Heru John Basil and songs that do not remain the same

ILLUSTRATION by ANDREW WILSON

Heru John Basil comes from a purer place where audiophile turntables are as sophisticated as cranial-imaging hardware and Kiss albums are just an uncomfortable memory, and his museum-shaming album collection and precisely tuned DJ appearances rate visiting-head-of-state coverage in the local nerd press. (Remember when Keith Moon was too wrecked to play and some kid from the front row got to come up and drum with the Who? “I have the footage,” says Basil.) With Bolero side-band Hubcaps ready to present a surprise covers set at the Prospector, Heru—who traditionally concludes all published effort with a salute to Hadean inspiration—examines the philosophical distinction between cover-band love and cover-band laziness.

Did any of your bands do covers?
At one time we were probably laying down a Bette Davis cover. In my band Sol, I definitely did some covers—Meters stuff, but we’d do it more in a soul-jazz-Houston-Person-Prestige Records boogaloo. Maybe a Funkadelic cover in my day.
What’s the most difficult thing about doing a cover with dignity?
I really do appreciate the thing about doing other people’s music. The great thing about doing someone else’s music is how you can interpret it and put your own stamp on it. Make it your own. That’s the hardest thing. A carbon copy is a mistake—but I don’t know if that’s too strong a word. Sometimes it’s nice to hear a cover done simply and close to the original. It’s a double-edged sword.
What’s the most ill-advised cover you’ve heard?
Like ‘I can’t believe they did this’? Seems like it always happens with Bowie songs. Any Bowie up to like 1980, though in my bands in the ’80s I did ‘Be My Wife’ and songs from the Low period. He’s a really weird character—that’s why I have some respect for him. Like how he amalgamated his influences. He was such a copycat, but in a way that was really cool and interesting, and his music seems really hard to emulate in a good way.
What cover songs do you play in your DJ sets?
I’m always trying to do that! I love cover songs—they could be really classic instrumentals even down to ‘Wild Thing’ or ‘Sunshine of Your Love.’ There are endless things like that! I always strive to play cover versions of known songs. I love this version of ‘Are You Experienced?’ by the Associated Soul Group—on Top Hits of Today on Contessa. It’s awesome. They do ‘Sounds of Silence,’ a couple made-up things, ‘MacArthur Park,’ ‘Our Man Hendrix,’ which is kind of a loose jam, and ‘Scarborough Fair.’ I love that song.
Who would be hardest to cover with dignity—Kiss, Stones, Neil Young or the Who?
Even the thought of wanting to cover a Kiss song—you gotta have some kind of weird balls. I’d hope if it’s the Stones, you’d try to do it really well. And with the Who it depends on the period—like Quadrophenia? Where are you going? Kiss—I feel bad I even owned Kiss records back in the day. But it happens to the best of us.
What’s the most durable cover of all time?
The most classic? It’d have to be like ‘Johnny B. Goode’ or ‘Bony Moronie’—one of those. I don’t know if that’s too basic. Or like ‘Jailhouse Rock.’ Something of that interim ’50s period—when it was in its most purest form.
Hail Satan?
Hail Satan. It’s like a trademark at this point.

DJ HERU JOHN BASIL WITH THE TYDE, THE HUBCAPS AND DJ FREDERICK PHASES THE PROSPECTOR | 2400 E SEVENTH ST | LONG BEACH 90804 | SAT 9PM | $5 | 21+ | MYSPACE.COM/THEPROSPECTORLONGBEACH

Tags: cover bands, hail satan, heru john basil, kiss, Music, neil young, the prospector, the stones, the who