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After trying to make a living from rock 'n' roll for eight years Nick Lowe, at 29, may finally be headed for at least minor stardom. His first solo album, Pure Pop For Now People, was well received by most critics and his recent tour with Elvis Costello has helped boost his record sales in the U.S. As producer of such new talents as Elvis Costello and Graham Parker, Lowe is much in demand and it seems that he can go in any direction he chooses and write his own ticket too. Lowe is England's answer to Todd Rundgren. This is part two of an interview that began in our last issue.
Stiff Records, a small independent label in England, was a catalyst in helping the New Wave scene to evolve. Nick played a large part in that venture.
"Well, Jake Riviera (now Nick's and Elvis' manager) first started it and because I was sharing an apartment with him we were both in it. So I used to hustle to get talent, although we didn't really sign anyone because we really didn't have a label. Everyone said that it couldn't be done. That was the main thing. They said 'You'll never get hit records.' And that is the name of the game. Then after we did get a lot of hits and we did prove the point Stiff began attracting a lot of no-talents who were just posing. Then I felt very uncomfortable suddenly. But at first I felt proud to be with Stiff. But then all these bozos came in and it became very elitist and snobby to say you were with Stiff. From my point of view I wanted to do something new. We'd proved the point and I didn't like the way it was developing. We didn't leave to go anywhere else. People weren't exactly thundering a path to my door to sign me up. It was just time to move. Jake's quote on it is that he didn't want to end up the managing director of Stax, which is where he saw it going." [Laughter]
Lowe's chief asset is that he can make three-minute hit singles like Roger Corman can make good B-movies. That's a talent highly valued in the music business.
"It's ideas really," Nick enthused. "That's what I've got is loads of ideas! That's what I do best. I think the people that like my records and the ones I'm involved in is that no matter what, say, Elvis and I do the next album, they won't go 'Whoa, they've strayed off the path and blown it!' They realize it's not that important. It's just ideas. I think I can make good records if I don't take it too seriously, because then you start forcing it and it sounds phony. You can pick it out a mile away. It has to be believable and have a touch of humor to it... and piles of sex. That's why the Beatles, Stones and Elvis Presley were so good. The best rock music has always been like that. It's the stuff that takes itself too seriously which I think is garbage."
"My philosophy to recording is to bash it down and then tart it up later in the mix. I don't make records for musicians or people in the music business. Because I've found out that the people who buy my records or albums by people I produce haven't got big expensive stereos. So I make records that sound dynamite on shitty stereos at very low volume. It's my specialty. What I try to do is make records which you don't have to be a musician to understand. And this entails capturing something on record that all the rehearsal in the world can't guarantee that you'll get. Something very spontaneous and special and I don't think you get that by spending three days trying to get a snare-drum sound. So what I do is set up the mics and get, as near as possible, the people to sing at the same time."
"Elvis is especially good at this because they just set up and sit round and he sings into the mic. The record comes out with all the solos and everything on it as opposed to overdubbing. The more you overdub the more sterile it gets and it's nothing you can put your finger on. You can't say 'This record sounds sterile because.' I think there's a psychological element involved, one of believability. It's something that you can't plan. The best records that I've ever had anything to do with have all had that. You can only get that by three takes. If I can't get it in three takes I'll move on to something else."
"But I'm not 'the single man' as everyone calls me. Otherwise I'd be the Bee Gees or Fleetwood Mac. What I like doing on my own records is using that singles format, hooks and all that, but putting it slightly out of phase to where the word'll be about something weird. For instance "Marie Provost" off Pure Pop is a catchy, easy strum-along tune. But the words are about the actress who got eaten by her dog. And if you heard it coming out of the radio you probably wouldn't even listen to the words. But if you did you'd go, 'What's he saying?' [Laughter] It's not quite right and a bit satirical."
Lowe was supposed to produce another album for Dr. Feelgood but has since decided against it.
"I wouldn't do the Feelgoods again because normally I don't like working with anybody twice unless they're of the same opinion of making records as I am, which is not to get stuck in one rut. You know, to really diversify. That's why I like working with Elvis so much because he's always ready to change his approach. But basically I just get bored so quickly and the only records that I can produce successfully are those that I'm really into. That I believe in. I could never produce for a living, though I've had a few offers since the records I've done have been in the charts. But they're mainly from people who want to sound like Elvis or Graham Parker or The Damned. But I couldn't do just producing because it's so tedious. Although, I put so much into it that regardless of whether it's my record or Graham's or Elvis' I get just as pleased if it does well."
"Radio, Radio," Elvis Costello's lambaste at the medium, which is the critics favorite song off This Year's Model, was not on the import LP.
"We almost didn't record 'Radio, Radio' because I thought it was a lousy song. A real dumper song with all that "anesthetize your mind" crap. And Elvis said, 'Ok, there's a million more where that came from.' Because he plays me tunes and he's so good that I don't feel any qualms about telling him if the bit doesn't cut it. But if he thinks it does he'll say 'You wait and see.' It's sort of a give and take thing. But we did it at a CBS convention in New Orleans and everyone was saying 'Great Nick. Can't wait to hear that "Radio, Radio"!' And a couple of people nearly had heart failure when I told them we weren't recording it. [Laughter] So I thought I'd better do it. But we didn't put it out in England because it's too corny for there. But it's a real good record."
Before the interview was over Nick told us who he liked lately in America.
"I really like Cheap Trick. Killer album. Really demon! Especially that cut 'Surrender.' Gonna be huge in England! Another guy I like is George Thorogood and The Destroyers. I really like Springsteen too. I saw him when he came to London after that big hype, which is one thing guaranteed to turn people off in England. I went expecting not to like it. Just went to watch him die. But he was just dynamite! Usually I can only watch two or three numbers. But I watched all of him and I thought he was really great and stylish. There are a lot of American bands that are big over here like Aerosmith and Kiss. They couldn't fill a bath in England. Ted Nugent I've heard a lot about but I've only seen him recently on TV on that California Jam. When the film started I thought it was going to be tremendous. But I thought the whole thing was about as aggressive as a Barbara Walters interview or a box of used Kleenex." [Laughter].
Nick Lowe is a pure pop genius who "makes today's music today." He's helped to put a lot of vim and vigor back into rock 'n' roll and we need a few more like him.
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