By Herb Meeker
News Report Staff
Courtesy - Effingham & Teautopolis News Report
Interviewing legendary rocker George Thorogood means you better be ready to shift gears.
But once you get used to his humor – when asked about the weather during his West Coast leg of his 40th anniversary concert tour, he deadpanned he could not divulge his location due to government security measures -- you get some insight into the guy who wrote the iconic blues-heavy rock hit “Bad to the Bone” and redefined blues hits like “Who Do You Love?” and “One Bourdon, One Scotch, One Beer” with a driving rock beat.
Thorogood and his band, The Destroyers, roll into Effingham next week at the Effingham Performance Center. During a phone interview, Thorogood explained how he came up with the phrase of the hit that cut to the bone for rock fans more than 30 years ago.
“Was the saying, ‘Bad to the Bone,’ ever out of our culture? It was a common phrase like ‘Born to Be Wild’ or ‘Born to Run.’ It’s too obvious to ignore. Someone has to do it so why not me,” Thorogood said when asked what inspired him to write that song.
When asked if it is a thrill to hear ‘Bad to the Bone’ playing a few minutes into one of best sci-fi movies ever, “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” Thorogood jokes, “Well, my agent, my bankers and my manager love it!”
Artists who inspired him are two English guys named Mick and Keith of the Rolling Stones and John Lennon for not letting Rock and Roll die.
Thorogood lets his guitar do the talking on stage or in the studio along with his in-your-face vocals. He quotes the guitar philosophers when he talks about the instrument’s influence on the modern world.
“An acoustic guitar is a machine that represents protest. A motorcycle represents freedom. But an electric guitar represents revolution!” Thorogood said.
Most feel honored to cover a Bo Diddley song, but Thorogood added a line to “Who Do You Love?” that seems strange: Snakeskin shoes baby put on your feet, got the goodtime music and the Bo Diddley beat.
But Thorogood offered an answer that mentioned an unlikely source for inspiration on that line: Marlon Brando.
“Have you ever seen the movie ‘The Fugitive Kind’? Marlon Brando played a guitar-toting drifter named Valentine Xavier. He wore a snakeskin jacket and he carried a guitar. That’s where that line comes from,” Thorogood said.
Brando when he was young and surly in 1959 was certainly a cool character. Latching onto that persona shows how Thorogood has roped American culture into his music.
Thorogood is not drifting away from his established fans or shunning the acceptance of new ones, either. The United States and Canadian tour of George Thorogood and The Destroyers, including Jeff Simon, Bill Blough, Jim Suhler and Buddy Leach, started in February. The band comes to the Effingham Performance Center on Tuesday night, Oct. 7.
The stopover comes as Major League Baseball is gearing up for its annual playoffs. Thorogood, a native of Delaware, is a New York Mets fan, even though he catches plenty of games at Dodger Stadium when he is not touring. Did he almost go pro on the diamond instead of the rock and roll circuit? Thorogood offered a clear-eyed assessment of his brief semi-pro baseball career.
“I embarrassed myself in the infield. I was destined to be Bob Uecker’s backup catcher!” Thorogood said with a laugh.
One of his songs that men love is “You Talk Too Much.” With rapid fire lyrics, a woman’s verbosity is hung out to dry. In some ways, Thorogood’s interview shunned wordiness. It ended too soon when the songwriter, singer and guitarist was just starting to open up.
He and his band will open up in a different way Tuesday night at the EPC. Be prepared.