INTERVIEW: George Thorogood ‘Badder Than Ever’ in 2015

George Thorogood, the legendary blues-rock musician, is touring the United States with the Destroyers, and fans can expect his many classic tunes, including “Bad to the Bone,” “Move it on Over” and “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer.” The Badder Than Ever tour makes a stop Wednesday, March 18 at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, N.J.

“We made all of these songs to begin with to be played live,” Thorogood said recently during a phone interview. “That was the point of it. These songs were selected for the entertainment of rock ‘n’ roll fans. Not that we don’t like the songs. We do, but you know, it’s like a guy opens a restaurant and puts things on the menu that he knows people are going to like. You never get tired of serving it as long as people like it.”

Some other tunes that are certified classic: “I Drink Alone” and “Who Do You Love.”

With several decades under his belt, Thorogood seems to have the rock star routine down pat. With his signature voice, bluesy guitar playing and dedicated band, the musician has been bad to the bone for a long time in a business where longevity can be nearly impossible. After his band’s tour, later this spring he will team up with Brian Setzer for a co-headlining round of dates.

Today, the journeying across the United States and other countries doesn’t always get him excited. “The road doesn’t really thrill me; the stage does,” he said. “The road’s a little rough and gets rougher all the time, but, you know, I can’t get 100,000 people to come to my house when I play. So I have to travel to do my job.”

Thorogood, who said that in high school he already knew his career path, has coupled dreams with reality.

“There are moments when I’m doing it, and I say, you’re really doing this,” he said. “You’re concentrating so hard on a daily basis you don’t really have time to slow down and smell the roses about why you’re doing it. But, yes, it’s the ultimate dream of everybody. Tell me somebody born after 1950 who doesn’t dream of being a rock star, and I’ll tell you somebody’s lying to you. Even the president wants to be a rock star. … Every comic and actor has a band. You know, one of the greatest talents of all time, John Belushi, got into the Blues Brothers, and he went crazy. It just thrilled him so much. That was his thing. It was like he almost forgot about acting he got so revved up in the rock thing.”

The singer said he doesn’t like to recall the earlier times when he was struggling to get his name out there and be a success in the business.

“It’s difficult to break into any new business, especially show business,” he said. “It’s the toughest business in the world. You know that, or everybody would be in it. You’re up against a brick wall until you get a record out, and that was a tough cookie to crack to make that happen. So very hard, very frustrating. I don’t like reflecting, looking back on that.”

For Thorogood, it seems like it’s all about the future and what the Badder Than Ever tour promises: “Rock ‘n’ roll never sleeps,” he said. “It just passes out.”

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

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