Corey Glover (Living Colour)

Corey Glover is a musician and actor, best known as the singer of the rock band Living Colour.  He acted in a stage production of Jesus Christ Superstar as well as played the role of Francis in 1986 Oscar winning film "Platoon."  His latest project is a band with guitarist Mike Orlando (Adrenaline Mob) called "Sonic Universe.'  We discuss the new music with Sonic Universe, working with Mick Jagger, Lollapalooza, the Hendrix tour and more!

00:00 - Intro
00:13 - Living Colour Live
01:35 - New Project Sonic Universe
02:48 - Lyrical Inspiration
03:55 - Persevering & Expectations
06:15 - Idiosyncrasies & Getting Better
08:10 - New Sonic Universe Songs
09:55 - New Music
11:20 - New Song "Higher"
13:10 - Acting & Theater
14:35 - New Song "Whisper to a Scream"
17:35 - Mick Jagger & Talent
19:35 - Lollapalooza 91
20:30 - Music Scene Changes & Production
21:50 - Hendrix Tour & Prince
23:28 - Future Plans
24:12 - Outro

Living Colour band website:
https://livingcolour.com/

Chuck Shute link tree:
https://linktr.ee/chuck_shute

Transcript

Chuck Shute: 0:00

I wanted to tell you first of all, I just recently saw you on the tour with extreme. Arizona played the Van Buren. Oh, yeah. I've ever seen you guys live before. Holy cow. You guys blew me away. I couldn't believe it.

Corey Glover: 0:28

Thank you. I'm

Chuck Shute: 0:28

glad you liked it. Yeah. Especially lifting the part where you kind of you broke down in the middle and just kind of jammed. I think he played like France or some covers. It was so cool, right? Yeah, you guys do that every show? Pretty much. Yeah. Did you have a you either had a sub It was either a sub bass player drummer, but it's amazing.

Corey Glover: 0:51

We had a drummer biscuit showed up for that show. Yeah. He was a will had a commitment. So he had to he was not around for it.

Chuck Shute: 0:59

Yeah, it's amazing how tight you guys sound. I mean, been playing together for so long. And just the musicianship and especially I'm always amazed by singers that can still sing, you know, like, because some singers they lose some of the octaves and the voice you were just killing it. I was I was blown away. Yeah,

Corey Glover: 1:17

well, we do you know, the, it's about working. Gotta keep working.

Chuck Shute: 1:23

Yeah, well, it sounded amazing. I highly recommend anybody to see even if they're just a casual fan. Go see a living color or with this new project Sonic universe, and they'll be blown away, I'm sure. Yes,

Corey Glover: 1:36

yes. It is something to see Mike Orlando do his thing. Yeah, Mike

Chuck Shute: 1:40

Orlando is amazing. This new project is awesome. will you guys be doing live shows as Sonic universe?

Corey Glover: 1:47

Eventually? Yeah. As soon as, uh, like I I'm out with living color right now. But when we're doing this is done. I'm going to try to get some get some Sonic universe shows in

Chuck Shute: 1:58

like a full tour, just like a handful.

Corey Glover: 2:00

We don't know yet. We'll see what happens as we go along. Yeah,

Chuck Shute: 2:04

maybe you could get on to another tour. Isn't that kind of sometimes a good strategy?

Corey Glover: 2:09

Usually? Yeah. Well, yeah. Yeah. So

Chuck Shute: 2:13

let's talk about So explain to my audience. This all started on the shipwreck cruise, you kind of jammed and then you thought, oh, maybe we should make a band out of this.

Corey Glover: 2:21

It was Shipra. Basically, we, I was there I saw him play. I was very blown away by his playing. We got we got together after the ship wreck cruise and started writing recording music. And it was and it worked. So we were very happy with it. We kept going.

Chuck Shute: 2:40

Did he write a lot of the music and you wrote the lyrics? Or do you write some of the music?

Corey Glover: 2:44

He wrote the news? I wrote the lyrics. Yeah. Okay. So

Chuck Shute: 2:47

what inspires you lyrically? Is it just like books that you've read your life experience, nature art, or all those things, or

Corey Glover: 2:56

it's really life experience, you know, some some things. So they hit you differently than you expected it to consent, certain things make you make you think about things very differently. Or your reaction to things sometimes surprise you see, after right about those, you know, give

Chuck Shute: 3:15

me an example of like your reaction hitting you differently than you expected.

