Air Supply dominated the FM airwaves the early ’80s with songs such as “All Out of Love,” “Every Woman in the World,” and “Making Love Out of Nothing At All.” Air Supply co-founder and vocalist Russell Hitchcock returns to Stuck in the ’80s to talk about connecting to audiences 40 years later and the band’s upcoming performance on The 80s Cruise.
Here are some highlights from the interview:
On his playful stage patter and connection to fans: “It’s evolved certainly because when we first started playing, I used to play conga drums and I would stand behind them because I was too scared to move, and fortunately, that’s not the case anymore. One of the reasons why we’ve been around for so long is that we do have an amazing relationship with the fans. In fact, I kind of get into a bit of an argument once in a while with my lighting guy because I tell him I wanna see faces, because if I can’t see faces, I can’t relate to people. And if I can’t relate to them, that’s 90% of my show gone, for me personally.”
“We’re not ones to lock ourselves in our cabins after a show or during the day. I always get opinions from people about what they think of the show and what they liked, what they didn’t like, what they would you like to see or hear. And also, Graham and I are both regular guys. I don’t have my head up my butt about thinking about how important I am and how great I am. My dad, from very early on in my life, was always telling me to be polite to people, be kind because that’s the way people should be, and it’s worked for me and us forever.”
The key to his enduring friendship with Graham Russell: “We don’t step on each other’s toes. I don’t write songs. He doesn’t want to be the lead singer. We respect each other. I love him as a brother. We’ve been through hell and high water together both professionally and personally, and always been there to support one another. When we have a break, which is very rare, I love getting back to work. I love walking into the venue, into the hotel and seeing him, probably because I’ve known him for so long and he’s like the other half of me, my entity, and we’re not complete on stage without each other.”
How television helped them early on: “When we got successful and had success in America, we did ‘Solid Gold’ every other week for what seemed like five years, and they were a wonderful support for us, and obviously the exposure was priceless. We did Mike Douglas, Johnny Carson, all the shows. We wouldn’t be here if not for them in the initial stages, that’s for sure.”
Does he have a favorite tattoo: “No, there’s too many. Well, I actually have my wife’s signature here. My other one has had my daughter’s name on this side. I have a rose for her, which was the first one I got, and it’s about as big as a diamond. I was so scared to get tattooed that I thought if it was smaller, it wouldn’t be as painful. But now I just grin and bear it, and I’ve still got a bit of room left, but not too much.”
About the podcast
The Stuck in the ’80s podcast is sponsored by The 80s Cruise. Join all your ’80s friends on the Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas on Feb. 29 to March 7 for a weeklong trip back to the ’80s. The lineup includes: 38 Special, Air Supply, The English Beat, Soft Cell, Debbie Gibson, Sebastian Bach, Steve Pearcy of Ratt, Ray Parker Jr., Sheena Easton, Wang Chung, Midnight Star, Animotion, Real Life, Escape Club, When in Rome UK, Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg and more. Original MTV veejays Alan Hunter and Mark Goodman will be there to host along with Downtown Julie Brown.
Listen to the show to get our promo code for $200 of cabin credit for first-time guests. The 2024 cruise is sold out but you can still join the wait list and make it!
Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page.
The Stuck in the ’80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 18th year in 2023, at sit80s.com.
I absolutely love Air Supply! Your music got us through so much over the last 15 years. When my daughter Allison was on the transplant list, your music soothed her soul. When she came off the transplant you were her celebration! Thank you for all the healing memories!!