April 4, 2007 / 741 reads
Interview by JL of http://www.savioursofrock.com
Hey, how ya doin, C.C??
What's goin on buddy?.
What, I catch you in the limo or something?
I'm in my limo, just going from gig to gig.
Typical rockstar style?
Yeah, I know, right? Yeah, it's pretty good. Its hard work, but I love it?
Where are you guys playing tonight? Ohio, is it?
Where? Uh, um. We're playing in um, ah, ah (talking in background). Yeah, I'm doing an appearance in Columbus, Ohio at a ZZ Top show tonight. Doin a little...There's like a ZZ Top concert, and I'm hosting an after show, you know. Maybe I'll do? I might even do like the best beard contest. You know, like if people show up with beards, and, and you know, whoever has the nicest beard wins a prize; which reminds me of a funny story;
You know in ZZ Top, there's 2 guys with long, long beards and the drummer doesn't have a beard. (shouts) But his last name is beard! So, technically, there's 3 beards in ZZ Top.
What a coincidence.
(laughs) It, is. It is.
Were those guys an influence on you at all?
Who ZZ Top? Yeah! I love Billy Gibbons, Billy has a great tone. His tone was just great. Smooth and it was integral sounding, he always had that great tone, so yeah, definitely a big influence.
So, you guys have the new album coming out?
Yeah, that should be a hoot. (jokes) wait 'till you hear sexy back! We do a version of sexy back by Justin Timberlake. Its heavy man, we really, it's very, very heavy man. There's solo's everywhere, its lead guitar driven
Ahhh...
Well, rumour has it that I will personally be bringing sexy back? back.Yeah, that's my job.
You actually have been getting into the vocals the last few years though?
Yeah, I'm singing more. Because I did a solo record and, and I was singing on that, and I was exploring singing. But, recently I've been playing more. I dunno, we'll see what happens. I don't approach it as playing or singing, I approach it as the whole package.
Well, you're more into T.V. now too?
Well, I do like the T.V. I do like the, that reality stuff, it's been good, because you can basically turn on the cameras and you can act like you? ahh you can be yourself. There are no lines to remember and there's no script to follow, and it's a very free form thing. People seem to have a thirst for it; people seem to have a thirst for reality. I mean pop culture has turned in such a way, that especially youth has such a high price and such a high demand for celebrity, no matter what the cost. Being infamous is just as important as being famous. I mean, I'm sure certain people would rather be famous for something negative than not be famous at all. It's not a good thing; I mean it's not a good thing at all. Because what happens is, then that robs the character of someone. I've tried, in my defence, I've tried to fight the good fight and represent character in those shows, so far I've been in a couple of reality shows now, and I've always tried to hold the responsible side. And I know I'm doing a good job, because when I watch it, I don't cringe!
Now there were times in my early life? Sometimes when you're given a soapbox at an early age, you abuse that privilege by default, simply because you're ignorant. You have a finite amount of time when people listen, and if you make it at an early age, sometimes you waste that, because you're new and you don't have much to say, and you don't think much. So, sometimes I've had not just the pleasure, but I've had the anxiety of listening to myself when I was much younger and sometimes, you know, I was living in the minute. But, I try to be a bit more responsible for how I am now. Which might actually make me for a duller person though
Would you like to get into TV more formally?
Um, I don't know. It's a tough thing. You have to be careful. Because there's a midfield of clichés, where people want to get into television or people want to get into the theatre or into acting. Things like that. I don't kid myself as far as; if I can't do it very well, I don't know if I really wanna do it. I mean I'd rather leave the acting to professionals, I mean I don't look at doing some of these appearances on these reality shows as a gateway to becoming an actor. I mean I can only act like me. Andas much as I admire actors, the testimony to an actor, is actually making someone else think that they can do it too. When someone is so great at acting, you feel like you can do it. I don't know if I would peruse acting in anything real, like as an art form. But I don't mind the camera being on me. That stuff is a lot of fun.
Well, this new album is back on Capitol?
Yep, this new record is back on Capitol, so that will be a big boost. We're all excited about it. We'll see how it works. I kind of like it, I really do. It's just a little bit different, but I enjoyed doing it.
Did you guys just try and get it out fast, just a bit of fun, type thing?
Yeah, well, a lot of the songs are fun. But we tried to do it very, very fast. It was very interesting.
Well your last best of returned you guys to the top 20 charts, after all these years?
Yeah, that was pretty good. It did very well.
Over the years, the U.S. guitar magazines have famously given you a hard time?
Oh yeah. That's to be expected when you look the way I look! I mean, I was always a weird looking fellow! But, I think actually they've become nicer to me in the last ten years. In the beginning they were like whoa, really, really crazy. But either I've gotten better, or they've become nicer. I don't know.
You were reported to have owned over 250 guitars at one stage. What about now?
Oh God, I buy and sell them all the time. I couldn't even tell you. Not as many as I used too. At any given time I might have like 9 or 10 guitars. You know I had so many at one point; it was silly, because a lot of them I wouldn't even open up for years at a time. So it was like, I'd rather have someone else enjoy them. So I started to trade them, let other people play them. And space is always an issue! They take up so much space!
Well your last best of returned you guys to the top 20 charts, after all these years?
Yeah, that was pretty good. It did very well.
So I hear you've just had your first kid, how's that blowing your mind?
Yes, I did. Well, that's put everything into perspective.
C.C. Deville, the responsible adult?
Yeah, I guess I am. Well, this kid makes you want to be a responsible and accountable human being. Much more than a career would or anything. It really puts things into perspective about what's important and why you're really on earth, and how you can make a difference. The immediacy of someone else's life, of another living thing that's maybe missing in people, that when you have a child, you are completed. But that being said, it doesn't mean it's a whole lotta work. I mean I get about the same amount of sleep as I did when I used to be a complete party animal! It's just that I'm up now because I'm sober and taking care of the baby. But it's a much better situation than it was in the old days.
you think it will help you stay sober?
Well, I know enough that you have to be sober for yourself. I know enough that I have to be sober for me. But also, when I look at my child, I have that option, that it's in my power that he never see's his father drunk or outta control. It's bad enough that there's video tape and stories and things like that, where we can watch. Which still isn't that bad. And if I do stay sober, it might be just slightly amusing to see his father before. But it wouldn't be so amusing if I hadn't gotten better, and he's 10 or 15 years old and I'm still carrying on like that. Then it wouldn't be so funny.
Why do you think rockstars are so susceptible to that kind of lifestyle?
I don't know. I can't tell ya. I didn't think I had as much in common with Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, but apparently I did!
Well, I'll let you get to your ZZ Top show?
Thank you buddy. Have a good one okay. I know you're down in Australia now. I don't know if we'll ever be in Australia! I hope we come back! You guys would have us wouldn't you?
We'd be happy to my friend?
Well, thank you buddy. Take care of yourself okay.
--x--
