What was it like working with Bryan Adams?

Bryan is one of the most amazing people I've ever known. He's very driven and focussed. When he wasn't touring -- when we were just concentrating on song writing -- we'd get together every day, seven days a week. We'd start at noon and finish at midnight, with a "tea break" in the afternoon and dinner at 7:00. Sometimes I'd be tired and want to "pack it in" after dinner, but Bryan would say "Come on Vallance, you can do it", and we'd spend another hour or two. Often that's when we came up with our best ideas.

We didn't necessarily write a song every day, but we hammered away at song ideas until something looked promising. When we knew we were onto something, we'd spend a day or two refining the melody and the lyrics, then we'd record a meticulous demo, a real paint-by-numbers blueprint for Bryan's band to follow later.

As a person, what did/do you think of Bryan?

Bryan is remarkable. He's one of the most intelligent, motivated people I've ever met. He's unstoppable. In the very early days (1978) we couldn't get anyone to listen to our songs, or to pay attention to Bryan as an artist. He was never discouraged by that. It just made him work harder.

What did/do you think Bryan thought of YOU? As a song-writing partner or otherwise.

After I quit working with him, Bryan said some really nasty things about me in the press ... like, he said he started writing with Mutt because I "wasn't committed enough", which wasn't true at all. That lasted for a year or two, then he started saying really nice things about me! He called me a "near genius" and said I was one of his biggest influences. In an interview in "Bass Player" magazine he mentioned "Paul McCartney and Jim Vallance" as the main influences on his bass playing! I was blown away by that!

Looking back, I can see what a magical, creative period Bryan and I had, from 1978 until about 1987. It started to unravel after that. But when we were at the top of our game, it was extremely inspiring to be in the same room, sitting across from Bryan, writing songs. Recently I think Bryan has started looking back on that period of time with the same fondness.

Were you close to (i.e. in regular contact with) any of the other musicians in the band?

I wouldn't say we were "close", because the band were always in the studio or on tour, so I didn't get to spend a lot of time with them - but we're friends. Mickey and Keith are great guys, great musicians, and I have a ton of respect for them. Same for Dave and Tommy. Lovely guys.

How has Bryan changed over the years, if at all, from when you first knew him?

I don't spend as much time with Bryan now, it's mostly an email relationship, so it would be unfair to speculate on how he's changed. I sense he's just as driven and motivated as he was in the beginning. He still loves to write songs and perform.

What were your general feelings like when you realized that things were going downhill before the official break-up of your song-writing partnership?

It was devastating to see it falling apart, right in front of your eyes. Things were quite unpleasant from about 1988 onwards ... not every day, all the time, but the vibe in the room was often "heavy", unlike the earlier times when we'd laugh a lot and thoroughly enjoy each other's company.

When we were writing songs for the "Neighbours" album -- before Mutt got involved -- Bryan convinced me to "give him a year", where I wouldn't write with anyone else but him. I honoured that agreement, but you can imagine how the dynamic had changed by then. It started to feel like I was working "for" Bryan instead of "with" him.

Business/work wise, what have you been up to lately?

I'm pretty much "retired" now. I do a small amount of writing, maybe three or four songs a year, but I haven't been fully active since about 1998.

How long did it take to build your web-site?

I started two or three years ago. There were a couple of false starts and minor disasters. Initially I didn't use "style sheets", and I had to manually rebuild the entire site a couple of times.

Did you work on it yourself?

I have a technical advisor, but I do all the design and input myself.

How long has it been up and running?

I launched the site in August 2003, even though only half the content was in place. I hope to have it substantially completed by August 2004, although it will never really be finished.

You're living in Canada now - have you lived there all your life?

Yes

The demo recordings - where are they? Who has them?

Bryan and I each have copies of the demo recordings. Our former publisher, Rondor Music (in Los Angels) also has copies ... most of them anyway.

Who owns the rights to the demos?

The copyright is shared three ways -- by myself, Bryan and Rondor. There are legal restrictions regarding their release, but there are also courtesy considerations. Bryan would prefer not to have them circulated at this time.