Authority Magazine is devoted to sharing in-depth and interesting interviews with people who are authorities in business, pop culture, wellness, and social impact. Journalist Eden Gold spoke to Jeff Christie with an aim to provide empowering and actionable feedback.

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As a part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Jeff Christie.

EG: Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit about your "origin story". Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

JC: "I grew up in Leeds, England just after the war when times were hard, but at such a young age it didn't really affect me too much, being too young to understand how devastated the country actually was.
    "I went through my school years relatively unscathed, although I was rebellious and got into plenty of trouble with the school masters which I somehow perversely enjoyed. I found early on that I felt different to the other kids, maybe because music was soon to dominate my life and times. From there on in it became the driving force which continues right to this day."

EG: What inspired you to pursue a career in music, and how did your journey begin?

JC: "By the late fifties Elvis and rock'n'coll had made a profound impact on me and I knew that music would be my life's passion from then on. I had had piano lessons at an early age pre-Elvis, but as soon as I discovered Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, the Everly Brothers and Hank Marvin to name a few, I switched to guitar. Although prior to this when I first heard Flamenco guitarists, I fell in love with its sound and persuaded my dad to buy a cheap Spanish guitar for me. I'd come home from school and practice chords and scales until my fingers toughened up and it didn't hurt anymore. I progressed quickly and by the time I left school at 16 I was already playing lead guitar in groups of which hundreds were popping up all over the country."

EG: Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

JC: "So many stories, but I think one of the most interesting ones might be the time when I, with my band The Outer Limits, toured with Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd in '67. This was the last of the great UK rock package tours of the '60's taking in Theatres and City Halls across the country. The largest being the Royal Albert Hall in London. Not long afterwards came the stadium era, enabling seating for thousands as opposed to hundreds. Pink Floyd's founding member Syd Barrat lost his mind on that tour and became a reclusive lost soul for the rest of his life. The big four bands at the time on that tour were Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Move and Amen Corner, supported by less famous but popular up and coming ones, The Nice, Eire Apparent and Outer Limits.
    "Interestingly a few years later from those three less famous bands, three key members were to find fame: Keith Emerson from The Nice to Emerson Lake and Palmer, Henry McCulloch from Eire Apparent to Wings and myself to Christie. Jimi's roadie Ian Kilmister re-emerged several years later as Lemme, front man of Motorhead after a few years in Hawkwind.
    "The standout memory from that tour was watching Jimi from the wings and the audience response, and on one occasion at Newcastle City Hall he was having problems with the tuning of his Gibson Flying V and getting increasingly frustrated, finally throwing this arrow-shaped guitar at his Marshall Stack Amp from roughly a seven-yard distance. Instead of either missing or falling short it hit bull's eye centre speaker quivering and feeding back whilst some sort of smoke started belching out of the stricken amp as it rocked backwards and forward under the assault, Lemme most probably standing behind it to stop it toppling over. I was standing in the wings watching next to Carl Wayne of The Move and we just looked at each other in awe, as did much of the audience who went ballistic!"

EG: It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

JC: "In the mid-sixties my band the Outer Limits were 'persuaded' by our then manager to audition to be the group that would appear in the forthcoming US imported Batman TV series starring Adam West and Burt Ward. At first we thought this was hilarious and our integrity would be safe as no-one would see our faces as we would be wearing masks, so we reasoned that it was the price to pay for a step up the ladder. At the start of each show, we would be playing the Batman theme to millions of viewers.
    "The auditions were held in London several months before the start of the series and there were many groups auditioning, and we ended up winning it. This was something I had had mixed feelings about from day one, as for one thing, we would be recording someone else's theme song, and not one of ours, or in reality mine, as I was the only song writer in the group. We also had to dress up as Batmen with the capes, masks, leggings, and boots for which we had to be measured and fitted out for. I remember at one of those sessions looking at the some of the sampling clothing and realised how hot we would be trying to perform in them. We were assured by the various people involved that this was our passport to fame, wealth, and the end of sleeping in vans that frequently broke down on the way home from gigs! So, we reluctantly went along with it hoping it would all work out ok and we'd all be rich beyond our wildest dreams - somehow!
    "Not long after we were due to begin recording and schedules were drawn up when it all suddenly came to a halt. Apparently, the merchandise guy, someone in either New Zealand or Australia called Brodie or Brody, was not happy with some part of his supply deal with the producers and they could not agree on some compromise. Over the coming weeks it all unravelled and the whole thing came off the rails. I don't remember what the rest of the band felt about this but I was quietly relieved as I suspected that this was not the right way for us to break through and the sheer gimmickry of it all would not wear well.
    "I guess my intuitions were right and as fate would have it not long after we recorded our first single for Decca's Deram label followed by another single being produced by the Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham on the Immediate label and then touring with Hendrix and Pink Floyd and finally breaking through big in 1970 with pole position chartings across the world with Yellow River. A much better way to travel!
    "The lesson would be, trust your gut instincts when big decisions are necessary, but then we're all geniuses in hindsight and when you're young and hungry that's one thing you don't have yet.

 

What could have been! The Outer Limits members in Batman garb.

