A WHOLE PILE O' QUESTIONS WITH NEIL FALLON of CLUTCH

This interview with Neil Fallon of CLUTCH is one of the best interviews we've had on this site...ever. If you're a fan, you know they have a rabid and very loyal following that trades tapes and videos all over the country. If you're not, then here's a snippet from the bio on the band's official website: " Clutch has officially released six studio records, assorted e.p.s, outtakes, 7-inches, and a live record over its long career, and the band’s discography includes hundreds of songs, extends to other projects such as the BAKERTON GROUP, and includes guest appearances on other records, one-off cover songs and side projects, and the thousands of bootlegs that circulate from their live concerts." ...See? That about sums it up. You might remember these guys from their appearance on the O&A show back in 2001 (They played the single "Careful with that mic"). Since then, the band has parted ways with Atlantic Records, and hooked up with DRT to release their latest disc, 'Blast Tyrant' .... Thanks to our buddy Matt, we got hooked up with Neil Fallon, and within ONE DAY of shooting off these questions to him, Neil had them sent back to us. Props to Neil for having a ballsy work ethic.

Steve C: Historically, Clutch has had a different feel to each release; The self-titled disc had a futuristic/science fiction theme, Elephant Riders had a historical theme. How does Blast Tyrant compare to other albums you guys have put out?

Neil Fallon: It is always hard to be objective about our own work, but one of the first differences I noted is the tempo and instrumentation. It strikes me as a faster record. Also, there are keyboards and acoustic guitar in the mix. We have used those before, but not to the extent present on Blast Tyrant. I feel it has a better sense of humor than Elephant Riders and Pure Rock Fury.

SC: When dealing with a major label (let's take, for example...oh, Atlantic Records), and the prime motivation of said label is to make large sums of money, a band like Clutch winds up pretty far down on the priority list. On the other hand, major labels have major bucks to promote their artists. How has the split with Atlantic affected the way you guys do business?

NF: One of my pet peeves with majors was their use of the phrase “developing artist.” “Developing artist” was just a euphemism for “artists that have sold a lot less than we had hoped for.”
Leaving Atlantic didn’t change much for us. We have always made our nut by performing live and selling merchandise. I don’t hold a grudge with the labels, hell, we milked them for their cash and since they broke the relationship, we don’t owe them a thing. The flipside to that is we will most likely never see royalties from our major releases. What we can do, however, is capitalize on their promotion and marketing to the benefit of our own releases (i.e. Slow Hole To China and Blast Tyrant). Our relationship with DRT is much more honest. It is a 50/50 deal with no delusions of superstardom on the horizon. (Wow. A record company that actually believes in PAYING the artists. What a concept. STEVE VAI's label, Favored Nations, does that too. Bravo, fellas.)

SC: New Star Wars movies - Suck? Rule? Explain. Gracias.

NF: Suck. What a disappointment. Why? Horrible acting relying on the crutch of CGI trickery. Every time I see Jar Jar Banks I want to take a fork to his face. “You mean peeepul gonna die?” For fuck’s sake. (You think George Lucas is reading this? Yeah, I don't either).

SC: The An Evening With Clutch tour begins on March 25th, and you guys are going to be playing for two hours. THE BAKERTON GROUP (Instrumental Clutch minus one) is opening up. That's a LOOOONG time for any band to play and not pass out from heat exhaustion. You guys taking supplements? Red Bull? Gatorade? do tell...

NF: Water and Alka Seltzer Morning Relief.

SC: We hear you're all tequilla drinkers. What is Clutch's brand of poison? (note: if you say "Cuervo", we send a horde of locusts to devour your genitals. Cuervo is dog piss. Everyone knows it.)

NF: I prefer scotch over tequila. But if I am going to drink tequila, I’d likem either Patron Silver or Don Julio. Once had a nice tequila called Gran Centenario, but I can’t find it anywhere these days. Still working on an endorsement from Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo. (Mmmm... CABO WABO... So smooth)

SC: You boys have been on one seemingly-continuous tour for the past thirteen years. Even for guys who LOVE what they do, that's a lot of time to be away from home. What kind of toll does that take on your home life?

NF: It doesn’t get any easier. But I doubt we will write a “Turn the Page” or “Mama I’m coming Home” anytime soon. But maybe we will shoot a video with scenes of myself in a state of melancholy, staring out the van window. (Oh, and by the way, movie titles do not appear on hotel bill). (See? Another guy who admits to jerking off... jerking off is fun.)

SC: Of all the cities and countries you've played, which cities/countries do you most look forward to playing in?

NF: Scotland. Netherlands. New Orleans. Toronto. Austin.

SC: OK, now which cities have a less-than-stellar turnout when Clutch hits the stage (you know, the kind of show where you could throw a drum stick into the crowd and hear it hit the back wall of the club a few seconds later)?

