Cocked And Loaded

03/25/2002 3:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

Since the breakthrough success of 1998's Devil Without A Cause, Robert James Ritchie, better known as Kid Rock, has gone from novelty act to a real rock star. Devil went on to go platinum10 times over, while the Kid has been spending his time with Pamela Anderson, acting as "cocky" as ever. LAUNCH caught up with the Kid at a nondescript Burbank, California recording studio on the eve of the American Music Awards, where the "American Bad Ass" held court on everything from playing for U.S. troops and hanging with President Clinton to bagging on Radiohead, LA-la land...and oh yes, he also talked a bit about his girlfriend.

LAUNCH: Are you doing anything else while you're here, other than interviews?

KID ROCK: Yeah, I'm remixing "Lonely Road Of Faith" with some players I got in from Nashville.

LAUNCH: Anyone we would know?

KID ROCK: Um, just some session players, a fiddle and mandolin...we already had a guy play pedal steel on it.

LAUNCH: Do you think that for some people it's hard to understand what you are doing?

KID ROCK: Sure, I'm sure it is for a lot of people, but they'll catch up. Catch me if you can. It just makes sense to progress musically and songwriting-wise; to try and make the powers-that-be happy, you know, I really can't really compete with what's going on right now. It's like, "Hey, untie your shoe and let's run the 50-yard dash so you can keep up with everybody." It's ridiculous.

LAUNCH: How do you think you'll sound five years from now?

KID ROCK: I could care less. I'm worried about what I'm going to be doing five minutes from now.

LAUNCH: Tell me about the experience of going to Germany to perform for the U.S. troops.

KID ROCK: It was a great experience. Going out hanging out with the troops, and you know it's kind of all summed up in the TV show, I don't what else I can say about it. It's a great thing to do, something I'm definitely proud of. I'd definitely do it again. Beyond even entertaining the guys, just hanging out with them, talking to them, getting to know them, taking me out shooting guns, taking out me out to the country bar to jam...you know, whatever it was, we had a great time doing it. We were happy to be there.

LAUNCH: You also did something for the families of the U.S.S. COLE?

KID ROCK: Yeah, they played my song "American Bad Ass" after it got bombed coming out of Yemen, so it touched me, so when we went to Norfolk, where the ship is based, we did a benefit show for the families of the 17 sailors that lost their lives and gave them money, and hopefully it did some good for them.

LAUNCH: Seems like people gravitate to your music as themes. One wrestler uses "Cocky"--did you know anything about that?

KID ROCK: No, I didn't know anything about that.

LAUNCH: Are you a wrestling fan?

KID ROCK: No, Joe C was the wrestling fan really in our clique. We all got our bits of wrestling through Joe C. It was fun to turn on once in a while. It's not the first thing on my TV dial, but a little bit goes a long way for me.

LAUNCH: Speaking of Joe C, I heard you and our bandmates all went out and got tattoos.

KID ROCK: Yeah, it was just something to keep on our arms close to our hearts. He'll always be with us. He's part of this band, and he always will be. So we just wanted to do something cool. I don't know, maybe it was something to make us feel better. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

LAUNCH: I reckon he won't be replaced?

KID ROCK: No, no, there's only one Joe C. The legendary Joe C. There'll never be another one.

LAUNCH: I heard he did some recording. Is that ever going to come out?

KID ROCK: No, we never got too far into it. There might be a couple things lying around. We got a lot of good memories, but you know, I'm really not the sleazy record executive: "Oh, somebody just passed away, hurry up and get a record out on them." That's terrible, man.

LAUNCH: On the same note, I heard that Leon Wilkeson from Lynyrd Skynyrd [who died in 2001] played on your latest album, Cocky, but he wasn't credited.

KID ROCK: We didn't include that track; it'll come out someday, but for some reason we didn't include that track. It's a great song, it's called "American Beauty." He played bass on it, it's probably the last bass track he played. Maybe it's better, 'cause I don't know if I feel a little weird about that. When a tragedy happens, I don't know if it's taking advantage or trying to get PR or light on it. I don't feel comfortable doing that stuff, so maybe it's better we let that stuff sit for a while--you know, let his family and friends grieve, then maybe one day bring that track out as a nice memorial, but not right away.

LAUNCH: What about the "Free Bird" sample you used?

