Interview from: http://www.rumblekulture.com/
Rumble Kulture's Interview with BRIAN
SETZER
Rumble Kulture's Interview with BRIAN SETZER
In Brian's new '58, while returning
from lunch, Brian, trying to save our lives getting off of Santa Monica
Blvd. in a daredevil move, blew the braking system out. So this interview
is gonna be taking place walking back (to Brian's place) down Santa
Monica Blvd. . .
Brian: It's a pretty good story for an interview, pretty funny, 'cuz it's true! Unbelievable, I really thought I was gonna plow that guy. I would be honest with you and tell you if I freaked, I didn't. My first instinct was, "Jam that wheel" just grab it and yank it, and I just thought I was going to fishtale into 'em.
Beachy: Oh, it was rather Kinevel-like when you made that turn.
Brian: I don't know how we didn't lose it.
Beachy: So here we are in Santa Monica, I'm walkin' dowm the street with the "Rockabilly Kid", Brian Setzer...
Brian: Oh No!!
Beachy: and uh, it's been an adventure...we just ate lunch...Where did we have lunch at?
Brian: Schotzi's
Beachy: Schotzi's right, great place. What did we have? White hot dogs...
Brian: That's good enough.
Beachy: So anyway, you definitely, you didn't lose your cool?
Brian: No.
Beachy: No, I know that, I can attest to that, but I just had to ask.
Brian: No I didn't
Beachy: 'Cause sometimes, you know in the heat of battle or such, you don't quite know if your cool, or if your just....you know...
Brian: Well, I understand. You can't lose your cool with a white hot dog & sourkraut laying in your stomach like a rock...it grounds you.
Beachy: (laughs) huh, amazing. What's this place? Isn't Sony Music around here someplace?
Brian: Sony is on Colorado.
Beachy: Do you think Sony and MGM moving here has changed the complexion of Santa Monica from being small town USA to...
Brian: This town pisses me off
Beachy: ...the urban thing that it is?
Brian: It's turned from definite sub-urban into urban. And what pisses me off about this town, is everyone's running scared. Like, to me, in New York where I grew up, if somebody cut you off, it'd be "fuck you!" "No fuck you!" and we'll go back and forth a couple of times. The next light the guy would say "My fault, sorry 'bout that." And you'd say "You sorry 'bout that?" He'd say, "Yeah." So you'd say, "Okay, go ahead." Here, everyone is just afraid. They're in their little shell in their new Lexus with their windows blacked out. And their rushing home to check their answering machines, but everyone's afraid. They're afraid of everything here. There's a great sense of fear here.
Beachy: You know Brian, there's something to be said about that whole New York mentality of having the ability, to just, you know, give somebody a "Stoo-Gotz", over something silly, which obviously we're talking about driving, what could be sillier than that? But the fact of the matter, is that you're able to resolve the matter at the next light.
Brian: Right. That would never happen here in today's society, I don't think back east either. I just don't think that happens anymore. I don't think people own up to when they're wrong. Uh, I think you have a lawsuit coming quicker than you can say "Jackie Robinson". Before you know it there's a letter in the mailbox from some lawyer.
Beachy: Yeah, everybody's sue-crazy.
Brian: People can't work it out anymore. I mean this is such a different town than I'm used to. You know, I grew up in a blue collar town I suppose, and this is more of a white collar deal.
Beachy: Yeah, it's suburbia.
Brian: It can piss you off driving around here...you just experienced it.
Beachy: Yeah, not only are you the Rockabilly Kid, but you're a fuckin' daredevil too. That was a good turn Bri, I liked that actually.
Brian: I was just thinking about that
Beachy: Oh yeah! Fuckin' ay man.
Brian: If I can't drive an old American car by now. . . you ain't gonna drive with anybody safer.
Beachy: No, I dig that man. I'd say, "hey, okay burn rubber, that's good, you just decided on the moment that you were gonna make that turn, and that's where we went man.
Brian: Right.
Beachy: It was cool, yeah, but fifty feet later we're parked, and looking for brake fluid.
Brian: Fifty feet later we're parked and walking.
Beachy: Yeah, it's a good thing. That's a beautiful '58 though bro. So where's that crazy place, oh, it's actually on Wilshire. You know, where Jackie Waukeen Cochran plays?
Brian: Oh the Gaslight.
Beachy: Right. When was the last time you got a chance to jam with the great Jackie Wakeen.
Brian: I haven't been in there for a long time.
Beachy: What was that story you were telling me, about that one time when you went in there...
Brian: Oh God!
Beachy: ...it was all like kooked, the old man was all fuckin' psycho and shit..
Brian: It was just a great story. I went in there, and he's doing his rockabilly thing, and it was good. And he comes up to me and he goes, "Brian, I don't mean to bother you, I can see you're here with friends and family" he goes, "If you want, only if you want, come up and sing a song with Jackie Lee Cochran."
Beachy: Jackie Lee Chocran, that's right.
Brian: I say, "Sure man! why not?". He says, "Alright then, I'll just play it cool." "Next set you kinda saunter up and keep it kinda casual-like." "OK!" I say...The next set begins....Drumroll...."Ladies and Gentleman!" "We have a very special talented member of the Stray Cats in our audience!"
