“THE AMERICAN INDIANS’LL LOVE YOU FOREVER”

I thought it would be nice to ‘illustrate’ my review of the Grandmothers’ ‘Eating The Astoria’ CD with a few quotes from the boys in the band. Jimmy Carl Black (JCB) responded by saying, “Why don’t you do an interview with me via email?” In for a penny, and all that. I quickly tossed off...some questions. And this is the result.

IB: What sort of music were the Soul Giants playing prior to becoming The Mothers?

JCB: The Soul Giants were mainly an R&B band but we played a few current hits because we were playing in bars mostly. We did do a few songs by Frank. You know we had Ray Collins as the lead singer and he is one of the best R&B singers around, in my opinion.

IB: Do you have any specific recollections of recording with the GTOs?

JCB: I played the drums on most of that LP along with Roy on bass. I do remember that about that time, the Jeff Beck band was hanging around at Frank’s house and I believe that a couple of the members played on a little of the record. Ronnie Wood comes to mind.

IB: Was there much animosity towards Frank when he disbanded the Mothers in 1969 – as you and Don returned on a number of subsequent occasions, I assume not from you until the lawsuit in 85?

JCB: Yes, there was some heavy feelings from the band at the time. It was not the disbandment but the way it was done. I called Frank on the phone for something or another and after about ten minutes of talking, he said that he had decided to break up the band and our salaries (they were really draws, since according to the contract at the time, we all were pardners) had stopped as of last week. It would have been better if he would have given a date, say like six months, and then we all could have made better plans. I felt the same way as the rest of the guys at the time, but didn’t hold a grudge against Frank like some of the guys did. I did the later things with Frank, not for him but for myself.

IB: Martin Lickert seems to think you enjoy a drink or three. He told me about some of Keith Moon’s antics during the recording of ‘200 Motels’ – any stories from that period that you can recall and would care to relate?

JCB: He’s right, I used to enjoy a drink or a hundred, but I don’t drink anymore at all. I wouldn’t be able to do all this touring if I was still tilting like I used to. So it’s better that I don’t drink at all now. I had a birthday while we were filming ‘200 Motels’ and Ringo gave me a huge birthday cake and a couple of bottles and the whole crew enjoyed that party. Me, being as big of a Beatle fan as I was and still am, that was the best thing that ever happened to me. Ringo is a very nice man. Moony was crazy, but a great fellow to party with and I did MUCHO.

IB: Do you recall your 'guest appearance' on the Bongo Fury tour in El Paso? What were relations like between FZ and DVV at that time?

JCB: I sure do. I sang ‘So Fine’ and ‘Lonely, Lonely, Nights’ and had a great time with the guys. I didn’t know all the guys in the band but Denny Walley and George Duke I knew from before. By the time FZ and DVV got to El Paso, they weren’t even speaking to each other anymore. Seems that DVV was drawing too many pictures of Frank in his drawing book and Frank didn’t like it. I saw some of the pictures and I thought they were pretty funny. Frank didn’t. That is where Beefheart hired me to join the Magic Band, and I did.

IB: How did the ‘Harder Than Your Husband’ session come about?

JCB: Denny Walley called me in 1980 and said Frank wanted me to call him. So I did, and he asked me if I would like to come to California and record a new country type song that was going to be on his new album. I was living in Albuquerque, NM at the time, and said that I would like that very much. So the next day there was an airplane ticket waiting for me at the airport and off I went. Frank put me up in a very nice hotel and then had his driver pick me up in his RR and took me to his new studio in his house. I sang the song and he asked if I could stay a few more days so I could do some more tracks on the album, and I did. I think I wound up recording 4 or 5 more songs on that album. It is one of my favourite albums of Frank’s.

IB: Any plans to release the live tracks from ‘Looking Up Granny’s Dress’, from the European tour of 81, on CD?

JCB: No!

IB: I have a tape of Frank allegedly teaching Geronimo Black a tune called ‘Falling In Love Is A Stupid Habit’. He subsequently denied it was him - in which case, are you gonna record it as you won’t have to pay any royalties to Gail!?

JCB: He wasn’t teaching Geronimo Black that tune but he was playing it for me. He said that I could have the song and we even discussed the instruments that would sound good on it. It was Frank playing the piano in his studio with Andy Cahan and me there. The year was 1981 and I was in California rehearsing for the first Grandmothers tour of Europe. I don’t even have a copy of that tape anymore, but if you want to make me a copy, I might do the song. Although if I did it, I’ll bet Gail would remember the song and probably not let me release it.

