Interview: Steve Elson

Vine chats to Steve Elson, lead singer of Rolling Stones tribute band The Counterfeit Stones, about their 22nd anniversary and their show Knock Up Your Daughters that is currently touring.

Where did the idea for the Counterfeit Stones come from?

We started in 1991, as a one-off gig in San Diego, California. It was the Del Mar Grand Prix and they wanted an English band as the theme and we decided ‘let’s be the Stones!’. We had so much fun that we decided to stay together, got ourselves an agent and things really took.

So how did you guys come together?

We’re from West London, we went to a place that used to be called The Guitar Institution, a rock guitar school but it covers things like bass and other instruments too. Forming this group as an act I believe was a good exercise. Most bands when they have gigs it’s just like, ‘let’s have a bottle of vodka and take some illegal substances’ and then they go on, but with us it was very professional. We all loved the Stones and while we didn’t look exactly like the band it was about having the right shape so that with wigs and make up we looked like them.

What in particular do you love about the Rolling Stones?

While they haven’t really done a good record since 1980, which was Start Me Up, they always stood out because they were a bit different, they had an edge. We always found when we did cover music we got a far better reaction [doing the Stones] than the Beatles; there’s something about them that gives them such a wide appeal. Mick is 70 years old now and he’s still doing well, must be doing something right.

So tell me a bit about Knock Up Your Daughters

It’s the life story of the Rolling Stones on stage, covering all the different looks and sounds from the last five decades. It’s very tongue-in-cheek but also factually accurate. Essentially it’s a lot of humour, good music and a fraction of the price to see the real thing!

So what else are you up to?

We’re performing at Music on the Hill at Kings Hill on Sunday 21 July. It’s not confirmed yet but we may be performing at Carfest, an event hosted by Chris Evans from Radio 2. We often play abroad in Belgium and Denmark to rooms of 60,000 to 70,000 people.

What do you like to do when you’re not focusing on your music?

It’s kind of half a hobby but I keep fit and do lots of martial arts, essentially so I have the body of Mick Jagger all year round. I love editing film and recording music, just anything to do with music in general. I am very passionate about cooking; my love for it almost competes with music. But in a race music would win!

[Originally published for Vine Magazine]