Chris Isaak believes he’s never been trendy – and that’s why his career has lasted over 30 years.

The Wicked Game singer will be back in Glasgow next Tuesday at the SEC Armadillo.

“Sometimes I think I’m so lucky, because I’ve had a career for so long and I know others who haven’t, but I was never part of a trend,” he says.

“I wasn’t punk when that was in, or rockabilly when that was in, and I never tried to be part of anything trendy. I just did music that I liked to do, and that has always driven my manager nuts. I’ll say I want to record a Hawaiian song by Bing Cosby and he’ll look at me like ‘why are you doing this, I have a house to pay off!’”

The 61-year-old is part of a generation that bridges today’s music with the legendary acts who helped kick-start rock n’ roll, meaning that Chris can take on roles like being a judge on the Australian version of the X Factor while also remembering his own encounters with the likes of Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison.

“I met Roy Orbison when he said ‘come to my house and let’s write, just work on some songs’,” recalls Chris, who’s often been compared to the Big O.

“I remember saying to him at one point ‘I don’t know if I write hits like you’ and he just stopped me and said ‘Chris, you write hits, you just don’t know it yet’. Whether that was true or not, he gave me that push and I needed that.”

Another helping hand in his career came not from a musical legend, but a film one. David Lynch, the mastermind behind the likes of Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive, used some of Chris’s songs in his work, and ended up directing a couple of music videos for him.

“If David Lynch said he was going to paint his house I’d go and hold the ladder for him,” he says.

“When I was starting out, no-one would give us the money to make a video for Wicked Game, and David said he’d do it for free. So he really helped us when we needed it. We did Wild At Heart (1990 film) for him and I asked if he wanted to come into the studio and tell me what he needed.

“He’s not a musician per se, but he’s a very musical guy and can really tell you what he’s looking for.”

Chris will bring a career spanning set to Glasgow on Hallowe’en, but it’s not tricks or treats that the singer is currently focused on. He’s just finished off a few extra festive tracks for a re-issue of his 2004 release Christmas, a holiday he’s always loved.

“My mum’s an Italian American and Christmas was always a big deal – even if we were broke, she’s always cook ravioli for Christmas Day,” he says.

“If we had enough money we’d get a Christmas tree. One year we didn’t have enough money and there was a Christmas tree lot nearby, with a pile of branches they were throwing away. My brother and I went and got branches, got a two by four, drilled a few holes in it, and we had a tree. You make do.”

Growing up with very little made a lasting impression on the singer, and he watches his money carefully, even though he’s financially comfortable these days.

“It still annoys me when I see people waste food, because you don’t know how hard someone worked for that. I am tight about money and I feel better to buy it for someone else who needs it.

“The best thing with money is that if you someone gets into a real jam then it’s great to be able to help out.”

Chris Isaak, SEC Armadillo, Tuesday, £37.50, 7pm