The following interview originally appeared in The E-townian, 2/20/98. The interview actually took place 2/11/98. The article following the interview was taken from Rockpile Magazine, April 1998. Both were written by Chris Johns. Many thanks to Chris for his contribution to this mecca we call Pro Rock.

"RIDING THE CLUTCH" with Neil Fallon

"Part man, part myth, part knight, part dragon. With candor and iconoclastic humor recounts the story of a most extraordinary life, one of the most controversial of the 20th cen tury. Clutch's impact on American culture is undeniable. A symbol of change, adventure aud self-discovery, Clutch and their story offer a history of our times." And so reads the liner of "Prime Numbers," the newest promotional sampler EP from Clutch.

In 1991, a band was born out of Germantown, MD, teetering on the edge of truth and fantasy, earth and space, conscious and subconscious. With frontman Neil Fallon, guitarist Tim Sult, bassist Dan Maines, and drummer Jean Paul Gaster, Clutch has been sensually stimulating fans, young and old alike, with their unique combination of intense sound and clever, intellectual lyrics.

Fueled by the past success of 1993's "Transnational Speedway League: anthems, anecdotes and undeniable truths" and 1995's "Clutch" (both of which sold more than 100,000 copies) and several national tours, the band is on the verge of their third full-length LP, "The Elephant Riders." This time around Sony's Columbia Records will release the album, which doesn't hit the stores until April 14.

In the meantime, Clutch has embarked on a mini-tour with Limp Bizkit and Sevendust, dubbed "Ladies' Night in Cambodia." It will make its stop at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster Tue. Feb. 24. Recently, I had a chance to talk with Neil about, among other things, record labels, the Civil War and Branford Marsalis.

Part I. Life since Clutch:

Christopher: One obvious change from 1995's Clutch was your decision to change record labels from Atlantic to Columbia. I wonder if you could discuss what was involved in that decision?

Neil: Well, to sum it up in a nutshell, Atlantic sucked and..... (Brief pause for housekeeping) Well, they (Atlantic Records) didn't take any interest in what we were doing. We started the album with them and after a while it became evident that they just weren't interested. Our manager did some fancy footwork and got us off that label and Columbia actually purchased the album so they could release it. The main reason we initially went to Atlantic was because at that point in time we had already started Clutch and the album before that (1993's Transnational Speedway League: anthems, anecdotes and undeniable truths) was on EastWest Elektra and they dropped us and the only way we could get that album (Clutch) was to release it on a label in the same system, otherwise we would've had to lose that album and start over from scratch and we weren't ready to do that.

Christopher: Has anything else changed since the last album? I know you guys have moved.

Neil: Yeah, the guys live in Shepardstown, WV, well everyone except for myself. I moved to Colorado to be with my girlfriend.

Part II. The Elephant Riders:

Christopher: I just received an advance tape copy of The Elephant Riders and the Prime Numbers promo EP of new material yesterday and I haven't had a great deal of time to listen to it. What I have heard is quite interesting and I think the Clutch fans out there will be happy with it. I wonder if you could talk about the new record?

Neil: Well, we recorded a bunch of songs for it. I think it was a total of 18 songs and we picked the ones that we liked best. I did an interview the other day and I think she noted that the new album wasn't as tongue-in-cheek. I guess it might be a little bit true.

Christopher: Do you feel like the album was rushed?

Neil: No, not at all. I think the first session was rushed and then we did it again. Columbia let us mix it twice because we weren't happy with it the first time. We are completely happy with the finished product. It was just such a long drawn-out process, by the end we just wanted to get it over and done with.

Christopher: Of all the songs that made the new record, I Was wondering what your favorite track might be, lyrically speaking?

Neil: "Muchas Veces."

Christopher: I was wondering what you might say about that song and the instrumental "Crackerjack", because musically it's a slight variation from past Clutch material, with the horn and all.

Neil: Yeah, that player is Delfeayo Marsalis, he's Branford Marsalis' younger brother. I believe it was Jean-Paul's idea. We saw Delfeayo play with Elvin Jones Jazz Machine and just on a whim we had some people call him up and his people to see if he might be interested in doing this. We sent him a tape and he took a plane up from New Orleans and drove up to the house, just by himself. I mean, he laid out the tracks in one night. I mean the guy's such a professional musician, so he can do that type of thing. I'm really pleased with it.