Beachy: God!!!
Brian: "Would you please welcome, Mr. Brian Setzer!!!" Rah!!! the band starts pad-pa-pum-pum-pum-pum....That's great! Alright, so much for subtlety. So I get up there, alright...everyone looking at me. So I go, "alright well whadda ya wanna do?" He says, "do one of those Rock this Town Tonights!" "We know it all!" I go, "Rock This Town?" Alright, uh......and I'm lookin' at him and I go, "well, can I have your guitar?" He says, "Nooo!" I go, "I can't have your guitar????" and he says, "Uh uh!!" and I say, "Well, why not???" then he says, "Well, play the song, and I'll tell you later." And I'm thinking, Huh??? OK...So, I go, "well, it's starts off with the guitar and..." and he goes, "You just start singing it!" "And they'll follow you." I go, "but it doesn't start like that...." "Don't worry" he says. "We'll follow you, start singing. "So I start singin' "Well, my baby and me went out late Saturday night....." The band comes in um-pah um-pah um-pah um-pah.. they're doin' the fuckin "Beer Barrel Polka"
Beachy: Polka-billy!
Brian: Beer Barrel Polka! I'm thinking, ahh this is too hysterical, so I just started singing the Beer Barrel Polka. They didn't have a clue what the song was. So we finish the song and I ask, "so now, why won't you let me play your guitar?" He goes, "Well, it's real old" I say, "Yeah?" He says, "You might break it."
Beachy: Unbelievable.
Brian: Ahhhhhh!!! So, obviously this poor guy pictures like, you know, he might've seen a picture of The Who or something in the '60s, and it stuck with him thirty years, and he probably pictures, you know, his guitar getting smashed around.
Beachy: Precisely!
Brian: You know, he probably saw that image on TV, thrity years ago, and it's never left his mind.
Beachy: Yeah, Jackie Lee Cochran, what a guy! But anyway, you got a chance to do a polka version of "Rock This Town."
Brian: I guess so, I guess you can look at it that way.
Beachy: There's a first for everything.
Brian: I read something funny in the new "dingdong" Spin or whatever Rolling Stone. About that band Rancid?
Beachy: Right.
Brian: You know, they're kids from Oakland, you know, and they're pissed off...every other line they're pissed off about a guy driving a BMW. I thought, God! These guys should write a song for me. They're like the same attitude you know.....
Beachy: Right.
Brian: ...same mentality. It sounded like the Stray Cats maybe fifteen years ago, you know, pissed off at the same things, but, really hittin' home was "oh! There's a fuckin' guy in a BMW!" So I thought I would like to get a row of bombs in the back of my car and just put crosses off through them, you know, like the old World War II pilots for every BMW.
Beachy: Yeah man for every BMW!
Brian: That's a funny thought.
Beachy: You know, you were talking about Rancid, and one of the things I wanted to touch on with you is the comparison of pop then when we all started, punk then and punk now, philosophical views, or just, what are your thoughts on it? Has it changed? Is it better or worse? Or, all of the above.
Brian: What is punk musically to me?
Beachy: Yeah.
Brian: It's as angry now as it was then, I really think that. I can see the appeal for it because punk comes around. . . or you know, at least it came around the first time for us, because like bands like Emerson Lake and Palmer and Gentle Giant and Jethro Tull were the crux of rock radio.
Beachy: Right.
Brian: And there's a lot of people that didn't want to listen to that. And a lot of people who had a lot of more angry up front expression to get out, which is where Rockabilly came in for me. You know, Rockabilly and punk always parralleled a lot of different things for me. Albeit the punk thing to me was always more English somehow. The Rockabilly thing was inherintly American. There's a bit of punk missing in my mind so it's hard for me to fit the pieces of puzzle. It's that when punk came around in the late 70's early 80's, when I was living in England, the punks were like living in the fuckin' street, they were living in the "squat"s, you know. And...
Beachy: Well weren't you guys living in the squats?
Brian: Yeah, we were.
Beachy: You were living in a church or something like that?
Brian: Basically, we lived a lot in the street.
Beachy: Yeah.
Brian: So punk really came from the street. And like those punks were really living that way. It's hard for me to see a punk going home to like Beverly Hills...
Beachy: Precisely.
Brian: ...You Know, but that is the case now. Well, I don't think it's entirely the case. You know a lot of it is just like blue collar kids that want to get out there and who says that since the kid has money, or his parents have money, that he can't be a punk just because of that..But it's hard for me to relate to that, you know. Ah, I was acquainted more with the rock music, at least, first of all because it was more musical. Second of all was because you had vehicles involved. The punks didn't want stuff. I always wanted a cool car. . .
Beachy: Right.
Brian: . . . I always wanted a chick, to go pick her up in my car, you know.
Beachy: There's nothing wrong with that.
Brian: Yeah, and the punks were against that, or so they preached.
Beachy: So they said, right.
Brian: Yeah, they were against that, there was anarchy for everything, but they didn't have a plan.
