Following his tragic death, an interview of The Jam's Rick Buckler has resurfaced from 2023 as he reflected on the band's split - and Paul Weller's reason for leaving. Rick sadly passed away on February 17 at the age of 69 following a brief illness. He had been a member of The Jam, alongside Paul Weller and Bruce Foxton. The band were active from 1972-1982, however, in late 1982, after weeks of rumours, Paul had announced he was breaking up the band to explore new possibilities in his music career.
“Personal address to our fans,” wrote Weller. “At the end of this year, The Jam will be officially splitting up, as I feel we have achieved all we can together as a group. I mean this both musically and commercially. I want all we have achieved to count for something and most of all I’d hate us to end up old and embarrassing like so many other groups do," he said at the time - claiming there was "no real reason" for his departure.
Reflecting on Paul's decision over three decades later in an interview with The Strange Brew Rick opened up on Paul's decision' to leave. He revealed how the band "just got on with it" after Paul made the announcements, and the reasons were "never mentioned again.".
"The reason that Paul gave us was about why he wanted to leave the band in that initial meeting was rubbish, basically," the star said. "He said that he really felt like he was on a treadmill, and that he wanted to get off. But this was a treadmill that we wanted to get on. We always wanted to get on, we fought so hard to get on it. So to find somebody in the band saying, 'Well, I want to get off now.' You think 'Well, that’s crazy. That’s mad,'" he continued.
Before the band officially went their separate ways, Paul re-signed with Polydor Records, and in Rick's words, "just carried on on the same treadmill. So that didn’t make any sense from the get go.". Both Paul and Bruce paid tribute to Rick after his tragic death, with Paul writing: "I'm shocked and saddened by Rick's passing. I'm thinking back to us all rehearsing in my bedroom in Stanley Road, Woking. To all the pubs and clubs we played at as kids, to eventually making a record. What a journey! We went far beyond our dreams and what we made stands the test of time. My deepest sympathy to all family and friends - P.W x.".
In a separate statement, Bruce said: "I was shocked and devastated to hear the very sad news today. Rick was a good guy and a great drummer whose innovative drum patterns helped shape our songs. I'm glad we had the chance to work together as much as we did. My thoughts are with Leslie and his family at this very difficult time.".
