Michael Des Barres: "being authentic and telling the truth, those things are way more important than mass acceptance."
Michael Des Barres is a man of many talents. Apart form successfully pursuing an extremely prolific acting career he can be blamed for reputable work done with bands like Silverhead and Detective. He even fronted supergroup Power Station on the 1985 Live Aid concert. With “Carnaby Street” he is definitely back in the pool of musical greatness, revisiting his roots in a style only few can muster.
Your last album “Somebody Up There Likes Me” was released in 1986. Why did “Carnaby Street” take so long to hatch?
Well, Power Station had been such an incredible experience in terms of every fantasy I ever had about being a rock & roll star. After the Power Station tour I put out an album, and it didn’t really do much. The label that I was on folded, which is I’m sure is a story you heard many times. And since I was an actor I auditioned for a part in a series which I got, and I simply proceeded to go back to acting. And for the next 20 odd years I was on American television making movies.
Three years ago while I was in Austin, Texas, I had a revelation that what I really wanted to do was to plug in and play some rock & roll music. I put a band together and we played around Austin, Memphis, Nashville and California…we wrote new songs, went into the studio and recorded them really fast, just like in the old days.
My mission with this album is to reintroduce people, or shall we say introduce people, to the kind of music that was played in England when I was a kid in the late 60s. This means bluesy, hard rock music, influenced by American blues musicians. You know, that’s a dying art, people are not really aware of that. And I’m happy to say that people have responded to the album in an amazing way. I’m ready to play this album until I drop dead.
You seem to be pleased with the new album?
Yeah man!
You practically wrote the whole album by yourself!
I had great collaborators. There’s Paul Ill, the bass player…he and I work very well together. Basically, I believe in collaboration. I think rock & roll is pretty much about having a band with a bunch of guys playing music that they love. That’s why it’s called Michael Des Barres Band. “Carnaby Street” is not a solo project; frankly speaking I don’t even know what that means. I also write with a guy called Jesse Dayton who is from Austin, Texas, where I’ve spent quite some time in the last three years.
Predominantly, man, the album is my statement; it is what I’m saying about love, forgiveness, redemption and sex. That’s what I want to sing about, you know. I don’t want to sing about anything angry, ironic or sentimental… I really want people to dance, have fun and love each other. Make love!
The album has a wonderfully raw and spontaneous feel. What’s the secret?
The secret is to make it quickly. The secret is to go and play song live in the club, or wherever, and to get familiar with them, you know, make love to them, own them and so on. So by the time you get to the studio it’s all sort of second nature. I made this album in one week. Everything you hear on the album is done in one or two takes, with no overdubs. The recording of the album was left to five guys in the studio playing songs, with no click track, no auto tunning and absolutely no overdubs. And whatever those songs sounded like In that moment that day is what we’ve kept. We recorded the whole thing in seven days and mixed it in three. So the whole project took ten days to make.
But it took a life time of experience to get to that point. I remember in Keith Richards’ book he says that in 67’ or something they recorded sixteen songs in three days; six of those were international number ones. So if it’s good enough for the Stones, it’s good enough for me.
That’s a nice philosophy.
Yes it is.
Songs like “Please Stay” have a strong Rod Steward twist. This one is almost like a Faces number.
It’s an interesting comparison. In the mid 60’s there was a tremendous interest in American blues coming from young British musicians. We had a lot of similar inspirations, you know people like David Ruffin of the Temptations, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Elvis of course, Little Richard, Muddy Waters…there was a lot of similar reference. I developed that raspy, bluesy voice which a lot of great British rock & roll and soul singer had at the time (Rod Stewart, Terry Reid and Paul Rodgers). And you know, I saw the Faces many times, I also liked Steve Marriott with the Small Faces and Humble Pie. That joyous, raspy sound is very much part of my DNA. I simply couldn’t sing any other way.
Your last album “Somebody Up There Likes Me” was released in 1986. Why did “Carnaby Street” take so long to hatch?
Well, Power Station had been such an incredible experience in terms of every fantasy I ever had about being a rock & roll star. After the Power Station tour I put out an album, and it didn’t really do much. The label that I was on folded, which is I’m sure is a story you heard many times. And since I was an actor I auditioned for a part in a series which I got, and I simply proceeded to go back to acting. And for the next 20 odd years I was on American television making movies.
Three years ago while I was in Austin, Texas, I had a revelation that what I really wanted to do was to plug in and play some rock & roll music. I put a band together and we played around Austin, Memphis, Nashville and California…we wrote new songs, went into the studio and recorded them really fast, just like in the old days.
