July 1, 2025 • 9 mins
Having sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, legendary English rock band 10CC is celebrating their anniversary in style, their world tour bringing them to New Zealand’s shores.
They’ll be hitting up Christchurch on the 10th of July, performing at the Isaac Theatre Royal.
Co-lead singer and base player Graham Gouldman joined John MacDonald for a chat about life in the band, as well as reflecting on his growing appreciation for the songs.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB Well.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Next week, legendary British band ten c C will be
performing at the Isaac Theater Royal as part of the
Ultimate Greatest Hits Tour. Very shortly, very shortly, you'll have
an opportunity to win texts to the show. Right now though,
co frontman and bass player Graham Goldman's with us, Go Grahame,
I I can't believe it's been two years since we
last called up. What have you been up to.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Working, doing a lot of touring. We've had a really
the year that we came to Australia we had a
really really busy year. Luss year was busy and this
year is shaping up to be very busy as well. So,
oh god, can I bring this up?
Speaker 2 (00:49):
I saw that Beck and may you turned seventy nine?
Is what keeps you going?
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Well? Thank you for reminding me. I guess it's. I
love what I do. I love playing, I love bright,
I love recording and with a great bunch of guys,
we have a lot of fun together and you know,
if I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't do it. That's
(01:16):
the thing. You know. My feeling is that if a band,
or even if it's just myself is not enjoying it,
people kind of pick you know, an audience will kind
of pick that up. But I do love what I do,
and I feel very privileged to be able to still
do it.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
So you can say, hand on heart that every every
night you got you take the stage, you love it.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
I do. I mean I get nervous every night before
we go on. I think every night is different because
the audiences are different every night. It's you know, it's
a privilege to do it. It's a wonderful thing to do,
particularly because you see the audience enjoying themselves. They're smiling,
(02:02):
they're singing along sometimes or even crying. I mean, for
all the good you know, the good reasons, all the
best reasons. And yeah, it's great to do. I love it.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I was watching an interview last night. You said that
you are more aware now of the pleasure that your
music brings people than you used to be. What's what's changed.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
I just think it's probably me being more sensitive or
more aware to the effect that the band and the
music of TENNESSEEC has on an audience. I suppose it's
also because of even after all this time, I mean
we're talking like I'm Not in Love came out fifty
years ago, yet it still has an effect. I mean,
(02:47):
that's the power of music that it that and other
songs connect with memories that our audience have and and
they kind of you kind of relive moments when you
hear hear certain songs, and that's what happens.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
So when you write a song as a joker, you're
not really sentimental. But what you're saying is it's the
it's the nostalgia in the sentimentality that makes the song
even greater.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Well, it's it's more that it's my perception of it
really that that's changed as as I've got older and
looking back on it and thinking about the power of
a song and what it can do. I mean, recently,
I I went to my first cricket match at the
Oval to watch England versus the West Indies. And this
(03:38):
was all because, you know, we'd had a record out
called Dreddle Holiday, which is has the you know, the
chorus line I don't like cricket, I love it and
that song just keeps on giving.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
I was reading about that about you. You're going it
was lords you into? Wasn't it the first time you've
been to a.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Cricket the Oval?
Speaker 2 (03:58):
It was the iv IV How did that come about?
Speaker 3 (04:03):
There was a guy from Fall County's radio who've been
trying to put it together for ages. In fact, this
was the third attempt to get me to a match,
the first time COVID hit, the second time we were
on tour, and the third time, which was actually it
was worth the wait because because of Dreadlot Holiday and
(04:24):
it was and it being England versus the West Indies
it kind of made more sense. So yeah, and it
was a joy to I really enjoyed it. It was great.
I mean I watched cricket on TV, but just to
be there in the crowd and the atmosphere was lovely.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
So do you officially love it now?
