MM STV VN ZNDT unimpressed by PRML SCRM

Steve Van Zandt, off the Sopranos and out the E Street Band, is not a big fan of Bobby Gillespie. He loves Primal Scream, but Bobby Gillespie? Not so much:

"I tried to get Primal Scream to come over to America several times," he said. "I thought their album before this last one was one of the greatest records in 10 years. I begged them to come over. I had a whole tour for them."

"Their agent talked me out of it," he said. "[The agent] said: 'They can't do 20 shows.' I'm like, 'Come on, man. We do 20 shows a month.'"

"Primal Scream could be the biggest band in the world. They are fantastic when they make rock records – once every 10 years. But they can't tour because of drug problems, or whatever. I don't have patience for it. I'm like, all right, you want to be a drug addict, go be a drug addict. Don't waste my time."

Well... the biggest band in the world seems unlikely; and to be frank, they're at their most ropey when they make their rock records - it's the ones in between that really connect.

And as Jim M observes as he alerts me to the story:

If the intention is to galvanise Gillespie & co. to clean up their act & grab what chances remain for them in the States (debatable, I know), I suspect it will have the opposite effect. Better to be a cliched, tiresome wasted rocker, Gillespie may foolishly surmise, than a side kick to Springsteen:

He only takes the drugs to forget the hairstyle on the cover of Sonic Flower Groove, you know.