Ian Hunter, lead singer with Mott the Hoople is a big friendly guy, who came into town specially to talk to us. He hadn't been up for long, though our meeting was for three in the afternoon; he needed a huge cup of hot tea to help him loosen up and get down to the business of chatting.
Mott the Hoople should be well known by now to Jackie readers. All the boys come from around Hereford and Ian was one of the last to join the group. They were auditioning in some studios in London and for days had failed to come up with anyone they felt fitted in with their kind of music. Then the owner of the studios mentioned a young pianist/singer he knew who often rehearsed there and why not give him a try? And suddenly Ian found himself in a job.
But it wasn't always like that. Ian comes from Shrewsbury, where his father was a policeman. So, as a young lad he was expected to behave himself, not stay out late and generally create a good impression for the sake of his father. Ian found this tough, his home life was unsettled, as his father tended to move round from one constabulary to another. The family often ended up in remote country areas every two or three years. The only thing he learnt at school, Ian says, was how to cheat at exams.
'The other guys let me,' he explained, 'because most of them were smaller than me and too scared to say anything.' Ian didn't get on with his teacher, and left as soon as he could. He became an apprentice in a factory in Northampton, learning to be a fitter and grinder. He was supposed to go to technical college one day a week, but the firm found out that he hadn't been at all. He promptly got the sack.
Ian was living in Northampton at the time and playing in local pop groups. He was also writing songs and playing bass guitar.
'It was at a time when the only singer was Cliff Richard, and I thought I could never sing like that, let alone get paid and earn my living from being a musician. Then Bob Dylan came along and changed things. Before then I'd just watched Cliff on TV and felt hopeless.'
Ian worked with a succession of groups, and then formed a band of his own. The boys lived in Hamburg and Kiel, working nightclubs and the American bases. Ian says they were cheated by promoters, often left without money or transport, and once they couldn't afford to eat for several days.
'I used to got very depressed at the time,' Ian told me. 'Sometimes for six weeks or longer. It's strange but even now I'm often sad when the others are happy. I rarely get excited even about the prospect of a new tour or another LP being released.'
At the end of 1967 Ian came to London. Being a country boy, this was something he'd dreamed about for years.
It was about this time that Mott the Hoople were auditioning and Ian joined them. Their manager had looked after Procol Harum and they were quickly introduced to the American tour scene.
'Tours are awful,' Ian told me. 'For the first four weeks they're okay - after that they're a nightmare. People think you join a pop group and see the world. But you see nothing at all.'
Average U.S. tours last seven or eight weeks and like a lot of British groups, Mott the Hoople have a consistent, loyal following.
'Here in Britain we're very concerned about keeping the prices down. There's a lot of unemployment about and young people simply can't afford high prices.'
Although he tends not to get excited by the pop business, Ian reflects that things have happened to him that at one time were beyond his wildest dreams, 'The first time I went into a concert hall it seemed massive,' Now he's more used to it.
Off duty, Ian gets bored when he isn't working and, although he has a flat in Wembley, he likes to retire to the country as often as he can.
'But I'm not really much better off now than when I first started out as a musician' he told me. 'Of course our hit single has helped tremendously. Admittedly, I have a nice flat and a small car and a few clothes, but if I became a millionaire, things wouldn't change all that much. Writing is a 24-hour a day job. I'm constantly thinking of new ideas.'
When Mott aren't actually working, their time is taken up with business meetings or photo or publicity sessions. Ian is the one who invariably ends up meeting the press.
'People think I'm the front man, which I'm not. But they always leave it to me to talk to the press, inventing excuses why they shouldn't turn up. Then they complain that I get all the publicity! You just can't win.'