Supertramp
Supertramp, 1980: Dougie Thomson, Rick Davies, Roger Hodgson, John Helliwell, and Bob Siebenberg (hidden.)
Background information
Also known as	Daddy (1969–1970)
Origin	United Kingdom
Genres	Rock, progressive rock, art rock
Years active	1970–1988, 1996–2002, 2010–present
Labels	A&M, Oxygen, EMI, Super Cab, Chrysalis
Website	www.supertramp.com
Members
Rick Davies John Helliwell Bob Siebenberg Cliff Hugo Lee Thornburg Carl Verheyen Jesse Siebenberg
Past members
See: List of past members

Supertramp are a British rock band formed in 1969 under the name Daddy before renaming themselves in early 1970. Though their music was initially categorised as progressive rock, they have since incorporated a combination of traditional rock and art rock into their music. The band's work is marked by the inventive songwriting of Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson and the distinctive voice of Hodgson. Supertramp were also well known for their prominent use of the Wurlitzer electric piano and saxophone.

While the band's early work was mainstream progressive rock, they would enjoy greater critical^[1][2] and commercial success when they incorporated more conventional and radio-friendly elements into their work in the mid-1970s, going on to sell more than 60 million albums.^[3][4][5][6] They reached their peak of commercial success with 1979's Breakfast in America, which has sold more than 20 million copies.^[7][8]

Though their albums were generally far more successful than their singles,^[9] Supertramp did enjoy a number of major hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including "Dreamer", "Bloody Well Right", "Give a Little Bit", "The Logical Song", "Breakfast in America", "Goodbye Stranger", "Take the Long Way Home", "It's Raining Again" and "Cannonball". The band attained significant popularity in the United States, Canada, most of Europe, South Africa, Australia, and Brazil. Since Hodgson's departure in 1983, founder Rick Davies has led the band by himself.

History[link]

1969–72: Early years[link]

Supertramp Mark II. L-R: Roger Hodgson, Frank Farrell, Rick Davies, Kevin Currie, and Dave Winthrop.

In 1969 Stanley 'Sam' August Miesegaes, a Dutch millionaire, became disappointed with the band he was financially supporting, The Joint. He dropped his support for the band and offered Swindon-born keyboardist Rick Davies, whose talent he felt had been "bogged down" by the group,^[10] an opportunity to form his own band, again with Miesegaes' financial backing.^[11] Davies assembled Roger Hodgson (bass and vocals), Richard Palmer (guitars), and Keith Baker (percussion) after placing an advertisement in the weekly music newspaper, Melody Maker.

Davies and Hodgson had radically different backgrounds and musical inspirations: Davies was working class and fiercely devoted to blues and jazz, while Hodgson had gone straight from private school to the music business and was fond of pop and psychedelia. Despite this, they hit it off during the auditions^[12] and began writing virtually all of their songs together, with Palmer as a third writer in the mix. Since none of the other band members were willing, Palmer penned all their lyrics.^[13]

The group initially dubbed themselves "Daddy". Baker was almost immediately replaced by former stage actor Robert Millar,^[14] and after several months of rehearsal at a country house in West Hythe, Kent, the band flew to Munich for a series of concerts at the P. N. Club.^[15] The rehearsals had been less than productive, and their initial repertoire consisted of only four songs, two of which were covers.^[15] In response to the emergence of similarly named bands (such as Daddy Longlegs),^[15] the band changed names from Daddy to "Supertramp", a name inspired by The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp by William Henry Davies.^[16]

Supertramp were one of the first groups to be signed to the UK branch of A&M Records and their first album, Supertramp, was released on 14 July 1970 in the UK and Canada only (it would not be issued in the US until late 1977). Stylistically, the album was fairly typical of progressive rock of the era, and Supertramp's sound bore obvious similarity to their British prog rock predecessor Cressida. Despite receiving a good deal of critical praise, the album did not attract a large audience.^[15] Dave Winthrop (flute and saxophone) joined the group after the release of the first record and soon after Supertramp was able to earn a slot on the bill of the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. The membership continued to change as six months after the album's release, Palmer left the band due to personality conflicts with Davies and Hodgson,^[15][13] followed shortly afterwards by Millar, who had suffered a nervous breakdown following a disastrous tour of Norway.^[9]

For the next album, Indelibly Stamped, released in June 1971 (in both the UK and US), Frank Farrell (bass) and Kevin Currie (percussion) replaced Millar and Palmer, while Roger Hodgson switched to guitar. From this album forward, Hodgson and Davies were no longer able to use a lyricist, and Davies served as a second lead singer. Sales failed to improve, and the record sold even less than their debut.^[9] In the aftermath, all members gradually quit except Hodgson and Davies^[17] and Miesegaes withdrew his financial support in October 1972.^[15]

1973–78: Initial success and commercial breakthrough[link]

A search for new members brought aboard Dougie Thomson (bass), who had done stand-in gigs with the band for almost a year before auditions resumed. In 1973, auditions restarted and introduced Bob C. Benberg (drums & percussion) and John Helliwell (saxophone, other woodwinds, occasional keyboards, backing vocals), completing the line-up. Hodgson would also begin playing keyboards (particularly the Wurlitzer electric piano) in the band in addition to guitar.^[17] This lineup of Supertramp would remain in place for the next ten years.