NF: Tuscon, Arizona. El Paso, TX. And the majority of cities in California. Oh, and France. No love lost there, though.

SC: A good chunk of Blast Tyrant was recorded in Hoboken, NJ. There are some who refer to Jersey as "The armpit/anus/bellybutton/lower intestine/ of the country"... How do YOU feel about our fine state? (be careful how you answer; we like to act tough and pretend we have mob ties)

NF: Well, most folks get that impression because all they remember of NJ is driving up the turnpike through Elizabeth. I think NJ is just fine. Hoboken is one of the coolest cities in the U.S. (Very true. When the only thing you see flying into Newark Airport is smokestacks, then that can affect your opinion of our fine, garbage-smelling state.)

SC: You guys have toyed with the idea of doing a full-length CLUTCH DVD in the past. Is that happening, and if it is... considering how many bootleg videos have been traded between fans, what are you guys going to do to give fans incentive to buy an "official" release?

NF: We would love to do it, but in order to compete with all the bootlegs we would have to do something pretty slick, and slick requires big funds. And as far as incentive goes, maybe we could film backstage. I’m sure everyone would love to watch four guys sitting in a dressing room staring at their own feet. Every once in a while one of us might cuss or eat something from a deli tray. Awesome. (Don't dismiss the appeal of salted meats. Band guys snacking on processed, salted meats is a real eye-grabber)

SC: You guys released SLOW HOLE TO CHINA - Rare and Unreleased, on River Road Records. Since that's your own label, I would assume it would be fairly easy to release those rarities discs. Any more planned?

NF: Not at the moment. Legally, we can’t release B-sides from our major label releases. But we might try another live CD.

SC: You have left the songs from you debut album Pitchfork off of your set lists for the past few years. Are there any particular reasons for this?

NF: Collectively, we feel those songs are a buzz kill. I think one of the last times we played Juggernaut was a 25 minute version of it. We did so because the only folks in the audience were hating us anyway, so we thought it a good idea to make them hate us as much as possible. Playing that song for 25 minutes was like binge drinking. Can’t really get excited about doing it again. But who knows. Two hours is a lot of time to fill. (Heeey, now that sounds like a hint, doesn't it? Maybe they'll haul out some of the older material)

SC: Of ALL the bands you have toured with over the years, who were the kindest, most saintly bunch of do-gooders you've ever run into?

NF: Therapy?

SC: Alright, now which band should be hog-tied to the back of a dump truck, and driven through a field of nails, broken glass, and used rubbers?

NF: I’ll tell you at the bar, but not in print. (Dammit. Remind me to wear a mic if I ever see Neil again)

SC: Bam Margera just directed the video for “The Mob Goes Wild”. Bam isn't exactly Felllini (meaning that he likes to ride his skateboard off tall things and into moving traffic) in his videos. With that said, how'd the shoot with Bam go?

NF: It was quick. I wasn’t there for more than 3 hours. All I we had to do was lip synch to the song (always a goofy situation to be in). I left after our part was done and the Yeungling ran out. Most likely, the first time I will see the video will be when it airs on his show. I believe the video involves a bar fight and a fedex truck.

SC: Internet Message boards, are generally, in the immortal words of Obi-Wan Kenobi, a "wretched hive of scum and villany", breeding a lot of venom between introverts who wouldn't normally be so confrontational... How do you think this applies to the Pro-Rock.com boards?

NF: Your analysis of introverts being confrontational certainly describes a number of folks on the board. (See? Even Neil agrees) At the end of the day, though, there are, at most, a handful of obnoxious asses who exaggerate their presence by the absurdity of their language. They are also the guys who masturbate to Tomb Raider and often lock themselves in the bathroom to cry at the mirror. The rest of the members are upstanding citizens of the virtual world. (It was ONE time, and I was REALLY bummed out... Sobbing and belittling yourself builds character. That's how I justify it...it also breeds psychopaths, but we won't get into that)

SC: Being on the road as long as you guys stay out must get kinda...well...lonely. What kind of PORN is Clutch viewing on the back of the bus? (don't say you don't watch porn. It's just like picking your nose and eating it...Everybody does it, but not everyone loves to talk about it)

NF: Again, “movie titles do not appear on hotel bill.”

SC: What’s for supper tonight?

NF: Last night, I took my family out to dinner. So, it’s doggy bags tonight. (Mmmmm. Leftovers. I hope it's chicken)

Be sure to check out the latest CLUTCH disc, BLAST TYRANT, available via DRT Records.

For Everything CLUTCH, check out the band's official website at PRO-ROCK.com
(Thanks again to our buddy Matt for hooking us up with Neil)

*Black and White photo courtesy of Fake111