New Model Army / Bad Luck City @ Climax Lounge - Denver, CO May 15, 2004

Justin Sullivan on music, politics and passive activism

"There are artists, there are pop stars and there are preachers... The artist, if no one shows up at all, will still create. If no one shows up at all I wouldn't bother, because the point is communication." - Justin Sullivan


The squealing violin of Bad Luck City is enough to draw us away from our pinball game. When we find our table, our ladies are already immersed in the dark strains of slide guitar and harmonica. Rhythmic waves ebb and flow not unlike The Swans, causing the attentive crowd of burnouts, holdouts and goth models to rollick in consensual nodding. Sure the first four songs have the same indistinguishable formula, but damned if the waltz isn't the most comforting signature. The unassuming singer adopts a Tom Waits/Nick Cave stance, which is unfortunately buried under the gravel and drums. A genuinely appreciative audience rewards every tune. I'm distracted momentarily as Slade the Leveler slips into the club and sneaks into the seat behind me. I give him a minute to think he's gotten away with it. When I ask him how many dates Bad Luck City is playing with them, he says "None." Then he explains that the club schedules the opening band in each city. I feel like a stupid person trying to be slick. I go back to enjoying the opener and hope Mr. Sullivan does as well. Having been found out, he waits long enough to be polite before making a break for it. When the audience hoots for a Bad Luck City encore, they're only slightly joking. But this is not their gig and they graciously decline.

A smallish Justin Sullivan enters with his acoustic guitar and proceeds to fill up the entire stage, his presence spilling out over the crowd. As he burns through "Fate" the intensity holds the club hostage. His searing eyes affixed on a single point in the distance. He later disavows all knowledge of what we were seeing and cannot describe what it was he himself saw. "I don't know what the expression is. I have no idea. I've seen video of myself and I go huh? But it's not an expression. Passion in music is something else altogether. The expression goes with it. I think the thing is, right? The music is very intense."

Nearly stickless drummer Michael Dean arrives to his percussion smorgasbord while guitarist/keyboard player Dean White takes his place for the set. . Straight away, the trio rips into early material like the crowd pleasers "Lights Go Out" and "Heroes." All set for indoctrination, the willing-minded sing along like a revival congregation, receptive to the message presented.

Often described as a thoughtful lyricist, the man speaks thoughtfully as well. When he pauses and searches for the right words, gems inevitably fall out his mouth, "Let me think about this to phrase it right. There are artists, there are pop stars and there are preachers. So the pop stars go up there and get the audience to clap along and have a really good time and go "That was great I had a really good time." The artist who'll get up there and create really good art, and the audience will consider themselves privileged to watch these great artists create their art. And that's it. And there are also preacher bands whose whole purpose is not to create art; it's to communicate something. To communicate imagery, emotion, ideas and it's so important that the communication sometimes overrides the art. Now we swing between the two. We've got the art element, but for me the desire to communicate something overrides it. "

One of those communications that is vital to New Model Army is a strength and belief in self that is taught by lyric and example. Anyone who has witnessed Sullivan's toothless grin will recognize a confidence that continues offstage. Says Sullivan, "I'm more comfortable in myself as I get older. The older you get you stop worrying about all those stupid little things that used to worry you. In fact I think what it is is that when you're young, you go around saying, "I don't care what you think of me. I'm an individual." And actually you care desperately. And whenyou get older you actually really don't care."

Deep into the set now, he issues an indictment against Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Bush regime, (none of whom were present). Not surprising considering the political bent NMA. Sullivan recognizes and follows the connections with our governments. "It's very embarrassing for us. Tony Blair and a number of people in English public life think that the way to deal with America is to stay close, back America up and gently take America's hand and lead them into the United Nations route along with the rest of them. Which the Clinton administration was very happy to do with Kosovo and all these various things. Although he could have recognized that George Bush was altogether a different kettle of fish, I think he might have thought that he would stay close and back George and lead him to the UN route. Miscalculating completely that George and all the people around him don't give a shit. Or didn't give a shit, very interestingly enough, until now. Suddenly they're going cap in hand to the UN and the UN understandably saying, "It's your mess. If you want us to get you out of it you'll have relinquish a bit of power or money to deal with it. But Tony Blair is cut from the same cloth as Bush and Thatcher in the sense that they're all religious and they all think that the most important thing to do is the right thing. We all wish they would do the right thing, but politicians convinced that they are right and everyone else is wrong are kind of very dangerous."

