Ricky Ross never planned to write his memoirs because he didn’t think there had been enough “sex and drugs and rock and roll” in his life.
The Deacon Blue frontman’s tome ‘Walking Back Home’ details his early forays into music and the beginning, extraordinary success, fall-out, and re-emergence of Deacon Blue.
While he discusses the people and places that have meant the most to him, as well as his relationship with faith, politics, and the ever-changing challenges of being a musician, it’s a project he never thought he’d complete.
“I had no intention of ever doing it,” Ricky tells Retro Pop’s September 2022 issue. “I think that sometimes, in terms of public books, it’s guys that have lost their legs and climbed Everest, or guys that are rock and roll who have near death experiences – sex and drugs and rock and roll. Well, none of these things are true of me.
“But then I thought, ‘Well, that’s not what I enjoy reading. I enjoy reading deep truths and human stories. That’s what my songs have really been about.
“They’re not really big dramatic deals; they’re just about human truths.”
In addition to the memoir, Ricky has also recorded his new album ‘Short Stories Vol. 2’ – the follow-up to 2017’s ‘Short Stories’ – which began life during lockdown.
“I had songs half-written. I often do that,” he explains. “I have things that are just ideas, but I hadn’t really had time to fully work on them. And I started trying to finish them.
“So I thought, ‘Well if I record them on my own studio setup using the digital piano, I could fix something quickly’. The recording didn’t take that long, and it was all done in the room that I’m in now. It’s really just me – there was no one else allowed in the room.
“Then Gregor [Philp] mixed it all remotely up in his studio. So that’s just how we did it.”
Read the full interview in the September 2022 edition of Retro Pop, out now. Order yours or subscribe via our Online Store or use our Store Finder to locate your nearest stockist.
