Soundcheck: In-depth with Robert Levon Been of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

When examining the current state of music, it’s a somewhat rare occurrence to encounter a band whose music is synonymous with a well-defined set of ethics and a clear sense of purpose. Unfortunately even more uncommon is encountering one whose members’ actions actually work in direct accord with those admirable ideals, but Black Rebel Motorcycle Club has always been one of those rare breeds. On the Henry Rollins Show last year, for example, guitarist Peter Hayes explained the band’s adverse stance on the modern marriage of art and capitalism and how they protect their music from being corrupted by it. "We haven’t figured out a way to take money and turn it around and do something good besides helping ourselves. We haven’t really figured out a way to do that quite yet, you know? It would be nice to take the 500,000 or 2 million that someone offers you for doing their car commercial and throw it back into whatever that company is destroying. We try to stay away from the beast."

Those lucky enough to attend their show in Madison at the Annex last September were treated to a demonstration of rock and roll’s full potential. As a concert, it was impressive enough alone. After all, it’s not everyday that such a wide variety of genres (blues, gospel, shoegaze, garage rock and folk, to name a few) are represented so expertly on one stage, but there was clearly another dynamic that transcended music at play that night as well. Beyond the dirty, impossibly cool, eardrum shredding vehicle of sound, theirs was a show where the line between audience and musicians blurred almost immediately. No one was being preached to. Rather, it was the coming together of like-minded individuals who “don’t feel at home in this generation,” and participated in what seemed like an open-ended exchange about the possibilities of the future. Such moving concert experiences are the rule, rather than the exception for BRMC, and Madison fans will be fortunate enough to discover this first-hand at the band’s upcoming show. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club returns to Madison on May 3rd for a 9:30 pm show at the High Noon Saloon with The Duke Spirit.

Last time they were in town dane101 featured an interview with Peter Hayes. This time BRMC bassist Robert Levon Been recently took the time to respond to several questions about music, culture, and rebellion. The following is our e-mail correspondence:

Your show in Madison last September was amazing, so it’s very exciting that you’re coming back in May. Why did you decide to tour again so soon after the last round of shows?

Well we’ve been on tour for about a year straight, but without a record deal or any money coming in we honestly need to find a way to keep the music alive. These days the only way to keep the blood flowing is to work for your supper I guess. But this tour will hopefully pay for recording the next album. That’s the “grand plan” at least, but to be honest you don’t really have to twist our arm to tour, haha.

How has it been playing shows with The Duke Spirit?

They’re actually a good kick in the ass. They really know how to play. It’s a good challenge.

How comfortable are you guys on the road? Does the “troubadour lifestyle” seem natural to you?

Well, I’m not so sure sometimes. There’s a hefty price that gets collected over time. Work’s never done till it’s done you in.

What do you do to fend off boredom while on tour?

There’s not a lot of free time out here to be honest. I don’t know where it all goes. Whenever there’s a breath of free air it usually gets swallowed up by cards, or guitars, or bars though I guess.

What music have you been listening to recently?

I just got my sticky fingers on the new Spiritualized album, so I’m looking forward to listening to that.

There’s a somewhat famous line that comes from a piece of French graffiti that says, “Down with a world where the guarantee that you won't die of starvation has been purchased with the guarantee that you will die of boredom.” Obviously, it’s a very arrogant thing to assert without conditions in the face of so much suffering around the world, but what do you think about the basic sentiment behind it as it relates to modern culture?

I never really liked that line. It’s shameful and ignorant to believe that you have to live in a world where the choice is one or the other. But that’s what we accept. On the flip side it’s probably more arrogant to think you have to change the world. That’s usually just the narcissistic looking at himself in the mirror with world behind his reflection. The harder truth is knowing the world is gonna change with or without you. And the only decision that really weighs in ourselves is what side you’re gonna be on, and to what worth are you going to live your life.

In “Berlin” you ask, “What happened to the revolution?” Even though it seems that there’s still so much to revolt against, why do you think the general spirit of opposition has weakened in society? Or has it really?

In the States it’s beginning to, but not in every country—only in the places that the people have been deceived into thinking they have no power, but that’s no real secret. If you make people believe they don’t have a voice and that they don’t matter, then that is how they will live. But thankfully the whole world isn’t like that. In America it’s easy to sell out when you don’t feel like you’ve got a lot to trade with.

Tell me about when you first started to feel that authority couldn’t necessarily be trusted. Was there anything in particular that opened up that questioning, rebellious mindset for you?

I don’t think you have to go through a specific life-changing experience to know that the world is not as it seems. It’s just about what you want and what you are ready to see.

A society’s ideals are often represented in its art and architecture. For example, many years ago, the world’s tallest (and therefore most important) buildings were connected to religion/places of worship. Now it seems that big businesses/corporations have taken the upper hand, represented in the overabundance of skyscrapers and office buildings. Do you perceive religion or capitalism to be a bigger threat to the ideals that you stand for?

