Celebrities Francis Rossi, Birthday: May 29, 1949 in London, England, UK

When I was much younger I'd read music magazines and it took me years to work out you never read an ...Show more »

When I was much younger I'd read music magazines and it took me years to work out you never read an interview with anyone or see anyone on a chat show unless they've got some product out. Show less «

We all have this thing of justifying our need to show off but it comes down to wanting attention and...Show more »

We all have this thing of justifying our need to show off but it comes down to wanting attention and wanting people to like us. Show less «

Most of the big stars since the 1950s haven't really been that great. Look at Madonna - she can't si...Show more »

Most of the big stars since the 1950s haven't really been that great. Look at Madonna - she can't sing but she can make a decent record. Her first one, they had to slow her voice down and speed it up. She used the system really well. Spice Girls - biggest pile of shit to hit the planet but what a great PR job. Can't sing, songs weren't very good, they didn't look very good but they used the business against itself. Same with Kylie (Kylie Minogue) - some innocent child off some Australian soap, she suddenly shags Michael Hutchence and her bum comes out and everyone keeps buying her records. Show less «

I understand that people can't stand Status Quo. There are thousands of people across the world who ...Show more »

I understand that people can't stand Status Quo. There are thousands of people across the world who think we're fantastic but most don't, obviously. It's the same with anyone. Michael Jackson selling 45million records in America - that still means 220million Americans didn't like it. But 'showbiz' blows it up as important. Mars bars sell better than Michael Jackson records and so do paper clips, envelopes and coat hangers. How come no one's come up with a song that sells 2billion? Even then, two thirds of the world won't like it. Show less «

[on Freddie Mercury] Up until then I thought that gay men were kind of feeble. Freddie wasn't. If Fr...Show more »

[on Freddie Mercury] Up until then I thought that gay men were kind of feeble. Freddie wasn't. If Freddie wanted you he was going to have you. Show less «

Performing in front of thousands of fans is the ultimate experience for any band.

[on The X Factor (2004)] When they talk about X Factor, these trained voices, that isn't X Factor. X...Show more »

[on The X Factor (2004)] When they talk about X Factor, these trained voices, that isn't X Factor. X Factor is people like us that can't sing but we do something else, something happens. Show less «

There's a lot of energy required with Quo and if you don't physically commit that energy, it doesn't...Show more »

There's a lot of energy required with Quo and if you don't physically commit that energy, it doesn't work. I learned when I was younger from watching Little Richard and working with Jerry Lee Lewis, who was so physically committed to his music he made it move you. I don't have to do that on my own, I can do the songy, poppy things, it's more relaxed. It all boils down to wanting to show off. Brian May's very shy but can stand on top of Buckingham Palace playing his guitar. Show less «

[on the music industry] It's 95 per cent bullshit and the other five per cent is bullshit. I didn't ...Show more »

[on the music industry] It's 95 per cent bullshit and the other five per cent is bullshit. I didn't realise until I was about 40. It's not real. Show less «

I've heard Rod [Rod Stewart] sing and he's got a really lovely, sweet voice.

It's not whether you're a good singer or not, it's the noise we make and some of us get away with it...Show more »

It's not whether you're a good singer or not, it's the noise we make and some of us get away with it and some of us don't. Show less «

[on the successful cover-up of Sir Jimmy Savile's decades of rape and abuse] We were told to watch o...Show more »

[on the successful cover-up of Sir Jimmy Savile's decades of rape and abuse] We were told to watch out for the Leeds Mafia. And even when Louis Theroux had him cornered on camera, Jimmy Savile was that confident he looked straight at him and the camera... he knew somehow, and he still must have something in the system that's covering him or covering what's gone on. We all know it, we just can't find it. Show less «

I don't understand people who'll just listen to one genre of music.

[on being awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 2010 with Rick Parfitt] Yo...Show more »

[on being awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 2010 with Rick Parfitt] You start off rebellious, a teenager in a band, but you end up being part of the establishment..that the arrival of the letter announcing the honour had initially frightened the pants off me..because it comes from the government. Show less «

[on playing Live Aid (1985)] We weren't particularly good. We were under-rehearsed and didn't bring ...Show more »

[on playing Live Aid (1985)] We weren't particularly good. We were under-rehearsed and didn't bring in enough equipment. It's funny when you see these programmes about it now because back then no one knew how big it was until you went on the stage - and I've never seen so many cameras in my life. But if the West really wanted to feed the Third World it would have happened by now instead of doing some fundraising gigs every 25 years. Show less «

Francis Rossi

Francis Rossi's FILMOGRAPHY

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