Stage Talk with Rick Koster
Where every show has something to say.
Revisiting Creedence with a dude FROM Revisiting Creedence
Let’s say you decide to drive across the country on a vacation. You’ll need tunes. Do you program Spotify in some convoluted formula involving 207 artists to ensure that every minute of your coast-to-coast trip is accompanied by outstanding tunes? Or maybe you go through the attic cobwebs and grab and armful of mix tapes from your zany college years.
OR: Just pack the two-disc Chronicles greatest hits package from Creedence Clearwater Revival. It’s all you need. You’ll be halfway across Iowa or Illinois when you think, “My God! Did John Fogerty ever write a bad song? And how many are there?” And you’ll just keep happily listening, over and over, right?
The Garde is happy to provide answers to those fine questions when Revisiting Creedence performs at 7 p.m. Aug. 23.
This isn’t a hired-gun tribute act that impersonates Creedence Clearwater Revival and delivers note-by-note recitations of the material. Rather, Revisiting Credence is anchored by lead guitarist Kurt Griffey and vocalist/rhythm guitarist Dan McGuinness who, for almost two decades, played alongside original CCR founding members Doug Clifford and Stu Cook in the immensely popular Creedence Clearwater Revisited.
With Cook and Clifford having earned happy retirement, they gave their blessings and encouragement to Griffey and McGuinness to carry on the campaign.
Now, with drummer Ron Wikso (Steve Miller Band, Foreigner) and bassist Mick Mahan (Pat Benatar, Ambrosia, Dixie Chicks), Revisiting Creedence is a superb and organically connected band whose sole purpose is to perform CCR songs with spirit, affection and virtuosity.
Recently, we spoke to Griffey by phone from his home in Los Angeles. An in-demand player who’s toured extensively with artists like Denny Laine (Moody Blues, Wings), Greg Rolie (Journey, Santana), Randy Meisner (Eagles) and many more, Griffey, 58, is a cheerful and anecdote-happy conversationalist. His remarks have been edited for space and clarity.
The Garde: Do you remember the first time as a kid when you heard a Creedence song. You’re a little young to have grown up with them in real time, but the sheer radio omnipresence of the catalog must have resonated at a certain point.
Kurt: You know what I remember? I remember seeing TV commercials of the band playing live, advertising greatest hits packages. And years later Doug Clifford told me once these commercials were actually illegal. They were bootleg albums run by the mafia or something.
The band wasn’t even getting paid for these records! But all I knew then was that it was great stuff. And I remember thinking, “Man, I’d love to have that.” Luckily, instead of ordering it off the TV, I ended up getting the Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits, you know, the collection that came out back in the 70s. It had most of the big hits on it, so that was the record I had growing up. But I think those illegal TV commercials are probably what exposed me to the band.
Garde: Thinking about the entire Creedence catalog — as reflected by your nightly set lists — it’s sort of spooky how good it is. There was just this amazing fountain of hits that even today are instantly familiar. After playing these songs hundreds or maybe over 1000 times now, is there a ceiling for your appreciation of Fogerty’s songwriting? I don’t mean necessarily the technical levels or whatever, but just, after a while you go, how did this guy just do this?
Kurt: Right! Actually, it never ceases to amaze me, either. I mean, when I think about it, it’s just like, “Man, how did this guy come up with this? How did he write all those different riffs? I mean, you’re right, they’re not necessarily complicated, but they’re brilliant. And the songs are brilliant. And those songs were written in a really short period of time.
Garde: I know that you guys do vary the show from night to night. Is it hard to balance fitting a few deeper cuts into the litany of hits? Personally, I’m sorta hoping for “Sweet Hitchhiker” or “It Came Out of the Sky.”
Kurt: We do play “It Came Out of the Sky”! A lot of times we close the show with it. And then we also do “Bootleg” from the Bayou Country album, which is another one that a lot of people aren’t familiar with, but we do it in the show fairly regularly.
I mean, there are so many songs, it’s hard to fit them all in, in one show, you know — especially because we don’t want start bumping out songs that people are really counting on.
Garde: Since there are so many indelible hits, are there any you leave out for one reason or another?
Kurt: For years, playing with Stu and Doug, they never wanted to do “Run Through the Jungle.” People in the crowd would be yelling for it, so we played it a couple of times and then Stu booted it right back out of the set again.
Garde: That’s interesting. Do you know why?
Kurt: The truth is, it’s not about the politics or message (editor: it’s an anti-gun song). I think it’s just another sort of long jam song, and Stu thought it would be an energy killer. We were already stretching out on “Susie Q” and “Heard It Through the Grapevine, and it’s the same key as “Grapevine. It’s in E and it just kinda drones on and on with just one chord for the whole song. (Laughs) You’ve gotta be careful with too much E major. We do play it a lot now, but we’ve shortened it with no big solos.
Garde: Regarding the jam portions, it seems to me sometimes that John’s guitar playing is underrated. Do you agree? And when you guys go into the extended sections, you’re a pretty remarkable and versatile player, so do you feel free to channel, I dunno, (country wizard) Jerry Reed or (Swedish neoclassical metal polymath) Yngwie Malmsteen or whomever? Or do you try to stay consistent with John’s playing?
Kurt: (Laughs) Well, I try not to go into Yngwie territory. It’s funny you should mention him, though, because, in the 80s, I was really into him. I was an Yngwie monster at the time. I love his playing and that’s all I was listening to. But, obviously, I explored and love a lot of styles over the years, and I hope I’ve developed my own style. When I joined the band, Stu told me, “Be yourself but sound like you belong,” which basically means don’t change the song so much that people don’t know what you’re playing.