Meanwhile, the bond between Davies and Hodgson had begun weakening. In July of 1972 Hodgson had tried LSD for the first time, and offered some to Davies, who declined. Writing to Miesegaes in November 1972, Hodgson described taking LSD as "the happiest day of my life" and expressed his anxiety that Davies would not take it.^[15] He would later describe this divergence in their experiences as the root of the rift between them.^[18] Over Supertramp's history, their relationship would be amicable but increasingly distant as their lifestyles and musical inclinations saw less and less overlap. Their songwriting partnership gradually dissolved; though all of Supertramp's songs would continue to be officially credited as "written by Rick Davies and Rodger Hodgson", most of them were written by Davies or Hodgson individually.

Supertramp needed a hit record to continue working, and finally got one with Crime of the Century. Released in September 1974, it began the group's run of critical and commercial successes, hitting number 4 in Britain,^[19] number 38 in the USA, and number 1 in Canada. The album underlined its ambitiousness: many of its songs were heavily orchestrated, and some even featured Davies and Hodgson singing in dialogue, such as the 1975 UK Top 20 single "Dreamer". US listeners preferred its B-side, "Bloody Well Right", which hit the US Top 40 in May 1975 and would be their only hit in the country for more than two years.^[20] Most of the band have said they feel they hit their artistic peak on this album, though their greatest commercial success would come later.

With a hit album under their belt, pressures on the band increased, and the followup Crisis? What Crisis? had to be recorded in the few months between two scheduled concert tours. As a consequence, most of the material consisted of leftover songs from Crime of the Century, and decades later the band would continue to regard the album as one of their worst moments.^[21][22] Despite Supertramp's own misgivings, the album was well-received by critics, and when released in November 1975, it broke both the UK Top Twenty^[19] and the USA Top Fifty in spite of its singles all being commercial flops.

The following album, Even in the Quietest Moments..., released in April 1977, spawned a hit single with "Give a Little Bit" (no. 15 U.S., no. 29 U.K.). During this period, the band eventually relocated to the United States.

1979–88: Superstars[link]

The band's switch to a more pop-oriented approach peaked with their most popular album, Breakfast in America, released in March 1979, which reached number 3 in the UK^[19] and number 1 in the United States and Canada and spawned four successful singles: "The Logical Song" (no. 6 U.S., no. 7 U.K.), "Take the Long Way Home" (no. 10 U.S.), "Breakfast in America" (no. 9 U.K.), and "Goodbye Stranger" (no. 15 U.S., no. 57 U.K.).

The run of successes was capped with 1980's Paris, a 2-LP live album recorded mostly at the Pavillon de Paris.^[23] It included nearly every song from Crime of the Century. The live version of "Dreamer" was released as a single in the U.S., where it reached no. 15, even though the studio version had failed to even chart there.^[20]

At this point, Hodgson moved his family from the Los Angeles area to the mountains of northern California where he built a home and studio and focused on his family and spiritual life, while recording a solo album which would never be released.^[24] This geographic separation widened the rift between him and the rest of the group; during the conceptualization and recording of their next album, ...Famous Last Words..., Davies and Hodgson found far greater difficulty in reconciling their musical ideas than they had before, and it was apparent to the rest of the band that Hodgson wanted out.^[24] ...Famous Last Words... was released in 1982, and scored two more hits with "It's Raining Again" and "My Kind of Lady". A worldwide tour followed in 1983, during which Hodgson announced he would not be continuing with the band. Hodgson has stated that his departure was motivated by a desire to spend more time with his family and make solo recordings, and that there were never any real personal or professional problems between him and Davies, as some people thought.^[9]

The Davies-led Supertramp soldiered on to continued success, releasing Brother Where You Bound in 1985. The album was a step away from the pop approach of their last two studio albums, and reached no. 20 in the UK charts^[19] and no. 21 in the US charts.^[20] It included the Top 30 hit single "Cannonball", along with the title track, a 16-minute exposition on Cold War themes highlighted by guitar solos from Pink Floyd's David Gilmour. 1987's Free as a Bird experimented in heavily synthesised music,^[25] such as "I'm Beggin' You", which reached number 1 on the US dance charts. The stylistic change was generally not well-received, however, and the album itself reached only no. 93 in the UK and 101 in the USA, breaking a streak of seven consecutive top 100 efforts on the American charts.

After 1988's tour, the group fragmented. Davies later explained, "We'd been out there for about 20 years just recording and touring and it seemed time to have a break with no ideas as to if or when we would come back. We decided not to actually say anything, just sort of fade away like an old soldier."^[26]

1996–2009: Later years[link]

In 1996 Davies re-formed Supertramp with Helliwell, Siebenberg and guitarist/vocalist Mark Hart, who was new to the official lineup but had prominently contributed to Free as a Bird and its supporting tour. The result of this reunion was Some Things Never Change, an album that echoed the earlier Supertramp sound,^[27][25] released in March 1997. It reached no. 74 in the UK.^[19] In 1999 Supertramp released the live It Was the Best of Times, followed by Slow Motion in 2002 and a worldwide tour, after which the band went inactive once again. Another attempt to bring Hodgson back into the band failed in 2005.^[28]

