The Tom Tom Club are back on the road for the first time in a decade playing a series of shows that includes stops at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston and the Brooklyn Bowl in NYC. The band released a live album Genius of Live this week, which features a performance from the fall of 2001 along with a collection of “Genius of Love” remixes. Tom Tom Club co-founder Chris Frantz, took some time to discuss the new release, the development of the group and even a bit about the Talking Heads.
So Tom Tom Club is on the road for the first time in ten years. Can you talk about how it feels to be actively playing with the band again?
Well, it’s very nice until your flights get cancelled. We’re happy to be working, and the band is smokin’ hot. It’s a really good band. We had a really good show, well, all of the shows have been good, but we had a really fun show at a little music festival in Cincinnati on Saturday night called the Midpoint Music Festival. It was like the audience was starved for what Tom Tom Club had to offer. It was just wonderful. There were a few thousand people and it was just great.
So, we have been working. Last year, we played two big festivals in Japan and we played a festival in Spain. We played the Island Records 50th anniversary in London. So, it’s not like we haven’t been doing anything, we just haven’t done a bunch of things in a row for a while and it’s fun.
It sounds like the shows have been well-received.
Yes, totally. We also did something just the other day, and it will be airing this week. We did NPR’s ‘Tiny Desk Concert.’ It’s one of NPR’s biggest music things. The band goes in and plays at this guys desk – Bob Boilen who does “All Songs Considered” – and you play stripped down with acoustic instruments. It was really fun. That went over well.
I’d love to hear the Tom Tom Club play on acoustic instruments…
Yeah, we don’t usually do that. But, as it turns out our songs translate pretty well into acoustic form.
Is that something you might look at turning into a future project, or was it just a one-off type-thing?
I think it was more of a one-off type thing. We’ll leave the acoustic format to the acoustic musicians. [Laughs]. We’re heading more towards electronic and dub and stuff like that.
It’s been nearly 30 years since you guys started as the Tom Tom Club, which began as a side-project to Talking Heads. Can you talk about the circumstances that led to the formation of the band and how it evolved?
How it started was Talking Heads was having a pretty good success in the early eighties. We had done our Remain in Light record and we were touring the world, and doing really well. And then our lead singer Mr. Byrne decided he wanted to do a solo album. He informed us he was going to do a solo album but he said “I’m doing this, but I have no idea how long it’s going to take.” It was a collaboration with Twyla Tharp called The Catherine Wheel. And so, then Jerry, the keyboard player, thought “Well, if David’s doing a solo album, I’m going to do a solo album.” So he told us he was going to do one. And then, Tina and I thought “well, what the heck are we going to do?” [Laughs]. You know?
But, fortunately Chris Blackwell of Island Records was hip to the fact that a rhythm section is often what drives a record. Not always, but a lot of times, especially in reggae and funk music, the rhythm section is what drives the record.
And so, he realized that, and he said “Come on down to Compass Point studios, I want you to meet with Lee [“Scratch”] Perry and maybe he’ll produce the record, maybe not, but I want you to meet with him.” And, it just so happened that Lee Perry was in New York at the time. So, we met with him at the Howard Johnson on 8th Ave. where all the reggae bands would stay. And we had a meeting with Lee Perry and he was unusually weird – even for Lee Perry – and he said (in Jamaican accent) “Yah mon, I like to do this project, Tom Tom Club.” So, actually we didn’t even have the name Tom Tom Club yet, but he liked Tina and I well enough, and he had his assistant there who was sort of translating for him. I mean, we understood him fine, but he had this very very hot-like personal assistant, a female. She said “Lee will meet you” and we set the date for March of 1981, I think it was. And so, we went down to Compass Point, we’re waiting for him to show up. Studio’s booked, but Lee Perry doesn’t show. We wait another couple [of] days, “Scratch” still doesn’t show.
Three weeks later, we haven’t heard from him, we can’t locate him, nothing. So we said to Chris Blackwell “Look there’s this kid named Steven Stanley, he’s really great.” Chris knew him, of course, because [Stanley] was working as a staff engineer at Compass Point. [We said] “We’d like to just go into the studio with Stevie.” And he said, “Well, I’ll tell you what, you go in and do a single and if I like it then you can do a whole album.” So we went in and the first song we cut was “Wordy Rappinghood.”
So Chris Blackwell said “Great, I love it. Let’s release it right away and while you’re doing the album. We’ll have a single out to gain a little momentum.” So, they released the single and it went to number one in like seven countries in Europe and a bunch of countries in Latin America. Meanwhile, we were working on the rest of the album at Compass Point and it was just an amazing delightful experience. And, that’s how the project began.
