With Paul and Lou, I sent them a tape and explicit instructions to ignore my harmonies if they had any ideas. I sent everyone rough sketches of harmonies I had ideas for that I didn’t need them to honor, but just as a courtesy. The beauty of this is I was able to just call Paul, who’s a dear friend, and there’s no bigger Paul Rodgers fan than me, or Lou Gramm fan or Sam Moore fan.
What were you looking for in collaborators? It’s a part of life that’s rough for anybody in or out of show business, no exceptions. Me and Clarence used to commiserate on and off the road about the loss of Danny, about personal losses that might be in his life and mine. But that concept is no stranger to all of us. “I miss you, C,” and I’ve rearranged the lyrics live to apply to my friend Clarence. But for instance, there’s a song called “Miss You Ray” about Ray Charles’ passing, and it’s a metaphor for saying goodbye to family and friends. The writing was almost complete when that happened. Meanwhile, I got a new record, and I’m excited.ĭid Clarence‘ s passing directly influence the writing on Old School, or was it largely done by the time he passed away?Ī little bit of both. So that’s heartbreaking, and I don’t know where it’s gonna lead. I talked to him every week off the road, had a much greater friendship with him offstage than on, even though I stood next to him for 27 years. I don’t know what’s gonna happen with E Street. We’re gonna keep doing it, playing songs from the new record. I got a duo show with my buddy Greg Varlotta that’s, I think, the best shows I’ve ever done. Although I’d love to take out a five-piece band with four crew and a bus, I’m not gonna sell the ranch to tour for two months and do great shows, ’cause I play these little clubs that can’t support that kind of overhead. I just want to buy a couple of CDs because I liked your songs.” That’s very heartening to hear. I just thought you played guitar for Bruce and I just thought I’d take a chance. I love that almost every show there’s one person that goes, “Hey, I didn’t know you wrote, I didn’t know you sang.
No one will be allowed to fix a single note as a singer or musician, so stay down in it and there are no exceptions.” But I write songs, I’m a songwriter. When we did Tonight‘ s the Night with Neil Young I was in heaven because it was, like, “Hey, we’re doing a live record, an anti-production record. It’s more a case of, it comes in second place to what I’m most naturally good at. Is the recording process something that’s difficult for you? It’s been a long road to get a new record. The last few shows we just got the hard copy of my new album, and it was fun to sell ’em at the merch table at the end of the night and sign ’em for people. I had a two-and-a-half week run in the northeast with my acoustic duo show, had a great run. Lofgren spoke with Rolling Stone about the new album, his relationship with Clarence, and the Wack Brothers – his nickname for a part-time band featuring him, Bruce Springsteen and other members of E Street. He has a wonderful new album, Old School, featuring guest appearances by Paul Rodgers, Foreigner’s Lou Gramm and Sam Moore, and he just wrapped up an acoustic duo tour with friend Greg Varlotta, with more dates to come in 2012. “I’m so heartbroken Clarence is gone,” he says of his fallen bandmate, Clarence “Big Man” Clemons, who passed away earlier this year at age 69.īut Lofgren is filling the E Street downtime and expressing his sorrow the best way he knows how – with music. Nor is he concerned about that right now. Nils Lofgren performs at Cadogan Hall in Londonĭespite 27 years as a member of the E Street Band, guitarist Nils Lofgren has no more idea than anyone when the legendary group might tour or record again.
0 kommentar(er)
