Welcome to part two of an interview I did with Willy DeVille in December 2007 for the German edition of Rolling Stone. It was published in their February issue, and this is the first time it's been published in English. We pick up the action with us talking about Willy's new CD Pistola. Be sure to read part one.
I'd like to talk about some the songs on the album. Tell me a little bit about any particular inspiration, meaning, or intent that you might have had. Let's start with the first one "So Sir Real."
I just wanted to write a really good rock and roll song with a great guitar line and a good lyric... but you know the world has become pretty scary, I don't remember it being this bad 20 or even 10 years ago, and so that's part of it - it gets to the point where it's harder and harder to believe that this stuff is going on - but of course it is.
"Been There Done That" (track two) - is just what it says, you know. I was having a conversation with Monk Boudreau and he was saying something about something, and I said now why in hell would I do that man, I've been there, done that. It stuck in my head. The rhythm developed out of that you know. Like I said it's much more New Orleans than reggae - the horns are very New Orleans.
The fourth song, "Louise," is the only one on the album you didn't write - it sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it.
It was written by Paul Seibel, he put out two albums, and I'm sure you could get them if you wanted; one was Jack-Knife Gypsy and the other was Woodsmoke & Oranges. I wasn't even sure he was alive, but Nina [Deville's wife] looked him up on the computer and we found him. So I called him up and said, "Hey, I've recorded one of your songs." He wanted to know which one and asked if I had the lyric and could he hear it. So I said yeah and played it for him - this was through the telephone you know so I told him not to expect much - but he really liked what I had done.
I told him he should come on up and I'd love to play some music with him, and he said he couldn't any more - that the business had ripped the heart out of him. It's a shame you know, because I think he's just as good if not better than Dylan when it comes to lyrics.
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