Beachy: Right
Brian: I think now, it's more about the angst, the energy and the feel of the actual music than it is the whole counter culture. You can't re-create another counter culture like that. It happened then, and now its come back a second time in a different way.
Beachy: Yeah, it's interesting to see it come back though. Having gone through it from the beginning.
Brian: To me it just, it's got style, it's got soul and it's got some color. Which is so much better than listening, than having another Mariah Carey or something. You know what I mean? Who cares about that, you know. At least it's cool and it's got some style and it's got some flair.
Beachy: And it's got some. . .(goofin' on American Bandstand) "Dick, it's got beat, so, I'm gonna give those boys a 93."
Brian: I would? I would give those boys a 93. I like those Rancids. Those Rancids are good. Them Rancids...
Beachy: You know you're talking about the parallel of punk rock and rockabilly and we've talked about this before....
Brian: First off there was a parallel, yeah.
Beachy: ...but I always felt, and I use the word hybrid of the two, because I've always felt that they're one and the same. But, I talk to alot of "Rockabillies" who I feel don't see it that way. I've always been interested by that because you have rockabilly purist who seem to me like they've missed the point that rockabilly was actually was rebelious music, the rockabillies to me were rebelling.
Brian: Uh-huh
Beachy: Don't you think? Do you see what I'm saying? So that's why it was easy for me to draw the conclusion that, Punk Rock, & Rockabilly, Ah yeah, there the same, the same fuckin' thing. You know, musically, a little bit different, but philosophically, coming from the same place.
Brian: For me, you got alot of those rockabillies I call the "Studebaker Club". That's my expression for that. Those guys that want to be....those guys who would wear 1955 underwear if they could, the purists. They wanna be just exactly exactly like that, and uh, that's just their bag, you know. I suppose it's like punks that have to have mohawks, spiked mohawks. But the bands that they listened didn't look like that. The Clash didn't look like that. The Clash had "quifs".
Beachy: Once again, it was a hybrid of two worlds.
Brian: I just think it's whatever you individually feel. I never had to draw a line like, "this is, or this isn't rockabilly". Ah but kids love to do that. Not only kids, but I mean people who are into the scene, they love to do that. You gotta have these shoes, and this jacket, this jacket doesn't belong to that. They do that alot in those rockabilly magazines. You got Psuedo-billy, Rock-a-billy, Neo-billy, Psycho-billy, Punk-a-billy. I mean, what the fuck is this all about? You know. To me it's all about the energy and that feeling. Do you just go see a "Neo-billy" band, but not go see a "Suede-a-billy" band? I never understood all those characteristics, all those little walls they built up between the catagories, catagories within catagories. You know, to me I've always liked it all. I've just always liked American music.
Beachy: Right, that's what funny about here in L.A. People put up those walls as you say, and I think that's why the community isn't stronger or bigger than it is.
Brian: Well, they do that everywhere, certainly they used to it in England. Hepcats wouldn't hang out with "Keds". And then you had "Greasers" who had another different look. It was silly over there too. There's the same thing all over the place. I think, with the return of Punk in a, I wouldn't call it a big way, well maybe it is a big way they got band like Green Day and all that hittin' the top of the charts. I was happy to see it return to the big numbers that it has. To me, it's just kids with style, it's people with style.
Beachy: There ain't no style right now in the music world that we see, except for the rockabilly. Well, I guess there is a style, but it's not a style that makes any sense to me. I call it almost, "Gap" style.
Brian: Yeah. There's no individual thought there. You're buying assembly-line stuff.
Beachy: That's what I love about the rockabilly vibe.
Brian: Yeah, I've always liked that too. But the rockabillies get their own uniforms goin' too. You know, that you gotta have "that look", which to me is wrong. It's about the personal preference, and what you like.
Beachy: So Brian, what were you before you were "Brian Setzer"? See this is something I've never asked you. What was your first band?
Brian: Well, I don't know what you mean, I been Brian Setzer for the last thirty-seven years.
Beachy: What I meant was like, what were you before Stray Cats? What was like, your first thing, man.
Brian: Before I discovered rockabilly, I was kinda just, floating around, just kinda learning how to play my instrument. Some of the first music that I discovered on my own was music I heard on the radio. The first that I have a memory of, was the first Beatles album. My dad had a Johnny Cash album, and my mom was an Elvis fan. Oh, I also a had doo-wop album by The Diamonds, they had hits with "The Stroll" and all that stuff. I had those four records kickin' around my house alot. Ah, so I really grew up with those four records until I was old enough to go out and you know, go out andbuy a record. I remember going to a pizza joint with my mom, 'cause you know, we had to go out go to the grocery store deal. And, a song came on, and I couldn't believe it. I thought it was the best, and I asked someone in the pizza joint, I go, "What was that on the jukebox?" and it was "oh that's a new band called The Beatles".
