It seems fitting that the band, Dr Hook, were in part named for the J.M. Barrie character of Captain Hook. Fitting, because James Barrie’s story is about Peter Pan, the boy who stayed forever young. While Dr Hook’s singers have grown older and moved on to explore their individual pursuits, the songs of Dr Hook have stayed forever young in audiences hearts.
Earlier this week I had a phone call connected with Dennis Locorriere of ‘Dr Hook. We were having a chat about his upcoming tour of Australia including Tasmania. Dennis is a lovely guy and brought a smile to my face when our connector informed us if we had any ‘issues’ with the call to dial a prescribed number. Dennis mused that if I found the interview or himself problematic in any way I could press the appropriate number and ‘escape!’.
There was no danger in that, Dennis is completely delightful and very articulate.
Dennis tells me he is really looking forward to getting back to Australia with his ‘Timeless’ World Tour, after last year’s successful tour and he’s looking forward to introduce his great band. This tour Dennis will be playing he says, ‘wall to wall Hook stuff’.
Dennis wants to assure fans that even though he did for a while explore his creativity in doing solo projects including acting, which he was critically applauded for, he is very proud of Dr Hook’s achievements. Dennis also adds that is only when he was outside the band that he could look back at that time and truly appreciate those achievements.
Dennis believes that people’s ‘sense memory’, their feelings about songs and those songs connections to momentous times in their lives is something he has great respect for.
Dennis knows that many Dr Hook songs have become, in the much used phrase, ‘the soundtrack of people’s lives’ and he is mindful of that, mindful of the fan who remembers as a child his dad singing along to Dr Hook when the family went camping.
Some of these special memories can be experienced again when Dennis performs at The Theatre Royal 14th October.
Paula Xiberras
