(CLEVELAND) Somewhere in the last days of the Michael Stanley Band, the frontman for this pop-rock outfit that had been the darlings of Northeast Ohio for most of the ’70s penned a song called "Hard Die the Heroes."
It was a lesser known offering from a band whose days were numbered, but the lyrics had something to do with the inevitable hard fall that awaits anyone who gets set up on a high pedestal.
But three verses, a chorus, a bridge and a guitar solo aren’t enough room to really explore the cultural dynamics of hero worship. Nowhere does the song mention that the ones at the foot of the pedestal who do the knocking off are often the very same ones who elevated that revered figure in the first place.
Maybe Michael Stanley hadn’t learned that lesson yet when he wrote "Hard Die the Heroes" in the mid-’80s, but it’s become clear to him in the 14 years of his post-MSB solo career. He still enjoys a substantial fan base, but mention his name in a roomful of Clevelanders, and someone is bound to smirk. Some pair of eyes will inevitably roll. Somebody’s going to make some crack about Andy Warhol’s 15 minutes.
This isn’t news to Stanley. He doesn’t completely understand what the bashing is all about, but he’s not unaware of it. The refreshing part, though, is that he’s too focused on his craft to really give a damn. His latest offering is Eighteen Down, his 18th album (hence the title) since his eponymous pre-MSB solo debut in 1973, and his third solo album since the end of MSB in 1986.
"I’m still learning every day," he says. "I’m learning about songwriting, I’m learning about being a guitar player, I’m learning about being an engineer. That’s what keeps it interesting to me. And I’d have made this album even if there were no record company, even if it never came out, even if I only gave it to my friends. Because that’s what I do. If you want to get down on me for doing it, well, I don’t care. That’s all right. But why should I stop doing it if certain people think it’s a drag?"
There’s nothing in his remarks that sounds even the slightest bit surly or defiant. It’s a statement of fact. In stark terms, it’s about supply and demand. He makes records, people buy them and play them. He plays concerts, people show up to hear him.
"What I’m doing is not being forced down anybody’s throat," he says. "It’s not like you turn on every radio station and hear this record — because I work for a radio station, so no other radio stations will play it. People can decide whether they want to pay the money to come to Nautica to see the show. They have complete economic control over this."
Those who do buy and listen to Eighteen Down are in for a bluesier experience than what they might be used to from Stanley. His pop sensibility has by no means drowned in the muddy waters of the Mississippi delta, but there’s a more rootsy flavor to a few of the songs, like "No Love Songs," "The Devil Came To Fremont Street," and his cover of an obscure blues chestnut, "I’ll Kill Your Soul and Dare Your Spirit To Move."
One surprising moment is a cover of "Eleanor Rigby" that runs pretty far afield of the Lennon/McCartney original. Stanley veered completely away from string arrangements and instead opted for a more percussive approach with plenty of atmospheric backing vocals.
"The song kind of became this communal effort of a group of people saying, ‘Let’s see how far we can push this thing,’" he says. "And I’ve gotten different responses when we’ve played it on the radio. Some people just think it’s amazing, and some people think I’m the antichrist for doing it."
Then again, some people think Stanley’s the antichrist for doing anything, but he’s not interested in second guessing and appeasing the critical masses. A chart-topping cover of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos probably isn’t likely anytime soon, but as long as he gets some sense of creative satisfaction from what he’s doing, and there’s an audience interested in hearing it, his 18th album probably won’t be his last.
"I hope there’s 10 more," he says, allowing himself a little room for optimism.
He pauses for a moment to consider the scenario.
"And then those people will really be pissed off."
Michael Stanley: "If you want to get down on me for doing it, well, I don’t care."
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