August 8, 2012, Las Vegas Weekly, Noise:

Let’s start by talking about the new record. I’m sure when the record comes out review headlines will read: “Bloc Party returns to rock roots,” or something to that effect. Is that how you feel about the album?

Yeah, I mean I think it is a more rock record than our last record. Personally, I don’t know if it’s a return to anything, to me, it all feels like new ground.

So you didn’t set out to make a more rock record, it just kind of happened naturally?

I think that it’s a more guitar-orientated record, but I think the way that we are playing our guitars on the track is something that we’ve never really done before. So I don’t know, the original game plan that we had was to capture the direct sound that was coming out of the studio.

When you go in to record, do you set out to write danceable rock songs?

Danceable rock songs … I don’t know if that’s a goal. I think that every song is different. You go in trying express whatever is in your head at the moment.

Why did you choose Alex Newport to produce the record instead of Jackknife Lee (who had produced the last two)?

Well, it wasn’t a case of either/or. We wanted to work with someone new, more of an engineer. Someone that was gonna capture the sound and actually show everyone that it was very good.

Your website had a blog post from you about how much you dislike the recording process and in particular how “definite” it is. Does that come out in the finished product?

From the get go we knew we wanted to capture more of a live sound, more of a kind of rough and ready sound. That was always from the outset. And I think the producer was super-conscious about retaining the aesthetics. Unbeknownst to us, he was recording all of the sound in between the takes and all of the random stuff that we were saying, which added to the whole feeling of it put together.

You did keep the album fairly under wraps, you told press that Bloc Party was auditioning new singers and that you had no plans to record any time soon, all while in the midst of this album. Why?

(Laughs) At the time of us working on it, we weren’t even sure what was gonna happen. We hadn’t made music together for three years, so we didn’t want to go in with a whole agenda. We didn’t want that kind of pressure. So when that came out it was just a joke, a way to throw people off the scent. And it blew up, I feel like it became a huge story—which, in itself, is quite funny. I think it’s quite funny.

So you guys are playing Lollapalooza Saturday, right?

Yeah, we are.

Are you guys in Chicago already?

No, right now we’re in Los Angeles. We’ll fly out to Chicago tomorrow morning. Its gonna be a super-intense day.

So when you play a festival like Lollapalooza versus a headlining show where everyone in the crowd is there to see you, do you tailor your set any differently? To catch foot traffic or anything like that?

No, not really. I think that every performance should feel spontaneous. It should feel like you’re tapping into what’s there in the room or what’s there in the field, you know, for that evening. So you just try to be open and perceptive really, to whatever you’re getting from the crowd and that’s the only thing you can be. You don’t cater your set. You know you might change a song you play, but in terms of your performance, it should be pretty comfortable.

You announced that you are going to be touring in shorter spurts, three weeks or less. Why is that?

I think it’s just about sanity, really. Part of the problem we had in the past was that we did a lot of work, we kind of worked non-stop. We’d go from touring for a year, touring the world, to come back to make a record, to touring the world again. We did that, like, three times without any break, we worked really hard. But at the end of that process, maybe the rear end of it, I think we were in a bit of a dark place at the end of that period. And I think, in order to not relive that, we are trying to be a bit more sensible about making sure we have lives outside of the band.

Have you played Vegas a lot?

We played it twice, I think.

Is there anything you look forward to or have to do when you’re in town?

Well, I used to have a really big problem with gambling. And I had I to have a form of rehab for people with gambling problems. So whenever we come to Vegas it’s always a really big test of my strength and my recovery, but I’ve been good—I mean, I’ve been good the last couple times. And it’s always a real challenge for me, but its important to be challenged, that’s how you know you’re doing good. So I’m probably just going to be staying in my hotel room.

Well, I’m looking forward to the show. Are you going to be playing the new record?

Yeah we’re playing the some of the new record. Definitely. I’m looking forward to it.
Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/aug/08/q-kele-bloc-party/

August 8, 2012, Las Vegas Weekly, Noise

Writer’s note: Just before our interview, Peter instant-messaged me: “Just a moment, I’ll turn off the Olympics.”

So, you are watching the Olympics?

