Biff Byford (Saxon)

Episode 203- Biff Byford of Saxon!!! Saxon has a new album coming out soon called “Carpe Diem" (Seize the Day). The single is out now and fans of the band will love it as well as the rest of the album. In this episode we talk about the new album, live shows and lots of fun moments from the band’s history. Find out why they got kicked off the Rainbow tour, why Ozzy quit opening for Saxon, contributions from Elton John & director Ridley Scott, why Metallica was pissed at the band and more! 

00:00 - Intro
02:12 - Carpe Diem (Seize the Day)
06:04 - Cassettes, Vinyl & Merch
08:15 - Touring & Live Shows 
12:48 - Ritchie Blackmore 
13:52 - Ozzy Osbourne 
16:00 - “Wheels of Steel” Inspiration
17:11 - Spinal Tap Moments & Touring
21:14 - American & Import Sales
23:00 - Director Ridley Scott Does Cover Art 
24:30 - Elton John Plays on Album 
25:15 - Metallica Story 
26:53 - Charity 
27:23 - Wrap Up 

Saxon website:
https://www.saxon747.com

Heavy Metal Truants website:
https://heavymetaltruants.com

Chuck Shute website:
http://chuckshute.com

Transcript

Chuck Shute: 0:13

Hey, welcome to the show. And if it's your first time checking us out, make sure you hit that subscribe button if you're watching on YouTube, and also your likes, follow shares, comments, etc. All that stuff on social media and such helped me out quite a bit and I appreciate it. So, my guest today, this Bifur he's the lead singer of the heavy metal band Saxon, and they this ban has been cited as a major influence or an inspiration at least by many heavy metal bands, including Motley Crue, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Panthera Skid Row, one of my favorites, Dream Theater. And it goes on and on and on. I mean, they're huge in this game if you aren't aware of them, and they've also done shows with tons of big bands like Motorhead, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Ozzy, and tons more. They have a new album out now called seize the day. Carpe a dam. The title track is really good. It's a slow build, and then wham, you know, so I really enjoyed the guitar solos, also on Dambusters, that's going to be a song and the opening riffs of supernova and Lady and gray also really heavy, all for one, that riff on that one, the vocals and the vocals as well kind of remind me a little bit of old school Judas Priest. Living on the limit is a catchy tune that it sounds a little bit of a Motorhead vibe in there. It's just it's an overall great album. I think I said it backwards. It's not seize the day carpet, I think it's carpe diem, seize the day. And that's what Carpe Diem means, obviously. And that's kind of the whole theme theme of the album. You know, this is going to get into a little bit. We don't talk as much about the album because I hadn't listened into it until after our interview. But now that I've heard it, it's great. I can tell you guys, if you're fans of Saxon, you're going to love this album. It's it's very true to their roots. It's old school. Heavy Metal fun stuff. And here's my chat with Biff. He's got some great stories. I only had about 25 minutes, but I think you guys are gonna enjoy this. Check it out. Okay, please welcome Beth Pfeiffer to the Czech shoe podcast. How you doing? I'm doing good. Good. Good to hear. So yeah, tell us about the the new album, the new album and the single I've only heard the single Carpe Diem seize the day. Have you only had the single? Yeah, well, so I know. It's not No, it's my fault. Because I guess I can't, I couldn't open the link or something. I think somebody sent me something. I clicked the link. And all I could find was four versions of the single there was the radio, but I couldn't find the rest of the album. Right? Oh, I love the symbol, though. It's like I love how it's got this slow build, and it's just then it hits you like a Mack truck. So whose idea was that to have the slow build up? Was that how the song was written? Or was that something they did in production?

Biff Byford: 2:57

No, we should have wanted it to be. You know? It would mean that that song wasn't my first choice of the target track. But because of all the demand, carpe diem, seize the day. In Latin, translated seize the day, I thought seize the day is a great motto. So it's quite positive thing. So initially, that's what I wrote on the music of bid we got but yeah, builds up from the beginning. You know, all the way through the song really? To the end?

Chuck Shute: 3:33

Yeah, no, it's a bad song.

