Out of leftfield, Bruce Springsteen guitarist Steve Van Zandt has given Primal Scream quite the tongue-lashing, branding front-man Bobby Gillespie a "waste of space" and a man too drug-dependent to properly tour.
Apparently, Van Zandt had asked the long-running Scottish act to play a 20-date U.S. tour with his E Street Band, only to be turned down by Gillespie and co. because their alleged drug problems prevented them from hacking such a long string of dates.
"I tried to get Primal Scream to come over to America several times. I thought their album before this last one [2006's Riot City Blues] was one of the greatest records in ten years," the Daily Record quotes Van Zandt as saying. "I begged them to come over. I had a whole tour for them. Their agent talked me out of it. He said: 'They can't do 20 shows.' I'm like, 'Come on, man. We do 20 shows a month.'
"Primal Scream could be the biggest band in the world. They are fantastic when they make rock records - once every ten years. But they can't tour because of drug problems, or whatever. I don't have patience for it. I'm like, all right, you want to be a drug addict, go be a drug addict. Don't waste my time."
Strangely enough, Van Zandt's comments come as Primal Scream are in the midst of their longest North American road show in years, with the band currently in the midst of an 11-date tour that recently found them at SXSW and in Toronto tonight (March 24) at the Phoenix.
Here are the Scream's remaining North American dates, which presumably were set up minus the help of Van Zandt:
3/24 Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Hall
3/26 Philadelphia, - Trocadero
3/27 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
3/28 New York City, NY - Webster Hall
3/29 Brooklyn, NY - Williamsburg Music Hall
Apparently, Van Zandt had asked the long-running Scottish act to play a 20-date U.S. tour with his E Street Band, only to be turned down by Gillespie and co. because their alleged drug problems prevented them from hacking such a long string of dates.
"I tried to get Primal Scream to come over to America several times. I thought their album before this last one [2006's Riot City Blues] was one of the greatest records in ten years," the Daily Record quotes Van Zandt as saying. "I begged them to come over. I had a whole tour for them. Their agent talked me out of it. He said: 'They can't do 20 shows.' I'm like, 'Come on, man. We do 20 shows a month.'
"Primal Scream could be the biggest band in the world. They are fantastic when they make rock records - once every ten years. But they can't tour because of drug problems, or whatever. I don't have patience for it. I'm like, all right, you want to be a drug addict, go be a drug addict. Don't waste my time."
Strangely enough, Van Zandt's comments come as Primal Scream are in the midst of their longest North American road show in years, with the band currently in the midst of an 11-date tour that recently found them at SXSW and in Toronto tonight (March 24) at the Phoenix.
Here are the Scream's remaining North American dates, which presumably were set up minus the help of Van Zandt:
3/24 Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Hall
3/26 Philadelphia, - Trocadero
3/27 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
3/28 New York City, NY - Webster Hall
3/29 Brooklyn, NY - Williamsburg Music Hall
