Steve Earle: I love Liverpool, so it’ll be a hell of show

May 16 2008 by Mike Chapple, Liverpool Daily Post

Mike Chapple talks exclusively to the ‘Hardcore Troubadour’ about his new clean life and Liverpool gig

THE rock intelligentsia love to label artists and put them in convenient boxes. You just can’t do that with Steve Earle.

He’s been called the father of alternative country and the anti-Christ of bluegrass as he reinterpreted pure country into Pogues-ish jig, Springsteen geetar rawk and even hip hop. But you still can’t precisely put a finger on him as he continues to experiment with the roots of American music in this his 53rd year.

However, like Deep Purple’s Glenn Hughes, who was interviewed on these pages recently, this is another musician who shouldn’t be here after almost throwing away his final dime in the last chance saloon.

In between creating such critically albums which collided on the crossroads of country and rock – works such as Exit 0, Guitar Town and Copperhead Road – Earle was cultivating a serious habit involving both the needle and the bottle. This was perhaps not surprising, since his Uncle Nick generously delivered the first shot of heroin to young Stevie boy at the grand old age of 13. The end of the road loomed as he took to living in his car, conveniently situated outside a crack house in South Nashville.

His salvation came in 1994 with a term in the slammer for heroin possession. It was here that he was steered into the 12-step programme of higher power recognition for addicts. He, like Hughes, claims it saved his soul for rock ’n’ roll.

He’s been clean ever since and will be here to prove it when he takes the stage at the Philharmonic Hall, on Sunday, June 15.

With him as support will be Allison Moorer, the acclaimed alt country performer, whom he married in 2005. She might be his seventh wife, but it could be that the troubled topsy-turvy life of Earle might just be starting to settle down.

He’s moved to Greenwich Village, living near West 4th and Jones where Bob Dylan’s seminal Freewheelin’ cover shot was taken. Besides some prolific writing – his latest album, Washington Square Serenade, is his eighth since he got out of jail – he’s also into daily gym work-outs, and has finally give up his last addiction, nicotine.

What he hasn’t given up is his knack for ruffling up a few feathers with his songwriting and campaigning that has got good ol’ boys in both Texas and Nashville hot under their red necks. He has worked tirelessly to have the death penalty abolished, reflected in songs such as Ellis Unit One, used in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking.

But it’s his opposition to the US War on Terror, which has brought about the biggest reaction especially from the albums Jerusalem and The Revolution Starts Now. The latter’s title track was featured in the promo for Michael Moore’s anti-war documentary Fahrenheit 9/11. It also contained John Walker’s Blues, written from the perspective of American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh, which provoked outrage Stateside.

Naturally, it was bound to come up in the brief transatlantic chinnywag the Post managed to grab with the Hardcore Troubadour, another of the monickers that has been placed upon his shoulders.

“People were really upset about it, but really it was only continuing a tradition of songs written by the likes of Ewan McColl and Peggy Seager,” says Steve, in rapid fire style down the phone from the Big Apple. He’s always maintained that he was empathising with Lindh, and in no way glorifying terrorism.

“There have been a lot of people who have said you’re crazy to have written songs like these. But I know there were also a lot of people who were secretly pleased at what I said and what I did.”

On the world view of things in general, he feels people should wise up to the wind of change.

“People are surprised that China and India are about to have their day. But you only have to do the math in terms of population. The days of English and now American dominance are coming to an end.

“But that’s OK.”

Given his past history with addiction, it was also inevitable that the subject should come up. With hindsight, it probably could have been better expressed than: “Do you ever miss a beer?”

Steve takes it candidly in his stride.

“It’s simply a matter of staying alive. With American beer, there was no reason to miss anything in the first place. When I was over in Britain, I loved stout and a good bitter – but alcohol was always indifferent in effect compared to the other thing (drugs).

“So, I haven’t had a drink in over 13 years, and I’m better off without it. I’ve drunk my fill.”

And, of course, finally there’s the Liverpool question to be asked. The gig takes place at the climax of his latest UK tour and should put the icing on the cake.

“This will be the third time we’ve played Liverpool and I love the place ‘cos I’m a huge Beatles fan. Liverpool will also be the last date and there will be a lot of people who are almost family there. So it’ll be a hell of show.”

And, living up to his reputation for chucking in the odd verbal hand grenade, he adds with a final flourish and a laugh: “In fact, it’s always bummed me out that we’ve played Manchester and not Liverpool in the past, because I’ve always hated Oasis.

“The demise of the music business began with them.”

STEVE EARLE plays the Philharmonic Hall on June 15.

mikechapple@dailypost.co.uk