PAUL OF ROCK
With a third
appearance at the Zappanale looming,
and the recent
IB: In
PG: Though
it has always been a business, there was still room for art and exploration in
those days. This was not out of the kindness of the record labels' hearts, but
rather out of their self-aware ignorance; they knew that to a significant
extent they did not know what would sell, so there was more of a willingness to
take chances and let artistic visions develop. Obviously Freak Out! would not have gotten made
today, or at least released once made, and certainly not on a major label.
But I would argue this point even further - Dark Side Of The Moon would not have been
made, either. Pink Floyd would have been dropped after their second or third
album for non-performance. That is really what is missing most of all - letting
artists develop over time, over several albums and tours. In our little way,
that is what our school does; synthesize this experience so that when our
kids are turned loose to make their own music and forge their own careers, this
cutting of the teeth period has been simulated. In Almost Famous, the story revolves around a band at just this point
- touring the country, climbing the marquee, supported and cultivated by its
record label. Nowadays that is practically science fiction.
IB: One of
the albums you’d pull out of a burning house would be Uncle Meat – what is it you particularly like about that Zappa
album compared to others?
PG: For me, Uncle Meat is Frank Zappa's ultimate
masterpiece. It is, for all intents and purposes, his first
major classical work but, unlike his later 'serious music', it is the
benefactor of its own imposed limitations, and thus suffers none of the
excesses of, say, Jazz From
Hell (which is an album I love). When practically anything
is possible, as in the case of the latter album, there is a tendency by the
composer or artist to over-embellish. It is the classic case of knowing
when to put the painting away. In the case of Uncle Meat, you get the sense that every note, sound, voice, squonk, etc. was meant to be there, and it could not have
been any other way. Recorded during the infancy of multi-track recording and
various techniques, the listener is left simply to marvel at the rich musical
tapestry woven before your ears, while, intellectually, standing in awe of
the time, care, and love that it must have taken to put those notes to
tape.
IB: Would
you pull Imaginary Diseases out of
the burning house?
PG: Sure,
but only after 50 or so other Zappa titles – not to mention 150 or so non-Zappa
ones.
IB: When and
how did the idea for the
PG: I saw
this movie starring Jack Black and decided to start my own school.
IB: Yes, of
course! Did the makers of
PG: They did
not, going so far as to say that they never heard of me. Considering our
website is schoolofrock.com,
something is certainly rotten in
IB: What
about Gene Simmons' Rock School
(shown recently on the
PG: Never saw
it, but I hear that one REALLY stinks.
IB: What
sort of music did you play before teaching?
PG: Very prog, lots of fake Hendrix solos.
IB: Do you
write music, or do you just prefer to play?
PG: I still
write a bit, but my writing always arose from a place of bitter desperation,
and I have been pretty happy now with my life for some time.
IB: The film
‘soundtrack’ album must’ve been a dream come true –
did you get to pick the track list?
PG:
Actually, I was a little disappointed in the end. I did not pick the songs. As
a matter of fact, artists were confirming while we were in the studio, meaning
that most of what you hear was learned by the kids
just hours before we recorded. I would have preferred something more
adventurous -maybe the artists doing each others songs, or letting the kids
doing some rearranging. I would also have loved some Zappa on there, but that
was not to be.
IB: How did
you persuade some of the special guests to participate?
PG: It was
all the record label, and they paid them.
IB: Was the
album a one-off, or can we expect more albums from the School?
PG: There
will definitely be future recordings. I am also starting to get heavily into
artist development, so there may even be a SOR label in the near future,
featuring graduates playing their own music.
IB: You said
that by 2007, you hoped to start seeing the fruits of your labours – what has
happened to the likes of Madi Diaz?
PG: She is
at
IB: Do you
think that learning the classic stuff influences the sort of music the kids
will go on to create, or - to paraphrase Robert Plant - are we all just
chipping away at the same piece of rock and this will just give them a good
grounding to go away and make their own shapes?
PG: It is really
even more fundamental than that. In that music, there are great examples of
chord movement, meter, etc. And I feel that, by studying the classics, the kids
are assembling the tools that will help make their own music sublime.
IB: What
happened to Will from the film?
PG: Will has
pretty much divorced himself from the whole thing, and I honour that. I will
say that last I heard, he was doing great.
IB: I know
that Gail is anti-Zappanale, and FZ
cover bands in general. But she seems to tolerate you and your participation in
that festival. Is it true she personally advised you on the songs not to play
at Zappanale #14? And that she okayed the use of Frank’s songs in the movie?
