A Conversation with The Mavericks’ Paul Deakin – HuffPost 6.17.14
Mike Ragogna: You’re on the Twenty-Five Live Tour. What has that been like? Has it been any different from any of your non-anniversary tours?
Paul Deakin: I probably have to lump in since we’ve gotten back together, since the hiatus, and to be honest with you although we did look at a retrospective and the name of this tour this year and maybe next year, because that marks the twenty fifth anniversary which is a milestone, the difference is that we consciously went all the way back to the beginning and picked and chose some songs that were representative of the band over the years, including some covers that we did at the time that reminded us of that. But really, the main difference in the band dates back to the year before this when we got back together and just that it was a lot of fun again.
MR: What are some of those things that make it fun to still be with the band?
PD: Originally, the idea was just for the band to get together for a reunion tour, somebody offered us a ridiculous amount of money and we’d been gone for seven or eight years, but I said, “I’m going to have to talk to Raul and Robert and make sure everyone really wants to do this,” because they were talking about twenty shows or something like that. When we met for dinner I hadn’t seen him in many, many years, and he was like, “It’d be disingenuous to just go out and play the hits. I want to do a new record and Scott Borchetta will help us put it out on Big Machine.” I was like, “You’re kidding!” We went right into the studio. We hadn’t played a note live and he was producing the record and he said, “I don’t want to do give any work dates, I just want to work it out and let it happen organically. If we get two songs the first week or so that’s great, if we get five, even better.” We got nine songs in two days. It just fell right back in. Really Eddie Perez is the only one in our lineup who wasn’t with us from the very beginning, but he was on the last one and arguably he should’ve been in the band from the very beginning because he fits in so well. But Jerry Dale came out of his retirement from music, out of his art career to come and play. When the Mavericks were on hiatus I played with a lot of great artists, none in the country field really, but there’s something with this band that is unique. I know you asked to describe what’s fun about it, and it’s that for some reason chemistry happens. Sometimes it’s inexplicable, or it’s hard to explain why this band does what it does together. I can pinpoint that we’re all audiophiles and we all have a love of playing but there’s something hive mind like within this band in the studio and live that I’ve never experienced with any other band or artist.
MR: Over the years, you’ve been shoehorned into the country genre even though you incorporate rock, R&B, Americana… How would you describe The Mavericks these days?
PD: [laughs] If I were Raul right now I’d say, “You expect me to do your job for you?” Somebody’s called it genre-non-specific, someone called it joyful noise, I don’t know, we started out more in the country field but in a way we’re kind of a self-pleasing band. It’s been kind of our blueprint for success. Pleasing ourselves and having fun has always seemed to work, and that transfers into the audience. We weren’t really concerned with genre when we started out. We’ve got our awards and success in the country field up until Trampoline turned into a pop hit in the UK. When we got together Scott Borchetta was kind enough to say, “Make whatever record you want.” The label didn’t care what it was, they just said, “Whatever you do, make a Mavericks record,” so that’s what we did. I think it stretches even further on the record we just recorded into other areas that maybe we haven’t touched on. There’s definitely still a country element in there because we love classic country music, so it’s really whatever we’re listening to and whatever makes it into the song that Raul wants to sing and record.
MR: After all these years, does it still feel like The Mavericks is a solid creative outlet and foundation regardless of what else you’ve all worked on, like solo careers, etc.?
PD: Yes, very much so. Obviously Raul had a very successful solo career, I think he said that he found himself missing finding some songs that he thought would be good for The Mavericks and wanting to do that. As I said, when we got back together that’s what I felt, after seven years off you don’t necessarily forget, but you don’t really feel how special this is until you’re sitting behind the drums playing with this band. One of the compliments I got was, “You drive this band, you’re so good,” and I’m like, “Thank you, I do play with passion, but I couldn’t move this band if I wanted to.” Like I said, it’s a hive mind, it chugs along and does what it does. That chemistry that’s inexplicable, not to compare ourselves to the Stones, but the Stones seperately don’t sound like The Stones. There are bands like that for reason that click together, the sum is greater than its parts.
MR: What do you think is the future for The Mavericks? Any plans?
PD: We just recorded a new record, so we’re going to be going at least another couple of years. Raul said what started out as twenty dates for the reunion tour might end up being another twenty years. There’s a plan to keep it going, so we’re really, really enjoying ourselves and having a lot of fun out there. Again, going back in the studio and realizing, “Holy shit, we did it again,” it feels really good. I haven’t heard the record yet even though I played on it. I was talking to someone else and they said, “How’s the record?” and I said, “I can’t tell you” because when you go in The Great Raul produces and he doesn’t let you hear the songs, we don’t do any preproduction, he barely even plays it for you before we actually record it because he wants that organic impression. He says, “I don’t want you to listen to the demo tapes and be married to that, it’s just template, let’s see what we come up with.” We go through a couple of different versions of things and record by the end of the week and it’s all first takes. “What did we do Monday?” I couldn’t tell you, I played that song once. Once he gets done with Niko Bolas, who’s coproducing it with him again he’ll let me hear it.
MR: What advice do you have for new artists?
PD: Get a day job. No. Honestly, I taught for ten years, and I was always very honest, I said, “Look, the chance of you making a living at this isn’t very good, but I really believe your best shot at doing this is to find your voice and stay true to that, whatever it is as a band or an artist.” Definitely please yourself first, don’t follow a trend, do what you want. Obviously we all are inspired by different kinds of music, follow your passion. Then, if it doesn’t end in the success that you wanted it to, you’re still ahead of the game because that’s your gift right there, being able to play what you love. Strangely enough, that’s your best shot at success in life.
MR: If you had any advice to give to yourself when you started out, what would that have been?
PD: Oh, good Lord… I don’t know if I want that printed! [laughs] Uh, floss? I don’t know. I look back on those early days and they were insane. I’m glad we survived it. The first time that happens to you and fame and success happens–I never really believed in the whole fame thing anyway, I was old enough not to really believe in that–we didn’t think it was going to end. When you’re in that moment and you’re on your up ride you always think, “Oh, it’s going to keep going” and nothing bad can ever happen, so you’re a little crazy and reckless, and we were. I probably wouldn’t have eaten so much room service, I probably could pay my mortgage with my room service bills. I probably wouldn’t change that much honestly because it was the experience of a lifetime, and to be able to experience it again with a different take on it, obviously we’ve grown somewhat more mature and it’s more about the music than it is about the partying. We probably partied a little too hard in our early days. That was one of the reasons we had to take a break.
Transcribed by Galen Hawthorne