Yeah, I’m on the Olympics, yeah. I just spent a couple of weeks, well 10 days, down on the Aegean. I’ve got a little hamlet, a very lovely hamlet that we’ve used for years, we’ve been there every summer with the family. Now, the children are adults, so they’re long people, but I get it in Turkish here, so luckily I speak Turkish. But I’m gonna do LA tomorrow, so I’ll be picking it up in the morning, your time there.

Well, you’ll get the tape-delay feed out here. We get very little live coverage.

You’re kidding! Really? That is not good, is it? Why not? It’s America.

NBC airs it in the U.S., and they made a programming choice to show it that way. It feels like a highlight reel.

That is not on, is it? Someone should really tell them. So how is Las Vegas? You know, I did couple of shows over the past year or two, but I also did this special one-night show called Miracula Weekend, about six months ago. And it was a special, like 25 people maximum, and I offered them a full weekend with me. We put them up in a great hotel and we hired a world-class chef to cook and gave them a reception and basically I swarmed around looking marvelous and being very genial. And played a three-hour set in this amazing house we hired. I thought it might be a little bit too much to ask of my fans. It was just for a one-off special occasion. There are ways that we need to make money to keep our albums funded and all that stuff now. So I was persuaded that it was a really nice idea, and it did work out really well. It was actually quite amazing. So I’m gonna repeat that I think here and there. The next one is gonna be LA, but then I want to move it elsewhere, like London, Paris, who knows wherever. It was great to be there.

Why did you choose Vegas for the first one?

Well, my partner who really broke my teeth with the idea started this a couple of years ago on a very small scale, and he thought why not offer a weekend in Vegas. He called it Sin City All Access. And this was with a very mildly known person, and it sort of started to work. So he then offered it to Daniel Ash, and I just happened to, for the first time in ages since we split, went to Ojai, because I love it there just to have a couple of days off. And I know that Daniel lives there, and that’s where Bauhaus recorded their last album. So I popped a text to Daniel and said I’m going to be in town, you know there’s only one small high street there so we could easily bump into each other and he could get a bit of a shock. So I warned him I said, “Listen, if you don’t want to deal with me or whatever, or I’ll be in town, you might want to be aware of that.” So he texted me back, we had a great time, and I’m thinking, “Wow, he has like no idea what went down.” Well he does, but he’s kind of forgotten it, which is good.

During that time, his little devil horns come out, he’s says, “Hey Pete, there’s this guy who’s offering this extended weekend.” And I’m like, “Wait a minute, who is this guy?” And then, we were going to do it, I wanted him to do it. I said, “I’d love you to do it.” He doesn’t feel comfortable leading that, he’s not that lead man, if you will. So you know, the conversation went that way, and I’m thinking, “You know if you’re talking about Danny Ash and I, that’s like Jimmy Page, Robert Plant basically.” So we’re knocking around the idea and he comes back and Danny gets very tentative and sidesteps and takes forever to make up his mind. He was very uncomfortable about the expectancy of us or him having to play Bauhaus songs. I have no problem, but that’s because I play them anyway.

To me the value of us getting together as well, he’s that powerful of a lead guitarist. My thoughts with Danny are, “You should really value who you are. You are one of the iconic guitarists ever.” Which he can’t handle. And two, “Never mind the other members of that band, there were problems with it. So you and I should make a record. Just think on that.” So there we are, it was a nice meeting and suddenly he gets very worried about it and I understood. It was just about revisiting the Bauhaus songs in his head. So I went to him and got in contact with the guy and that’s how that came about. So we’ll be coming there soon again.

This is like a last little underplay, I just played to 6,000 people in Chile and 4,000 in Argentina, but I don’t care about having to play massive sizes. The reality of the industry is not a lot of people are going out to shows now, even in America. I’ve toured it three times in the last 18 months, and what I do love is to connect with the sure-fire hardcore audience. And it’s one last, little nod to the Ninth album, this little spat, which is like a West Coast run and one in New York. So I’m gonna take Ours out with me.

It’s gonna be close up, you can see my tits and all that. (Laughs) ’Cause I’m old now. I’ve got tits. (Laughs) I’ve got 50-year-old tits! It’s terrible. No, no, I’ll get them raised up a little bit. I’m just gonna start that awful macho thing where you have to lift sh*t, terrible really. I’m English! I shouldn’t have to do that. Somebody should lift them for me. (In proper British Accent) You come here, lift these, then have yourself washed, oiled, scented and brought to my room. (Laughs)

That’s hilarious.

