Pop Culture March 27-April 3, 1995

Listening Party Special Report:

Money, Money, Money: The L.A. Guns

Where most of the glam metal bands of the late '80s were wiped out by Lollapalooza and the resultant quakes from Seattle, former glam- rockers L.A. Guns took a three year hiatus to listen to what was going on and adapted their music accordingly. With their latest release, Vicious Circle, the band promotes itself under the alternative banner while the album itself is a deliberate throw-back to the metal of the '80s--White Lion, Warrant, Scorpions, Dokken, Motley Crue, Skid Row, and the rest of the dust-magnets in any third-rate record collection. While Vicious Circle grates slightly on the ears of MELVIN Operatives, their shameless money-grubbing is something we relate to. In what appears to be a subtle attempt to milk the once-thriving metal market for another round, L.A. Guns does what no band's done since Spinal Tap: They practically admit that they're in it for the money. We talked to and tip our hats toward their lead singer, Phil Lewis.

Do you think the '90s will be as good as the '80s for L.A. Guns?

Yeah, I do actually. I'm a friend of Richie Havens. He's a guy who's been touring for a long time. He's in his 60s and he talked a lot about the '90s and in his opinion, he says the '90s are a lot like the '50s. People are pretty dumb, and they're pretty gullible. They seem a bit green, they just don't seem as spiritually or artistically aware as they were in the '60s, '70s or the '80s. There's a little too much '80s bashing going on because, I don't know why. The '90s ain't the Aquarian age. People might like to think it is but it really isn't. I think the '90s are overrated. People are pretty dumb, and they're pretty gullible. In the last ten years, rock has gone through several stages.

From early '80s punk, to late '80s metal to '90s alternative. What do you see on the horizon? Do you see rock 'n roll going back to metal?

I don't know. That's the kind of question I hear...you're obviously majorly into alternative and college music and you've got an opportunity to interview a band that's obviously not a part of that. What we do is we're a sleazy, black hair, white skin, tattooed, leather jacket rock 'n roll band, in the same vein as the Ramones, AC/DC, or something like that. We're not really haircut conscious. We don't give a shit whether we're politically correct or environmentally sound. It's not what we're about.

What are you about?

Totally hedonistic lifestyle. Hope we die before we get old.

Let's talk about the current album, what's your impression of it?

I think that we've developed musically. I think that it was important for us to do that. We haven't ignored what's been going on. We haven't come out trying to sound like the current thing. We have stayed true to our sound. There are some great things that have occurred while we've been recording. Nine Inch Nails--thank God!--have gotten the recognition they deserve. A little guy named Beck came out and totally rocked our world with his own enthusiasm and his defiance of big sounding records. I got some stuff from that and we incorporated it. I think it shows in our records. It's still old Marshall amplifiers. In some ways we've progressed and in some ways we've stuck to what we are.

What do you think caused the decline of glam rock?

So many shitty bands...So many crappy bands came out and the strain got completely diluted. It really did need to change. Don't get me wrong. I totally do think that change was necessary and inevitable. But we just happened to be around at the same time as those bands. We were not ever like that. We were never a glam band. We just happened to come from a town where , you know, Warrant and all those fluffy bands came from. And well, you know, for better or worse got tied in to that genre. But people who know anything about us, know better.

Comparing sales of metal to what's currently on the mainstream, do you think metal still has a future?

Yeah. Where are you based? Champaign. Illinois?

Yeah.

Then you probably know as well as I do that metal is a staple part of most communities' musical diet. It's not something you get on the West Coast or on the East Coast. You know, like in New York or L.A. It's become total Europe and the Midwest, New York state, Canada, Europe, Japan. Everywhere apart from sort of, like, (nervous laugh) trendy spots. I don't envision a great metal revival taking place anywhere in the immediate future, but I don't really think that matters. Metal is a staple part of most communities' musical diet.

Who would you say is L.A. Guns' audience?

