January 14, 1999 - Muchmusic Sook-Yin Lee: OKAY. SO HE'S WEATHERED THE STORM, THE SNOWSTORM OUTSIDE, A DIE-HARD ROCKER CHRIS ROBINSON OF THE BLACK CROWES, AND FIFTH ALBUM OUT "BY YOUR SIDE." SO WAS IT A TASK? WAS THIS PRETTY EASY? WHAT, TO GET HERE? Sook-Yin Lee: YEAH, YEAH. NO. WE'RE FROM GEORGIA. WE'RE USED TO THIS. Sook-Yin Lee: THIS IS NOTHING! THAT'S A LIE. Sook-Yin Lee: YOU GET A LOT OF SNOW IN THE SOUTH. TONS. NOW THAT I LIVE IN CALIFORNIA, IT'S LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME. IT ACTUALLY SNOWED IN LAS VEGAS A FEW MONTHS AGO. Sook-Yin Lee: REALLY? PRETTY WEIRD. Sook-Yin Lee: FREAKISH WEATHER THINGS. LA NINA. IT'S NOT TOO BAD. IT'S KIND OF PRETTY. I LIKE IT. Sook-Yin Lee: YEAH. THIS IS PROBABLY NOTHING COMPARED TO SOME OF THE STUFF YOU'VE HAD TO ENDURE OVER YOUR CAREER. WE PLAYED IN THUNDER BAY ONCE AND IT LOOKED LIKE THIS. SO, LIKE, YEAH, WE'VE -- YOU KNOW, TO ME, THAT IS THE BEST PART OF IT AND ONE OF THE MAIN MOTIVATIONS BEHIND, WELL, WHEN WE WERE KIDS, COMMITTING TO, LIKE, LIVING OUR LIVES AS MUSICIANS IS GETTING OUT ON THE ROAD AND SEEING ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT STUFF, YOU KNOW. AND LIKE, SO, I THINK IT'S PRETTY COOL ACTUALLY. Sook-Yin Lee: RIGHT ON. THIS IS -- ON YOUR ALBUM, YOU HAVE ELEVEN TRACKS, AND THE THIRD TRACK IS "BY YOUR SIDE," AND YOU ALSO CHOOSE THAT AS THE ALBUM TITLE. HOW DID THAT PARTICULAR SONG SUM UP OR WHY DID YOU CHOOSE IT AS THE TITLE? WE'D NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE ON OUR PREVIOUS RECORDS. "BY YOUR SIDE," YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, WE'VE BEEN VERY LUCKY TO HAVE AN AUDIENCE FOR THIS LONG FOR PEOPLE WHO ENJOY OUR MUSIC. IT'S A PART OF OUR LIFE AND IT'S A PART OF THEIR LIFE. I THINK IN OUR MODERN CULTURE, THERE TENDS TO BE, AND ESPECIALLY IN SHOW BUSINESS, A LACK OF INTEGRITY JUST -- THAT PREVAILS, YOU KNOW, AND SELFISHNESS. SO "BY YOUR SIDE" IS LIKE THE COMMITMENT WE MADE A LONG TIME AGO, MY BROTHER AND I AND THE BAND, AND I THINK THAT COMMITMENT MEANS MORE TO US NOW AFTER A DECADE, AND IT'S ABOUT THE KIND OF MUSIC WE PLAY, THIS ROCK 'N' ROLL MUSIC, AND IT'S ABOUT THE AUDIENCE. SO IT'S A VERY SINCERE STATEMENT. Sook-Yin Lee: WHAT SORT OF MUSICAL INTEGRITY IS IT THAT YOU AND RICH -- LIKE WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT ABOUT THE MUSIC YOU CREATE? WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT YOU WOULD JUST NEVER DO AND WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU AIM FOR? ONE THING I WOULD NEVER DO IS TRY TO -- YOU KNOW, ONE THING -- LIKE, MY MOTIVATION IS LIKE, WHEN I LISTEN TO RECORDS, AND I LISTEN TO A LOT OF MUSIC STILL; I ALWAYS HAVE. I ALWAYS WILL. IT'S JUST THAT FEELING, WHATEVER IT IS. IT CAN BE, YOU KNOW, VAN MORRISON, ASTRO WEEKS OR IT CAN BE AN AC/DC RECORD OR WHATEVER, JOHN COLTRANE TO WILLIE NELSON. WHATEVER IT IS THAT MEANS SOMETHING TO YOU, I JUST LIKE TO KEEP THAT -- THAT TO ME IS SOUL. THAT TO ME IS GIVING, AND I THINK