More, more, more Lenny

AUGUST 25, 1980 SECT. 2, PAGE 2l

“I don’t know – I just want, I want people to love me – I want a lot of acceptance – I want everybody to go “God, it’s Lenny Zenith and RZA!!”

 

By BUNNY MATTHEWS & JON NEWLIN

In Part One of the Lenny Zenith Interview, Lenny alleged that Barbara Hoover somehow ripped-off RZA for an undisclosed amount of money. Upon further investigation of the matter, we have learned that this was not the case and that actually RZA is financially indebted to Ms. Hoover. “If you total all the receipts from United Cabs, Burger King and Popeyes, you will see that the bandlovess me and not the other way around,’ explains Barbara.

We regret the error and would like to add that we have always found Barbara Hoover to be a person of great personal integrity and a credit to her astrological sign.

FIGARO: What do you think of playing music here in New Orleans?

Lenny: Um.

FIGARO: What do you think of the current scene?

Lenny: It depends, certain people only like certain kinds of music and they don’t really branch out-people who come and hear me like new-wave-type groups and go and hear Red Rockers and the Cold. They wouldn’t branch over and go and hear the Nevilles or go and hear Li’l Queenie or Sam & Dave or James Booker or any of those people, whereas those people wouldn’t come and see us. So, I don’t know, I think there are separate audiences. I think people should try and get into each other’s scene. I like the audiences generally. I think anybody who goes out to hear a band, they are going obviously because they like to hear music, I think people can relate to us ’cause I think we play good music. And if you like to get drunk, the more you drink, the better we sound. I felt for a longtime-like the Cold is so big now and I get real jealous, it’s like I dream about it – and I just feel, “Oh why doesn’t anybody like us as much as they like them?’ I think it has to do with every time you’re in some type of competition-promotion and publicity and that type stuff – I think, God, people will dance to that type stuff? Maybe it’s my personality or breath or something.

 

FIGAR0 (Jon): I saw y’all with ’em and Ilikedy’all better than them.

Lenny: But you didn’t get up and dance

FIGARO (Jon): No, I didn’t – I was too drunk – besides that, I heard them before.

Lenny: Yeah?

FIGARO (Jon): Your songs are better, anyway. A couple of their songs are really good but the thing is, like, okay, I’ll tell you what happened at the Dream Palace, which is a great place to hear new wave bands because it’s the only place where you see people sleeping through new wave music. Lenny: I know. FIGARO (Jon): It’s the only place I’ve ever seen it. I saw you and the rest of your band- and

Lenny: I know. FIGARO (Jon): It’s the only place I’ve ever seen it. I saw you and the rest of your band- and

FIGARO (Jon): It’s the only place I’ve ever seen it. I saw you and the rest of your band- and ya’ll played and everything and it was real good and then they played and they were pretty good. And you were right, everybody danced, but it took a while – even with them. And then there’s this old queen, who’s like 60 years old, who peeled out this wad of bills. . . Lenny: Yeah, I was there. FIGARO (Jon): And paid them to play for another hour. Lenny: A hundred bucks I think he paid ’em. FIGARO (Jón): Vance

Lenny: Yeah, I was there. FIGARO (Jon): And paid them to play for another hour. Lenny: A hundred bucks I think he paid ’em. FIGARO (Jón): Vance

FIGARO (Jon): And paid them to play for another hour. Lenny: A hundred bucks I think he paid ’em. FIGARO (Jón): Vance

FIGARO (Jón): Vance tookout the cardboard sheet that has all his songs written on it and they just started playing the same songs over again in the same order and I looked at Bill and I said “Let’s go!” I mean, if they only know 30

Lenny: I know. FIGARO (Jon): It’s the only place I’ve ever seen it. I saw you and the rest of your band- and ya’ll played and everything and it was real good and then they played and they were pretty good. And you were right, everybody danced, but it took a while – even with them. And then there’s this old queen, who’s like 60years old, who peeled out this wad of bills. . . Lenny: Yeah, I was there. FIGARO (Jon): And paid them to play for another hour. Lenny: A hundred bucks I think he paid ’em. FIGARO (Jón): Vance tookout the cardboard sheet that has all his songs written on it and they just started playing the same songs over again in the same order and I looked at Bill and I said “Let’s go!” I mean, if they only know 30

 

FIGARO (Jon): And paid them to play for another hour.

Lenny: A hundred bucks I think he paid ’em. FIGARO (Jón): Vance

FIGARO (Jón): Vance tookout the cardboard sheet that has all his songs written on it and they just started playing the same songs over again in the same order and I looked at Bill and I said “Let’s go!” I mean, if they only know 30 songs and they never deviate from the order of them . . . with ya’ll it was much more spontaneous. You have those atomic glasses on you couldn’t see – you were crashing into things on the stage. You put the guitar down and this other friend of mine (who will remain nameless) said, “Oh, thank God.’ And then you just sang and everybody was jumping up playing different instruments and switching around – that was great Lenny: Thanks. I don’t know – I just want, I want people to love me – I want a lot of acceptance – I want everybody to go “God, it’s Lenny Zenith and RZAll!’ Everybody goes after Barbara, you know. FIGARO: Does she go after you? Lenny: Sometimes – no, I’m just kidding. She’s pretty hot – I like her band a lot and they do, like you say, keep on one level of everything-like there’s no up and down.

FIGARO: Does she go after you? Lenny: Sometimes – no, I’m just kidding. She’s pretty hot – I like her band a lot and they do, like you say, keep on one level of everything-like there’s no up and down.

Lenny: Sometimes – no, I’m just kidding. She’s pretty hot – I like her band a lot and they do, like you say, keep on one level of everything-like there’s no up and down.

FIGARO: Does she go after you?

 

Lenny: Sometimes – no, I’m just kidding. She’s pretty hot – I like her band a lot and they do, like you say, keep on one level of everything-like there’s no up and down.

FIGARO (Jon): I’ve only seen them maybe four or five times but now they’ve become so popular the first time I saw them they weren’t all that popular and now they’re like the big cheeses. Now it’s already like a star routine, you know, like they come out with the appropriate costumes and they do exactly the same songs in the same order – it’s like going to see Edith Piaf or something. Remember that pitiful letter from Kevin Rodecker. The letter about sound equipment and everything – it was like the little match girl. He wrote this letter one time saying that Christmas was coming up and the members of the band were having their birthdays and they hoped their parents would give them amplifiers for Christmas. 

Lenny: I don’t know, I guess there’s a certain air of austerity but you know, being not the biggest, but good and not really a shit band but having a lot of people appreciate you in a certain vein. It’s like a lot of people said “

Lenny: I don’t know, I guess there’s a certain air of austerity but you know, being not the biggest, but good and not really a shit band but having a lot of people appreciate you in a certain vein. It’s like a lot of people said “ya’ll are innovative and ya’ll do different things but it seems like ya’ll don’t really care about what they’re saying and what they think” and we

Lenny: I don’t know, I guess there’s a certain air of austerity but you know, being not the biggest, but good and not really a shit band but having a lot of people appreciate you in a certain vein. It’s like a lot of people said “y’all are innovative and y’alll do different things but it seems like y’all don’t really care about what they’re saying and what they think” and we don’t!