Biff Byford: 3:35

Yeah, it's a it's basically, especially about the Romans, you know, how they came to Britain and built this wall, from coast to coast to keep out the, what they considered to be pagans? I suppose. So yeah. And yeah, that's, that's what it's about really.

Chuck Shute: 3:54

So is that it has more of the historical meaning. But you don't try to like live your life like that. Because that's, that's a good philosophy for current day life is like seize the day, take every day, because you never know when maybe your last?

Biff Byford: 4:07

Well, that's why that's why I thought it would be a good title for the album in these hard times that we're in. It keeps getting easier then hard and easier than hard. So where it's all over the place, you know, so we're on this album against a lot of adversities. So, yeah, it's a positive album. And obviously, we can't talk much about it, because you heard it. Yeah, so you know, we'll do another one when you've heard it. Go down to specific things but yeah, I mean, the whole album is positive and it's quite aggressive. Obviously. It's it's it's sort of Saxon British metal so we're not relaxing. You know, everything was a full on in your face. So

Chuck Shute: 4:51

no, it's it's cool and I love the cover artists is just beautiful. It's I don't know who did that.

Biff Byford: 4:57

Well, it's so long term. A artists friend actually, that does, it's an old painting. It's about six foot, you know, six foot wide and about two foot deep. So it's all like reduced down to the CD or the LP or whatever you want. Buy on, I think you can buy a cassette or vinyl or CD, or you can just download it. But yeah, it's not actually out until February. So basically, the link that you couldn't open it, just insert a pre order link and a special link for journalists to listen to it first.

Chuck Shute: 5:36

Yeah, maybe. So maybe it's my fault, because I swear, I open the link and I was like, Wait, there's only I only see four songs here. It's all QRP DM, it's just different, like radio edit. And maybe there was something else that I'm telling me it's probably my fault.

Biff Byford: 5:50

Yeah, it's not something you can scream and keep. You want to go, you know, you can only listen to it. So yeah, I suppose. I don't know. That's cool.

Chuck Shute: 5:58

You guys have the I saw that. On the website. You have the cassette. It's like that's so not a lot of bands are doing that. I think that's so smart, though. Because some people really like that, even though they may not listen to it on the cassette, just to have that as a collector's item is really cool.

Biff Byford: 6:13

Yeah, we've had him on the last two albums, I think. So we started, you know, we started doing it four or five years ago. So I mean, a lot of a lot of a lot of artists out there and the pop and sort of the pop world has started doing it as well. Now, the presets. So I think presets and vinyls I think definitely cassettes and vinyls came back strong through the through the rock genre, actually. Yeah, I think I think probably we were the first to start using vinyls again, in our was and our contemporaries like Maiden and people, you know. So I think we've sort of brought vinyl back onto the map again.

Chuck Shute: 6:55

Definitely. Yeah. Do you guys get a lot of sales from from that the vinyl and the cassettes? Yeah, I

Biff Byford: 7:00

think we get most of the sales from vinyl people. People used to love vinyl because the artwork was bigger, and you've got more in the package. And they're very collectible on the vine. frame them, put them on the wall, they look great. So I just think the whole thing around. There's a bit of nostalgia and romanticism about vinyls as well, you know, go back to the, you know, the days of rock'n'roll. You know, so yeah, I think I think violins a bit like an old friend that came back to visit.

Chuck Shute: 7:32

Yeah, well, I think bands have to get creative because, yeah, because of the downloads and stuff. So is there other ideas that you had for merch? I think I saw there was like a pin or something you could get to but I think the more different kinds of merch that you can if you could sell sacks and coffee cups and bumper sticker like everything.

Biff Byford: 7:50

Yeah, we do. We tend to sell them mostly live, though, which we haven't been doing for the last two years, obviously. But I think next year, we'll keep our fingers crossed, you know, and we can do a bit of copy DM we can. We can get lots of merchandise and out there. You know, that would be good. Because usually the stuff we put we do live, we sell on our shop, you know, I just think there's so so much uncertainty with the music business that can't really make plans to follow. That's one of the problems. Yeah, you

Chuck Shute: 8:23

can plan shows, but you said you can't control if they get cancelled. But you do have an American tour plan for April and May with was it Uriah? heep? Is that still on?

