Supertramp Reunion Unlikely Says Roger Hodgson
— December 3, 2009 9 366Former Supertramp founder, Roger Hodgson is not content to rest on his laurels and bask in the faded glory days of Supertramp. This is a guy who obviously loves to perform, and is currently planning a springtime (which I suppose would be autumn for the Aussies) tour of Australia, keeping the music of Supertramp alive for enduring fans, and perhaps a new generation of fans as well.
We’ve heard tidbits of speculation about a Supertramp reunion from time to time through the years, which no doubt gives rise to hope in the minds of a whole lot of Supertramp fans (myself included), but so far, nothing significant has come of it, and recent comments credited to Hodgson by Undercover make is seem unlikely.
“We’ve looked at it and talked it over. I have looked at it many times. It is hard to reinvent us. I would never say never but Rick (Davies) has pretty much retired right now and I’m in the prime of my life. The reaction I am getting from fans is ‘please don’t reunite’,” Hodgson says.
I’m not sure which fans he’s been hearing from, but I certainly cannot be counted among them. Perhaps I am in the minority, and most fans would just rather remember the greatness of Supertramp as it once was. Hodgson seems confident that he’s keeping the “magic and spirit” of a Supertramp reunion alive with his tour. Check out the video below and decide for yourself.
Despite the popular belief that Hodgson left the group amid a nasty dispute between he and fellow founder Rick Davies, Hodgson says that the real story is not quite that dramatic, insisting that he wanted to refocus his life on raising a family.
Even though these latest comments from Hodgson seem indicative of another nail in the coffin that contains the body of Supertramp, he made a point to include “never say never,” among his comments. With that, I suppose it might be justified to keep just a little measure of hope alive that Supertramp will perform together again some day. At least for those of us who would like to see what that would look, and more importantly, sound like.
9 Comments
Aside from being the “Yes” person who reads your page, Supertramp is just as if not higher in my book for bands.
Being 22 (almost 23), it’s very disheartening to hear Roger talk like this, but it’s something that most of us who have been making an attempt at following Rick’s doings have come to conclude for some time. This is a first however for Roger to talk about having fans not want a reunion, because that’s insane! I think that the conventional wisdom now is that people want the whole boat real deal… like the 1983 …Famous Last Words… tour.
Nothing against Mark Hart who basically filled Roger’s shoes in the late 80’s and then the late 90’s and early 2000’s, but if tramp would get back together it would need to be that classic 1974-83 line up. Get Scott Paige back with John Helliwell as another player on stage, and even Marty Walsh… make it the real deal!
Oh, and PS: Rick, please let the “Paris” DVD come out. The speculation as to why it hasn’t is killing me because the rumor mill is churning like a middle school hallway. I don’t care if the songs aren’t in the same order as the album, and neither does anyone else. Those of us who nothing more than a nasty thought in our father’s mind in 1979 want to share with everyone our age what your music is!
Wisconsin Love’s ya… (Where did you guys debut in 74′ in the states? Yeah… that’s what I thought…)
Thanks for the comments, Andy. Interesting stuff, and if it wasn’t clear enough from the post, I’m with ya all the way on that.
Great to see a young guy so into a great classic groups like Supertramp and Yes. Make the most of it, the time goes by faster than you ever think it could!
The “Old Guy” 🙂
I am making the most of it, believe me! I pretty much have a five year window in hopes of seeing most of the bands that are still out there, so I jump at almost every chance I can!
My concert list (mind you, this is within the last 8 years basically)
– Springsteen & E. Street (x2)
– Steve Winwood (x3)
– Steely Dan (x3) (Once with Michael McDonald. Peg was insanely good)
– Yes
– Bob Seger (5th row!)
– Dickey Betts
– Heart (Best county fair concert ever for our city)
– Steve Miller
– Asia
– George Thorogood (x2)
– REO (x3)
– Rush (x2)
– Plus so many other people I could go on and on, and on… and on
Thanks for keeping me updated! It has been a great resource!
That’s great, Andy.
Wow, that’s an impressive list! Especially since there so much good music represented on it.
Keep on rocking and thanks for the nice comment.
I find Rogers comment talking about fans saying ‘please dont reunite’ is so hard to believe and maybe a confirmation that Rick Davies has had enough! I have been waiting so long for a reunion as with all fans and its rumoured Rick Davies has been trying to get Roger back in the band over the last 20 years and now has probably had enough at his age and thrown in the towel. Maybe it was all to do with money? And Rick playing Roger’s music after he left despite promising not too! Well aparantly Rick tried to get Roger to rejoin in 1990 but Roger said he felt the Rick needed him from a financial point of view! Rick tried again in 1996 but Roger failed to continue contact. Then Roger tried in 2005 but Rick was not up for it. Roger tried again last year and it looked good for a 40th Anniversary reunion but then Rick stopped all contact and left Rogers people frantically booking solo dates for this year ! I despair over it all really, as I would love to see a reunion cos when together they were at their very BEST! Its a Crime of the Century.
If Rick really wanted a reunion he would tell his wife that she cannot manage the band it is just fair that way no disrespect to Rick’s wife and that a party that both him and Roger and the rest of the guys agree on would.Then you would have a Supertramp Reunion that simple.
SHAME ON RICK – WE CAN ALL Read the scoop here – http://undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=10772_Supertramp_To_Tour_Without_Asking_Roger_Hodgson_Along
This article says: “Roger’s management says – “the tour is “misleading” and “disrespectful”. We’ve been told that they are billing the tour as the 40th Anniversary tour of the band and we just find this very surprising, misleading and disrespectful of Roger since he is the only other member that was a part of Supertramp when he and Rick founded the band together 40 years ago.”
I think it’s so wrong to use Roger as a carrot to get people to go to Rick’s concert when Roger is not even going to be there and Rick knows it. Don’t get me wrong, i respect Rick’s jazzy style of music and if that is what someone wants to hear, they should go see Rick. But to me, Roger is the heart of ST and it’s his songs that make my heart sing, and it’s dishonest to mislead fans like me so Rick could sell tickets. Shame on you Rick, SUE, and all of his management that would take advantage of fans in this way.
Hello, I’m from Brasil and I’ll see Roger in the next May-14, in São Paulo-Brasil. My second Roger’s concert, the first it was in 1998!
Well, I just want to say that Rick Davies is a dishonest person because he goes to the Supertramp tour with some musicians singin the Roger’s songs…this is not honest!!! He wants to money with the Roger’s songs!! So, if you want the real ‘Supertramp famous songs’, goes to the Roger Hodgson shows, check the page http://www.rogerhodgson.com/documents/tour.html … and forget about the ‘Supertramp-Rick Davies’ shows because Rick is a poor fake! A pity too that John Helliwell and Bob Siebenberg goes with Rick in that dirty and fake Supertramp tour…just for the taste of money…a shame John & Bob! Sometimes the human being can be disgusting!
Carlos Fiorelli – Brasil
I observed the whole Supertramp-story for years. I know that there were several attempts to get Roger back in the band but Roger always had any objections not to do so. Now with 66 years old Rick might be not motivated to ask again and may destroy the harmony in the band while integrated someone who is changing his mind like the weather.
For me it was the Crime Of The Century that Roger left the band in 1983. He wanted to make a solo carrier and for this aim Supertramp an the fans were indifferent for him.