This edition of the Chatterbox Redux podcast is brought to you in association with the Old Glory Iconic Music and Sports Superstore. More from them in a bit. Chatterbox. When the stars talk, they talk to Nick and Sue. Welcome back to the Chatterbox Redux podcast with Sue and Nick and today our special guest is Ian Wills
from Wills and the Willing. This is Nick and Sue with Chatterbox giving you all you need to know about musical entertainment Chatterbox, the best interviews with Nick and Sue Chatterbox, the best news Chatterbox we're just lucky enough to welcome back Ian Wills of Wills and the Willing. Ian welcome back how are you sir? Very well thank you Nick and yourself. Well good thank you thank
you. Right we've got this new single which is coming from a forthcoming album which we're going to have a big big chat about in the future about the album when it comes out. Newton's Law yeah right well I can think of three basic Newton's Laws which ones it based on? Well, it was based upon two really, the theory of gravity, what goes up has got to come down and the balance
of physics. But in translating that into the single, the idea being is that in my head was that no matter what you do, you can't avoid inevitability. So that's Newton's law, it goes up, it comes down. I like it, yeah, because I was thinking, well, yeah, I was kind of thinking, well, could it be like the, I was thinking, well, could it be acceleration, the force, something we were going with it, so he went down that, that's fine,
perfect answer, as always. Thank you. The theory being was what happened in the thought process was there was another young life lost and in tragic circumstances, and it made me feel very uncomfortable with being alive. And that no matter how well you try to live your life or atone for the things that you've done in the past and try to balance the books, there is inevitability. And I think I captured that in the lyrics when I said, when it's time, it's time. When it's
you up, you're up. And it seemed very tragic in my mind. And, you know, the line, I think, was no matter how you atone, the good die young and alone. And that was really what set me down that path. And then I thought about losing somebody. And then they get to heaven, if it exists, who
knows. But on the basis that it does exist. That when they asked me... what the reasons they were this I would blame myself I would say it's Newton's law okay and then the theory being is that when it was my time um and I get to heaven being the person I am I'm not going to go there with clean hands I'm going to have a hacksaw because I know there's a challenge that they might not let me in and so therefore that was my sort of preparation for that moment and that's what the song really
is about belief redemption inevitability and and tragedy but okay we've been talking quite some years now where we were locked down or when you did your first album it was a very long time we've been radio norsi international before chatterbox even started i remember one sunday come on we had a good chat about your background and yeah denning spy ketchup in lay buys and I think you're up to the age of 15 to have a story and maybe we'll bring it up again when we perhaps talk
about the album. It's a great story. So, but then again, you say about redemption, you have spent a lifetime redeeming yourself. You had a fantastic life as well, but a great story. It's an incredible story. It fills up volumes
of autobiographies. You're so kind. but i mean it's a very serious point now i know you've had a lot of health issues and the way you're talking about the newton's law and the the thought process behind it is health really not good are you thinking this could be the last project is it that serious now or how is it you know you fight you have a series of challenges all the time the days when i get up and i feel like i'm 21 and and i you know mentally i'm always going to be 21
But the physicality, again, Newton's law, the outcome of physicality is physics. And there are days when I really do struggle and times when I really think like, wow, is this the inevitability of the end? And again, I think I did get very unwell when making this album. And I got diagnosed with the cirrhosis of the liver. And then in the pre -production of this album, I ended up picking up a UTI that's the size of Mount Kilimanjaro.
