INTERVIEW: Crazy Horse on Neil Young’s Toast | UNCUT

Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse

 

Here is an excerpt of an interview with Crazy Horse's Frank “Poncho” Sampedro and Billy Talbot on Neil Young’s album Toast via UNCUT by Editor Michael Bonner:

UNCUT: It’s strange, though, that after all that Neil writes about Toast: “Crazy Horse shows a depth never seen or heard before. This is a pinnacle. Where they let me go, where they took me, was unbelievable.”

 
Frank “Poncho” Sampedro: But he wasn’t saying it to us! But I guess he was having a hard time expressing himself. That’s like the best compliment we could ever get. It’s crazy, isn’t it? Way Down In The Rust Bucket blew my mind – but that was material we did well, already. We played it all really good that night live. So that was cool. But this is totally unique for Crazy Horse, it has so many different layers. It’s part of jazz, part of blues and it’s just spooky as hell. It’s going to surprise a lot of people, I think.

UNCUT: How do you think Toast fits in with that run of ‘90s Horse albums – Ragged Glory, Sleeps With Angels and Broken Arrow?
 

Billy Talbot: I’m just grateful, to be able to go through those years all these years, and still be able to do something – like Colorado and Barn. I liked those records a lot. Through the years we’ve been recorded, and that’s really something to have in your life, to look back on, to see yourself in those times and these times, because we’re always different. We’re people, growing; or maybe not growing but you think you are. In any case, as the years go by, you get to see yourself through these different times with music. And that’s a good thing, for sure.

The Horse have just finished recording with Rick Rubin…

Billy Talbot: Yeah, we did. We had a lot of fun.

Any plans to tour? It’ll be difficult with Nils off playing with Springsteen next year.

Billy Talbot: Yeah, he’s going to be occupied. Maybe he’ll slip over and play with us once in a while. We don’t do a lot of stuff. We need everybody to miss us. So when they see us, they’ll just love us. If you miss somebody enough, it’s good to see them.

Is it all the same Horse – from Danny up through Poncho to Nils?

Billy Talbot: From my perspective, it is. Ralph and I and Neil are always in it. Therefore with Danny or with Poncho or with Nils, all of this is just part of it.  That’s what Crazy Horse is. All of this and all of that. Nils likes to think of himself as being part of Crazy Horse all along, as he was with us years ago. Neil is an incredible songwriter. People are still interested in what he does and consequently, what we do. And we realise that, but we still play together and we still do this and it still happens because we don’t think too much about all of that stuff.

See full interview with Crazy Horse's Frank “Poncho” Sampedro and Billy Talbot on Neil Young’s album Toast via UNCUT by Editor Michael Bonner.

 UNCUT Magazine  - September 2022See post: MORE BARN (?): New Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse Album Produced by Rick Rubin
(Click photo to enlarge) 

Also, see REVIEW: "TOAST" - Unreleased 2001 Album by Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse.

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