By Virgil PorterPhoto Editor
As you read this page, people all over San Diego are stillrecovering from Monday night.
It could possibly be from the Supersuckers’ country-tinged rock’n’ roll or maybe even from Sweden’s Hellacopters straight-up hardrock pummeling. To be honest, both contenders should share someresponsibility, but the winning blows will be coming from ZenGuerrilla.
All three groups drop from a similar place. By sopping up spiltseed from the Stooges and the MC5, then blending it with a unique eggdonor of their choice, all three groups have been able to carve theirown niche. Focusing on Zen Guerrilla, they seem to have chosen toincubate inside the womb of Motown.
Onstage, singer Marcus Durant channels a variety of demons.Tortured spirits of soul take over and speak using his tongue, whilehis body thrashes about, sometimes in an Iggy-esque fashion.
On the phone, Durant is calm and collected, answering questionswith clarity and precision. This could be surprising, but not totallyastounding once you take into account a bit of background.
While on tour in Europe with the Hellacopters, Durant called andshared some views about his own music and the state of it today.
Virgil Porter: Who were some of the singers you were inspired by?
Marcus Durant: I am a huge Bon Scott fan. I never saw Bon Scottlive, but I did see recorded material and loved what he did withAC/DC. Otis Redding: His performance at the Monterey Pop Festival wasamazing.
VP: What about music that formed your own?
MD: I grew up in a racially mixed family. My father is black (and)my mom is white. My dad brought a lot of musical influence to thefamily. He was a huge Ohio Players fan and also the Dramatics.Actually, my first concert ever was to see the Dramatics, theCommodores with Earth, Wind and Fire. Al Green was my parents’backdrop for their love affair.
VP: What’s your opinion of music today?
MD: The obvious thing is how commercialized it has gotten. Thereare pockets of music all over the United States and the world thatare pure and untouched by corporate America. For the most part, allof the major airplay is pretty sterile and not ready to take a lot ofchances. That would have to be my biggest problem with it. Thereisn’t a whole lot of mystery to (music) anymore. I remember going toa record store and actually investigating for new music. With theInternet and TV, the mystery is sort of taken out of music. You see aband’s picture before you hear their music nowadays. That wasn’t thecase when I was a kid. I had no idea what Black Sabbath looked like;I only heard their music and was sold. Led Zeppelin was the same way.You never saw pictures of them until like the fourth record orsomething. They never had huge number-one hits. They just sold lotsof records because of live performances and good albums.
VP: Why are you still together (after more than eight years)?
MD: The main reason is that we still enjoy playing music together.One of the funnest (sic) shows we have ever had was in Copenhagenlast night. We get a kick out of watching each other play and we feedoff the audience. When you find something that you get off on thatmuch, you hold on to it.
VP: What would be your tour diary highlights?
MD: Definitely the cuisine. In Europe it has been out of hand. Alot of nights we get the rock ‘n’ roll stew, which is pretty muchchicken stroganoff over either rice or noodles. Also a vast array ofcheeses, fruits and exotic vegetables with strange dips. So it’s abit more of an experimental cuisine, but it’s been good.
VP: Is your band political, or pure unadulterated rock ‘n’ roll?
MD: Pure unadulterated rock and roll. Our political stance ispretty obvious by our lifestyle and decision to play rock and rollmusic.
Catch the Supersuckers, Zen Guerrilla and the Hellacopters livetonight at the Casbah. This 21-and-up show costs $10.