In 2008 it was announced that Supertramp's music would be featured in the film adaptation of Irvine Welsh's best-selling novel Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance.^[29] In 2009 Hodgson said he could not see a Supertramp reunion ever happening: "We've looked at it and talked it over...I would never say never but Rick [Davies] has pretty much retired right now and I'm in the prime of my life. The reaction I am getting from fans is 'please don’t reunite'."^[30]

2010–present: Re-formation[link]

Supertramp 2010. L-R: Cliff Hugo, Rick Davies, Bob Siebenberg, John Helliwell, Gabe Dixon, and Carl Verheyen

On 21 April 2010 it was announced^[31] that Supertramp would give 35 concerts in late 2010. Dates were announced for concerts in Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, Italy, France and other European countries. This tour called "70-10" was to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the group's first release. Roger Hodgson, who was not included in this tour,^[32] embarked on a solo 2010 tour to Australia, New Zealand, South America, Europe, Canada, and the US.^[33]

In 2011 both Hodgson and Supertramp continued to tour separately.^[34][35] When asked whether Roger Hodgson might appear on some of the 2011 dates Davies replied, “I know there are some fans out there who would like that to happen. There was a time when I had hoped for that too. But the recent past makes that impossible. In order to play a great show for our fans, you need harmony, both musically and personally. Unfortunately that doesn’t exist between us any more and I would rather not destroy memories of more harmonious times between all of us.”^[36]

Members[link]

Current members[link]

• Rick Davies – vocals, keyboards, harmonica, composition, melodica (1970–1988, 1996–2002, 2010–present)
• John Helliwell – woodwinds, keyboards, backing vocals (1973–1988, 1996–2002, 2010–present)
• Bob C. Benberg – drums, percussion (1973–1988, 1996–2002, 2010–present)
• Cliff Hugo – bass (1996–2002, 2010–present)
• Lee Thornburg – trombone, trumpet, keyboards, backing vocals (1988 as a session musician, 1996–2002, 2010–present)
• Carl Verheyen – guitars, percussion, backing vocals (1985–1986 as a touring musician, 1996–2002, 2010–present)
• Jesse Siebenberg – percussion, vocals (1996–2002) keyboards, guitars, vocals (2010–present)
• Gabe Dixon – keyboards, tambourine, vocals (2010–present)
• Cassie Miller – background vocals (2010–present)

Past members[link]

• Roger Hodgson – vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass, composition (1970–1983)
• Richard Palmer-James – guitars, vocals, balalaika (1970–1971)
• Bob Millar – percussion, harmonica (1970–1971)
• Dave Winthrop – woodwinds, vocals (1970–1973)
• Kevin Currie – percussion (1971–1973)
• Frank Farrell – bass, keyboards, backing vocals (1971–1972)
• Dougie Thomson – bass (1972–1988)
• Mark Hart – vocals, keyboards, guitar (1985–1988, 1996–2002)
• Tom Walsh – percussion (1996–1997)

Past touring musicians[link]

• Scott Page – woodwinds, guitar, percussion, backing vocals (1983–1986)
• Fred Mandel – keyboards, guitar, backing vocals (1983)
• Marty Walsh – guitars, backing vocals (1984–1988)
• Brad Cole – woodwinds, keyboards (1986–1988)
• Steve Reid – percussion (1987–1988)

Discography[link]

• Supertramp (1970)
• Indelibly Stamped (1971)
• Crime of the Century (1974)
• Crisis? What Crisis? (1975)
• Even in the Quietest Moments... (1977)
• Breakfast in America (1979)
• Paris (1980—live album)
• ...Famous Last Words... (1982)
• Brother Where You Bound (1985)
• Free as a Bird (1987)
• Some Things Never Change (1997)
• It Was the Best of Times (1999—live album)
• Slow Motion (2002)

Remixes and cover versions[link]

• Bob Esty covered the song "Lord is it Mine" for the 1979 movie Roller Boogie
• In 2001, the German power metal band At Vance covered "The Logical Song" on their album Heart Of Steel.
• Scooter covered "The Logical Song", including use of samples, in their single "Ramp! (The Logical Song)".
• In 2007 Gym Class Heroes used parts of "Breakfast in America" in their single "Cupid's Chokehold".
• In 2007 Laurel Canyon released in a club version titled "Goodbye Stranger (One Night Stand Mix)".
• In 2005, the Goo Goo Dolls covered "Give a Little Bit" on their Let Love In album.

