A Dirty Dozen with of BLAINE CARTWRIGHT of NASHVILLE PUSSY – December 2018

According to a recent press release: “Pleased to Eat You is their seventh studio album and certainly another milestone recording by the band you’ll need to share with your mom: Bourbon, BBQ, horse farms, good people, and a great fucking record. Seriously, you’ll hardly find a band that manages to act so easy, so fast and yet so impulsive as Nashville Pussy — a band that is not shy about expressing opinions loud and clear. If music is the food of life, then Nashville Pussy is Pleased to Eat You!” We get frontman Blaine Cartwright to discuss new music, influences, and much more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets the band put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

No, everything is pretty much right up front in your face. Or all over your face, depending on the situation. It’s like drag racing while you’re drinking a pitcher of margaritas. Good fast fun.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

Probably when I got my first job – bussing tables at The Sizzler Steakhouse back In Kentucky. I realized that working sucks. Normal life sucks. I was 16 years old and suddenly suicidal. But, about a year later, I saw Bruce Springsteen in Cincinnati on The River Tour. He looked so happy. It was the exact opposite as working at The Sizzler. I said I got to do what this guy does or else I’m going to end up killing everyone.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

The Sex Pistols LP Never Mind The Bollocks. I got it for my 14th birthday in 1978. It blew my mind. It was mean and fun. Dangerous! That’s the word I’m looking for. I like rock n’ roll to be dangerous. And sexy too. Like running for your life while maintaining an erection.

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

Iggy Pop, James Brown, Ike and Tina Turner, ZZ Top, Status Quo. I could go all day, why don’t I? Okay! AC/DC, Cactus, Sly and Family Stone, Rose Tattoo, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Mother’s Finest, Ted Nugent, Funkadelic, The Dead Boys, CCR, Motorhead, Hot Chocolate, The Temptations, KISS, okay enough for now.

5. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Daniel Rey, our producer, would be my first choice. He really is. I know that answer is about as exciting as dancing with your mother. But it’s the truth. My all time favorite producer is Norman Whitfield. He produced the big Motown funk sound from 1967-1972. But I don’t think he collaborated much. I think his instructions to  me would be “Shut up white boy, and go get me some coffee.”

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

We play Hardcore Rock n’ Roll. Better than punk. Cooler than metal. I hate when people say we play psychobilly! That’s pretty stupid. I like psychobilly. I like us.  But that’s a terrible description.

7. What’s the best thing about being a musician?

Oh shit! Let me count the ways! Getting to not to have a job. Getting to travel. Getting your ass kissed non stop. Getting to fool around with beautiful girls who normally would not even be in the same room as you. Actually, the best thing is playing music itself. Believe it or not, better than sex, better than drugs, is rock n’ roll. Amen!

8. When the band are all hanging out together, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

We can all cook. And we all can definitely drink. I hate acoustic guitars. I really do. Last refuge of the untalented. Or maybe that would be the ukulele. Having our band play acoustic is about the equivalent of taking a Nascar on a slow drive to look at Christmas lights. Waste of time engine power.

9. When was the last time you were star struck and who was it?

Good question! We’re  kind of buddies with some of our heroes like Billy Gibbons, George Clinton and Lemmy of course. And we’ve hung around Alice Cooper, Bruce Springsteen, Gene Simmons and Skynyrd. They’ve all been regular people to me. I think I’m more impressed with people who do something besides music. So, I guess the last time I got really excited was meeting Ricky from Trailer Park Boys. He came to our show in Victoria. I still brag about that.

10. If you weren’t a musician, what would be your dream job?

I couldn’t play music I’d rather be dead. So I guess my answer would be “dead guy”. But you can’t make a living being a dead guy these days.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over”, even if it didn’t change your current situation?

Crap. It’s like that amazing Faces song that is now all over that cheesy Amazon commercial. I wish I could’ve known what I know now when I was younger. But you can’t. So, what you gonna do? No serious missteps though. Other’s missteps have affected us more than our own. Basically for someone born in a small town Kentucky trailer park to a sixteen year old mother I’ve done quite well. I’ve constantly exceeded everyone’s expectations and very rarely ever let anyone down. Top that, then we’ll talk.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Exile On Main Street-Rolling Stones. Any guitar player would probably say the same. Being great and having fun. Making good music out of bad behavior. You can’t beat that.

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Category: Interviews