thewhitey album
‘ nde. where'x my eareer'." \nl a quexlinn ynu're liker In hear Beek llanxen axking any lime xnnn ey en
il Ihe darling nl Ihe plixl—grunge~pre»millennial» lllllll‘L‘ I'L'll‘n Ullx llax \L‘L‘ll lli\ \lIII' lllnxl L'l()\L‘l} apprnximale Ihe lnrm nl Ihe hig dipper nl lale. BuI. like he xay x. il mnney and lame had heen Ihe mnlixalinnx Ihen hix dehul alhum lnr (iellen wnllld lIa\ e ennxixled nl l I \el‘xinnx nl‘ 'l .ner". lhe rnek pig lilenyle wax neyer Beek‘x Ihing Ihnugh. like .lar\ ix ('neker nr 'l‘nm \Vailx. ynu leel Ihe w hnle dumh eharade nl Ihe muxie
induxlry muxl weary him In Ihe pninl nl
L'nllllllnxily. l'i\ illelllly L‘I‘L‘;lll\ il_\ ix lle Ill‘lVL‘I‘ illill Ihal alhum-IIiur-alhum Irap may inxl nnI he Ihe hexl medieine lnr hix muxe.
\Vhieh ix nnl In xay he ixn‘I eapahle nl playing Ihe game and playing iI dax/lingly well. Beek‘x auIndidael inIelligenee (nex‘er haying allended high xehnnll and Iangenlial mixehiel in inIeryiewx are enmpelling. And he alwayx hax xnmelhing In xay. e\en il iI‘x merely a new way nl ayniding anxwering pexky quexlinnx ahnul hix perxnnal lile.
'l'hix ix a lnrum. lexI we lnrgel. in whieh lnlk eilher inek In Ihe 'w e like. uh. lel nur muxie dn Ihe Ialking. yeah‘ line Iirnnie when IhaI muxie ix xlill lexx arlieulale Ihan iIx makerx‘ nIher alleged eIimmuniealinn xkillx) nr drihhle nuI eliehex Ilile wnuld emharraxx man xenlienl heingx. l.eI me guexx: Ihe new reenrd ix Ihe grealexl lhing ynu‘ye e\ er dnne. (ilaxgnw ix Ihe hexl plaee in Ihe wnrld In and Ihe reenrd enmpany nhlique ynur dexigner wile dnn‘I underxland ynu.
'l'hing ix leI me inIrnduee ynu In Ihe mIIxie hall dnuhle ael nl Shnek & llnrrnr here Inan pnp xlarx are nnl \ery exeiling. Many are in lael. dnllx. lending In li\e in an inxular wnrld where w hinix e\ixI In he eaIered lnr and enmmnn xenxe hax run nll wiIh Ihe milkman. Iheir Ialenlx and perxnnaliliex Iil eiIher were e\ er in eyidenee) ean
he drnw ned in a guiIar-xhaped xwimming pnnl nl
lame. mnney and drugx.
Slill. nnee in a while alnng enmex nne w iIh w iI. imaginalinn and ennl xlridex. reluxing In he inhihiled hy Ihe in\ ixihle rulex nl Ihe game. llail Beekl ('heek Ihix nuI lrnm an early inIeryiew wiIh Ru/line Slum maga/ine: . il‘x like a xaIanie lx'il‘el reenrd IhaI‘x heen lnund in a Iraxh dumper. .\ lew penple ha\ e mnlexled i1 and xlepI wiIh i1 and hall xw allnw ed il helnre xpiIIing iI nul. Snmenne play ed pnker w iIh il and .xnmenne Iried In xmnke iI. 'l‘hen Ihe reenrd wax Iaken In .\lnrneen and enyered wiIh humux and Iahnuli.
'l‘hen iI wax Ihrnwn haek In a ennyenlinn nl
waler .xkierx. whn xkied nn iI and play ed lrixhee wilh iI. 'l‘hen Ihe reenrd wax puI nn a IIIrnIahle.
24 THE LIST ' ' '.'_-.' .‘
and the nriginal K—lel alhum had reaehed a \\li(llL‘ IIL‘\\ lL'\L'l..
.\'nw eyen il hix muxie had xueked. nne mighl haye lallen under Ihe xpell nl an arIixI whnxe L'I'L‘lllHL' :IllL‘I' L‘gU illlxu L‘l'x In Ihe name Ill Surrealiux. l.uekily. .lle/lnu' (in/(l Ihe xalanie lx'-'l'el LP in quexlinn wax prelly wnnderlul in a maniaeal-mariaehi-hrain-luihhling-ayanl—[mp manner. eerlainly nn eaxh in wilh ll lakex nn
.xn why dnn‘l ynu kill me'.
lIILlL‘L‘Il all CVlllCliL‘L‘ pnililL‘ll [U llil\ Beek eharaeler heing a praelilinner nl inxeruIahle ennl. henelieiary nl an ahxurd degree nl lalenl. and enIhuxiaine nwner nl a leal hlnwer. (innd hair Inn. The kid wax alxn \erxalile ennugh In Iaekle preIIy mueh any genre ynu enuld name and a lew ynu prnhahly enuldn‘l. llix lriend and menInr 'l‘hurxlnn .\lnnre nl Snnie Ynulh Ialked him up In anynne whn wnuld lixIen in Ihe early ‘lllx. hilling him ax ‘a /,nmhie lawn guided hy a Iranxlueenl laee wiIh .xei-li C'VL‘\..