THE BLACK CROWES AND THE KIND OF MUSIC WE MAKE IS ABOUT GIVING. THAT'S WHY THE TOUR, WHICH START THE TOUR THE END OF FEBRUARY/MARCH IS CALLED "SOULED OUT," S-O-U-L-E-D. MORE SOUL, 24 HOURS A DAY. I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE CAME FROM AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GOING. Sook-Yin Lee: YOU'VE ALWAYS MAINTAINED THAT? IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT SORT OF GOES AWAY. I HOPE NOT. Sook-Yin Lee: IS IT A CHALLENGE TO MAINTAIN THAT SOUL? I DON'T THINK SO. YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S A CHALLENGE FOR OTHER PEOPLE SOMETIMES; BECAUSE, LIKE I WAS TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS BUSINESS, YOU KNOW -- I THINK I WAS NAIVE EARLIER ON IN MY CAREER THAT I THOUGHT THERE WOULD BE -- YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? IT TOOK ME A WHILE -- I MEAN I KNEW THAT IT WAS THE MUSIC BUSINESS, AND I KNOW THAT CORPORATIONS AND BUSINESS PEOPLE AREN'T ARTISTS, AND THEY REALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT MY LIFE AS AN ARTIST. MY LIFE AS AN ARTIST IS MY LIFE AS A MUSICIAN AND TRAVELLING AND MY FAMILY; AND THEY CARE ABOUT THAT RED LINE AND THE DOLLAR SYMBOL, WHICH I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW. BUT... Sook-Yin Lee: SO YOU HAVE TO STAVE OFF THAT PRESSURE TO GET TO WORK. SORT OF. I MEAN, I DON'T -- IT'S NOT A FIGHT OF OURS, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? IT'S NOT A POLITICAL THING. IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, EKING OUT THE FREEDOM TO EXPRESS OURSELVES ANY WAY WE WANT; AND WE JUST CHOSE ROCK 'N' ROLL MUSIC BECAUSE I THINK ROCK 'N' ROLL MUSIC, TO ME, IF I WAS IN A PUNK BAND AND I PLAYED ANYTHING OTHER THAN PUNK ROCK, PEOPLE WOULD SAY WELL, YOU'RE NOT PUNK ANY MORE; OR IF I WAS IN A SKA BAND OR WHATEVER. WITH ROCK 'N' ROLL, I CAN PLAY A LITTLE COUNTRY, BLUES, FUNK, GET INTO JAZZ. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? WE REALLY HAVE AN OPEN-ENDED SORT OF PLACE, AND TO EXPERIMENT WITH ALL THESE TRADITIONAL AMERICAN MUSIC FORMS THAT SORT OF MAKE ROCK 'N' ROLL. Sook-Yin Lee: YOU PLAY ROCK 'N' ROLL, PLUS YOU LIVE LIKE A ROCK 'N' ROLL SORT OF LIFESTYLE. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF UPS AND DOWNS IN YOUR CAREER, A LOT OF NEAR DESTRUCTION, ALL KINDS OF STUFF. WHAT SORT OF CONFLICTS HAVE HAPPENED WITHIN THE GROUP THAT YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO OVERCOME? WELL, YOU KNOW, A DECADE IS, YOU KNOW, A MEASURING STICK THAT WE ALL USE, YOU KNOW. JUST GROWING UP, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, AND MAKING DECISIONS, YOU KNOW? THEN YOU WAKE UP ONE DAY AND YOU REALIZE LIKE, WOW, YOU KNOW, I'M TURNING INTO A CLICHE. YOU KNOW, WHETHER THAT'S DRUGS OR WHETHER THAT'S WOMEN OR WHATEVER... Sook-Yin Lee: RIGHT. WAS ALL THAT STUFF ENTICING, DRUGS, WOMEN, ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF? WHEN YOU LOOK LIKE ME, THE WOMEN THING, LIKE, YOU