Beachy: (laughs)
Brian: And I'll never forget it. I asked my mom, and I distinctly remember. . .You know how your memory does weird things? Like, my memory's so horrible, if you told me to get a pack of cigarettes I'd come back with a quart of milk. Umm, but I remember my mom giving me a dime, and it was a Murcury-head dime, so I remember looking at it, 'cause they were kinda goin' out, you didn't see 'em too often. So I said, "Mom, is this a dime?" And she says, "Yeah, it just an old dime, just put it in the jukebox and play what you want." So I punched in "She Loves You" by The Beatles, I thought it was the greatest thing I ever heard. And then we walked across the street to the grocery store, and there was a record shop next door, and remembered the name of the band, The Beatles, and there it was, a poster of The Beatles, and the poster was, the four of them, and George had his guitar, and his neck was across the other guys' neck. He had it up, and I saw that guitar and I went, "That guitar!" "That's what makes you sound like The Beatles." Right? I mean, you're talkin' about a kid who's seven years old, that's what he thinks. Seven year olds don't know. They just think, that "I recognize that that guitar was what made the Beatles sound". So from that day on, I bugged my parents for a guitar, "I wanna guitar. . .I wanna guitar. . .I wanna guitar". And they wouldn't get me one.
Beachy: I tell you bro', listening to you I would've never thought that. This is the first time we've ever talked about early beginnings.
Brian: That's my memory of really hearing music, it was The Beatles.
Beachy: It would've never dawned on me.
Brian: Ahhh yeah. I mean you gotta hear something. We didn't have Carl Perkins on the radio in the seventies, or late sixties growing up. We certainly didn't have that. That was the first memory.
Beachy: Wow. So, you know, as long as I've known you, We talked about alot of different styles of music, played alot of different things, I've seen you play, alot more than, say, the general public is aware of, like I know that you were into (Bobby) Darin and all this other stuff before you even did the big band. So what I'm getting at is, what got you around th this. I mean for instance, today, at Shotzi's, you knew the record that was playing, it was (snap!)
Brian: Charlie Christian.
Beachy: Yeah! Charlie Christian playing on some fuckin' 1938 record.
Brian: In the German deli.
Beachy: And you picked it up. Where does that come from Brian?
Brian: Well, alot of that comes from growing up on the east coast. My teacher where old Italian guys, and they played jazz. That's my upbringing, that's where I learned to play guitar, from the old school guys. You know, all the rockabilly and stuff like that came out of personal love. The chord knowledge and leaning how to read and write music came from these old teachers, that's where I leaned how to play. And then once you start to play like that is when you do some homework and discover different kinds of music. So that was the roots of it. Alot of it is hit and miss. I just went out and bought seven credible records. There might be four hit songs on all that, I have all these records.
Beachy: That's the game too, yeah.
Brian: And then you'll find maybe a little piece of something you like. Alot of it is just hit and miss. I got some pretty wicked records I can show you that I just picked up.
Beachy: We're talking about records. Gimme your top five songs ever.
Brian: Ever?????
Beachy: Ever!!!! Top five. Brian Setzer's top five.
Brian: Off the top of my head, "Be Bop A Lula" is gotta be in that top five. It's got the magic, you know, it's got fairy dust sprinkled on it from the angels.
Beachy: Right.
Brian: You know, why is that record so good? Why is that damn record so good?? Put that on in the morning and you know, you just gotta smile when you hear that song. Everything is perfect. Guitar tone? Perfect. Drum Sound? Perfect. Vocal? Shit you could eat it with a spoon. . .you know?
Beachy: Well put! Well put!
Brian: That's one of them. What else would be on the top five for me? What's something that I...You see, the top five greatest of them all have to fall into the category of songs you still listen to. You keep listening to those records, they never die for you, or at least you think about them a lot. You reference back to that. Ah, you know what I always reference back to? It's a funny thing. I normally wouldn't pick this out of my hat. But, if someone goes "You wanna play a song? You wanna jam?" I'll always go back to a Ricky Nelson song. Isn't that funny? And I think part of the reason for that was James Burton being such a big influence. All those songs, people can kinda get 'em, even if they got a couple of wiggy chords in them. And you know you're always gonna get a good solo out of it.
Beachy: (laughs)
Brian: You know, you can always, without reverting to just a one, four, five thing...
Beachy: Right.
Brian: they're just good, good songs. I don't know why.
Beachy: Ricky Nelson did have good songs too.
Brian: He had good songs. He was more than Rockabilly, just one, four, five blues Rockabilly. He had the songs. And he had James Burton. . . and he was great.
Beachy: Exactly.
Brian:You know, a lot of Rockabillies laugh at it. But, ah...
Beachy: Do they?
Brian: Yeah, well I'd into someone that just go, "oh, Ricky Nelson". But I think it's because they really don't get it. But there's nothing wrong with that there. . .
Beachy: Nothing wrong. He had all the goods, most assuredly.
Brian: OK, that's two. Do I get like, entire albums?
Beachy: Absolutely.
Brian: I want the greatest hits of Gene Vincent! I don't want the original old vinyl, I want a new, scratch-free, greatest hits of Gene Vincent. I'll take the same of Ricky Nelson, ah, Elvis Presley's Sun Sessions. I can't live without that. I think I need something really crazy and musical to keep me going. You know, some crazy soundtrack, like a moody piece like, "The Man With The Golden Arm" or something. . .
Beachy: Ooooh!