Well, the English are completely bonkers so, just admit it.

Yeah, who isn’t?

We do everything f*cking brilliantly, in a really odd way.

You’ve lived in Turkey for years. Do you root for Britain or Turkey in the Olympics?

Well, England if they’ve got a shot at it. But I root for—for instance Michael Phelps is brilliant, or was. Eight medals last time, come on, he’s brilliant. And then there’s China, they’ve got the demographic of like Mars, so why wouldn’t they win a medal? It’s ridiculous. They’re kind of automatons anyway, aren’t they? They’re all one person. It’s kind of boring. “Alright, another Chinese, well done.” They just seem to be the inscrutable Chinese. But it’s cool. The Americans are bastards again, they keep winning sh*t and the Brits are like “Uh, we invented everything and we’re third at the most.” It’s like f*ck off. The Americans are brilliant though, it’s like swimming is brilliant. I mean, basketball, yes, you’re on. Boring. But things like women’s handball, it’s brilliant, and then volleyball. Anyway … Yes, I’m still marvelous, really good looking. I was in that band once, but I’m much better. I’ve outsold the band multiple times, but they still keep calling me Peter Murphy of Bauhaus. And I keep saying Bauhaus of Peter Murphy. I’m a really good singer, I can make really good music and I’m up for it still. So that’s basically the short and tall of it. (Laughs)

What do you think of being known as the “Godfather of Goth”?

Well, you say it. But anybody who comes fresh to the show, and if they break through the barrier of this label, they think, “Oh my god, I don’t want to go to a Goth show.” They come, they go, “What the f*ck? This is amazing.” This is nothing to do with what they thought it was. So that’s the only thing, which is a bit of a lead weight, this moniker, although on the other hand if somebody is paying attention, very good. Because once I get them in the door or under the headphones, they’re fine, they’re cool, they’re all good. But then, it’s just the persistent math of myth, isn’t it? And labeling. I’m sure everybody has a kind of “tag,” actors, all sorts of people. So I am very philosophical about it and I must say, I’m very honored to be considered a legend. Which is kind of like, I can’t really see that. If you’re gorgeous and look in the mirror, you don’t really say, “Wow, that’s f*cking awesome.” Well, maybe you do, if you’re Marilyn Manson. But the English are very modest really, you wouldn’t guess it with the way I’m talking. We’re quite understated, we like to be understated. So, I don’t get angry about it. I just say “Well, thank you. You’re quite kind.”

Do you think the music you are making now, like Ninth, do you consider that Goth?

I never considered Bauhaus Goth. Remember, the culture was germinated after by such bands who were kind of copyists almost. Sisters of Mercy, that stuff and Alien Sex Fiend and all those kids, they kind of spawned out of a spark that I think we kicked ass at. But it was only one element of what I do, I’m more of a theatrical. I’m one of those one-off’s I think. I’m like a Mick Jagger. I’m more like a Doors, Morrison or Jagger, Sinatra, those people. But I do think that I can make a dance record and it’ll be good, hopefully, I mean if I make it well, of course. I think what I’ve got is very rare, and it’s a great voice and lyricism. And I am one of those people who tend to be overlooked. They called me the new Bowie in 1980 and I’m like, “F*ck that.” I thought, “No way.” Ya know? Great respect. But actually it’s true in a way, but I don’t think I’ve reached that point of mass recognition, in the way you might have expected to.

I actually think I’m quite avant-garde in a way. Sort of artful music, which is also quite eclectic. It can be beautifully symphonic, it can be beautifully atmospheric, charismatic classic ballads. It can also be hard as f*ck, it can be hard as Metallica or even harder because it’s more spikier. It’s hard for people to place me except to say “Oh, he’s got high cheek bones, he’s the father of Goth.” Ya know? But I’m working on it and I’m patient to it. Everything has its own reason and we can never see the four-dimensional aspects of any situation, we can only ever see it front on. So I’m not one to moan really. I work bloody hard. I’ve done over 150-160 shows since Ninth.

