 Photo courtesy In the Red Records |
Dirtbombs
Drive On Mick
Collins By Kevin Wierzbicki |
Photo courtesy In the Red Records |
Dirtbombs
Drive On Mick
Collins By Kevin Wierzbicki |
| Mick Collins has long toiled on the Detroit assembly line. Not the one that produced the fabulous mid-‘60s Thunderbirds, but the one that creates the equally cherished soundtrack heard over the engine purr of that classic car. There are no Edsels among Collins’ production: he’s a founding member of the Gories, the Screws, Blacktop and the Dirtbombs, all critically acclaimed and all drawing inspiration from the original wave of “garage” bands like the Sonics, 13th Floor Elevators and the MC5 as well as houserockin’ blues and soul players like Hound Dog Taylor and Johnny “Guitar” Watson. Collins has kept the basic design and re-tooled a little, still refusing to put in air bags, and come up with this year’s model, the Dirtbombs’ Dangerous Magical Noise (In The Red). The record is custom-built for that Friday afternoon ride home with paycheck in hand and party in mind. In fact, Noise’s first track is “Start the Party”--a free-flowing sentiment whenever Collins is involved. His groups have always infused soul into their rave-ups, like the Gories’ cover of John Lee Hooker’s “Boogie Chillun” or a Dirtbombs version of Curtis Mayfield’s “Kung Fu,” but now Collins has taken the gloves off for a full blown Parliament/Funkadelic-style project, the Voltaire Brothers’ I Sing The Booty Electric (Fall of Rome). Partnering with bassist Jerome Gray for the disc, the multitalented Collins adds drumming, harmonica and keyboard to his usual role as singer and guitarist. Collins took our questions about both efforts by e-mail; the notations of amusement and emoticons in the responses are his. |
Kevin Wierzbicki: The Voltaire Brothers is a great name for your new band. Any worries that this music will get you thrown in the Bastille? Mick Collins: Actually, France is one of the only countries with an active funk scene, so I think we might find a safe house or two in “La Resistance.” Kevin: Do you think that pop music in general is going through an “age of enlightenment” right now? Mick: No. If it were, Robert Wyatt would be topping the charts right now, and Clay Aiken would still be waiting tables. Kevin: Have you and Jerome played these songs out live, or are there potential Voltaire Brothers shows in the works? Mick: Well, we’ve talked about live shows, but so far we haven’t gotten very far with any plans. Kevin: I Sing The Booty Electric’s “Which One” takes me back to my high school days listening to the Superfly soundtrack. Ever have any thoughts of making a movie? Mick: I’ve been in one movie, and scored one. Oh, it was all the same movie, Wayne County Ramblin’. I scored it and played the guardian spirit of the protagonist. The movie hasn’t really had a release yet. I’d love to score more movies, but I don’t really think I have the knack, unless it was some sort of weird artsy thing. |
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Kevin: If Dangerous Magical Noise is widely heard, the Dirtbombs will surely be the next “it” band. Are you ready for both the positives and negatives that come with that? Kevin: Your songwriting has very obviously matured. Are garage rock and maturity compatible? Mick: I don’t know. I haven’t written a garage rock song since 1991. Kevin: Dangerous Magical Noise’s “Motor City Baby” conjures the ghost of Marc Bolan. Are you a big fan of T. Rex? Mick: Heck yeah! :). Kevin: I figure it’s nothing dirty, and maybe the “D” stands for “Detroit,” but what does the song title F.I.D.O. stand for? Mick: (chuckle) It’s an old military term; it stands for “Fuck It, Drive On”. Kevin: Is the Dirtbombs’ line-up the same for the tour as it is on Dangerous Magical Noise? |
Mick: No. Tom Potter signed a deal with Acid Jazz Records, so he’s already on tour with his own band, the Detroit City Council. Ko Shih from Ko and the Knockouts is filling in. Kevin: The Dirtbombs’ tour stops in Scotland at Thanksgiving. Ever have turkey haggis? Mick: Nope, and I plan on keeping it that way, thanks. Ironically, I had one of the best pizzas I’ve ever eaten in Glasgow. And no, it wasn’t topped with haggis. Kevin: Are European crowds hipper than American? Do you find the vibe different overseas? Mick: I’ve had a fan base in (continental) Europe since the early nineties. Our crowds there know what we’re about, so we don’t get a lot of people saying, “I thought you were a garage band,” like in the U.S. and U.K. :). Kevin: What mix of songs are you playing on this tour? Mick: A little bit of everything. We play songs from all three L.P.s, and some singles. Kevin: Your liner notes for the recent Blacktop anthology (I Got a Baaad Feelin’ About This, In The Red) make it clear that working on the compilation dredged up some painful memories for you. For that reason, have you retired these songs from your repertoire? |
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Mick: I don’t mix bands, so songs written for one band don’t get played by any other, generally speaking. Kevin: What can the Detroit crowd expect from the Dirtbombs’ New Year’s Eve performance? Mick: Extreme drunkenness. Oh wait, they get that at every Detroit performance… Kevin: What would your dream guitar be like? Mick: It would be a solidbody with three single-coil pickups, that didn’t sound like a Fender Stratocaster. Kevin: Been to any comic book conventions lately? Going soon? Mick: Because of Dirtbombs commitments, I haven’t been to any conventions since January 2003, and I won’t make it to any until July 2004. Kevin: Did your interest in comics carry over from childhood, or begin in adulthood? Mick: I didn’t start buying comic books until I was in college. I think I was 22 when I first went into a comic book store. Kevin: Is there a particular issue or series that you would really love to own? Mick: It’d be kinda cool to have a complete Green Lantern run, but I have just about all of the older titles I wanted as a kid. Kevin: Which is bigger, your comic collection or your music collection? Mick: My record collection is bigger by far. :) Kevin: Are you handling any production chores for any acts at this time? Mick: (Laughs) I wish. Kevin: What do you have cooking for 2004? |