Brian: . . .You know, I need something wiggy to throw in there to keep me occupied. Then the fifth thing would be, I would need an album of "Love Songs".
Beachy: What album might that be?
Brian: Well, you know, when you're sitting alone at night. You're talkin' like I'm going on a desert island someplace. I need to think about you know, like the girl I left behind. That would have to be a compilation of my favorite singers. You know, I'd need a couple of "Big Band" doo-hickies, I'd need a couple of Bobby Darin's, I need a couple of Roy Orbison's. You know, I'd need a couple of the really distinct vocalists that can really send home a song. Maybe a song or two by (Little) Jimmy Scott maybe a couple of Ella Fitzgerald tunes, just classics. Give me two of each on that record.
Beachy: So it would be like, if Brian ruled the airwaves. . .
Brian: This is more for myself, on a desert island.
Beachy: No, that's the way I'd go. We'd make the record and just call it, "If Brian Ruled The Airwaves".
Brian: If Brian ruled the airwaves. . .is that what I'd put on it?
Beachy: Well meaning if you were to DJ, maybe this would be like, "Love Song Time".
Brian: All of the stuff I just mentioned for me, is hard to beat. It's not all listenable, not all of it is stuff that would even gain attention on the radio. I mean, "Man With The Golden Arm". . .
Beachy: I love that stuff! That's a fuckin' great choice!
Brian: It's soundtrack shit.
Beachy: I know, but it's a brilliant choice.
Brian: So, that's stuff that would not necessarily hold people's attention, but I'm sure you could give it a whirl.
Beachy: "Man With The Golden Arm", what was his name, Tommy Machine?
Brian: Frankie Machine.
Beachy: Right! Frankie Machine. Is that what it was?
Brian: Yeah.
Beachy: So speaking of soundtracks, Brian just brought out the original music from "The Untouchables". . .
Brian: Which by the way was a Desilu production.
Beachy: . . .Lucille Ball and Ricky Arnez.
Brian: Desi Arnez
Beachy: But we're lookin' at the signature here "Merry Christmas John, Nelson Riddle Christmas, 1963". Autographed by Nelson Riddle, unbelievable.
Brian: And the price tag was over it! The guy stuck the price tag on there.
Beachy: Can you imagine.
Brian: It's got probably the best sax solo I've ever heard.
Beachy: Really
Brian: It's gotta be Plas Johnson. It doesn't give credit. Yeah, I'll play it for you in a minute.
Beachy: Amazing! The signature there, I mean, who would have ever guessed?
Brian: Yeah, you know. Look at that, Nelson Riddle autographed that, 1963.
Beachy: Wow.
Brian: Like I said, I'm not a big vintage record guy. If I can get it new, I'd just as soon have it new, re-issued, vinyl, or CD. But there's an incredible little record store in the town of Orange down there. You know most of these places are filthy, and you gotta thumb through all kinds of garbage. And at this place it's neat and laid out. You ask 'em for what you want, and they will have it.
Beachy: And how much was this?
Brian: Thirty-five bucks, thirty bucks.
Beachy: It's in almost perfect condition too.
Brian: It is! All their stuff is in excellent condition down there.
Beachy: Robert Stack, what a dude.
Brian: What a dude.
Beachy: He looks the same today too.
Brian: Does he?
Beachy: Well that's what's so crazy. Anyway, he only had a little bit of grey hair.
Brian: Oh well, I have a little bit of grey hair.
Beachy: He's retained "his thing". So Brian, this is what I wanna know, creepiest song ever.
Brian: The creepiest song? A song that really gives me the creeps?
Beachy: Yeah.
Brian: Frankie Machine.
Beachy: (Laughs)
Brian: (sings tune) Totally some guy that's. . .
Beachy: Right, he's movin' out.
Brian: . . .he's running! He's a junkie.
Beachy: Right!
Brian: They're after him. . .
Beachy: Sure!
Brian: Heroin! Monsters! Cops!
Beachy: Right.
Brian: He owes life.
Beachy: (Laughing) Monsters and cops.
Brian: Monsters, goblins and cops, real and imagined. . .
Beachy: Right.
Brian: They're after him. That's pretty fuckin' creepy.
Beachy: That's a good call! That's an excellent call. OK, the best "She Devil".
Brian: The She Devils. Aahh, it's gotta be Bettie Page when she plays the "She Devil" part.
Beachy: You know what's great for me with Bettie Page, when you look at her pictures, she really looked like she was having a fuckin' great time. You know how it is with most pin-ups. They just pose, but she looked like she was a great time. It's in her eyes.
Brian: Yeah, she liked it.
Beachy: You see that excitement.
Brian: That's what every man sees.
Beachy: Yeah! That's it! Isn't it? Best "She Devil", Bettie Page. Good call.
Brian: I think so.
Beachy: Yeah, so this new aquisition that you got, the '58 Chevy. I'm gonna let you describe it. Having ridden in it, taking that wild ride, daredevil, Brian Setzer, just fuckin' whippin' up. . . what was that, Harvard?
Brian: Naw, that wasn't Harvard. That was Santa Monica.
Beachy: No.
