HELL YEAH! IT'S CLUTCH!
Interview with singer Neil Fallon
All photos (c) Ragephoto, taken at the House OF Blues Myrtle Beach, SC
Clutch is the best live band on Earth. You can either agree with me or be wrong, it hardly matters. Clutch fans are well aware of this fact, and have loyally stood by their band for over a decade. Mainstream America doesn't seem capable of catching onto this truth though. This is probably because the mainstream is cluttered with garbage, and mainstream listeners are accustomed to music that is neither original nor true to itself. We want our music processed and filtered through mass media, easy to digest because it sounds exactly like everything you've ever been told to buy. If this describes you then Clutch is the swift kick in the ass you need to wake up from that post-grunge coma you've been living in since 1994. Go see them live, where media hype plays no role, and prepare to get your ass kicked! they just wrapped up the Sounds Of the underground festival tour and are now tearing across the country on a headlining jaunt. My concert cohort Al The Killer and I caught up with vocalist Neil fallon and talked about touring, the media and new music. Check it out!!
I'd be remiss if I didn't ask this...What happened to the beard?
I just got sick of it. I lost my temper with it one night and got rid of it.
How did Sounds Of the Underground go?
It was cool. I've never done anything like that before, and I was kind of curious what that was all about and I think its a good thing that we did it. I'm used to the nightclubs. the festival environment...its okay but it can get kind of wearisome after awhile.
It seemed like Clutch stuck out like a sore thumb on that bill. You had all these metal-core bands and then clutch
Well that worked out in our favor I think. even the most diehard metal fan can only listen to so much metal before he gets a little blank-faced.
You guys are constantly on tour. Is there anyplace you havent played yet?
South America, we'd like to do. Of course, we'd really like to play everywhere. Theres only so many places you can bring rock n roll, but playing somewhere like China or Indonesia would be really cool
You guys just played Russia recently right?
Yeah, in the beginning of March we were in Moscow It went great. We've never been there before and as far as I know we dont really sell records in Russia. That made me so glad that when we did the show there was 350 people there and a lot of them knew the words. That was a real thrill.
How strange is that though? Do they even know any English other than the lyrics?
Actually, theres a lot of English speaking people there. You listen to anything long enough you learn it. But I was just bowled over. I didnt know what to expect. That was pretty cool.
How are the audiences different in Europe or Russia compared to the US?
In Europe its very similiar. In the nightclub when everyones drinking and its loud and dark and everyones drinking, you pretty much act the same. Country to country is a little different. The countries with socialized arts and maybe have bit ore laxidazical attitude. Certain countries metal is bigger than others. Like England and Germany metal is big where in France its really not a huge thing. I guess countries are like people collectvely, they have a personality. But at the end of the day its all very similiar. Australia for instance was the other side of the planet but they were just like us.
I read on the message boards that the fans were pretty excited about finally getting to see you guys.
We were stoked for the same reason
Is it a bigger reaction when you play somewhere for the first time? Do the people just explode against the stage?
Yes and no. Some places are more reserved. Its fun to play places for the first time because it intsills that sense of adventure you get when you do your first couple US tours. Once you do 20/30 US tours its hard to get excited about going some places, but then you get to go to a place like that and it sort of instills that same vibe.
You guys have toured with everyone under the sun. From Slayer to Marilyn Manson to Nickleback, you name it. Anybody in particular whos audience treated you maybe not as well as others?
Of those examples you just gave me. Its a perfect example because when we did the Slayer tour everybody was like "get ready for the Slayer crowd, get ready for the Slayer crowd. They're going to eat you up". And to be honest it was a cake-walk. We did real well every night. The crowd was great, the band was great and we had a great time. Then a couple of years later, we only did one gig with Nickleback. It was at the Knoxville Convention Center. That crowd was the most violent, visceral reaction against us you could imagine. The families just couldnt bear the sounds we were making.
They're not used to good music!
(Everyone laughs because I'm so funny. And sexy ladies, I'm also sexy)
Well, it just goes to show you, everythings very subjective.
I've read about this but I havent seen any offical confirmation, have you done some solo dates?
I did kind of a one time fluke. A friend of mine asked me to play at a bar, so I did.
So any plans for solo material?
No, I have no plans for that.
Your set list gets dissected by fans night to night. Is there anything youre sick of playing at this point?
Oh, TONS! we were just going over this the other day. Its hard to play with passion with something youre not thinking about. We've got hundreds of songs. some we've never played, some we've played into the ground. Some just dont come across live. we're never going to play a set just for ourselves, you've got to strike that balance.
You're getting ready to go into the studio right?
This tour leads right up into going into the studio
Are you playing a lot of new stuff?
