George Thorogood  talks musical legacy, playing the Paramount, more

There are four words in the English language that perfectly describe the vibe of George Thorogood: bad to the bone. Not only is that the title of his hit song from 1982, but it has become a massive anthem that exudes a certain rock and roll swagger. Thorogood is best known for his gritty vocals and hard rockin’ live shows with his band the Destroyers. Whether he is recording or touring, Thorogood’s spirit and love for music is what drives him.

Newsday’s David J. Criblez spoke with Thorogood prior to his Feb. 19 gig at the Paramount in Huntington about the band's first hit, “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," playing Live Aid 40 years ago and how he feels about turning 75.

When was the moment you felt your band turn the corner to success?
When “One Bourbon, One Scotch One Beer" [first recorded by R&B singer Amos Milburn in 1953] got some play off our first album. But we had been performing it live for a while. We knew we had a hit on our hands. It was just about convincing a record company that it was a hit, which took some time. I knew if I didn’t cut the song, Tom Waits was going to do it or the Allman Brothers. I felt it could be a rock classic. We played it in the bars for years. Bartenders really loved it because they got tipped really big. It’s still on the radio today.

What is it about that song that people can’t get enough of?
When we recorded it, our drummer Jeff Simon and I had just been evicted from our house up in the Boston area. There was this “House Rent Blues" thing that John Lee Hooker did. I threw that tag on at the beginning of the song. The bar emptied and everyone jumped on the dance floor. That’s when the song really took off. To properly deliver it, you have to live it.

When you wrote “Bad to the Bone" did you realize you struck gold?
At the time no. We just thought it was a pretty groovy blues song. Remember this was before MTV and classic rock radio were huge. But those two mediums jumped on it and it took several years before it really took off.

That song has deeply connected with the public. It’s been in movies, commercials and TV shows. What makes that one stand out so much?
That’s a very easy equation in my book. Everybody wants to be James Bond or Steve McQueen therefore everybody wants to be bad to the bone.

You’ve come to The Paramount for the past 10 years. Why does that room work so well for you?
Luckily, the people keep asking us back. If they didn’t want us, we wouldn’t come. It seems like we really fit in with the element there. I credit our manager and our booking agent for that.

Are you recording any new material now?
No, not at this time. We are currently focused on the tour. I did a show recently where I walked on the stage, played a couple of songs, then said, “We’re not gonna do any new tunes tonight!" and everybody stood up and cheered. That makes my job easy.

Forty years ago, you got the chance to play at Live Aid in Philadelphia. What was that like for you?

As usual, we weren’t their first choice. We are always the number one band when someone else cancels, that’s been a lot of our career all the way down the line. But we got lucky that day we were running on no sleep. We came all the way in from San Francisco and we were completely exhausted. Then I see this guy in a bowling shirt and sunglasses pointing at me. He comes up and says, “Georgie ... Jaaaaack!" It was Jack Nicholson, baby. And away we go!

You opened for the Rolling Stones on their 1981 Tattoo You tour. How did that experience impact your career?

Well, it was really awful to be paid top dollar to work with the Rolling Stones in front of 60,000 to 80,000 people a night and half of them are women. Boy that was rough! We got offered a record company deal from EMI America, which came from that. It exposed us to a lot of people. I wouldn’t say we exploded after that, but it didn’t hurt. But I did it because I’m a Rolling Stones fan. Who isn’t?

You are coming up on a milestone birthday this month. What are your thoughts about turning 75?

Bob Dylan and Tom Jones are about 10 years older than me and they are still going strong. So are Mick Jagger and Keith Richards as well as Paul McCartney and John Hammond. These were my people when I first started. If they are gonna keep going, then I’m gonna keep going.

In the pantheon of rock and roll, what would you most like to be remembered by?

I want people to say, “I went to see George Thorogood & the Destroyers and I got my money’s worth!" I can’t ask for more than that.

Do you have a message of wisdom for your fans?
Yup ... Rock and roll never sleeps, it just passes out!

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.