‘Blowing Your Mind’ with the great George Thorogood
For a half-century, George Thorogood has been one of music’s greatest rock artists (Courtesy Mitchell Glotzer/Skyhook Entertainment)
Updated 3/5/2023 1:15 AM
There is a particular kind of acumen required to remaining good at rock and roll for a long stretch of time.
So give George Thorogood credit for possessing the tenacity and perseverance and savvy and chops to make it 50 years in the business.
Fifty years!
Thorogood and his band, the Destroyers, are on a 50th anniversary tour billed as “Bad All Over the World — 50 Years of Rock” — that includes 35 dates in 11 states and Canada and concludes Aug. 29 in Ocean City. N.J. The Destroyers play Chinook Winds Casino for a pair of dates March 17-18.
For tickets: https://www.chinookwindscasino.com/upcoming-entertainment/
George’s signature song — “Bad the Bone” — is an anthem for the ages, but he has other songs that rock and roll fans will recognize, including “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” and a reworking of Bo Diddley’s classic, “Who Do You Love?” Thorogood’s lead guitar work is both legendary and relentless, and his band tight and ageless. Drummer Jeff Simon has been with him from the beginning, but Billy Blough (bass guitar, 1976), Jim Suhler (rhythm guitar, 1999) and Buddy Leach (saxophone, 2003) have decades of experience with, well, destroying.
Thorogood, who turned 73 on Feb. 24, is familiar with Oregon. He played Chinook Winds in 2015 and was headliner for the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival in 2018. George donates to “Sisters of the Road,” a non-profit organization in Portland “run by women who help out the homeless and drifters,” he says. “It’s going strong. Please put in a plug for them.”
George Thorogood and the Destroyers, on their 50th anniversary tour, hit Chinook Winds Casino on March 17 and 18 (Courtesy Rick Gilbert/Skyhook Entertainment)
Another good cause: The Marla Thorogood Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. George’s wife of 34 years died in 2019. T-shirts, with proceeds going to the fund, will be available at the venue on concert nights.
An interview with the man in the spotlight for all those years:
EGGERS: You’re an old hat at playing Oregon venues.
THOROGOOD: The “Beaver State.” When we were doing the blues festival, there were all those people turning out arts and crafts. Somebody was holding a huge sign, “Keep Portland Weird.” That’s my kind of town. Like, “This is Portland.” It’s not supposed to be normal.
EGGERS: Fifty years in rock and roll. How does it feel?
THOROGOOD: Like 50 years of rock and roll.
EGGERS: Bad or good?
THOROGOOD: It’s gotta be good. Fifty years of anything is good. Made it here in good shape. I’m not in a hospital.
EGGERS: I saw a quote from you on the subject: “I admit to a warm feeling of satisfaction, maybe a bit of pride and definitely a whole lot of gratitude.” Is that accurate?
THOROGOOD: Sounds good. Who said that? That’s a nice thing.
EGGERS: You started your 50th anniversary tour with a couple of dates out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on a “Rock Legends” excursion. How did they go?
THOROGOOD: The ship left for a cruise to the Bahamas. It went rather well. Freak luck: We took the gig because I wanted to meet Roger Daltrey, who was doing a semi-rehearsal concert. I didn’t get a chance to meet him but — this is going to blow your mind —he did the song “Tattoo,” which happens to be my favorite song by “The Who.” I saw them do it live in 1969. It’s on my favorite of their albums, “The Who Sells Out.” It didn’t seem to fit the show, but Roger must have been thinking, “George is here; let’s play his favorite song of ours.” I couldn’t believe it after all that time. (The ship tour) was worth doing.
EGGERS: Is it right that you and Jeff have you played continuously with the Destroyers for the past 50 years? You guys never broke up and got back together?
THOROGOOD: It’s not always been right. Well, we try get it right every time we go out there on stage. I question the insanity and his loyalty.
EGGERS: What is the secret to your longevity?
THOROGOOD: I once was kind of close with the great Chuck Berry, who was not an easy man to get close to. Over the years, he took a shine to me. I cornered him and thought, “This could be my only chance to ask him. He could throw me out of the room or slug me.” I said, “Chuck, the one key to your success for so long: What is it?” He smiled and winked and said, “You gotta eat right. If you don’t eat right, you can’t do anything.”
EGGERS: Do you eat right?
THOROGOOD: I still have a healthy bowel movement on a regular basis. That’s a good sign.
EGGERS: You’ve released a bunch of albums over the years, but it would seem that live performances is where it’s at with your band.
