Ryan Adams - 18st January 2004

Ryan Adams kindly spent some time talking to us just before going on stage at Rock City.

When you were in ‘Blank label’ you used to play drums, what made you change from drums to guitar?

Ryan: The actual band I was in, not ‘Blank Label’ it was another band with a girl, she was supposed to be the singer, but she got nervous, and somebody had to sing, I was the only person who could do it, and so I guess I was trapped into it. It was great drumming though because you don’t have to do any of the interviews or anything. (laughs).

Do you prefer recording or playing live?

Ryan: I’m happier in recording studio, there’s a couple of things I don’t like- if it was just writing songs and recording and just play shows that would be great, but there is a lot of other things that come with it- I’m not bitching about interviews but the other stuff like travelling, being away from your family and not having much of your own time.

How would you categorise your music?

Ryan: I think some of it is country and western, but some of it is full on rock, it just varies. But when you go back to writing a basic song- its going to sound like country and western.

Is it true that you funded the album yourself because the record company didn’t want a rock record?

Ryan: When I made ‘Rock n Roll’ it was done on my credit card and the label had no idea I was doing it. Then no one heard the album from the label until it was finished. The last thing they wanted from me was a rock n roll record- they wanted a more stripped down album- they wanted an album more like ‘heartbreaker’.

Do you think NME are just building you up to knock you down?

Ryan: No I think I play enough here that they have to write about me, but not overexpose me. The NME's circulation is pretty crap and they are very opinionated and witty which makes it a good magazine for rock. To be awarded by the NME as good or bad doesn't mean anything to me. If I lived in London then I might care what they say.


We would like to thank Ryan Adams for speaking to us.

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