Corey Glover: 3:20

You know, this song on this record called life and it's, you know, life can take you round and taking take you around a really different place than you expected it to be. You can. And basically, your take saying is that sometimes you have to persevere no matter what. You have to keep going, no matter what life gives you. The point is to live.

Chuck Shute: 3:47

Yeah, no, that's exactly right. I mean, did you have tough times throughout your career? Because I mean, you had such early success with living college, you won a couple Grammys, and then there was a time where the music scene kind of changed. And then did that make you think of giving up?

Corey Glover: 4:04

Now, I mean, there have been times when doing this didn't wasn't as satisfying as I like, liked it to be. Sometimes doing this would sometimes put you in predicaments that you didn't want to be in, you know, a lot of things. A lot of things didn't go as planned, you know, relationships that you thought were gonna last forever didn't. Places that you thought you're gonna be by a certain point in your life. You didn't get you to reach those goals. So you had to, you have to adjust to let things work. Really,

Chuck Shute: 4:38

where did you? I mean, because you've had such an amazing level of success. Like I said, I mean, just the two Grammys alone but I mean, touring with Rolling Stones, and you've done a lot of amazing things that other musicians would kill for but you feel like you have there's things that you want to do achieve that you didn't Well,

Corey Glover: 4:54

yeah, it's it's hard when those things are in your or you have a lot to look forward to when things look so, so great. You know? Yeah, we played with the Rolling Stones, what do you do after that? You go on you, you want to grant me what's next after the grabbing? What are you? What goals? Can you set for yourself? That make sense? You know, what goals can you set for yourself and achieve them that will give you any satisfaction in life? You know, I, you know, I, unfortunately, you know, my marriage did not last as long. But I have to look at the bright side on that, you know, I have two beautiful sons that I that I that I can rely on, you know, sometimes working with people that you're very familiar with, will you have to deal with their, their idiosyncrasies, idiosyncrasies, and you're old. And that can become somewhat difficult. That's like a relationship, any kind of relationship is always that kind of thing that you have to deal with. And it can take you through the wringer. Sometimes, you know.

Chuck Shute: 6:09

So what is your advice to other bands? Or just people in general that are in relationships? How do you deal with those idiosyncrasies? How do you persevere through all that?

Corey Glover: 6:20

That the goal is not to, to to remain it's is to sustain? I don't know if that makes any sense. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work does it shouldn't take you, you shouldn't become morose and the rest of the world does not work for you because of one one little setback, you have to keep going. You know, the the goal is to get better from everything that happens to you.

Chuck Shute: 6:54

Yeah, well, I mean, it's, it's amazing. Listening to you guys play live in color, and then this new project, it does sound like you're getting better, which is crazy, but I do think that musicians can get better. That's what's so hard is like, the music business will they'll say like, Oh, you have this five year window or whatever. But I'm like, a lot of bands out there best stuff later. Yeah,

Corey Glover: 7:15

you know, we are a society obsessed with youth and what's new? And what's next? So it's a that's a difficult place to be and when you've been doing this for over 30 years, you know, I don't think I don't think the industry itself really recognizes people. Unless they are dead. Really? This is true. How many new records from people that we haven't heard from in a very long time have you have come out posthumously and now appreciation for them? It wasn't while they were alive, but after the fact and I'm trying to make sure that that my now is just as important as my past is?

Chuck Shute: 8:08

Yeah, well, I love it. I love this new stuff Sonic universe. I mean, there's not a bad song on the record. They're all great. Talk about the song My desire because I almost have like a Rage Against the Machine riff and wonder what that song was about? Is it about a woman is it about a drug is about food, what is the desire,

Corey Glover: 8:27

any desire, it could be anywhere else desires. And it it desire is is your ability to not let something go obsession is that is that idea design. You can design something for the live long day, but obsession over that an obsession of possessing those sort of things is is is a problem trying I'm trying to the character that's in the song is trying to to toe the line and find some sort of balance between desire and obsession.

Chuck Shute: 9:03

Oh that's that's really deep Yeah, because it's true like some desire is good like wanting to better and all those things but then when it becomes an obsession it can become unhealthy. Absolutely. Yeah, that's that's a good one. Um, the song it is what it is. That's like a fast paced banger like I love the drums the bass it's like exploding into your speaker it's got a cool and the guitar solo Where did you find this drummer he's he's like awesome. I love him.

