Arts: Alejandro Escovedo on Mexico, Punk Rock, and His New Record

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Brow Beat Alejandro Escovedo on Mexico, Punk Rock, and His New Record By David Haglund Posted Thursday, May 03, 2012, at 03:02 PM ET Alejandro Escovedo has been making music for decades: His band The Nuns opened for The Sex Pistols on the final date of their notorious 1978 U.S. tour. He later played with Rank and File and True Believers. The first of his 14 solo albums, Gravity, was released in 1992, and Escovedo was declared by alt-country bible No Depression the "artist of the decade" for the 1990s. While he's beloved by critics and fellow musicians—Bruce Springsteen, who appeared on Escovedo's last album, Street Songs of Love, is among his many fans—big mainstream success has proven elusive. And this despite the fact that Escovedo's music is enormously accessible: Listening to Big Station, his latest record, one is likely to think not only of Springsteen but of Eddie Cochran, Iggy Pop, Tom Petty, and any number of other canonical rock and rollers. Brow Beat spoke with Escovedo about the new album—co-written by Chuck Prophet and produced by long-time David Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti—as well as Mexico, the "curse" of the alt-country tag, the meaning of "punk," and whether Escovedo will ever record an album with his niece Sheila E. (he hopes so). Slate: Your last album, Streets Songs of Love, was very introspective. This new one, Big Station, is outward-looking—it feels like a new direction for you. Escovedo: Definitely. That was the purpose. Chuck Prophet and I wanted it to be an outward look into what is happening in the world around us. Originally ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Obama Says Everything Got Better When He Took Office. Romney Says the Opposite. They're Both Wrong. Yglesias: Can the New Microsoft and Barnes & Noble E-Book Alliance Challenge Apple and Amazon? Do Educational iPad Apps for Preschoolers Work?	Advertisement
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