JOHN SYKES: 'We Want To Keep PHIL LYNOTT's Legacy Alive And Keep His Music Out There'

Mick Burgess of Metal Express Radio recently conducted an interview with THIN LIZZY guitarist/vocalist John Sykes. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Metal Express Radio: Did singing in BLUE MURDER spur you on to do more lead vocals?

Sykes: Yeah, I never really wanted to be a singer, but I sang some backing vocals and I actually did the lead vocals on the original BLUE MURDER demos. Our A&R man in America, John Kalodner, had been sitting in on the sessions and also during the auditions for singers, and he just said that I had been singing better than anyone who'd come in for the auditions and said I'd have to sing it. It was a hell of a load for me as it's one thing singing in the studio, but live is something totally different. It took me a couple of months to practice just to be able to get the syncopation between the vocals and the guitar, and that's basically how I got into singing. One thing lead to another and here we are today.

Metal Express Radio: Phil Lynott had such a unique style, totally unlike anybody else. Was that difficult for you to master?

Sykes: When I joined LIZZY I spent a lot of time with Phil, he was one of my heroes and I loved the guy and spent time working with him in the studio and got his phrasing sussed ... so I think it's close to his style, but obviously it's not Phil and it could never be that, but it's probably as close as you're going to get.

Metal Express Radio: Also joining you on stage is, of course, Scott Gorham. How do you feel as a musician when you're knocking out those trademark THIN LIZZY harmonies together?

Sykes: It feels fantastic. There's me and Scott and those guitar harmonies and it's timeless. We are getting a lot of younger people in the audience now and they know all the words and everything and they wouldn't be old enough to see the band back in the day. They grew up with LIZZY because of their parents and they love it. It's a great testimony to Phil's songs; they're simply timeless and people love his stuff. Phil was one of the greatest of all time. He was a great writer.

Metal Express Radio: What happened to Marco Mendoza?

Sykes: Marco's been playing with Delores, the girl from THE CRANBERRIES, and he's been doing some solo stuff too, but he was juggling with everything. We had to pass on a couple of shows as he wasn't available, but we couldn't continue like that so we had to move on with someone else and that's when we got Francesco DiCosmo into the band. We've played a few shows over in Europe with him to get loose a little bit, and he's fitting in well and we're just looking forward to coming over to the UK leg of the tour.

Metal Express Radio: Going back to when you first joined THIN LIZZY in the early '80s... that was a huge break for you to join such a big band. Was it a shock to the system compared to being in the TYGERS OF PAN TANG?

Sykes: Definitely!! THIN LIZZY were one of my all-time favorite bands anyway, and to be asked to join them was like a dream come true. It was an honor and a privilege. In fact, it's still an honor and privilege now to sing those songs that Phil wrote. To be picked by Phil is probably the highlight of my career, and it doesn't really get much better than that. I was young and what I lived for was being involved in rock 'n' roll. That was a wonderful time in my life, and I was only about 22 years old at the time. It was just amazing being such a young guitarist and being picked to be in the band by Phil. It was a great experience being out on the "Thunder And Lightning" tour and every second of my involvement in that was great. I really cherish those memories and it doesn't get much better than that.

Metal Express Radio: "Thunder And Lightning" was seen as a real return to form by LIZZY and featured a much tougher sound than previous albums. Was this your influence or is that the direction Phil wanted to head in?

Sykes: It's was a little heavier and I think that was something that I'd brought to the table. I was into a lot of the harder guitar players in those days and I think that was something that THIN LIZZY wanted to get back to. Phil wanted to do stuff that was a bit heavier. He was really enjoying it and I definitely enjoyed it. It gave it more of an edge I think. We started digging in hard you know.

Metal Express Radio: It must have come as a huge disappointment to you when LIZZY announced they were to split. At what point did you realize this?

Sykes: That was definitely a kick to the guts. I didn't really think it was going to end and I don't think Phil really thought it was going to end either. I remember back in those days it was a management idea. These days people announce a farewell tour and just keep going. It's a bit like KISS, their farewell tour has been on the road for something like 10 years or so!! The management thought that it would create a lot of interest and people would come out and be excited about seeing the band. Back in those days, once you'd announced that, you pretty much had to live up to it. Actually, when I was in WHITESNAKE, Phil had spoken to me about reforming the band. I know for a fact that Phil never wanted to end the band, but unfortunately things happened in a certain way and we had to honor it.

Metal Express Radio: You were instrumental in bringing the THIN LIZZY name back into limelight. Were you surprised that so many people still wanted to hear the music after so long?

Sykes: You never know how people are going to respond. I wasn't too sure, but once we went out and played we went down so well. Those songs are just so damned good. The first time we did it was in Japan and we just weren't sure whether it would work or if it'd fall flat on its face. We went over and the shows sold out and everyone went nuts about it and from that we got offered loads of other things. One thing lead to another and it all just fell into place.

Metal Express Radio: How do you respond to those who think there shouldn't be a LIZZY without Phil?

Sykes: It's all about Phil anyway. We want to keep his legacy alive and keep his music out there. When I look out there and see a full house and people having a great time, that's all the validation I need. If I felt in anyway that it wasn't the right thing, then I definitely wouldn't be doing it. As long as there's people out there who remember Phil and enjoy his music, then we'll keep playing for them.

Read the entire interview at www.metalexpressradio.com.