It really was bad. And then in the process of thinking that I've got out of that, you know, I think that was caused by the prostate cancer and the cirrhosis and everything else that's going on internally. And then, you know, I ended up getting sepsis. And so you do feel to yourself, is this today? Is this the moment? Is it come to the end? And I think that, so you live with that. It's not fear. You live it with almost
like a motivation. And in using that Newton's law, a very dear friend of mine, we've been friends for over 50 years. I've got father to his second child. I held each one of these babies in my arms when they were born. And his son is about as clean, living, good boy that you could get. His daughter is 11 months old. He was 34. He sat down on the TV and he died. Just like that. And when I was at the service a couple of weeks ago, I sat there in isolation and felt to myself
that... If ever there was an applicable song applied to what I was sitting through, it was Newton's law, because the good do die young. And so it continues to make me feel that every day is a blessing and every sleep might be your last. Sure. You have, of course, stared dead in the face. A few times in your life. That's when you were young of course. Hopefully you will again. I think it's great that new listeners in the years have been speaking. There's a lot
of new listeners come by. I'm sure we know the stories. I'm sure we can skin through them. I think they need to know that. It's just amazing. You certainly had your fair experience of staring death in the face. Are we connected with a teacher? There was a couple of teachers that really, when I was at school, they remember me, I don't remember myself, if that makes sense. So I remember every bad thing that I did, because it was outrageously
bad. And we were laughing and joking, so I promised them a couple of years ago that I would do for them a lunch at my house and do an acoustic gig, just me and a guitar. I got my friend Steve to come and do it with me. And Danny is such a great man. And he went from being an English teacher to chief executive of 12 academies. And he openly, those who've read my book know that he actually dined out on me for 40 years because of the things that I did. And we were talking, a joke in a
light and a particular song. And we were talking about my gardening business. And at the point that I'd written this poem was the first thing, it was really the first thing I'd written. I got in my car one day when I got my license back and I went, I drove across to France and I went across to Flanders. And I was, came back and it triggers something in me. So I wrote this
poem called Flanders. I was so proud of it. So I went to school and at this point I think Danny was, I think he was definitely head at that point,
or got up, let's see. and he saw me and embraced me and I did this poem and I showed him this poem he gave me this book of war poets from the first world war and it stuck with me and I had my gardening business and I was doing and I said to him I will you know I'll give a job to somebody like that this was a outrageous reprobate like me now he actually genuinely believed that my gardening business was the front for me to go and burgle high -end houses because I was that
bad in the sense of like where you were so to see that change in your personality and you know I never burgled anybody's house but you know people think that you're upgrading your criminality Yeah, I never thought you were the Wimbledon Proud or anything like that. They're so proud of me. They're in their late 70s and early 80s, these two friends, and they're so proud of me that I came out the other side. And Gareth, who is in his 80s now, he became the headmaster.
So I was forced to leave school when I was evicted by the police from the school, but I had to attend, it was part of what was my... probation that I had to do in advance of trying to sort of keep myself together. But he said to me that he didn't believe that I'd make 18. And he was right. I remember the things that happened to me in that process. And so to get here either through ill health to be still in your 60s, that violence didn't take me, the way that I lived that early
life didn't take me. You know, I've been shot
at. and the bullet missed me and so you know and so you you do believe so when you when you when you reflect all of that into your creativity or storytelling there's always the the part of you that um there's always the truth in there and um and I think I was looking in Newton's law again for me it was about atonement and I think the triggering that is you still try to atone for the things that you did wrong and even though you've probably done far more right than
you ever going to do wrong. But the wrong still outweighs the right. Nick and Sue. Supporting the show means supporting the brands that keep the lights on and today I'm thrilled to talk about a personal favorite of mine, Old Glory. Old Glory is the ultimate destination for music, sports and pop culture fans. They are a family
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for 15 % off your entire order. The link is also waiting for you in the show notes of this podcast. Don't forget CBUKRDUX. So here's Nick and Sue, your musical duo. This is Nick and Sue with Cheddar Box, giving you all you need to know about musical entertainment. Cheddar Box! Cheddar Box! Cheddar Box! Cheddar Box! Cheddar Box! Cheddar Box! Cheddar Box! Cheddar Box! Right, you've got an album coming out which we're going to chat about in detail when it comes out. When is it coming out
actually? Well, I'm not sure. I think it would be late summer, early autumn. It's been mixed as we speak. It's called, that's why I wrote this song. Yes, yes. And I thought if ever there's a great story, a title for an album, it will intrigue people to see well what's that about? And so that's what I thought, well I hope that has the effect. Sure. Last time we spoke, it wasn't the last album I guess, you were doing a concert, was it St Martin in the Field? St
Pancras, St Pancras Old Church. Oh the Old Church, oh it's beautiful that is, yes. Oh my god, thank you. Yes so many people we chat to are there, yes of course. And I think you were giving a free copy of the CD or something? Yeah I gave copies to the album to everybody and I'll tell you a little story if we've got time Nick about that. So I plan to do it in the June of 2024. Again, I got ill. I knew I wasn't match fit.