Biff Byford: 8:34

Yeah, I think that's the plan. Yeah, as far as I know, it's still on. The manager hasn't said no, you know, but I suppose it all depends on this new variant thing. You know, it's, it's just here in the UK at the moment. So everybody's waiting to see our house should have, you know, lethal. This new variant is. So keep our fingers crossed, we can get through this after Christmas and get back on it again.

Chuck Shute: 9:05

Is are things pretty locked down in the in the UK, because in the States is totally different.

Biff Byford: 9:10

Now they're not locked down that we just have to wear masks again. Okay, at the moment. You can go into like bars and things and into restaurants with no mass but if you're in any large get together than they are inside, they're asking you to wear masks. Impossible like a theater, you know, but the lockdown there's no real lockdown yet. Just people have been upset. You know, they've said you can work from home, if you can. That's about it. Really. But with

Chuck Shute: 9:45

concerts or concerts allowed right now, are they? Yeah, that's

Biff Byford: 9:49

still happening in a concert. That's still happening. So, you know, we'll just keep an eye on that. We haven't really got any shows until January. We're doing some huge 40th anniversary shows with big a big production with castles and eagles, all sorts of things. So all that will go ahead now. And then we'll move on from there really?

Chuck Shute: 10:12

Would you bring the castles and stuff to the US tour? Because I've never seen you guys and that sounds amazing.

Biff Byford: 10:19

Well, the last time we had the castle of the ego on in, in America would have been the Crusader tour back in 1984. I think we did a big headline tour America then with a band called except supporting us. So that's the last time we had the eagle and the castle there. Yeah, it would be great to bring it. But they're so bloody big and cumbersome, you know, but it's all analog. It's not digital stuff. So it's all old technology. So it's quite hard to transport around. But if we got a chance to come there, and the venues are big enough, then we'd love to bring it that would be great. I mean, people I think people would freak freak out to that did right?

Chuck Shute: 11:08

Yeah, yes. Did you guys do a lot of that? Like I said, I've never seen you do you do a lot of the stage antiga no like Iron Maiden does I've never seen them either. Really love to see them as well.

Biff Byford: 11:17

Never seen never seen make no sense. I know. I'm terrible. Man. gonna stand in the corner. The Blair Witch on its Yeah, I mean, yeah, you're missing out there. You know. I've never even seen it's not the same same bands on videos. No, I know. I've really. So yeah, well, you got to get out to get yourself on the camo. But yeah, we haven't got the eagle cast, which

Chuck Shute: 11:48

sounds amazing. Like you guys on tour of the US that often do?

Biff Byford: 11:52

Yeah, we do. We do it anywhere in the last two years. Sure. Yeah. Of America we did was a Judas Priest. And 2019. Okay, yeah. We had a huge tour with them. So that was great time. Before that we did. We did more trades last year workshop together with with Lemmy and the boys. So we have been doing quite a lot in the last, I'd say between 2016 to 2019. We've been there about three, four, maybe five times

Chuck Shute: 12:22

Oh, yeah. The opening things but headlining See, that'd be that's what's really cool because then, you know, no,

Biff Byford: 12:26

no, we do do Atlanta. Do we miss those? Not in every not in every city. But I think with the Arare are probably going to do like a redline ban or, you know, we're going to have the same state room or something. So we work something out. So we all we all have big productions that we'll be doing.

Chuck Shute: 12:46

That's going to be amazing. So all these I mean, you've to read so many amazing bands, Judas Priest Maiden, UFO, Motley Crue, who's your favorite?

Biff Byford: 12:56

I would like to say really, but

Chuck Shute: 12:58

alright, then tell me who was your least favorite? Who do you have a bit? Do you have any bad experiences on any of these tours?

Biff Byford: 13:03

No, not really. Not really bad, bad. I mean, we had a few. When a couple of runnings with Richie Blackmore with rainbow a couple of times, but, but nothing bad. You know, just just silly, silly, rocky rock and roll stuff. Really?

Chuck Shute: 13:18

Oh, yeah. Did he throw you off the tour or something? Or?

Biff Byford: 13:21

No, he didn't. It didn't throws off the curators of the tour and England. Oh, that was that was back in 1982. Okay, now we were we were sort of in our new boys on the blog back then. And it didn't like the fact that we're going down very well. Which ended when Bernie and a guy came to Georgia said, now sorry, Richard didn't want you anymore. Oh, we just went and got drunk, like you do, you know? Yeah.

