Art Alexakis
The Everclear frontman goes it alone with a solo album and tour.
The singer, songwriter, guitarist and political activist steps away from the US band Everclear to talk about releasing a debut solo album, titled Sun Songs, at the ripe age of 57, and refusing to let health issues to prevent him from “living the dream”.
Back in March you revealed that you are suffering from multiple sclerosis. I was diagnosed three years ago, and the doctors told me I’d had it for almost twenty years, because the lesions they found were really old.
How has it affected your outlook on life? Although I’m dealing with other issues, including back surgery, I still feel really good at the moment. I also need a hip replacement. All those years of living dangerously came back to bite me. The MS is like a layer of frosting on top [laughs].
Given the circumstances, you sound surprisingly cheerful. Oh, man, it [the illness] has made me grateful. I’ve got a great family, and I love my job as a musician. My finances are stable. I’m having a pool dug in my backyard as I don’t like being overheated. Except for my health issues I’m living the dream.
At present you’re still able to tour and perform live. How much longer will that continue? I’m going to tour until I die or when I can’t hold a microphone. If I can no longer play guitar, fine… let’s get another guitar player. I won’t allow this disease to make me become one of those guys that just fades into the background.
You’re a political animal, and you campaigned for the Democrats in 2004. What inspired the solo album’s opening track, A Seat At The Table? The album has three or four autobiographical songs, but A House With A Pool, White People Scare Me and A Seat At The Table are all very political. It has a nice blend of the two subjects, I think. White People Scare Me mentions ‘walking into a Trump rally’. Through whose eyes was that song written? Except for that mention of the Trump rally it’s one hundred per cent me. White people are the scariest in the world, and I include myself in that even though my dad’s Greek. American white males suffer from such overprivilege and entitlement. Trump and [Boris] Johnson are a clusterfuck of idiocy.
What’s the status of Everclear right now? I will always be the singer of Everclear. I just wanted to make a record that was me.
“All those years of living dangerously came back to bite me.”
Have you got a message for people reading what you have to say here? Only that if you’re in your forties or fifties or even older, this is a disease that can come along. Being smart, you can take care of yourself to try to prevent that. And if you haven’t begun to do so, then it’s never too late to start.
The last date of the tour is in Dublin on October 20.