I think if I were a fan, I would really want to be at a Peter Murphy gig, because there’s not many like it. It’s not about grandiose, massive hits. Although, I’ve got my own amongst my audience. Of course, many people really know my work and my name, so much that I’m amazed by it really. Outside of what one might imagine. And I think my early music was like a seed for later things like Radiohead, that British independent thing. I think we were closer to Joy Division than Siouxsie and the Banshees. We took that and introduced intelligent art surrealism and in our case f*cking mind-blowing theatrics, and I don’t think anybody’s really matched it. So I am a bit mad, so I thought I’d be perfect as an actor, because I’ve acted all my life on stage. So I’ve been going to LA a lot, meeting people who are these major players and are like, “Peter Murphy? Wow.” And I’m like, “Well thank you. Give me a part.” And they say, “Alright then.”

Is that how you landed a part in Twilight: Eclipse?

Well, I was trying to pitch my music to New Moon … A couple of months later I get this email … from David Slade, who’s been brought in, English director, to do Eclipse. I knew his work from Hard Candy. And he said, “Would you please consider a cameo role?” He was a great fan, he said of my work in the ’80s and in his formative years. He listened to Bauhaus up in Leeds and da da da da. And I said, “Well, yes please.” He said himself that it’s like a bookend to my appearance in Hunger, which is where I opened the Tony Scott film starring David Bowie and Susan Sarandon. So that was great.
Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/aug/08/chatting-peter-murphy-about-olympics-bauhaus-and-t/

August 1, 2012 Las Vegas Weekly, Noise

Winter is coming. Johnny, that is. And his band.

You’ve been playing blues for 40-plus years. Do you ever feel restricted by the genre? No, I love the blues. This is all I want to do. I have no desire to do anything else.

Was it tough to break the “white kid playing the blues” stigma when you started out? You couldn’t really play blues for white people back then. It wasn’t till those English guys started playing it that white people wanted to hear it. … When The Rolling Stones made it, I said, “I have got to be able to make it, because I’m 100 times better than those guys (laughs). They got good, but they weren’t too good when they first started.

Who were your early blues heroes? Muddy [Waters], of course. And B.B. King and T-Bone Walker.

You were credited with reviving Muddy’s career when you produced 1977’s Hard Again. What was it like working on his record? So much fun. … Muddy said in an interview [that] I knew all his music better than he did. I don’t think that was true, but it was nice of him to say it.

Any up-and-coming blues artists you keep an eye on? Jason Ricci. He’s a harmonica player, and he’s real good.

I read there’s a documentary in the works, shadowing you on tour. Yeah, we’re in the process of making it right now. It’s fun, and it’s overdue. This sh*t should have happened a long time ago.

Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/aug/01/trading-licks-bluesman-johnny-winter/

June 20, 2012 Las Vegas Weekly, Noise

Primus went 12 years between albums. What motivated you to record 2011’s Green Naugahyde?

There’s always that “What are we doing next?” when I look at all the pots on the stove. I got to talking to Ler [guitarist Larry LaLonde], and he was very anxious to do it, so we got together and played with [drummer] Jay Lane, and it just felt good and sounded amazing. [But] I didn’t want to do another nostalgia tour; if we’re gonna tour, we need to make a record.

You’re playing with Fishbone in Vegas. You’ve toured with Slayer. You’ve toured with Portugal. The Man. What do you think it is about your music that allows for such flexibility?

Well, when we toured with Slayer it was with the Ozzfest, and Sharon [Osbourne] was very hesitant about putting Primus on the bill. But we did it, and it ended up being great. We’ve always been that band that you can’t really get under your thumb—nobody knows what the hell to call us. We opened for U2 back in the day; we’ve opened for Rush, Jane’s Addiction … tonight Gogol Bordello is opening for us. I personally like to bring pretty obscure bands out with us. Not knocking Slayer, but when it’s my choice of bands that open for us, they tend to be pretty eclectic.

The concept of working-class America runs through a lot of Primus’ catalog. What about that inspires you?

I come from a long line of auto mechanics. My dad was a mechanic, my step-dad, my uncles, my grandfather were all mechanics, and I grew up in semi-rural suburbia. We were trained to be worker bees. Most of the guys I knew in high school went on to work at Standard Oil. I [also] tend to have a soft spot for old cars.

