Released in 1996
"When I look into the eyes of our own baby / Will it bring new life into me?"
For Blind Melon, it ends just the way it began ...
with the music. For guitarist Rogers Stevens and
bassist Brad Smith, who moved from their native West
Point, Mississippi to L.A. in early 1989, where they
hooked up with Indiana-born Shannon Hoon, Pennsylvania
native Christopher Thorn and fellow southerner Glen
Graham to form the band, their new and final album,
Nico, is a way of closing the chapter and looking to
the future.
In between, there was a dream. And there was
spontaneity. There were great songs and creativity in
all aspects of their musicality that led to them
becoming a household name. Bound together by their
music and thirst for adventure, Blind Melon had that
refreshing vitality that allowed them to grow their
fan base the old fashioned way with incessant grass
roots touring. Then came the smash hit "No Rain," and
many more chart-topping singles like "Tones of Home,"
"Change," and "Galaxie," massive MTV exposure, a
triple-platinum debut album, the cover of Rolling
Stone, Grammy and American Music Award nominations,
appearances on Letterman and Saturday Night Live, a
prime slot at Woodstock '94, around the world stints
with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Neil Young,
Soundgarden, Lenny Kravitz and Pearl Jam, a
much-anticipated follow-up record in Soup, more
touring and suddenly, Hoon's tragic death in New
Orleans (October "95) from an accidental cocaine
overdose.
Nico is a gift to Shannon Hoon's daughter Nico
Blue, who was all of 13 and a half weeks old when he
passed away. It is the band's best, most consistent
work, capturing their many varied sides, unified by
the dark-laced, forbidding lyrics and plaintive,
yearning vocals of their departed mate.
The record will be released as an enhanced-CD, a
fitting memorial to the group and its late lead
singer, complete with lyrics, previously unreleased
photos, interviews, concert footage and several
full-length videos. It will be accompanied by the
aptly named, full-length documentary home video,
Letters From A Porcupine, a historical perspective of
the band's personal and musical progression, with
footage of early club shows from 1992 through
Woodstock '94 and beyond, glimpses of the group
behind-the-scenes in New Orleans during the Soup
sessions, as well as glimpses of life offstage and on
the road.
In all respects, Nico is a labor of love. A
collection of material that ranges from the first song
Smith and Stevens ever composed for the group ("Soul
One") to some of the last pieces ever put on tape by
Hoon (the harrowing, prescient "Hell" and the ethereal
Middle Eastern drone of "Glitch"), it is the group's
way of paying tribute to the mercurial musicality of
their friend and colleague. Some of the music is
filled with foreboding lyrics and ironies too bitter
to ignore, such as the eerily prophetic "Swallowed"
and "Pull" or as in "Hell," when Shannon mugs
tongue-in-cheek, "I'll disintegrate over time/If I
expect my body to keep up with my mind." Yet in
Shannon, there was radiance and life.
Produced by Mike Napolitano and the Melons, with
the exception of "Pull," "Swallowed," and "Soup,"
which produced by Andy Wallace never made it onto the
album of the same name, Nico features collected
mementos recorded in different situations and
locations, from the slowed-down, painful version of
"No Rain" cut for a Dutch television show, to the
homespun take on Steppenwolf''s version of Hoyt
Axton's "The Pusher," whose tracks were laid down
during a skiing vacation in Mammoth, CA. There's also
a bluesy cover of John Lennon's "John Sinclair,"
originally recorded for a tribute album, and the
pop-folk acoustic number, "All that I need," which
Hoon wrote after reading Albert Goldman's The Lives of
John Lennon.
The group added overdubs on several of the tracks,
including the percussive overlays on "Glitch," but
mostly the songs remain as they were recorded,
including "Life Ain't So Shitty," where you can hear
car horns honking outside the tour bus and the finale,
"Letters From A Porcupine," which comes straight from
a message left by Shannon on Christopher's telephone
answering machine.
In a final irony, Nico represents Blind Melon at
their best, casually jamming away from the pressures
of the recording studio, just creating music that felt
good. For the surviving members, getting back together
again to work on the album served a therapeutic
function.
"We were able to laugh and talk about every nutty
thing Shannon used to do," says Brad. "I definitely
thought about him a lot. In a way, it was like easing
out, getting used to him not being around. I'm just
thankful I had Rogers, Glen and Christopher to help me
get through it. Not having Shannon in your life is a
good thing and a bad thing. He was a tyrant and an
angel."
"Doing this record was a healing process for all
of us," adds Glen. "As soon as we got into the studio,
it just felt right. Playing again with these guys was
the same as it always was, because we always wrote the
music, went in and recorded and then Shannon would
come in afterwards to lay down his vocals. So, instead
of coming in later, he was already there on tape."
"Now that Shannon's dead, you sort of realize he
was basically telling us what was going to happen to
him," says Rogers. "Everybody knew he was putting
himself in danger living his life the way he did. To
hear those songs now can be real emotional. When we
first started working on the album, I still couldn't
believe he wasn't around. I went into complete denial.
I kept expecting the phone to ring and him to be on
the line screaming at me. It took awhile to realize he
wouldn't be. I talked to Shannon every day for five
years."
