Neil Fallon is the vocalist, lyrical genius/madman of Clutch, and a
personal musical hero of mine. While the genre of Fallon’s band is up
for debate, the passion of Clutch’s fans is not, cementing the band as a
“cult band.”
Before Clutch’s performance with Orange Goblin, Lionize and Scorpion
Child at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, I had the honor of
sitting down with Neil to discuss his love of Star Wars, beer, lyrical
complexity and much more.
Note: I had just seen Clutch at South by Southwest a few weeks before so our conversation started there.
How was SXSW for you? You said it was the first one since ’95?
Yeah, we did one, I think it was ’95. We played with Wayne Kramer (former MC5 Guitarist), which was really good. It was much smaller back then. They didn’t have the interactive and the film, and tech side of it. Discos weren’t part of it either. It’s so much bigger. It’s pretty overwhelming. I’ve felt a little bit old man-ish thinking music has taken a second seat to a lot of other things that were unmusical, but I’m sure the city of Austin has their reasons to bring in as many people as possible.
Did you have a chance to walk down 6th street at all?
I avoided it.
Smart. One of the other people you mentioned playing with during your 11oo Warehouse show (at SXSW) that you played with at that ‘95 show was Fred Schneider, how was that opening for a B-52?
Well, it was unexpected. You know what, I’d rather do something a little quirky and different than always playing with the same kinds of bands all the time. That band, if I remember correctly, was more of a rock n roll band compared to the B-52’s. It’s one of those strange things, touring in a rock band sometimes brings you to unexpected situations and that’s half the fun of it.
Like the first time I saw you guys was after The Fall of Troy and Coheed and Cambria. That was a very odd bill.
I don’t know if our fans were really hitting it off too well, but we have a pretty open minded policy. We’ll play with anybody, anywhere. It’s just music.
Going back to the very beginning, what was your first band called and what did it sound like?
We had a high school band; a hardcore band called Moral Minority, which I played guitar in terribly. Then we had another band called N.S.A., the National Security Agency. That was very short lived. Then I went off to school and these guys (the rest of Clutch) started a band called Glut Trip, and I filled in one night for the singer of Glut Trip who wasn’t able to do the show, and then I’ve been there since. We didn’t get “Clutch” until a couple months later. I think we always intended on changing the name, and never really got around to it.
Do you have any hope for the sequels? I heard the news and thought it was kind of neat that Harrison Ford may be back, but I’m really weary.
A lot of us have made it impossible to be satisfied, because it’s entered the realm of a classic. I’m just looking to be entertained, and would never expect to leave thinking that was as good or better. That’s not gonna happen, but who knows? You see what happened with Alien, when they let anybody and their brother take control of it, and you ended up with some real travesties.
I’ve never thought of that parallel.
Once you just get to use that license, that image, it’s a very risky thing. I don’t think it’s really worked out for anyone. The first few Aliens were great.
Often in interviews or photo shoots, you and the band are portrayed as a gang of beer enthusiasts, is that accurate?
Yeah, we are.
Having another Clutch beer?
Yeah. That’s one cool thing since starting out, that the only thing close to a craft beer was Samuel Adams, and they kicked down a lot of doors. It used to be that the rest of the world looked down their nose at our American beer, now they’re looking to us for lessons. I think it’s because Europe has such strict laws regarding beers, but watching the industry recover from prohibition after so long is great to see. People want quality, and when they taste it, they’ll keep coming back for more.
Moving on to the new album, for some reason it’s being put out there as this return album, like a comeback album, but I don’t really feel like you guys ever really had a dip in quality or went anywhere. Why do you think that this attitude is being brought to Earth Rocker?
I know there were some people that were really not stoked on our forays into bluesville.
But Beale Street (to Oblivion) is awesome.
I love it too. I didn’t really know that until after the fact reading reviews like, “Oh, thank goodness Clutch has come back to this.” We’re not coming back to anything. We never went anywhere. Maybe, another fact is (producer) Machine did this record, he also did Blast Tyrant, so sonically it has some very similar qualities. When we went into this record, we just wanted to make a fast, efficient record, but we also don’t want to be one of these bands that does the “going back to your roots” record, because that often ends up being very contrived. Like many artists, we just want to keep moving forward. It’s a pretty simple record, there’s not a lot of jams in there. It’s just kind of to the point and maybe people see that as returning to something, to what album they’re talking about, I don’t know. People seem to like it
I know it’s tough to be put on the spot and be like, “Quick! Be creative! Go!”