Christopher: How about you're favorite track musically?

Neil: I'd have to say "Crackerjack". There were lyrics to that song at one point, but its sort of repetitive and the nature of it makes it a good instrumental. It's nice to have a song on their that doesn't necessarily really fit into the four-minute single track; it breathes different life into the album.

Christopher: As in past records, you use the forum of a song as a context for telling a story. Almost to the point where you might develop "intelligent listeners," since there are so many references in your material. Personally, I think it's really creative, ironic and witty to do such a thing. I mean today you turn on the radio today and listen to so much generic music that it's just not interesting anymore. How did you adopt such an approach?

Neil: Well, I never write about myself because it just doesn't interest me enough. I'll usually hear rhythms and sounds first and then they'll get shaped into words, then what I do is that I'll let the rhyme scheme carry the plot. It's almost like a stream of consciousness in a way; eventually it becomes a story. It's not as easy as it might sound, it really does take a long time. A rhyming dictionary helps too.

Christopher: What are some of the storytelling context of some of the tracks on The Elephant Riders? In other words, what are the songs about?

Neil: Well, the title track I wrote in New York. In the area where we were living, down there near Harpers Ferry (WV), we were living in an old house that had a lot of history. History plays a prominent role in that whole area, I was really into the Civil War history, which is huge down there. The song entertains the surreal image of elephants being used by the armies during the civil war. There is no factual basis for this except for the names of the places in the song. I was taking a history class at the time and maybe I did retain some of the information, but I'm by no means a history expert.

Christopher: I know your songs are just stories, but could they be possibly be symbolic representations of real life?

Neil: All the songs are all completely made up. In retrospect, I have in the past taken a look back at a song that I'd wrote and it might be indicative of something I may have been doing or thinking at the time, but its never been intentional. Possibly on a subconscious level?

Christopher: There are many elements of The Elephant Riders that are similar to past Clutch material, but you worked with a new producer in Jack Douglas. How was that experience?

Neil: It was cool. I mean, it was a New York studio there were fresh bagels and a kitchen in there. It was a definite change of pace from what we were recording in West Virginia. I think the change was good. It allowed us to take a step back from what we were so involved in a take it from a different angle.

Part III. "Ladies Night in Cambodia '98":

Christopher: Historically, you've toured with some pretty crazy acts, can you
relay any memorable Clutch moments? Specifically, what's your take on your
Marilyn Manson experience?

Neil: I would say this about that tour. I went into that tour with a very bad attitude. I'm not apologizing for anything, but I didn't spend much time with him or them. C'mon, it's kinda hard to talk to someone in fishnet stockings. It's a show. It's not like when we go backstage, they're waiting around a bonfire with pitchforks.

Christopher: What can we expect for this upcoming mini-tour, "Ladies Night in Cambodia"?

Neil: I would expect the first few weeks to be us learning to play the songs together. Once we learn them back and forth and inside out, we can then start playing them in different arrangements and include more improvisation. We've learned them in the past but it's a matter of playing them live. I mean, what's the point in going to see a band if they're going to play the same as the album, when you can go home and listen to the same thing over and over again. That becomes very repetitious for us as well.

Christopher: You're touring with Limp Bizkit and Sevendust are you familiar with them?

Neil: No, I've heard of them but not of their music.

Christopher: What are you listening to these days?

Neil: I just got a free copy of Bob Dylan's new record, which is on Columbia. I
don't consider myself much of a Bob Dylan fan; I was completely surprised that I
liked it. I was also listening to the Beatles' "White Album" last night. I like classic
rock and old blues stuff. There isn't much new music out there these days that I
like.

Christopher: What are your plans into this summer?

Neil: We're with Limp Bizkit and Sevendust for about two months, then we'll be headlining our own shows, which will probably take us to Europe for a couple of weeks, then after that we'll probably try to jump on one of those summer festivals, like Ozzfest or Warped. Korn's thing is also a possibility for us to look in to.

Clutch

by Chris Johns

(taken from Rockpile Magazine, April, 1998)

"If I had a choice, we would be the first band on, because the quicker we play the quicker we can get down here to the bar," explains veteran Clutch frontman Nell Fallon from the depths of Lancaster, PA's Chameleon Club. "The way I look at it, we're in the process of learning how to play the new material live. Once we learn it inside and out, backwards and forwards, we'll feel much more comfortable performing them. I mean, what's the point in going to see a fucking band if they are going to play the same shit as the album when you can just sit at home And listen ro the record over and over again? It becomes very repetitious for us, as well."

