BROWN-EYED MAN AT THE GRANDE
Van Morrison sounds great on his new album Astral Weeks...too bad I can’t say the same for him in person. He (and his back-up group) played the Detroit Grande Ballroom February 21, and shouldn’t have. In the three minutes he allowed me for an interview, I found out he hates the Grande and just about anyone who sets foot into the place.
The CREEM Archive presents the magazine as originally created. Digital text has been scanned from its original print format and may contain formatting quirks and inconsistencies.
BROWN-EYED MAN AT THE GRANDE
Gayle Clark
Van Morrison sounds great on his new album Astral Weeks...too bad I can’t say the same for him in person.
He (and his back-up group) played the Detroit Grande Ballroom February 21, and shouldn’t have.
In the three minutes he allowed me for an interview, I found out he hates the Grande and just about anyone who sets foot into the place.
.1 asked him if he had known what the Grande would be like, and if so why did he come. His reply was rather asinine, saying that though he found out what it was like, he had a contract.
I guess now is the time to tell about his set, and then we’ll get back to the “interview”; First -Off he definitely isn’t the guy to have at the Grande.. .he’s too emotional. He didn’t enjoy what he was doing and it showed.. .although everything was musically correct, it sounded dead and ready to collapse. “Slim Slow Sliker” (off A strat Weeks) and “Brown-eyed Girl” were two songs he did that I’ve hear on records and the difference is tremendous! He said that the people weren’t listening to the words, and the words are the crux of his music. Maybe those people blocked off their minds because they were being recited, not sung. Morrison did his job. Halt. Full stop. “And that’s all, folks.” The breaks were long and too many, plus he never spoke one word to “his people” outside Of “goodbye” as he walked off stage. Not exactly the best way to win friends and influence people. All right, now, I shan’t be totally derogatory -1 must put in a few good words for his back-up men, Munc Blackburn and Tom Kielbaya. They are flutist (plus sax) and bass guitarist, respectively.
Fine musicians, too. Munc was the one who kept the entire thing from dying. Really great.
Now, back to the interview (?) scene. First off I must say that although he consented to an interview, he backed down later and said he didn’t want anything written — “it wouldn’t be good for him”. I can’t think of much else to tell you about that interview unless I went through a “play by play” description.. .which I actually could do (it was that short)., .but I’ll curb myself. When Mr. Morrison decided that he didn’t want anybody writing on him, he said “if it were a different time Or a different place, it would be OK, but.Maybe it would have changed my opinions on him, but that’s the way it goes — this chick writes what she sees and hears. Maybe next time, Mr. Morrison, if there is one.