My mission with this album is to reintroduce people, or shall we say introduce people, to the kind of music that was played in England when I was a kid in the late 60s. This means bluesy, hard rock music, influenced by American blues musicians. You know, that’s a dying art, people are not really aware of that. And I’m happy to say that people have responded to the album in an amazing way. I’m ready to play this album until I drop dead.
You seem to be pleased with the new album?
Yeah man!
You practically wrote the whole album by yourself!
I had great collaborators. There’s Paul Ill, the bass player…he and I work very well together. Basically, I believe in collaboration. I think rock & roll is pretty much about having a band with a bunch of guys playing music that they love. That’s why it’s called Michael Des Barres Band. “Carnaby Street” is not a solo project; frankly speaking I don’t even know what that means. I also write with a guy called Jesse Dayton who is from Austin, Texas, where I’ve spent quite some time in the last three years.
Predominantly, man, the album is my statement; it is what I’m saying about love, forgiveness, redemption and sex. That’s what I want to sing about, you know. I don’t want to sing about anything angry, ironic or sentimental… I really want people to dance, have fun and love each other. Make love!
The album has a wonderfully raw and spontaneous feel. What’s the secret?
The secret is to make it quickly. The secret is to go and play song live in the club, or wherever, and to get familiar with them, you know, make love to them, own them and so on. So by the time you get to the studio it’s all sort of second nature. I made this album in one week. Everything you hear on the album is done in one or two takes, with no overdubs. The recording of the album was left to five guys in the studio playing songs, with no click track, no auto tunning and absolutely no overdubs. And whatever those songs sounded like In that moment that day is what we’ve kept. We recorded the whole thing in seven days and mixed it in three. So the whole project took ten days to make.
But it took a life time of experience to get to that point. I remember in Keith Richards’ book he says that in 67’ or something they recorded sixteen songs in three days; six of those were international number ones. So if it’s good enough for the Stones, it’s good enough for me.
That’s a nice philosophy.
Yes it is.
Songs like “Please Stay” have a strong Rod Steward twist. This one is almost like a Faces number.
It’s an interesting comparison. In the mid 60’s there was a tremendous interest in American blues coming from young British musicians. We had a lot of similar inspirations, you know people like David Ruffin of the Temptations, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Elvis of course, Little Richard, Muddy Waters…there was a lot of similar reference. I developed that raspy, bluesy voice which a lot of great British rock & roll and soul singer had at the time (Rod Stewart, Terry Reid and Paul Rodgers). And you know, I saw the Faces many times, I also liked Steve Marriott with the Small Faces and Humble Pie. That joyous, raspy sound is very much part of my DNA. I simply couldn’t sing any other way.
Will you tour the album?
Certainly! Steve Van Zandt has been playing it a lot and that is incredible simply because he has this reputation for having a taste for underground rock & roll music. I consider us a rock & roll garage band. We’re certainly not part of the main stream. We’re playing music that hasn’t been heard in years so a lot of the young audience we have is simply new. (laughs)
Ironically, we’re like an indie band, which is fantastic. Very few people can play the music that we’re playing. It’s all very different to what is currently out there. Of course you’ve got stuff like Jack White and the Black Keys coming from the same musical family in contrast to bands like My Chemical Romance or Kings of Leon. And I love all those bands…it’s not better or worse, it’s just different.
Will you be revisiting Silverhead and Detective material on the tour?
Yeah, I’ll do “More Than Your Mouth Can Hold” from Silverhead and I do “Detective Man” from Detective. A lot of people come to see us because they know those records. Naturally, it takes time for “Carnaby Street” to penetrate through the media. You know, I’ve been getting a lot of airplay on the radio and I just did a huge TV show here in America called NCIS, which is a cop show where I play a rock star. And they’re using two song from “Carnaby Steet” in the show. Of course, when I play live I have to address my past, because people come to see me for that. I do songs form the past, and proudly!
Looking back at Silverhead, Detective and Power Station, which one of these experiences holds the warmest memories?
That’s a wonderful question. I have to say that I rarely look back, because I’m not a sentimental man in terms of my career. Being in every one of those bands was an incredible experience. Silverhead, of course, was the first of the lot, so this era was special in a way. Glorious memories, unfortunately tainted by drug addiction, decadence and madness… as with all my bands. (laughs). You know, it’s a cross between a great love affair and a great war. It’s like a wonderful relationship and a battlefield at the same time. When looking back one tends to romanticise and forget the bad stuff, well, I don’t. I remember the whole thing and I regret nothing! Basically, I would never single out any of those experiences, because the whole thing brought me to where I am now, and that’s what matters.
So you’re not keen on doing reunions?
