2019-07-01_Uncut_UK

Epiphone,standingon his buddy’s shoulders,

playingthesolo.

“ItoldJoe,‘I startedplayinginTheBlackKeys

becauseI sawGlenn!’Heplayedeveryweekat

Hooples,thisblue-collarbarinCleveland,and

killedit.Heplayedthiscrazybluesrockthrough

theloudestampsI haveeverheard,stilltothisday.

HewaslouderthanJ Mascis,andwaymorewild.”

AuerbachinvitedSchwartztojointhesessions

withWalsh– anexperiencehedescribesas

“inspirational.It remindedmeofthefeeling

I hadwhenI wasa kid,”hesaysanimatedly.

“IwouldseeGlennandthengorecordwithPat,

andtrytodoallthethingsI sawGlenndo.That’s

whytherecordis dedicated to Glenn[Schwartz died

onNovember2, 2018].

“Iknowthisisn’tgoingtosoundlikeme,but

I feellikethiswholerecordwasmeanttobe,”says

Auerbach,rubbinghischin.“I’velearneda lotin

thepastfewyearsworkingwiththeseolder

guys.OneofthemainthingsI’velearnedis

thatyoucan’tforceanything.If youtryto,

you’renotgoingtogetwhatyouwant.If it’s

goingtohappen,it happens.Youjustgottabe

readywhenit does.I realised I was ready.

Everything lined up.”

O

nSeptember5,2018,Carneyjoined

AuerbachattheEasyEyeStudio

at10amsharp.Theypickedup

theirinstrumentsand,accordingtoone

eyewitness,beganplayingtogetheras

if it hadonlybeenfivedays– andnotfive

years– sincetheywere last in a recording

studiotogether.

“Therewasinstantchemistrybetween

them,”acknowledgesMAllenParker,chief

engineerforEasyEyeSoundwhoworkedon

“Let’sRock”. “ThefirsttimePatcameintothe

studiotheyhadn’tseeneachotherina while,

buttheybecameTheBlackKeysinstantly.

There’sa weirdthreadbetweenthem.It flows

outofthemwhenthey’replayingtogether.”

ThesongsAuerbachandCarneyrecorded

together crackled with energy. “I think the

“Theywerealreadyontheirwaytodoing

somethingspecial,”saysBurton.“Wedid

prettymuchthewholealbumintwoweeks

• recordingit,trackingit,everything.They
  havea verynaturalwayofworkingand
  they’rereallygreatmusicians.I never
  reallyhadtogetintothedetails,because
  prettymuchalltheirtakesweregood.”
  “Ifwe’dwantedtohavethesamesuccess
  we’dhadonBrotherswewould’veused
  thesameformula,butwedidcompletely
  theopposite,”saysAuerbach.“Wealways
  justdowhatwewanttodoandhopeit
  worksout.Thiswasthefirsttimewe’d
  everco-writtenwithsomeoneelse.The
  ideawastokeepit assimpleaswecould.”
  ElCaminocatapultedthemtostardom,
  butwhiletheywerepackingoutMadison
  SquareGarden,theirpersonallivesfell
  topieces.BythetimeTur nBluewas
  releasedin2014,bothmenwere
  divorced.Thealbumis freightedwith
  thepainandwearinessoftheirexperiences.
  “Ineverreliedonmusictogetmethrough
  anythinglikeI didonthatone,”
  acknowledgesAuerbach.Perhapsitsno
  wonderthefinaltrack of the album was called
  “GottaGetAway”.
  ThehiatusafterTur nBluewaslongbut
  necessary.It wasn’tjustAuerbachwho
  neededtimeoff:Carney’sshoulderinjurywas
  a lotmoreseriousthanheleton.Butwhile
  Carneyrecuperatedandworkedonhisown
  productioncommissions,Auerbachbusied
  himselfatEasyEyeHQ.Butthen,it seems,
  anunexpectedconnectionwitha storied
  musiciangalvanisedAuerbachinto
  reconveninghisband.“IhadJoeWalshin
  here,”Auerbachexplains.“Hetoldmethathe
  gotintoplayingrock’n’rollbecausehesaw
  GlennSchwartz[Ohionativeandone-time
  JamesGangguitarist] atBowlingGreen
  University.Hesaidit wasthefirsttimeheever
  sawanybodydressedlikeGlenn:purplevelvet
  bellbottoms and no shirt, and he had a painted

G

LENNSCHWARTZcould

havebeena rockstar.But

onthevergeofhisgreatest

success,hechoseinsteadtosave

hissoul.TheguitaristwithThe

jamesgangandPacificgas

andelectric,schwartzhada

profoundinfluenceontheyoung

Danauerbach.HerejoeWalsh–

schwartz’ssuccessorin Thejames

gang– remembershisfriend.

“glennschwartzwasa legendin

Cleveland.Hewasmymentor,and

hewasnuts.Hetaughtmenotto

worryaboutwhetheryouknowthe

songornot.youdon’tworryaboutif

you’regoodornot.youdon’tworry

thatsomebodymightbejudging

you.somebodycountsoffandyou

goforit witheverything,because

that’stheonlychanceyougot.

“Hewasa Biblethumper.Whenhe

leftThejamesgang,hethoughthe

had gotten as far as he could get in

ClevelandandhewenttoCalifornia

andjoinedPacificgasandelectric.

I thinkhewasona spiritualsearch.

Hehada roughtime.Thereare

somecrazystories.It’slikea ken

kesey book or something. When

hefinallycamebacktotown,he

endeduplivingin hisparents’house,

readingtheBibleandpreaching.If

youmetglenn,immediatelyyou’d

think,‘Thisguy,he’sinsane.’Tosome

degree, he was – except I knew that

otherpartofhimthatwas

stillin there.

“Dandecidedthatweshould

getglenndownin hisstudioand

documenthimforhistory.Butglenn

wasalwaysuncomfortablein the

studio.Hewasonlycomfortableon

stage,in themoment.sowemade

himasrelaxedin Dan’sstudioaswe

could.glennwouldhaveanidea

in hisheadfora song– it wouldbe

jesusorgodortemptationand

hellfireanddamnation;confess

yoursinsbeforeit’stoolate– buthe

usedthatasa vehicletoplayguitar.

andwegotprobablyanhouranda

halftotalofpureglennschwartz.It

waswonderful.

“DanandI partedways.I gotbusy,

hegotbusy.Butabouta yearlater

hecalledme.Hesaid,‘youknow

what,I’mgladwedidthat.It is what

it is andit’snotcommercial. But we

got glenn schwartz.’”

70 • UNCUT • JULY 2019

James

Gangsigns:

(l–r)Joe

Walshand

Glenn

Schwartz

playwith

Auerbach’s

Arcs, 2016

AtOutside

Lands,

2015

josH BrasTeD/geTTy Images; Douglas mason/geTTy Images; CHrIsToPHer Polk/geTTy Images for CoaCHella

THE BLACK KEYS