KID ROCK: Yeah, it was great. They were great guys, they gave us a great rate on it, so thank you, boys. And I just actually sang a new rendition of "Give Me Back My Bullets" that [Skynyrd's] Rick Medlocke sent me, and laid some vocals down on that.

LAUNCH: For a while it wasn't cool to like classic rock bands like Foghat...well, at least in California.

KID ROCK: Well, L.A. doesn't count. let me tell you. On a scale of the United States, the Hollywood influence on what comes out, that's not the majority views of across the country. What we read in Us Weekly or People magazine, or Entertainment Tonight, it's not what the majority of the country is thinking. Let me tell you something: No one gives a sh-t that Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise got divorced. Nobody gives a sh-t that she's crying about it in every magazine, airing her public business or her private business in the public. Or at least where I come from--and I come from and I come the middle part, the Midwest--no one gives a rat's ass. It fills up space--you know, when you're taking a dump or you're on a plane from Detroit to L.A., it kills five hours, it's fun to read, digging into somebody else's business--but nobody really cares. I don't think that people are talking about what Kid Rock and Pam Anderson are up to tonight. I don't think anyone cares.

LAUNCH: Has dating Pamela affected your career?

KID ROCK: I'm sure it has in some way, but it's part of the river. The river runs, you just ride on it.

LAUNCH: I heard that you might be touring with Lynyrd Skynyrd--is that true?

KID ROCK: Possibly. We've talking to a couple of people, but definitely Skynyrd is one of them. We'll see. It seems like kind of a neat package, me and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

LAUNCH: And Hank Williams Jr. has been mentioned?

KID ROCK: Yeah, me and Hank have been talking about the F-Word Tour or something. There's a lot of possibilities. I just want to get out there and entertain people and try to get some good music involved so lots of different people can have a great time. I think that sometimes touring can get boring, seeing the same three acts in a row. I know when I listen to music in my car, I like to pop in a CD, then change genres and pop in this [other] type of CD. And I think that people like that in a show, not listening to the same thing all night. Things get redundant, so maybe to mix it up a little bit might be fun.

LAUNCH: I also read that you want to keep the ticket prices down.

KID ROCK: I don't know for what reason, but a lot of acts are just charging too much. You see these people go out and they charge all this money...you know, sometimes it just seems greedy to me. Maybe it's none of my business, but personally I like to keep mine at a fair price to see a show. 'Cause I know people work hard for their money, and it costs a lot of money--not only pay for a concert ticket but for parking, buy a couple of beers, buy a T-shirt, go get something to eat after the show...that's a lot of loot. Especially if you got a girlfriend.

LAUNCH: Can you tell me what you're going to do tomorrow night at the American Music Awards?

KID ROCK: Yeah, I have a dummy who's sitting in a chair that looks like me that has a little tape recorder behind him, and I make an announcement saying that I just wanted to make sure that my performance was at the caliber of my contemporaries and what's going on in music today, and to ensure that, here's my performance of my single, "Lonely Road Of Faith." And I'm not even onstage--there's a dummy there with a microphone with a tape recorder rolling. And then the curtain rolls up, then we ride out on the General Lee from Dukes Of Hazzard and we rock it live with the Twisted Brown Trucker Band and my backup girls Shirley and Misty, and we got a fiddle and mandolin and great harmonies from Nashville, and show people how to play live music. It's aimed at everybody that's doin' it [lip-syncing]. I think somebody's got to stand up and say something. I mean, it's gone on, it's been cute, now it's like, all right, that's enough, cut it out. Either play live or get off the stage. This isn't Solid Gold.

LAUNCH: What's the album that changed your life?

KID ROCK: What's the album that changed my life? Probably Radiohead's new record. It showed me what not to do.

LAUNCH: You really don't like Radiohead?

KID ROCK: No. I mean, they're probably really nice guys, and could probably have a beer and a really good time hanging out, but I don't get the music. I don't get it at all. I haven't given a lot of it a chance. It might be ignorant on my part, but for the most part, I've seen a few live things and heard some records...if I'm having a party and I've got some chicks over hanging out, and all my boys are hanging out, I'm not grabbing for the Radiohead CD. Flat out, it's not gonna happen. If I'm in the office with all my computer buddies and we're trying to design a website, I might put on Radiohead...