Well I’m not, but I have done reunions. A couple of months ago we played Tokyo with Silverhead. And it was an amazing experience, you can look it up online, or on my website. What happened was that a few months ago our drummer Pete Thompson called me saying there’s a Japanese promoter that wants Silverhead to reunite. At first I thought, my God, I really don’t know if I want to do this in the middle of the Carnaby Street thing, but it was great. It was wonderful to see the guys again and to tell them how much I love them. The shows were incredible, and the reception we got was phenomenal. It was sort of recognition for the band and also closure for the band.
I’m not a huge fan of bands reuniting, because I thing there’s a time and a place for everyone and everything, including Silverhead. God knows, we were almost teenagers when we started out, you know, 20 years old. I really did it because I wanted to see them again, I haven’t seen them in almost 40 years, except for Nigel (Harrison) who I see every now and then. So, to answer your question, reuniting is not my thing, but that was special.
Certainly! Steve Van Zandt has been playing it a lot and that is incredible simply because he has this reputation for having a taste for underground rock & roll music. I consider us a rock & roll garage band. We’re certainly not part of the main stream. We’re playing music that hasn’t been heard in years so a lot of the young audience we have is simply new. (laughs)
Ironically, we’re like an indie band, which is fantastic. Very few people can play the music that we’re playing. It’s all very different to what is currently out there. Of course you’ve got stuff like Jack White and the Black Keys coming from the same musical family in contrast to bands like My Chemical Romance or Kings of Leon. And I love all those bands…it’s not better or worse, it’s just different.
Will you be revisiting Silverhead and Detective material on the tour?
Yeah, I’ll do “More Than Your Mouth Can Hold” from Silverhead and I do “Detective Man” from Detective. A lot of people come to see us because they know those records. Naturally, it takes time for “Carnaby Street” to penetrate through the media. You know, I’ve been getting a lot of airplay on the radio and I just did a huge TV show here in America called NCIS, which is a cop show where I play a rock star. And they’re using two song from “Carnaby Steet” in the show. Of course, when I play live I have to address my past, because people come to see me for that. I do songs form the past, and proudly!
Looking back at Silverhead, Detective and Power Station, which one of these experiences holds the warmest memories?
That’s a wonderful question. I have to say that I rarely look back, because I’m not a sentimental man in terms of my career. Being in every one of those bands was an incredible experience. Silverhead, of course, was the first of the lot, so this era was special in a way. Glorious memories, unfortunately tainted by drug addiction, decadence and madness… as with all my bands. (laughs). You know, it’s a cross between a great love affair and a great war. It’s like a wonderful relationship and a battlefield at the same time. When looking back one tends to romanticise and forget the bad stuff, well, I don’t. I remember the whole thing and I regret nothing! Basically, I would never single out any of those experiences, because the whole thing brought me to where I am now, and that’s what matters.
So you’re not keen on doing reunions?
Well I’m not, but I have done reunions. A couple of months ago we played Tokyo with Silverhead. And it was an amazing experience, you can look it up online, or on my website. What happened was that a few months ago our drummer Pete Thompson called me saying there’s a Japanese promoter that wants Silverhead to reunite. At first I thought, my God, I really don’t know if I want to do this in the middle of the Carnaby Street thing, but it was great. It was wonderful to see the guys again and to tell them how much I love them. The shows were incredible, and the reception we got was phenomenal. It was sort of recognition for the band and also closure for the band.
I’m not a huge fan of bands reuniting, because I thing there’s a time and a place for everyone and everything, including Silverhead. God knows, we were almost teenagers when we started out, you know, 20 years old. I really did it because I wanted to see them again, I haven’t seen them in almost 40 years, except for Nigel (Harrison) who I see every now and then. So, to answer your question, reuniting is not my thing, but that was special.
You developed an incredibly diverse career. How would you compare your passion towards acting in comparison to making music?
I think that passion that I have is the one for self expression. So, if it’s acting or music it’s coming from the same place. I’m an artist and I want to be involved in art. I could be anything. You know, I feel the same passion for photography. There’s no preference for me. If I was going to be shot for not answering your question, I would say playing live rock & roll music is what I enjoy the most. Still, nailing a great scene as an actor is also tremendously rewarding. It’s hard to separate these things. Both are forms of art of self expression and that’s what my life is about.
What are the benefits of running an acting career together with a musical career, if any?
There are tremendous benefits. Today it is more acceptable for singers to act and vice versa. What I’ve learned is that if you do several things at once you don’t become obsessed with any one thing. Instead each thing informs the other, so you get this sort of combination, actually an organism of expression. There is a tremendous synthesis and acceptance by the audience today to see people do other things. There used to be an enormous stigma surrounding rock & roll stars making movies or doing television shows. I believe todays there is more understanding that people can do many things.
