First, there was 2006's Grammy-winning instrumental album
"Fingerprints."
"That was the first record I'd done that I
didn't care what anybody thought of it. It was the right time for me to
just go and do exactly what I needed to do," Frampton said.
Last
month, the famed guitarist released "Thank You Mr Churchill," perhaps
his most diverse, intimate and autobiographical album to date. The sense
of freedom on "Fingerprints" continues through "Churchill," with
Frampton conjuring a latter-day George Harrison in the radio-ready "I'm
Due a You" and bows to the altar of the Funk Brothers, Motown's old
house band, in "Invisible Man."
The album also features an
impressive backing band, with Matt Cameron (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden) on
drums, Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) on keyboards and
Craig Young on bass.
The Kent, England, native says his songs are
braver now. "I've tackled some new things here," he said.
Now
several years sober, Frampton felt more comfortable looking inward and
facing intense personal struggles such as the recent deaths of his
parents.
"Their loss was awful, but I look at my time with them
and my family, [and] that has made me smile. As time goes on, the grief
changes into wonderful memories. I've got my family. I can look back if I
close my eyes, and we're all together again. The best times of my life
are up the road. I'm with my family and my children. And so it goes," he
said.
CNN spoke to Frampton about his second act, musical
validation and his most meaningful collaboration. The following is an
edited version of the interview.
CNN: People who may only
know you as the '70s rock god, what can they expect from this album?
Peter Frampton: I know that very well because of my Facebook
page, and there are still people that worry about the fact that I don't
have golden locks anymore. So I'm very aware of how some people are
locked in that time. They have just got to hear the album. They've got
to listen to the music. They've got to come hear me play live. We can
transition them very well if they come to the concert. We'll bring them
right up to date.
CNN: Going back to your previous album,
"Fingerprints," what was it about that record that led to a creative
resurgence?
Frampton: First of all, I think that
"Fingerprints" was the first CD I made with my new birthday, being that
I'm seven years sober. That played into the equation big time. I'm not
preaching; it was just the right thing to do. I think that this album is
an [extension of that]. Receiving the Grammy was a shock, actually, but
it definitely gave me a feeling of final validity as the musician I've
always been. It changed the perception of me in so many ways.
I
think I lost my father halfway through "Fingerprints." And then Mom left
us in the interim. And they're gone, and it's a realization that now
you're an orphan. And it's a completely different feeling. You don't
know until you experience it, and that definitely affected my way of
looking at life.
CNN: What did creating this album reveal
to you about yourself?
Frampton: I think that in a way, it
let me realize how important my family is to me. I'm learning all the
time. I've learned things like how to be a better person, better father,
better husband. I use to say it was painful to write lyrics about
myself and looking inward. I've found this very refreshing. It's just a
weight off my head.
CNN: Do you think you're able to do
that because of the sobriety?
Frampton: I'm sure that I am
enjoying my sobriety. And respect it. If you've been through what I've
been through, then you really do treasure it. And I look after it.
CNN:
I have to ask about the Funk Brothers. ...
Frampton: Oh,
my goodness. To actually be in the studio with the original Funk
Brothers and cutting a song we wrote for them, "The Invisible Man" ...
it was one of the most incredible days of work -- if you can call it
that -- that I've ever experienced.
CNN: Speaking of
collaborations, there's a rather special one on "Road to the Sun."
Frampton:
My son Julian! We decided to sit down and jam and write a couple of
songs. And neither one of us had any idea that [it would be on the
record]. So we were excited about this track. ...
And then of
course when I told Julian he was going to be on the record, I said,
"Matt Cameron's gonna be on the track," and he just about dropped the
phone. He is his favorite drummer, being a drummer himself. He was just
floored. And the vocal you hear is the first take. I'm so honored to be
able to say that my son was able to do it on the first take. That's a
proud papa right there.
CNN: Do you think you have been
able to come back and do all this had you not gone through everything
you'd gone through in the late '70s and '80s?
Frampton:
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. That's for sure. I believe
that I started strong. Some might say I didn't pay enough of my dues,
and I think I've paid my dues. You keep paying dues. But I think I had a
strong start, and I'm going to have a strong finish.
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