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Cruisin’ for a boozin’ >>
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion’s Judah Bauer, wasted in Waco
Mirror:
So how’s the tour, how’s Texas? Judah Bauer:
It’s just, like, stay between the lines, check the mileage, check
the gas, check the oil… fuck. Texas is great. They caught on to
us sooner than the rest of America. Texas, New York and L.A. But now
it’s a pretty good turnout across the board, thank you God. M: What
would you be doing if the band hadn’t worked? JB: Aw,
you know, stuff… drill press operator. I don’t wanna be overly
dramatic but I wouldn’t be surprised if I was dead. When I was
young, this was the only thing I wanted to do and if I couldn’t
have done it I probably would’ve just, like, “No… no.”
I’m a little more open-minded now. I’m willing to learn Photoshop. M: What
was different about working with a producer? JB: We’re
a punk rock band, basically, so two or three takes are the limit but,
with Steve, we were doing like 24, 25 takes. I don’t think we would
have found our way through that on our own or would have thought there
was anything worthy on the other side of that, but there really is. M: Any other
changes for this album? JB: It’s
in clearer focus, which has eluded us sometimes. It’s like music
is almost unmusical, it’s like a weapon, it’s got this contrary
undercurrent. I think Steve kept it musical. I don’t know if you
get that vibe from the history of the band but sometimes it’s shocking.
I don’t know what we’re trying to provoke but… provoke
something. M: But your
fans appreciate it. JB: Yeah,
they’re kind of a pagan crowd but we’re a pretty pagan band,
pretty below-the-belt. A lot of people, you know, on Friday, Saturday
night, it’s a kind of burn-your-bridges scene. We’re a party
band, not much into social messages but hey, people need to have a good
time, get into trouble (yawns). I’m sorry if I sound sleepy, I
didn’t sleep last night. M: So you’re
gonna crash before the show? JB: No,
I play great under sleep deprivation. I think it’s because you
can’t think so you just gotta be in the moment, go for it. But
I gotta go, so ask that burning question that’s in your heart and
I’ll answer it straight up, uncensored. M: Uh, what
do you hate most about Jon Spencer? JB: Hmmm… we should’ve been called Blues Explosion but hey, you make those wrong decisions when you’re 19 years old and naming a band. See ya! : With the
Deadly Snakes at the Spectrum on Wednesday, May 15, 9pm, $21.50
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Sexy,
spunky and down-and-dirty, NYC’s Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are
still at it, pumping out gritty rock ’n’ roll like there’s
no tomorrow and today is on shaky ground. Plastic Fang is the latest
album, a first for the previously self-produced JSBX trio, who enlisted
Saturday Night Live band member and former Keith Richards handler Steve
Jordan. This came up when the Mirror spoke to guitarist Judah Bauer,
admittedly “kinda wasted” and “regrouping” in a
Dairy Queen parking lot in Waco, Texas.