But there's a guy, his name's Paul. I'm not gonna say his last name, but his first name's Paul. He's been a fan of mine since the very, very beginning. And Curbside, he even texted me the other day saying how much Curbside is one of his favorite albums of all time. So he's a working class man, doesn't have much money, lives in Norfolk, and he was making the journey from Norfolk to London to come and see me. Now he booked everything, he booked his tickets and everything else, and
I cancelled. He was like, oh, Ian, no problem. And I know he couldn't get his money back and everything else. So I said, you know what, I have a morality here. I need to make this right. Covered his air his train ticket and his hotel for him as much as came up on a coach He took the day off work rights was costing him money to come and see me he came and And I remembered
Paul from the time of curbside. So it was wonderful to connect to something but what gave me the most Pleasure from that was he wrote me a card Okay, and in that car, he obviously said thank you for aware But he also said to me how much my music had meant to him in his life and so I feel that like every time one person says to me that there is some connection between the music and myself that that to me that feels like a million people and so it's so that's why I
wrote this song I think reflects that. And it's going to be fantastic talking about the new album when we do it. I mean, we do it before it comes out. We're not going to wait for it. As soon as I get the press release. But since we had the last interview, I mean, Chatterbox has obviously
gone from strength to strength. 200 radio stations well now there's a podcast so all the interviews go on a podcast on all the platforms as well so we've grown to the next stage so uh whatever happens you are going to have a new audience you know even thank you so it's nice so i'm looking forward to sharing that album with you and uh you know we we give it the time it deserves like we've done in the past you know absolutely throwing a whole load of the tracks that are meaningful
to you and stuff like that um but um before we let you go let's do some social medias i know you've got one great website so if you chuck all your social media at them please ian yeah
it's obviously willsandowillin .com you can find me on instagram and facebook what's impressed what really got me i have to tell you this before we go right in april i had 96 listeners on spotify in may i've got just under 5 000 brilliant yeah And Newton's Law has had, I think, like one way or another, it's had like 20 or 1 ,000 plays
across all the platforms streaming -wise. Now, that's not the same as like Springsteen or Coldplay or YouTube, but for Ian Wills, that's like, for me, that is a massive recognition for what, making six albums, what will be the sixth album, and
the strength of those carry me. And what I thought was really cool, you know, Spotify, they've done now an essential... wheels and the willing so anybody's listening to this i know right i was like wow i was like winning the fa cup yes brilliant brilliant well with us i mean we only launched on february the 9th and of course it was slow to start with you know think oh my god we got 29 that day you think but uh yeah uh we're now obviously three months in just and uh i i expect
a minimum of 500 downloads a week now on the new podcast oh wonderful that's a good start That's really good stuff. What I'm saying is though 500 people is 500 people that want to listen to you. Yes. That's the point. So it's not like it's people listening to a radio at home and now they just listen to an interview. These people in my opinion on a podcast want
to listen to you. Yes and it's great that's great and well done you know you deserve it you've been banging away like I've been banging away and and and you know the great thing the recipe of success is failure. Yes About time you have no idea what success feels like I had 20 years out of radio in the middle of that There's a lot of stories there, but they guess I totally
agree. It's a great great thing, you know And of course you you are being called many times and quite rightly so the the injury of the the new century the Millennium so I still I still treasure that and you know what was really quite nice in making sound with the band Was Simon and uh donnie uh simon said to me that he felt like um i was now sort of in his mind lennard cohen and uh donnie said to me he felt like nick drake oh yes yes i know yeah yeah yeah so that
was really uh you know he did quite a lot of stuff didn't he yeah yeah yeah i remember bless him rest in peace yes i know right So it's really nice to feel that, but the injury thing is such a, I wear that with pride. It means a lot to me, and it is quite fitting and quite right what you've been through and your health and everything. It wasn't that long ago we actually interviewed Chas Jank, of course we had quite a chat then. It's fantastic, it is well deserved of course.
Thank you. uh yeah always love to chat longer but we will make a big thing of it on the what i do because i've got your facebook and everything i can always make sure by messenger we've got an alternative just in case there's a problem yes yeah next time we got that lisa sent me your whatsapp thing so Yeah, I'm here. We'd be good, mate. But we've never had a front before, so he's just a one -off, I'm sure, but, you know. But, Ian, great, every success with the single.
Thank you. And we'll chat again with the album anyway. Thank you again for all your support. It's a pleasure, as always. Cheers, Ian. You know I appreciate it. Cheers, mate. Take care. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. You have been listening to the Chatterbox Redux podcast with Sue and Nick and today our special guest was Ian Wills
of Wills and the Willing. If you're interested in becoming a future guest on the Chatterbox Redux podcast or the radio show Chatterbox UK, you're welcome to submit songs, books or whatever it is you do and send us a CV, synopsis or press release. However, we receive several thousand such press releases every week and it's impossible to reply to each one individually. Why not email us or leave a comment because we'd love to know what you think of the podcast. Our email address
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