【Interview】Dave Gibbs (Gigolo Aunts)

“僕らの中にはもう1枚アルバムが隠れてるような気がするんだ”

Startripが “Power Pop Revival” という言葉（主催イベントのタイトルでもある）を重要なキーワードの1つとして掲げている以上、どうしても掲載したかったバンドが Gigolo Aunts。ようやく悲願成就と相成りました。2017年3月、LOWLIFE RECORDS山本徹氏協力の元、中心人物のDave Gibbsに行ったメール・インタビューです。Daveがこの記事のために提供してくれた秘蔵写真の数々（本当に貴重！本人コメント付き）とともに、お楽しみください。

Promo shot. Original line up, 1992, our first trip to Los Angeles

ーーPacific Ocean Bluesリリース後はバンドは活動休止状態だったんでしょうか？差し支えなければ、当時から現在に至るバンドの状況を聞かせてください。

僕らは長いことツアーに明け暮れていた。”Minor Chords and Major Themes”に伴うツアーは約1年間続いたんだけど、そのツアー終了後にJonとFredが、少しの間バンド活動から離れることを決めた。それぞれ別のバンド（JonはIvyとJuliana Hatfield、FredはBen Kweller）のサポートもしてたけど、それもやめてね。Steveと僕はボストンからロサンゼルスへ引っ越して、オリジナル・メンバーだったPhil Hurley (G) と、ボストンで昔ルームメイトだったMark Rivers（Cavedogsのドラマー。もし知らなかったら、絶対聴いたほうが良いよ）と一緒に、2、3の新曲をJohn Fieldsプロデュースの元でレコーディングしたんだけど、これがなかなか良くってね。その時の曲は”Pacific Ocean Blues”で何曲か聴けるよ。その頃、JonとFredは自由に時を過ごしていたね。その後、Counting Crowsが彼らのスタジオを使わせてくれたので、さらに曲を書いて”Pacific Ocean Blues”を完成させたんだ。”Flippin Out”よりロックで “Minor Chords〜”よりメロウ、それぞれの良さが凝縮されたようなこのアルバムが、僕は本当に大好きなんだ！何のプレッシャーもなく、楽しんで作ることができたしね。

Q. Had the Gigolo Aunts virtually stopped performing after ‘Pacific Ocean Blues’ release? If you do not mind, please tell me the situation of the band to the present from those days.

Well, we had been touring pretty non-stop for years, and the tour for Minor Chords was almost 12 months long. At the end of that tour, both Jon and Fred decided to take a break from the band. They both ended up on tour with some other bands (Jon with Ivy and Juliana Hatfield, and Fred with Ben Kweller). Steve and I had moved to Los Angeles from Boston, and had a few new songs, so we did some work with a producer named John Fields, using our first guitar player (Phil Hurley), and my old Boston roommate Mark Rivers (the drummer for the Cavedogs, who if you don’t know of them, you should! :). We liked the results a lot, and ended up using some of the songs on Pacific Ocean Blues. Meanwhile, Jon and Fred had some free time, and the Counting Crows let us use their studio when they weren’t in it, so we did some more writing and finished the album that would eventually be POB.

I really enjoy that record, as it is a good blend of the more “rock” sounding Flippin Out, and the mellower Minor Chords. It was also really fun to record without any pressure whatsoever:)

ーーボストンでオリジナル・メンバーでライブを行ったとネットで見たのですが、本当ですか？

何年か前に招待を受けてボストンでショーを行ったんだけど、それがとても楽しくてね。昨年誘われた時も二つ返事でオッケーしたよ。もっと一緒にプレイしたいんだけど、それぞれ家族、子供、そして仕事があるし、近くに住んでる訳でもないから、なかなかスケジュールを合わせられないんだ。いつの日かまた一緒に曲を作ったりできることを願っているよ。彼らといると、いつだって楽しいことばかりだから。

Q. I saw on the internet that the Gigolo Aunts have a reunion in original lineup in Boston. Is it only this day? Please explain the current members.

we were invited to play a show a few years ago in Boston, and it was so much fun, we did it again when we were asked last year. I would LOVE to play more, but schedules are tough with families and kids and jobs and everyone living all over the country. Hopefully some day we’ll be able to make some music together again. It is always fun, in every line up.

