Bryan Ferry, musician and genius: 'Rock and roll isn't just jeans and a T-shirt.'

Times of discover News: Bryan Ferry doesn't know how many blazers he has in his closet. "About," he shrugs. More than 100? "I don't know. You can only wear one at a time, so you don't need that many." Then his eyes fall on the light blue shirt he's wearing this afternoon, the top two buttons open ... and no jacket. "Today, I'm being casual," he laughs. Ferry, 79, is known for the songs he plays with his band - Roxy Music - and as a solo artist. There's a certain elegance about him: He's cultivated a distinctive edgy aesthetic, sometimes wearing a suit and tie, or even a tuxedo, which he wore on the cover of his 1974 album, Another Time, Another Place. In 2020, the British edition of GQ magazine defined him as a "menswear master." "Clothes are fun," she explains. "When I was younger, when I was studying, I used to work for a tailor on Saturdays. That got me interested in learning different ways of designing costumes." Her gentlemanly look is timeless. "I love old Hollywood movies, movies with Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Robert Mitchum... they're always dressed up, even wearing hats. I miss that kind of thing."

The English singer-songwriter sees music as an art form. In fact, she created Roxy Music while studying fine art at Newcastle University. Photography plays a major role in her work. This is common to many other artists, but the difference is that Bryan Ferry has been declaring for more than 50 years that rock is compatible with class and sophistication. "Rock and roll is not just jeans and T-shirts. If you look at people like Little Richard, they look incredible. Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Booker T. Jones... they're great. It was something I was into." "It was inspired in batches at the beginning of my career," he said during an interview with El Pais via video call.

For some reason, Bryan Ferry - who was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2011 - remains one of the most influential figures in rock music history. However, his solo career was only partially appreciated by the general public. Less enlightened fans probably only recognise him from his 1985 album Boys and Girls, released after Roxy Music's massive hit Avalon (1982), which included memorable singles like Slave to Love and Don't Stop the Dance. Some even believe he started his solo career in the 1980s. But it really started in 1973, when he released These Stupid Things. He recorded 16 albums and left behind a vast catalogue spanning more than 50 years. Now they've been collected in an 81-song compilation called Retrospective: Selected Recordings 1973-2023.

When Ferry made his solo debut, Roxy Music was still in its infancy: they had only released one album, a self-titled one. But his bandmates didn't mind. "I think my first album was an experiment," he explains. "They understood that I wanted to make a different record, a bit more fun. Paul Thomson [Roxy Music's drummer] played on the whole album and [guitarist] Phil Manzanera played on at least one song. They knew he was excited." Regarding a distraction I still feel like my main thing is the band, which is the medium for my singing, with great and unique characters. "It's a real pleasure to be part of it". He recalls entering the studio to record his first album at the age of 28, "I was full of ambition and excited to be able to record songs. I've been a fan of music since I was a kid. And I never dreamed of expressing it myself. Through it. It's nice to find a way to do that and feel fulfilled.

What sets These Foolish Things apart is that it is a cover album. The repertoire includes songs by Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and The Four Tops. "I thought it would be interesting to record other people's songs and try to develop my talents as an arranger, singer and producer," Ferry explains. Since that release, cover albums have become increasingly important in Ferry's discography, arguably, through his efforts, laying the foundation for other rock greats to do the same. In 2007 he recorded a full-length album of Bob Dylan compositions called Dylanesque.