With the recording of its third full-length album under its belt, Clutch has embarked on a two-month stint with Sevendust and Limp Bizkit in support and anticipation of this month's release of The Elephant Riders. "I think we're gonna actually have a release party in D.C. for 15 or so of our friends that might actually show up to something like that," adds soft-spoken bassist Dan Maines. Guitarist Tim Suit and skinman Jean Paul Caster round out the band.

Born out of Germantown, Md., in 1991, the members have been playing together ever since high school, supporting bands like Marilyn Manson, Pantera, Bad Religion and Prong. Teetering on the edge of truth and fantasy, seriousness and sarcasm, conscious and subconscious all the while, Clutch released its major label debut, Transnational Speedway League on EastWest in 1993. The band followed with 1995's Clutch on Atlantic, both of which sold more than 100,000 copies largely due to extensive touring that built a strong following. The Elephant Riders will appear on Sony's Columbia label.

"This last album has been such a long drawn-out process, and I think by the end we just wanted to get it over and done with, but we're completely happy with the final product," says Fallon.

"We were locked in the age-old struggle of band, label and contract," adds Maines.

"To sum it up, Atlantic sucked. They didn't take any interest in what we were doing. We started the album with them, and after a while it became apparent that they just didn't care about us.
Our manager did some fancy footwork and got us over to Columbia so they could release it. They let us mix it twice and were completely cool with what we wanted to do, which I don't think was evident at Atlantic. We recorded about 18 songs for Elephant Riders and came to New York armed with new material, a new label and a new producer in Jack Douglas (Aerosmith, John Lennon, Patti Smith, Cheap Trick), which was really cool for us," says Fallon.

The Elephant Riders is a blue-collar record, which seems to exemplify the down-home, non-glam aura of the band. By incorporating classically progressive intensity and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, Clutch has added some non-traditional elements to set this album apart from its first two efforts.

"We were lucky enough to enlist the services of Delfeayo MarsaIlis, Branford Marsallis' younger brother. It was by complete luck that it came about," says Maines. "We saw him play with Elvin Jones Jazz Machine last year, and we had our people send him a demo tape to see if he might be interested in working with us. Just like that he took a plane from New Orleans by himself, drove up to the house and laid out those tracks in one night. I mean the guy's such a professional musician, so he can do that type of thing. We're really pleased with what he did for us. It adds another dimension to Clutch, especially in 'Muchas Veces' and 'Crackerjack' from the new record."

Clutch, perhaps following the example of the legendary John Brown, felt compelled to jump the border into West Virginia to further enlightenment this time around. Not that it wouldn't be anyone's prime vacation destination, unless, of course, they were a famous abolitionist in search of stirring up some trouble with the locals.

"In Harpers Ferry area we were living in an old house that was full of history, and it may have rubbed off on me a little," notes the plaid-shirted, baseball cap-wearing Fallon.

"Not to mention the ghosts and shit that live in that place," injects Maines.

"Anyway, the title track entertains the surreal image of elephants being used by the armies during The Civil War. Of course, no factual basis exists for such a thing except for the names of the places mentioned in the song," continues Fallon. "All of my songs arc completely made up. In retrospect, I have in the past taken a look back at a song, and it might be indicative of something I may have been doing or thinking at the time, but it's never intentional."

It's Fallon who exclusively handles the lyrical aspect of Clutch, while Maines, Sult, and Gaster oversee the instrumentation. With his raspy voice, razor-sharp wit and unique ability to present a brief history lesson into the context of each album track, Fallon tends to spawn clever and intelligent listeners.

"I never write about myself. I guess it doesn't interest me enough. I usually hear rhythms and sounds first, and then they'll get shaped into words. Then I let the rhyme scheme carry the plot. It's almost like a stream of consciousness in a way; eventually it becomes a story. It's not as easy as it might sound, it really does take a long time. At times it's magical, and at times it can be a downright painful process. A rhyming dictionary helps, too."

(Editor's note. During the American Civil War, the king of Siam actually offered President Abraham Lincoln war elephants to help the northern effort. Lincoln politely declined the offer.)