By JAYA GUPTA Special to the Daily Press
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club has had far more than its fair share of band-related turbulence: A fist through a wall one drunken night, resulting in major reconstructive surgery; the departure of their drummer while still on tour; their fallout with a major record label; and all of the other bloody skirmishes that the press didn’t catch wind of.
It would be an understatement to say that BRMC has had one hell of a time putting out their music.
In 2000, BRMC hit the indie market with their self-titled debut, released through Virgin Records. Though the album was both critically-acclaimed, receiving a coveted spot on the Los Angeles Times’ list of best records for that year, and well-received by audiences lucky enough to have heard it.
With its smoldering sexual connotations and lyrical numbness, thick fuzz-distortion and tribal drum pounding, BRMC may have become a critical success at the unfortunate expense of mass-appeal.
With a slew of immigration problems plaguing British drummer Nick Jago, BRMC fled to London in 2002. The following year, the three men — Jago, guitarist Peter Hayes; and bassist Robert Levon-Been — holed themselves up in a tiny studio, conveniently located above a pub, and came out with their sophomore record “Take Them On, On Your Own.”
The second offering documented again the residual numbness brought on by substance abuse, along with exquisite heartache. It offered commentary on everything from the American government to relationships.
This year, after a landslide of inhibiting factors, BRMC came back with “Howl.” The past couple of years have seen the departure and return of Jago, the exit of Virgin Records, and major hand surgery for Hayes.
Speaking from London, Hayes offered insight into “Howl,” the band’s next record and what he’d like to see more and less of in Los Angeles: Question: How difficult was it to put out “Howl?”
Answer: “We never really relied on the record label. We’ve been artistically independent all along. By the second record, we could tell that they weren’t that into it. The people who signed us cared. The people higher up didn’t really like us. It’s kind of that music comes second after money. It left us room to mess around and make music the way we wanted to. As far as ‘Howl’ goes, we got started on the album before the tour (for “Take Them On, On Your Own”). Afterwards, I didn’t know if Nick was coming back, I didn’t know if I was. I was pretty fed up with the business side of it. After we found a different record label, it wasn’t horribly difficult to put it out. It’s just the penny-pushers of the record companies. Our music isn’t made for advertising. We just didn’t want to do it that way. There has to be a dividing line between art and commerce. I’m kind of paranoid that art is being taken over. It’s feeding into a machine that’s gonna destroy art, whatever form it takes. That’s what I’m looking out for.”
Q: Was there something that caused you three to consciously explore more fully this grassroots musical style?
A: “It was something we talked about from the first record really. ‘Complicated Situation’ was written before the first record. ‘Gospel’ was recorded for the first record. We were going to use them as B-sides but they were strong songs and we thought they deserved a place on the an album.”
Q: What are you listening to now? A: Dead Combo, Nassau, the new Ravonettes’ record, the new Warlocks album. Elvis Presley. I’m really at a place where I’m kind of hopeful that the new generation will get up and take a stand, make a statement about modern culture. I believe that if you don’t have much to say musically, you ain’t got much to say.
Q: Have you joined the iPod generation? A: (Laughs) I don’t know if I’ve joined, but I have one. I’ve been kind of waiting for this as strange as that may sound. I’ve had this CD collection but I’d been living in cars and vans until I was 22 so I didn’t understand collecting stuff because there just wasn’t room. I have books in there. It’s much better than watching TV.”
Q: Would you say that you have a cult following?
A: “Well, you know, what do you really mean by cult? I think we have a loyal fan base. In America, it seems a little more faithful. “ Q: Are you thinking about the fourth record?
A: “We have some songs for the next one. It’s not acoustic and it’s not disco. (Laughs). I’m not quite sure where it’s gonna go. We’re not going to do the same thing over again. I like doing acoustic but it’s probably going to be louder, more psychedelic but in a different way. Right now I’m interested in one electric guitar and seeing how it can take up a lot of space. I’m not really sure how that’ll work but it’s something I’ll experiment with.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 28, 2005. Read the original PDF.