ーーYouTubeなどを見ていると、2011年や2014年、2016年などのライブの映像が出てきます。近年行ったライブ、今後予定されているライブを教えてください。

1990年代後半から2000年代初め頃にかけて、スペインで人気があったからね。数年おきに行ってるけど、いつ行っても楽しいことばかりなんだ！

Q. When I search in YouTube, I can watch the concert videos such as 2011, 2014 and 2016. How often do you play? Please tell me the live shows in recent years, and besides, Could you please let me know the future plans?

we play in Spain every few years, as we had some success there in the late 90s/early ‘00s. Always enjoyable.

Spain 2016. Another one from the tour in Spain last summer. One of the weirdest, most fun shows we've ever played! We went on at 1:30am, in the middle of a forest! L-R: Phil Hurley, me, Steve Hurley, John Skibic, Mark Rivers — Spain 2016. Another one from the tour in Spain last summer. One of the weirdest, most fun shows we’ve ever played! We went on at 1:30am, in the middle of a forest!
L-R: Phil Hurley, me, Steve Hurley, John Skibic, Mark Rivers

ーー曲作りやレコーディングは行なっていますか？また、今後何かリリースの予定はありますか？
こんなこと聞かれるなんて奇遇だな！実は、久しぶりに何曲かアイデアが浮かんできているんだ。Steveは相変わらず良い曲を携えているしね。時期が来たら新曲を発表する可能性は高いんじゃないかな。たぶん、僕らの中にはもう1枚アルバムが隠れてるような気がするんだ。今はそれを掘り起こしてる最中ってところさ！
Q. Is there a possibility that you will write a new song for the Gigolo Aunts? I hope that new album will be released. Do you have any plans for a new release in near future?
funny you should ask- I’ve been starting to play around with some song ideas for the first time in a long time. Steve always has great songs lying around. I think there is a strong possibility we’ll put out more music one day. I think we have another record in us, we just need time to dig it out:)

ーー旧作のリイシューの予定はありますか？（特に、”Minor Chords And Major Themes”、”Pacific Ocean Blues”のアナログ盤リリースの予定はありませんか？）
ゆっくりとだけど、再発の計画は進行している。マスター音源は手元に戻ってきているから、あとは僕ら次第ってところなんだ。個人的にもアナログ盤で持っていたいな！やっぱり良い音だよね、アナログは。実は、友人が運営しているスペインのレーベルBittersweet Recordsと、”Minor Chords and Major Themes”のリマスター音源にデモやアウトテイク、ライブ音源を収録したボックス・セットについての打ち合わせを進めているんだよ。
Q. Do you have any plans for the reissue of the catalog titles? Especially, I hope ‘Minor Chords And Major Themes’ and ‘Pacific Ocean Blues’ to available in vinyl.
Yes. We are (slowly) working out the logistics of trying to rerelease them. The masters came back to us, so it’s up to us to get them back in print. I would personally love to have those albums available on vinyl! They sound great. We’ve been talking with our friends at Bittersweet Records in Spain about doing a box-set of MCMTs that would have a remixed album, all the demos, outtakes, and a live recording that’s pretty good.

ーースペインですごく人気があるそうですが、最初のきっかけは何だったんでしょうか？

Gigolo Auntsの大ファンだったプロモーターがいて、何度もスペインに招聘してくれてね。ツアーやプロモーション、たくさんのフェスティバルにも出演したし、ラジオ関係者も親切にしてくれた。そういえば、僕らはスペインのバンドNacha Popの80年代初期のヒット曲‘La Chica de Yer’を（メンバー誰もスペイン語を話せないから）英詞でカバーしてレコーディングしたんだけど、あれはとても楽しかったな。僕はスペインが大好きさ！プレイしに行ける日をいつも心待ちにしているんだ。

Q. It seems like the Gigolo Aunts is very popular in Spain. What do you think the first trigger is?

we had a promoter who was a big fan of the band and he brought us over there a lot. We toured and did all sorts of promo, and it worked:) We played a lot of festivals, and radio was very friendly towards us. We also recorded a cover of La Chica de Yer, which was a huge hit for Nacha Pop in the early 80s. We redid it with english lyrics (none of us speak spanish), and it was super fun to do.

I love Spain, and always look forward to playing there.

