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Just a Guy Who Plays Drums:
An Interview with Bill Kreutzmann
by Sarah Bruner

Anna Banana's in Honolulu, Hawai'i is a classic hole-in-the-wall bar for bikers, hippies, students, Rastafarians, and wanderers. It's a haven for misfit toys. The ceiling and walls are crammed with old local license plates, kitchy Hawaiian 50's memorabilia, random signs and bumper stickers, and a wide variety of antique store rejects. It's a check your attitude at the door, pull up a stool, and order a draft kind of place. It's not surprising that Bill Kreutzmann, drummer and backbone of the Grateful Dead, now full-time resident of Hawaii, loves to play music there. The place suits him.

"I am just a guy who plays drums," Kreutzmann said to me. His total lack of pretense is striking, both in his personality and in the way he approaches drumming. During his tenure with the Grateful Dead, Kreutzmann preferred to sit in the back and get down to business on the skins. His drumming was a force of a nature and he was content to let his drums do the talking. Kreutzmann also is the only remaining member of the Grateful Dead from whom we just don't hear much anymore. He performed a few, small shows in Hawai'i and recorded one album with his first post-Dead band called "Backbone", which seemed to be something to keep him busy during an otherwise quiet life of fishing and SCUBA diving on the island of Kaua'i. Shortly after the release of the album the group disbanded. Later that year he made one appearance at Shoreline Amphitheater with The Other Ones on last summer's Furthur Festival tour, and he played with Merl Saunders on New Year's Eve in San Francisco.

Since then Kreutzmann started up a new band called House of Spirits, featuring the mighty talent of local musician Steve Inglis on guitar, and Calvin Schaeffer (from Los Angeles) on bass. Later they added local musician Eric Peterson on keyboard. They've only played a handful of shows on Kaua'i and O'ahu, but it is clear that House of Spirits is a much stronger and more diverse band than Backbone was. It's a band with potential, and Bill's enthusiasm for his new project is obvious. Following House of Spirits' Honolulu debut at Anna Banana's, in the early hours of January 31, 1999, I had a few moments to ask Kreutzmann some questions. Besides asking him about his current project, we also talked a little bit about the Grateful Dead and what influenced his approach to drumming. My questions and comments are preceded by SB. Answers from Bill are preceded by BK, and answers by Steven Inglis are preceded by SI.

* * * * *

SB: So, how did you all meet and decide to form House of Spirits?

BK: Well, I was in a restaurant in Kilauea [on Kaua'i] and a friend of mine named Hank Curtis happened to be there. He introduced me to Calvin [bass player] and we started playing casually.

SB: Great. So, Steven, how did you hook up with these guys?

SI: My friend Mark Schill was doing some work with Grateful Greens [Kreutzmann's organic farm]. He knew that Bill was looking for a guitarist to jam with, so Mark called me up, and I was like, yeah, ok, I'm game! So I flew over there and the three of us played one day and it took off from there.

SB: Bill, what was it about Steven that made want to play with him?

BK: He's good. He's got big ears.

SB: How did you guys come up with the name of the band?

BK: Well, it was one of those spontaneous moments. We were all in a very loose, you know... out-there state... How do I put it?

SB: You can say anything off the record.

BK: Aww, I don't care. [Leaning into the microphone] We were higher than motherfuckers on mushrooms. And we had been playing at my house for about two hours early in the morning and we were jamming it was great and I said, "It's like this house is full of spirits."

SB: So far you've only played a few local shows. Have you thought about what you're going to do next?

BK: Just tomorrow night.

SB: So you're just taking it show by show, you guys don't have any plans for the future?

BK: Yeah, show by show, and we got a couple gigs lined up on Kaua'i.

SB: Are you writing your own songs?

BK: Steven is.

SI: We're working on some my original songs now, and that's working out pretty good. But Calvin and I will work on more in the future. We've only played a few gigs and we've had about five or six practice sessions.

BK: Yeah, that's the way to go. I mean, we just started, it's a new thing. We're doing this for fun and we're going to see where it goes.

SB: You're peeking your head out in other places too. Recently you played with Merl Saunders for New Year's Eve. How was that?

BK: It was great, it was really fun. I actually heard from some deadheads that we had the night. They went over to the Kaiser and then they left and came to our gig. It was sweet. My ego liked that. And then I got to hear Toots and the Maytells and that was excellent. They are a great [reggae] band, you know, they played such a good show that night, they have a lot of influences like Otis Redding, with strong outward energy. We just hung out near the bar and danced. It was fun to just hang out like that. And the band gave me a T-shirt!

SB: So you enjoy being in small venues rather than -

BK: Oh yeah, it's great see music and to play music in small places. And it's really fun for me to play here because, you know, I played two feet from people all night. And after all those years, it's great to be able to talk to folks.

* * * * *

SB: After Garcia died, you and the other members of the Grateful Dead decided not to keep going. What made you decide to come to this little speck of land out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?

BK: Oh, I made that decision back in 1985. I was out here getting certified [SCUBA] with Garcia in Kona and I thought to myself, this is a place to wake up in in the morning. The whole idea of vacationing to me isn't that tiny little segment of time. Instead vacation should be your lifetime, I mean, if you're doing it right, man. So back then I told myself when the end of the Grateful Dead comes I would go to Kaua'i. And I just made that promise and I kept it. So when Garcia died, and I decided not to play, I came out here.