“Make a story!” I think of my favorite books. A lot of them were pretty dark. Even the classics, like Peter Rabbit. I think if you could take any of the classics, Grimm or Aesop’s Fables and put it in a science fiction setting, it’d probably be pretty fun. It’s usually the old stories you just need to rewrite the characters and the names and put your spin on it. Those are always the classic plot lines. There’s an amazing book, and I can’t remember his name (Gerald McDermott), he did Anansi the Spider. That’s what he’s most famous for, but he did another one called Arrow to the Sun, and it’s about a kid who is the son of god. It’s a Pueblo Indian tale that’s from 1972. He gets shot into the sun by an arrow and then he gets sent back down by his father, and he has to go through these trials. It’s really dark, but a beautiful book. He ends up becoming a demigod at the end. For a five-year-old, how much of that do they understand? But as the adult, I enjoy reading it. It’s cool
Note: I had just seen Clutch at South by Southwest a few weeks before so our conversation started there.
How was SXSW for you? You said it was the first one since ’95?
Yeah, we did one, I think it was ’95. We played with Wayne Kramer (former MC5 Guitarist), which was really good. It was much smaller back then. They didn’t have the interactive and the film, and tech side of it. Discos weren’t part of it either. It’s so much bigger. It’s pretty overwhelming. I’ve felt a little bit old man-ish thinking music has taken a second seat to a lot of other things that were unmusical, but I’m sure the city of Austin has their reasons to bring in as many people as possible.
Did you have a chance to walk down 6th street at all?
I avoided it.
Smart. One of the other people you mentioned playing with during your 11oo Warehouse show (at SXSW) that you played with at that ‘95 show was Fred Schneider, how was that opening for a B-52?
Well, it was unexpected. You know what, I’d rather do something a little quirky and different than always playing with the same kinds of bands all the time. That band, if I remember correctly, was more of a rock n roll band compared to the B-52’s. It’s one of those strange things, touring in a rock band sometimes brings you to unexpected situations and that’s half the fun of it.
Like the first time I saw you guys was after The Fall of Troy and Coheed and Cambria. That was a very odd bill.
I don’t know if our fans were really hitting it off too well, but we have a pretty open minded policy. We’ll play with anybody, anywhere. It’s just music.
Going back to the very beginning, what was your first band called and what did it sound like?
We had a high school band; a hardcore band called Moral Minority, which I played guitar in terribly. Then we had another band called N.S.A., the National Security Agency. That was very short lived. Then I went off to school and these guys (the rest of Clutch) started a band called Glut Trip, and I filled in one night for the singer of Glut Trip who wasn’t able to do the show, and then I’ve been there since. We didn’t get “Clutch” until a couple months later. I think we always intended on changing the name, and never really got around to it.
Do you have any hope for the sequels? I heard the news and thought it was kind of neat that Harrison Ford may be back, but I’m really weary.
A lot of us have made it impossible to be satisfied, because it’s entered the realm of a classic. I’m just looking to be entertained, and would never expect to leave thinking that was as good or better. That’s not gonna happen, but who knows? You see what happened with Alien, when they let anybody and their brother take control of it, and you ended up with some real travesties.
I’ve never thought of that parallel.
Once you just get to use that license, that image, it’s a very risky thing. I don’t think it’s really worked out for anyone. The first few Aliens were great.
Often in interviews or photo shoots, you and the band are portrayed as a gang of beer enthusiasts, is that accurate?
Yeah, we are.
Having another Clutch beer?
Yeah. That’s one cool thing since starting out, that the only thing close to a craft beer was Samuel Adams, and they kicked down a lot of doors. It used to be that the rest of the world looked down their nose at our American beer, now they’re looking to us for lessons. I think it’s because Europe has such strict laws regarding beers, but watching the industry recover from prohibition after so long is great to see. People want quality, and when they taste it, they’ll keep coming back for more.
Moving on to the new album, for some reason it’s being put out there as this return album, like a comeback album, but I don’t really feel like you guys ever really had a dip in quality or went anywhere. Why do you think that this attitude is being brought to Earth Rocker?
I know there were some people that were really not stoked on our forays into bluesville.
But Beale Street (to Oblivion) is awesome.
I love it too. I didn’t really know that until after the fact reading reviews like, “Oh, thank goodness Clutch has come back to this.” We’re not coming back to anything. We never went anywhere. Maybe, another fact is (producer) Machine did this record, he also did Blast Tyrant, so sonically it has some very similar qualities. When we went into this record, we just wanted to make a fast, efficient record, but we also don’t want to be one of these bands that does the “going back to your roots” record, because that often ends up being very contrived. Like many artists, we just want to keep moving forward. It’s a pretty simple record, there’s not a lot of jams in there. It’s just kind of to the point and maybe people see that as returning to something, to what album they’re talking about, I don’t know. People seem to like it
I know it’s tough to be put on the spot and be like, “Quick! Be creative! Go!”
