Q: First of all could you tell us a bit about the Sara Ann Wood Foundation?

A: That was something... I became involved in the charity which helps support missing children. And I was watching...in America there's a TV program called America's Most Wanted. I saw the story of this young child Sara Ann Wood and she'd been abducted, kidnapped and murdered y'know. And her father was searching for her body is what it was. It so upset me y'know to see that. That, I wrote this song. The song was called DADDY. And the reason it had that title is because her father, Sara Wood's father said I can hear her calling to me, she's saying Daddy come and bring me home. And so I wrote this song. Anyway, to cut a long story short we donated the royalties from the song to the charity. I go round and I speak about it and speak about the importance to care for your children and y'know, because it's a terrible thing y'know when a child gets snatched like that. It is the most unimaginable agony for everybody.

Q: You have children don't you?

A: Yes I do, ah, she's grown up now. I have a daughter, she's 22. We were very fortunate with her but we also very careful. I mean she was never allowed to walk to school on her own. There are things you can do with the children that really help make your children safe. If your child walks to school you make sure they walk two of them together, you see, and things like that.

Q: Was this song DADDY originally intended for Emerson, Lake and Palmer or as a solo thing?

A: It was written just because of the fact it was a moving thing. I didn't write it for an album or this or for that. It was just getting this grief, this sad situation into a place where it was safe.

Q: Did you have to.....to put out the IN THE HOT SEAT album, did you have to sort of like contribute with alot of your own solo stuff for the band to be able to complete the album or ...

A: It wasn't so much solo stuff. The album was fraught with problems. Keith Emerson had the arm problems. It was also an album made with a producer named Keith Olson who is actually a good producer, but he really wanted to send the band in a very sort of commercial direction, which ELP really isn't. And so really, at the end of the day, none of us were really happy with the record, and that is the way it was.

Q: A couple of days ago John Wetton released a book called "My Own Time" and there's this thing about he says you called him saying that...asking his permission to sing in Asia, and then he says that he never received that call and stuff like that. What really happened there?

A: That, with the boys in Asia... they had some sort of ......

Q: A disagreement .....

A: Yeah

Q: But he says that you called...

A: What is this...are you trying to quiz me like a trial?

Q: No no no - I'm just asking because he said that you called him .

A: I'm not responsible for what he says.

Q: I just wanted to get into what happened with all that Asia...

A: I just told you...the fallout with John. Carl Palmer called me and asked me if I'd do the gig. I said I really didn't feel comfortable. I knew John before Asia because he comes from the same part of the world that I come from. So, and that was it really, I went to do, I think we played 4 or 5 shows in Japan and that was the end of it. It wasn't the sort of a band I really felt I could be a part of.

Q: Lets change the subject then. Whatever happened with that project Ride the Tiger with them?

A: Not a lot. Any more questions, any good questions, because I'm getting tired.

Q: Once in Hungary you met a spectator who was crying...

A: I've told that story too many times. Man I've gotta wrap this up. I'm really not enjoying this. We'll see ya later.

(Thanks to J. Walker Grant for transcription)