# 1914   Uncle Kracker -     IN A LITTLE WHILE

                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                   No Stranger to Shame, Atlantic Records, 2002

BILLBOARD CHART ACHIEVEMENTS:                            Adult Top 40:  # 4                         Adult Contemporary:  # 26                           Top 40 Tracks:  # 27                          Top 40 Mainstream:  # 28                           Hot 100 Singles:  # 59                   GLOBAL CHART ACHIEVEMENTS:                       World Adult Top 20 Singles:  # 4     # 37 in Switzerland   # 39 in Austria    # 72 in Germany                       Top Five at MATT RADIO

Uncle Kracker followed Kid Rock until he found his own groove.  Now he must prove that he is ready and worthy.  Some say it's really hard to get one top 10 hit; realists say that it's almost impossible to get a second.  Livewire's Phil Bonyata asked Uncle Kracker why he might be different.

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How long have you known Kid Rock?

Fifteen years.

How old are you now?

I'm 28, so actually 15 and some change.

You're both from Detroit?

Yeah, the outskirts of the city.

What the hell is all this great talent from Detroit?

I don't know, man.  I think there's a lot of talent sittin' around everywhere.  It seems like every city has like a rebirth or kind of an explosion.  You know every city gets a couple of days, you know what I'm saying... every city gets a crack at it.

It seems like Detroit is the current Seattle.

I wonder where it's going to next.

Well, hopefully back to Chicago.  We had the Pumpkins and Ministry...

Chicago sure has their bands.

What did Kid Rock teach you about music and style?

He was older and I always looked up to him.  We were both into the same things.  That's why we ended up being such good friends.  We learned a lot of things from each other.  I learned not so much on the music side, but I think I just learned more from him as a person than anything else.

Are you guys still good friends?

Oh, yeah, we're best friends.  Yeah, he taught me a lot, and I think the best thing he ever taught me was how to take things a lot less seriously.  He taught me how not to give a fuck.  I used to care way too much, but he taught me how not to care.  If you're gonna take the good, you gotta take the bad, or if you believe the good, you gotta believe the bad.

I'm paraphrasing now, but Kid Rock says you're not very musical and calls you his Mini-Me.  Are these offhand compliments?

I don't know; somebody else mentioned to me that he said that.  In fact, I'm not that musical; I'm not much of a musician.

Is the Mini-Me like a little brother type thing?

Yeah, totally.  I'm not little by any means.

How tall are you?

I'm about 5' 10" and weigh in pretty good (laughs).

Can't tell from your pictures.

(laughs) Cool.

So what was your childhood like?

We had a good dysfunctional family.  We weren't the Bradys, but we were good.  I grew up in a gas station; my dad owned a gas station forever and I ran around pullin' weeds, pumpin' gas, and fixin' engines, which led me into the music thing (laughs).  I used to sleep on dad's gas-soaked cot at the station and I always reeked of gas.  As a kid I associated grease with my dad.

Has Double Wide going double platinum made you financially secure?

Um, no.  This record was a bonus for me.  I already did everything I wanted to do with the Kid Rock project.  Then I did it again with my thing.  I didn't have my sights set too high.  If you wanna be proud of me, lower your expectations, but for me I didn't have much going into the thing, so it was huge for us.

Getting that next hit is everything for new artists.

Right; I'm happy with the overall record, I said a few things I needed to say, and, you know, if I don't make another record ever, I won't be sad.

Your new album, No Stranger to Shame, has eclectic musical blendings.  Describe your intent on this record.

My thing going into this record was, I just wanted to go song for song like they used to do in the Motown days...  just take it pound for pound and song for song, and it was pretty much the only goal I had going in.  No game plan, no plan of attack.  There were a few things I wanted to say.  I wanted to write that letter to my daughters.  I wanted that to get done.  A couple of other little things, and that was it.  I've always said I wanted to write a record like a book, you know, from front to back... I don't know who the hell has time for that.  Maybe one day I will.  I'll probably do it when nobody cares.  That's when I'll have time.

What were your early musical influences?

Totally, all Motown stuff, that was the only thing on my radio.  I was only four, five, or six years old, but that wasn't what my old man listened to.  He was into all that George Jones and Patsy Cline stuff.  When I was a kid I hated all of it.

But now?

But now I look at it and realize they were some pretty good written songs.  It's kinda cool.

Do you think your sophomore effort will equal or surpass your debut?

Um, I'm not willing to put money on it either way, but we both know this business, so we'll see.  If I'm lucky, it will surpass it and if not, you know, better luck next time (laughs).

Unlike on Double Wide, Kid Rock is nowhere to be found in the role of distant producer.

He just gave me the ball.   He didn't have time.

Too busy with Pamela, right?

Too busy, period.

Well, women will keep you busy all the time.

(laughs) I know, man.

What does producer Mike Bradford bring to the table that other producers can't?

He makes it too easy for me.  He sits down and helps write the songs with me and all that stuff, know what I'm sayin'?  ('Hi Skylar, Hi Madison'...Kracker's kids come running through the door yelling at daddy for some food).

I take it you're home now.

Yeah, I'm home doing some radio interviews and seeing my family.

The life of a rock star dad.

 (laughs) Pretty normal stuff.

 Is "In A Little While" doing good right now?

Yeah, it's doing good.

"Keep It Comin' " hit me right away.

Yeah, I would love to do more stuff like "Keep It Comin'," but people won't play it for me.  That kinda fell into that whole Kid Rock groove.  They say, "that doesn't sound like 'Follow Me,' so we can't play that."

Were you happy to get Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath to help out on some lyrics?

I had a hard time to get him to come in and sing that song.

Pretty busy, is he?

He pretends like he is.

Not a slacker, is he?

I think he has a Brian Wilson thing happenin'.

Is it all groupies, drugs, and booze on the road?

NEVER (laughs loudly).

 So, what are your vices?

The good ones or the bad ones?

People don't care about good ones, so let's hear about your bad ones.

Actually, it's probably whiskey.

I actually like scotch now and again
 
I can't do the scotch.  I like straight Beam.

Scotch is actually an acquired taste.

Good taste can't be acquired.

Whom do you see as today's white hot artists?

The punk rock stuff going on with the White Stripes and the Hives isn't new.  Punk rock isn't new.

Tell me where Uncle Kracker is 10 years from now.

Uncle Kracker will probably be fishin'.  I don't know, I'll probably be lookin' after the kids, you know...  pickin' them up and taking them to school.


source:  Phil Bonyata, www.ConcertLivewire.com, Sept. 20, 2002