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RICK RICHARDS |
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Interviews |
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RICK RICHARDS |
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A Conversation with Rick Richards June 15, 2004
Q: You’ve already been complimented by Keith Richards, so I don’t know where
you go from there, but Eddy said you were one of his favorite guitar players and
that strikes me as a high compliment. A:
Oh absolutely.
Q: How’d you guys meet? A: I met Eddy in the late 80’s at Red Rocks, a venue outside of Denver. Eddy was playing lead guitar for Dwight Yoakum. He had taken Pete Anderson’s place and I was just amazed, first of all, that anyone could possibly fill Pete’s shoes, and how accurate Eddy was at replicating Pete’s licks, because I’m a big fan of Pete’s as well. And also how Eddy put his own twist on Dwight’s stuff and it made it a little bit edgier, a little harder, but still kept the traditional sound nonetheless. So I was hanging out backstage, talking to the guitar tech, who just happened to be a fellow by the name of Ted Newman Jones. Now Ted’s famous in guitar circles for being a guitar builder for Keith Richards, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and several other luminaries. He was also the guy who was out with Keith on a ’69 or ’72 tour who was delegated the name, “Guitar Technician”. The story goes that they were trimming down the fat, so to speak, of people in the entourage and Keith said, “You can’t let this guy go. You gotta give him a title. Call him my Guitar Technician.” So Ted stayed.
Ted introduced me
to Eddy and told me who he was. I’d known of Billy Joe, of course, because the
Satellites in the old days used to cover a lot of Billy’s songs. I walked in
the room, looked at him and said, “Oh yeah, you’re your father’s son alright.”
You know the acorn didn’t fall far from that tree. They looked a lot alike and
had the same mannerisms and the same kind of genteel southern charm. So we
talked a bit, but then I didn’t see Eddy for a couple years.
The GEORGIA
SATELLITES were recording our third record, IN THE LAND OF SALVATION AND SIN, at
Ardent Studios in Memphis. A friend of mine was down there producing and
we were talking one night in a bar and he goes, “Man, there’s this band out
there called RT SCOTT AND THE DELTA REBELS. You gotta come see this band.
They’re phenomenal. They’ve got these two great guitar players and this one
guy will blow your mind.” I said, “Well, who is he?” and he said, “Eddy
Shaver.” I told him that we had shared a gig together when Eddy was subbing for
Pete and my friend said, “Well, let me tell you, this is night and day. You’ll
see. Just come to the gig.” So we get to the gig and my friend says, “And by
the way, they’re louder than you guys are.” I said, “Louder than the
Satellites? There’s no fucking possible way, but I’ll take your word for it.”
The gig was about twenty miles out of town, in one of those little cinderblock
roadhouses. It was really kind of spooky. I walked in just as they began their
first song and the legs of my trouser moved it was so loud. It was like a wind
tunnel of sound. (laughs) It was insanely loud. But, it was very good
music. The music was incredible. It was kind of like LYNYRD SKYNYRD and ACDC,
and nowadays like THE DARKNESS perhaps—had this illegitimate child and it was
that band, you know? (laughs). But they were really good. So I talked to Eddy
and hung out a bit, exchanged pleasantries. The mutual admiration society began
at that point and we kinda kept in touch, here and there.
This is so
incestuous it’s bizarre, because before the Satellites became the GEORGIA
SATELLITES. we were called KEITH AND THE SATELLITES with Keith Christopher.
So every time they’d come to town or anywhere close to the environs, I’d go see them, and therefore got to strike up a closer relationship with Eddy. We’d talk about good music and guitars and bullshit. One of the last times that Keith was in SHAVER, the Satellites had flown over to Switzerland for a three-day festival and I’m sitting at the bar at this hotel, in the middle of nowhere, and I hear someone yell out, “Rick Richards! You owe me money, man!” And I’m like, oh shit! I turn around and it’s Eddy—in the middle of nowhere. I was like, “Where did you come from and why are you here, Eddy?” They were playing the same festival. Drinks were had by all and we just had a good old time.
I had told my
management and record label about Eddy and how much I really would like to work
with him in some form or fashion, whether it would be just a session or
whatever. Then the possibility came up to do a song for a movie soundtrack. So
my management and his management got together and, per usual, when management
gets in the middle of things they fuck up. So Eddy and I would talk on the phone
about how this is gonna be fucking great, we’re gonna make a little bit of money
and we’re finally gonna get to work together.
