Kevin Godley 10cc The story of I'm not in Love, CRY with GODLEY & CREME and Herbie Hancock's ROCKIT!

Kevin Godley reveals why he and Lol Creme left 10cc, how “I’m Not in Love” was transformed in the studio, and how Godley & Creme helped reinvent the music video.

In this wide-ranging interview, Kevin traces his creativity back to childhood, his fascination with art, records, cameras and technology, and the importance of experimentation, risk and failure.
He explains how the four members of 10cc—Kevin Godley, Lol Creme, Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart—worked together at Strawberry Studios. Although different songwriting partnerships existed within the band, all four contributed to the arrangements, production and distinctive finished sound.

Kevin takes us inside the creation of “I’m Not in Love,” a song the band initially recorded in a completely different form before returning to it and constructing its revolutionary vocal sound.
He also speaks candidly about the growing tensions inside 10cc. As the members and their ambitions changed, Kevin and Lol wanted to pursue the experimental project that became Consequences. When the band’s work began to feel more concerned with commerce than art, they faced a stark decision: remain fully committed to 10cc or leave.

After 10cc, Godley & Creme moved from experimental music into visual storytelling. Kevin discusses their pioneering approach to music videos, including Herbie Hancock’s groundbreaking “Rockit” and the unforgettable face-morphing video for “Cry.”
The conversation concludes with Kevin’s solo album Muscle Memory and his continuing need to experiment, collaborate and create something different.

This interview was originally recorded remotely in 2021, and the sound reflects the available recording technology. I felt the conversation and Kevin’s insights were too valuable not to share.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:11 Kevin Godley’s childhood and family
02:30 His father’s magical cupboard of technology
05:00 Art, instinct and experimentation
07:00 Why creativity requires risk and failure
09:00 Growing up as popular culture changed
11:05 The influence of The Beatles
14:46 Learning to write and record songs
15:56 Working with Eric Stewart
17:03 Experimenting at Strawberry Studios
18:36 How the four members of 10cc worked together
22:32 Writing credits and creating the finished records
23:30 The making of “I’m Not in Love”
25:45 The creative chemistry inside 10cc
27:30 Success—and the pressure that followed
30:30 Tensions develop inside the band
33:31 When the original arrangement stopped working
33:56 The Gizmo and the beginnings of Consequences
34:38 The disagreement that changed 10cc
35:45 When commerce overtook art
37:13 Leaving 10cc and moving into film
39:25 Discovering visual experimentation
41:20 The birth of the music-video era
42:47 Creating Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit”
46:00 Waiting to discover whether “Rockit” worked
48:19 The original idea for “Cry”
49:31 Why the finished “Cry” video was Plan B
50:00 Godley & Creme’s experimental video method
53:15 From 10cc studio experiments to solo work
55:10 Creating Muscle Memory
59:00 Final thoughts

What is your favourite Kevin Godley creation—10cc, Godley & Creme, one of his music videos or his solo work? Let me know in the comments.

For another perspective on the extraordinary story of 10cc, watch my interview with Graham Gouldman: https://youtu.be/8f9DdyaKqqU
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