You know, David did his thing and Jerry did his thing but Tom Tom Club was really what hit. And, a lot of people said “Oh, what a surprise.” [Laughs]. But, frankly, I wasn’t surprised because all along Tina and I had an enormous influence on what was happening in Talking Heads, musically speaking. For some reason, a lot of people thought it was like a one man show. But it was never a one man show, and the success of Tom Tom Club is kind of proof of that.
Did you ever anticipate that the Tom Tom Club would attain this type of longevity, managing to outlast the Heads?
No, we did not. At that time everything was going so well with Talking Heads. I mean, really, it was going great. We were having commercial success and artistic success, which often, as you know, do not go hand in hand. So, we considered ourselves to be very fortunate and who would break-up a band that had the best of both worlds? You know, who would ever want to quit that?
I can’t imagine.
But, you know, for one reason or another David decided he didn’t want to work with the rest of the band anymore. And so, Tom Tom Club has continued. Had we known his plans we would have, like, put the pedal to the metal with Tom Tom Club. But, we were very laid back about it and we always considered Talking Heads to be the mother ship, you know? So, we were completely devoted and loyal to Talking Heads at all times. But, unfortunately not everyone else was.
As you said Tom Tom Club formed after the completion of Remain in Light. Remain in Light was recorded in the Bahamas…
Yeah, in the same studio.
I’ve noticed that Remain in Light deeply explores the use of polyrhythm, percussion and rhythmic-oriented grooves, which is something that carried over to the Tom Tom Club. Tom Tom Club also formed in the Bahamas, and it seems as though the band continued to explore that percussive, polyrhythmic sound. Was that an influence that came from working with Brian Eno on Remain in Light, or was that an influence that came from the music of the islands?
Well, what it really came from was an interest in African music, and reggae and dub music that started in college in the early 70’s when we were at the Rhode Island School of Design. I would go up to Boston and buy African records in these African Stores that sold dashikis and stuff. [Laughs]. And, that’s where I discovered Fela Kuti and, you know, also Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey and people like that. And then, Manu Dibango had that hit with “Soul Makossa” in like 1972, maybe it was ’73. And then, of course, there was James Brown, who we loved and adored and still do.
So, we had that interest, it just took us a while of, sort of osmosis, sort of listening to that kind of music and finally being able to play it – or play something kind of like it, something influenced by it. It took a while to get those kind of chops. Brian Eno discovered African music also, at some point, and so really the turning point was the song “I Zimbra.” When we recorded “I Zimbra” on Fear of Music in 1979, that was like a road sign, you might say. We were like, “let’s go in this direction.” So we did it.
Can you talk about some of the specific reggae and dub artists that were part of the initial idea when you were coming up with the Tom Tom Club?
Well, of course there’s Lee Perry, but there’s also a guy named Dr. Alimantado who has an album called The Best Dressed Chicken In Town. [Laughs]. And there was a guy named Tapper Zukie. Those were the main ones. We were also listening to Big Youth and U-Roy and I-Roy and people like that.
It seems, with the Tom Tom Club, that there was an attempt to depart from the sound created by the Heads. Was that an intention you had when starting the band or did that come about merely as a coincidence?
No, it was on purpose. We didn’t want people to say “Oh, they’re just copying their other band.” You know, “They’re just trying to ride on Talking Heads’ coattails.” We wanted to do something that was kind of happy, and fun to play and fun to listen to – more overtly joyful.
Your newest release is called Genius of Live and it features a live performance as well as a collection of remixes. How did that come about?
This is a re-release of our last live album. The last album got a shitty release by a company called “Imusic” which doesn’t really exist anymore, I don’t think. The guy who signed us to the label, well, it was a licensing deal, and the guy who licensed the record quit the company pretty much two days after he licensed it from us. So we got lousy release, nobody knew it was out hardly at all, there was no promotion whatsoever and it was pretty much a non-existent thing.
So Tomas Cookman runs Nacional Records, and is a friend of ours because he had asked Tina and I to produce one of his bands Los Fabulosos Cadillac from Argentina. This was back in 1995, also recorded at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas. We had a wonderful experience with Los Fabulousos Cadillac. The record was a major sensation in Latin America. The band was playing stadiums, and still continues to do so in Latin America.
But we remained friends with Thomas and he called me up and he said, “Listen, I’ve been playing that old live album of yours in my office and people keep popping their heads in to say “What’s that? I’d like to hear that!”” And so he said, “What would you think if we rereleased it?” and Tina and I thought that would be a great idea because it never had a proper release in the first place. And, we’re very happy with our band, it’s the same players we’re working with now, and they deserve a good treatment.
So, we agreed to do that with Tomas Cookman and Nacional and then he said “Well, some of our artists would love to do a remix of “Genius of Love”, what do you think?” And we said, “Great! That’d be fine.” And so, they put the word out that they wanted to have remixes done and it turns out that eleven people, eleven serious artists, wanted to do it. And they’re all different. Have you heard them?
I have. They sound great.
