HEADS UP
George Thorogood & The Destroyers w/Jonny Lang @ The Greek Sun July 26
Destroyers frontman George Thorogood, acutely aware of his place in the pantheon of rock and blues, has at various times in the past likened his musical output to a car dealership and a cheeseburger franchise, arguing that the business is thriving because all customers still get a quality cheeseburger (and/or car) at the end of the day. George and The Destroyers will play hits, catalog standards and songs from the new album The Dirty Dozen, which drops on Capitol/EMI this coming Tuesday, July 28, at the Greek this evening. George will also stop by Guitar Center tomorrow evening for a free story-and-song session sponsored by Gibson guitars.
George! How are you?
Bad. I’m bad.
Some things never change. So you’re playing the Greek on Sunday. I just read in the LA Times that it’s one of your favorite venues here in town.
We’re playing on Mick Jagger’s birthday. And…we’re going to invite him. I don’t know if he’s going to show up, but the invitation’s out there. (laughter in background)
Are you going to give him some sort of shout-out, on stage?
I might. You never know. This is the entertainment capitol of the world, you know. You never know who’s going to turn up. I did a thing at the House of Blues, and Bruce Willis and John Goodman poked their head in to say “Hi.” It was pretty cool. Another time I was working there and my wife came in and said, “You know who wants to meet you out there? Johnny Rivers.” Los Angeles. It’s a cool place to work, you know what I mean? You never know who’s out there checking your ass out, so you gotta hunker down.
You’ve just played two nights with Jonny Lang on this tour. How did those dates go?
So far so good. I knew there weren’t going to be any disappointments with Jonny Lang; he’s a first-rate entertainer in his own right, you know? In my mind he’s really just starting his career. He was no flash-in-a-pan, but he was attention-grabbing when he started. As far as him maturing into what it is he’s going to be, if he chooses to have a lengthy career, I think he’s coming into it now.
Ok, enough formalities. I want to get an answer now to a question I’ve had for years regarding your take on “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer.” You basically tack an extended play onto the front of the song. Long before the guy ever goes inside a bar, the protagonist is running around, hustling, dodging the rent lady. Where’d you get the idea for this, sort of, dodgy character avoiding paying his rent?
»continue reading George Thorogood: The Losanjealous Interview: “You’re Going To Have To Legalize Dope And Tax It.”