RS:  Rumors on the preparation for the In The Present Tour have been all over the Internet with as much drama as you might find in a soap opera.  Now that the dust has settled, how do you feel about the present line-up?

Chris:  We’re very happy about it.  Oliver and Benoit are fitting in really well, and they’re both doing an excellent job.  Steve Howe seems to be a very happy boy too.  He’s been jumping around on stage with a big grin on his face, so something must be right.

RS:  When you guys first got together to rehearse, was there a buzz that this is finally happening and was going to come off really well?

Chris:  Yeah, it was good.  It was the first time that I started rehearsing in L.A. with Benoit, I got a little chill when I heard him sing and how prepared he was and how good he was.  Of course, when you choose someone who’s been in a tribute band, they tend to know the songs.  That’s the best part of it.  So, everything is good and we worked together in Hamilton up here in Canada.  Every day it gets better and better.  As I mentioned in my blog, we’ve completed the Hamilton and Toronto show and they both were real good.

RS:  Did you ever in your career think that a Yes tribute band vocalist would be lead vocalist for Yes?

Chris:  In an odd way, Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, when they joined in 1980 for the Drama album – they hadn’t been in a tribute band, but they were fans when they were younger.  Trevor knew all of the popular Yes songs, as a matter of fact he probably knew all of them.  He was quite an avid fan.  But in Benoit’s case, it’s very reassuring to know that he’s honed his craft by singing Yes songs even before we got hold of him.

RS:  You’ve referred to Benoit as an understudy on the Internet.  Are you being ‘p.c.’, so as not to ruffle any feathers, or could Benoit be the new voice of Yes?

Chris:  The fact is that Jon Anderson had a series of health problems, and he’s not out of the woods yet.  I really don’t know what his prognosis will be – if he’ll be able to do any lengthy tours.  Although I did mention that Benoit was the understudy originally, which is the fair way of saying it.  You know, a stand in.  I can’t really tell.  Obviously I’m not really a doctor and I can’t tell how Jon will be in the future, but I imagine it will be more limited to doing maybe some individual shows here and there with him.  I don’t know if he’ll ever want to do a full-scale tour again.  But once again, until he’s recovered, and of course we wish him a full recovery, we won’t know any of those things.  So meanwhile we’re getting along all right with Benoit.

RS:  Jon Anderson claimed in a blog, that nobody contacted him during the period when he was ill except for Alan White.  The blog was taken off the Internet almost as quickly as it appeared.  How valid is that claim?

Chris:  As you very well know, it is not possible to know if Jon actually put that up there.  The facts of life are that Jon was always in the loop knowing what was going on.  Our manager, Trudy Green, was in constant touch with him, letting him know what our plans were as to going ahead without him, and getting on the road to play some music.  So it seems a little odd why he posted it, if indeed he did post it personally, which I’m not sure he did.  You know, it’s a mystery - but as you say it’s now been taken down and as far as I know we have his blessing to carry on.

RS:  What does Oliver Wakeman bring to the band?  Is he a ‘chip off the old block’ or is there another dimension to his playing that you wouldn’t find with Rick Wakeman.

Chris:  Obviously Oliver was on board anyway on the tour that we had to cancel because of Jon’s illness.  And so, that was a shame for all of us because he was so geared up and of course we had to tell him to ‘stand down’ again.

His playing is superb is all I can say really.  He’s got a great ear, and he has worked out more of the details in the keyboard parts that were in the original recordings.  I think a lot of the keyboard parts are more faithfully reproduced than with Rick.  But of course Rick also has great flair and talent as a showman.  Obviously as we go on, I’m sure I’ll see a lot more of that coming out in Oliver as well.  At this point we’ve done only two shows and obviously it’s got to be a bit nerve wracking for him ‘cause there’s so many things that he has to get right, every night.  But he’s doing a great job though.

RS:  Did you have to alter any of the arrangements to fit the capabilities of the new members?

Chris:  Not at all.  (Laughs) The only thing that’s really changed is a lot of the very high vocal parts that I used to sing back in the day.  I’ve had to adjust some of those, as they’re too high for me to sing now.  But as far as those guys are concerned – no.  They’ve taken everything in stride and more faithfully reproducing what was on the original recordings in many ways.

RS:  Some of the comments on the Chris Squire’s Swiss Choir album are that your voice has become more resonant. It was almost like listening to a modern day Andy Williams.  As you’ve said, you’re not belting out the high parts. 

Chris:  All I can say about that is that when I did those songs on the Swiss Choir album, they were very different than the vocals you associate with Yes music.  On the Swiss Choir album, I just sang them as accurately as I could in the range that they’re in.  And of course, the parts on those songs were baritone, and maybe one was a tenor.  I usually sing in a tenor voice in the high range, but on the Swiss Choir album it was probably the first time any of my fans probably heard me sing like that.  I may have had that voice all along and I never really experimented with that.

RS:  The voice has changed – so what other changes have taken place.  Touring at the pace that you’re experiencing can be arduous at any age.  How have you prepared physically to handle the rigors of this tour?

Chris:  Once again, we’ve only done two shows, and sitting in Toronto Airport isn’t much fun for 5-1/2 hours.  So maybe this would be a good question to ask me down the line.

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