Chuck Shute: 13:50

Yeah. What about with Ozzy was because you tour you did shows with him in 1981. I mean, how crazy. Was he back then? Was he snorting answers and stuff like that?

Biff Byford: 14:01

Well, he supported us back then. Was his first album. You know, Blizzard bought. So Randy was there and the band were there. And Sharon was there. And they were driving around in a they were driving around driving around in Landrover coming to the gigs. But yeah, they were great. Actually, he didn't. He didn't. He didn't do the whole tour. I mean, one day we were, we were sound checking in France, I believe, and some big venue. And the band won. His band were on stage onstage soundcheck and it was Rudy sarzo. Ronnie Rhodes and fantastic drummer. I can't remember his name now. But the tour manager came out and said Aussies in London and they will not work. Anyway gone home. So they're gone home. So they just watched our show and went back so he just didn't finish the tour. So you know But it was back in the day when I think things were happening really fast for that first Ozzy album, I think it was going dead. So he probably thought he wanted to do his own tour and, but we did see them. We did meet Sharon and Ozzy about. I don't know about two months later we did. We did four shows, which gave gogo in WoW, in Los Angeles. And we did two shows a day, we did a show for the under 20 ones in the about seven o'clock. And we did another show for the, you know, for the adults, as they call them. At sort of 839 o'clock, and Ozzy and Sharon came to see us one of those shows. Oh, that's really cool. Yeah, we had a chance to talk to them. And they said, Yeah, we're really busy and you know, wanted to do all the things. And, you know, we weren't really a support band. I was like, No, you one. So that was cool.

Chuck Shute: 15:55

No, definitely not. But like, I mean, you were inspired a little bit by Black Sabbath, I'm sure right.

Biff Byford: 16:02

Oh, yeah. I think anybody of our generation was inspired by Sabbath zipline and all those bands. And you couldn't not be inspired and influenced by them. Yeah, cuz

Chuck Shute: 16:14

the song. You're one of your biggest songs wheels a steal. I love that's a great song. But it's the people say that it's similar to the Black Sabbath song, rock'n'roll, doctor. But then I also heard people say that it was inspired by Ted Nugent's Cat Scratch Fever. So it was a both of those are one of them. Or

Biff Byford: 16:31

I think it was more inspired by AC DC. Oh, we'll still.

Chuck Shute: 16:35

That's what I Yeah, so I kind of got when I heard it. That sounds. That sounds more accurate.

Biff Byford: 16:39

Yeah, and we're definitely more inspired by AC DC. Especially the chorus, you know, reason to be our gods. Yeah. But you know, people will listen to what the bands have picked up with. Sounds a bit like that. That was sounds a bit like that. But, yeah, you know, there's only seven. There's only seven, seven notes.

Chuck Shute: 17:00

Is it really?

Biff Byford: 17:02

We just have to share them around a bit. Yeah. Oh, wow. A, B, A, B, C, D, F, D.

Chuck Shute: 17:09

That's fun. And then

Biff Byford: 17:11

spinal, the black notes in between. But yeah, the spine

Chuck Shute: 17:15

the Spinal Tap. Tell me this story. Is this. Is this true? You? When you met Harry shear from spinal tap? You didn't? You didn't know who he was? You didn't recognize him? Because he's,

Biff Byford: 17:24

I didn't I didn't see anybody from an insurer. It was the bass player that knew him. Not me. Okay, I didn't, I didn't I didn't meet him. He wasn't on a tour bus for hours on. So I don't know if the story has been, you know, expanded and drawn out over the years. But I think I think definitely the bass player in spinal tap copying our best players style, his look, with the big Mexican mustache and playing everything in a sprint with his hands up in the air. But I don't know about the cucumber down his pants or spinal tap Spinal Tap. I think we took stories from all bands. Yeah, it took stories from everybody. But I can't really remember a story on there that related to us, really.

