STEVE CONTE interview (New York / Dec. 3rd 2009)
Interview conducted by Claudia A. for Music-News.com

Legendary New York Dolls guitar slinger and busy bee Steve Conte has taken a breather to discuss his latest solo project and excellent new album ‘Steve Conte & The Crazy Truth’ (see our Album-reviews section). The truth is out there…

Music-News:
Hi Steve, it’s a real privilege doing this interview with you.
Here’s some questions I’d like to ask you – so let’s kick off:
Your latest band is called ‘The Crazy Truth’. Why have you decided to call your band after a poem by Charles Bukowski, and why this particular poem?

Steve Conte:
No real deep reason except that I love Bukowski and was looking for a name for the band while reading through one of his books. The poem ‘The Crazy Truth’ is kind of a random story about a nut job guy, wearing a red suit and causing a disturbance on the streets in LA – not the kind of thing that would inspire me to name a band after it, but when I began thinking of the subject matter of most of the songs on our album, ‘The Crazy Truth’ seemed the perfect name. They say “write what you know” and that is what I do, so that’s the truth part. They also say “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results” so that’s the crazy part.

MN:
‘The Crazy Truth’ first played at a T.Rex memorial concert back in 2005. Marc Bolan/T.Rex is often cited as a major influence to so many bands. How has T.Rex influenced YOU?

SC:
I was a kid when I first heard ‘Electric Warrior’… great memories. Some of my first sex was had to that album! T.Rex represented a lot of things that I loved all rolled up in one: psychedelic lyrics, groovy beats and big rock guitars!

MN:
The lyrics of your songs reflect two decades of NY lowlife, or life in the fast line if you will. However, some of your lyrics are witty and optimistic as well. Do you cultivate a love/hate relationship with New York?

SC:
Absolutely – though it is more love at the moment. NYC can be a very lonely place and when I was in that headspace, the hate prevailed. That kind of dissatisfaction with life fuels the need for distractions and escapes of various flavours – I thank God I didn’t die in the process. I walked the edge many times and always prayed afterward, “Please God, if I survive this one I promise I’ll straighten out tomorrow”. I really look at it as being given another chance because I have something bigger to do – whatever that is.

MN:
I recently saw an interesting docu called ‘The Story of CBGB’. If CBGB in all its ramshackle glory would still exist today, would ‘The Crazy Truth’ be one of the club’s house bands?

SC:
Well, I can’t say really because it would depend on a lot of factors… but I think that I would book shows there. I played one of the last shows at CBGB with New York Dolls and back in the early 90’s with Company Of Wolves. Next door at CB’s gallery, I was a regular with my band Crown Jewels. Oddly enough, I have played in that space a few times since designer John Varvatos has taken over the space; first with the Dolls for our latest record release party. JV has music on the 1st Thursday of every month - so back in September ‘The Crazy Truth’ did a show there. It was really cool because he has kept a lot of the vibe intact. So cool in fact that we just filmed our 1st video there for the song ‘Gypsy Cab’.

MN:
From your fellow band members Leeko and Phil to the special guests on the album to the mix-masters… the list reads like a who’s who of the music biz. How did you get all that talent on board?

SC:
Well, funny you say that… I really didn’t want to have it be a “who’s who” – ya know. I could have called in every artist I know and it would’ve been more like a supergroup album, but I really wanted it to be the band. I just sparingly had a few friends come in to spice things up in a spots. David Johansen is the obvious standout because of our New York Dolls history together, but the singers, Nikki & Cat and the horn players are all super talented folks who I know very well and we just had a blast!

MN:
What are your expectations concerning the new album and your band? Do you hope it gives the current music scene the kick it badly needs?

SC:
I would hope so, but more than anything I just want people to keep in mind what real music – played live by a bunch of guys and written from an honest place – sounds like. There are no machines on the album, no trying to second-guess the marketplace, etc. The more rock & roll guitar bands out there, the better… and ‘The Crazy Truth’ is real contender. Not that it’s a contest but – I’d put us up against any other band out there!

MN:
Your track ‘Busload of Hope’ has a distinct Mink vibe to it. You played with the late Mink/Willy DeVille on several occasions – is this song some sort of homage to him?

SC:
Not really… though now that you mention it, and others have as well, I could see where you might get that idea. I was a big fan of Willy/Mink DeVille and then I got a chance to tour with him, which definitely left an impression. But I think that a lot of whom Willy listened to and whom Tom Waits listened to – old blues and smokey jazz guys – are my influences as well. John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf, Satchmo – even Billie Holiday and Etta James… I love the girls, too!

MN:
What inspired you to ‘Junk Planet’?

SC:
That is my only political song… it’s about feeling small and helpless down here while the big governments are untouchable and get away with murder. If I could live on another planet, I might just start a commune and go! Leeko our bass player and I had many talks on this subject, the conspiracy theories, etc. He turned me on to the writer and controversial speaker David Icke (whose voice you hear on the song). I don’t need more things to be paranoid about but it just stands to reason that some of those with power will take advantage of it, misuse it and keep us little people in the dark about everything.

MN:
Many thanks for your time, Steve! I wish you the very best of success with your new solo project.

SC:
Thank you Claudia… it’s been my pleasure!
Check us out on the web:
www.steveconteandthecrazytruth.com and www.myspace.com/stevecontecrazytruth

(Please check out my ‘Steve Conte & The Crazy Truth’ album review on here)