Brian: Yeah, it was Santa Monica Blvd.
Beachy: Spirit of hot rodding Bro'!
Brian: Yeah. Well, we spoke about that. That's what it's about, you know. I just got back from the Oakland roadster show, and I don't care if these guys have two-hundred grand to dump into a car. It doesn't make it any cooler than the guy who's got two grand to dump into the car, that's where they're missing the point. It could be just someone's creation. It could be in black primer and be some crazy thing, you know, a year that nobody wants which is what's coming into the hot rodding forefront now. People are hot rodding '59 Plymouths.
Beachy: What?!?
Brian: Nobody ever wanted that car. Who ever wanted a '59 Plymouth, or a Chrysler New Yorker? And people are chopping those things down, and slammin' them. And they're totally vicious! You know, and that's where these hot rod "shows" here miss the point. It's about, more like about Paso Robles. It's where kids just drive, they "run what they brung" you know.
Beachy: Have you ever got caught up into the money thing? And...
Brian: No. I mean it's cool to duct 200 grand in a car if you have it. But it's also cool to duct 2 grand in a car, if that's what you got. And the car will be just as neat.
Beachy: And that's what the early days were all about. That's how a hot rod came about. Isn't it? Just take a part off of one car and put it on another and all of a sudden you got this thing.
Brian: That's a funny thought. I think hot rod came about because you wouldn't be caught dead in your mom's '57 Chevy. A '57 Chevy at the time was your mom's car.
Beachy: Right.
Brian: You wouldn't be caught dead in that. And you wanted to look cool. Somebody had a deuce in their front yard, and they thought well this is all I got. I can't afford anything. And they wack the fenders off. And they start to put a hot rod engine in there and they realize they were onto something. How else could it have happened.
Beachy: I think that's exactly how it happened.
Brian: Some kid had that thing in his front yard. It was his grandmother's car. And he yanked the fenders off. That's all he had. And he dropped dual-overhead valve engine in there. He dropped a new small block in there. He didn't want to be stuck with an old four-banger. And the thing was rulin' the road, you know. And then, they kinda came up with their own ideas and they realized that it was a cool thing to have. They looked good. Don't you think that's how they came about?
Beachy: Yep, I ah have a strong suspicion that's it. Just, you know, chop lights and chop the fenders off, go get parts, take stuff off...
Brian: For the average kid, I mean , I'm sure the racing element had a way in there too, because it was a light car and people could drop in new overhead valve engines in there and just tear ass.
Beachy: Right.
Brian: So that probably had a hand in it. But for the average guy, on you know, down the block, that's probably how that came about. That car was sittin' in the driveway. Nobody wanted it, you know.
Beachy:You ever see those race cars, ah, there like from the early 50s? They look like tear drops. And they would take them out and race them.
Brian: Oh you mean the trapteze.
Beachy: Right. But what they were, were belly tanks off of World War II airplanes. And they had surplus of those belly tanks so these guys got the idea to put a motor in them and wheels...
Brian: Oh no, man. I don't know what you mean.
Beachy: ...and go and race them. I know you've seen a picture because they look like they're. . . I was at the Peterson auto place...
Brian : Yeah, Yeah.
Beachy: ...the auto museum. And they have one of those in there and I read the history and it said "a belly tank off a bomber." And there was such a surplus, you know, being out here in southern California where they built the airplanes...
Brian: Yeah.
Beachy: ...they had access to all this stuff that they were just throwing away. You know, just more and more for hot rods.
Brian: Yeah. We weren't that lucky back east. We didn't have the weather and I think the east coast hot rod legacy was more down, at least we always thought the east coast was about speed.
Beachy: Right.
Brian: The west coast was about style.
Beachy: Right.
Brian: And that's the way the east coast got it's look there, you know.
Beachy: And now the two have come together, since the east coast guys moved out west...
Brian: Uh huh.
Beachy: ...combined the two elements and...
Brian: Now it's cool to have one. Yeah. Whatever you do with it. Hot rods, man. Too much.
Beachy: So Brian, let's talk about some the recent projects. Let everybody know.
Brian: I got ah, right now I've got the Leonard Bernstein tribute record I was on. I was on a tribute to Leonard Bernstein, the songs of West Side Story. I'm amongst people like Phil Collins, and Selena, and Lionel Richie, people like that, but they chose the orchestra to do the Jet song.
Beachy: Cool.
Brian: That came out in March '96. And other little things that keep me alive, like they asked me to do the sound track to "The Aristocats".
Beachy: Right.
Brian: Which I think is totally cool.
Beachy: Right.
Brian: More on a kids level you know, which I love to that and I'm getting experience doing some sound track work. Which I'm really into. And I get to do all the neat old Disney songs
Beachy: Right .
Brian: They're not actual Disney songs, those songs I think are charted by Pat Williams.
Beachy: Right. Exactly.
Brian: Then my big band album came out in April ('96). It's called Guitar Slinger.
Beachy: Guitar Slinger.
Brian: Yeah, and that'll be out in April on Stethascope Records.
Beachy: Stethascope. Stethascope.
Brian: Hydroscope Records
Beachy: Hydroscope Records. Yep.
