By PETE TATTERSALL for The Sun Herald
Earlier this week, ZZ Top lead singer/guitarist Billy Gibbons spoke to the Sun Herald about the band’s upcoming tour, set to launch Tuesday at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi; why the Texas-based trio (Gibbons, Dusty Hill/bass, Frank Beard/drums) is eager to return to the Coast; how those famous beards came to be; and a whole bunch of other interesting stuff.
So where are you now?
I’m in LA, watching the rain fall with a heavy overcoat on, because it is cold… .We reside here. Actually, someone asked me recently, ‘Where does ZZ top live?’ And of course the famous musician’s answer is, ‘A Holiday Inn, it just keeps changing towns.’
Where are you from initially?
We’re all from Texas. I was raised in Houston and Frank Beard, the man with no beard, and Dusty Hill, are from Dallas, Texas. And we got together and founded ZZ Top in 1969.
Ever think it would have the, well, no pun intended, but did you ever think it would have the legs?
(Laughs heartily) We never gave it much thought until recently, when someone asked what would we do if we weren’t in ZZ Top. And at this point, we’re not sure. This is about all we know.
Are you looking forward to the tour?
Yes. As a matter of fact the new ZZ Top 2007 touring season is about to start off. The opening night being right there in Biloxi.
How did that happen? Was Biloxi just geographically suited to y’all’s needs?
Well, we love being down south, and Biloxi has always been a favorite spot of the band’s. And we just wanted to get back into the Southern swing of things, with all the good folks in the neighborhood.
Coming from LA, you’re diving into the deep end of the pool, huh?
Oh yeah!
Was there any point during your childhood, or young adulthood, you remember when you really decided you wanted to be a musician? Or where you really learned that music was something you enjoyed doing?
That’s an interesting question. In fact its come up on a number of occasions. Both my two partners and I kind of knew that we wanted to do this thing called rock ‘n’ roll since we were about 5. We knew all along trouble was on the rise.
And what happened when you were 5?
We saw Elvis Presley on the television. And from that moment forward we thought that this would be the (direction) in which we wanted to move. And it hasn’t really changed since then. Matter of fact, we place Dusty high on our list of people that love Elvis. He is still not only a big fan, but we make him play an Elvis tune every once in awhile. In fact we’ll probably, now that we’re speaking of it, we’ll probably include one for our opening night. That’d be a good way to start things off.
Might sound like a silly question to ask of you, but I think it’s the perfect question to ask you and your two partners. But how would you describe ZZ Top’s music?
Well, it’s certainly fast and furious. And I would place it properly in the lane of being rock ‘n’ roll with a blues base… .It’s definitely a guitar-drive expression of our interpretation of what we enjoyed learning. And that was the early days of rock ‘n’ roll and blues. And country. And the list goes on.
What are your and the band’s musical influences?
Well certainly Jimmy Reed is high on the list. As you may know, Jimmy Reed’s rather simplistic and streamlined version of the blues crossed over into the rock ‘n’ roll and popular music charts ever since he appeared. And that has remained a cornerstone, since the band began. Of course, we could list BB King, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, T-Bone Walker, Albert Collins, Albert King, Freddy King. All the Kings, if you will.
A general question here - what do you think of the state of American music, or the state of affairs of music today?
It’s certainly in a changing mode. The guessing game is in full swing, as to where music is going, both rhythmically and, I suppose, just stylistically. And somewhere, someway, I’m quite certain that rock ‘n’ roll remains as a countable entity in the big mix of things.
Have you, forgive me because I’m blushing as I ask this question, but have you checked out ‘American Idol’? Are you and your family into that phenomenon?
Oh indeed. We’re friends with Simon and Randy, and of course Paula Abdul has been a dear friend. She was even noted for having trained, for giving ZZ Top choreographed dancing (moves) back in the ‘Afterburner’ days. When the ‘Afterburner’ disc was released, we followed up with a couple of videos and Paula was front and center teaching us dance steps that we were supposed to know.