LAUNCH: You have a few collaborations on your new album: Sheryl Crow, Snoop...who did you prefer working with?

KID ROCK: Both of them--I'm not known for having a bad time--both of them were wonderful. Sheryl Crow, I can't say enough nice things about her, how talented she is--her playing. her singing. What a great person. We had a great time. We recorded it in Detroit. I wrote the song--it was nice to write from a woman's perspective, too. And then to have somebody of her caliber sing it and the two-part harmonies, our voices just melded together. Wonderful experience--spent the nights singing karaoke at the local bar down the street from the studio and just had a great time. And with Snoop, just chaos. It was out in California, a little bit of weed-smoking going on and me and my redneck buddies and all of his boys...you know, it was a great class and we had a lot of fun.

LAUNCH: What about all of the onstage collaborations you've done? With Aerosmith and others?

KID ROCK: It's always great playing with Aerosmith. So similar in attitudes and influences...Steven Tyler being a James Brown fan and those guys being so heavily blues-influenced, you know that's always a pleasure. Everybody--playing with Billy Gibbons, playing with Hank Jr., playing with Run-DMC--was phenomenal. I just love to play. The last time that Aerosmith was in Detroit, me and uncle Ted--Ted Nugent--went up there and jammed with them, and that was great. You know, playing with Metallica, when James Hetfield was hurt and went and sang with them a couple of nights. I love to play, so playing with different players is always a great time.

LAUNCH: Anyone you want to play that you haven't, someone who would be a dream come true?

KID ROCK: If God could send down Hank Williams for me and we could do something together...but I don't know, just someone who can go with the flow, whoever comes along and shows interest. I talked with Master P the other day--that would be fun. I'm just open-minded about music. I love to make it and it's fun to work with other talented people.

LAUNCH: You mentioned that you met Bill Clinton half-stoned in one of your songs. Tell me about that.

KID ROCK: I got invited to this event where the President was and got [stoned] and ended up in a room with, like...talk about the oddball, Gregory Peck, Jack Nicholson, and I'm like, "I don't know what I'm doing here." So I just started drinking. You know: free food, free beer, I'm there, let's party. So I'm hanging out and next thing I know, I go inside getting a couple of pops, and they're like, "Get in line if you want to meet the President," and I'm like, "What's up, dude?" Snapped the picture and I left.

LAUNCH: What did he say to you?

KID ROCK: Nothing--he said hi. I said, "Do you mind if I show some metal while we take the picture," and he's like, "Ah, go for it."

LAUNCH: How is it being a rock star and a parent? Is it tough?

KID ROCK: No, not at all, it's like anything else. Everybody's got different jobs, different things we do, and, I really don't look for mainstream acceptance for what I do as a father--you know, I try to keep to myself and raise my son how I see fit, and the best I can, and that's my business.

LAUNCH: Are you happy with the reception to Cocky so far?

KID ROCK: You know it's so much--and I said it before The History Of Rock came out--this work-build thing is the most ridiculous thing. I mean, it's not even on music, it's on everything, it's how many George Forman grills can he move in a week, you know, when it first comes out, how many Game Cubes are we going to sell? Who gives a sh-t? Is it a good product, is it going to be around for 10 years? You know, everyone sacrifices quality for numbers. And everyone's got their little book out of numbers of what's it doing, to answer to the powers-that-be. And it seems that everybody, especially in music and entertainment, has gotten so wrapped up in the numbers and figures and scans and just the all-around hype, that we kind of lose sight of what's good--what's good stuff, what should be out there competing, I think radio jocks should have more freedom--play some new stuff. I don't mind sacrificing some of my radio time for a new kid. Play a song, let people call in, see if they like. There's just so much bullsh-t going on, to be frank.

LAUNCH: What's some new music you've been listening to lately?

KID ROCK: I love that O Brother, Where Art Thou?, I've had that in my CD deck forever now. Um, what else...there's a lot of good songs out, but that doesn't really impress me. What impresses me is an artist, someone who establishes a solid career and a solid album, and a solid live performance. I like the whole package. You know, it's easy to make something and shove it down someone's throat real quick--good single, good video, something like that--but I think there's more to it than that. I think music is starting to change a little bit with the Strokes and White Stripes and stuff. I think we'll see a change in the next few years. It's not bad now, it just goes in a cycle, and we're in one of those cycles right now.