What do you drive?

I’ve got a big yellow truck and a green bronco, in various stages of repair or disrepair. It’s a little bit like Sanford and Son around my house.

Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/jun/20/four-questions-primus-les-claypool/

May 30, 2012, Las Vegas Weekly, The Weekly Q&A

Cowtown Guitars, the local store that draws musicians for good gear and great advice, recently moved to Main Street after more than a decade on Maryland Parkway. As owners Jesse and Roxie Amoroso say, “It was a natural fit.”

Why did you decide to move the store from Maryland Parkway to Main Street Downtown?

Jesse Amoroso: We were just trying to find the right spot to move the store. We looked on Fremont East and all kinds of stuff, just never found a place that felt right. Then, when we bought the store in June, we started looking again. The new spot was one of those things that as soon as we walked in we could tell this is where we needed to move the store. It was just right.

Do you consider yourself part of Downtown’s revitalization?

JA: We live Downtown. We’ve both lived in Vegas for a long time, and we’ve always kind of hung out down here. So it was a natural fit. I’m thrilled to see what’s going on down here; I think it’s one of the best things to happen to the city in a long time.

As a gear freak, I check your inventory on the website all the time. Do you think online sales are the future of the vintage gear business?

JA: At the old location, it was kind of going that way to where it was almost all online sales. Since we’ve moved, it’s a totally different story. We’re getting a lot more locals and we’re getting a lot more tourists buying stuff and taking it with them. I don’t know what the difference is between here and Maryland Parkway, but we’ve seen a 60 percent increase in in-store sales.

That’s surprising. I expected you to say the opposite.

JA: Actually, I get guitars and gear in that never even make it to the website. We’re doing a lot more local business, which I’m thrilled about.

Roxie Amoroso: For somebody to stay mom and pop and stay in a brick and mortar location, it helps to have a really great online presence because it carries you through the lean times. You can keep rolling your inventory over for your clientele—the actual bodies that come in the shop—and keep things interesting for them.

You’re both musicians. Do you change your setups constantly?

RA: My basses are ever-changing, but I always go back to my ’57 P-Bass reissue. I have maybe more basses than Jesse has guitars, and I always go back to the same one.

JA: My rig is very sturdy and the same every time. I was one of those guys that just constantly changed stuff out. My pedal board would sometimes have 10 pedals on it, or sometimes it would have two—it was always different. It was like drugs for a while, man.

RA: It’s great for the customers, too, because where else can you go and know you’re going to ask a question about a pedal that someone is intimately familiar with, that they’ve tried every which way on three different cabs and three different amps and different guitars and whatever? Here you really can, because Jesse is so obsessive he actually plays and takes apart and fiddles with every piece of gear we sell.

Is there a sleeper guitar and amp that you can’t believe plays so well and is really undervalued?

JA: The biggest sleepers to me in amplifiers are some of the old Silvertones. The 1482s, total sleeper amp. They sound great; you can push ’em; they’re all tube point-to-point wired American amplifiers and most of ’em sound great. Guitar-wise, a big sleeper for vintage stuff, I’m kind of partial to Gibson Melody Makers. I always dug ’em.

Do either of you have an “Eleanor” of guitars? The one that you’ve always wanted but could never get your hands on?

RA: I don’t have an Eleanor, because I’m spoiled rotten and my husband gets me everything I want. All I ever wanted was a bicentennial Thunderbird, and he got me that the year our baby was born. I wanted a Gold Top; he got me that. But I always go back to my same old ’80s P-Bass.

JA: A 1959 TV Les Paul Jr. I let Eleanor go in 1993 in Phoenix, Arizona. I had the chance to buy one for $300. I didn’t have sh*t for money. I was living in Phoenix, and I drove all the way across Phoenix to this guy’s house. This was before the Internet and Craigslist and cell phones. So I leave, and I’m like “Man, I should buy that guitar. I’m gonna have to eat ramen noodles for like three f*cking weeks; I should buy that guitar.” So I pull into a Circle K, and I call him back and say, “I’m gonna come get the guitar.” And he says, “Oh man, I just sold it.” And I’ve been looking for that guitar ever since.

Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/may/30/cowtown-guitars-owners-jesse-and-roxie-talk-new-di/