INSTANT KARMA
MIKE CAMPBELL
AN AUDIENCE WITH...
The Heartbreaker turned Dirty Knob talks Petty, Diddley, Dylan and touring the British Isles in a bread van
Interview by SAM RICHARDS
Going with the flow: Campbell in 2022
CHRISPHELPS
“The songs I’m feeling right now, they want that raw energy”
“THIS is my man cave,” says Mike Campbell, showing Uncut around his home studio. He’s being a little modest – not many man caves have hosted the likes of Tom Petty, Del Shannon and Roy Orbison, although the place he calls Hocus Pocus Recorders retains Campbell’s very personal sense of charming chaos. “Here’s my piano, signed by Little Richard,” he says, swinging the camera around. “This is the drum room, all set up and ready to go. Rickenbacker bass there in the background.
Guitars everywhere, of course. It’s great for somebody like me who’s always writing. If I want to record, I don’t have to worry about setting up the mics – I just turn ’em on and go. It’s a perfect artist’s world.”
The latest album to emerge from Hocus Pocus is Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits, Campbell’s third as late-blossoming frontman of The Dirty Knobs. “I’m really proud of it,” he says. “The lyrics are getting better – I’m learning how to get a little more polished with my character development.” There are some impressive cameos, too.
“Benmont [Tench] played piano on one song. Chris Stapleton came in and sang on a couple of things. Graham Nash sang some harmony on a song called ‘Dare To Dream’, really made it good. And there’s a duet with Lucinda Williams, who just brings so much soul and depth. So you don’t have to listen to me the whole time, there’s other guys in there too.”