An Interview With James Walbourne Of The Pretenders

Feature Photo by Ki Price

Few encapsulate the dyed-in-the-wool rock ‘n’ roll vibe like Pretenders guitarist James Walbourne. Though he’s just 45, Walbourne has lived a life of a player twice his age, having been a member of The Kinks’ Ray Davies solo band, The Pogues, and since 2008, The Pretenders.

As far as The Pretenders go, Walbourne had a weighty legacy to live up to, having taken up a position once held by the likes of James Honeyman-Scott, Johnny Marr, Robbie McIntosh, and Adam Seymour.

That’s a heavyweight company, but Walbourne doesn’t seem bothered, as since joining The Pretenders, he helped Chrissie Hynde and company reel off four outstanding records: 2008’s Break Up the Concrete, 2016’s Alone, 2020’s Hate for Sale, and 2023’s Relentless.

As for what he brings to the party, Walbourne tells ClassicRockHistory.com, “In terms of my playing, I think over the years I’ve been trying to dumb down as opposed to reach new dizzying heights of guitar athleticism.”

He adds, “Maybe ‘dumbing down’ is the wrong term, but I love guitar players like Neil Young and Alex Chilton. Their playing speaks to me, and I aspire to be like them.”

Though Walbourne would probably shuffle off the idea, there’s a strong argument to be made that he’s well on his way to Young and Chilton territory—if he hasn’t already gotten there. Skill aside, Walbourne is hard at work beside Hynde on The Pretenders’ next record, which has no name or release date as of yet.

Elsewhere, he’s got his own projects to mind. “These days, I put most of my efforts into His Lordship, my high-octane rock ‘n’ roll band,” Walbourne reveals. “We’ve got some interesting stuff coming up, and we are playing SXSW in Austin in March, followed by a tour of California with Johnny Marr. Come out and see us if you can!”

What inspired you to pick up the guitar?

Elvis Presley inspired me to pick up a guitar. Right from the beginning, I was mesmerized by Elvis. The ’68 Comeback Special VHS was on repeat in my household.

What sort of scene did you grow up in, and how did that shape you?

I don’t think I was involved in any particular scene, so to speak, but there were places I played, which felt like something was happening. The Boogaloo pub opened in 2003 in my neck of the woods, which was Highgate and Muswell Hill—Kinks country. We would play there every Sunday.

A debauched mess. A den of iniquity. It was the place to be for a time. Shane McGowan, Kate Moss, Johnny Depp, and even David Soul would come to the gigs. The show used to start on Sunday at lunchtime, around 2 PM, but was known to last into the early hours of Monday morning. It wasn’t for the faint-hearted.

I was on the road from 18 years old onwards. That shaped me more than anything. I went to America to appear on a record a couple of months after I finished school. We recorded on tape… that’s how long ago it was.

Tell me about playing with Ray Davies. What was that like?

Ray Davies is a huge inspiration to me. There is no other songwriter like him. I was very nervous when I went down to Konk Studios to meet him for the first time. He had checked out my record and dug it. I think we played “Misfits” and “Oklahoma USA,” two of my favorites.

I played in his band on and off for a few years. I found it interesting how he was always rearranging his old songs and fitting them into the show. Once, he very kindly gave me a lift home because I had a family emergency. The car broke down about 10 miles out of Bristol because the driver had put the wrong fuel in the tank.

We spent an awful long time standing on the side of the M4 waiting for the AA to come to the rescue. I don’t think we got back till 5:30 am. There’s certainly a bit of Ray and the Kinks in everything I do. There must be something in the water up in Muswell Hill….

And how about The Pogues?
I met Spider Stacy at a pub in Camden, where I was playing in a rockabilly band with Boz Boorer from The Polecats/Morrissey. We struck up an instant friendship, and I ended up playing on his solo record, which never saw the light of day. Same with Shane [McGowan], really… I met him at the Boogaloo pub in Highgate.

I would sit up for hours with him listening and talking about music, life, et cetera. He was a really great guy. I really do miss him. When Philip Chevron took ill in 2007, Spider and Shane asked me if I would play guitar with the Pogues. I immediately said, “Yes,” as they were and still are one of my favorite bands in the world.

You never quite knew what to expect each night—it could be a beautiful experience or a fucking disastrous one. I’ve come to the realization that all the great bands are like that. Their Christmas shows at the Brixton Academy throughout the ‘00s were the greatest nights ever. I’m proud to have been involved in them over the years.

How did you join The Pretenders? What was the audition like?

Martin Chambers used to come and watch me play at the same pub I told you about earlier. He only lived down the road from me, and I used to see him around at parties. I remember I was waiting for my bags at Heathrow, Christmas Eve of 2007, after having played a show with The Pogues. Martin rang and said, “We need a new guitar player. I’ll give you a ring after Christmas.”

He was true to his word, and the first gig I played with Pretenders was in Palm Springs a couple of months later. I’ve since learned Chrissie [Hynde] wanted to try me out in a gig setting to see if I could cut it. We didn’t even rehearse the full set, so I ended up winging half of it. I guess I did okay; as they say, the rest is history.

Were you very influenced by the guitarists who had been in The Pretenders before?

Truthfully, I wasn’t that aware of The Pretenders’ music before I joined the band. It was a real treat to discover James Honeyman Scott. He really shaped the band’s sound early on, and learning his guitar parts was nothing but a joy.

His playing spoke to me because I come from a similar place encompassing a strong desire for melody with a massive dose of punk and rock ‘n’ roll. I think he deserves far more recognition than he gets. Speak to any famous rock ‘n’ roll guitar player, and they will no doubt say that Jimmy was one of the greatest.

What’s it like working with Chrissie?

Writing with Chrissie happened by chance one evening and has flourished into something that we are both constantly amazed by. It took a good 10 years to even play each other an idea. I don’t know why, really. We are on our third album at the moment.

Chrissie will send me an abundance of lyrics, which I will then sort through to see if anything takes my fancy. If something speaks to me, I’ll get a song out of it. Once I have the melody and the chords right, I’ll send her a quick demo, then we’ll get together and flesh it out.

What’s the last on your gear, meaning your guitars, amps, and pedals?

I’m constantly changing gear around. The endgame is to try to have the smallest rig possible. I’ve been enjoying the Eventide H 90. Troy Van Leeuwen from Queens of the Stone Age put me on to that. We played a show together once, and I realized there was a side of my playing that could do with some extra sounds.

I use an off-the-shelf Fender ’68 Custom Deluxe for an amp and have too many guitars to list. My number one is still my ‘63 Cherry red [Gibson] SG. And I bought a ‘67 re-finished [Fender] Telecaster in Seattle a couple of years ago, which I love.

What’s a nuance within The Pretenders’ music that most people don’t pick up on?

I think a nuance that people don’t pick up on regarding Pretenders music is how great the lyrics are. If you listen to something like “I Think About You Daily” from the last record [Relentless], you will get what I’m talking about.

What is the definitive Pretenders record, and how does one of your working ones stack up?

The definitive Pretenders record? That’s a tough question. The band has been around so long that it’s gone to many different places. Nobody will argue that the first two records [Pretenders and Pretenders II] aren’t classics.

And Learning to Crawl has got some great songs on it. I love the last two records we made, Hate for Sale and Relentless. I think there are some great songs on them. Not sure what the new ones gonna be like yet. Watch this space.

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