EG: None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

JC: "Both my parents were hugely supportive. My mother was a trained ballet dancer and was steeped in the classics, opera, and the great symphonic composers. She made sure even in hard times, at every possible opportunity to take my brother and I to see live music, be it opera or ballet or the occasional orchestra that came to Leeds in the early fifties. She showed me the wonderful and magical power of music at an early age. In my teens when I had already decided to try and make a living in music, my dad got behind me by trying to get record companies and Agents in London interested. He travelled back and forth to London countless times on my behalf. Between them both they gave me so much support and encouragement that I will always remember and be grateful for."

EG: What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

JC: "Well right now I am very involved in the process of doing interviews and generally trying to spread the word about my latest single 'One in a Million' taken from my current album Here & Now, that incidentally has been getting great reviews across the board which is both interesting and exciting."

EG: We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it's important to have diversity represented in music, film, and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

JC:
"1. No one culture or race have the monopoly on creating art and music: variety is the spice of life.
2. Who wants to live in a totally monochrome world with no colour? Coral reefs viewed through a monochrome lens are less exciting visually than when viewed in colour.
3. Diversity can add to the collective societal enrichment, one example is the culinary world."

EG: As a successful music star, you've likely faced challenges along the way. How do you stay motivated? How do you overcome obstacles in your career?

JC: "I guess when you fall of your horse you just have to jump right back on it again, like that old chestnut - If at first you don't succeed etc. Your motivation can wane from time to time, that happens, but you only get one life so why not give it your best shot. There's always obstacles, hassles, and things to discourage and deflate you, so ultimately you have to have an inherent belief that what you're doing or trying to achieve is of value to others as well as yourself and merits the struggle to succeed."

EG: What are your "5 things I wish someone told me when I first started" and why?

JC:
"1. Listen to others, but also to your heart. Many people said a career in music is not a real job when I first started and I wouldn't succeed. I knew it was never going to be easy but my heart said "yes, I can" and I did.
2. Look good but not too good. Make your point but don't ram it down people's throats.
3. Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today. Tomorrow might not come.
4. Don't be afraid to admit your mistakes. Too much pride or arrogance will eventually backfire on you. A little humility is a valuable asset.
5 . Be nice to those on the way up as you may need them on the way down. I don't subscribe to the nice guys finish last school of thought. I've always found if you treat people with courtesy and respect in general they return the same."

EG: Can you share some insights into your creative process? How do you approach songwriting? How do you approach musical collaborations?

JC: "Songwriting is a fascinating and rewarding thing as well as being creative. It is also therapy in that it acts as a kind of sanctuary or retreat into another world where you shut out the one you daily exist in and rummage about in your mental musical tool box to build a little musical story. I often simply start with a title and then work laterally until the skeleton of the song forms and build it up from there. Sometimes a hooky little tune or a few notes might just start the process and I'll take it from there, but there's no set formula. Sometimes it can be quite a random thing that will start the process, like I'll mishear some melody, or words that someone may be singing or saying when I have music playing in the house or if I'm out somewhere and that could spark something. Sometimes I wonder if it is not coming from some source outside of me that occupies me, almost a bit scary but wonderful at the same time.
     "Musical collaborations are very rare as I prefer to work alone. The most recent rarity is with a talented young Italian singer/songwriter called Lorenzo Gabanizza who told me he grew up a fan of my music and eventually became an artist in his own right. He contacted me not too long ago and asked if I'd consider guesting on his tribute song to his mother who had recently died. He explained to me that she had been a fan and used to play my songs to him when he was a small kid, that's how he became a fan. The song was good and I sang my designated parts and that was the start of a few more songs of his that I guested on in succession."

EG: Your music has resonated with so many fans worldwide. What do you believe sets your music apart?

JC: "I don't really know, perhaps you should ask them. I would like to think they find something different about my songs, but just the same they don't have to. As long as they enjoy them that's what counts. I'm not trying to re-invent the wheel. At the very least my voice is my own and not like anyone else's, that's a start. It would be a bit pompous of me to try to start scoring points with anecdotes and techniques about what I do and how I do it.
    "I'm just happy that enough people seem to approve of what I do musically. I'll settle for that."

 

Jeff is grateful for his fans, especially those who have remained faithful from the start.

EG: How do you connect with your audience?

JC: "By trying to be myself and not someone else, whether in person or through my songs. I've always been thankful to fans that have stayed true and loyal over the years and I never take that support for granted."

EG: With your busy schedule and demanding performances, how do you prioritise self-care and maintain a balance between your personal life and career in the music industry?

JC: "Well like everyone else, I have my escape routes where I can try to be still and relax. I try to lead a reasonably healthy lifestyle and try not to be overwhelmed with information overload, which is not easy in this day and age.
    "For better or worse I don't engage with social media and try to limit my screen time with phones and computers.
    "I live fairly simply and don't need much in the way of material things.
    "Someone once said 'the more you have the more liabilities you have'. I believe that to be true."

EG: You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

JC: "I don't think of myself as someone with enormous influence even if people do like my music, except maybe if I write songs about peace and reconciliation between individuals or peoples and it resonates with the listener, that is all I can ask. There are numerous good causes or movements to advance the betterment of people so it's not an easy choice, but an end to all wars would be a good start."

EG: Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why?

JC: "Charlie Chaplin, comic genius, made the whole world laugh, wrote a few good tunes too, think 'Smile' by Nat King Cole. Alternately Ennio Morricone, genius film music composer."

EG: How can our readers continue to follow your work online?

JC: "Listen/follow on Spotify, Apple, and other streaming sites and jeffchristie.com

EG: This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!