Brian: I refuse to say Interscope 'cause I don't know what an interscope is.
Beachy: What is an interscope?
Brian: I don't know. They've been a damn good record company for me so far, but I don't know what an Interscope...is that a scope within a scope? So I won't say it.
Beachy: Do you think they know?
Brian: Micropscope Records. Horoscope Records. Stethescope Records. Neet n-e-e-t- neet.
Beachy: Okay, so the big band album came out in April.
Brian: Yeah
Beachy: And, ah, you did some pre-promotion for that?
Brian: I'm gonna go to radio stations across America and bring my guitar and amp. And have the rest of the big band on DAT, and sing and play live to the band. Then when we actually do the gig, I'm gonna bring the whole big band into the radio station. So people can see what this is. Hear what it is.
Beachy: Right.
Brian: I'm gonna try an do it the old fashion way. And it worked, in the limited time I've done it, I did it for Mark & Brian and I did it for KROQ. It was hysterical. We had trombone players down the hall. Trumpet players we couldn't even see. And you could hardly hear anything. But that's it. I mean that's kinda how it was in the old days, you know, just pack around and get on the radio. Of course now you have to make arrangements to do all that, but, you know, it's still in the spirit of...travel around, let kids know. I think it's the only way, you know, because it's just not something that just gonna get played on radio until people start asking for it.
Beachy: Now Brian, is there any collaboration on this new record.
Brian: Yeah, I cowrote two songs with Joe Strummer. Actually, Joe and I wrote about six or seven songs together. We're still in the process of writing, which is kinda cool. Hit upon a little thing there.
Beachy: Right.
Brian: So I co-wrote quite a few songs with Joe. And then there's a couple of covers. And the rest are originals that I wrote.
Beachy: Cool.
Brian: It was produced by Phil Ramone. And I recorded it right here in Oceanway, in Hollywood. Oceanway Studios.
Beachy: Right. Santa Monica, right? Santa Monica Boulevard?
Brian: No, right on Sunset.
Beachy: Sunset, okay. Oceanway's a good studio.
Brian: Yeah.
Beachy: Now you've got a history with Oceanway, don't you?
Brian: Well, I cut some stuff there with the Stray Cats. But, there the only place that has the real big room that can fit all the guys. I used to go to Capitol, but Capitol's changed. You know, they put a brand new supersonic wood floor, and ah, you know, nitropower desk. You know, that's got the super charger with you know, fuel injection. They took out all the neat old stuff. It's all gone.
Beachy: Did away with it.
Brian: Yeah. See Oceanway still has that stuff.
Beachy: Isn't that amazing how studios can do that? They want to keep up with the Jones', I guess is the only way to describe it, and they lose what they have.
Beachy: They lose it.
Brian: Yeah.
Beachy: I guess it's something to keep up to a degree, but I can't see why they would do away with something that made history.
Brian: Because something new is more practical. Let's face it. A 1996 Camaro is more practical than a 1956 Chevy. You're gonna get there faster, stop quicker, park easier. It's the same way with everything else.
Beachy: But, you know, you lose the soul in the meantime.
Brian: Yeah.
Beachy: Bottom line is you still get there either way.
Brian: Well that's right. You'll get there in style with a 1960's Neve board, I can guarantee you that. But studios and alot of bands don't want to use that technology, so they just rip that shit out.
Beachy: So Brian, best hairstyle...
Brian: (laughs) Best hairstyle.
Beachy: You gave me a combination one time. I'm gonna see if you bring it back up.
Brian: What I do now is, I mix a little bit of Murray's, which is in the orange can. The real thick stuff. I get my hair back. I blow dry it and I get these pieces to go up a little bit and the rest to go back, right? Then I put the Murray's in.
Beachy: Just on the sides.
Brian: No, the Murray's gives it a hold without using the hairspray and all that. If you blow dry that through, get it hot so it melts in your hair. Than you can take whatever you want. White stuff, like Brylcream. Brylcream has a little alcohol in there. It's best to get something a little more wet. A little more gross, you know.
Beachy: What might that be? (both laugh)
Brian: Actually, I like to use a little pomade, like a little Dixie Peach?
Beachy: Okay.
Brian: But that might be a little thick. Something real thin and just put that in, even Mark Alice? Just get that little wet look. And then you don't need any hairspray, because the Murray's holds your hair and that wet stuff gives it a little shine.
Beachy: Alright. Works for me.
Brian: Gotta let the kids know, 'cause there's a lot of products out there and, you know. . .
Beachy: You know, it works for me. Murray's and Brylcream.
Brian: That way you don't gotta use hairspray and kinda trash out your...you know, you can go to bed and wake up the next morning and just put a little more in and you don't gotta wash that crap out.
Beachy: Hey Brian, tell me about this thing in Japan now. It's a very exciting idea that you told me about.
Brian: Well, this is just a copy of what the brochure is gonna look like. Kustom Life: Celebration of American music art and crafts and shit. And I'm not quite certain who that is on the... they're just characters, Rockabilly characters. That shows what it is. Welcome to the world's biggest Rockabilly festival.
Beachy: Right. And this is gonna include?