Speaker 3 (04:43):
I officially love it.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Last time we spoke and I just want to follow
up on it, I asked you whether you live felt
guilty about cultural appropriation with Dred Dridlock Holiday, and you
seem to be quite at peace with it. Have you
thought more about it than the two years since we
last spoke.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
I'm at peace with it because it was of its time.
I don't think we would have written that lyric today.
I would think we'd have definitely been more aware. But
one thing that's comforting is that whenever I speak to anybody,
particularly West Indians, they all love it, you know, So
if they're okay with it, I'm okay with it. Having
(05:23):
said that, I doubt very much that that lyric would
have been written today.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Yeah, so you never, You never, I mean cringe is
probably a hash would, but you never think twice every
time you sing it.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
I wouldn't if I was cringing about the lyric. If
it was that bad, I wouldn't perform it.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
No, No, I read recently. I had no idea about
this that you worked with the Ramones at one point,
producing an album for them. Yes, How on earth? How
on earth does the guy who writes some modern love
end up producing a punk rock band like the Ramones.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
Well, yeah, okay, I corah my love, but I have Well,
the first question I asked when they approached me was
why me? And the connection that they had with me
was nothing to do with TENCC and nothing to do
with them not in love. It was all to do
(06:19):
with the songs that I've written for other artists in
the in the mid sixties, like the Yardbirds, I think,
particularly the Yardbirds, the Hollies, you know, the sort of
brit invasion. I think that even though that doesn't come
out in that in the Ramones music, they were aware
of it and maybe it was an influence on them
(06:41):
as well. But though it didn't obviously they've kind of
you know, you take a song that bus Stop by
the Hollies is kind of like the opposite of what
the Ramones would do, and yet they wanted me to
do it. And I kind of tend to say yes
to things, but I did say to them, let's just
record two or three tracks and see how it goes.
(07:02):
We don't want to commit ourselves to something that we're
not in joying. But you know, it worked out really well.
I mean, the album was recorded really quickly. They were
very they were well rehearsed that they were open to ideas,
and I generally enjoyed it. And Joey Ramon was actually
(07:25):
such a lovely guy. You know, I really enjoyed working
with him.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
So it wasn't as chaotic as maybe some people might have.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
It wasn't chaotic at all. And that was a worry
for me that it would be, but that they were
right on time in the studio, very fastidious about things,
you know, kind of almost like the opposite of what
you would expect.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Yeah, Yeah, what's it like making the shift from being
a performer to a producer, Because I imagine, I imagine when
you are a performer, you can be pretty fussy, but
when you're when you're a producer.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
A lot of people like me, right, A lot of
people like me who are just natural musicians, have a
gift for songwriting. And because all that, you when you
write a song, or even if it's you're producing somebody else,
you hear the song, you hear the instrumentation in your head,
(08:17):
it all sort of comes out. It's it's pretty much
the same sort of process in a way. It's writings.
Even as you're writing the song, you're hearing, Oh I'm
going to put I'm going to do this sort of
guitar or try that sound, or have this sort of
bass going underneath underneath it. It's it's not it's not
it's not. What I'm saying is it's not a big
(08:37):
it's not a separate it's not a separate job.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
It's all part of the same thing, right, So, so
being a songwriter doesn't make your ten to walk on
eggshells a bit because you know how how sensitive you
can be with people critiquing your stuff.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
You know, I don't walk on egg shells. I just
pretty much know what I want to do. So I'm
not if that's what I'm not quite sure what you mean,
but I'm when you know something's right, is right in
your head. Now, people could say, oh, I don't like that,
well that you don't like it, but I think it's right.
(09:12):
So what can I do right?
Speaker 2 (09:13):
How do you stop writing a song? Because that must
be tricky, because that's whole part.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
Of the art is to know when it's finished. That's
the answer is no, it's done. It's like you could
the same as an artist with a painting and knows
that he's got to finish. You know, he could dab
a bit more paint here and there, but it won't
make it eventually or start to ruin it. An instinct,
(09:43):
it's an instinctive thing.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
It's a delight to talk to you again, and we
are looking forward to seeing you in town next week.