So I get a call from the powers that be and
they’re like, “Well, there’s a song we’d like you guys to cut.” And I was like,
“Yeah, great, what is it?” And they said, “Well, it’s a cover song, a pretty
popular song, you guys will probably dig it.” I said, “Yeah, well, what is
it?” They said, “It’s Sammy Hagar’s,
I
Can’t Drive 55.” I’m like, “Fuck! You’ve got
to come up with some shit better than that.” They said, “Don’t you think you
and Eddy could tear that song up?” I said, “Look, Eddy and I could tear up
any song. You’ve just got to find a better one than that.”
So I called Eddy
and said, “Look man, how do you feel about this?” He goes, “Well, I need the
bread.” I said, “Man, I need the bread too.” He said, “But that song…”
I said, “You’re
right. What little artistic integrity I do have, at what level I’m willing to
prostitute myself out at, I think I’m gonna have to draw the line at that song
right there.” (laughs) He said, “I agree, man.” I said, “Let’s just fuck it.
Something else will come along. We’ll work together.” Unfortunately, it never did. I kinda wish we had done it now. Just so we could’ve had our names together on something.
Q: I’m sure you’ve heard everyone, analyzed everyone, worked with everyone,
etc. What set Eddy apart from the rest? A:
Every guitar player has his style and technique and everything analyzed to
death, but in a nutshell, what Eddy could do was play the hell out of
anything he picked up. He had a way with the acoustic, hard-core electric,
slide, fingerpicking, loud, soft, any distinct style that he approached he put
that Shaver brand on it. And to come from such an unassuming, sweet man. He had an exterior that belied his intensity. He was soft-spoken, funny, yet deep inside you could tell there was a tumultuous thing going on inside him. All you had to do was listen to him play to understand where that was coming from.
Q: I know you play slide guitar. What were your thoughts on his slide
playing? A:
Well every time I saw him play slide, I used
to tell him I’m quitting. I was like “Man, why? Why carry on?” He had just
about covered it all. Eddy played not
only in open tuning—which is my forte’ and I’m not saying it’s easy, but it’s
easier—but also standard tuning. He could take standard tuning and put a
slide on and do both regular playing and slide playing and not miss a lick. He
reminded me of, like if Ry Cooder had a bad acid trip or something.
Q: Did he ever talk to you about his approach to playing his father’s songs? A: No, not really. From the outside looking in, their relationship was more like brothers than father and son. You know like, “Shut up!” “No, you shut up!” “Let me drive.” “No, I’m driving.” (laughs) I know he had a great deal of respect for his father. I do know that. And Billy himself asked me, “What do you think of Eddy’s playing?” I said, “What’s not to think?”
I remember the
last time I saw Eddy. They were playing here in Atlanta. I had always gotten
up and played with them, and every time I did I was always sweating bullets, you
know, having to follow him, having to play up there with him. But this
time they called me up and I got up there and asked, “Where’s my guitar?” and
Eddy takes his guitar off and hands it to me. So I’m the only guitar player up
there. Well, Billy’s playing his little acoustic, so I have to play the only
guitar there, after Eddy had played. I said to Eddy, “You can’t do this
to me, man.” He said, “Yeah, go ahead man, I gotta go take a piss. Go ahead
and do a couple of tunes and I’ll be back.” So we did “You Asked Me To” and
“Long Black Veil”. My knees were buckling! I was so nervous. I don’t think
I’ve ever been as nervous.
Q: I have a copy of that show (Smith’s Olde Bar 12/3/00). I’ll send it to
you. When I first listened to it, I was like, “Man, Eddy is just going off!”
I don’t know how much you heard of Eddy’s introduction as you were heading to
the stage, but he said he had been emulating you all night. So apparently it’s
because of you, brother. A: Well, I was standing right in front of him and I think he was getting me back, you know? “Stand in front of me you son of a bitch and see what happens. I’ll show you a thing or two.” (laughs) And he did too. My jaw was on the floor. Q: Yeah, he was in rare form.
A: That was the
last time I ever saw him play and I
think that was the best I ever saw him play. It was so incredibly
sad that that was it. He died a few days later. It was only a matter of days.
I couldn’t believe it. I was just devastated, man. At first you’re sad,
then you’re just mad. I just got so mad. This guy that the lord
had given us, got taken away so fast. It just didn’t need to happen that way,
you know? I know he had a lot on his mind. He’d had a rough year, I think.
