Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: ‘I’m Verklempt’
Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen is rarely speechless, but the news that his band got into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame briefly left him unable to find find words. “Usually I’m a man of many words, but this has got me in a tizzy here,” he says on the phone. “I’m verklempt. I don’t know what to say. It’s very exciting.” The moment passed quickly, and soon enough he was chatting about the induction ceremony, a possible reunion with original drummer Bun E. Carlos and why Cheap Trick will never stop touring.
How are you doing?
I’m a little jet-lagged, though I have permanent jet lag. I was in Italy on Thursday. I was in London on Friday. I was in Chicago on Saturday. Sunday I was in Nashville. Now I’m in Los Angeles. Every other year, I spend Thanksgiving in England with Dave Clark from the Dave Clark Five and a bunch of other people.
Congratulations on the Hall of Fame.
Yeah. I heard about it last night. I actually heard five minutes before I heard I was doing an interview with you. You probably knew before I did.
Who told you the news?
It was people from the record company who said, “Congratulations. Don’t tell anybody.” I don’t think I’ve gotten any official thing. I need to see a signed paper.
I can assure you it’s true.
Wow, that’s fantastic.
Your first reaction?
I was prepared to not get it and say, “Oh, well, better luck next time.” When I was with Dave Clark, he told me all about what happened with him and how Tom Hanks inducted them. He said, “I voted for you five times.” That was pretty funny. A bunch of other people told me they voted for us, like Little Steven. I find out now I had more friends than I thought I did.
Do you care that it’s taken so long?
Not at all. We have nothing to do with it. We have fans from all over the place. Some people from Rockford, Illinois, drove 10,000 signatures to Cleveland. When people would ask me, I’d say, “It’s totally out of our hands.” I appreciate that people thought enough about us to spend their time on our behalf.
Did they tell you any details of the night?
I have no idea about anything.
Ok. It’s going to be at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Let me get a pen. I want to write this stuff down. You’re my guy! I don’t know anything.
It’s April 8th, and it’s you guys, Deep Purple, Chicago, Steve Miller Band and N.W.A.
Wow.
Are you a fan of those groups?
Oh, yeah. We toured with Deep Purple a number of times. Chicago, duh! Steve Miller actually gave me a guitar 10 years ago, and I have one for him. Maybe I can bring that guitar and finally get it to him. And N.W.A? How about that?