Few musicians today who have continued to produce records and engage in world tours after an unbridled success in the sixties have earned the title of living legend. Jeff Beck, original member of THE YARDBIRDS, musical collabrator with Rod Stewart, and an exceptional and celebrated guitarist in his own right, is an artisit who covets such a degree. His current album available on CBS records, "Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop", has been well- recieved both critically and globally, and has undoubtedly had a "slingshot" effect upon returning him to his rightful status as one of rock's legendary guitar heros. Along with Terry Bozio on drums and Tony Hymas on keyboards, Beck's newly formed band have just completed a U.S. tour, where he is assured fans that even after a ten year solace, he alone is the master of the "Strat". "Outer Shell joined Beck backstage after his standing- room only set at the USF Sundome on November 22, where he shared billing with Stevie Ray Vaughan.

K.B.: It's been said that you hate touring, what has prompted you to do thidtour after almost ten years?

J.B.: I thought that people might forget me. I just thought that there's more in me, and if I leave it much longer it would be absurd, I mean nine years is a long time not to be seen. I genuinely felt an inner desire to see if we could pick up and play some new music. The long wait has been waiting for a decent drummer, you know like my pal Simon Phillips, who I reckon is the best English drummer, he's got a family..a Porshe to look after..so slotting my schedule with him is not that easy. He had to go and work with the Who and that put paid to that; and I've been waiting for Terry (Bozzio) for a year.

K.B.: And you will be starting a tour of England in February?

J.B.: It depends if we survive, physically, the onslaught (of this U.S. tour).

K.B.: It's draining isn't it?

J.B.: Yeah, yeah it is.

K.B.: Will you be touring with Stevie Ray Vaughan over there?

J.B.: No, no...It's just uh, Stevie was touring and we had two choices-one to back up Aerosmith and open for them-cause this is a brand new band, a brand-new album, I've put myself back a few paces, you know to open for people, to get back into it...and "they" said, 'well you don't have to open, you can alternate, you can open one night and then let Stevie open one night, it's a real guitar-freak audience, it'll be much better for you than the stockings and suspender-belt-type girlie audiences'-and I thought well okay, but I love Aerosmith just as much, but we thought this is a smaller deal, and it's a good way to start retouring.

K.B.: I think your music (yours and Stevie Ray Vaughan's) is a little more similar, too.

J.B.: It's more...parellel to it...then trying to entertain 50,000 little screaming kids.

K.B.: And plus your both renowned as professional guitarists.

J.B.: Yeah, well I think it's having more punch this way, then if we went staright into the 50,000 seat arenas with Aerosmith, cause we want to do that ourselves, you know. But I would have liked to seen what it would've been like anyway, but you can't be two people at once.

K.B.: What part of America would you say has been most receptive to your new album and your present tour?

J.B.: Most receptive, New York...Detroit.

K.B.: Madison Square Garden?

J.B.: Oh yeah...It's been really "hot" all around.

K.B.: What about the gig here, how do you think the audience responded?

J.B.: Yeah, I thought they were brilliant...they listened to the slow stuff which was great...they were the model audience.

K.B.: Could you compare the English and American audience?

J.B.: I have a lot more to do with the America because basically I'm influenced by American music-back from when I was 11, 12, my sister was into Elvis and all that, you know, so I grew up listening to it.

K.B.: You have a real cult following over here.

J.B.: I think the toughest audiences are English and American, they're both a challenge, but my home is here really...musically...because I've tapped so much out of the original blues and rock and roll that I've listened to since I was 12.

K.B.: You've toured quite a bit here, too, with Rod Stewart for example.

J.B.: Yeah, Rod Stewart and The Yardbirds.

K.B.: I remember a few years ago when you were on tour with Rod Stewart, and you cancelled, after only a few shows?

J.B.: It was a definite doom-ridden tour...Rod wasn't in Vogue at the time and he was still doing his bum- wiggling act.

K.B.: I wanted to ask how you two kind of had a parting of the ways, but I wasn't sure if you're upset about it or...?

J.B.: No, no it's all right.

K.B.: I noticed you played "People Get Ready" a song you wrote together; I was surprised you played that.

J.B.: It's a good song...I wish we could suddenly beam Rod down for that number and then beam him back up!

K.B.: Well, what happened with that?

J.B.: Well I thought that "People Get Ready" would have been an ideal springboard for us both to get into another band together. But he had just been taken over by new management, and he was being bludgeoned from all sides to get on with the new image and all that sort of thing. And the new management didn't want me to be the man that got him back on the road again. It was stupid.

K.B.: Really, that's not what we heard at all over here.

J.B.: What did you hear?

K.B.: Well that you were in the Midwest, maybe Vegas...?

J.B.: Yeah, that's right.

K.B.: And you walked off on stage; it was on the radio.

J.B.: No, I did the show, I did six shows with him, and Calgary was the last vestige of...depths...you know like Jeff Beck's got to leave this tour...there was a big...the hand of God was pulling me out...saying don't go any further...it was stupid. The whole audience was made up of like blue-rinse Vegas-type women, all sneering and leering at Rod's bum, you know, it was terrible.

K.B.: Well, I'd like to clear that up because the press that we got over here was that the two of had had a big argument.

J.B.: No, we never argued because he was always on another plane (laughing).

K.B.: I heard you were forming a band over here in the States.

J.B.: Yeah, this is it.

K.B.: So we can expect to see a lot more of you?

J.B.: Yeah, this is the band, I mean I don't know if Tony's (Hymas) gonna stay, he's got family and that, but Terry (Bozzio) is.

K.B.: Can you tell me about your new album-it's really kind of experimental isn't it?

J.B.: Yeah it is. It's a blue print for...for further development. Once you knock on people's doors, and they get a taste of what you can do, it's not too much ice cream for them to swallow; there's a little bit of everything in there, and we can tell by this tour what goes down the best. It's an experimental album, which we can sit down after this tour and say 'well this one went great, that one not so hot, this one went well'.

K.B.: I'd like to ask you something about the Yardbirds-would you ever play anything from them during one of your current tours?

J.B.: Yeah.

K.B.: "For Your Love"?

J.B.: No, we're gonna do a song called "Train Kept A Rollin".

K.B.: Didn't Aerosmith do that?

J.B.: Yeah they nicked it!

At this point in time our interview was abruptly cut short by an intrusive spokesman for a major record company.

??: Really, Jeff, we really should go, baby, they're important people; they've been waiting for an hour nearly darling, they want to see Stevie as well but they want to see Jeff. I'm sorry but you know....

K.B.: That's all right.

J.B.: Have you got enough, I'm sorry.

K.B.: Yeah, thats fine; see that wasn't so bad, was it?

J.B.: No, no

K.B.: Better than they'll be I'm sure!

J.B.: Yeah, yeah.....bastards!