IB: You told me that your son was a better-than-Dweezil guitarist. Is he pursuing a musical career?

JCB: I should have said as-good-as-Dweezil guitarist, and I still think he is. Yes, he is pursuing a musical career with his two brothers and possibly his dad as vocalist. We have been writing songs for a CD that I’ve personally wanted to do for a long time. He wants to use the name Geronimo Black and I think he should since that is his name. His brother, Darrell, is on drums and his other brother, Gary, is on percussion and trumpet. They could also be called The Brothers of Intention.

IB: Talking of guitarists, what led to Roland St Germain’s departure from the Grandmothers?

JCB: He didn’t like Don Preston because of personal reasons. Egos get in the way of music a lot of the time, if you know what I mean. I’m really glad he left because it brought us Sandro Oliva, which is much more in the style of what the Grannies are doing.

IB: I think it would be good for the Grandmothers to play more original material – certainly stuff like ‘The Great White Buffalo’ always gets a good reception – but you obviously can’t abandon Frank’s music completely. What about including a little more Beefheart, as you do with the Muffins?

JCB: In live performances we will always play a certain amount of Zappa music, but we don’t want to record any more of it. After all, Frank did it pretty well, don’t you think? I have a new Indian song called ‘Chief Old Fox’ that I just wrote with my old writing pardner, Dawayne Bailey, who co-wrote ‘The Great White Buffalo’ with me and it sounds real good. We will record that one for sure. We might do some Beefheart music in the future; as you know, I really like doing and can do.

IB: Do you know how the Captain is these days?

JCB: I really don’t know how he is doing since I live here in Europe and don’t go to the States very often. But when the Grannies tour of the States in August, September and October starts, maybe I’ll find out and then I will be able to say for sure.

IB: What are Roy Estrada, Motorhead Sherwood and Ray Collins up to these days?

JCB: I don’t know what Roy or Ray are doing or even exactly where they are, but I’m in touch with Motorhead - and also Billy Mundi. Motor lives in San Jose, California, and Billy lives in Lake Oroville, California. Neither one is playing music now. I know Roy isn’t anymore and hasn’t in almost 20 years. Too bad, since he was a great bass player. Maybe we can get him to at least sing with us when we play in LA later this summer - if Bunk can find him.

IB: I didn’t realise that Steve B. Roney was also former Muffin Man Stefano Baldasseroni. Does your partnership signal the end of JCB’s career as a drummer?

JCB: Yes, Steve played the drums on ‘God Shave the Queen’ CD with the Muffins in 1998 and did a great job on it, in my opinion. He is one of the best drummers I have ever heard. I have a lot of respect for him, even though he’s just a kid. No, it doesn’t signal the end of my drumming career, but I really don’t want to do it much anymore. I still play with my blues band and take jobs if someone needs a drummer. I’m just tired of carrying them around and having to set up and tear down after the gig. Singing is much more satisfying to me and I really enjoy it.

IB: Tell me about your upcoming live album with Sandro: ‘Junk Food’.

JCB: I don’t know anything about that. We did a video about 4 years ago called ‘Junk Food’, but I don’t know if Sandro recorded it or not. Maybe.

IB: What are your plans for the future - any more UK dates with Jack, the Muffins or the Grannies?

JCB: I’m going to America on tour with the Grandmothers in August, September and October for a 60-city tour of the whole USA. Don Preston and Bunk Gardner will join Sandro, Steve, Ener, and me for that tour. If anyone that views your site wants touring information, please go to my website www.jimmycarlblack.com and, by the third week of July, the list will be under ‘Tour Information’ on my site. I am going to do a tour next year with Eugene Chadbourne (Jack), but I don’t know if it will be in England. I’m coming to the UK with the Muffins at the beginning of November before we go to Germany. The Grandmothers are planning a spring tour, but I’m not sure if it will include the UK. Maybe. I will do a tour with the Farrell/Black Band right after I return from the States. Once again, if you’re interested in what I’m up to, keep reading my site. And please, if you’re interested in new CD’s, I have them for sale in my little online mail order record shop. I want to thank Andy for letting me do this interview. Remember: Music makes the world go round, especially creative Music.

IB: OK, I’ll pass that message on to Andy! Thanks a lot.

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A fredited version of this interview will no doubt appear in a future issue of T’Mershi Duween. Photo of Jimmy at The Manor, Biggin Hill on 10 November 2002 taken by the Idiot Bastard.

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