ーーGigolo Auntsには公式ウェブサイトやFacebook、Twitterなどのアカウントが存在しません。ファンとしてはWebでバンドの活動状況を知りたいのですが、どこを見たらいいんでしょうか？

悲しいかな僕ら全員SNSが苦手で…本当に疎いんだ。公式サイトも何も持ってないから、もう少し頑張って覚えなきゃいけないんだけどね。でも、インスタグラムは全員やってるから、活動状況は大体そこにあげているよ。

Q. I couldn’t find any accounts of the Gigolo Aunts, such as official website, Facebook and Twitter. As your fan, I want to know the activities of the band on the Internet, where should I look at?

unfortunately, none of us (in ANY incarnation) are very social-media savvy:( we don’t have an official website or anything, but we’re all on Instagram, and will usually post any activity there. We should probably get a little better at that:)

ーーこれまでに書いた曲の中で最も気に入っているものは？

考えたことなかったな…そうだな、”Minor Chords And Major Themes”と”Pacific Ocean Blues”に収録した曲が好きだね。特に、’Lay Your Weary Body Down’（スタジオ・テイクは最高の演奏ができたと思っている）と、’Only You’。どちらもあまり悩むことなく、すぐに形になった曲で、レコーディングするのも楽しかった。’Only You’が好きな理由は、短くて、とてもハッピーなサウンドだから。書いた時の気分がそのまま表れているね。

Q. Out of all the songs that you have written, what is your most favorite?

I never really thought about it. I guess I probably like some of the stuff on Minor Chords and POB the most? Maybe Lay Your Weary Body Down (which I don’t think we ever played other than the take in the studio), and Only You. Both those songs came pretty easily, fully formed, and were fun to record. I think I like Only You because it’s so short, and sounds very happy, which I think I was when I wrote it.

This is the 2nd line up of the band, around 2001, right when we are recording Pacific Ocean Blues. We had toured non-stop for 4 years, and the band was just about to break up. This is a rare moment when we were all living in Los Angeles. John and Fred were about to leave the band, but we were all pleased with the record. It's a fairly upbeat, happy album, and I think the freedom we had shows on the tracks. I will always love the way this line up played together — This is the 2nd line up of the band, around 2001, right when we are recording Pacific Ocean Blues. We had toured non-stop for 4 years, and the band was just about to break up.
This is a rare moment when we were all living in Los Angeles.
John and Fred were about to leave the band, but we were all pleased with the record.
It’s a fairly upbeat, happy album, and I think the freedom we had shows on the tracks.
I will always love the way this line up played together

ーーGigolo Auntsは多くの優れたカバー曲を残しています。新しくカバー曲を録音またはライブのレパートリーに追加するなら、何にしますか？
活動を始めた頃、僕らは本当に長いショー（45分のセットを3回か4回）行わなければならなかったんだけど、まだ少ししかオリジナル曲を持ってなくてさ。だから、時間を稼ぐためにもたくさんカバーを演奏しなければならなかったんだ。正直なところ、そこまで深く考えて選曲していた訳ではないけど、僕らが大好きだった曲ばかりだよ。子供の頃に聴いて育った曲（’No Matter What’、’Cinnamon Girl’など）や、もっとたくさんの人に知ってほしい曲（’I Am The Cosmos’、’Serious Drugs’など）とかね。あと100万曲は挙げられるよ（笑）
Q. Gigolo Aunts leaves many amazing cover songs. What song do you choose if you add cover song to recording or a live set newly?
We used to have to play REALLY long shows (3 or 4 sets of 45 minutes) when we started, and we only had a handful of original songs, so we had to play a lot of covers to fill time.
To be honest, we didn’t ever put a whole lot of thought into it, just songs we liked:) Often they were songs we’d grown up with (No Matter What, Cinnamon Girl, etc…), or songs we loved and felt more people should hear (I Am The Cosmos, Serious Drugs etc…). We still know a million songs:)

ーーあなたにとって、Gigolo Auntsとは？

世界中を旅して演奏してきた最高の仲間、親友さ！大きな成功は得られなかったかもしれないけど、まさに僕の人生そのもの。素晴らしい経験をさせてくれた。僕はGigolo Auntsの楽曲を誇りに思っているし、ミュージシャンとしても人としても素晴らしい仲間がいるこのバンドで一緒に演奏できたこと、とても感謝しているよ。

Q. What is the Gigolo Aunts for you?

It was my best friends, traveling the world, playing music. Even though we never had that mega success, it was an amazing experience, and for a long time, the focus of my entire life. I feel very proud of the music we made, and feel blessed that I got to play in a band with such great musicians and people.

Fall 1986, the year we formed the band. In our home town of Potsdam, New York.

