Jim Lea and Noddy Holder Discuss Slade’s Changing Fortunes on Razzamatazz (1985)
A revealing moment from Razzamatazz in 1985 captures Jim Lea and Noddy Holder reflecting on Slade’s career with rare honesty, insight, and quiet confidence. The conversation focuses not only on a specific record, but on the realities of success, decline, and artistic survival in the music industry.
During the interview, Noddy Holder recounts an encounter with Bob Geldof in 1979, first at a university gig and later at a party at the House of Commons. At the time, Slade had returned to playing smaller venues and university campuses after years of arena-level success. Geldof questioned the decision, remarking that he would never willingly go back to small clubs after reaching the top. Holder’s response was simple and telling: Slade still enjoyed the act of playing live.
With the benefit of hindsight, Holder notes the irony of the exchange. A few years later, as musical trends shifted and commercial fortunes changed, many major bands, including Geldof’s own, found themselves returning to the same circuit. This experience became the inspiration behind the song being discussed, a track that reflects on cycles in popular music and the humility required to endure them. Rather than bitterness, the tone is celebratory, acknowledging everything Geldof had achieved while recognizing the shared reality faced by artists over time.
The interview also highlights how busy 1985 had been for Slade. Lea and Holder speak about new releases, including a Christmas project, while acknowledging the long-lasting impact of the band’s earlier festive anthem, which continued to resurface year after year. There is a sense of amusement and pride in how those songs had taken on lives of their own, becoming seasonal fixtures well beyond their original release.
As the segment closes, the focus shifts from discussion to performance, reinforcing what Slade had always valued most: connection through music. The Razzamatazz appearance stands as a snapshot of two seasoned musicians who understood fame’s ebb and flow, and who measured success not by scale, but by the simple joy of playing and being heard.