People want Gary Clark Jr. to save the blues. But Gary Clark Jr. just wants to do his thing.
To prove his point, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas, tries on many different hats on his latest album, “This Land,” dipping from funk and soul to psychedelia and surf rock straight through electronic pop.
For the 35-year-old Clark, who is expecting his third child with his supermodel wife Nicole Trunfio, music is all about self-expression. It’s why, since he was a teenager coming up on the Texas blues club circuit, he has produced and performed nearly every instrument on his albums with a Prince-like fervor, all the while winning high-profile fans like Beyoncé, Barack Obama and the Rolling Stones.
We spoke to Clark, who performs at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on Saturday, Sept. 28, during a tour stop in Salt Lake City.
Q: Have you had your third child yet?
A: No, that’s still in the works.
Q: Uh-oh.
A: My dad hugged me and said, “It’s over for you, son.”
Q: Let’s just say it’s a good thing you’re getting your tour out of the way now.
A: Oh, damn. I’m ready for it.
Q: Are your tours suddenly going to start getting really long?
A: I seriously doubt that my wife would have it. I love my little babies.
Q: Did having young children raise the stakes with this album — did you feel like you had to bring politics into it?
A: I don’t think that was my intention. I went into a studio, and in my mind I was trying to write a love album. I had all these beautiful things happen in my life over the last few years — getting married and having another child, you know.
So I was doing that and I kind of ran out of stuff to say. I had blocked out the news and blocked out things that were happening. I didn’t know if I wanted to add fuel to the fire. So I’m sitting there having writer’s block and I realized, it’s not writer’s block, it’s refusing to say something. Some of my favorite albums are by people like Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, the “Shaft” soundtrack — they’re about people speaking about their truth, what their world is like — the good, the bad and the ugly. I was trying to not do ugly because, for me, music is entertainment and escapism.
People can talk about blues and lost love all day and it doesn’t really affect you. But when you start talking about politics and the way the world is, you can’t be like, “I’m going to put this on and have a glass of wine.” So I just put it all together and decided to make it all one collective thing.
Q: I like that you refuse to be put in a box. So many people want Gary Clark Jr. to be the torchbearer for the blues, but it feels like that’s the last thing you want.
A: It’s funny, I will be doing shows and people will be like, “Play some blues!” And I’ll go in the completely opposite direction. I don’t want anybody to tell me what to do. I have my own life, my own perspective. Life is short. I want to be happy.
To be a musician and artist is the one place where you can do whatever the hell you want to do. It only affects people because of how they feel about it, but they don’t have to subscribe to it. I’ve always been on that. There was this whole hype about when I first came out, like, “The next Hendrix!” I was like, “Oh boy, people are going to be real disappointed if they want me to be the savior of the blues.” I understand what that is.
At the end of the day when I look in the mirror, I think, “Are you doing what you really love to do, or have you turned your passion into a workhorse for others who have their ideas about what success is and what it looks like for you?”
I refuse to subscribe to the latter. I’m too old for it.
Q: What do you mean?
A: I’m 35. I don’t think of playing music the same way I used to when I was young and it was like, I want the fortune and the fame. All the things that were around, when you’re young and you’re watching MTV, and you see people on “Cribs” and on boats. At a certain point, I was like, that’s what I want! But I got tired of chasing those things. I’m cool with myself at this point.
I’ve got people who support me and appreciate what I do. I’ve got food on the table. A house over my head. My bills are paid. The lights don’t get cut off like it used to be.
Q: You play everything yourself in the studio. Is that because you’re a control freak or are you just too lazy to pick up the phone?
A: That’s a good question. It’s a little bit of both. When I first started playing, I was like, why don’t I get my ass in there and do it myself and figure it out? I’ll feel more accomplished as a musician and as a person who’s not just spending the day smoking weed. You learn how to play a few chords on the piano. You learn to play a few trumpet lines. That’s where that came from.
That freedom also came with a little bit of control. I didn’t have to ask anybody to do anything. I have a weird thing with asking people to do things and favors. I know people are busy. That comes from my own mental trip. I spent a lot of time alone as a kid. I’ve always been empathetic. People’s time is valuable and precious. If you’re not being paid or valued, I don’t want to make you feel that way. It’s a weird trip.
I’m just hesitant to ask people. Maybe I feel like my time is precious and I get annoyed by stupid stuff or things I don’t think are worth my time. I should probably sit and pay somebody while I’m the couch to figure it out.
Q: I think you and I are going to work it out in the next five minutes. What happens when a producer or video director enters the picture?
A: That’s something I had to let go of recently. I used to be the guy who had all the gear, recorded all my demos, recorded all my videos. This is before YouTube. I could have been a YouTube star if I stuck with it. But, yeah, I was doing everything myself. I think that was a fear of failure. I wanted to do it myself so I could have a backup plan. If I couldn’t play music, then maybe I could be a video director, editor, camera operator or boom mike operator. I just wanted to be in the business.
I don’t think we’re going to figure this out in five minutes.
Q: Where does your satisfaction come from now? People talk about how you played for Obama, the Stones, on “SNL.” But from your perspective, what makes you wake up the next day and think, wow, that was cool?
A: Playing shows, really. It’s the connection. From 1996, being 12 years old and trying to figure out my first E chord and the pain that came with that and my fingers bleeding, to 20 years later to be able to wake up and go, “Man, I get to play guitar for a living with my friends in front of people who are excited to see that!” That’s what makes me happy. I’m really in a good place. I don’t trip on anything.
Gary Clark Jr.: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28. $54. Greek Theatre, 2001 Gayley Rd, Berkeley. www.apeconcerts.com
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