Bay Area swinger Dick Stusso likens himself to a drunk and unsuccessful Elvis Presley. A modern day down-on-his-luck country singer who dreams of Nashville but spend his evenings eating from cans on the linoleum floor of an Oakland apartment.His debut double EP, released on the small Vacant Stare label, is almost two records in one. The A-side "Nashville Dreams", is a collection of lo-fi schizo scuzz rock while the flip "Sings The Blues" is a darker and more introspective affair.We had a chat to the man about his insouciant pop.Noisey: Have you been to Nashville? It’s romanticized as the home of country music but a lot of it is just ruthless music business.
Dick Stusso: I went when I was too young to appreciate it. I've always romanticized it as the home of ruthless country music business. Where some fat guy in a room, smoking a cigar and wearing rings on every finger is constantly telling someone that they just don't have what it takes. It's probably not like that either. But it seems like a good place for a crestfallen California dude to put his hopes and dreams.“Heart of the Country” is like a cross between Springsteen’s “Highway Patrolman” and Suicide. How long have you been fooling around on a drum machine?
I didn't really mean for it to sound like Suicide, but thanks. I've used drum machines for a while to record. Usually they are pretty lousy and almost always out of necessity. I don't always have access to a drum kit and when I do, I don't always get the best results. So sometimes the drum machine happens to have just the perfect groove.The tape is cool but at times sounds like Tom Waits and I hate Tom Waits. I’m confused! Who were some of your influences as a songwriter?
Really? Tom Waits is one of that last people I thought I might sound like. But I like him so that's ok with me. Honestly, I've probably listened to a lot of the same old shit everyone else has who is at least somewhat into music. But what really influenced these particular recordings was Elvis. I was never a big fan but recently it clicked and I get the hype. Watch any performance and you can see him making a spectacle out of himself and at the same time just laughing at the whole thing. And he's still emotional as hell. I think it's hard to pull off, but that's probably what I'm trying to do a little bit as well.
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Dick Stusso: I went when I was too young to appreciate it. I've always romanticized it as the home of ruthless country music business. Where some fat guy in a room, smoking a cigar and wearing rings on every finger is constantly telling someone that they just don't have what it takes. It's probably not like that either. But it seems like a good place for a crestfallen California dude to put his hopes and dreams.“Heart of the Country” is like a cross between Springsteen’s “Highway Patrolman” and Suicide. How long have you been fooling around on a drum machine?
I didn't really mean for it to sound like Suicide, but thanks. I've used drum machines for a while to record. Usually they are pretty lousy and almost always out of necessity. I don't always have access to a drum kit and when I do, I don't always get the best results. So sometimes the drum machine happens to have just the perfect groove.The tape is cool but at times sounds like Tom Waits and I hate Tom Waits. I’m confused! Who were some of your influences as a songwriter?
Really? Tom Waits is one of that last people I thought I might sound like. But I like him so that's ok with me. Honestly, I've probably listened to a lot of the same old shit everyone else has who is at least somewhat into music. But what really influenced these particular recordings was Elvis. I was never a big fan but recently it clicked and I get the hype. Watch any performance and you can see him making a spectacle out of himself and at the same time just laughing at the whole thing. And he's still emotional as hell. I think it's hard to pull off, but that's probably what I'm trying to do a little bit as well.
“Nashville Dreams/Sings the Blues’ is available Nov 17 through Vacant Stare.