Sandy’s Kitchen

Alan Frew, frontman of Canadian rockers Glass Tiger is a man who likes to keep busy. Besides his loyalties to his bandmates, Frew is also a best-selling author (The Action Sandwich) and a well known public speaker. His latest venture led to his co-composing Canada’s Olympic theme song, I Believe, with award-winning Toronto composer Stephan Moccio.

Before the song was released across radio airwaves, I caught up with Frew to chat about this collaboration amongst other things.

Sandy Caetano: What was your vision for the song, I Believe?

Alan Frew: My vision was that the lyrics would deal with the passion, the dedication and the isolation that goes on when you’re a performer – be it an Olympic athlete or an actor or a hockey player or a musician. I’ve lived and breathed music for the last 25 years – I understand that aspect of the Olympic quest to become the best at what you can be, so I wanted the lyric to carry that message.

Sandy Caetano: What was the biggest challenging in writing this song?

Alan Frew: I didn’t want it to be too grandeur that it would leave behind the melting pot of everyday people. I had a dream that it would be relatable to the voice of the future – which is youth – so it all worked brilliantly in the end. The Olympic athletes have their own inspiration, but (the) Olympics are more than just that. The Olympics are the personification of bringing people together – that’s what we managed to capture.

Sandy Caetano: So, what have you been up to aside from working on I Believe?

Alan Frew: Glass Tiger still does numerous dates every year, we go out and do big festivals – I stay very busy. I’ve written another song called Free To Be with Stephan (Moccio) that’s been picked up by EMI for their Olympics compilation.

Sandy Caetano: It seems you’re a man of many talents?

Alan Frew: Yeah well, sometimes I wonder if I’m ever going to shut it off. For me, work is fun, doing this kind of thing is what I do – I live and breathe it, so it’s all part of who I am.”

Sandy Caetano: How did you get your role in the film Gravy Train?

Alan Frew: Gravy Train was a movie that was made by a couple of young up and coming directors, April Mullen and Kim Doylen, and I just think the world of them. (They) had written a one man show years ago that involved an Alan Frew/Glass Tiger thing, so when they wrote the script for this movie, they wrote a part for me. I play a Scottish bum that lives under a bridge, his name is Ian McCaulley. What a fantastic experience being on a movie set. It got snapped up by Alliance … I believe it’s coming out in the late spring or early summer of this year.

*** Alan Frew is a five-time Juno Award-winner, five-time Canadian Classic Award-winner and Grammy nominee. Frew has toured and performed with major artists that include Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Journey, CCR and Fleetwood Mac. His charity, A Rose in My Book, raises funds for Breast Cancer Research.