Last Call Dave Wakeling

For 30 years, Dave Wakeling has been entertaining music lovers around the world with his bands The Beat, The English Beat and General Public.

Songs like, "I Confess," "Mirror in the Bathroom," and "Tenderness" have all been international chart toppers but there are a few things about the music icon the average person may not know.

At one point in his life, Wakeling thought about becoming a Buddhist monk, but said he kept thinking about motorcycles and girls and that wouldn't fit in with the Buddhist way.

His other option was to be a pop star and thus The Beat was formed, in Birmingham, England, in 1979.

The revised band is now touring again to packed venues, making stops all around the United States and Canada.

The band is working on a new album and often mix in the old songs with the new when performing live.

James Chippendale and Wakeling shared a meal at the Cosmic Cafe, a popular vegetarian restaurant in Dallas,  while the band were making a tour stop at the Granada Theater on Greenville Avenue.

Wakeling is a vegetarian (again) and doesn't drink alcohol which he said this helps him feel a lot healthier.

"Sure the smell of bacon still smells good as I'm passing by but I'm not going to eat it" said Wakeling.

He also makes it a point of finding vegetarian restaurants while on the road so he can stay on a routine and even carries food containers in case he finds something really enjoys and wants it to go.

Click here to see The English Beat in Action.

Wakeling said he is enjoying the second half of his life, "I'm 53 now and starting the second half of my life, I'm not going to be too extreme about anything that spoils it."

He grew up a die-hard Aston Villa soccer fan. His father was a fan and so was his grandfather and Wakeling is looking forward to being in the owners box on his birthday this year to cheer on his favorite team.

"It's not a sport it's a way of life," said Wakeling.

On playing live, Wakeling said, "I've always liked playing live concerts more than anything else out of the whole music biz -- there is something about the immediate connection between you, the band, the audience, and the song -- and if you hit it right, time disappears and you just feel like it is forever."

Perhaps what matters most to Wakeling is making a difference to others no matter how large or small it may be.

He is very active with Greenpeace, the movement to stop global warming and the "Smile Train."

In times past the band have often handed over the profits from their record sales to causes they support.

Over the years, Wakeling has come to appreciate how his music moves fans and said, "There is a certain point in time where certain songs just hit you right exactly where you are and it becomes a part of the soundtrack of your life and when I realized that is What people were saying to me then I realized that it's the greatest honor a troubadour can have." 

For more on James Chippendale, the host of "Last Call," and his Love, Hope, Strength Foundation click here.

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