PG: She used
to tolerate us, but that is over. I managed to piss her off along the way,
which is unfortunate. I really like Gail. She had us to the office two years
ago and we got to see a rough cut of the forthcoming FZ composer documentary,
which is very, very good. When we were at Zappanale
#14, we were there with her blessing, and we have always honoured the three
forbidden songs. And yes, she was gracious enough to license three songs for
the doc, which I will always be grateful for.
IB: I’m a
huge Zeppelin fan – what should we expect you guys to play at this year's Zappanale?
PG: Me too!
We are digging pretty deep into the catalogue, and skipping most of the hits.
Some highlights: In My Time Of Dying, The Crunge, Gallows Pole,
and Down By The Seaside. Now that we
have 13 schools to draw our all-stars from, this is the strongest group I have
brought over yet, so I know you will be impressed.
IB: Which Zep album would you pull from the burning house - the
choice is Houses Of The
Holy or Physical Graffiti?!
PG: Tough
one. I would say 4 - it is the cliché
choice, but there is a reason for that. In this scenario, I will have to go
with the double album, Physical Graffiti.
IB: Me too –
but it’s a close thing. Given that you’re also playing some Sabbath, will we
see Asa & Tucker Collins on stage in Bad Doberan?
PG: Asa and Tucker are no longer in the school. They never
practiced. I am bringing a five year-old wonder child from our
IB: Will you
be focussing on Ozzy-era Sabbath – or will you stray
into Ronnie James Dio territory and beyond?
PG: For this
show it is all Ozzy, but only a few hits.
IB: Some of
your teaching methods seem a little unorthodox in today's nannying/politically
correct society. Would you agree?
PG:
Absolutely.
IB: It's clear
you piss off the kids on occasion, but they still seem to respect you - is that
a difficult balance to maintain?
PG: My
pedagogical theory is that the key is to push your students as far as you can
without turning them off, a difficult balance indeed.
IB: With new
schools blossoming and management being brought in to help guide the kids
as they leave, from humble beginnings the venture now seems to be taking on a
life of its own. What more do you hope to do - or are you content to simply sit
back and carry on doing what you do best - teaching kids how to rock - and let
business take care of business?
PG: We have
hired a fantastic CEO, Matt Ross, who comes from Clear Channel and radio
station management. That being said, I am still deeply involved in the business
end of things, and will remain so for some time to come. I do, however, have a
personal commitment to spending 12 hours a week teaching, which is what I do
best.
IB: What
other established musicians would you like the kids to work with?
PG: Jimmy
Page (of course), John Paul Jones, Ian Anderson, Ian Gillan,
Terry Bozzio, Robert Fripp,
Bill Bruford, Steve Howe, Billy Gibbons, George Duke,
Flo & Eddie…
IB: Well, my
fingers are crossed for you there. You've done the Guitar Gods (Santana, Van Halen, etc), Floyd, Sabbath, Zappa, Beatles, Crimson, Zeppelin - any old faves left
to tackle?
PG: In our
manual for all of our schools, there are 54 approved shows, and this list is
always growing. In addition to the dinosaurs, we have done Radiohead
(who I LOVE), Jesus Christ Superstar,
and we have a U2 show planned for the Fall.
IB: Ah, Radiohead – now they’ve kind of slipped through the net and
been allowed to develop artistically. Do
you pretty much dictate the songs you play live?
PG: Almost
entirely. Veteran kids, like CJ, do get some say.
IB: What of
CJ - no longer the precocious kid we saw at Zappanale
#14; is he set to fulfil his dream of becoming the next guitar god or was
too much placed on his young shoulders?
PG: Absolutely
not. That kid has his head bolted on straight like none I have ever seen.
IB: Will you
be seeing any of the upcoming Zappa Plays
Zappa shows?
PG: I saw
the preview at BB King’s, and will be going to the NYC Beacon show in June.
IB: I’ll catch
it in June, too; looking forward to that. Finally, can you give me any clues as
to the two people “who should have been” part of the tour that you’ll be
playing with in the Fall?
PG: Not
right now. But when I close the deal, you will be the first to know.
IB: Okay,
Paul - thanks very much for your time. See you in Bad Doberan.
***
Sadly, it seems unlikely that this interview will ever
appear in a future edition of T’Mershi Duween, but you never know. Photo of
J-Roc, Paul and The Idiot taken at Zappanale
#16 by Uncle Ian.