Exclusive!
I’ve done hundreds of interviews over the years, but this one was one of the more intimidating. From my spot on one-half of big brown sectional, all three members of Them Crooked Vultures are fanned out in a semi-circle in front of me in the control room of Pink Duck Studios. To my left, it’s Josh Homme spinning so fast in his studio chair that he’s threatening to create his own gravity well. On my right, Dave Grohl is lying face down on the other half of the section. He looks so comfortable that he appears to be contemplating a nap. And directly across from me is John Paul Jones, who, like most mega rock stars, is smaller than you might expect.
Being surrounded by these guys on their home turf was, erm, an interesting feeling. Frankly, it was a rare Almost Famous moment for me.
Clearly, all three members of TCV have nothing but the utmost respect for each other. There’s an easy casualness among them that can only happen if they’re also good friends. They come off as regular, humble dudes who just happen to have the greatest jobs in the world. There are no rock star egos here.
(BTW, this jives completely with my experiences over the years. The bigger the star, the nicer and more down-to-earth they seem to be.)
Over the next 30 minutes, we discussed how TCV came together, who wrote what and how Josh became the lyricist by default. Given everyone’s schedules, obligations and responsibilities, how did anyone find the time to commit to this project? Now that the TCV train has left the station, now what? How long can this go on? And what about this rumoured Led Zeppelin reunion for Glastonbury next June? Could that screw things up?
(I need to set up a couple of things before you listen to the interview. First, the control room walls are covered with paintings signed “Homme.” Second, there’s a yellow sheet of paper taped to the wall next to the door, which lists some ideas for songs. Dave will refer to that list a couple of times.)
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8 Comments
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LUUUVVVIT! so cool mr.cross! My three fave musicians OF ALL TIME! haha I want your job!
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Is the whole interview somewhere on the site to listen to in its entirety?
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awesome, stoked to hear this reccord.
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Sweet thanks. I love the part where Homme says he hung up on Dave because he suggested Jones! I love their sensee of humour.
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Alan, you’ve always been the best, and you’re the only one left. Great interview clip, and great work.
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Dave Grohl brings out the best in people, he seems to be at the centre of any and all great musical colaborations.
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I love ExploreMusic! I started listening to it on Power97 in Winnipeg, now I check out the podcast everyday. TCV is like a dream come true, thank you for bringing us this interview. However, if you ever want another interview with Josh Homme, I’d quickly and quietly fix the mispelled acronym for Queens of the Stone Age. It should be QOTSA, not QOSTA. Haha! Keep up the good work!
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Other than being a rock star, I think you certainly have the next coolest job Allen. I’m sure you’d say it’s hard work (like anyone who is good at their job), but to have the chance to sit in a room with 3 amazing talents, etc., you’ve gotta feel pretty fortunate.
Keep up the good work Allen, you have an opinion about music that I can trust (which is hard to find in today’s flooded industry).
-D
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