Night Ranger bassist/vocalist Jack Blades recently spoke with Classic Rewind 949 JackFM. A few excerpts from the interview appear below (as transcribed by blabbermouth.net).
On whether he ever hopes to convey a certain “message” with lyrics to his songs:
“There’s nothing worse to me than a musician getting up on a soapbox and starting to lecture people. As far as I’m concerned, anybody who actually listens to a musician for their life’s guidance is an idiot. Musicians are not known for being the most straight-ahead, I’ve-got-my-s–t-together-type of person, so it’s kind of funny. What does strike me is that [with] Night Ranger, there has always been a positive sort of vibe. I think that’s a reflection, and definitely a function of the way my outlook on life is, and what I got from my parents, my family. For me, the cup is always half full.”
On what to expect from the band in 2019:
Jack: “We’re putting together a whole acoustic tour. Night Ranger never did an MTV “Unplugged,” so we’re going to put together a string of dates — a Night Ranger “Unplugged” string of dates, so we can just sit there with acoustic guitars and talk about the songs and tell stories and tell lies and bag on each other. It’s going to be fun… Of course, there will be some new music next year. We’re always going to be creating, because we believe when you stop creating, you start dying inside, so we’re going to keep creating and creating and creating.”
Night Ranger released their latest album, Don’t Let Up, on March 24th, 2018.
And that’s why Night Ranger’s music has had relatively limited appeal and resonance, for me.
There are as many ways to be an artist as there are to be a person. Its possible to be great while being political or apolitical. In my opinion, Night Ranger is a decent but far from great band.
You Can Still Rock in America is a political song. Maybe Jack just likes his music to be non-challenging which Night Ranger’s music is to my ears.
Songs are a form of human communication, and sometimes that communication can provide guidance for life, it doesn’t make someone an idiot if they get that from songs.
Then he tosses out a stereotype about musicians. I’m sure he’s known many, but so have I and many of them really have their acts together. But maybe in Jack’s musical world they don’t.
Well, I guess Blades’ comments means he won’t be reuniting with Ted Nugent for a Damn Yankees reunion :o)
I agree with Blades about musicians getting on their soapbox. But IMO, its not just limited to musicians….it also includes Hollywood celebrities and professional athletes. Hollywood, music, and sports are all entertainment to me. I don’t want to see or hear their politics. These are venues we periodically use to escape the problems of the real world.
But i do think it would be kinda fun to see Eddie Trunk moderate a political debate between Ted Nugent and Tom Morello. I love Nugent, but I wish he would just shut up and play his guitar. I can’t stand Morello, and I wish he would just go away….
Rattle,
I agree with both you and Blades. There is nothing worse than a sanctimonious actor, musician, or athlete. People pay their good hard earned money to be entertained, not to be lectured to, nor made to feel guilty.
D 🙂
Hi Dana and Rattle,
I know its just a figure of speech, but really there are many things worse than sanctimonious celebrities.
If you use your entertainment only to escape the realities of the world, that’s fine for you, but its not the only possible use for art and entertainment. You are of course free to not put time or money into entertainment that isn’t what you want. But celebrities are free to express themselves how they want.
Wave,
Of course they are, and as result of their free speech, there can be consequences.
Football has lost a great deal of money over the anthem protests, and some musicians, as well as movies/tv shows, have seen a loss of revenue/ratings.
Once it tends to hit them in the wallets, suddenly they change their tune. The hypocrisy, itself, is quite telling.
D 🙂
Wave, yes, these celebrities are free to express their ideals and politics. But when they do, they run the risk of polarizing their fan base. I don’t want to hear these artists/celebrities/athletes preach their beliefs. And i particularly believe it’s disrespectful for them to do it while on stage when they should be entertaining their fans, just like it would be disrespectful for me to discuss politics and religion at work.
I think Rush provided political commentary in a veiled and clever way in their lyrics, and didn’t preach from the stage. And if you didn’t care for what Neil had to say, you could still appreciate the musicianship.
Many bands have political/social themes in their songs, and depending on the era (like the 60’s/70’s versus the 80’s/90’s), the stronger the message. That’s fine, I think the frustration applies more to the grandstanding during live events, and award shows, where there is a captive audience.
It is certainly their right to speak their minds, but I don’t think it serves its purpose, and in many cases, has the exact opposite effect.
D 🙂