My guest today has one of the most distinctive voices in all of rock music, and a record of success going back to the 1980s. Chrissy hyndes band, the pretenders, first made it big in the era of punk. She is still making music some three decades on, but is she still in love with rock and roll . Chrissie hynde, welcome to hardtalk. Is music as big a part of your life now as its ever been . No, not at all. Because . Well, because when i was a teenager listening to the radio, it was really the only thing i was interested in, and now its. For many reasons, thats changed. Maybe because theres not so many bands. I would love bands, but now it has all changed a lot. Technology has changed it too. I cant access things so simply any more, so ive got a bit out of touch, i think. So that you as a consumer of music, but for you as a performer, a songwriter, and a performer as well, is there is much of a buzz about that as there ever was . Yes, i think so. That part of it, thats. Thats always a cons
Its just that hour and a half on stage, thats all. Anyone in a band will tell you that. And the origin of the creativity . The sitting down and writing songs . Does that come as easily now . Well, i dont know if it was ever easy. It was maybe more compulsive when you have nothing to do and youre alone in a room with a guitar, then eventually you will write a song. I never wrote them because i felt i had to or that i should. I felt i wanted to write songs and present them to a band. It was always about the band. Youve obviously gone in new directions, and youve got a new album out, which you recorded in sweden with a guy, a well known musician and producer whom i dont think youd worked with before, so obviously theres a lot of new stuff going on right now, and i just wonder whether youve taken your music in a different direction. Does it feel very different . Not really. No, i dont change very much. Ijust kind of do what i. I write some songs, put them together with the band, record it.