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Interview
by Scott Sterling-Wilder
9-4-2002
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More on: The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
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| Just Shortly Before Elvis |
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JSBE: DIY in the USA
JSBE keeps rock of traditional values one step closer to the future
When someone mentions, without prefixes and suffixes, ROCK, there are very few bands one can recall with certitude. The premier among them is The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, the New York trio that has been making music for over a decade: blues based, in the best tradition of The Stones, The Yardbirds, early Small Faces, adorned with funk and then seasoned with rockabilly, punk and R’n’B.
JSBE’s new album, ‘Plastic Fang’, brings to the world, that’s getting more corporate by the minute, a sense of honesty, no pretence of any kind, no gimmicks to detract and provide cheap thrills…
Judah Bauer: “We are so in love with music, we get so excited listening to music and playing together. When we started working on this record, before we started writing music for this album, we hadn’t worked in a year, it was like, ‘Wow, we’ve started again and it is amazing!’”
Jon Spencer: “You see, there is only the band, there is no manager, no record company, there is no organisation, just us and we have to be in touch to make decisions. The same way we make music: there is nothing written before we get into a rehearsal studio. Over a period of months we write songs, book a studio, this time we had to find a producer and, as we are not under a contract to any record label, we do it all ourselves. Book the studio, pay for it… This time we wrote all the songs and then did few concert tours to road-test the songs in Japan and Europe…”
Liberty circus
Guests on ‘Plastic Fang’ are the legendary voodoo bluesman, Dr John, on ‘Hold On’ and the equally seminal Parliament Funkadelic’s keyboardist Bernie Warrell on ‘Over And Over’… The great kink in the JSBE’s oeuvre is that is not retro but of this moment as the zeitgeist itself. This band makes rock music that is a bridge between yesteryear and the ‘Enterprise’ time and yet its rebellion is vintage, its passions earthy, its conviction total. No deviation on the new album, ‘Plastic Fang’, either.
During a number of interviews over the years, one couldn’t but notice lack of huge ego here with JS being rather receptive, reacting to changes, and accepting them… Which is great for artistic freedom and his modesty supposedly but it doesn’t provide much security?
JS: “True, but we like it this way. We don’t want to have a long-term contract, we don’t want people to knock on our door and say ‘Hey, you owe us another record, get on with it!’ We like to work at our own pace and when we feel the urge, not be pressurised. We make records and then license it to people we like and like to work with.”
“It is kind of weird mix of punk’s ‘do-it-yourself’ attitude and showbiz bullshit stuff, like a promotional tour, no offence… We try to find a balance and try to find a way to get this to everybody because we believe in this band, in the music we make.”
The third member, drummer Russell Simins, was also present but remained silent due to an ear-infection.
Torn-up and odd-heeled
JSBE rocks as a guerrilla unit, ready to go into action with ardour, enthusiasm and wholeheartedly. ‘Plastic Fang’ is a celebration of music that is – from forcing you to jump to ‘jive’ with the opening ‘Sweet N Sour’ to compelling one to search hidden meaning of ‘Killer Wolf’- engaging, inspirational and full of fervour. As it has been the case since their formation in 1991 (following the collapse of Jon Spencer’s previous band, Pussy Galore). And then, a twist is introduced…
JS: “But, you know, anyone who wants to be in Rock’n’Roll, who wants to be in a band, get up on stage, he or she is in need of some love and acceptance on this level; there is also part of you, whether you admit it or not, that wants to get Gold records and have Sam Philips give you the Pink Cadillac (as he presented Elvis Presley in the 1950s). It is a fantasy and I think that plays big part in music…”
It sounds like Spencer is revealing a materialistic side, an attribute well-hidden over the years?
JS: “No, not at all, I’m talking in general but that certainly includes me, as well. It is the whole Rock package that you buy into when you are young and there is no way to shake it off. I never thought I’d say this but rock veterans were people I always thought should retire after certain age. But, now I know that there is no way to do that because Rock is a virus, it is an infection, it is a disease you can’t cure. Music is something you make whether anybody is listening or not, you just have to. I suppose it is the same with other artforms.”
Dunno mate, I’m just a journo: no artform here, no epidemic, no Pink Cadillacs whatsoever!
Tour dates:
08 April - Academy, Bristol
09 April - QMCU, Glasgow
10 April - University, Manchester
11 April - Brixton Academy, London
Scott Sterling-Wilder
9-4-2002
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion’s ‘Plastic Fang’ album is released 08 April 2002 on Mute
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