They’re all different. They’re all great. I’m very happy with all of them. I think some of them will be great in the club. In fact, some DJs we know are already spinning them. Some of them are going to be pressed on vinyl. And, we’re just very happy about it. So that’s why it looks like there are two records, but it’s a reissue of something that never had a proper release.
You mentioned that you’re touring with the same lineup that’s featured on Genius of Live…
With one exception. Actually with a couple of exceptions. The guitarist we’ve been working with now is Fuzz.
From Deep Banana Blackout.
Yeah, and also Caravan of Thieves, his current band. And actually, Caravan of Thieves has been opening for us on some of these shows. And instead of Steve Scales on percussion we have Kid Ginseng scratching now on the turntable. But, the core of the band is the same.
Let’s talk a bit about your connection to the jamband world. You’ve obviously aware of Phish covering Remain in Light in 1996. The Tom Tom Club returned the favor with a cover of Phish’s “Sand” (first released on the Sharin’ in The Groove compilation album and now available with the itunes download of Genius of Live). With the addition of Fuzz, who hails from the jam scene, you seem to have furthered the connection. Can you talk about this connection and your thoughts on Phish and some of the other bands in the jam scene?
Well, I’m happy to be associated with them in any way at all. They’re great players and it’s a great scene. I mean, anyone who can sell the amount of tickets that Phish sells must be doing something right. And, I appreciate the fact that they like what we did and I’m happy to return the favor.
Actually, Phish’s bassist Mike Gordon has mentioned that one of the first songs they performed as a band when they first got together in a college dorm room in the mid-eighties, was “Pulled Up” (off Talking Heads’ 77). So the roots may run even deeper than you may think.
[Laughs]. Well, that’s very nice of them to mention it.
What did you think about covering “Sand” and how did you decide on that song?
We were called up by a guy who runs the Mockingbird Foundation for music education. They did this album called Sharin’ in the Groove. They approached us and we were happy to be part of that.
You mentioned that Fuzz is opening with his own outfit Caravan of Thieves. Can you talk about how you first discovered Fuzz?
Well, we saw Fuzz playing with Deep Banana Blackout back in…what was it? Well, it was the early days of Deep Banana Blackout. And, then we became friends with them and we just started hanging out. They would invite us to parties at their house, and vice versa, and we just became socially friendly.
And then, our guitarist Robby Aceto, who’s on the recording of Genius of Live, his wife had a baby and he didn’t want to be on the road so much anymore. So we called up Fuzz and said “Fuzz, would you be able to join the Tom Tom Club for a few shows?” And a few shows led to more shows, and now we’ve been working together for, I think, nine years or something like that. And he does his own too with Caravan of Thieves, so he’s a busy guy.
What’s it been like watching Caravan of Thieves evolve?
I think they’re really cool and they’re very different from everyone else who’s out there – they’re unique – and they’ve got a great sense of humor. They do a killer version of “Psycho Killer”. [Laughs]. I’m just happy to work with them. And, you know, I’m happy that Deep Banana Blackout still gets together every once in a while to do a show because, to me, they’re about the best funk band out there right now.
On Genius of Live there are two extended improvisations on the songs “Genius of Love” and “Wordy Rappinghood”. Is improvisation an important part of your live performances, or did these just spontaneously occur on stage?
Some of it is worked out and rehearsed, but there’s always room for what we call “happy accidents” that sort of, to use a cliché, take it to another level. Sometimes you’re playing something that you’ve rehearsed over and over again, and one night something different happens just by accident and you say “Oh, that’s even better than it was before.” [Laughs].
I would say that you’re one of the originators of the style of disco drumming that doesn’t rely heavily on the use of drum machines. Over the years, there have been lots of technological advancements in the area of drumming. Have you incorporated technology into your drum set-up at all?
Well, when I play live, I just play the best I can. I’m not an overly technical type of drummer, and I know there are a lot of those guys out there – guys that have super chops that are super technical. I’m more of a drummer who plays to serve the song. I don’t like to write parts that are hard for me to play, because when I get out there in front of an audience, I don’t want to do something that I think is hard for me to do. I want to just be groovin’. [Laughs]. So my parts are complicatedly simple.
What about in terms of electric drum pads and things of that sort?
I have used them in the past, yes, but I’m not using any right now. We have a keyboard player and percussionist, Bruce Martin, who plays a lot of percussion. We don’t really need anything more right now. However, I am interested in electronic music a lot lately. And, we’re just rebuilding our studio here in Connecticut, so I think we might be doing something of that nature in the future.
In the past you’ve hinted at a possible willingness to collaborate with David Byrne. Is there any possibility of that happening, and is it still something you’d be willing to do?
Tina and I are totally open to working with David. It’s he who has refused to work with the rest of us in Talking Heads. So we haven’t burned that bridge. If he changes his mind, and wakes up one day and says maybe that would be fun, we would be right there.