References[link]

External links[link]

	Book: Supertramp
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

• Supertramp official website
• Roger Hodgson official website
• Roger Hodgson official Facebook page
• We Want DVD Paris 1979 Release Paris DVD group.

v t e Supertramp Rick Davies Bob Siebenberg John Helliwell Carl Verheyen Lee Thornburg Cliff Hugo Jesse Siebenberg Gabe Dixon Cassie Miller-Thornburg Past members: Roger Hodgson Dougie Thomson Richard Palmer Robert Millar Frank Farrell Kevin Currie Dave Winthrop Mark Hart Tom Walsh Keith Baker Touring members: Marty Walsh (1985–1988) Brad Cole (1986–1988) Scott Page (1983–1985) Fred Mandel (1983) Albums Supertramp Indelibly Stamped Crime of the Century Crisis? What Crisis? Even in the Quietest Moments... Breakfast in America ...Famous Last Words... Brother Where You Bound Free as a Bird Some Things Never Change Slow Motion Live albums Concert Classics Paris Live '88 It Was the Best of Times Is Everybody Listening? 70-10 Tour Compilations The Autobiography of Supertramp The Very Best of Supertramp The Very Best of Supertramp 2 Retrospectacle – The Supertramp Anthology Singles "Forever"" "Land Ho" "Dreamer" "Bloody Well Right" "Lady" "Ain't Nobody But Me" "Give a Little Bit" "Babaji" "From Now On" "The Logical Song" "Breakfast in America" "Goodbye Stranger" "Take the Long Way Home" "Dreamer (live)" "Breakfast in America (live)" "It's Raining Again" "Don't Leave Me Now" "Crazy" "My Kind of Lady" "Still in Love" "Cannonball" "Better Days" "I'm Beggin' You" "Free As A Bird" "Give a Little Bit (New Version)" "You Win, I Lose" "Listen To Me, Please" "Slow Motion" Selected songs "Brother Where You Bound" "Fool's Overture" Related articles Discography Band members Book:Supertramp

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2010)

Roger Hodgson
Roger Hodgson in France in 2008
Background information
Birth name	Charles Roger Pomfret Hodgson
Born	(1950-03-21) 21 March 1950 (age 62)
Origin	Portsmouth, England
Genres	Progressive rock, pop rock, art rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass
Years active	1969–present
Labels	A&M, Unichord/Voiceprint, Epic
Associated acts	Supertramp, Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band, Argosy
Website	RogerHodgson.com

Charles Roger Pomfret Hodgson (born 21 March 1950) is a British musician and songwriter, best known as the former co-frontman, and founding member, of progressive rock band Supertramp.^[1][2][3]

Hodgson composed and sang on the majority of the band's hits, including "Dreamer", "Give a Little Bit", "The Logical Song", "Breakfast in America", "Take the Long Way Home" and "It's Raining Again".

He left Supertramp in 1983 to pursue a solo career, but after two albums he retired from touring and other industry obligations. In 1997 he returned to doing solo tours, and released a third album in 2000. He is recognised for his tenor singing voice, which became a trademark of his former band Supertramp, and often writes about spiritual and philosophical topics.

Biography[link]

1950–1969: Early years[link]

Hodgson was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, in 1950 and grew up in Oxford. He is the son of Charles Hodgson and Jill Hodgson (died in June 2009). He attended Woodcote House near Wallingford, Oxfordshire, where he was the first boy to learn electric guitar, and Stowe School near Buckingham, Buckinghamshire. His first guitar was a parting gift from his father at age 12 when his parents divorced.^[4] He took it to boarding school with him, where his teacher taught him three chords. He began composing his own music and lyrics and within a year gave his first concert at school with nine original songs. Hodgson's first band at school consisted of him on guitar and his friend Roy Hoby playing snare drums. They were dubbed the "H-bombs" because of their last names.

At age 19, Roger Hodgson made his first appearance in a recording studio as guitarist for People Like Us, a band he formed shortly after graduating from boarding school.^[4] The group recorded a single, "Duck Pond" b/w "Send Me No Flowers", which was never released.^[5]

After People Like Us disbanded, Hodgson auditioned for Island Records, with Traffic's road manager providing him a foot in the door with the label.^[4] Island set him up in a recording studio as vocalist for the one-off "flower power" pop band Argosy, which also included Reginald Dwight (later known as Elton John), Caleb Quaye, and Nigel Olsson.^[6] Their sole single, "Mr. Boyd" b/w "Imagine", consisted of two pieces of orchestrated pop (both penned by Hodgson) and was issued in 1969 on the DJM (U.K.) and Congress (U.S.) record labels.^[6] It sold poorly and consequently has become rare and sought after. "Mr. Boyd" was covered in 1997 by Jake Shillingford and his band My Life Story on their album "The Golden Mile".

1969–1983: Supertramp[link]

After the breakup of Argosy, Hodgson, responding to an advert placed in Melody Maker by Rick Davies, auditioned for the guitarist spot in the progressive rock band Supertramp. Hodgson was offered the job, but when Richard Palmer arrived the next day to audition for the same spot, Hodgson agreed to learn how to play bass instead.^[7]

The songs on Supertramp's self-titled first album, released in 1970, were composed by Roger Hodgson, Rick Davies, and Richard Palmer; however, since both Hodgson and Davies were unwilling to write lyrics, Palmer wrote all the album's lyrics.^[7] Palmer left shortly after the album's recording, allowing Hodgson to switch back to guitar, but leaving him and Davies no choice but to serve as the band's lyricists. Paralleling fellow British prog rockers Genesis and their search for a new lead vocalist, Supertramp auditioned 93 guitarists before turning the role over to Hodgson.^[8] The hugely successful Crime of the Century was released in 1974. Crisis? What Crisis?, released in 1975, was followed by Even in the Quietest Moments in 1977. In 1979, they released their most successful album, Breakfast in America. This album has sold over 20 million copies to date.^[9] The live album, Paris, was released in 1980. …Famous Last Words…, released in 1982, included Hodgson's first solo recording, "Know Who You Are".

