You have toured with Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps. What was that like?
Yeah, that was fun. Gene was really a good artist. He was a little
crazy sometimes, and also his band, but it was fun
working with him. Gene was the wildest one of the bunch.
He wasn't exactly calm.He'd get mad at people out in the
audience. One time in the Northwest, the audience was
filled with lumberjacks, guys with big arms and big
necks from cuttin' trees down and Gene would go: "Hey
you, guys, meet me behind this thing, and me and my band
will whoop ya!" (laughs). And I'd go: "No, no, don't
tell them that, Gene!". He'd always wanna fight the
biggest guy in the place.
Was he suicidal or something?
I think so. No, I
think he knew they wouldn't hit him, because he had a
cast. He was cripple. Nobody's gonna hit a cripple, but they would hit us!
D.J Fontana interviewed by Arjan Deelen (1999)
Vous avez tourné avec Gene Vincent et ses Blue Caps. C'etait comment ?
Ouaip,c'etait "fun".Gene etait vraiment bon.Il etait un peu cinglé parfois,et son groupe aussi,mais c'etait marrant de travailler avec lui.Gene etait le plus sauvage de tous. Ce n'etait pas quelqu'un de calme,il rendait le public dingue. Un jour,dans le Nord,devant un public de bucherons (des gros bras aux epaules larges assez forts pour abattre des arbres)...Gene lança:"hey les mecs,venez un peu derriere,moi et mon groupe,on vous prend"(rires).Et moi:"non,non Gene,ne leur dit pas ça!" Il voulait toujours se battre avec le plus balaise du coin.
Etait il suicidaire ou quoi ?
Je crois bien. Non,je crois qu'il savait que les gens ne le frapperait pas,parcequ'il avait un platre. Il etait handicapé.Personne ne frapperait un handicapé,mais ils pouvaient s'en prendre a nous!
D.J Fontana interviewed by Arjan Deelen (1999)