What does being awarded an AOF International Film Festival award mean to you?
A great deal! To be honoured by anyone is an incredible feeling. To be absolutely frank, I didn’t take it seriously until I had that trophy in my hands and the crowd stood up. I felt like a million dollars. It is an incredible feeling to be honoured for your work.
I’ve learned many things over the years, and the most important thing is that I don’t take criticism seriously and I don’t take applause seriously. What’s important is do I feel proud of what I’ve done. If I feel good about it, it reals transcends what everybody else feels about it. Of course I want mommy and daddy to kiss me and say “Well done, Michael”, but that’s not what I expect. You really can’t live in expectation of great tributes or being scared of criticism.
What is more important, having a number one album or enjoying music?
Enjoying music, there’s no question about it! The thing that matters is that you’re having fun and that you believe in what you do. It’s a question of being authentic and telling the truth, those things that are way more important than mass acceptance. What I do specifically is play killers on television and play rock & roll music and neither of those things are appealing to the mass audience. I never felt that I was a mass audience guy.
What does the future hold musically for you?
I just want to go and play “Carnaby Street”. Right now everybody is really making me wait because, as said before, the album has to penetrate. But what I foresee in January is going on the road, and coming to your town and rocking your world, getting you guys to get up and dance and forget you troubles and fall in love. And I want to do that all over the world.
Did you ever think you’d be doing rock n’ roll at 64?
Well, I never thought about what happened or what was going to happen, I’ve always been interested in what is happening! So the question has never occurred to me.
What is your biggest regret?
Nothing! If I had regrets I’d build a time machine, go back and do something different. And since I can’t build a time traveling machine, I don’t regret a fucking thing!
Thank you for your time, Michael
Thank you, buddy.
Michael Des Barres’ new album “Carnaby Street” is now available on Gonzo Multimedia.
I think that passion that I have is the one for self expression. So, if it’s acting or music it’s coming from the same place. I’m an artist and I want to be involved in art. I could be anything. You know, I feel the same passion for photography. There’s no preference for me. If I was going to be shot for not answering your question, I would say playing live rock & roll music is what I enjoy the most. Still, nailing a great scene as an actor is also tremendously rewarding. It’s hard to separate these things. Both are forms of art of self expression and that’s what my life is about.
What are the benefits of running an acting career together with a musical career, if any?
There are tremendous benefits. Today it is more acceptable for singers to act and vice versa. What I’ve learned is that if you do several things at once you don’t become obsessed with any one thing. Instead each thing informs the other, so you get this sort of combination, actually an organism of expression. There is a tremendous synthesis and acceptance by the audience today to see people do other things. There used to be an enormous stigma surrounding rock & roll stars making movies or doing television shows. I believe todays there is more understanding that people can do many things.
What does being awarded an AOF International Film Festival award mean to you?
A great deal! To be honoured by anyone is an incredible feeling. To be absolutely frank, I didn’t take it seriously until I had that trophy in my hands and the crowd stood up. I felt like a million dollars. It is an incredible feeling to be honoured for your work.
I’ve learned many things over the years, and the most important thing is that I don’t take criticism seriously and I don’t take applause seriously. What’s important is do I feel proud of what I’ve done. If I feel good about it, it reals transcends what everybody else feels about it. Of course I want mommy and daddy to kiss me and say “Well done, Michael”, but that’s not what I expect. You really can’t live in expectation of great tributes or being scared of criticism.
What is more important, having a number one album or enjoying music?
Enjoying music, there’s no question about it! The thing that matters is that you’re having fun and that you believe in what you do. It’s a question of being authentic and telling the truth, those things that are way more important than mass acceptance. What I do specifically is play killers on television and play rock & roll music and neither of those things are appealing to the mass audience. I never felt that I was a mass audience guy.
What does the future hold musically for you?
I just want to go and play “Carnaby Street”. Right now everybody is really making me wait because, as said before, the album has to penetrate. But what I foresee in January is going on the road, and coming to your town and rocking your world, getting you guys to get up and dance and forget you troubles and fall in love. And I want to do that all over the world.
Did you ever think you’d be doing rock n’ roll at 64?
Well, I never thought about what happened or what was going to happen, I’ve always been interested in what is happening! So the question has never occurred to me.
What is your biggest regret?
Nothing! If I had regrets I’d build a time machine, go back and do something different. And since I can’t build a time traveling machine, I don’t regret a fucking thing!
Thank you for your time, Michael
Thank you, buddy.
Michael Des Barres’ new album “Carnaby Street” is now available on Gonzo Multimedia.
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