I thought we should begin by talking about A Day in the Desert II.
– I played on a little plateau, a natural amphitheatre made out of stone. It was like a pagan ritual. There were lasers … It was almost too intense. There were a billion green lights everywhere. It was so dark; it was a little bit cloudy that night so there wasn’t much moon. Basically it was pitch black with a bunch of green dots flying around. I couldn’t see the audience, I couldn’t tell if they were sitting or standing … I couldn’t even tell if they were there!
Ideally, what kind of audience reaction are you hoping for?
– [laughs] Anything more than bottles being thrown … The audience at A Day in the Desert wasn’t really my audience; there was a much more free love mellow vibe which is not really where I’m from or who I play to usually. I’m used to playing on the floor of dingy dark basements with people right in my face, and to be on this big stone stage in this giant vast desert with some faces out in the darkness – it was more like an out of body experience than a show.
Did you enjoy the experience?
– Oh, it was excellent. A friend of mine lives in Los Angeles, we went together. He drove me out there. We both had an incredible time. I live in Cleveland you know, just all that open space…
When ‘Sup Magazine approached you and asked you if you’d like to play at A Day in the Desert, what were your first thoughts?
– My first thought was “why the hell are you asking me?” My second thought was “absolutely, yes.” I didn’t even think twice about it. It was a great opportunity to do something that I usually don’t do.
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