You’re playing at the upcoming ‘Relentless Boardmasters’ Festival in Cornwall to a bunch of surfers…what do you think it is that these youngsters are appreciating about your music, is it the music itself or what you represent maybe, freedom and the travelling spirit?
I don’t know about through the records but I know when we play live, like now, we’ve been playing over in France where people don’t know too much about me but they see a couple of old guys getting up there and making all this racket. I think they believe that we’re doin a 100% y’know. We try our best when we get up there. I think a lot of the older guys that get up and play, they’re just boring. A lot of the young people come up to us and say ‘hey man, you’re not boring’ so maybe it’s just that!
Also you have a bit of banter with people, tell some stories, some jokes…it’s an actual performance as opposed to someone just sitting there with a guitar...
If I’m there to play then I have a job and I’m very happy to be there. I’m happy to talk to people and the people are the one’s who are givin’ me the job so if you aint talking to them I don’t know who you’re talking to! I want to engage with them, kinda like I used to do when I played on the street. Mainly I just want to do my very best every time. That’s something we always try, we never go up there and do it half assed.
Maybe it’s the unfussiness of what you’re playing? Delta blues isn’t associated with any ‘cool scenes’ so maybe that’s why you appeal across the board?
We aint associated with any cool scenes that’s for sure (laughs) but like you say, we’re just doing a kinda simple thing. From what I can see, compared to most everything else were just like a little break in the thing until the next band comes along. I think people just like it because we go up there and just make a bunch of noise.
Do you think that’s why you go down so well at festivals, because there’s already a happy, laidback, relaxed atmosphere?
Yeah and I like that too. I don’t totally know why, I just guess at these things. At the end of the day we just go up there and play and I’m surprised every time when everyone’s out there screaming at us, its a little bit surreal if you know what I mean. I should be used to it now but I’m not. We walk off stage and I’m like ‘Dammm man, that was something else!’ It’s hard to believe that we get to do it.
Keeps you on your toes, that attitude…
Oh yeah, were not blasé. We just played in France for like forty thousand people and the next night were in Luxembourg playing to 275 people and we gave them an even harder show, so it don’t matter how many people are there. We do the same hard deal and try our very best.
And you’ve played the Albert Hall in London, which is quite a coup, how did you find that?
I was real sick that night so I don’t totally remember it too good. It was sold out and people say we played really good but I had bronchitis and I was kinda drunk too and taking medicine, so the whole thing just kinda went by me. I almost feel like I missed it, see what I’m saying? I was real sick but we went out there and rocked anyway, by the end we had people up dancing in the aisles and stuff.
Your son Paul has been playing with you now and again and has his own band, do you think that helps keep you interested in the current music scene? I’ve heard for instance that you enjoy Mystery Jets and Foals?
Yeah. I saw them a couple of years ago and really liked them. I’ve seen a lot of bands I like. By playing all these different festivals I get to see so many bands. I just saw Mumford & Sons and Laura Marling, that was real good. I don’t really listen to the radio enough so it’s mainly by actually seeing the bands that gives me an idea of what’s going on and some of it’s real good.
You’ve mentioned that the ‘Three String Trance Wonder’ (Steve’s infamous guitar) has some sort of supernatural mojo about it…what would you do if you didn’t have it anymore?
I guess someone else would get to have it (laughs). I don’t know that it got no mojo but my friend told me it did. It’s seems to have brought me good luck. As far as playing, well its not much fun to play, it’s a pretty bad guitar. There’s a little bit of a love/hate relationship going on there. It’s starting to fall apart since I’ve thrown it around so much. I’m not so attached, I like to play it but if I lost it or whatever I’d just play something else.
Well of course, you have a few homemade instruments that you love to play...
Well, it aint too hard to find bad guitars! Most people just don’t wanna play them. I don’t know why I play em. It’s a little bit of a challenge. If I don’t pay attention then nothing comes out those pieces of junk. Also, maybe it keeps me a little bit humble. There aint nothing fancy about what I do. Humble’s not the right word maybe but it keeps me down in the dirt, I don’t wanna get too fancy. And there’s not much I can do on them so I really gotta struggle to make something happen. So it ends up being a little bit more rhythmic than melodious, so it keeps me a little bit more awake.
I know you were doing some studio production work when you lived in Washington State, do you think a lot of modern music has become too dependent on studio technology? That there aren’t enough people out there just playing their instruments?
A hundred percent I believe that, thank you very much. I know there’s lot of clever stuff that goes on out there and some of its real good but that’s the kind of stuff that don’t interest me too much for the most part. It’s not that I don’t like it. I mean I’ve heard some hip hop stuff that was really good and I’ve heard some techno…but what touches me is warm, in your face, old fashioned, but that’s just because I’m old! I just think that old way that I record, the style of using old tape machines and stuff like that, it just sounds better to me so I’m never using computers for nothing man. It’s just a different style. All these computers try to mimic, all these programmes that you can buy is to mimic old equipment. I’d rather just use the old equipment (laughs).
I heard you once speak about seeing Iggy Pop live and that it was a thrilling experience. The Stooges are perceived as a ‘modern band’ but they’re still playing traditional rock n roll. Is that what had such a great impact on you?
I saw him play in like ’76 or something and I’d just never seen anyone act like that before, throwing himself on the glass, he’s just crazy! I know it made some kind of impact on me because I’ve never forgot it. Made my brain go a little bit loose to watch him. But I really liked that, it was really good and I’ve since got to meet him off and on a few different places and I told him ‘I saw you a long time ago man and you were strange’. But it definitely had an impact, I walked out of there thinking ‘I didn’t know you could do all that stuff and play music at the same time’.
Do you think you’ll keep on performing as long as you keep being asked?
Yeah. As long as I’m healthy enough to do it. As long as the body keeps going and allows me to keep playing and as long as people want me to play. I just love playing so we’ll see how long it goes for. I’m surprised it’s gone this long!
You’ve been married for a long time to your wife, if she able to travel more with you now?
She’s been coming with me a lot lately, so she’s been going to all these festivals that I’ve been doing and two of my boys are on the road with me so it’s kinda a family affair.
You’ve famously purchased your own John Deere tractor, so is that you, could you die happy now? Is there anything else that would make you happy that you haven’t achieved yet?
(big laugh) It’s funny, you talked about the Albert hall, to have played there and to have sold that place out, I don’t reckon it could get no better. It’s like where do you go? I’m way more famous than I am successful if you know what I mean? People who are as famous as me have sold millions of records and I don’t do that. I’m kinda more like a grass roots thing. But to be able to play a place like that, even though I was sick and stuff was kinda like a pinnacle. There’s nothing I really want to buy or none of that kind of stuff. I’d just like to keep on playing and stay healthy.
Seasick Steve will be performing at Relentless Boardmasters Festival, 4-8th August, Newquay.
Head to www.relentlessboardmasters.com for further info.
