The iconic folk-rocker, who had his first hit in 1965, gets ready to head out solo to play a string of cross-legged acoustic shows.
When your career began a half-century ago, Harold Wilson was one year into his stint as Prime Minister.
Yeah. A lot of my pals were comets that burned too brightly even before the 1960s ended. I’m more health-conscious. I’m not a big exercise guy but I eat mostly vegetarian food. I try to live in the moment, meditating for twenty minutes a day.
Why is this UK tour the first one you’ve done in a decade?
I’m a guy who either does nothing or something, and when it’s something, it’s usually a lot.
Playing thirty-two dates in six weeks is a demanding schedule…
The gypsy in my soul can handle it and the physicality of it shouldn’t be a problem. I’m not travelling with a full band. This time I’m solo on acoustic guitar, sitting cross-legged on sheepskins on a raised platform.
How structured is the performance going to be on this tour?
It’s Donovan telling the story of Donovan, so there’s a path from my folk-blues acoustic period onwards. I’m not shy of singing my biggest hits, but where the show changes is the deeper, cult songs from the albums. I sometimes swap those around.
What are your views on the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, to which you were inducted in 2012?
I accept awards because they shine a bright light onto my work. It helps to reveal to younger people that I haven’t just had fifteen hits singles – there’s a catalogue of twenty-two albums.
Classic Rock 216: News & Regulars
_