From 1974 through 1983, all songs recorded by Supertramp were legally credited with a shared writing credit of Davies/Hodgson. Roger Hodgson was the writer of hits such as "Give a Little Bit", "Breakfast in America", "It's Raining Again", "Take the Long Way Home" and "Fool's Overture". Hodgson wrote "Breakfast in America", "The Logical Song", and some of "Fool's Overture" at home with a harmonium he had bought from a neighbour when he was 17 years old (this instrument is used in the background of "Breakfast in America", and prominently appears on "Two of Us" and his solo track "The Garden").

In 1981, Hodgson left Los Angeles and moved his family to Northern California, where he built a home studio and began contemplating solo recordings.^[10] The rest of Supertramp remained in Los Angeles, and the geographic separation created a rift between them and Hodgson; there was little to no feuding, but the group harmony was lost. Hodgson felt increasingly constrained in the group context, and during the tour for …Famous Last Words… he made the final decision to leave Supertramp.^[11] He has stated that there were not any real problems in his relationship with Davies, as was speculated.^[12]

1984–present: Solo career[link]

Hodgson recorded three solo albums at his new home studio, the first before his departure from Supertramp. Titled Sleeping With the Enemy, it was cut in the months between the release of …Famous Last Words… and its supporting tour, and mixed during Supertramp rehearsals for said tour in hopes of fitting in some solo promotion while on the road.^[11] However, at the last minute Hodgson had second thoughts about the album's quality and decided to scrap it, planning to record a new and better album after his last tour with Supertramp.^[11]

This second effort, In the Eye of The Storm, was released in 1984. Despite being heavily publicized as the solo album of a former member of Supertramp, it failed to break the top 40 in either the US or UK.^[13][14] The single "Had a Dream (Sleeping With the Enemy)" was able to reach no higher than number 48 in the US,^[15] while the follow-up single, "In Jeopardy", failed to chart at all.

Though a major commercial disappointment after his last six albums with Supertramp, In the Eye of the Storm would prove to be Hodgson's biggest success without the group. His second album was Hai Hai (1987), however, just prior to the release of Hai Hai, Hodgson fell from a loft in his home and broke both wrists, which disabled him from promoting the album.^[16] It would barely scrape into the Billboard 200,^[17] and did not make the UK Chart. He decided to take a long break from both touring and recording in order to spend more time with his children.^[16]

In 1990, Hodgson was approached by Yes to take the lead singer position but declined the offer. One of the songs he co-wrote with Trevor Rabin, "Walls", appears on Yes's 1994 Talk album, with lyrics revised by Anderson. A version of "Walls" with only Hodgson and Rabin on vocals was released on Trevor Rabin's 2003 archival release 90124.

After a long break, he launched into his first tour in over ten years, and released 1997's live Rites of Passage to document the tour. The live album was recorded at the Miners Foundry in Nevada City, California. He performed with a full band including his son Andrew and Supertramp sax player John Helliwell. The album was a total flop in both the UK and US, but gave Hodgson his only significant solo success in Germany, reaching number 34 in the charts there.^[18]

Hodgson played King Arthur in the rock opera Excalibur: La Legende Des Celtes, and appeared on the album for two songs: "The Elements," and "The Will of God." The project was headed by Alan Simon and released in 1999. In 2000, he contributed vocals on a track titled "The Moon Says Hello" by Carlos Núñez, on the CD Mayo Longo.

Hodgson's fourth solo effort Open the Door was released in 2000 and continued in the vein of his previous work. He collaborated again with Alan Simon on the album. In August 2000, Hodgson guested with Fairport Convention at that years Cropredy Festival. He performed "Breakfast In America", "The Logical Song", "Open The Door" and "Give A Little Bit".

Hodgson toured as a member of the All-Starr Band in 2001, playing lead guitar, and has since collaborated with Trevor Rabin (who appears on the track "The More I Look" on Open the Door) and Ringo Starr.

Hodgson is still touring, often playing alone, but from time to time he is joined by other musicians or a full orchestra. He took part in the Night of the Proms concert series in Belgium and Germany in late 2004, as well as the rock festival Bospop in 2005. On 30 November 2005, he held his first concert in England in over twenty years, at Shepherd's Bush, London. While the performance was filmed and scheduled for a DVD release, the plan was scrapped. Instead, the concert recorded at the Place Des Arts in Montreal, Canada on 6 June 2006 was his first DVD, released on 22 August 2006, entitled Take The Long Way Home - Live In Montreal. In October 2006, the DVD was certified multi-platinum by the CRIA (Canadian Recording Industry Association).

In May 2006, Hodgson was honoured by ASCAP in recognition of his song "Give A Little Bit" being one of the most played songs in the ASCAP repertoire in 2005. He received another ASCAP award on 9 April 2008 for the Gym Class Heroes' song "Cupid's Chokehold", recognized as one of the most played songs in ASCAP's repertoire in 2007.

Hodgson participated as a mentor on Canadian Idol along with Dennis DeYoung. He continued mentoring several of the finalists during his 2006 Canadian Tour.

