TIMES SQUARE (TS): Air Supply is playing BB Kings on November 4^th. What’s the vibe like there for you guys?

GRAHAM RUSSELL (GR): It’s a different vibe, because the audience is right there, so we talk to them and we try to really involve them. At a place like BB Kings, the people just want to rock out. They want a big sound – it’s New York City, so you gotta deliver.

TS: Have you noticed any changes in the demographic that comes out to your shows?

GR: We get new people all the time. We’re now getting the children of the people of came in 1985! And of course we get the fifty and sixty year olds who’ve been with us since the beginning. We deliver a great rock and roll show, and it’s a real rollercoaster!  We rock out for a while, then we cool down for a bit, then we’ll do some acoustic stuff. The point is, we try to give everybody a taste of everything.

TS: I noticed that you play with young musicians. Is that intentional?

GR:We pick young guys on purpose. They’re on top of their game, they’re greatly experienced, and the crowd likes the look of a younger band. Also, they’re just hungry to play, gain even more experience, and travel the world. They get to absorb different cultures and meet new people all the time. So they’re getting a well-rounded and worldly education while getting to play music all the time.

TS: How’s the group dynamic within the band?

GR:We’re very much a community. If we have a day off (which is rare), we’ll eat dinner together. We’ll also go on excursions and tours together in a soccer-mom van.  We’ll go to temples or the Great Wall in China, and we’ll go the Ganges in India. I should mention that when you experience awesome sites and adventures, it’ll affect your creativity on stage. It opens your brain up to new ideas. I’ve noticed these excursions invigorate and excite the younger guys in the band. It’s great to know that our band really digs in after heavy experiences.

TS: Have you noticed that your songs have evolved over the years?

GR:I consciously try to write to different songs. I write something every day, whether if I’m at home or on the road. And because writing comes so naturally, I try to compose different styles. I’m really into dance music right now, if you can believe it. But I’ll always write romantic songs, because they’re my favorite. It’s like reading a book – I just love to do it and it’s so natural. When I get up, I don’t drink a coffee and read the paper. I pick up my guitar for three hours and play. My last 20 or 30 songs have been current events, and about people rioting and revolution. However, I try to put these themes in a romantic context, where there’s a beautiful melody and chords.

TS:Do you mainly write on guitar or piano?

GR:I’ll use both, but writing on piano will yield totally different songs than guitar. If I write a guitar song, it’ll be very rhythmic and driven. With piano, the song will sound melancholic. A piano needs to be massaged and caressed.

TS: Did you ever feel pressure from your record label to write smash hits, or were you only concerned with writing quality tunes?

GR: Once we got to know Clive (Davis) well, the factor of making a hit song became more apparent to me, because that’s all Clive was interested in at the time. He was into hit songs, because that was his company wanted to sell. He had to make sure we had three hit songs on every album. He taught me a lot about making a hit record. Basically, you can write 20 songs about this, that and the other. But unless they hit the radio, no one is going to hear them. So for me as a professional songwriter, I want them to hear my songs and buy my songs. But he always gave me great advice. Like with “All out of love”, he suggested I changed some key lyrics in the chorus. I was reluctant, and he said “If you don’t change the lyrics, you’ll have a hit. I you DO change them, you’ll have a classic.” It was the smarted thing I ever did. Clive Davis just has that thing – he just knows. It’s why he’s been around forever.

TS: Besides Clive Davis, who else was your major influence in writing songs?

GR: The Beatles – for me, they’re the greatest songwriters ever. There were no two songs alike. They didn’t find their genre and keep writing the same songs, which a lot of people do. Everything was different. I saw them in ’64 and it changed my life. I knew at that moment, there was no other choice for me than to write songs.