BAY CITY ROLLERS SINGER LES MCKEOWN DISCUSSES HIS BATTLE WITH ALCOHOLISM – AND PROSPECTS FOR A FUTURE REUNION
CUIDE RI CATHY – LES MCKEOWN
Monday 21 June, 10pm, BBC ALBA
Former Bay City Rollers star Les McKeown spends a day in London with Cathy MacDonald and talks candidly about the breakup of the most successful Scottish band of all time, his battle with alcohol as well as his future plans in music.
Les McKeown & Cathy MacDonald
Speaking during the latest programme of the Cuide Ri Cathy series on BBC ALBA, Cathy catches up with Les in the recording studio and accompanies him to a radio interview before taking time out to sit down and discuss his career and what lies ahead for the singer.
In particular, Les lays bare the circumstances surrounding his alcoholism and spell in rehab. He tells Cathy that whilst he had used alcohol and drugs during his days in Bay City Rollers, it wasn’t until decades later that it became a major problem.
Les explains: “Alcohol never really became a crutch for me until 2002 when my Mum and Dad passed away. For whatever reason, I just hit the bottle and started drinking a bottle a day and then two bottles a day of my favourite bourbon. That was my lifestyle, taking a day off drinking sometimes for a gig. It affected my health, my voice and my attitude. I was pretty bad.
“I was very low, very negative about everything - my life was complete s***e and it was all everyone else’s fault except my own. Being in rehab made me realise that I’m responsible for my own life and I can, if I want to, have the power to turn my own life around. It’s not easy but I’ve managed to do it.”
The Edinburgh born frontman, who joined the Rollers in 1973 to replace the band’s original singer, Nobby Clark, also speaks about the continuing dispute over royalties. Some estimates suggest that the band has sold nearly 300 million records, and Les is keen to see the financial rewards from those sales. He says: “We’re about to go to trial in America for all our money going back more than 30 years. The legal team we’ve got are putting all the money behind it – we’re not having to put in a penny of our own. They believe 100% that we’re going to get the most enormous settlement ever.”
Aside from legal disputes and issues with addiction, Les is keen to concentrate on forging ahead with his new material. The singer is keen to let people hear the new tracks he has penned, although he realises there is still a section of his fan base that wants him to hark back to his glory days of the 1970s. Yet Les feels confident that he is finally on the right road, explaining: “I hope to get a good promotion behind the songs so people can hear them and decide whether they want to buy them. If it puts me back in the charts again then that would be great.”
Despite his insistence on looking towards new musical projects, Les refuses to rule out one day reuniting with his former Bay City Rollers colleagues. Despite publicity regarding the stormy relationship that exists between the ex-band members, Les admits that spending time on the road might be the best way to heal any rifts.
Les says: “It would be great if there was an opportunity to get back together. The last time we did that was the millennium concert in Edinburgh and that was a good feeling but at the same time it was still a bit awkward. We would definitely need to be on a tour and develop some kind of relationship.”
CUIDE RI CATHY will be broadcast on BBC ALBA on Monday 21 June at 22:00 and is available on Sky channel 168 & Freesat channel 110.