Yeah, we wrote about 15 songs and every night we'll play about 5 songs.
Any particular direction?
Its hard to say really.. Just straight ahead rock n roll. Theres nothing real tricky about it.
Yes and no. Some places are more reserved. Its fun to play places for the first time because it intsills that sense of adventure you get when you do your first couple US tours. Once you do 20/30 US tours its hard to get excited about going some places, but then you get to go to a place like that and it sort of instills that same vibe.
What kind of stuff are you listening to nowadays? I know youre big into blues. Any recent bands that you dig?
Both bands we're playing with are AWESOME (The Bellrays and Year Long Disaster). I've also been listening to Witchcraft quite a bit. Theyre real good. Those are the first couple that come to mind.
Any thoughts on a band like Wolfmother, who is getting all of this praise for what is supposedly a novel sound, that bands like you and Monster Magnet and several other bands in that general genre have been playing for years?
I've never heard Wolfmother. I've heard theyre name quite a bit. the music business is a very fickle thing. There's a lot of fair-weatherness going on. If you do something for so long but don't have huge success with it thers a certain element in the music business that will try to dissassociate themselves from thet. the they'll find the same thing, but ina different package and pretend they discovered it. Its probably like that with a lot of things in the creative world. I dont have any disdain for that. Its just the way it it is.
Your lyrics are always...interesting...us hardcore fans read alot into your lyrics and try to find out about the different references. What influences your songwriting?
I never was one to write about feelings or personal experience because that always kind of bored me when I was growing up. So, its more of making up elaborate stories. the thing is in rock n roll when you sing about it, you can sound like an expert on anything even though you're not.
One thing I've always said is that if Tom Waits was a metal band, itd be Clutch.
I take that as a compliment, because he's one of my favorites. When I first heard Tom Waits my head almost exploded because it just set me off in a new direction. i didnt know you could sing aboutstuff like that. when I heard Bone Machine for the first time I was like "Holy Smokes"
After you're done in the studio, are you going back out on the road again? How long of a break are you taking?
NOTHING.
Whats the longest break you've ever taken?
Well, this summer was a huge break for us. We basically finished touring the states in January and then we did this Russian thing in March and Australia and then a Norway gig, and then one date in the UK. It was a lot of going back and forth all summer long. We spent a good part of the summer writing the record. This has been about 9 months and it's the longest we havent gone on a full blown tour. Thats the longest we've gone in years, really. So, after this we've got about 5 days at home and then we go to record, pretty much all of October. Then we have about a week at the end of October and then we do Motorhead in November. Then we have have December off until the last week of December and then we do Christmas and New Years. Whats happening after that I just dont know yet.
Theres so many Bam fans at my site, that they'd literally hang me if I didnt ask what the connection was there, how you ended up on Viva La Bam, and all that.
Oh its simple. we were doing shows at a club kind of in their neighborhood, which isn't too far from where we live. we were doing shows and both he and his brother jess use dto go see us play and I think was even prior to his success with his tv show. I didnt really know him, but once he became a fixture on MTV, he was put into a position to force MTv to play bands that he liked, regardless if MTV wanted to or not. So, he asked us to do the thing on his show and thats really the long and short of it. we were like "alright, sure'.
Bam has been such a big help in promoting the bands that he likes, did you see a big benefit from that?
Theres a definite benefit from that because that was our back dorr into MTV. Otherwise that company is not going to touch us with a ten foot pole.
Youre not bringing sexyback, thats the problem
(laughs) This much is true. Plus, hes got a pretty young fanbase and most of our fanbase is in their 20's and 30's
I used to work at a music store and no matter what was playing in the store, when someone asked what it was I'd say it was Clutch.
Well thank you. We'll take deceptive marketing tactics!
You've had some radio play here and there. I always freak out if I hear you on the radio. Why do you think radio has shied away from you.
I dont fret about it too much. as far as MTV is concerned its turned such an alien beast that really doesnt have a whole lot to do with music anymore. Radio is like a secret cabal. You have be involved in some kind of inner circle. i think a lot of it is just dumb luck. Truth be told a lot of it is also payola. Someone gets played because they paid to be played. Theres a lot of successful bands who never get played on the radio, and there's a lot of bands that have the huge hit of the summer and they'll come up to a nightclub a month after that hit and there's noone there to see them. Bands that have a live reputation have a longer impact.
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I'd like to thank Neil and the entire band and crew of Clutch for being so hosiptable and easy to work with. not only are they an amazing band, but they are also a great people. It's an honor to have you guys as part of the site! I also want to thank our friends at DRT Entertainment for setting this up, and for being one of the most ass-kicking record labels out there right now! Thanks a million!