So, going to do a television show with a bunch of youngsters, I thought it was going to be horrible. How was that experience?Ī: I’m a sarcastic, jaded musician who’s been around for 30 years in the business. Q: You were a judge on The X Factor in Australia. I was working with him and we were trying to write a song and I said, “I don’t know what I call my style.” He said, “You know what you are, Chris? You’re a romantic balladeer.” And I always thought, “If he says so, I am a romantic balladeer.” ‍Isaak has been called the Roy Orbison of the 1990s, and is often also compared to Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson and Duane Eddy.Ī: We’re rock ‘n’ roll, but whenever someone asks me that question, I always remember Roy Orbison. I like to be able to throw songs in that people are surprised I played. But sometimes I go see artists and I like this B-side song that they did, or this quiet little ballad that they did, but I don’t think they’ll ever play that live. I mean, I wish I had 20 “Wicked Games.” Then I’d be Paul McCartney. I’m going to play “Wicked Game,” “Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing,” “Somebody’s Crying,” and “Blue Hotel.” I play the songs people know, and I love playing those songs. It always bothers me if I go to a show and I feel like the artist plays only what he or she wants. Q: With such a long career, how do you choose a playlist?Ī: I think about what the audience wants to hear. When you first go out and play, for the first six months you say, “Oh, we’re getting tighter.” Then after two years, you think “Oh, we’re really tight.” Then after 10 years, you think, “Now we know it all.” I know you never know it all. You can either have fun with it or don’t, and we’re having a lot of fun with it. It’s the same band I’ve had for 30-something years. With 12 studio albums, an occasional acting career, and a 2015 judging spot on The X Factor in Australia, Isaak shows no sign of slowing down.Ī: We always try to put on a good show. His voice can go from dark and gravelly to high and sweet in a moment. Chris Isaak is the gifted artist, singer-songwriter and band leader behind such hits as “Wicked Game” and “Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing.” His black hair, his swagger, and his crooning vocals remind you of Elvis, while his trademark falsetto brings to mind Roy Orbison.

Did roy orbison sing wicked game