Wow, I actually had a discussion about that with a friend of mine just a couple months ago. It’s amazing how the tallest point in cities used to be the churches and cathedrals, so no matter where you walked the church would be present in your mind and perception. Now we’ve made our highest monuments the financial super powers, which now keep money and the symbols of financial success always in the corner of our eye.

There was a time though, not to long ago, when money wasn’t “King.” It’s just hard to remember that sometimes, but people just didn’t fucking care that much about success and money that much.

Still you can’t look at it like an enemy though. We wanted to be powerful and we got it. We wanted to be rich and we bought it. We wanted to free and killed for it. We wanted god and put out a book and said he wrote it. We will be whomever we want to be. Maybe tomorrow we will want to be something else.

There’s a book by Emile Zola called, The Masterpiece which deals with a lot of themes about suffering for the art that you create and how the artistic process can often be unpleasant and filled with uncertainty. Do you relate to that idea of the “tortured artist” at all?

I don’t understand myself that well. Maybe someday, everything will make sense and I’ll understand how my pain was somehow more or less than someone else’s, but I can’t judge that about myself. I don’t really know how anyone can.

Is it ever scary for you to see the journey your music takes? For instance, what might start out as a very private, organic idea can sometimes turn into something larger than life after going through the process of recording it and performing it live. Does it ever feel frightening to lose control of something so personal?

Sometimes right after something is first written it’s difficult let go of it and take criticism and critiques. The more time that passes helps to understand its nature though, and how even though it may be a part of you in some way it’s still just a changing part of you, or a changing thought that will never stay in one place, the same as you.

In what conditions do you feel that you have your best creative moments? (Is it a live setting, rehearsing with the band, songwriting, etc?)

All of it. All of it constantly moving and changing. It can’t really be one method all the time or it begins to feel rehearsed and stagnant. And the less new ideas come and more of the same ideas just in slightly different shapes.

Rock and roll is frequently promoted as being the ultimate expression of freedom, but that doesn’t always seem to be the case in reality. Do you find that it’s a struggle to remain free and true to your ideals while operating in the machine of the music industry?

There’s not a whole lot in rock’n’roll music that resembles the true expression of freedom. There’s actually more bad than good, but the small fraction of a percent that is real, is so genuine and beautiful that it makes up for all of the other bullshit. You just have to remember it’s there.

It’s not a style, or a sound, or a look—it’s a feeling, and you either connect with it or you don’t.

What, in your mind, makes a musician “authentic”?

You mean beside authenticity?? Well, my father actually told me something interesting about how before punk music came around in like 1976 it was about musicianship, skill, talent, and simply “what does that person actually have to say?” Then after punk, anyone could be in a band as long as they had an attitude. I personally don’t think the world can spin properly without both to be honest, but it’s been a long time since real musicians and songwriters we’re kickin up some dust, so right now I’m missing that balance. Instead we gotta lot of attitude with not a lot to say, which is kind of like having sex without love I guess.

Tell me about writing “Need Some Air” with Ming Vauze. How did that partnership come about?

I was helping out Ming with his band at the time called Faculty X, which I really loved and I thought I could help them get an EP recorded and maybe produce some of the songs. The band ended up splitting up sadly, but Ming and Bobby had this real cool instrumental track called “Nuevo Disco” that I ended up writing this melody for. And it seemed like a waste for it to not see the light of day. When we recorded it for Baby 81 sessions the song ended up changing shape quite a bit, but I still give Ming and the guys in Faculty X the credit for laying the foundation all the way.

American X: The Baby 81 Sessions is a really great, eclectic collection of songs. Were you initially unsure about putting that material out there?

No.

I’ve heard you speak in interviews about perhaps moving into your next album a bit slowly, and letting the songs have time to evolve into something new. Is that still the plan?

Yes.

Have you considered putting out a live album?

We’re working on a live DVD right now. Peter is mixing the audio tracks right now on his computer. We filmed 3 full live shows on our last European tour in Glasgow, Berlin, and Dublin. We’re taking the best of those three nights and put it together as one film. So far it’s looking good.

I know Nick [Jago, drummer] plays guitar as well as drums. Have you ever thought about changing it up on stage for a few songs, in terms of who’s playing what?

I’m not sure what’s gonna happen. He’s becoming a pretty decent guitar player actually. We’ll have to see. Right now he’s writing a lot of songs on his own and seems pretty far off in that word. I think it’s a good thing that he’s found such a passion in writing, but I miss him sometimes.

“Rifles” is an absolutely incredible song, but I’ve seen two different versions of the lyrics. Is the line “I see no color in your eyes” or “I see the color...”?

“I see no color in your eyes/I see no images at all/I see no color in your eyes/No reflections, no earth or sky..”

Last question: What do you think the role of art is in today’s society?

It is not art that needs to explain its place in society, it is everything else.

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this! Hope you’re all doing well and enjoying the tour. Take care!

That was cool, thank you as well. You had very well thought out questions. It was really nice to get some of those thoughts out of my head. Thank you.

From Robert