KNOW -- I WAS JUST LUCKY, YOU KNOW. HOW FAR CAN YOU COAST ON CHARM? Sook-Yin Lee: ROCK 'N' ROLL STAR THOUGH. IT'S WEIRD, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? LIKE, I -- SOMETIMES IT'S A WEIRD PERSPECTIVE TO SEE IT, LIKE, YOU KNOW MY -- LIKE WHAT I DO FOR MY LIVING IS, YOU KNOW -- SOME PEOPLE WORK NINE TO FIVE. WELL, I WORK NINE TO FIVE, TOO, IT'S JUST THE OTHER NINE TO FIVE. IT'S NINE AT NIGHT TO FIVE a.m. IT'S OUR JOB, WHEN PEOPLE GET OFF THEIR JOBS TO COME TO THE GIGS AND TO, LIKE, SHARE AND GIVE AND HAVE A GIG AND DANCE AND SING, YOU KNOW. AND I THINK SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THAT, IF YOU'RE NOT CAREFUL, YOU CAN -- YOU HURT YOURSELF. Sook-Yin Lee: YEAH, TOTALLY. DID YOU HAVE TO, LIKE, TAKE A COUPLE STEPS AWAY FROM LIVING THE EXCESSIVE STYLE, OR DO YOU STILL INDULGE IN THAT? UHMM, WELL... Sook-Yin Lee: DOES IT GET BORING AFTER A WHILE? YEAH. AND ACTUALLY THERE CAME A POINT IN OUR BAND'S CAREER WHERE I WOKE UP ONE MORNING AND REALIZED, LIKE, I HAD BEEN HALLUCINATING EVERY DAY FOR LIKE A MONTH. IT'S LIKE, HEY, THAT'S NOT HEALTHY. BUT IT REALLY HURT OUR FEELINGS AND A REAL SOBERING THING IS, YOU KNOW, OUR MUSIC IS A MIRROR IMAGE OF WHO WE ARE. YOU KNOW, I DON'T WRITE SCIENCE FICTION, AND I DID HAVE TO WAKE UP, AND WE DID HAVE TO ADDRESS THE FACT THAT, OKAY, WE WERE HAVING SOME GREAT SHOWS, BUT HERE AND THERE WE WERE HAVING A POOR SHOW; AND THAT REALLY IS SOMETHING THAT I COULDN'T DEAL WITH, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THE AUDIENCE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO GAVE US THIS SPACE TO CREATE, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? AND WE ARE VERY RESPECTFUL AND HUMBLE IN THE FACE OF THAT. SO THAT SORT OF WILL SNAP YOU, TOO. THAT'S LIKE GETTING ICE WATER IN YOUR FACE. Sook-Yin Lee: IF YOU'RE NOT WORKING AT YOUR FULL, OPTIMUM LEVEL, IT'S LIKE YOU'RE NOT PUTTING ON A GOOD SHOW. AND THAT'S JUST DETRIMENTAL TO ME AND TO THE MUSIC. YOU KNOW, I STILL -- I DON'T JUDGE PEOPLE AND I'M NOT SOBER BUT, YOU KNOW, I HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES TO THIS BAND AND THIS MUSIC AND TO THE AUDIENCE, YOU KNOW. I MEAN, ONE THING, EVEN IN THE MIDST OF OUR MOST CHAOTIC SORT OF DARK PERIODS, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T CAMP. WE'RE THERE FOR THE SHOW. YOU KNOW, THE SHOW IS ALWAYS THE MOST -- THE MUSIC IS ALWAYS IN THE FOREFRONT. Sook-Yin Lee: RICH AND YOU, YOUR BROTHER, HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE NUCLEUS OF THE BAND. WHEN DID YOU GUYS START -- WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST MUSICAL EXPERIENCE TOGETHER? OUR VERY FIRST -- WELL, YOU KNOW, THE HIGH SCHOOL BAND, YOU KNOW; LIKE, RICH WAS 15, YOU KNOW. OUR FIRST, LIKE, PAYING CLUB SHOW WAS 1985. RICH WAS 15. I WAS 18. Sook-Yin Lee: YOU GOT 50 BUCKS. 