The people who were around from the late '80s. They're still there. And people who are really sick of the stuff that's getting churned out. Being outrageous and being alternative has never been easier for us. We're just doing our thing. When this record first came out, I gave copies of it to a cross section of people. People I didn't really know, people who weren't going to be prejudiced by the fact that they liked me, or that they wee fans or anything. Just people who knew the band. I gave them cassettes of the record and I said, "Just listen to this. I'll get back to you within a couple of days." I just did my own little market research. Generally I found that people loved it. I found that people thought it was refreshing. And in some cases, they loved it and they still loved Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden, and it doesn't mean...Just because you like one form of music doesn't mean you have to despise another. And that's who I found, through my own little personal market research, who the L.A. Guns audience is.

How do you think Vicious Circle will do compared to your other albums?

Well [We could feel him smirking through the phone], that of course is the big question. It's doing...it's doing well.

Okay, then sales are up?

Yeah. Definitely...not doing great. I mean, we've done better. But we're doing better than a lot of bands that aren't around anymore. I don't want to be like knocking people and stuff, but bands that came from our era. We're not stupid. We realized what we were going to be up against when this record came out. We're very satisfied...not ecstatic, but we're selling records. And we're getting played on the radio and drawing a thousand plus something people a night. That's great. Something's happening. It's not like we're a new band. Maybe it would be easier if we were. You know, but so what? You're dealt a hand. And how you play it is what makes the difference between winning and losing. We're just not in a position now where we need to throw down this hand. We just don't feel the need to do that. The funny thing about it is, we're playing in Seattle in a few days. We've played up there a lot. We're really good friends with the people in Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and it's like--they love L.A. Guns. We've been around longer than them and they're total fans. That's the irony of the situation.

What do you think of the current music scene? I think it's pretty weak. I don't see anything that's... Let's discuss a few bands; Green Day for example. It may be a lot things but punk rock it ain't. Power pop perhaps. Doing the same kind of things the Smithereens were doing for or five years ago. Same kind of sound. You know, no big deal. But doing it well.

Great. Let's talk about Nine Inch Nails.

Okay. Nine Inch Nails are the saving face of heavy metal. People might want to call them alternative or industrial or whatever. But the fact is they're a heavy metal band, by definition of music that they play. And it's just really cleverly marketed heavy metal. Thank God for them. Don't think we just sit around and listen to AC/DC and Skid Row and stuff. You're not talking to Dokken here. We know what the fuck's going on. We're not stupid. We know what we're up against. We've got a solid record that can stand up against any hardcore rock. Then there's the marketing thing, maybe we could have changed the name of the band. I don't know. I don't think that's necessary. There's been a lot of talk about L.A. Guns going alternative, but to me the album sounds like good old fashioned metal. Right. There's so much good music out there. To limit yourself and turn it into a lifestyle...is really a mistake. Music is about liberation...

Is this L.A. Guns making a statement?

No. I listen to Beck. I listen to Nails and such. For us not to incorporate that into our music would be a mistake. Because then we'd end up sounding like Scorpions--every record would be the same. There'd be no musical growth. On the other hand, it's be completely silly of us to change the style to make the band unrecognizable. I think in the three years we've been away making this record, I think it's better that we came out when we did. If we had come out a year ago we would have simply just been ignored. It would have had no relevance at all. There was just too much other stuff happening and all. College and alternative--a lot of that is really phony, just as a lot of the late '80s metal was really phony. I think it's time for a few changes. I think once AC/DC's new album comes out, college and alternative is going to lose a lot of its phonies. They're going to go back to the metal thing.

What would you change about the industry?

(noticeably agitated) The labelling thing is driving me crazy. The pigeonholing, the type of band that you are. You're either this type of band or that type of band. The categorizing. That just fucking drives me crazy. It's just music. It's either good or it's bad. Every person has to decide. People are like...I'll only listen to speed metal, or I'll only listen to acid rock or I'll only listen to alternative. That's such a load of crap because there's so much good music out there. To limit yourself and turn it into a lifestyle, you know, a uniform, is really a mistake. Music is about liberation, it's not about conformity. And I think that's what I would change.