Thursday, Nov. 05, 2009

Before TMS show, ZZ Top’s Gibbons talks about 40 years of rock

Rockers ZZ Top take a detour from their European tour to play Texas Motor Speedway.

By PRESTON JONES

dfw.com

"Some things are just downright eternal. Going fast and playing loud certainly offer much in terms of commonality."

ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons is talking about performing before a NASCAR race, but he could just as easily be referring to his band’s epic 40-year run. The timeless Texas rockers are connoisseurs of the raw, bluesy sound. The boys from Houston will headline the Dickies 500 pre-show Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway and are also on tap to utter the phrase "Gentlemen, start your engines."

The Star-Telegram caught up with Gibbons via e-mail during ZZ Top’s recent European tour, which found the fellas hobnobbing with Macedonian heads of state and being escorted to shows by a cadre of Harley-riding fans.

You guys are working on a new album with producer Rick Rubin — how’s that progressing?

We’ve been at it sporadically because of our touring schedule. We were out with Aerosmith, and when Steve Tyler was injured, we did a tour of our own and that was immediately followed by a string of European dates, and now we’ve got Texas Motor Speedway and a slew of dates in Canada. But, yes, Rick is the man, and we’ve enjoyed the time and feedback (both literal and figurative) from him. We hope we’ll get it done and out within the next 12 months.

Eliminator celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. Does it seem possible that much time has passed?

It was our friend Willie Nelson who noted that it’s funny how time seems to slip right on away, and it truly is. Eliminator wasn’t that long ago as far as geological time is concerned, but it might be best put this way: The girls in the videos are always in their 20s . . . forever . . . that, and of course, diamonds are always a girl’s best friend. We do what we do because we like getting to do it. No reason to stop now that we’re getting better at it.

In your opinion, how has rock music changed since ZZ Top began, or do you feel it’s changed very much at all?

It’s changed a lot because of technology, but the essence is still the same. Maybe because we just go out there with bass, drum and guitar we’re kind of insulated from all the upheaval of this era. And Frank [Beard] and Dusty [Hill] are always there in high definition every night, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Preston Jones is the Star-Telegram’s pop music critic. 817-390-7713

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