Small world, I guess.
Yes, indeed.
And Simon Cowell and Randy, (you know) just from being in same industry or same LA circles?
Yes. In fact I worked with Randy outside of “American Idol.” He still wears the producer’s hat, and most recently he and I worked here in Los Angeles on the Sam Moore project, Sam Moore being the Sam and Dave duet from the ’60s. And Sam is still hard at it, going after it like there’s no tomorrow. And Randy’s great producing skills brought it to the forefront. It was a real pleasure working with him again.
Sorry you have to answer this question yet again, but how did the beards come to be such an integral part of ZZ Top?
Well, the patented answer is ‘abject laziness.’ We took a break from the road - we had been on the road constantly from the inception of the band in ‘69 all the way to 1976, the great bicentennial year, which allowed us a decision to take a brief break. It started out as a six-week holiday, which became six months. And during that time, I made a dash over to Europe to hang out with some friends in England, and Frank made his way down to the Caribbean…while Dusty made his way down to Mexico. I think he was drinking tequila, but he won’t tell. But we all returned having not seen each other, communicating only by telephone, to discover that we had thrown the razor far, far away. And the image of what started off as a disguise became a trademark.
Ever spent any time down here other than touring? Ever come over here from Houston with your family when you were a kid, or anything like that?
Yes, we used to make a trip - when we were residing in Memphis, one of the great excursions was to take a leisurely drive down through the Delta, winding up at the Coast. And one of our favorite spots, of course, was Mary Mahoney’s. And we got to know them quite intimately. It was a wonderful destination to escape the recording studio for a short while. But we’ve made friends along the way, and to this day we’re still great fans of the state of Mississippi, and of course where that remarkable American art form started, called the blues.
That has served y’all so well, and that y’all have served so well.
Yeah, it’s, as we mentioned before, it is the cornerstone of the band.
Anything you can think I should ask that I didn’t, or anything you’d like to get out there?
Well, we always encourage our fellow musicians, those that are interested in picking it up and laying it down, to write music and play them blues. And don’t forget the hot sauce.
Y’all ever come down to New Orleans?
Oh yeah, we lived there for a brief period. And still have quite a few friends. As a matter of fact, one of the newcomers to the scene is a another trio from New Orleans called the Robert Fortune Band, who will be appearing with us in Biloxi. And they’re just now getting it geared up and ready to rock. I think you’ll find them a fascinating outfit. They’re youngsters. All around 15 going on 50. They play well, and they lay it down… .He’s a personal friend of the family. And it’s funny because Robert had a bout with a plate glass window, which laid him up for about four months. And he was instructed to take it easy. And he was scratching his head, wondering how he was going to keep himself occupied during the time. And I went down to the corner music store (in New Orleans) and picked up a cheap six string, and I brought it back to the house and laid it on him. And he said, ‘Well, what am I supposed to do with this?’ And I said, ‘Go learn it.’ But sure enough he did.
How old was he then?
He was 11, so that was about four years ago. He’s doing quite well. He’s quite an outgoing individual. He went and got a driver’s license. I don’t know how you get a driver’s license when you’re 15.
In Louisiana that’s the age. That’s when I got mine.
Well, he got an old beater just to allow him to - he spends quite a lot of time starting out in New Orleans, going all the way from Louisiana, through Mississippi. He spends quite a bit of time just doing his proper research, as you say.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Send out the good word. Tell everybody we’re anxiously awaiting our arrival back in the good ol’ town of Biloxi, in our favorite state of Mississippi… .We look forward to seeing you soon.
If you go
What: ZZ Top in concert, plus special guests The Robert Fortune Band.
Where: Mississippi Coast Coliseum.
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Cost: $27.50, $37.50 and $47.50 (plus Ticketmaster and facility fees).
Get tickets at any outlet including the Coliseum box office, at ticketmaster.com or charge by phone, 385-2600.
