The Moody Blues' Justin Hayward Talks About Life On The Road

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Is the Moody Blues' Justin Hayward ells it, life on the road certainly has :hanged for the British band that once Jrove itself across America in a station vagon and a U-Haul truck full of gui-ars and amps.

Driving themselves from coast to coast in '68, they picked up gigs at small :lubs along the way. Staying in small motels, at the residences of gracious6 ans, or "wherever we found ourselves at that particular moment," the vtoody Blues started out like hundreds of other bands hitting the road in \merica for the first time. Nearly 40 years and dozens of albums later, the jand has become legendary7 for their concert performances worldwide. Al-hough their music has retained its ethereal and majestic spirit,8 life on the oad has changed since those early days with the U-Haul.

'The qualities of the hotels have changed, that's for sure," says Hayward who ilong with the two other remaining longtime members of the influential sand—John Lodge and Graeme Edge (flautist9 Ray Thomas departed after the !003 tour ended)—has been currently touring North America and Canada iince May with the Moodys. "It's better ...
... now," he adds without hesitation. 'People always say 'don't you want to go back and play all the little clubs again and that kind of stuff? ' But, what's the point of being a Moody Blue if

you can't do it nicely with some style10?"

The band's nerve center" , Hayward, Lodge and Edge (all around 60 y« old) , still hit the road — in style — about four times a year. Being on the re so often, don't they get tired of traveling and being away from home? "I dc mind," says Hayward who lives with his wife in the south of France. '"V just have to accept that touring is sort of 80 percent boredom , 20 percent fr; tic12 activity. I like the frantic activity stuff. "

For the band's tours these days, Hayward says they usually try to perform nights continuously — usually in different cities — and then take a day off. you're 6,000 miles from home, you had better play nightly really," says He ward. "On the days off I'm just sort of wandering around, looking for a me ie. " Although Hayward says the last flick he took in, Shrek 2, was "OK,' he would prefer to be up there performing on stage every night, even if i songs that were written over 20 years ago for the most part.

The Moodys don't play a show, however, without a certain song that me tions the word "satin." In fact, Hayward is sure that the band has play< Nights in White Satin at every gig the band has played since 1967. So, ho does the song stay fresh? Has the meaning changed for its songwriter?

"I think I've learned that there is more meaning in it than I thought," muses Hayward. "Really, I mean I was just a young guy when I wrote the song. / years have gone by I've kind of realized that there is a lot of truth in it. An actually I do write letters never meaning to send. I find it a kind of cathartic thing. If I've got a problem with somebody or if there's something difficult th; needs to be said I'll often write them a letter first and then not even send it just like looking at it the next day and seeing whether it really is what's on m mind. And I think there's a line in it that goes just what you want to be; you' be in the end. 16I think that's true as well . . . And it's a wonderful thing to b able to share that kind of song. It means a lot to people and I never get tired o having that experience of people enjoying it. "

Hayward says that's part of the reason that after 35 years with the Moodys, a: he endearingly17 refers to the band; he's still out there performing night afte night. "That's a part of it, yes. The music has become a part of people's live; and you can see it in the crowd every night. It's a pleasure that I wouldn't want to give up. "