The Insider
Brief Interviews With Important People
By Andy Langer, Fri., March 16, 2001
Who: David Fricke
Why He's Important: He's not just a senior editor at Rolling Stone, but also a legitimate, enthusiastic, and unabashed music fan.
The Game Plan: "Generally, I just walk the streets. Because I have the opportunity to see a lot in New York, I don't sweat too much, as opposed to people from the Midwest not living in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, or Chicago.
"I have a cursory look at the schedule while in New York, talk to my editors, and come up with a couple of things we know we'll review in advance. One of those was Aterciopelados from Bogotá, who were fan-fucking-tastic. I'd seen them before in New York, but to see them in a club in this kind of hothouse atmosphere was transcending. We also agreed to do the New Pornographers, which was a great idea, because I got to see Ray Davies play 'Starstruck.' It wasn't being at the right gig, it was the stars being aligned."
This Year's Right Shows: "The Holmes Brothers were great, and tonight I'm seeing the Soft Boys because I saw them in 1978 in London and have to see them again. One of the great shows I saw I didn't even get in. I was walking by Sixth Street and I heard about the Deathray Davies, and I love Sixties-style garage rock. There was a line to get in, but because of the way the Drink is set up -- with the band in the window and their backs to the street -- I was tall enough to actually see without going in. And the door was open, so it sounded great. They were killer. I went to buy their record yesterday."
On Parties: "I don't go to the parties, not because I'm antisocial, but because there's something about seeing music at a party that doesn't seem right to me. I just don't feel as comfortable as at a showcase. I did see the Streetwalkin' Cheetahs at a party, which was great. But other than that, I'd rather buy records, go see bands, and do my work. What's not to like?"
On SXSW's Evolution: "Say what you want, but there's music here. If you're gonna have 900 bands and just hypothetically half of them suck, that's 450 things worth seeing. When do you see 450 worthwhile things in an entire year? I understand that the city has changed, and I can see some of that over the 10 years I've been coming down, but until Bill Gates comes to town or Rudy Giuliani becomes mayor, I'm not going to sound the death knell. Besides, I have the Soft Boys to see tonight …"