ーーミュージカル「Rock of Ages」のオリジナル（ロサンゼルス公演）音楽ディレクター&アレンジャーとして参加されていますが、このプロジェクトに参加することになった経緯を教えてください。
友人がプロデューサーの1人だったんだ。僕が出演していたBring The Rockっていうコメディーあり音楽ありのショーを見終わった後、彼が僕に声をかけてきた。そして、ヘアメタルとかハードロック系の曲を、一緒にアレンジすることになったんだ。
Q. You served as the music director and arranger for the original Los Angeles run of Rock of Ages. Please let me know the process that you participated in this project.
A friend of mine was one of the producers, and asked me to be involved after seeing a show I played in called Bring The Rock, which was a comedy show with music. And lots of the songs were sorta “hair metal” or hard rock that we rearranged for the show.

ーー「Rock of Ages」は、のちにブロードウェイでの公演され、映画にもなり、現在も世界各地で公演されるヒット作となりましたが、ここまでのヒットをあなたは予想してましたか？

まったく！予想もしていなかったよ！上演当初から会場が毎晩爆笑の渦で、もしかしたらこれは何かスペシャルなショーなんじゃないかって気がしていたけどね。

Q. Rock of Ages then transferred to Broadway and all over the world. Also this was made into a movie. Rock of Ages became proved to be a great success. Did you expect this success?

not really, no. Although right from the start, I knew the show was really special, as it made everyone laugh and smile the whole night. And that’s a great thing.

ーー映画にはStacee Jaxx（トム・クルーズ）のバンド、Arsenalのメンバーとして出演されていますね。公開当時に映画館で見たのですが、正直まったく気が付きませんでした。撮影秘話などがあったら教えてください。

トム・クルーズとは何度か会って話をする機会があったけど、本当に本当にナイス・ガイだった。やさぐれて落ちぶれたロック・スターという役を演じることに、とても興味を持っていたようだったし、実際、見事に演じきっていた。いざ撮影に入ると真剣そのもので、一生懸命に取り組むその姿は周りの空気をも一変させてしまう程。スタッフや役者…その場にいる全員の顔つきが瞬時に変わる。まさにプロフェッショナルという言葉がふさわしい役者だよ。

Q. You appeared in a movie as a member of Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise)’s Arsenal. I saw this movie in a movie theater, but I didn’t notice at that time. Do you have any episodes at the time of film shooting?

I got to meet and speak with Tom Cruise a few times, and he was actually really, really nice. He seemed genuinely interested in trying to get in the persona of a jaded, spoiled lead singer, and I think he did it well. He was super professional when it came to actually shooting the scenes. He worked really hard, and that was infectious; he made everyone around him work even harder.

ーーもしかして…あなた自身もHR/HMキッズだったのでしょうか？

ちょっとはね。Cheap TrickやAerosmithが大好きだし、Rock of Agesで楽曲を使用したバンドも楽しんで聴いてるよ。特にWhitesnakeは最高だよ！

Q. Did you also grow up with hard rock and heavy metal, by any chance?

A little, yes. I loved Cheap Trick and Aerosmith, and have come to really enjoy some of the bands from ROA, especially Whitesnake, whom I adore.

Saying goodnight to our friends in Spain one last time.

ーー最近のお気に入りの音楽を教えてください
ジャズや一昔前の音楽をよく聴いてる。大好きだった80s〜90sミュージックの良さに再びハマってるんだ。Shack、Cotton Mather、Prefab Sprout、Blue Nileとかね。
Q. Do you have any favorite music recently? If you do, which one is it?
I mainly listen to jazz and older stuff. I’ve been rediscovering some music I loved in the 80s/90s and am really happy at how well it’s stood up. Shack, Cotton Mather, Prefab Sprout, Blue Nile….

ーー音楽産業は以前とは比べものにならないほど変化しました。この変化をミュージシャンとして、どう感じていますか？そして、この変化はあなたに何をもたらしたでしょうか？

音楽業界が抱えている問題、苦労、苦悩について、誰もうんざり暗い気持ちにさせたくはないけど、現代の若者にとって音楽が文化的に大して重要な存在ではなくなってしまったような気がして、とても悲しいよ。時代が巡り巡って、またあの頃みたいになってほしいけど…難しいのかな。

Q. The music industry has changed a lot. I think that it is a benefit of the Internet. How do you feel the present music industry to be as a musician? What did it bring you?

I don’t want to bore anyone with tales on music industry woe, but I’m very saddened that music just didn’t seem to be as culturally important to young people as it used to be. I HOPE that turns around, but Im not sure it ever will.

