Eric Martin's Big Plan

The frontman of American rock band Mr. Big on how they got back together, his upcoming India tour, and writing a “clusterfuck” solo album.

- Riddhi Chakraborty

ALTHOUGH IT’S BEEN 28 years since American rock band Mr. Big made their debut, lead vocalist Eric Martin’s smiling face and brimming enthusiasm have remained unchanged. “My mouth is working but my brain hasn’t caught up. That’s why they call me Mr. Big Mouth,” jokes Martin over Skype from his home in California. He has just returned from the German leg of a European tour with symphony metallers Avantasia the previous night and with a quick fix of three cups of coffee, he is ready to take on India as part of his upcoming 12-city tour. “I was on the airplane last night coming up with a set list,” he shares, adding that while he will indeed play Mr. Big crowd-pleasers like “Just Take My Heart” and “Wild World,” he has also added a few solo compositions to his repertoire. “There’s a song called “Bigger Man” that I’ve been playing with lately, and I’ve also got a couple of new ones that I’ve just written.”

Your 2009 concert in India was a mega success. How did it feel to see that kind of response from fans in India?

It was amazing because I couldn’t believe that many people showed up. I knew there was going to be a lot of people because we had never played India before and it was a long time coming. I don’t know why we didn’t play in India back in the Nineties but it was a far better turn out than I thought it was going to be. A lot of family members and my friends were like ‘What are you going there for? The traffic’s crazy, there’s so many people’ but they don’t get it. People are people no matter where you are; if their hands are up with rock and roll, that’s all that matters.

Your social media shows you’re constantly on the move. How do you keep that energy going?