Q: How was he doing in his last days?
A: He had a new
wife. He was happy, laughing. He did mention the fact that he was glad to get
back with his dad, because his dad had a rough year. He said he’d put the drugs
behind him. He asked me if I had ever dabbled in that stuff. I said, “Well,
you know, we’ve all had our moments.” And he said, “Man, that shit’s awful.
I’m so glad I’m away from it now.” I said, “Well, great! You look fabulous.”
He looked great, played great.
After the show we
had a couple of beers and I took him back to the hotel and I’ll never forget.
He was walking up to the lobby and he turned around and looked at me, and gave
me this strange wave goodbye. And I was like, “Yeah, OK, see you next time.”
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a next time. He had a big Texas grin on his face.
I’m sure he still does.
Q: Yeah, that death just didn’t make any sense.
He was so close to recording his second solo record. Did he mention
anything about it?
A: He didn’t talk
at length about it, but I was like, “Look man, I wanna be on it. Whatever it
takes, you get me out there.” He said he would.
Q: Did he talk about what he wanted for his
future?
A: From what I
got from him, he was just happy to be in this new relationship with his wife.
They were giggling like little school kids. I think that was just transcending
into his music. I think he was generally excited about whatever venture he
would do next.
Q: Did you guys ever talk about influences?
Players you liked or didn’t like?
A: There were a
lot of people we didn’t like. He was pretty honest about it and I was too, you
know? Because, I mean, you couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting a shitty
guitar player somewhere in all the clubs we’d go to, all the clubs we played,
all the honky tonks. And then again you’d see somebody who was totally unsung
who was just amazing. Guitar players are a rare breed. You have the
egomaniacs, you have the soft-spoken/self-effacing people, you have the
go-getters, and those who lay back and almost take it as a hobby. Then
you have people who create a niche out of a whole plethora of guitar players.
People don’t understand how hard that is to create a style out of twelve
notes—playing guitar is only twelve notes, let’s face it. Like with Eddy, you
can hear eight, ten, sixteen bars and know it’s him. He had his own definite
style and you know it’s him. That in itself is a Herculean achievement, you
know?
Q: This is a question I can only ask guitarists
of your caliber. Do you think Eddy was a musical genius?
A: That word gets
tossed around quite a bit these days. There are a lot of different meanings.
There are lots of ways you can interpret and define “genius”. To me, the genius
of Eddy is that he had been doing it so long and had definitely progressed from
adequate to super-adequate (laughs), but I think he still hadn’t reached his
pinnacle. I think he still had a long way to go—to find out more about himself
on guitar and the way he presented his own personal songs. I don’t think he ever
got the chance to express himself totally. Even though when he did
express himself, he was so much more adept at it than 99.9% of every guitar
player out there. I think he was happy about his place in “Guitardom”. He
wasn’t lackadaisical about it.
Q: You think he knew how great he was?
A: Yeah. Hell
yeah! Just ask him, he’d tell you! I’m just kidding.
Q: Did you guys ever argue Strats vs. Les
Pauls?
A: Nah, man. I
can make them all sound like shit. (laughs) Gibson, Fender, hell, they all sound
like shit when I play them. Doesn’t matter.
Q: Do you write songs, by the way?
A: I write shitty
songs.
Q: No, you’re a poet man. I’m serious. The way
you answer these questions is not normal!
A: (laughs)
Q: Well, any last words?
A: Heroin sucks.
I hate that fucking drug.
Q: I know. But it’s weird. So many of my
guitar heroes have written some of the greatest music under the influence of
that drug. A: I know. That’s what makes it so good. It’s the devil’s playground though. I’ve seen it. Like you said, the best songs ever written probably, my favorites at least, my favorite albums I know, were written under its influence. But then again, I’ve seen it just fuck people’s lives up. I just hate to see that happen. You have to be real careful.
Interview Conducted by LA Kranz
Special thanks to Rick Richards, Panhandle Pearl, James Odom, Michael Mastro, and Lorilee Maxim for handling coordination and sharing her personal photographs. Learn more about Rick Richards: Keith and the Satellites:
http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/2003-02-19/vibes_feature.html Georgia Satellites:
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/georgia_satellites/artist.jhtml Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds:
http://hem.passagen.se/snoqalf/art-1998-geffen.html Michael Mastro—Photographer:
http://www.michaelmastro.com/photography_rickrichards.html
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