The Flamin’ Groovies may not be a household name, but the band has left an indelible mark on rock ’n’ roll. Their fuzzed-out rock gems in the ’60s and ’70s helped popularize the genre known today as garage rock, paving the way for bands like the Cramps, Cheap Trick and the White Stripes. Even though songs like “Shake Some Action,” “Slow Death” and “Headin’ for the Texas Border” are extremely catchy, up-tempo, pop-rock jams with crunchy guitar tones, the band fell into the “your favorite band’s favorite band” category. The Flamin’ Groovies are still out on the road, led by founding member and guitarist Cyril Jordan. The band is set to perform at Mojave Gold at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 21.
What was the first concert you attended?
The Beach Boys. Paul Revere and the Raiders were there; Jan and Dean were there. It was incredible.
What was the first album you owned?
I bought Chuck Berry’s Berry Is on Top, and I bought Surfin’ U.S.A. by the Beach Boys.
What bands are you listening to right now?
Oh, it changes all the time. I’m not one of those guys who has a favorite group of all time, because in the ‘60s, we had so many great bands. Right now, I’ve been listening to The Yardbirds a lot.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
There’s a whole lot of those. The Name Game (by Shirley Ellis): That was a big record in the ‘60s, and it was just really stupid and lame. Every once in a while, we’d have a good novelty record back then, but this was one that irritated the hell out of me.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
The band that I’ve always wanted to see live existed about 50 years ago, and apparently they were wild and incredible, and their name is one of my favorite names of a band. The name of the band was Wayne Cochran and the C.C. Riders.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
I wouldn’t know how to answer that. I never feel guilty about anything I dig, especially anything to do with art.
What’s your favorite music venue?
There were a bunch of them back then: Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood, the Avalon Ballroom here in San Francisco, Park West in Chicago. I’ve played so many places around the world, and occasionally there’s a club that sticks out.
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
That great lyric by Bob Dylan, “Once upon a time you dressed so fine / You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn’t you?” has been stuck in my head for a very long time.
What band or artist changed your life? How?
I wouldn’t say there was a band that changed my life. Right around 1959, I fell in love with the electric guitar. I couldn’t believe how cool it looked, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The more records I heard that had electric guitar, I just fell in love with it. When I saw the Beach Boys, they had a hit with a song called “Little Deuce Coupe,” and the combination of their Fender electric guitars and the rock ‘n’ roll that they were playing just came together and sucked me in like a vacuum cleaner.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
That’s a difficult one, because most of those kinds of questions have been answered by the artist and figured out by me. I’ll give you an example: The Byrds’ Roger McGuinn—he formed The Byrds was because he saw A Hard Day’s Night. Why did Bob Dylan go electric? He heard the Beatles “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and he couldn’t believe how loud it was. Funny thing back then: If you played acoustic guitar, you were intellectual, and if you played electric guitar, you were a teeny bopper. Not many people know that about the ‘60s.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
“Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Probably Meet the Beatles! Back then, usually the B-sides of records were worthless. It didn’t matter who you bought, Elvis or Ricky Nelson or whoever; there’d only be two good songs on the damn thing, and the rest of the songs were just throwaways. On Meet the Beatles! every song was incredible.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
“Over, Under, Sideways, Down” by the Yardbirds. I played it over and over in my bedroom after I came home from high school. It’s one of the most energetic records I’ve ever heard.