BuI enuld Ihe (ieneralinn X laeInr he explained'.’ Allen (iinxherg hnwled ahnul Beek heing lhe hexl lyrieixl nl hix generalinn while .lnhnny ('axh leinlied Ihal Ihe lad had ‘Ihal
HE'S VERSATILE ENOUGH TO TACKLE ANY GENRE YOU COULD NAME AND A FEW YOU COULDN'T
mnunlain muxie in hix hlnnd‘. Baek in Bligth Ihe likex nl .\'nel (iallagher and Will Sell ealled him Ihe .\lan hnpnnanl Man nl 1997. .-\nd when Snnnp l)ng prexenled him wiIh Ihe BriI .-\ward lnr BexI lnIernaIinnal Male IhaI year. Beek remnyed hix xunglaxxex nnly In rey'eal annIher pair undernealh.
\Valehing Ihe ‘l’ay .\'n Mind‘ \‘iden nn .\l'l‘\’ lwn yearx earlier. Beayix and Bullhead \‘nuehxaled annIher \‘iew. Beayix: 'Snmenne xhnuld kiek him in Ihe nadxl \th ix Ihix
larlknneker any way'." Bullhead: 'lle‘x like nne nl
lhexe dudex lrnm Ihe gilled elaxx nr xnmelhing.‘ lluh-huh-huh.
Sn whaI makex a Beek'.’ .-\ lixh in Ihe gene pnnl reyealx IhaI hix mum wax pan nl Ihe Warhol er and playx haxx in a hand ealled Blaek liag Iwhnxe xinger ix a gianl Alriean Ameriean Iranxyexlilel and hix dad ix a .xIalwan nl Ihe l.:\ muxie .xeene. haying wnrked wiIh eyerynne lrnm Jaekxnn Brnwne In (ireen Day. Barking lurther up Ihe lamin Iree xhnw x nne grandlalher In haye
Over the years BECK has indulged in everything from tin pot hip hop to effusive folkisms. With his new record imminent, Rodger Evans tries to pinpoint the appeal of Generation X’s answer to Johnny Cash.
heen a enneeplual arlixI and ennlempnrary nl Ynkn ()nn. Ihe nIher a l’rexhylerian minixler lrnm lx'anxax. llmm.
;\x lnr hix muxieal inllueneex. Beek Irumpelx lli\ lU\ L' Ill \Vnnlly (iIIllII'iC. lllL' le‘llil lllllLW. l’llxxy (ialnre. llank \Villiamx. \lnrrixxey and .\larr and xhnw lunex. .-\nd lunnily ennugh. in xeeking nuI hix (‘l)x In play when pulling Ingelher Ihix arliele. (Me/(1r wax xpied nexIling heIween .lamex Brnwn and Ihe .A\\alanehex. iIh/Hire lil/Iun'y lurked Iwixl .-\l (ireen and Slerenlah. Sm ('lumee wax kixxing up In .\lixxy l2llinl and . . . hey. w hn‘x pinehed .llumliuux'.’
(‘nuld he w e're lnnking in all Ihe w rnng plaeex. righl'.’ l’ei'hapx .\lr llanxen himxell ean hexl xay lrnm whenee Beeknexx deri\ex. lle eerlainly gnl all enxmnlngieal wilh Slur/I maga/ine a lew yearx haek. w a\ing Ihal: 'l.ennard ('nhen and Barry \Vhile inlerxeel xnmewhere in Ihe uniyerxe. BuI l wax delinilely mnre enming lrnm Ihe l.ellliill‘ll (’nhen \lllc. .'\l lL‘Ile ax lIII' ax lliL‘ e\ixIenIial ladiex man reenrd gnex.‘
.\lnre L‘lllL'\. l‘aeI: he L'Ilinyx l‘nIIIIll llilitl leg ('heerinxl and rerunx nl R/IHI/(I. l‘ielinn: he‘x a xeienInlngixI Inn hill hix dad ix). l’aeI: my laynurile Iggy l’np. .lnnalhan Riehman and SenII \Valker Iraekx are nn hix il’nd. l'ielinn: he inyenled .\lmmm—hnpperx llanxnn hy prnieeling a hlmeh nl hnlngranix lrnm Ihe xummiI nl \lnunl l‘uji Ilhnugh he Inld l)a\id l.elIerman xn). l'iaelinn: il'x hix amhilinn In reenrd a xlraighl enunlry reenrd. Well. he hax wnrked wilh Willie .\'elxnn and limmy lnu llarrix. gn ligure.
Beek'x new I‘L'cnl‘ll ix ealled ([1117?) (ll Illeallx while hny. laeI lanxl. Rallier Ihan heing xlraighl nulla .\'axh\ille. iI'x xigniliex Ihe relurn nl Ihe prnduelinn lalenIx nl Ihe l)uxI Brnlherx Ihe dun he enllahnraled wiIh nn (h/e/uy. (illl'm llax eclinx nl lhaI greal Ullx mnnnlilh. all xhullling L‘IHIL‘L‘IIII'iL‘ grnnyex and laennie. wnn/y l‘apx. 'l‘hexe are inIerxperxed wilh eyerylhing lrnm eulexy eleelrn pnp. ealankernux grunge and [min xIrumx. In xhnn. il'x a heaulilul Beekian mexx.
Bul lel‘x gn haek In Ihe lulure. 'l'hix panieular lulure ix 3 l xl eenlury. linr IVHIurumu ix w here we ean lind Beek‘x head. minux hix hndy. in a jar playing harmnniea and heing ahuxed by a beer- drinking rnhnI ealled Bender.
‘\\'n\\. we'ye xlll'e gnI a In! in enmmnn. Beck. l alwayx dreamed nl heing a lnuxieian pnel whn Iranxeendx genrex ey'en ax he reimenlx Ihem. luxl like ynu.‘
'Sn dn iI. rnhnlf xayx Ihe head. 'lI'x eaxier lhan it lnnkx.‘
Guero is out Mon 21 Mar on Geffen. See page 76 for review.