Original Foreigner vocalist Lou Gramm recently chatted on SiriusXM’s ‘Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk’ about the band being up for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2024. When asked if he talked to his former bandmate Mick Jones about the nomination, Gramm said:
“No. Not at all. The last time Mick and I talked was the night we were inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. That was 2012, I think, or 2013. I felt that I was very friendly towards him and he was so-so towards me, and I wasn’t surprised, after that evening was over, that I didn’t hear from him. I didn’t expect to.”
When the host, Eddie Trunk, asked him about performing with Kelly Hansen and the rest of Foreigner during their 40th anniversary in 2017 and 2018, Lou seemed not to remember those events:
“All the other guys from the original band that are left have made numerous guest appearances, but I haven’t made one. [Foreigner manager] Phil [Carson] asked me to come to the big outdoor venue in Buffalo, and I had heard that Dennis [Elliott] and Rick [Wills] were performing with them on a semi-regular basis, and I just couldn’t see my way clear to make an appearance out there, and that’s the last I heard from anybody.”
He Wants To Perform With His Former Band
The Hall of Fame mentioned that only the classic-era members of Foreigner, like Mick Jones, Lou Gramm, Dennis Elliott, Ed Gagliardi, Al Greenwood, Ian McDonald, and Rick Wills, would be the ones getting inducted.
Lou said he’s okay with performing with Mick and the other inducted members at the ceremony:
“Yes. I don’t know what the vibe would be with Mick, ’cause the funny thing is when I left the band in 2003, we hadn’t communicated at all until that Songwriters Hall Of Fame. And so that was almost 10 years. And then after the Songwriters Hall Of Fame, we haven’t communicated until now, if we make it in, and I’ll be anxious to see if he’s willing to communicate then.”
The singer’s voice is behind some of Foreigner’s biggest hits from their early years, like ‘Feels Like The First Time’ and ‘Cold As Ice.’
Nomination That Came Years Later
Foreigner has been eligible for the Hall of Fame since 2002 with a long list of hits, including ‘Cold As Ice,’ ‘Double Vision,’ ‘Hot Blooded,’ ‘I Want To Know What Love Is,’ ‘Juke Box Hero,’ and ‘Urgent.’
Lou shared his thoughts on why Foreigner got nominated only now, saying:
“Well, I think the person that had the vendetta is no longer associated with the Hall Of Fame. And there’s some people with real rock sensibilities now running the show, and they know very well that we belong there and they’re doing the right thing…”
Referring to the Rolling Stone co-founder’s removal from the Rock Hall’s board after sexist and racist comments last September, he explained:
“I think that when Jann Wenner was finally removed from his position, the dark clouds started thinning out a little bit, and somebody saw something in a different light and put us up for nomination this year.”
Lou Gramm, now 73, left Foreigner for good in 2002. He mentioned planning to retire due to health issues in 2018 but still joined Foreigner for some shows that year.