Chuck Shute: 18:13

So you never had a spinal tap moment. And all these years of touring show,

Biff Byford: 18:16

we've had many Spinal Tap moments where it's after the film. So what's what's one everyone many men all bands? That's fine. Yeah, I'm sure you. I'm sure you have spinal tap moments when you know you're choking and the mics not working? You spent like five minutes stop. You didn't realize. So there was bounced up moments? Yeah, it is. It's definitely it's like, no, it's like one of them. One of them. Posters behind you falls off the wall. I mean, it's it's horrifying jump moments, if you're on air, or you're performing. Okay. Yeah, we've all been lost in buildings.

Chuck Shute: 18:52

That is such a funny one where they're trying to they can't find the stage like

Biff Byford: 18:56

apples all the time to people, you know, I mean, you know, you'll meet people in huge moles that don't know where they are.

Chuck Shute: 19:02

Do you forget what city you're in? Sometimes I feel like that would be my biggest thing. If you're just in a different city every night you might forget which one it is. Well,

Biff Byford: 19:10

the thing is there there was there was a thing back in the day when you were playing multiple shows, you know, back in the day, we do like you know 1516 shows no days off. So sometimes the trauma is it would write the city on top of your setlist. So people knew where they were definitely. Yeah, because you just get you get you wake up at like four o'clock in the afternoon, you know, drift into the venue and soundcheck and then maybe, you know, go to the restroom and just read or watch TV. And sometimes you didn't know where you are now, sometimes you didn't know. Because I think that was more fatigue rather than memory.

Chuck Shute: 19:52

Mm hmm. It's got to get Yeah. Is it hard to tour as you get older? I feel like it would be hard to do that hard on your body and Just like stressful.

Biff Byford: 20:04

I think it gets harder. But you know, I think you can make it comfortable because you know more about you know how to do it better, you know what, you know, when you have to relax and you know, when you when you can party, so you just have to walk the line a bit more carefully. When you're like, you know, 70 or 60 or something, you have to walk the line a little bit carefully, but you can still do it all. Definitely, you can still, you can still show and have a good time, you know?

Chuck Shute: 20:37

Well, that's it. Yeah. I mean, you've got to still love performing. I mean, that would never get old just being on stage. And it's got to be an adrenaline rush still, right? Yeah,

Biff Byford: 20:46

I think if you if you can hack it, you will be fit enough just to, you know, put a show on. I think that's pretty cool. And then if you can't put a show, and then you should probably stop. But if you could put a show on, you know, and and get, you know, into it, get some power behind everything. I think that's the key, especially with with sort of heavy rock metal, you know, just to be powerful, I think.

Chuck Shute: 21:10

Yeah, no, definitely. You have to have the power. Yeah. So I think one of your is your best selling album, is it power and glory? Or it's one of your best sell selling albums. Right? Well, I

Biff Byford: 21:20

think in America, our best selling album would pound the glory and crusade, it's only our best selling out. Because our first three albums came out very quickly. There were three albums in, in 1982, our two albums, and we had another one very quickly in 1981. And I think I think the record, Courtney messed up with the distribution. So it wasn't until 1980s, sort of two or three that they actually got it together. I think we've stolen a lot of early albums on import, rather than in sort of manufactured in America. So a lot of the time that the sale didn't show up on American sales, you know, in in, you know, buying them direct from shops, and in the UK, or Germany or France.

Chuck Shute: 22:13

Wow. And those are diehards. Because I remember when I was a kid trying to buy the imports, it was always like double the price, or it was always like really expensive. I feel I don't visit the shipping.

Biff Byford: 22:22

Yeah, shipping, people will pay that though. Even now. Even now. We have albums released in you know, we have albums distributed in the US. People still like to buy the British version from a British shop. Although it's probably the same, but they just prefer you know, there's more kudos with the postage on the on the envelope, you know, right getting something. So getting something from hours of mother country if you're not.

Chuck Shute: 22:54

Oh, yeah, absolutely. So you know, but I was reading about the power and the glory. I was reading that. Is it true that the cover was done by Ridley Scott, the director who made it? Oh, alien and Gladiator? How did that come about? That's so random.

Biff Byford: 23:06

That thing is? Well, it's not that it's not that random. Our manager at the time, did some work with Ridley Scott and knew him. He was a friend of his. So he just asked him to do and I went to dinner in London with our manager and Ridley Scott and a couple other business people. Some incredible page three go module. Anyway, the story

Chuck Shute: 23:35

was the model.