Live performances is where George Thorogood and his band are really at (Rebecca Blissett/Skyhook Entertainment)
THOROGOOD: With the exception of Bob Dylan, album are overrated. Really, you need only three or four (albums) and you can go forever, if you have the right tunes on them. People ask, ‘When are you going to make another record?’ I ask, “Why?” We did a show a year and a half ago, did a couple of songs, then I told the crowd, “Tonight we’re not going to do any new songs.” Got a standing ovation. What’s the kiss of death for any artist? “Here’s something off our new album.”
EGGERS: You seem especially in tune with putting on a concert.
THOROGOOD: A lot of people are that way. Take a live performance away from Steven Tyler or Mick Jagger and what do you got? Same with James Brown or Chuck Berry. Those are the guys I grew up listening to. Take a live performance away from (J. Geils Band vocalist) Peter Wolf and what do you got? What made Elvis Presley blow their minds when he first got out there? Live performing. That goes for most music artists. If they says, “I hate going on the road,” then what did you get in the business for to begin with? Bruce Hornsby once said about J.Geils, “Man, they were the business.” They were the bad business. A great road band.
EGGERS: Last year, you were special guest artist for Sammy Hagar on a summer tour. What was that like?
THOROGOOD: It was like Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson. Batman meets the Joker. You pick which is which. Sammy is a man who knows what he is doing, on stage and off it. He’s got it together. He got me up on the bandstand. We did “Gloria.” Sammy is fun no matter what. At this point in his life, Sammy Hager could drop his last name and go on the road as “Sammy” and everybody would know who you’re talking about. If you say Willie, there’s only Nelson. Not many artists can do that. Sammy is one.
EGGERS: You’ve made a lot of friends in the music industry over 50 years. Who are among your best friends in the business?
THOROGOOD: I’ve been very fortunate. I got very close to John Lee Hooker -- my hero, my idol when he was alive. That was special. Two other cats who blew my mind, guys I never thought I’d get into conversation with — (blues artist) Big Bad John Hammond and Peter Wolf. I’d like to say we’re friends. Can’t do better than that.
EGGERS: You released your first solo album, “Party of One,” in 2017. Why did you decide to do that, and how was the reception?
THOROGOOD: It was because of demand. We had people — radio people, journalists, fans — asking, “When are you gonna do that?” The time was right. It was like, “What are we waiting for? Let’s throw this thing together.” I like the picture on the cover. The teeth look good. I never listened to the music.
EGGERS: I see “The Rock” is using “Who Do You Love” to promote XFL ’23. Are you a football fan? Pro wrestling fan?
THOROGOOD: I met legendary quarterbacks Dan Marino and Steve Young — not at the same time — who are fans of mine. Blew my mind. So yeah, I follow football. Somehow I fell out of favor with the WWF. My man was Indian Chief Jay Strongbow. Jeff’s was the American Dream, Dusty Rhodes. I’m watching the women’s wrestling lately. They’ve got some bad ass talent out there in the squared circle.
EGGERS: Ian Stewart, the great keyboard player and co-founder of The Rolling Stones, played keyboards for you for a short time (in 1982). I’m curious how that was, and why his stint with the band was so short.
THOROGOOD: He had another band that he was more interested in (laughs). He is a busy dude. He squeezed us in. I got on his nerves when I kept bugging him. We went on the road in Canada, did a record together. I kept inching up to him and saying, “Hey Ian, if the Stones need a new lead singer, I’m the man.”
EGGERS: You have one child, Rio Thorogood, who has played a little music with you. What’s she up to?
THOROGOOD: At the moment, she’s down the street. We’re real close, good pals. She has her own podcast, “Hot Child in the City.” I tune in every Wednesday. She is more talented than I am, if I have any talent. She has it together.
EGGERS: Do you have an idea about how many more years you’d like to go with the band?
THOROGOOD: I don’t look at it that way. I look at it like, when you’re on tour, we’re just going to continue to be working. I hope to be working in 2024. How much longer? I hope I make it until tomorrow. They asked the great Willie Mays after he hit his 500th home run, “Did you think you’d hit 500?” He said, “If I started out thinking I’d do that, I wouldn’t even have hit 50.” You hit one home run at a time.
EGGERS: You’ve hit some home runs in your career.
THOROGOOD: I don’t know about home runs, but I have a good on-base percentage.
EGGERS: What kind of a show can we expect to see at Chinook Winds?
THOROGOOD: It will be the greatest rock experience of anyone’s existence. Just remember, rock and roll never sleeps; it just passes out.
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