Kerrang band interview February 1997 REBEL YELL Kerrang 2/22/97 [Submitted by Steve Witty] The most punk,rock band on earth refuse to do 'Top Of The Pops',beat up people who take the piss out of them and,frankly,don't care what you think of them.Yes we are talking about The Black Crowes and,as they tell Morat,they'll never whore themselves to sell records..... 3AM:Somewhere in the north of England.The Black Crowes' tour bus sits by the side of the motorway purring to itself,but resolutely not going anywhere.Guitarist Rich Robinson comes upstairs to the lounge area where a small party is in progress,to explain that the bus has,in fact,broken down. "Great," smiles his brotheer,vocalist Chris."We can stay here and party!We've got beer and drugs and good music - what else do we need?" It's going to be a long night..... Now, most bands would be pissed off that their tour bus had broken down.But The Black Crowes are not like other bands.Their only concern while waiting for alternative transport is that it'll have a decent sound system on board.And while it's true that other bands might party and listen to music in this situation,no one i've ever been on the road with is so totally immersed in music. Kerrang! sits in amazement as Chris,guitarist Marc Ford and pianist Ed Harsch enthuse endlessly about the set they performed over four hours ago - going into raptures about the chord structures and key changes during their infamous jam sessions. "In a sense,that's what jazz was about," explains Rich."It's about improvisation and getting as far away from the melody as possible - seeing hoe far you can take it before coming back." "That's us stretching our prowess or talent,or whatever you call it.I'm not trying to be this pompous dickhead,butthis is what we do and these are the best songs i know how to write." Which is all well and good.But it can get a bit like the TV jazz presenter in 'The Fast Show'.Grrrreat.And recently,The Black Crowes have been getting a reputation for their long-winded musical work-outs.Fantastic if you're into that sort of thing ,self-indulgent if you're not. "What is self-indulgent?" retorts Rich."Who do you judge your work by?I can't write a song and go,'Okay,everyone come over to my house - all three million people - and listen to this to see if you like it'.You couldn't pay me to write a hit record - i don't know what a hit record is." "I'd like to think that most of our shows are better than not.And if someone comes and doesn't like it,well,i'm sorry.But we have to change our set every night for our own sanity and for the people who follow us.I wish everyone liked everything we did,but that ain't gonna happen.My only barometer is me and the band - those are the only people i trust.Maybe it is self-indulgent,but this music sounds good to me and i believe in it,so that's what i'll do." "If you go see someone playing sport,you want to go and celebrate their talent," he continues."You go see (NBA basketball star) Michael Jordan because he's the best, and you want to see him stretch himself and do stuff that no one else can do.In that same sense,you go see a band stretch themselves and do what no one else can do - people who are proficient on their instruments unlike any other band that's around today." "There's no faulting his logic.But The Crowes' last two records - 'Three Snakes And One Charm' and 'Amorica' - have sold significantly less than their first two - 'Shake Your Moneymaker' and 'The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion.'And surely,opening for the Rolling Stones on a stadium tour and not playing anything the crowds recognised - as The Crowes did in 1995 - is wasting the opportunity? "We didn't open for the Stones to try and win their fans," Rich shrugs."We did it because we love the Stones.We walked onstage and did what we are.We're a rock band,but we're a lot of other things.We do jam,and i'm not going to pretend we don't." "We used to be a good ol' bar-room rock band,but we're not that now.We could of got up there and played our songs,and given people who haven't heard us a slight taste of what we do.But then,that's not us." This is commonly known as 'Shooting Yourself In The Foot'. "We always shoot ourselves in the foot," Rich smiles.Rich and his brother actually smile a lot more than you'd think.Especially when their watching their 'Young Ones' videos (the former's favourite character is Neil,the latter's is Rick).But Robinson The Younger is still talking... "We're not dumb - there's a lot of things we could do to sell records,but we don't want to.To me,that's tricking people.Like 'If you cut your hair and wore this shirt,you might attract the grunge market.' Chris could cut his hair and wear fancy clothes and be on MTV,and it might help us sell records.But why do it?I don't think our manager's too thrilled with us sometimes,and the record company's definitely not thrilled." "Shit,we'd love to sell 50 million records," he admits,"but we're not gonna do anything whore-ish to do it." Even if you don't like all their music,you have to admire The Black Crowes' attitude - if nothing else,they're most definitely 4 Real.It's one thing to turn down 'Top Of The Pops' if you're The Prodigy and your single's Number One,but quite another if your record sales are down and the record company are hassling you.But The Black Crowes' songs are apparently too long for TOTP,and they'd rather not do the show than edit their songs.Well,good for them. "We do what we want and we do it on our own terms,"says Rich."We're just stubborn." So,The Black Crowes drop the ball occasionally because they won't play by the rules.But hey,they can still sell out London's Royal Albert Hall,which is no mean feat. And they don't take shit from anyone.Chris and bassist Johnny Colt gleefully recall a punch-up they had in Denver with a carload of rednecks,who'd started on them because of the way they look.By all accounts,they won the fight in some considerable style."We scrap pretty good for a bunch of hippies," grins Chris,neglecting to mention that Colt is not only a huge wrestling fan,but also has his own personal trainer. The Crowes have also decided that Chris Robinson won't do any interviews right now.And if that's not what the press and the powers-that-be want to hear,then tough shit.To rub this in,the mischievous hippy walks past while Kerrang! is talking to his brother and leans into our tape recorder."I don't do any interviews," he announces."This is strictly off the record." Then he ambles off,looking like a bearded jumble sale. "Everyone knows Chris' personality and that's cool," explains Rich."But everyone else in the band has a lot going on.I'm into my kid now,and i was into painting.Johnny's into photography and he does yoga. "Ed is a f**king enigma in his own right.He played with (blues legends) Albert Collins,James Cotten,Muddy Waters,and anyone else you can think of.He came from Canada and was classically trained.He can sit down and play anything - classical,jazz,blues" "And everyone has a distinct sense of humour.Like,we were gonna play some songs and out drum tech goes,'I wanna hear something i've never heard'.And Ed goes,'You're a good drum tech'.He's just like that." Late,we ask drummer Steve Gorman for his favourite drummer joke.He gets halfway through it and can't remember the punchline - which is the ultimate drummer joke in itself.He tries again - finishes it,and no one gets it. The Black Crowes' humour may be dry and subtle at times,but it is very much in evidence.Their explanation for the 'Buddhist Temple' stage-set - full of ornate tapestries - they're currently hauling around Europe is a winner. "You were asking about the band's other interests,"says Rich."Well,Steve picked up embroidery and sewing..." Remarkably,this sense of humour is still thriving when - at 6.30am - they try to check to check into the wrong hotel in Leeds,and are forced to bundle all their gear back onto their replacement bus.The reason for this is simple :The Black Crowes love what they're doing."A lot of our fans tell me our music genuinely moves them," Rich concludes."To me,that's worth more than having three million fans who think you're background music."