Biff Byford: 23:36

So we're into this restaurant called the, the pier in London, right. And we had this meeting and he asked Ridley Scott to do the problem. He did it. I think he probably did it in about four hours or something, you know, but but that's the story. He was a friend of our manager.

Chuck Shute: 23:55

That's really cool. Yeah, that's cool for him too. Because like, you know, I mean, I didn't know that side of him. I thought he I mean, obviously, he's talented movie director, talented, creative person. So didn't know he could design cover art. And it's great.

Biff Byford: 24:08

I don't know, I wasn't there when he did it. I don't know. I don't know if you've got one of these guys to do. I don't know. That's the story. You know, it seems to be true. Because, you know, it says on the album, he did it. And he hasn't said anything against it in the last 40 years. So

Chuck Shute: 24:26

no, no, absolutely. No. Is it true to that? You have Elton John, play on one of your albums. How the heck did that happen?

Biff Byford: 24:34

On the sort of coincidence thing. We were in the studio at the same time. And our producer at work without John, in the early days. We had this song called party do you puke? And we just thought you'd be quite irreverent to get John to play piano on it. So he said Yeah, yeah, sorry. I'll do that. So he came in and played Piano with a heavy metal band. So I think it's what fun for him. And yeah, that's where it went. That's what it was really just ships in the night coincidence thing.

Chuck Shute: 25:10

That's amazing. Well, I know you got to wrap up here but I got to ask you about Metallica because they're big sacks and fans, but they're such big. You know, such a big band themselves. Are you a fan of Metallica? I know you guys have performed together and give me one good Metallica. storia

Biff Byford: 25:26

Oh, I love Metallica. Yeah, I think I think back in the day Metallica their supporters you know the Whiskey a Go Go kill clowns. Yeah, there Halsey one. Well, on that night was he came to see us. And we I think we were having having dinner or something before the gig or doing something and Metallica was set up on stage. And I wasn't there. I was there later for their show. But I wasn't there. And I had to add a huge like fan electric fan in front of me like I'm like a monitor. You know, like, it looked like a wedge monitor for singing, but it was a fan. And I think Metallica asked if they could use it. And our drummer just said no. So they didn't use it. So I think they they didn't talk to us for a long, long time because of that.

Chuck Shute: 26:20

But that's I hear stories like that all the time. I've done these episodes. I wrote

Biff Byford: 26:25

a book. I wrote a biography a few years ago and in the book I said, I said look if you want to use the fan anytime in future, it's not problem you can use it they got in touch with me after that just mostly realized that it was a bit stupid. And we got on big fans at Big friends after that. So that was pretty cool. That's ready

Chuck Shute: 26:48

to go. Yeah. Oh, well, thank you so much for doing this real quick. Is there? Is there a charity or cause you want to give a shout out to here at the end? I always like to end with a charity of the guest choice if there's something that I can put in the notes. Yeah, it

Biff Byford: 27:00

is. Yeah, it's a we do charge thing we are the do we give them on it to a thing called heavy metal truants. Okay, give it to not naughty for Robins. Child cancer fun. Either one of those. Okay, the metal challenge or not?

Chuck Shute: 27:17

All right. Well, thank you so much. This has been a blast. Great stories. Okay, see you later. Okay, bye bye. Okay, death by Ford Saxon, the new album is out February 4 2022. Car Bay dem seize the day. The new single the title track is out. Now it's streaming on Spotify, or wherever you stream. It's a great song. Like I said, it's got that slow bill and then it just kicks in. Gotta check it out. You can buy the album on vinyl cassette or CD. I think you can actually preorder it or buy it now. And then they will ship it to you in February when it comes out. So make sure to follow Saxon on social media to keep up with new releases and tour dates. And while you're on there, you could give me a follow and your likes, shares and comments. Those helped me out a lot and I appreciate it. And if you can just do me one, big solid and subscribe to my YouTube channel. That's my main focus right now. But you can also follow the show on Spotify, Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. So thank you for your support. I appreciate you. I hope you have a great rest of your day. And remember, shoot for the moon