Hodgson performed at the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium, UK on 1 July 2007. He sang a medley of his most popular songs: "Dreamer", "The Logical Song", "Breakfast in America" and "Give A Little Bit".

On 18 September 2007, Eagle Vision released the DVD Take the Long Way Home - Live in Montreal worldwide, achieving gold in Germany and France.

Hodgson toured the US, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Europe, and Canada in 2010. Though Hodgson's former bandmates in Supertramp announced a 40th Anniversary reunion tour, he was not invited to join them, and his own touring schedule would have prohibited him from any participation beyond the occasional guest spot in any case.^[19] Both Hodgson and Supertramp released tour material on download only on their websites. Hodgson's Classics Live is a collection of recordings taken from solo, band, and orchestra shows from his 2010 world tour. Hodgson again toured worldwide in 2011 and is again on a world tour which started in February and will finish in November.^[20]

Personal life[link]

Hodgson has been a vegetarian all of his life. He said in a 1983 interview about the topic: "I've always loved going out in the woods with all the trees because I also have the respect for the wilderness because I am a vegetarian and I don't eat meat."^{[citation needed]}

Discography[link]

For his work with Supertramp, see Supertramp discography between 1969 and 1983

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Roger Hodgson

• Official website
• Roger Hodgson on Myspace
• UK fansite

v t e Supertramp Rick Davies Bob Siebenberg John Helliwell Carl Verheyen Lee Thornburg Cliff Hugo Jesse Siebenberg Gabe Dixon Cassie Miller-Thornburg Past members: Roger Hodgson Dougie Thomson Richard Palmer Robert Millar Frank Farrell Kevin Currie Dave Winthrop Mark Hart Tom Walsh Keith Baker Touring members: Marty Walsh (1985–1988) Brad Cole (1986–1988) Scott Page (1983–1985) Fred Mandel (1983) Albums Supertramp Indelibly Stamped Crime of the Century Crisis? What Crisis? Even in the Quietest Moments... Breakfast in America ...Famous Last Words... Brother Where You Bound Free as a Bird Some Things Never Change Slow Motion Live albums Concert Classics Paris Live '88 It Was the Best of Times Is Everybody Listening? 70-10 Tour Compilations The Autobiography of Supertramp The Very Best of Supertramp The Very Best of Supertramp 2 Retrospectacle – The Supertramp Anthology Singles "Forever"" "Land Ho" "Dreamer" "Bloody Well Right" "Lady" "Ain't Nobody But Me" "Give a Little Bit" "Babaji" "From Now On" "The Logical Song" "Breakfast in America" "Goodbye Stranger" "Take the Long Way Home" "Dreamer (live)" "Breakfast in America (live)" "It's Raining Again" "Don't Leave Me Now" "Crazy" "My Kind of Lady" "Still in Love" "Cannonball" "Better Days" "I'm Beggin' You" "Free As A Bird" "Give a Little Bit (New Version)" "You Win, I Lose" "Listen To Me, Please" "Slow Motion" Selected songs "Brother Where You Bound" "Fool's Overture" Related articles Discography Band members Book:Supertramp

Christopher Johnson McCandless (February 12, 1968 – August 1992) was an American adventurer who adopted the name Alexander Supertramp and hiked into the Alaskan wilderness in April 1992 with little food and equipment, hoping to live simply for a time in solitude. Almost four months later, McCandless' remains were found, weighing only 67 pounds (30 kg; 4 st 11 lb); he died of starvation near Lake Wentitika in Denali National Park and Preserve.

In January 1993, author Jon Krakauer published McCandless' story in that month's issue of Outside magazine. Inspired by the details of McCandless's story, Krakauer wrote and published Into the Wild in 1996 about McCandless' travels. The book was adapted into a film by Sean Penn in 2007 with Emile Hirsch portraying McCandless. That same year, McCandless's story also became the subject of Ron Lamothe's documentary The Call of the Wild.

A full-length article on McCandless also appeared in the February 8th, 1993 issue of the The New Yorker magazine.^[1]

Early years[link]

McCandless was born in El Segundo, California, the first of two children to Walter "Walt" McCandless and Wilhelmina "Billie" Johnson. Chris had one younger sister, Carine. In 1976, the family settled in Annandale, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C., after his father was employed as an antenna specialist for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). His mother worked as a secretary at Hughes Aircraft and later assisted her husband with his successful home-based consulting company in Annandale. Despite the McCandless family's financial success, Walt and Billie were often fighting and sometimes would contemplate divorce. Chris and Carine had six half-siblings living in California from Walt's first marriage. Walt was not yet divorced from his first wife when Chris and Carine were born, however Chris did not discover his father's affair until a summer trip to Southern California^[2] in 1986.

At school, teachers noticed McCandless was unusually strong-willed. In adolescence he coupled this with intense idealism and physical endurance. In high school, he served as captain of the cross-country team, urging teammates to treat running as a spiritual exercise in which they were "running against the forces of darkness ... all the evil in the world, all the hatred."^[3]

On June 2, 1986, McCandless graduated from Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School in Fairfax, Virginia. On June 10, McCandless embarked on one of his first major adventures in which he traveled throughout the country in his Datsun B-210, arriving at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia two days prior to the beginning of fall classes. His upper middle class background and academic success were drivers for his contempt of what he saw as the empty materialism of society. McCandless was strongly influenced by Jack London, Leo Tolstoy, W. H. Davies and Henry David Thoreau. In his junior year, he declined membership in the Phi Beta Kappa Society, on the basis that honors and titles were irrelevant. McCandless graduated from Emory in April 1990 with a Bachelor's degree in history and anthropology. He envisioned separating from organized society for a Thoreauvian period of solitary contemplation.