“Make a story!” I think of my favorite books. A lot of them were pretty dark. Even the classics, like Peter Rabbit. I think if you could take any of the classics, Grimm or Aesop’s Fables and put it in a science fiction setting, it’d probably be pretty fun. It’s usually the old stories you just need to rewrite the characters and the names and put your spin on it. Those are always the classic plot lines. There’s an amazing book, and I can’t remember his name (Gerald McDermott), he did Anansi the Spider. That’s what he’s most famous for, but he did another one called Arrow to the Sun, and it’s about a kid who is the son of god. It’s a Pueblo Indian tale that’s from 1972. He gets shot into the sun by an arrow and then he gets sent back down by his father, and he has to go through these trials. It’s really dark, but a beautiful book. He ends up becoming a demigod at the end. For a five-year-old, how much of that do they understand? But as the adult, I enjoy reading it. It’s cool
Neil Fallon é o vocalista, gênio e do Clutch, e um herói musical . Enquanto o gênero da banda de Fallon está em debate, a paixão dos fãs pelo Clutch não é, consolidada com a banda como uma "banda cult".
Antes de desempenho do Clutch com a Orange Goblin, Lionize and Scorpion Child no Ballroom Regency, em San Francisco, tive a honra de sentar-se com Neil para discutir o seu amor pelo Star Wars, cerveja, complexidade lírica e muito mais.
Nota: Eu tinha acabado de ver Clutch no South by Southwest algumas semanas antes, então a nossa conversa começou lá.
Antes de desempenho do Clutch com a Orange Goblin, Lionize and Scorpion Child no Ballroom Regency, em San Francisco, tive a honra de sentar-se com Neil para discutir o seu amor pelo Star Wars, cerveja, complexidade lírica e muito mais.
Nota: Eu tinha acabado de ver Clutch no South by Southwest algumas semanas antes, então a nossa conversa começou lá.
Como foi o SXSW para você? Você disse que era a primeira vez da banda foi em 95?
Sim, nós fizemos uma apresentação em 95. Tocamos com Wayne Kramer (ex-MC5 Guitarrista), que foi muito bom. Ele era muito menor naquela época. Eles não tinham o lado interativo de filme e tecnologia como hoje . . Hoje em dia é muito maior. É muito impressionante. Eu me senti um pouco velho na música vendo tudo isto acontecer, , mas eu tenho certeza que a cidade de Austin tem suas razões para trazer o maior número de pessoas possível.
Sim, nós fizemos uma apresentação em 95. Tocamos com Wayne Kramer (ex-MC5 Guitarrista), que foi muito bom. Ele era muito menor naquela época. Eles não tinham o lado interativo de filme e tecnologia como hoje . . Hoje em dia é muito maior. É muito impressionante. Eu me senti um pouco velho na música vendo tudo isto acontecer, , mas eu tenho certeza que a cidade de Austin tem suas razões para trazer o maior número de pessoas possível.
Inteligente. Uma das outras pessoas que você mencionou tocou durante a sua 11oo Warehouse show (no SXSW), que você tocou em 95, que show foi Fred Schneider, como foi que a abertura de um B-52?
Bem, isso foi inesperado. Você sabe o que, eu prefiro fazer algo um pouco peculiar e diferente do que estar tocando os mesmos tipos de bandas de todo o tempo. Essa banda, se bem me lembro, era mais um rock n roll em comparação com o B-52. É uma daquelas coisas estranhas, excursionando com uma banda de rock, por vezes, leva a situações inesperadas e que é metade da diversão.
Bem, isso foi inesperado. Você sabe o que, eu prefiro fazer algo um pouco peculiar e diferente do que estar tocando os mesmos tipos de bandas de todo o tempo. Essa banda, se bem me lembro, era mais um rock n roll em comparação com o B-52. É uma daquelas coisas estranhas, excursionando com uma banda de rock, por vezes, leva a situações inesperadas e que é metade da diversão.
Como a primeira vez que eu vi vocês se depois de tocar com The Fall of Troy e Coheed and Cambria. Esse foi um projeto muito estranho.
Eu não sei se os nossos fãs foram realmente acharam estranho , mas nós somos muito aberto. Vamos tocar com qualquer um, em qualquer lugar. É apenas música.
Eu não sei se os nossos fãs foram realmente acharam estranho , mas nós somos muito aberto. Vamos tocar com qualquer um, em qualquer lugar. É apenas música.
