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"Who’s got what, how many cars, all that crap that means nothing. It means nothing."Just as he finished up the European and Japanese legs of his world tour, Lenny Kravitz was poised to hit North America harder than Thor’s furious hammer. And then, faster than Hermes running to the liquor store before it closes, Kravitz cancelled his appearances and disappeared, leaving behind a new album and the promise to return next year. ChartAttack had a chance to talk with the man, the myth and the legend about relevant topics like his hair, his island in the Bahamas and how to pick up chicks. ChartAttack: Hey Lenny, what happened to the funk? Weren’t you working on a funk album? Lenny Kravitz: I started it, but then something pushed me in another direction and I made Baptism and that’s what needed to come out at that time. I read the liner notes for the album and, I mean, I knew that you played most of the instruments, but you do everything! Why don’t people think of Lenny Kravitz as a singer-songwriter? I don’t get that, because I’ve been doing that since Let Love Rule, but I guess people don’t really pay attention to… when I was a kid and I bought a record, I ripped that thing open, I wanted to know who was playing what, what studio it was cut at, who was the string arranger, who was the engineer… y’know what I mean? Now people aren’t really interested in that, but I’ve been playing all the instruments since the first album! What’s the matter with kids these days then? I don’t think that interests them. They’re more interested in who you’re going out with, what you’re wearing, how much money you have… they’re into all the superficial stuff, I mean, that’s our culture right now, "The Fabulous Life Of." Who’s got what, how many cars, all that crap that means nothing. It means nothing. They seem to like talking about you hair though. I just chopped it off so they can’t talk about that any more, but it’s weird. It’s weird to me, I’m an artist, y’know? It’s weird. Your look has been a big part of your music though. You sure it’s not calculated? I just like change. I’m a person who likes change, always have been. How about the changes in the music industry then? Do you think rock 'n' roll is dead? Do I think rock is dead? No, but I think the music business is fucking dead. [laughs] Is there still good, original music being made out there in your opinion? I think it’s coming as a reaction to all the homogenization. Several songs on your new album seem to reject the superstar way of life. "I Don’t Wanna Be A Star" has you wistfully longing to climb into a Chevy with an old guitar, leaving it all behind. Why don’t you? I have and I can and I do. There’s times when I go to my island in the Bahamas and, y’know, I’m the most regular guy you’d meet. It’s funny ‘cause somebody came looking for me, y’know, sometimes they come looking for me and they were talking to one of the locals and they were like, they were looking for me and they were asking what I was like and the girl they were talking to just started laughing and she goes, "Lenny? You mean him?" ‘Cause, y’know, I’m the guy who’s wearing the same jeans for, like, a month; I have no shoes when I’m there, like, I literally have none. They were talking all this rock star stuff and the girl was laughing 'cause she was like "Lenny walks around here without combing his hair, wears the same thing for a month and has no shoes" and that’s how they know me down there, so that’s a place where I get to go and be that person. In the video for "Where Are We Running" we get to see a glimpse of superstar Lenny in the lap of luxury, but you look pretty distasteful in the shoot. My life is nothing like that, I just chose that character to sort of just get the song across. Here’s this guy, here’s all the bling-bling, money, fame, women, all the things that people love to watch and think are fabulous, but it shows this guy having all that stuff and at the end he breaks down, ‘cause he doesn’t know who he is, he doesn’t know where his soul is, he’s empty, all the people around him are full of shit… it’s just showing, it’s not what you always think it is. Finally, Lenny, just between us guys, what advice would a babe magnet like you give to a total lamewad like me? [laughs] I don’t know… I don’t know if I’m the guy to ask, but I’d just say be yourself man, don’t fake the funk, be yourself. If the girl don’t like that, then too bad. That’s easy for you to say, you’re Lenny Kravitz. [laughs] by David Missio (ChartAttack.com) |