So, yeah, on those jam songs, I try not to take it to a different area, but at the same time I don’t cop every note on the record. And that’s kind of the approach with the whole band. Stu wanted everybody to be themselves. You know, when Dan joined the band, he and Doug weren’t looking for a John Fogerty sound-alike or whatever.
(Laughs) The ironic thing is Dan kind of looks like John Fogerty and we hear that all the time. But vocally, Dan’s his own guy, you know, he’s a great singer. But, you know, we kind of go for a more honest approach rather than try to impersonate people. Dan makes the songs sound like they were meant for him, you know, and he does a great job — but he’s very different than Fogerty. Dan’s unique but Fogerty is definitely one of those guys that nobody sounds like.
I’m not trying to put anyone one down, but when I hear tribute bands and stuff that try to do the, you know, that try to do the soundalike thing, you know, it always falls short. It just kind of loses some … well, I guess honesty is the best word I can think of for that.
Garde: You spent years with Doug and Stu. That’s a lot of time on a tour bus together. I’m sure you’ve heard a million stories. Are there any that particularly resonate?
Kurt: I think, you know, just the whole backstory of Creedence. They played together since they were kids, and were very disciplined. They jammed every day for five hours. Every day, and I’m sure a lot of great stuff came out of playing together. That’s when ideas spark, and maybe John just impulsively comes up with a riff and after that, who knows what could happen?
I don’t know if people realize they were such workaholics. It was the sixties, you know, but they didn’t partake in all the drug use and all the stuff that a lot of the bands around them were doing. Stu told us they were known as the Boy Scouts of rock and roll because they never drank or did drugs or anything when they played. They just grew up learning to play together and that makes such a difference. I don’t think any of them ever played with other people until after Creedence.
Garde: Do you think Doug or Stu would ever write a book? John had a book out and, of course, for years there was a lot of animosity between the two parties. Maybe there still is.
Kurt: You know, I don’t know if (Stu or Doug) was ever inclined to write a book. Doug is not in good health, and Stu seems pretty happily content with his family. But, yes, John did write one and, you know, there was a lot of one-sided stuff in there. I mean, I can’t vouch for anything because I wasn’t there, but I can say Stu and Doug, you know, were a little upset and angry at certain things that were horribly inaccurate.
Basically, you know the old saying that there are two sides to every story — and the truth is somewhere in the middle. Go on the internet and there are so many versions and so much bickering and fighting about what happened in the band. I do know that when Stu and Doug would tell us stories, it was all very positive. They look back on all those times with great memories and, you know, they laugh about all kinds of stuff. They reached a point where there’s not the bitterness and anger that people seem to think there is.
Garde: They’re very much part of the legacy.
Kurt: Sure. And they had a blast going out and playing these songs — especially at a later point in their lives, you know, when, when everything mellowed out a bit and there wasn’t so much chaos and pressure. The environment became relaxed and fun.
Remember: CCR was a huge band at the time. There was immense pressure from the record label, and they were constantly in the public eye. A lot of hugely successful bands go through that. It can be suffocating. And with that and the way things turned out at the time, they didn’t really get to enjoy it the way they did later. And we could see how much fun they were having.
I think I can add that it seems things have really mellowed out with all of those guys. I mean, they all are in business together again. Stu, Doug, John and Trish Fogerty, the wife of (late CCR rhythm guitarist and John’s brother) Tom Fogerty. So, I don’t think there’s a lot of, you know, animosity going on necessarily.
Garde: Do Stu or Doug ever feel the itch to play?
Kurt: You know what? Stu played our first show this year with us down in Florida. He actually sat in and played the whole show. He did a great solo and everything. Afterwards, he said that not only had he not played in six years, but he also hadn’t stood up that long in six years!
Unfortunately, Doug Clifford’s is not in very good health these days. He’s got Parkinson’s, but we do stay in touch. We went to his house last October, and we actually got him up on a drum set and played a couple of songs with him. It was a great moment.
Garde: Have you ever met John Fogerty?
Kurt: No. I was on an airplane with him once, but the band was going through some legal stuff at the time and I was working with Stu and Doug. I thought, “John Fogerty’s not going to want to meet me.” Maybe it would have been fine, but I don’t know.
I do have kind of a funny story though.
Garde: Do tell!
Kurt: John used to live just up the hill from me, and he was playing a benefit at the Lake Sherwood Country Club. He had a bunch of guests there and Keith Urban sat in and they were playing a little stage out on the lawn of this very high-end country club.
And my wife owns a chair business and rents out fancy chairs for weddings and events. The club hired her to provide the chairs for the benefit, so those were my wife’s chairs everybody was sitting on. Anyway, what’s funny is that I had a week or so off from being out with Stu and Doug, so I showed up to help her pack up the chairs after the event.
So, we get there to pick up the chairs and we’re waiting on the curb of this exit roundabout in the parking lot while the crowd dispersed and people are getting their cars. And I’m just standing there and I look across the roundabout there’s John Fogerty and his wife, Julie, waiting for their car. He glances over and sees me and, I mean, he knows who I am because he always kept a close eye on, you know, Stu and Doug and who plays in their band — and for that matter I think he probably keeps a close eye on us even now.
But he sees me and stares at me for a second and turns and says something to Julie, and he was probably thinking, “Hold on — what the hell is Doug and Stu’s guitar player doing here?” I imagined him freaking out, like I wasn’t just their guitarist but also a crazed fan or something. Then they got in their car and go right by us, and John presses his face up against the window trying to look at me as he’s driving by.
Like he couldn’t think of any good reason for me to be there. One of those, “What is this guy up to?” things. (Laughs) Anyway, I would love to meet him someday and at least tell him I was only there to pick up chairs.