Voltando ao início, qual foi sua primeira banda e como se chamava?
Tivemos uma banda no colégio, uma banda de hardcore chamado Minority Moral, que eu tocava guitarra terrivelmente. Então nós tivemos uma outra banda chamada NSA, a Agência de Segurança Nacional. Teve uma vida curta. Então eu fui para a escola e esses caras (Clucth) começaram uma banda chamada Trip Glut, e eu entrei numa noite para o cantar no Glut que e não era capaz de fazer o show, e então estotu lá desde então. Nós não conseguimos criar outro nome que não fosse "Clutch", . Acho que sempre tivemos a intenção de mudar o nome, mas nunca tivemos tempo para isso.
Tivemos uma banda no colégio, uma banda de hardcore chamado Minority Moral, que eu tocava guitarra terrivelmente. Então nós tivemos uma outra banda chamada NSA, a Agência de Segurança Nacional. Teve uma vida curta. Então eu fui para a escola e esses caras (Clucth) começaram uma banda chamada Trip Glut, e eu entrei numa noite para o cantar no Glut que e não era capaz de fazer o show, e então estotu lá desde então. Nós não conseguimos criar outro nome que não fosse "Clutch", . Acho que sempre tivemos a intenção de mudar o nome, mas nunca tivemos tempo para isso.
Você tem qualquer esperança na seqüencia de Guerra nas Estrelas? I ouviu a notícia que Harrison Ford pode estar voltando.
Muitos de nós acha (ultimas notícias dão como certa da atriz Carrie Fisher ) impossível de isto acontecer , porque Gerras Nas estrelas é um clássico. estou apenas olhando de modo e me entrenter.
Muitos de nós acha (ultimas notícias dão como certa da atriz Carrie Fisher ) impossível de isto acontecer , porque Gerras Nas estrelas é um clássico. estou apenas olhando de modo e me entrenter.
Ter uma outra cerveja Clutch ?
Sim. Isso é uma coisa legal desde que começamos, que a única cerveja artesanal foi Samuel Adams,. Ela costumava ver que o resto do mundo olhando para baixo de seu nariz da nossa cerveja americana, agora eles estão olhando para nós. Eu acho que é porque a Europa tem essas leis rigorosas em matéria de cervejas, mas assistindo a indústria recuperar após a proibição depois de tanto tempo é ótimo de se ver. As pessoas querem qualidade e, quando prová-lo, eles vão querer mais.
Sim. Isso é uma coisa legal desde que começamos, que a única cerveja artesanal foi Samuel Adams,. Ela costumava ver que o resto do mundo olhando para baixo de seu nariz da nossa cerveja americana, agora eles estão olhando para nós. Eu acho que é porque a Europa tem essas leis rigorosas em matéria de cervejas, mas assistindo a indústria recuperar após a proibição depois de tanto tempo é ótimo de se ver. As pessoas querem qualidade e, quando prová-lo, eles vão querer mais.
Mas Beale Street (to Oblivion) é incrível.
Eu adoro isso também. Eu realmente não sabia que até depois do fato ler comentários como: "Oh, obrigado Clutch pela bondade de voltar a isso." Nós não estamos voltando para nada. Nós nunca fomos a lugar nenhum. Talvez, um outro fato é (produtor) Clutch fez este album, ele também tinha uma Blast Tyrant, então sonoramente ele tem algumas qualidades muito semelhantes. Quando fomos para este album, que só queria fazer um, registro rápido e eficiente, mas também não quero ser uma dessas bandas que querem "voltar às raízes" porque isso muitas vezes acaba sendo muito artificial. Como muitos artistas, nós só queremos seguir em frente. É um disco muito simples. . As pessoas parecem gostar
Eu adoro isso também. Eu realmente não sabia que até depois do fato ler comentários como: "Oh, obrigado Clutch pela bondade de voltar a isso." Nós não estamos voltando para nada. Nós nunca fomos a lugar nenhum. Talvez, um outro fato é (produtor) Clutch fez este album, ele também tinha uma Blast Tyrant, então sonoramente ele tem algumas qualidades muito semelhantes. Quando fomos para este album, que só queria fazer um, registro rápido e eficiente, mas também não quero ser uma dessas bandas que querem "voltar às raízes" porque isso muitas vezes acaba sendo muito artificial. Como muitos artistas, nós só queremos seguir em frente. É um disco muito simples. . As pessoas parecem gostar
http://kssunews.wordpress.com/2013/04/10/interview-with-neil-fallon-of-clutch-nerdom-beer-and-childrens-books/
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