Brian: Okay, we have the Stray Cats, Carl Perkins, Reverend Horton Heat and the Rock-Kats.
Beachy: You've played with Horton Heat, right?
Brian: Right.
Beachy: And how was that?
Brian: Oh, he's fabulous. He's somethin' else.
Beachy: Rock-Kats, um, I'm lookin' at...
Brian: Well, in Rock-Kats we got Berry Ryan, Dibs, Smutty, and I don't know their drummer. I don't know who that is.
Beachy: Isn't Smutty and this guy Levi original guys?
Brian: Well, if you're gonna back to Levi Rock-Kats. But, I think Berry Ryan's been in the band a long time.
Beachy: Right. Okay. Now we have custom cars
Brian: I'm bringing over two dozen custom cars
Beachy: Alright.
Brian: I should describe to people what it is, before you just start talking. I'm trying to put together a life-style festival. Not just music, but our whole lifestyle. I'm calling it Kustom Life. And what I'm doing, I'm bringing over tattooists, custom cars, art, and music. And I'm gonna do the first one in Japan in August. I'm bringing all this shit over. And were doing it in Mnt. Fuji. It's gonna be a huge Rockabilly festival. And it's just staggering.
Beachy: And this is all you Brian. I mean you have other people helping you, but this is like your creation. This is your baby.
Brian: Well, yeah, but the three people who are really involved in this are me, Rich Modica and Randy Cobble. And it's our sort of baby here. We're puttin' the whole thing together.
Beachy: Are there any Japanese Rockabillies touring with you?
Brian: Yeah, uh-huh. We're gonna have Japanese clothing stores, 'cause they've got great clothing stores. And were gonna invite, you know, Japanese to partake in it with us. I mean, they're as big as part of the scene as anybody else. Why shouldn't they. But this basically, the lifestyle that you and I live...
Beachy: Right.
Brian: ...I'm bringing over to Japan to show 'em what it is. I'm gonna show em' what a chopped 50's Merc is. I'm gonna show 'em what a deuce is. I'm gonna bring over the Piz. Kozic is comin' over. Dave Gibson's coming over, who is a Rockabilly tattooist. Charlie and Bob Roberts are coming over. You know, and then the bands, Carl Perkins. Can you beleive it's gonna be the first time he's ever been to Japan?
Beachy: Really?
Brian: Uh-huh. I'm bringing Carl Perkins over. Right there is history in itself.
Beachy: I believe it
Brian: There's absolutely no fuckin' question about it. Carl Perkins, singing The Blue Suede Shoes in Japan for the first time ever! Stray Cats are gonna do one special show. It's just a one time thing for now, in Mnt Fuji, Japan.
Beachy: Unbelievable.
Brian: And then the Rock-Kats and Reverend Horton Heat. It's also the Rev's first time in Japan.
Beachy: Are you going to back up Carl Perkins or is he gonna come with his own band?
Brian: Carl has his own... his sons have been in his band for over twenty years.
Beachy: Oh, really?
Brian: Yeah, he's gonna bring his sons. Everybody's got their own bands. So, it's still coming together. I think it's gonna happen.
Beachy: You know, Brian, it takes...and we've talked about this before, it takes people like you, it takes people like all of us who really love rockabilly and pull it together to make it happen. The scene needs more of this.
Brian: You know what, I just don't want to see it go by the wayside, like it did the first time. I mean, things have to because that's just the nature of music and the music industry. It's things peak and then valley. But, I really would like to see more cohesion this time around. The first time around, the Stray Cats hit it big, and we were the only ones that really hit it big, you know. The Blasters had a couple hits and than it kinda got really weird. Rockabilly became a dirty word. So let's face it, This time, I think it's too good of a thing to not have it happen. I'm definitely gonna do it here. I don't know if I can do it this year. But, I wanna see how it goes in Japan.
Beachy: That's a big undertaking just to go, what is it, Japan, 8,000 miles? Something like that?
Brian: Yeah, I'm bringing over two dozen cars. That's a lot of work, people don't realize that it just doesn't happen.
Beachy: You've put a lot of time in this and this is what the kids won't realize until they read this part, you know.
Brian: That's okay. They don't have to realize that. They just have to come when we do it. And I'm sure they will, 'cause it's just, you could see how valid it is. The Hootananny Festival, for whatever that was, I didn't get to go 'cause I was in Montreal. They had like five/six thousand kids there. For The Cramps and Reverend Horton Heat. I think Lee's band played there, Big Blue, The Blasters. So there's a big demand for it. My thing is, "bring the whole lifestyle".
Beachy: Preciscely. Bring the whole thing. That's what's beautiful about it.
Brian: 'Cause it does. It has it's own lifestyle.
Beachy: That's what a lot of people overlook. That there is a lifestyle. It's not just music. It's everything that goes along with it and once again, it gets back to people needing to, you know, people like you and, you know, everybody has to bring that out and say, "Boom, we need to support this." This is a beautiful thing. It's a great thing. Where's my ticket? (both laugh)
Beachy: Brian, thanks a lot man. Do you want to add anything?
Brian: Let's go get my car!