50 BUCKS. Sook-Yin Lee: BIG BUCKS. IT WAS THE DAY LIVE AID WAS. Sook-Yin Lee: YOU GOT BIG SHOW-BIZ BUCKS! OH, BIG MONEY. IT WAS THE DAY OF LIVE AID, YOU KNOW. SO I DIDN'T GET TO SEE LIVE AID. I WAS LIKE THE ONLY KID ON MY BLOCK WHO DIDN'T SEE IT. Sook-Yin Lee: 'CAUSE YOU HAD A GIG TO DO. YOU WERE WORKING. IN CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, NO LESS. GLAMOROUS, HUH? Sook-Yin Lee: WHAT'S THE DYNAMIC BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR BROTHER? HOW ARE YOU CREATIVELY TOGETHER? YOU KNOW, IT'S FUNNY. WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS NOW -- WE WRITE SONGS THE SAME WAY, LIKE WHEN WE STILL LIVED AT OUR PARENTS' HOUSE, JUST ACOUSTIC GUITARS. MY IDEAS IN NOTEBOOKS, AND THEN WE'D TAKE THAT TO THE BAND. IT'S STILL THE SAME THING AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. WE DON'T GET -- YOU KNOW, I TELL PEOPLE THAT I LOVE -- Sook-Yin Lee: I HEARD YOU HAVE KIND OF A VOLATILE THING, SORT OF A LOVE/HATE. I LOVE HIM. I JUST DON'T LIKE HIM ALL THE TIME, AND HE'LL SAY THE SAME THING ABOUT ME. Sook-Yin Lee: THIS IS LIKE A SIBLING THING. I GUESS, BUT THAT'S ALL SURFACE STUFF. Sook-Yin Lee: YOU'RE SAYING THE MUSIC IS A MIRROR IMAGE OF YOU, AND IF YOU AND YOUR BROTHER IS SORT OF THE NUCLEUS OF THE BAND, THAT SORT OF CONFLICT OR VOLATILITY WILL COME OUT IN THE MUSIC. WELL, IT'S A BALANCE BECAUSE WE'RE REALLY DIFFERENT. SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS A YIN-YANG SYMBOL MAKES A LOT OF SENSE TO ME. YOU CAN'T HAVE LIGHT WITHOUT DARK. YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALL THESE BALANCE THINGS. I MEAN, I'M NOT A RELIGIOUS PERSON, AND I DON'T CONSIDER MYSELF VERY SPIRITUAL BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I REALLY THINK THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE HAS ALL THE ANSWERS, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LIVING TOGETHER AND IN -- YOU KNOW, THERE'S CULTURAL DIFFERENCES, BUT THAT'S WHAT I LOVE, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE DON'T LIKE TO BE LIED TO. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, FALL IN LOVE. PEOPLE FALL OUT OF LOVE. YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALL THESE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENING FOR, YOU KNOW, A LONG, LONG TIME. AND THAT BALANCE, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, THAT'S WHERE I FIND A LOT OF SOLACE, YOU KNOW, AND MAKES ME FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE WHOLE WORLD IS NOT GOING TO GET STRIPPED AWAY. YOU COULD REALLY GET BOGGED DOWN INTO THE NEGATIVE STUFF, OR YOU COULD LOOK FOR THE BEAUTY. YOU CAN FIND BEAUTY AND MAGIC IN THE MOST MUNDANE THINGS. Sook-Yin Lee: AND THE UNIVERSE IS REALLY GIVING BACK TO YOU IF YOU HAVE THAT TYPE OF PERSPECTIVE. DEFINITELY. BUT, I MEAN, AGAIN, I THINK IF THAT'S YOUR TRIP AND THAT'S LIKE WHAT YOU'RE INTO, THEN YOU HAVE TO REALIZE -- THEN I THINK YOU HAVE TO BE -- YOU HAVE TO REALIZE THAT IT'S NOT ALWAYS GOING TO BE LIKE, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING'S ROSES, YOU KNOW? AND I THINK OUR MUSIC SAYS THAT. I