SB: I know you're doing other non-music related things out here. What's up with Grateful Greens?

BK: Grateful Greens is a certified organic farm I have in Kilauea. We grow mostly lettuces and pineapple, flowers, and mate.

SB: What is mate?

BK: Mate is a South American coffee-like plant. I love the farm, I love growing stuff.

* * * * *

SB: So, going way back now, who were your influences? What made you get interested in drumming?

BK: Because it was physical. But at first actually I wanted to be a piano player and or a trumpet player. When I was kid my parents were into black music, R & B, and music coming out of San Francisco and New Orleans. My dad loved black singers. So listening to New Orleans music, eventually I wanted to play an instrument. And then I saw a drummer play once when I was a kid and I thought, that's really cool. You know, you're moving. You're using your arms and fingers. So I tried it and I loved it. I started playing when I was 12 or 13 or something like that. I got a paper route to pay for my first drum set.

SB: So, how did you hook up with Jerry?

BK: Oh, well he actually called me up. I played with him years and years before the Grateful Dead got started. I was just barely learning to play the drums and he was a bass player in a band with this other guy, Troy Weinhart, who was the guitar player.

SB: Do you remember the name of the band?

BK: Nah, I don't remember the name. It was "The Casuals" or something like that. But it was a big deal for a kid like me back then. So I hung around him for a while. Then some time after that band Garcia called me said, "Yeah, do you remember we played before?" The call comes in, hey, we need a drummer. But at that time he was coming from bluegrass.

SB: As it turned out, the Grateful Dead became a huge musical force with a massive following and you're sitting behind the drum set, driving it all. Did it ever feel like there was a lot of pressure on you?

BK: Well, you know, with most deadheads it's the exact opposite, it's not pressure at all. If there was any pressure it was just to feel good!

SB: The rest of the band members for the most part are all off doing music things together and you're here doing your own thing. Did you always keep yourself a little bit separate from the other guys?

BK: Yeah, but in the beginning it wasn't like that. In the very beginning we were a real tight ohana [family] but now it's different. You know, toward the end, we had separate limos, stuff like that. It's hard to get six giant egos in the same place.

SB: And very distinct personalities as well.

BK: Exactly.

SB: Did you ever feel like you were too much behind the scenes and you wanted to be out front more? I think from the audience's perspective Mickey seemed to be more prominent in a way, including his side projects and -

BK: That's his thing though, that's him. I mean, when it gets down to it I just wanted to play the drums. The rest of it never meant that much to me.

SB: Well, the band really meant a lot to a lot of folks. Do you ever consider the huge cultural influence that you had on so many people?

BK: Well, I am just a guy who plays drums.

SB: Right, but did you ever stop to think about the fact that you played a significant role in thousands of people's lives?

BK: No. I mean, I'm really thankful and complimented when people come to me and say, thank you for the great times for all these years. But I don't think about it as being a leader. I've just been really lucky to have people be happy around the music. That's more than enough. It's a really cool thing.

SB: Do you ever wish you could have gone to a show instead of play in a show?

BK: Yeah, I did! A lot of times. That's a really good question. I always thought it would be really cool to be playing the drums in the show and then have your astral body or whatever travel all through the audience and dig whatever it's like out there.

SB: It was a lot of fun out there.

BK: Yeah, it looked that way.

SB: So, do you miss it?

BK: No.

SB: You don't miss it at all?

BK: Nah, not now. At first I did. At first I missed it, but it was the amazing energy thing that happened during shows, when a lot of people were like Yay Yay Yeah! I missed that for a while. But I don't miss the regular and the business side of that whole thing. I'd rather play here in this small bar and just do a good show. Because it's fun and there's no expectations, it's encouragement to be different, do something new.

* * * * *

SB: How was Furthur last summer? You played at the very last show of the tour. Was that a good time for you?

BK: It was a good time. I had a really interesting experience... Well, to tell you the straight honest truth, it was like a Grateful Dead cover band. I didn't feel - and nothing against the guys - I didn't feel that they were opening up like they should. I'll tell you what, with guitar players, Steven has what I like in guitar players.

SB: He has an incredible amount of soul.

BK: Yes exactly. He's free! I mean, I've gone through guys who want to lay on their backs and play like they're full of themselves - fuck that shit. You know, I don't care about posing. I mean look at me, do I care about posing? Anyway, the fact of the matter is that I care about being able to play. If you're playing with integrity in the music, then that's what matters. But it wasn't that great for me because it was kinda like going back into the old times without the guy. It's not the same without Jerry. It never will be.

SB: So is that the reason you don't go out with Furthur and why you don't play with The Other Ones?

BK: Maybe in the year 2000. We'll see what happens.

SB: What about Phil and Friends shows? Ever think about going back for something like that?

BK: Nobody has asked me to do it, so...

SB: Oh?

BK: Yeah, I mean, if somebody asked me I would. But right now I'm concentrating on my own music.

SB: Yeah, it looks like you're having a ball with that.

BK: Well, I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't fun. It's just a whole different thing these days.

SB: Great, well, thanks a lot for your time.

BK: Thanks, it was fun.

SB: And thanks for 30 years of great music.

BK: Oh hell, you haven't even been around that long.

SB: True, but I got about 8 years in and a lot of tapes. It was a great time.

BK: It sure was.

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Sarah Bruner is a writer and researcher living in Honolulu, Hawai'i.