ーーもしも無人島に5枚持っていくとしたら？

難しい質問だな…その都度答えは変わると思うから、今この瞬間に浮かんだものを言うね。

– Henry Mancini “Music From Peter Gunn”

数え切れないほど聴いたアルバム。その時々で聴く聴かないがはっきりしているけど、歌のない音楽を聴く時間が僕には絶対に必要。

-Elvis Costello “Imperial Bedroom”

僕の理解を超えた素晴らしい歌詞を味わいたいからね。

-Beatles “Red album”

姉さんがくれたアルバム。歌詞もコードも全部覚えてる。1万回聴いても、このアルバムの魅力を言葉でうまく伝えられないよ。

-“Jesus Christ Superstar OCR”

両親が持っていたアルバム。たぶん無人島には教会がないだろうから、これを持っていくっていうのは、なかなか良い考えでしょ？素晴らしいプロダクションとパフォーマンスが詰まった作品。

-The Blue Nile “A Walk Across The Rooftops”

現実逃避したくなったら、これを聴くよ。簡単にグラスゴーの夜に行けるからね。

でも…最大の問題は、たくさんの音楽がないと生きていけないってことかな。絶対に5枚じゃ無理（笑）

Q. If you were stuck on a desert island what five albums/CDs could you not live without?

hard question, and I know it would change a lot, but as of THIS VERY MOMENT…

– Henry Mancini Music From Peter Gunn. I’ve listened to this album so many times I know it backwards and forward. Sometimes I need to hear music with no lyrics.

-Elvis Costello, Imperial Bedroom. And sometimes I need incredible lyrics I can’t really comprehend:)

-Beatles Red album. My older sister gave this to me. I know every word and every chord. And I still can’t figure out how they could be so unbelievably amazing, even after 10,000 listens.

-Jesus Christ Superstar OCR. My parents had this album. I’m guessing there wouldn’t be a church on the island, so this would do nicely. Amazing production and performances.

-The Blue Nile, A Walk Across The Rooftops. Pure, magical escapism. I could instantly be transported to Glasgow at night.

The problem is, I couldn’t survive without lots of music; I’d need more than 5 albums:)

ーー今後の活動予定を教えてください

そうだな…差し迫った予定は、子供達の夕食を何にするかってことかな（笑）

Q. Please tell me your plans from now on.

well, my immediate plans are to figure out what I’m going to feed my kids for dinner:)

ーー最後に日本のファンにメッセージをお願いします

この記事を読んでくれたみんな、本当にどうもありがとう！日本で演奏できたことは僕の音楽人生の中でも特に印象に残っているよ。かけがえのない思い出。また日本で演奏する日が来ることを心から願っているよ！

Q. Would you please provide some message to the fans in Japan? A lot of fans to want to see you again! We will always be there for you!

Thank you. Seriously. Thank you ANYONE who is reading this. Playing in Japan have been some of the greatest musical moments of my life. I would love to come back and play again, and hope someday I’ll be invited to.

Jason Falkner and me. Working on songs for the Josie and the Pussycats sound track with Jason. Hollywood 2001/2
With Velvet Crush. In Japan, on my birthday in 1991 or 92. I've had my birthday in Japan twice, and it was always fun!
Spain 2016. This was from a show in Spain last summer. That's John Skibic with the white SG. Those shows were a blast
Early press. One of our first reviews, 1986
Chloe Sevigny. Outtake of the album cover for Flippin Out. A very young Chloe Sevigny, NYC 1992 or 1993
With my friends Eric Schaberg and Jeff Cryder, 1982(?). My first band, my first attempt at songwriting. I think we were called The Flipp
This was on tour with the Low Stars, a short lived band that made one album of CSNY/Eagles inspired California soft rock. We were actually really good, we just couldn't keep our shit together
This was in Japan, maybe 1993. We were jet-lagged and exhausted, but super excited to be there. Tokyo was overwhelming, but the shows were great and the memories are some of my favorites. I dearly wish we could get back there to play again. Maybe someday...
Old faithful, always ready
With Ric Menck. Playing the last show of a tour in the early 2000s, Spain. Ric Menck played drums for the tour.
Jon and Fred Eltringham, listening to guitar overdubs for Minor Chords, Boston 1998
Original line up, on tour in 1989
Gigolo Aunts circa 1992, on top of my roof in Boston. We had just finished recording most of the Flipping Out album. L-R: Steve Hurley, me, Paul Brouwer, Phil Hurley
Just finished recording Flipping Out, with our friend Alex Vangello, who played keyboards on that record
Phil Hurley. One of our very first gigs, Potsdam NY, 1986
With Teenage Fanclub. Somewhere in England, 1993
With Counting Crows. Los Angeles, 1994, original line up just finishing the tour for Flipping Out with Adam Duritz of Counting Crows. They were good friends and big supporters of us. This is backstage at the Greek Theater.