Travels[link]

In May 1990, McCandless donated the remaining $25,000 of the $47,000, given to him by a family friend for his law degree, to Oxfam International, a hunger charity. Towards the end of June, he began traveling under the name "Alexander" McCandless until later adopting the last name of "Supertramp" (Krakauer notes the connection with Welsh author W. H. Davies and his 1908 autobiography The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp). Most people he encountered regarded him as intelligent and one who loved to read. By the end of the summer, McCandless made his way through Arizona, California and South Dakota, where he worked at a grain elevator in Carthage. He survived a flash flood, but allowed his car to wash out (although it suffered little permanent damage and was later reused by the local police force as an undercover vehicle) and disposed of his license plate.^{[citation needed]} In 1991, McCandless paddled a kayak down remote stretches of the Colorado River to the Gulf of California. He took pride in surviving with a minimum of gear and funds, and generally made little preparation.

Alaskan Odyssey[link]

For years, McCandless dreamed of an "Alaskan Odyssey" wherein he would live off the land of the Alaskan wilderness, far away from civilization, and "find himself". He kept a journal describing his physical and spiritual progress as he faced the forces of nature. In April 1992, McCandless hitchhiked from Enderlin, North Dakota to Fairbanks, Alaska. He was last seen alive on April 28, 1992 by Jim Gallien, a local, who gave him a ride from Fairbanks to the head of the Stampede Trail. Gallien was concerned about "Alex", who had minimal supplies (not even a compass) and no experience surviving in the Alaskan bush. Gallien repeatedly tried to persuade Alex to defer his trip, and even offered to drive him to Anchorage to buy suitable equipment and supplies. However, McCandless ignored Gallien's warnings, refusing all assistance except for a pair of Wellington rubber boots, two tuna melt sandwiches, and a bag of corn chips.

After hiking along the snow-covered Stampede Trail, McCandless found an abandoned bus (about 25 miles west of Healy) used as a hunting shelter and parked on an overgrown section of the trail near Denali National Park, and began to live off the land. He had a 10-pound bag of rice, a Remington semi-automatic rifle with 400 rounds of .22LR hollowpoint ammunition, a book of local plant life, several other books, and some camping equipment. He assumed he could forage for plant food and hunt game. McCandless poached porcupines and birds. He managed to kill a moose; however, he failed to preserve the meat properly, and it spoiled. Rather than thinly slicing and air-drying the meat, like jerky, as is usually done in the Alaskan bush, he smoked it, following the advice of hunters he had met in South Dakota.^[2]

His journal contains entries covering a total of 112 days. These entries range from ecstatic to grim with McCandless' changing fortunes. In July, after living in the bus for three months, he decided to leave, but found the trail back blocked by the Teklanika River, which was then considerably higher and swifter than when he crossed in April. Unknown to McCandless, there was a hand-operated tram that crossed the river only ¼ of a mile away from where he had previously crossed. In the 2007 documentary The Call of the Wild, evidence is presented that McCandless had a map at his disposal, which should have helped him find another route to safety.^[4] McCandless lived in the bus for a total of 113 days. At some point during that time, presumably very near the end, he posted an S.O.S. note calling on anyone passing by to help him because he was "injured" and "too weak". The full note read:

"S.O.S. I need your help. I am injured, near death, and too weak to hike out. I am all alone, this is no joke. In the name of God, please remain to save me. I am out collecting berries close by and shall return this evening. Thank you, Chris McCandless. August?"^[5]

Death[link]

On August 12, 1992, McCandless wrote what are apparently his final words in his journal: "Beautiful Blueberries."

He tore the final page from Louis L'Amour's memoir, Education of a Wandering Man, which contains an excerpt from a Robinson Jeffers poem titled "Wise Men in Their Bad Hours":

Death's a fierce meadowlark: but to die having made

Something more equal to centuries

Than muscle and bone, is mostly to shed weakness.

The mountains are dead stone, the people

Admire or hate their stature, their insolent quietness,

The mountains are not softened or troubled

And a few dead men's thoughts have the same temper.

On the other side of the page, McCandless added, "I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD. GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS ALL!"

His body was found in his sleeping bag inside the bus by Butch Killian, a local hunter, on September 6, 1992.^[6] McCandless had been dead for more than two weeks and weighed an estimated 67 pounds (30 kg). His official, undisputed cause of death was starvation. Krakauer suggests two factors may have contributed to McCandless's death. First, he was running the risk of a phenomenon known as "rabbit starvation" due to increased activity, compared with the leanness of the game he was hunting.^[7] Krakauer also speculates that McCandless might have ingested toxic seeds (Hedysarum alpinum or Hedisarum mackenzii) or a mold that grows on them (Rhizoctonia leguminicola produces the toxic alkaloid swainsonine).

