As the story goes, you met Bryan in a record store in Vancouver in 1978. What persuaded you to start working with him when you first met him?

I'd just quit my band, Prism, and I was looking for a singer. That's when I met Bryan. I knew he had a great voice, but I didn't know he was also a talented songwriter, which was a nice surprise!

How did you experience those first writing sessions with Bryan?

We "clicked" immediately. A perfect fit. We both loved The Beatles, Zeppelin, AC/DC. There were a lot of common reference points, which helped us connect creatively.

Bryan’s first solo single was ‘Let Me Take You Dancing’, which did pretty well in New York. Bryan wasn’t pleased with the sound of his voice in the remix, but what do you think of the track?

We recorded "Let Me Take You Dancing" at Pinewood Studios in Vancouver, with me on drums and keyboards, plus female backing singers, trumpet and saxophone. A&M Records liked the track, but they thought it needed a bit more "sparkle". They sent a New York disco re-mixer -- a guy named John Luongo -- to help us with additional recording. We went into Little Mountain Sound and added conga drums, marimba and percussion. John took the master tape back to New York to mix it, so it was out of our hands at that point. John sped up the track to get the right tempo, and in doing so, he also sped up Bryan's vocal. Bryan was only 18 at the time, and he was still singing in a high, fragile vocal range. Speeding up the track made his voice sound even higher. Bryan wasn't very pleased with the final mix.

You said that there were a few tracks that didn’t made it on Bryan’s debut album, like ‘Stay’ and ‘Hold Me Once’ for example. It was his decision to not putt these songs on the album. Did you ever had arguments about this, or did you leave it up to him to decide?

During my time with him -- 1978 to 1989 -- Bryan had the final word on everything. In his defence, he's the artist, the guy who's name goes on the album, so he had to feel good about his decisions. There were only a few occasions when his choices really pissed me off. For example, he didn't want "Only The Strong Survive" to appear on the "Top Gun" Soundtrack because it was a movie about war. The truth is, more actors were "killed" in "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves".

After Bruce Allen told you that you wouldn’t produce Bryan’s second album, did it ever cross your mind to leave and why/why not?

I was very hurt, and for a moment I thought about leaving. But really, in my heart, I knew I wasn't the right guy to produce Bryan. It didn't take me long to "get over it".

Do you recall which song was to most fun to write, and which one was a real horrible experience?

I really enjoyed writing "Diana". It's a funny song, about a guy who wants to steal Princess Diana from Prince Charles, with lyrics like "whatcha doin' with a guy like him?". It was cheeky and irreverent.

On your website you state that your collaboration with Adams was best while writing ‘Summer Of ‘69’. Do you think any other Bryan Adams song has ever reached the level of that particular song, especially after you stopped working with him?

I think Bryan has written some superb songs since my departure. "Everything I Do" is brilliant. I also like "Back To You" and "Can't Stop This Thing We Started".

After ‘Into The Fire’, you two started working on some more songs. Is it correct that two of those songs where ‘Bye Bye Johnny’ and ‘No Way Out’. And are there more songs from this (unreleased) album that you can tell us about?

There are 10 or 12 songs Bryan recorded after "Into The Fire", most of them written in 1988 and '89 when our relationship was falling apart. It was a horribly stressful time, and there's no doubt our songwriting suffered for it. Still, at that time, Bryan believed in the songs. He recorded them in London with producer Steve Lillywhite, and he recorded some of them a second time with Bob Clearmountain in Los Angeles. In the end he didn't release any of those songs, but he did give two of them to Johnny Hallyday ... "Rough Town" and "Some Things Never Change" (which Johnny recorded as "Tour Pour Te Deplaire"). Bryan performed some of the unreleased songs during his 1988 European tour, like "Thrill Is Gone" and "Bye Bye Johnny". I've heard the bootleg recordings. They weren't our best songs, but you know, some of them actually sound quite good!

Were you aware of the fact that there could be a split up when working with Bryan during/after ‘Into The Fire’, or did it just happen/came as a surprise?

It was no surprise. Our relationship had been deteriorating for a year or two.

If you could turn back time, what would you change or wished Bryan had have done different in that period. Or was it just the time for both of you to take it to another level?

There are elements of the breakup that were external to Bryan and I -- that's a whole other discussion -- but I also think Bryan was under a lot of pressure after "Into The Fire". That album only sold a million copies. Normally that's not a bad number, but the fact is, "Reckless" had sold twelve million, so "Into The Fire" was a disappointment by comparison.

How did you cope with the split up?

My wife and I had a son in July '89, so everything in my life was feeling new and positive, except my relationship with Bryan. In September 1989 I told him I was finished, that I didn't want to write with him anymore. After that my life seemed positive again, like walking out of a dark cave into the sunshine. I hope Bryan felt the same way about it.

What do you think of the songs that Robert ‘Mutt’ Lange completed, based on the demo’s you made with Bryan. And did you think he was the right choice for Bryan at this moment?

Mutt's a brilliant guy. He took a few of our songs and added elements that made them come alive. "Rescue Me" was one of the songs Bryan recorded with Lillywhite in '88. It was a pretty good song, but Mutt's input took it to another level altogether, and it became "Do I Have To Say The Words". Same with "Depend On Me". Bryan and I thought the song was finished, but Mutt added a second chorus which made the song so much stronger.

After ‘Waking Up The Neighbours’, did you ever attended a concert of Bryan, and if so, how did you experienced it?

I've seen Bryan in concert five or six times since the "Neighbours" album. He's an amazing singer, I always enjoy seeing him perform.

If there’d be an anniversary or anthology box of Bryan, what rarities would you suggest to be included? Any never finished demo’s perhaps?

I'd like to see some of the demo's released. The basement recordings we did for "Run To You" and "Heat Of The Night" are excellent, very charming. Some of the unreleased 1988 songs are also worth a listen, like "Little Darlin" and "Lucky Day". They weren't our best songs, but in my opinion they're much better than "I Want To Be Your Underwear".

Is there a song from Bryan or someone else which you wish you had written?

Too many to mention!

Do you have some material/ideas for new songs? If so, do you think there would be a chance that those songs ever will be recorded by Bryan?

Bryan and I will never write together again.

Is there any producer or songwriter that Bryan hasn’t worked with yet, which you would really like to see working together with him on new material?

I'd like to see Bryan write with The Matrix.

Is there anything you would like to say to all the fans here in the Netherlands/Belgium?

I've visited the Netherlands and Belgium and I was treated wonderfully by the people I met there. A big hello to all my friends over there!