EASY RIDER

Rip It Up, Issue 157, 1 August 1990, Page 2

EASY RIDER

How the part time Eurythmic became a spiritual Cowboy

Among the many privileges enjoyed by pop stars is the right to wear Ray-Ban sunglasses after dark, indoors, without incurring ridicule. Dave Stewart was wearing his for his morning interview and he was still wearing them ten hours later at the record company bash held in his honour at the Blue Falcon.

It wasn't until much later, around midnight, when he pulled up a chair atatable full of models, that he finally removed his shades. Dave might have included a cautionary song on his new album called ‘Fashion Bomb’ about how models on the rock scene risk becoming “terminally fucked up cases” but when it comes to conversation he knows where to turn as readily as the next man. He’s no slouch himself when it comesto talking. Speaking with a slight Sunderland slur (due in partto the Kamikazee cocktails consumed the night before: BMG likes to show its artists a good time) Dave talked about the philosophy behind his new group, the Spiritual Cowboys, how “we're on the brink of a spiritual

revolution because it's the only thing left that's going to bring people back together.” Sitting there in a crushed blue velvet suit,a purple evil eye ring flashing on his left pinkie, Dave reveals that despite the mega-success of the Eurythmics he is notamegarich man. True, he owns a few houses around the world and divides histime between London and LA, but he believes in putting his money backinto the scene that helped him make it in the first place. So he signs unheard-of bands on his label, Anxious Records. He looks outfor people with that certain look intheir eye and gives them a break. He found his female guitarist lzzy May Do buskingin abusstationin p-

» Tijuana. He asked his ex-wife's husband to build his Hollywood house and the man went on to build one for Tom Petty and became a millionaire fouryears later. And within two days in Auckland he managed to meet up with Scruff, heavy-duty pussycat and local - legend. Now, as well as functioning as Dave's local bodyguard, Scruff has been enlisted to coordinate the New Zealand end of a documentary Dave’s making about world wide gang culture. Dave's pretty loose, a man with influential contacts who prefers fo do pet projects with old friends and unknowns. His next documentary is going o be about the great old blues playersin Memphis and New Orleans. He says he going to make a compilation album and pay them theirfirst ever royalty cheques. | - Take me to the subcultures could well be the subliminal requesthe zapsthe record company in each new country he visits. “Because I'm like, from the drug culture, I'm completely outside of society all the time,” Dave explains, “and all the people I'm with, all the things we talk about are like that. ‘Even though they might seem like upstanding people. There's this director called Michael Aptged who's areally good friend of mine. He directed this film called , Coalminers Daughterand Gorillas In The Mist. loads of films, and he's completely sort of mad, greatfun to be with, and he’s the same. - Whenever he arrives somewhere they take him to those champagne places and he's bored out of his mind and can'twait fo get home.” : Subculture lives at Dave's own home in Los Angeles, which is like permanent crash pad for dozens of friends and hangers-on. “Anyone from Timothy Leary and George Harrison to my friend from Sunderland who nobody’sever heard of. There's no kind of star thing aboutit. Everybody gets on great.” DONNA YUZWALK