However, an article in Men's Journal stated that extensive laboratory testing showed there was no toxin present in McCandless's food supplies. Dr. Thomas Clausen, the chair of the chemistry and biochemistry department at UAF said "I tore that plant apart. There were no toxins. No alkaloids. I'd eat it myself."^[8] Analysis of the wild sweet pea, given as the cause of Chris’s death in Sean Penn's film, turned up no toxic compounds and there is not a single account in modern medical literature of anyone being poisoned by this species of plant.^[4] As one journalist put it: "He didn't find a way out of the bush, couldn't catch enough food to survive, and simply starved to death."^[8] However, the possibility of death through the consumption of the mold, which grew on the seeds in the damp bags which McCandless stored them in, was considered a suitable explanation by Krakauer.^[2]

Criticism[link]

McCandless has been a polarizing figure ever since his story first broke following his death along with Krakauer's Outside article on him in January 1993. While Krakauer and many readers have a largely sympathetic view of McCandless,^[9] others, particularly Alaskans, have expressed negative views about McCandless and those who romanticize his fate.^[10]

The most charitable view among McCandless's detractors is that his behavior showed a profound lack of common sense. He chose not to bring a compass, something that people in the same situation would have considered essential. McCandless was also completely unaware that a hand-operated tram crossed the otherwise impassable river ¼ mile from where he attempted to cross. Had McCandless known this, he could easily have saved his own life.^[3] Additionally, there were cabins stocked with emergency supplies within a few miles of the bus, although they had been vandalized and all the supplies were spoiled. There has been some speculation (particularly in details given in the Lamothe documentary) that the vandalism may have been done by McCandless himself; however, Ken Kehrer, chief ranger for Denali National Park, denied that McCandless was considered a vandalism suspect by the National Park Service.^[11] His venture into a wilderness area alone, without adequate planning, experience, preparation, or supplies, without notifying anyone and lacking emergency communication equipment, was contrary to every principle of outdoor survival and, in the eyes of many experienced outdoor enthusiasts, nearly certain to end in misfortune.

Alaskan Park Ranger Peter Christian wrote:

When you consider McCandless from my perspective, you quickly see that what he did wasn't even particularly daring, just stupid, tragic, and inconsiderate. First off, he spent very little time learning how to actually live in the wild. He arrived at the Stampede Trail without even a map of the area. If he [had] had a good map he could have walked out of his predicament [... ] Essentially, Chris McCandless committed suicide. Retrieved August 26, 2007.

Sherry Simpson, writing in the Anchorage Press, described her trip to the bus with a friend, and their reaction upon reading the comments that tourists had left lauding McCandless as an insightful, Thoreau-like figure:

Among my friends and acquaintances, the story of Christopher McCandless makes great after-dinner conversation. Much of the time I agree with the "he had a death wish" camp because I don’t know how else to reconcile what we know of his ordeal. Now and then I venture into the "what a dumbshit" territory, tempered by brief alliances with the "he was just another romantic boy on an all-American quest" partisans. Mostly I’m puzzled by the way he’s emerged as a hero^{[12][dead link]}

Jon Krakauer defends McCandless, claiming that what critics point to as arrogance was merely McCandless's desire for "being the first to explore a blank spot on the map." Krakauer continues that "In 1992, however, there were no more blank spots on the map—not in Alaska, not anywhere. But Chris, with his idiosyncratic logic, came up with an elegant solution to this dilemma: He simply got rid of the map. In his own mind, if nowhere else, the terra would thereby remain incognita."^[13] Others have pointed out that a map of the area (although apparently not including the location of the hand-powered tram) was found amongst McCandless's belongings, and refute the accusations that he intentionally discarded this map.^[14]

Cultural legacy[link]

Krakauer's book, Into the Wild, made Christopher McCandless a heroic figure to many. By 2002, the No. 142 abandoned bus on the Stampede Trail where McCandless camped had become a tourist destination.^[8][15] Sean Penn's film Into the Wild, based on Krakauer's book, was released on September 21, 2007 to positive critical reviews and also earning several awards including a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song by Eddie Vedder. In October 2007, a documentary film on McCandless's journey by independent filmmaker Ron Lamothe, The Call of the Wild, was also released.^[16] McCandless's story also inspired an episode of the TV series Millennium,^[17] the album Cirque by Biosphere, and folk songs by singer Ellis Paul.^[18]

See also[link]

• Carl McCunn, wildlife photographer who became stranded in the Alaskan wilderness and eventually committed suicide when he ran out of supplies
• Richard Proenneke, who survived in the Alaskan wilderness for 30 years
• Everett Ruess, solitary wilderness traveler in American west
• Robert F. Scott, South Pole explorer whose party succumbed to hunger
• Survivalism
• Anarcho-primitivism

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Christopher McCandless

• Christopher McCandless – The Official and Informative website on Christopher McCandless.
• Memorial Foundation – C J McCandless Memorial Foundation.
• Google Earth Community – Aerial photo of the bus, Google Earth Overlay of the region and downloadable KMZ file.
• Dispatches from the Wild – Excerpts of McCandless's own articles published in the Emory Wheel student newspaper.

Coordinates: 63°52′06″N 149°46′09″W / 63.8684°N 149.7693°W / 63.8684; -149.7693 (accident site)