CG Caroline interviewed Syl Sylvain of The New York Dolls about his new band, Batusis! Cheetah Chrome of the Dead Boys is also in this new band! Tuesday August 24th, 2010

CG: So, I live in Austin, but I missed your first show, the official SXSW Showcase. Things got crazy.  I made sure to catch you at Cheapo Discs on Friday, though. I thought it was crazy cool that you guys played there, and a free show besides. What did you think of everything?

Syl: Oh, wow...I gotta tell you, it's been great. Our whole philosophy has been like this: do it for the real people! You know? Instead of always for the industry types. I mean that's fine and all, it's fun, but to really get it out to the people who love it, it's the best.  I was really happy to see a real vinyl record store too. Man...some girl, I think you were standing by her, shouted out “Y'all playin' South-by?”...and you just gotta laugh at that. That's what I'm talking about; the real people, there for the real music. Especially when you play in the vinyl records shops. I tell you I really loved that show. It was a great afternoon.

CG: I'll say! I had to pull one of my friends off of Cheetah's mic. That wouldn't have even been possible at most shows. Tell me about Batusis?

Syl: Bastusis, well – me and Cheetah [Chrome] got together in November of last year. We really never played music together for some reason, but we've known each other for years of course, from way back in the day. So here I was, I was searching for a record deal, and he was too. He was already with Smogveil prior to Batusis. Then they asked if I'd like to record an album with Cheetah on Smogveil and I was like "YEAH! I sure would!" And it just grew from there.

The thing is, the other good thing, is that Cheetah lives in Nashville and I live in Atlanta so we're kind of away from everything, but near each other. Doing it like this, it's such a fresh, independent way to approach music, after the commitments we've both had over the years. We just let loose.

CG: I love the recordings, and your name is killer! I totally remember what 'The Batusi' is, I have a clip on a DVD somewhere.

Syl: Aw, yeah! We came up with that name one night when we're recording the song "Blues Theme." That song was done for the Peter Fonda biker movie, "Wild Things," and it's become sort of our special 'Batusis song.' We were in the studio playing music and laughing, dancing around one night, you know, just goofing off. The engineer was dancing and then I started to do this 60s dance, you know, side to side with waving the fingers over the eyes. I remembered it from an old Batman I saw. Cheetah was laughing and asked me what dance that was, and I said "you know, it's the one Batman did, but I forget what it's called. So Cheetah googled it and said, "Hey! It's called 'The Batusi!'” And then there, wham, that was the name.

CG: I'm looking at a picture of you right now, from a book I have about Max's Kansas City.  [High on Rebellion: Inside Max's Kansas City]. How was that?

Syl: Oh yeah? Yeah, that Max's Kansas City book, in the book I think there's two pictures of me...there's also a pic with Eric Emerson – Chris Stein [of Blondie] was in his first band. I'm also in a pic with my girlfriend Valerie where she's got the big Lolita sunglasses on. That was great...at that time we [The New York Dolls] didn't have anywhere to play.

CG: But you played a lot in the Max's upstairs disco, something like that?

Syl: We did, but not at first. You gotta understand, this was like 5 years before CBGB's started, so we were literally inventing places to play...hotel ballrooms, discos, any place we could steal. At Max's we'd sell it out six nights a week, two shows a night. Velvet [Underground] could only sell out anything one night or two. They [Max's Kansas City] didn't have open arms to the New York Dolls, but they needed our money.  And then at the same time over the pond, who knew what was going on there? We became their little darlings.

CG: Yeah, it's amazing how appreciative the European audiences can be when music in the U.S. has already 'moved on', huh?

Syl: Well sure! And at that time in the U.S., there wasn't a lot going on...there was kind of a dull spot in music, just like there is now. Now, just like then, it's like the good stuff is not getting heard. They're all into new technology.

Back then, they really never learned about the new stuff; the good stuff. Instead we all just made our own records.  In order to get signed, noticed by the big guys, bands had to work; they had to make records, distribute them, manufacture them, and everything...do it all by yourself even before they signed you up. By the time they caught up to you, you were already selling thousands and thousands of records, so it's not like you came from nowhere.  And man...I like to think about, what if we'd had the internet back then?

CG: But maybe if the internet was available, you might not have been moved to do the things you do.

Syl: Maybe, but the thing is you have to work into the time you're born to. You gotta just go out and do it, believe in yourself, push as hard as you can. Don't fake anything. Don't make things complicated.

CG: That's what I like about Batusis. It doesn't sound just like what you used to do, but it's familiar, very hard rockin' without copying your old stuff. Do you see it as a progression of what you did earlier?

Syl: Well yeah, me and Cheetah and... well, my whole life, it's always been based on the blues. If it's not three chords or four, it's...well, it's almost the only thing to do if you're based on the blues. That's just where I came from, the blues...but it's not that I'm really trying to be traditional. You just stick to what really calls out to you.

CG: [Time's up as Syl has been called away for another appointment] Thanks so much for your time! Can't wait to see you again, and for us to hear about how you're doing in Europe! The new Batusis album is officially released on May 4th, right?

Syl: That's right, you got it! Yes, we'll be on tour over in Europe from May 1 - 15th. I'm looking forward to it. And hey, if there's one thing you can tell everyone from me, tell them to please catch us on http://www.myspace.com/batusis!

CG: Well folks, you heard it from the man.  Go check it out!

- Caroline Casey, Austin, TX