Hide Article Text (OCR)
Catsgrabstray contractBy STEVE MORSE (c) 1982 Boston GlobeBOSTON — Looking like 1950s punks — pouting expressions, tattooed arms, and oily ducktail haircuts — the Stray Cats exploded on the “Fridays” television show last year. They leaped madly around the stage, rocking as though they were in a Memphis roadhouse rather than on national television.It was the first time a band without a recording contract had ever played on the show. Overnight, the Stray Cats, who had been strictly a cult band, were viewed with new respect, and record offers were dangled their way.“The ‘Fridays’ show is owned by ABC, a big conglomerate that doesn’t have to take chances,” says Stray Cat Brian Setzer. “But we’re sure glad they did.”A fearless 23-year-old who’s the core of the band, Setzer was on the phone recently, trying to explain the whys and wherefores of the group’s mounting appeal. They just released their first American record, appropriately titled “Built for Speed.” It is a compilation from two albums they made in Europe, and conveys all of the live-for-the-moment energy the group exhibited on “Fridays.”All three Stray Cats are New York natives who went to England two years ago, built a fanatical club following (the Roiling Stones heard them and put them on three of their American shows last year) and are finally headlining their own American tour.“The kids who like us are kids who want todance,” says Setzer. “They want to have a good time and they don’t want to go out and hear synthesizers, smoke pot and just sit there.”The Stray Cats are a throwback to the ’50s, when artists like Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Warren Smith, Sleepy Labeef and Eddie Cochran merged country, gospel and rhythm ’n’ blues, coming up with the dance-fever known as rockabilly. It addressed cars, teen rebels, girls and good times, which became the cornerstone of rock ’n’ roll.There has been a rockabilly revival in recent years, but it has remained an underground movement. The Stray Cats hope to change that because, as Setzer says with unabashed confidence, “The reason rockabilly hasn’t broken through is that there hasn’t been a young band to really associate with. I mean, a Sleepy Labeef is great, but he’s a little old.”But Setzer agrees that some young rockabillies just haven’t had much to say. Asked about a claim by Joe Strummer of the Clash, that the problem with new rockabillies is that they haven’t been able to write better songs than the originals, Setzer is quick to respond.“He wasn’t saying it about us, because he loves us,” Setzer says with authority. “But a lot of bands do just play songs out of the ’50s. You’ve got to update. One of our songs, ‘Runaway Boys,’ is modern, because it talks about walking into a bar, hearing disco and getting (ticked) off. You’ve got to make thelyrics contemporary. ”“Also,” he says, “some musicians try toplay rockabilly through Marshall amps. The problem is they’ll crank it up like Jimmy Page. You can’t do that. And you can’t copy. You’ve got to develop your own style.”Growing up in Massapequa, N.Y., a suburb next to Queens, Setzer was exposed to rockabilly through the Beatles, as were many kids his age. In their early days, the Beatles recorded a hefty amount of rockabilly like Carl Perkins’ “Matchbox” and “Honey Don’t,” and Setzer then dug back and found the originals.Having started to play guitar at 8, Setzer focused on the rockabilly guitarists. “I really liked the old guitar heroes, like Eddie Cochran and Buddy Holly. And I liked Scotty Moore (Elvis’ first guitarist) and, of course, Gene Vincent.”Like many of his heroes, Setzer became a rebel in school. “I was always a rebel in school,” he laughs. “When I was there, everybody had long hair. So I went the other! way. I got an earring and a tattoo, and greased it up.”Setzer dropped out of public school — “I was never in trouble; I just never went” — and entered a vocational school. But seized with the desire to play music, he soon ended up doing a solo act in a local bar.“I got a gig with a folk guitar, and I wore big baggy suits and greasy hair. I don’t even remember what I called myself, but I think it was just the Rockabilly Rebel, Brian Setzer.BoPli
Newspaper Details
Odessa American
Odessa, Texas, US
Sun, Jul 25, 1982
Page 152
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 12 Mar 2019
Other Publications Near Odessa, Texas
Odessa American
