Words About Music (609): Brian Setzer

O always joke and I always say, "Shoot, I chose the wrong style of music. If I had chosen heavy metal or hard rock, I'd be living on a beach somewhere." I had to do it the hard way. You choose the style that nobody even knew existed. But that's me. You know, I couldn't go against myself. When I chose it, or it chose me, was in the late '70s. It's a funny thing about rockabilly music. People become obsessed with it, especially in Europe or if you have ever been to Viva Las Vegas. It's not just about wearing '50s clothes or driving around in an old car. People become obsessed with the music. I don't see it with other kinds of music. People are at a festival and they're throwing a beach ball, and they got a beer helmet on and the music is background. Not with rockabilly. People become obsessed with the music. It's sexy. It gives with a kick. It has great musicianship. There's a simplicity of it. It just has the right ingredients.
Brian Setzer