Thank you very much of your time today.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
We're looking forward to it, John, Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
For more from Caterbory Mornings with John McDonald, Listen live
to news talks It'd Be christ Church from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on Iheard Radio
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB Well.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Next week, legendary British band ten c C will be
performing at the Isaac Theater Royal as part of the
Ultimate Greatest Hits Tour. Very shortly, very shortly, you'll have
an opportunity to win texts to the show. Right now though,
co frontman and bass player Graham Goldman's with us, Go Grahame,
I I can't believe it's been two years since we
last called up. What have you been up to.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Working, doing a lot of touring. We've had a really
the year that we came to Australia we had a
really really busy year. Luss year was busy and this
year is shaping up to be very busy as well. So,
oh god, can I bring this up?
Speaker 2 (00:49):
I saw that Beck and may you turned seventy nine?
Is what keeps you going?
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Well? Thank you for reminding me. I guess it's. I
love what I do. I love playing, I love bright,
I love recording and with a great bunch of guys,
we have a lot of fun together and you know,
if I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't do it. That's
(01:16):
the thing. You know. My feeling is that if a band,
or even if it's just myself is not enjoying it,
people kind of pick you know, an audience will kind
of pick that up. But I do love what I do,
and I feel very privileged to be able to still
do it.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
So you can say, hand on heart that every every
night you got you take the stage, you love it.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
I do. I mean I get nervous every night before
we go on. I think every night is different because
the audiences are different every night. It's you know, it's
a privilege to do it. It's a wonderful thing to do,
particularly because you see the audience enjoying themselves. They're smiling,
(02:02):
they're singing along sometimes or even crying. I mean, for
all the good you know, the good reasons, all the
best reasons. And yeah, it's great to do. I love it.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I was watching an interview last night. You said that
you are more aware now of the pleasure that your
music brings people than you used to be. What's what's changed.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
I just think it's probably me being more sensitive or
more aware to the effect that the band and the
music of TENNESSEEC has on an audience. I suppose it's
also because of even after all this time, I mean
we're talking like I'm Not in Love came out fifty
years ago, yet it still has an effect. I mean,
(02:47):
that's the power of music that it that and other
songs connect with memories that our audience have and and
they kind of you kind of relive moments when you
hear hear certain songs, and that's what happens.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
So when you write a song as a joker, you're
not really sentimental. But what you're saying is it's the
it's the nostalgia in the sentimentality that makes the song
even greater.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Well, it's it's more that it's my perception of it
really that that's changed as as I've got older and
looking back on it and thinking about the power of
a song and what it can do. I mean, recently,
I I went to my first cricket match at the
Oval to watch England versus the West Indies. And this
(03:38):
was all because, you know, we'd had a record out
called Dreddle Holiday, which is has the you know, the
chorus line I don't like cricket, I love it and
that song just keeps on giving.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
I was reading about that about you. You're going it
was lords you into? Wasn't it the first time you've
been to a.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Cricket the Oval?
Speaker 2 (03:58):
It was the iv IV How did that come about?
Speaker 3 (04:03):
There was a guy from Fall County's radio who've been
trying to put it together for ages. In fact, this
was the third attempt to get me to a match,
the first time COVID hit, the second time we were
on tour, and the third time, which was actually it
was worth the wait because because of Dreadlot Holiday and
(04:24):
it was and it being England versus the West Indies
it kind of made more sense. So yeah, and it
was a joy to I really enjoyed it. It was great.
I mean I watched cricket on TV, but just to
be there in the crowd and the atmosphere was lovely.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
So do you officially love it now?
Speaker 3 (04:43):
I officially love it.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Last time we spoke and I just want to follow
up on it, I asked you whether you live felt
guilty about cultural appropriation with Dred Dridlock Holiday, and you
seem to be quite at peace with it. Have you
thought more about it than the two years since we
last spoke.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
I'm at peace with it because it was of its time.
I don't think we would have written that lyric today.
