Eric Bloom from the Blue Oyster Cult
archival interview from 2013
This is a pretty rough interview. I was nervous and excited to be talking with a legendary figure whose music with the Blue Oyster Cult I had enjoyed so much in my youth and who I had continued to reference as an undeniably creative act who stood for their own thing. Also, they were beyond people “owning” or “understanding”. Funny AND heavy. Smart and goofy. An enigma from whichever angle you heard or saw them from. Eric was a total pro and guided me through the talk, getting out all the information that he needed to and being very patient with me.
Albums close to my heart and in my record collection include all those up to and including and past their breakthrough album Agents Of Fortune which included the massive hit single Don’t Fear The Reaper. A beautifully constructed song, full of mystery in the lyric and all over the radio in 1976/77. A hit like that sometimes stops a bands creativity and fixes them in time. Nowadays people know this iconic track through an SNL routine involving the cowbell.
Heres an expert taking you through the actual song
Previous to this the Blue Oyster Cult had released several albums, including those masterpieces we listened to while driving around Mt Gambier, South Australia in our teens in real time; their debut, then Secret Treaties and Tyranny and Mutation. (Then the double live with the iconic cover ON YOUR FEET OR ON YOUR KNEES!). Those who know, KNOW!
Then they became a stadium act. Still, Radio Birdman were playing their songs like Dominance And Submission to people at the Funhouse in Sydney. They were undeniable, underworld rock culture people. All the better and tougher and more authentic for being Pre Punk rock.
It was a thrill to meet them in the dressing room of the club in Melbourne. Buck Dharma was there with his wife. (They had gotten married in the 60s at University).
Rob Younger from Birdman and the New Christs had a load of singles and albums in tow that he wanted to get signed (by many of the artists). It was a great group of rock’n’roll people.
The Blue Oyster Cult displayed such a level of guitar and vocal proffiency that night. Sheer power and technical ability. They played everything I wanted to hear and all through the set you knew they had that song Don’t Fear The Reaper in their back pockets to kick it over the edge whenever they needed to.And, eventually, Buck just started those Am-G-F6 arpeggios and the place erupted.
The show ended with a big rendition of Kick Out The Jams. I was just making up the numbers on guitar but happy to be doing so.
Just as an aside… The Blue Oyster Cult were never afraid of Overkill. They had songs like GODZILLA and JOAN CRAWFORD and SHE’S AS BEAUTIFUL AS A FOOT, “OD’d ON LIFE ITSELF and THE GOLDEN AGE OF LEATHER. But they weren’t (or could have been?) making fun of anything. They existed before Punk and Spinal Tap. Here is a great clip from their prime , showing off their laser show and pretty much the whole band except the drummer on guitars, smashing out the show closing Born To Be Wild…
From my 2013 blog about the Dig It Up show. A lot of this is related to the Moodists…
We got contacted in February to be a part of the 2013 DIG IT UP festival, a day long event devised and curated by the Hoodoo Gurus. In 2012 they had built the day around the SONICS and a host of garage rock related bands. This year the headliner was to be the Blue Oyster Cult, a band I'd loved in my teen years in country SA. Clare Moore and myself had also been involved in Kim Salmons guitar orchestra SALMON which had recorded and played a version of Bocs' "ETI". Other bands to be on the bill were the Buzzcocks , the Flaming Groovies, The Hoodoo Gurus themselves, Peter Case, Kim Salmon, Harry Howard and the NDE (who feature Clare Moore and myself as well) , the New Christs and many others. We felt honoured to be asked to be involved by the Hoodoo Gurus. Respect. The Moodists spent most of their career in the UK and are rarely dropped as a name in any narrative about Australian music of the period. IN some ways, we represent and alternative view of the time. We don't belong to anybody.
Only the headliners involvement was announced at first which was good as we had to see if we were still capable of functioning and doing the show- even if it was only a 45 minute set. The first rehearsal in Feb was very rough, several others followed and we felt confident we could deliver. There was a strict no boozing before playing rule agreed to. The rehearsals were at Mick Turners studio.
I did some interviews for the show, during this time, still unsure whether we could actually make the task at end, re-constituting our old selves - playing the music of our young selves.
We got to the Palace in Bourke street early and I got to see the New Christs shake the frost from the stage. Rob Younger is a hero and a great mover and top shelf singer.
There was a communal room for the players and a room closer to the stage where you could gather for an hour or two around the time of your set.
At 3:30 we walked onto the stage. No soundcheck, using a backline of amps supplied to us. Clare, Mick and I are match fit and have continued to play music for the last 30 years. Steve Miller and Chris Walsh are still original gangsters. the last time they had walked OFF the stage would have been (almost) a Moodists gig, decades ago.
machine machine
do the door
frankies negative
gone dead
chads car
runaway
some kinda jones
double life
the disciples know
boss shitkicker
The sound was loud. A quite wide stage. A full room. Generally, like now, I had the idea we were coming at people from out of nowhere. We were the least 60s grounded act of the day. No one else around then or now sounded like us. I was enjoying just moving and singing.
In recent years I've become a guitarist/singer and you become anchored to the spot a little bit. Up until 1995 I was always a stand up singer. That's how I was doing this show. I picked up a guitar for "chads car" and "gone dead" and "runaway". I was playing through a Vox and Steve and Mick had Marshalls. We would have all preferred Fenders.
As a kind of a review I must say I thought it was a day for the PROS. the Blue Oyster Cult displayed skills on their instruments that are very, very rarely seen on Australian stages. Brilliant songs. Absolutely loved it. the Hoodoo Gurus the same. I have seen them only a few times. Pounding rhythm section, two guitars and one of them wielded by the singer. that singer, Dave, just writes songs that are built for radios and concert stages.They are not just some idealized genre type power pop act. They've actually had hits and people love to hear them. A strange band in some ways - inspired by a classic period but making very modern sounding records- but its all held together by the quality of the songs.
Our set was a highlight for me , of course. We brought some drama and a noise that is really out of nowhere. It had some POWER. People came up to me to tell me the sound was muddy but I have never listened to that sort of talk. Number ONE - we ain't gonna come and do another gig and do it any different for them , and TWO what the fuck were they comparing it to? Its a murky, messy, funky sound. That sort of talk drove us out of Australia twice in the old days. Left them to that horrible paisley revival jive back in the 80s. We were more into George Jones and Bo Diddley . Then and now.
There were a few silly reviews in the online mags but it was generally ignored by people who write about show. April and May being a period of intense touring in 2013.
"If there was anyone to ‘still have it,’ it would be The Moodists frontman Dave Graney, sliding around the stage with his sweet moves and drawing in the crowd with his smooth yet snarling vocals against a funky and mysterious bassline."
tone deaf
"Back to the main stage at The Palace Theatre and Dave Graney’s old band, The Moodists are brewing swampy, introspective, bluesy, ominous “Runaway”. The band features the original line up of Clare Moore on drums, Steve Miller on guitar, Mick Turner on guitar, Chris Walker on bass and Dave Graney at the helm. Dave introduces “Double Life” as a “song about having secrets in your life and not being able to tell people.”
Eric Bloom and Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser . Now and then.