THINK THERE'S A WISDOM IN KNOWING, LIKE, OKAY, WE'RE GONNA HAVE SOME BAD TIMES. LIKE, HOW ARE WE GONNA DEAL WITH IT? PERSONALLY, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T AVOID THEM, YOU KNOW. I THINK, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WHEN I WAS YOUNGER I WOULD THINK BAD THINGS WOULD GO AWAY IF I ANAESTHETIZED MYSELF ENOUGH. AND THEN THAT STARTS NOT TO BECOME FUN, YOU KNOW, AND, LIKE, EVERYBODY WANTS TO HAVE FUN SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW? THAT'S WHERE YOU SLIP UP; BUT THAT'S WHAT LEARNING'S ABOUT, YOU KNOW. THAT'S WHAT GETTING OLDER IS, YOU KNOW, LEARNING -- YOU HAVE A FEW SCARS AND A FEW BRUISES, BUT YOU LEARN SOMETHING, AND HOPEFULLY THAT WILL TRANSLATE INTO THE MUSIC. Sook-Yin Lee: A LOT OF BLUES HAS ALWAYS BEEN A THROUGH LINE IN YOUR MUSIC. WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE BLUES THAT ATTRACTS YOU TO THAT STYLE? I THINK, LIKE, WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE BLUES PERSONALLY IS YOU HAVE THIS AFRICAN INFLUENCE THROUGH, LIKE, EUROPEAN INSTRUMENTS SORT OF. YOU KNOW, THOUGH THEY HAD GUITARS AND, YOU KNOW, IN AFRICA AND STUFF BUT, YOU KNOW, TO TAKE AN AFRICAN -- I MEAN, THAT'S WHERE EVERYTHING COMES FROM ANYWAY. SO TO HAVE, LIKE, THAT SORT OF CRUSHED TOGETHER, I THINK IT MADE A BEAUTIFUL HYBRID. IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, LIKE MUDDY WATERS AND GEORGE JONES ARE SINGING A LOT ABOUT THE SAME THINGS, YOU KNOW. THEY JUST LIVE IN DIFFERENT NEIGHBOURHOODS, YOU KNOW. (Laughing) Sook-Yin Lee: YEAH. SO YOU HAVE AN AFFINITY -- LIKE, A LOT OF THE BLUES, I CALL IT THE BLUES 'CAUSE THERE'S A MELANCHOLY SORROW, BUT THEN KIND OF LIKE -- PART OF THAT IS LIKE GETTING OVER IT. I MEAN, THAT'S WHY THE BLUES, THEY CALLED IT THE DEVIL'S MUSIC. IT'S BASED ON GOSPEL MUSIC IN A SENSE. IT'S VERY SIMPLE. THE MESSAGE IS THE SAME. WELL, NOT THE SAME REALLY BECAUSE WHAT THEY CALLED -- WHAT THEY WOULD CALL THE DEVIL'S MUSIC ARE, YOU KNOW, DRINKING AND WOMEN AND DRUGS. PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TAKING DRUGS A LONG TIME. AND I DON'T THINK THEY'RE PRAISING IT AS MUCH AS I THINK PEOPLE LIKE TO HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? LIKE PART OF WAILING AND PART OF WEEPING IS DEALING WITH IT AND, LIKE, MAN, YOU KNOW, WE'VE ALL BEEN THERE, YOU KNOW? AND I THINK IT MAKES IT BETTER. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? IF YOU'RE GONNA BE IN TOUCH WITH THAT AND IF YOU'RE GONNA LET THAT AFFECT YOU. Sook-Yin Lee: WELL, COOL. THANKS FOR COMING IN. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. Sook-Yin Lee: YOU'RE PLAYING A SHOW, AN EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT IN TORONTO TONIGHT AT THE PHOENIX, BUT A TRANS-CANADA TOUR COME THIS MARCH. DEFINITELY. Sook-Yin Lee: ALL RIGHT. BLACK CROWES. WE'RE GOING TO BE TAKING A LOOK AT "KICKING MY HEART AROUND." TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. CHEERS. STAY WARM! (Video Played)