Reverend Billie Speaketh
DGDevin
ZZ Rider
a.. A blues surrealist puts the pedal to the metal
DAVID WOLLOCK
A thing of beauty is a joy forever, especially if it's a roaring hunk of
steel. In his new book, "Billy F Gibbons: Rock + Roll Gearhead," ZZ Top's
unreconstructed axeman amplifies on life, music and his collections of
six-strings (more than 600 custom "war clubs") and hot rods (he still yearns
to add a Buckminster Fuller Dymaxion to the stable). A Texas native who
splits his time between Houston and Hollywood when not on tour, Gibbons
chatted us up about the blues, fine machinery and the rewards of surrealism.
Why do heavy metal machines loom so large in your life story?
I picked up a guitar and learned to play. There was a nightclub to perform
at, but I needed a car. It's always been cars and guitars. And if there's a
few pretty girls along the way, that's no problem. The girls get the [car]
keys.
You first came to L.A. in its rock heyday of 1967. What was that like?
We pulled up to Gazzarri's on the Strip, having driven from Houston [in] 36
hours. We started unloading, and it was no questions asked, just, "Come on
in." The famous DJ, the Real Don Steel, was the house MC. He said, "You guys
are pretty good. Who hired you to come out here?" I said, "Nobody, we just
showed up!"
ZZ Top toured 10 months in the last year. What's the ZZ sound?
It's a raw attempt to maintain and reinterpret the great American art form
called the blues. My favorite period was about '49 to '60-'61. I always go
back to this shoebox of 45s from that window. Of course, then you get the
reggae box.
Why make L.A. your second home?
There's this history of westward motion. This is the last stop. I'm happy
living among other extremists. You have to be an extremist to make it this
far.
What are some of your favorite things about the city?
The layout demands a lot of behind-the-wheel time. The aromas in this town,
the restaurants fuming garlic and chilies. I don't know any place better to
get a spectrum of the aromatic whatevers that wind up wafting through the
car.
Hot rods have gone from déclassé to hot and trendy. Why now?
Hot rodding is personality incarnate. The saying goes, any man can restore a
car, but it takes a real man to cut one up. In this town it's an expression
of style.
How did your custom guitar collection become an addiction?
Starting with Pearly Gates, our famed 1959 Les Paul. The attempt to find one
that would equal that instrument stimulated the search to get another. They
all have a different character. Design aesthetics were not overlooked in the
electric guitar.
How would you summarize your life philosophy?
It was easier to try and interpret Howlin' Wolf than to try to be Bob Dylan.
Me and my compadres were not as word-wise as Dylan, but we understood the
secret language in the poetic literature of the blues, and we believed
Salvador Dalí: At some point in the not too distant future, the world will
be surreal. We've become the Dalís of the Delta.
Any advice for young Dalís of the Delta?
The quote is, listen and listen good. And as Muddy Waters stated, you don't
have to be the best one, just try and be a good one.
Is driving about how fast you get there or the quality of the ride?
The ride. Since the girls keep the car keys, we usually wind up in a taxi.
John King
Thanks for the link. He's (Gibbons) always good for a couple of
grins. Besides being one ass kickin' guitar player, he has a very
'unique' outlook on life.
John
DGDevin
news:bA3uf.4440$UF3....@newssvr25.news.prodigy.net...
> Thanks for the link. He's (Gibbons) always good for a couple of
> grins. Besides being one ass kickin' guitar player, he has a very
> 'unique' outlook on life.
>
> John
We see them on tour every year, always a fun show, although they could stand
to mix it up a little more, I swear I've heard Gibbons do the same
between-song patter at least two years in a row. And their last album,
Mescalero, was pretty good, they could stand to throw in a couple more new
songs.
wb
> I swear I've heard Gibbons do the same
> between-song patter at least two years in a row.
He actually mumbled something .. between songs ?
Last time I saw them they played like
they were late for a plane ( 1992 ?)..
didn't say nothing. "Still got your Stocking Blues"
was the highlight if I recall.
I din't know they toured that much anymore .. 10 months ...
I thought they did a couple gigs a year in Las Vegas
for pocket money and girls.
----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----
tomb...@jhu.edu
>
> I din't know they toured that much anymore .. 10 months ...
> I thought they did a couple gigs a year in Las Vegas
> for pocket money and girls.
They do play around Texas, easy drives from Houston. I don't know about
their scheduling in general though.
DGDevin
news:1136235...@spool6-east.superfeed.net...
> He actually mumbled something .. between songs ?
> Last time I saw them they played like
> they were late for a plane ( 1992 ?)..
> didn't say nothing. "Still got your Stocking Blues"
> was the highlight if I recall.
> I din't know they toured that much anymore .. 10 months ...
> I thought they did a couple gigs a year in Las Vegas
> for pocket money and girls.
They've toured extensively in recent years, some shows we've seen have been
better than others, but they were all worth seeing, and they didn't rush
through them. Billy talks to the audience a bit, but it sounds scripted or
at least well-worn to me, like he's repeating the same patter to introduce
the same songs. Their most recent album is actually pretty good, reminds me
of some of their older work, mercifully free of keyboard synths.