“All kinds of dynamics can make great music, but the ones that sustain use humour to keep the harmony.”
Spike Edney has quite the setlist of accomplishments throughout his 40-year career in the music industry. Edney has contributed and collaborated with bands such as Queen, Duran Duran, Whitesnake, and many others over the years and constantly directs star-studded line-ups across the globe.
In this episode of the Humourology podcast, Spike shares the secrets of the charismatic mirth and magic of Freddie Mercury and why humour is such a powerful release valve.
So, how do you sustain a 40-year career on the stage? According to Edney, you have fun! Working with a plethora of popular people (see the astonishing list below) has taught Edney that each band has its own energy. All kinds of dynamics can make great music, but the ones that sustain, use humor to keep the harmony.
“If we make a mistake, we always laugh and make a gag out of it. It’s never a negative moment.”
Edney knows that to lead the band, you have to promote a comfortable atmosphere where everyone can laugh at the mistakes they made. Edney explains that too many bands sing their own elegy when the members take themselves too seriously. He brilliantly calls these types, “Humour Handbrakes” for their ability to end the laugh as soon as it starts.
Edney’s amazing career is chalked up to his ability to help creative crews comfortably collaborate. He shares that whether you are working with supergroups like Queen or your own creative teams, creating an atmosphere of levity is the best way to rock ‘n’ roll.
Spike works with a who’s who of many of the finest musicians ever. Here are just some of the extraordinary list of groovy greats:
• Amy Winehouse • Lionel Richie • Annie Lennox • Stevie Wonder
• Melanie C (Spice Girls) • Beyoncé • Bono & The Edge (U2)
• Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) • Brian May • Chaka Khan • Cozy Powell
• Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet) • Cyndi Lauper • Dave Stewart (Eurythmics)
• Edwin Starr • Eric Idle • Gloria Gaynor • Roger Taylor
• Heather Smalls • Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) • Jack Bruce (Cream)
• Jeff Beck • Jim Kerr (Simple Minds) • Jimmy Cliff • John Anderson (Yes)
• Kiki Dee • Leo Sayer • Leona Lewis • Lil’ Kim
• Roy Wood (The Move, Wizard) • Lulu • Graham Gouldman (10cc)
• Madeline Bell • Marty Pellow (Wet, Wet, Wet) • Mica Paris
• Mike Rutherford (Genesis) • Ms Dynamite • Paloma Faith
• Paul Rodgers (Free) • Paul Young • Queen Latifah
• Ray Davies (The Kinks) • Rick Astley • Roger Daltrey (The Who)
• Ronnie Spector • Suggs (Madness) • Tom Robinson
• Nelson Mandela (His concerts) • Alfie Boe • Al Murray (The Pub Landlord)
• Queen • The Boomtown Rats • Dexy’s Midnight Runners • Bob Geldof
Check out the SAS Band http://www.sasband.com
In between Queen and SAS Band commitments, Spike has also performed/worked on projects with:
Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, The Manic Street Preachers,
Robert Plant, David Bowie, George Michael, George Benson, Elton John, Jeff Beck, Peter Green, Lisa Stansfield, Def Leppard, Axl Rose, Joe Cocker, Curtis Stigers, The Beautiful South, Paul Stanley, Slash, Joe Walsh, Jon Lord, Bill Wyman and Luciano Pavarotti
I’m not sure that you will recognise any of those names but please trust me when I tell you that some of them are pretty decent musicians!
In the spirit of rocking and rollin’ with Spike, we here at Humourology headquarters hope that, for you and yours, 2021 is as steady as a rock and that you can roll with all the punches.
Thanks for the on-going great feedback. We really appreciate it.
See you next Tuesday,
Warmest,
Paul x