After Shannon's death, the group split up
physically, with Rogers moving to New York, Brad and
Christopher to Seattle and Glen Staying in New
Orleans, where the band had recorded Soup. After two
or three months, they began contemplating organizing
the remaining tapes they had of Shannon and the band
into an album. Luckily, thanks to Thorn's portable
ADAT eight-track digital recording unit and the 16-17
songs they finished for Soup which didn't make the
record, there was quite a bit of material to choose
from.
"It was really frustrating for me to read the
press after Shannon died," says Christopher.
"Everything focused on his troubles, his addiction.
And I just kept thinking to myself, 'Jesus Christ,
man, listen to the songs." The guy wrote some amazing
songs. And that was one of the reasons to complete
this third record.
"I hope people can just listen to the record and
say, 'Hey, they were a band that wrote some great
songs together.' I don't care about selling records.
Part of the reason was for Nico. You realize this
child will never get the chance to know her father.
This is some music for her to sit down when she's
ready, listen to and get a feel for what her father
did, get some insight into him. Shannon's greatest
creation was Nico, so it seems like a perfect title."
"I thought Shannon got overlooked," agrees Rogers.
"He had a true talent that his personality sometimes
overwhelmed. Or the hype around the band overwhelmed.
Or the media exposure overwhelmed. If people give the
album a fair chance, they'll understand more of what
Shannon was about. He had a real gift for words, a
real simple way of saying things a lot of people can
relate to. It's hard to be simple, direct, honest and
powerful at the same time.
"These songs deserve to be heard by the people who
were into the band. I want people who appreciated
Shannon to get this last batch of songs. I think some
of our best stuff is on this record. We had a good
time working on this record. It wasn't all somber."
It's not our motivation that's important. We want
to make music. We want to be heard. We want Shannon to
be heard. Sure, we'd love for it to sell a million
copies and make money. Who wouldn't? But that's not
our reason for putting it out. It's our responsibility
to Blind Melon's fans.
"There are a lot more chapters that should have
been written as Blind Melon, but that's not going to
be. This is it. This is all the music we have to put
out with Shannon. We're moving forward because this is
all we know how to do. None of us has gone to college.
It's not like we can go out and get jobs. Being a
musician is something you can't kick. We have a few
good years left in us in terms of songs and
inspiration, but as far as Blind Melon goes, I wish
there would've been more. I think Shannon would have
gone on to write more amazing things."
The band has announced they will donate a
percentage of the sales from Nico to the Musician's
Assistance Program (MAP), which offers drug treatment
for musicians who can't afford it. They are hoping
Shannon's death will be a wake-up call for others as
it has been for them.
"When your best friend ODs, it's a real
eye-opener," admits Rogers. "Especially someone like
Shannon, who had 50 times the energy I'll ever have.
If it got him, it can get me ... or just about anybody
I know. It was a senseless thing. We learned some hard
lessons. You begin to realize the impact his death had
on everybody around him. I spent a lot of time getting
mad at Shannon; in the end, I know he was really
trying ... but his demons got the best of him."
"Everybody did a lot of soul-searching after
Shannon's death," adds Brad. "I'm still learning from
it. I just have to remember the positive things about
him and move on."
"Shannon's death made me realize what's important
in my life." states Glen matter-of-factly. "My wife,
my family. It also made me aware I'm in this for the
work. It's not about fame or money. I got into this
because I liked playing music."
And in the end, the music remains, a loving
memorial to its quixotic creator.
Says Rogers: "Shannon could be so many different
things on any given day. He was the demon offspring of
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde crossed with Sybil..."
"And life ain't so shitty/There's a lot you can be/And Ain't
it a pity/But it's alright to smile back at me."
With Nico, Blind Melon's story comes to an end,
but for the four remaining members, the future remains
an open book.
Last winter, Rogers put an ad in the Village Voice
advertising for a lead singer for "the band formerly
known as Blind Melon." After the item was picked up on
MTV News and CNN, the group's manager Chris Jones
received over 2,000 tapes in the mail. They have
started working with several individuals with an eye
toward launching a new band.
"I'm just looking for someone who's good," says
Rogers. "If somebody tried to be like Shannon, it
would be to their detriment. You don't want to try to
fill his shoes. It would be unfair to ask somebody to
do that. The only way to do it is to move forward and
not look back. It's a clich� that time heals all
wounds ... I don't know if I'll ever totally heal, but
I can at least move forward.
Still, nobody can or will ever replace Shannon
Hoon, as Nico reminds its listeners. "This is
something we're laying to rest as a positive memory.
Dwell on the good rather than the way it ended or even
the bad times. If it wasn't about the music, you
wouldn't do this anymore. You have to do it for
yourself."
"Another life's falling down onto its knees/But I'll never
smile the way like I did that day/Everything will be okay,
everything will be okay ..."
Information on the Musician's Assistance Program (MAP)
Reviews
Songs
1. The Pusher
The band talks about the songs on Nico
Audio/Video
Tabs
Steppenwolf - The Pusher (as performed by Blind Melon)
info
from "New Life"
from Life Ain't So Shitty
from All That I Need
2. Hell
3. Soup
4. No Rain (Ripped Away Version)
5. Soul One
6. John Sinclair
7. All That I Need
8. Glitch
9. Life Ain't So Shitty
10. Swallowed
11. Pull
12. St. Andrew's Hall
13. Letters from a Porcupine
news
timeline
facts
pictures
audio/video
tabs
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