Rich Robinson Interview
By Russell Hall
Yall.com
October, 1997
 

Mention the South to the Black Crowes' Rich Robinson, and you're
likely to be deluged with strongly-held opinions about everything
from unfair regional stereotypes to the powerful impact the area has
had on contemporary music. Robinson's passions run deep, and often
take the form of soft-spoken pride in both his work and in the roots
from which that work sprang.

"If you look at modern music," says the Crowes' guitarist, "most of
it is derived from stuff that came from the South. I mean, think about
Georgia alone. You have Otis Redding, Little Richard, James Brown.
Even Gram Parsons came from Waycross. Most of the country still thinks
of the South as ignorant and racist. That's really the big generalization
I still hear to this day. I'll do interviews in Europe, or wherever,
and people will ask if it's true that the KKK march around Atlanta.
And of course, most people in the South hate that sort of thing."

The South's rich heritage is a subject Robinson returns to again and
again, not just in relation to music, but also in regard to the region's
entire culture. Unlike his brother Chris, who moved to Los Angeles four
years ago, Rich has remained in Atlanta, and although he's been
contemplating moving to Europe, one senses he'll always bristle at
misguided notions about the place where he grew up.

"I remember once, during a trip to L.A., this guy asked if Atlanta
has an airport. I'm thinking, 'Yeah, and it's been the busiest in
the country for three years running, above and beyond O'Hare.'
But that just shows the misconceptions people have. It's funny,
because all these people who are ignorant about the South are
claiming that the South is ignorant. It's ironic, in that sense."

Another source of irony is the wide gulf that exists between the
music the Robinson brothers were raised on, and the music they
eventually came to cherish. One might reasonably assume that because
they grew up in Atlanta, Chris and Rich were spoon-fed a steady diet of
Marshall Tucker, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Molly Hatchet. They weren't.
When asked who he listened to as a teenager, Rich cites bands such as
Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade, and the Long Ryders. And even when he
and Chris began playing music themselves, they initially gravitated
toward styles far removed from so-called "southern" rock.

"As first, we never really formed bands. It was always sort of just
me and Chris choosing which direction we wanted to go. We started out
far more folky, because my Dad was more or less a folk purist when
we were growing up. We used to play tons of Dylan, Big Star, the
Velvet Underground, and the Byrds. Eventually we began moving toward
heavier stuff."

Eventually, of course, the Black Crowes' music evolved into a
simmering blend of blues, gospel, country, and reggae. Their
last album, 1996's "Three Snakes and One Charm," featured all the
Crowes' trademarks: the intertwining guitars, the sleaze-slide
innuendo, and big doses of blues-gospel rants.
One particularly delicious detour was "(Only) Halfway To Everywhere,"
a dizzying funk excursion that conjured up the spirit of Sly Stone.

"I wrote '(Only) Halfway To Everywhere' in the middle of a jam,"
Rich recalls. "A lot of songs sort of get started that way. But
I've listened to Sly Stone my whole life. Fresh is one of my
all-time favorite records. I listened to that album before I ever
played guitar, so it's always been sort of an influence. But '(Only)
Halfway To Everywhere' is also far more rock-oriented [than Sly Stone].
It also has a P-Funk element, or an element of funk in general."

Plans are currently underway for the new album to come out in spring '98.
The band reportedly wrote the bulk of the material for the album last year.
Long-time fans are no doubt especially anxious to hear how recent
personnel changes will affect the Crowes' sound. Guitarist Marc Ford
left the group early last year, and Johnny Colt (who was recently
replaced by Sven Pipien of Mary My Hope) departed a few months ago.
It looks like Audley Freed of Cry of Love will replace Ford.

[Image] In the meantime, Robinson is philosophical about
accusations that the Crowes' music is overly derivative.
And in fact, with the "No Depression" movement in full swing,
the next album could very well be the one that finally rids
the band of that tag. In any case, Robinson ascribes most of
the criticism to ignorance about the South in general.

"One thing R.E.M. did, which I think is great, was bring a lot of
attention to the better side of the South. A lot of people looked
at them and thought, 'Wow, those guys aren't rednecks.' And in
that sense, I think the Crowes have gotten a bad rap. People have
tried to pigeonhole us, but really our songs are just Black Crowes
songs. No one can really accuse us of being anything else."