I would think we'd have definitely been more aware. But
one thing that's comforting is that whenever I speak to anybody,
particularly West Indians, they all love it, you know, So
if they're okay with it, I'm okay with it. Having
(05:23):
said that, I doubt very much that that lyric would
have been written today.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Yeah, so you never, You never, I mean cringe is
probably a hash would, but you never think twice every
time you sing it.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
I wouldn't if I was cringing about the lyric. If
it was that bad, I wouldn't perform it.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
No, No, I read recently. I had no idea about
this that you worked with the Ramones at one point,
producing an album for them. Yes, How on earth? How
on earth does the guy who writes some modern love
end up producing a punk rock band like the Ramones.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
Well, yeah, okay, I corah my love, but I have Well,
the first question I asked when they approached me was
why me? And the connection that they had with me
was nothing to do with TENCC and nothing to do
with them not in love. It was all to do
(06:19):
with the songs that I've written for other artists in
the in the mid sixties, like the Yardbirds, I think,
particularly the Yardbirds, the Hollies, you know, the sort of
brit invasion. I think that even though that doesn't come
out in that in the Ramones music, they were aware
of it and maybe it was an influence on them
(06:41):
as well. But though it didn't obviously they've kind of
you know, you take a song that bus Stop by
the Hollies is kind of like the opposite of what
the Ramones would do, and yet they wanted me to
do it. And I kind of tend to say yes
to things, but I did say to them, let's just
record two or three tracks and see how it goes.
(07:02):
We don't want to commit ourselves to something that we're
not in joying. But you know, it worked out really well.
I mean, the album was recorded really quickly. They were
very they were well rehearsed that they were open to ideas,
and I generally enjoyed it. And Joey Ramon was actually
(07:25):
such a lovely guy. You know, I really enjoyed working
with him.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
So it wasn't as chaotic as maybe some people might have.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
It wasn't chaotic at all. And that was a worry
for me that it would be, but that they were
right on time in the studio, very fastidious about things,
you know, kind of almost like the opposite of what
you would expect.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Yeah, Yeah, what's it like making the shift from being
a performer to a producer, Because I imagine, I imagine when
you are a performer, you can be pretty fussy, but
when you're when you're a producer.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
A lot of people like me, right, A lot of
people like me who are just natural musicians, have a
gift for songwriting. And because all that, you when you
write a song, or even if it's you're producing somebody else,
you hear the song, you hear the instrumentation in your head,
(08:17):
it all sort of comes out. It's it's pretty much
the same sort of process in a way. It's writings.
Even as you're writing the song, you're hearing, Oh I'm
going to put I'm going to do this sort of
guitar or try that sound, or have this sort of
bass going underneath underneath it. It's it's not it's not
it's not. What I'm saying is it's not a big
(08:37):
it's not a separate it's not a separate job.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
It's all part of the same thing, right, So, so
being a songwriter doesn't make your ten to walk on
eggshells a bit because you know how how sensitive you
can be with people critiquing your stuff.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
You know, I don't walk on egg shells. I just
pretty much know what I want to do. So I'm
not if that's what I'm not quite sure what you mean,
but I'm when you know something's right, is right in
your head. Now, people could say, oh, I don't like that,
well that you don't like it, but I think it's right.
(09:12):
So what can I do right?
Speaker 2 (09:13):
How do you stop writing a song? Because that must
be tricky, because that's whole part.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
Of the art is to know when it's finished. That's
the answer is no, it's done. It's like you could
the same as an artist with a painting and knows
that he's got to finish. You know, he could dab
a bit more paint here and there, but it won't
make it eventually or start to ruin it. An instinct,
(09:43):
it's an instinctive thing.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
It's a delight to talk to you again, and we
are looking forward to seeing you in town next week.
Thank you very much of your time today.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
We're looking forward to it, John, Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
For more from Caterbory Mornings with John McDonald, Listen live
to news talks It'd Be christ Church from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on Iheard Radio
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