According to Sullivan, the actions George Jr. has taken are souring the opinion of America with other nations. "All these people are very fond of going, "You're either with us or against us." It's fucking mad, most people in the world are neither with you or against you. They're too busy going to work, making a living, going home and loving their families. And they're going, "We weren't against you, but if we have to make a choice, then if you insist..."

As an encore, Sullivan offers a moving solo version of "Green and Grey." That is, if you can call a chorus of 100 persons a solo. An obvious favorite and definitely the highlight, it's the sort of thing that makes the listener a part of the artist's history. "My parents were Quakers." He reminisces, "It was lovely when I was a kid. The village I grew up in has a bar made from the timbers of the Mayflower. Although it's still a Quaker village nominally, it's sandwiched between all these dormitory towns for very very very rich people who work in London and like to live somewhere beautiful. So I wouldn't live there in a million years even if I could afford to, which I can't.

Despite the affiliation with The Friends church, Sullivan initially balks at being labeled a pacifist, "You're talking to the guy who wrote "Vengeance." To my shame, in 1968 at the time of the cultural revolution in China which we now know to be what it was, a little group of me and my friends at primary school sent off to the Chinese embassy and got little red boots and would go running up and down the playground screaming "Revolution!" at the top of our heads. I don't have any pacifist leanings at all. Although these days I'm getting more that way." He defends, "If you see a peace march there'll be some gray-haired ladies in front of it. And you can bet your life they're Quakers. There's a history and a tradition of activism. I grew up in a very politicised family at a very politicised time in history.."

The parting shot of Neil Young's anthem "Keep On Rocking In The Free World" feels out of context at first glance. The band seems pandering, and the unsure crowd panders back in kind. But it makes sense when worked in with their rabble-rouser "51st State." This use of media has long been a preferred strategy to fight the media itself. "It's like a huge paranoia machine. I caught twenty minutes of Fox news the other day, and if you've taken a staple diet of Fox news and right wing talk shows you will start to believe all this absolute bullshit. Terrifying," says Sullivan. Yet Yankee media has confounded him, "It's a very obvious thing, but I was surprised to see it in a very middle of the road Albuquerque newspaper this morning; a cartoon of Bush saying to Rumsfeld "You're doing a great, great job." And Osama Bin Laden going, "Yes, you are doing a great, great job." Which is obviously what's happening."

Sullivan's concern for people extends beyond lyric niceties. He stays overtime in a bizarre wedding-reception line glad-handing and signing various souvenirs. One fellow has him sign well wishes for an incarcerated friend. It begins to seem that these interactions are what this is really about for the man and that the performance is merely an end to a means. "What's true of all people in whatever walk of life they have is they have a mixture of success and failure in their lives. I mean you really want success when you're young. And you think that's what it's all about. You have some successes and some failures and eventually you realize it doesn't really matter. And they all sort of balance. Occasionally you'll meet peoplewho've only had success in their lives. And they're really the most disgusting people you'll ever meet. And people who've only met failure are terribly tragic. Bloody tragic and they're destroyed by it."

While most in attendance don't think twice about the three-piece, apparently some were expecting a little something other. Sullivan's patience was proved and ear was bent as a young lady expressed her dissatisfaction, not concerning herself with the formality of the reception line. "She was a bit pissed off, and I understand why she was pissed off. Saturday night if you want to see some full on electric band and you know what our records sound like and you think you might want to go see that. So you pay your fifteen dollars, which is quite expensive, and then you come up to something that you weren't expecting at all. Which is tough shit, but at the same time it makes it difficult for us. Thanks to promoter oversight or zeal, the U.S tour has seen a lot of this confusion. "It should be called a semi-acoustic tour. To be honest, we tour with this show in Europe but then in Europe it's called Justin Sullivan and friends. But over here you wouldn't get a single gig under that name. Is the tape running? I didn't intend to start with all that nonsense."

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