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Tommy Stinson is famous. Well, sorta. He’s an amazing musician. But is he really? He’s a hero. Or does he just hang out with them?
Few figures in the past quarter-century of rock pose as many unanswered questions as does the Stinson boy. Which only stands to reason, seeing as from the tender age of 13 to the present, he’s spent more than 15 years in the extraordinarily long shadows of two of rock’s most influential (albeit in completely unrelated circles) front men, Paul Westerberg and Axl Rose. As for the former, he was a steady presence on a clutch of classic post-punk platters, particularly 1984’s Let It Be and 1985’s Tim, turning in solid bass duty under the tutelage of an alcoholic songwriting genius. In regard to the latter, he’s spent the past six years laboring fruitlessly under Axl as both bassist and musical director on the dizzyingly anticipated follow-up to Guns N’ Roses’ Use Your Illusion, tentatively titled Chinese Democracy.
Let’s face it: Despite each gig’s unquestionable significance (or, in the case of GNR, potential significance), neither one has revealed Stinson to be anything more than a competent musician with a pretty mug. And, frankly, his two side-projects (Bash & Pop and Perfect) haven’t helped his case any. Well, apparently working for Axl has left the Stinson boy with plenty of spare time—time with which to once and for all make the case that he’s more than a hired hand. According to sources, while working alongside Axl, Tommy has been developing his songwriting skills, crafting a batch of surprisingly accomplished tracks that he’s released as his first true solo album, Village Gorilla Head—an album that goes a long way toward answering a lot of questions.
Recorded in Frank Black’s studio and featuring contributions from, among others, A Perfect Circle drummer Josh Freese and GNR keyboardist Dizzy Reed, Village Gorilla Head veers from majestic ballads (“Without A View”) to shambling rockers (“O.K.,” “Light Of Day”) that would make Papa Paul proud, if not a tad envious. That the songs took years to craft, that Stinson has clearly found his own voice as a singer-songwriter—one that puts him on par with the likes of Josh Rouse and Jesse Malin—is evident from the first track. What’s stunning is that the collection simply doesn’t let up; far from being two strong cuts wrapped in filler, Village Gorilla Head is an album in the true sense of the word.
And for the man who saw his youth hijacked by rock ’n’ roll, and who has since devoted his life to her service, that’s saying something. Regardless of what his future holds, for at least one moment in time, Tommy Stinson is an amazing musician, a hero to songwriters who work tirelessly, hoping to knock out one great song, let alone 11. Hell, if Axl ever achieves lucidity, the Stinson boy might even become famous. Come to think of it, in due time, he might be able to answer all of our burning questions, including how to achieve perfect rock-star hair.
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