get at least one or two good new songs out of it. The wood influences you. And my favourite lyricists are Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart, Marc Bolan, etc.

You 'almost' live in Germany, why not in England?

I first went to Germany to stay with a girl for two weeks-stayed with her, on and off, for five years. Moved back to London-but most months I was in the UK for two or three days. Germany has always been my biggest market, so it seemed to make more sense living here. I first came to Berlin in 1985 and fell in love with the place-a friend offered me a flat here in 1996 so I took it. A few months back I moved to a bigger place. I still feel alive living in Berlin-and my German is still almost non-existent! And London can be fun but you need so much money…

Tell us any other thing you think could be important or interesting...

I spend a lot of my time working on a book on Ronnie Wood's first two solo albums, his leaving the Faces and joining the Stones. The book should, if all goes well, be published in July or September 2004. I still haven't interviewed Woody yet, but he knows I'm writing the book.

Check out nikki-sudden.com for news and sounds of what I'm up to. You can also buy CD's / vinyl from the website.
People can also subscribe to: RobespierresVelvetBasement@yahoogroups.com for information and stuff about me.
Those of you who come to see the band put on your dancing shoes and wear your glad rags. See you in Spain this March. I'm looking forward to it!

Nikki Sudden - Berlin - February 12, 2002