Corey Glover: 9:32

Take one is from I know him from a band sworn enemy is a middle core band called sworn enemy. I love them. Hit him and his his guitar player Jeff is a good friend of mine. And you know I just love the way that tick one plays drums you know?

Chuck Shute: 9:52

Yeah so fast. So you're at this was cool to about you, as I like I've heard you talk about. You're listening to new music because you'd be some prize how many musicians I interview that? They say I don't listen to? They don't listen to music at all, or they don't listen to any new music.

Corey Glover: 10:07

Yeah, I try to listen to as much new music as I possibly can. Um, what was the name of the band that I was told about that actually checked out? And I thought that was really good. Hold on taking a second

Chuck Shute: 10:23

talking about Hero, Hero, the hero He's really good to

Corey Glover: 10:26

was amazing with this thing, I'm,

Chuck Shute: 10:35

I'm curious. Yeah, cuz I can hear the more modern influences on this record. And I think that's exciting. Rather than just doing a retro record, which is also cool, but it's cool to hear modern, modern take on music. Yeah.

Corey Glover: 10:50

How are the heroes really cool. Sleep token I heard the other day. I'm really into that. Um, you know, I listened to a bunch of things. I tried this. I tried to

Chuck Shute: 11:08

sleep too often. What kind of music is it? It's a metal

Corey Glover: 11:11

band. But it's kind of heavy, but it's good. Yeah.

Chuck Shute: 11:16

Talk about the song. Also, the another good one on this record is my desire or sorry, not my desire. That was one we're just talking about higher. That was the other one. I want to talk about that. Because that's, uh, you know, you got the lyrics, you got to climb higher, higher, if you want to fly, spread your wings and fly. I mean, that's a very broad lyric. But what is that? What are you talking about?

Corey Glover: 11:33

It's just perseverance, you cannot stop. You know that there's always something on the horizon. That's bad. And your ability to rise above that is it is your challenge in life is to get better, as I said before, is to get better and to get high, no matter how, whatever that is. You've you've, you can take it any way you want to. But it really it's about getting more information, the more information the better. You become the particularly if you can use that information.

Chuck Shute: 12:04

Yeah. How does that work, though, because I hear, I listen to a lot of like, self help stuff and all that. And they always talk about gratitude, you got to be grateful. But then I feel like if you're just grateful for what you have, then how are you ever going to get better and persevere? Like, it's almost like you said, like that you got to have some desire to get better. But then I guess maybe if it becomes an obsession, then it becomes unhealthy.

Corey Glover: 12:25

All right, you know, I've had quite the career, obviously. And I think that my, but at the same time, I think my career could be a lot better, I could have done a lot more things, I can still do a lot more things. But I have to be happy with what I have to be grateful for what I've done. And because I've done what I've done can be can be considerable, but I am there is much more to do. But I have just have to keep persevering and be grateful that I got to this point in my life. You know, Despite the setbacks, despite the the accolades, despite all this stuff, I'm still a human being that's trying to get better at what I am.

Chuck Shute: 13:07

Yeah, what what else is left on your bucket list to do or to achieve that you haven't already?

Corey Glover: 13:14

I'd like to go back to theater and do more do more musical stuff and, and a decent even decent straight acting actually.

Chuck Shute: 13:24

Yeah, cuz you was the Jesus Christ stupid superstar that really, like inspired you to do both music and acting.

Corey Glover: 13:31

Excellent. Absolutely. And then I got a chance to work with Ted Neely, who was in the movie Jesus Christ Superstar, which was amazing was it was an amazing sort of thing. So yeah, there's a lot more Broadway stuff I'd like to do and a lot more theater things I'd like to get into.

Chuck Shute: 13:47

Are you near New York? Could you audition for that? New York? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So I think you'd be amazing in those kinds of roles. I know like Sebastian Bach, you know, he did some of those Broadway plays, and somebody was screaming and belting it out. It was awesome. Yeah, what about any more film acting for those? Because and for those people who don't know, I mean, you were in the movie platoon. You've done some indie movies as well. And well,

Corey Glover: 14:12

yeah, I'd love to do any of that stuff. Yeah, I'd like to go back to get back into my whole acting thing.

Chuck Shute: 14:20

Yeah, but the musical thing makes the most sense for you because of your voice abilities. I mean, that's like a tool that I feel like is not a lot of people can can sing like you

Corey Glover: 14:31

I think it's good. I think it's a good thing. You know, it keeps me working.

Chuck Shute: 14:35

Right? Yeah, like a song on the new record that whisper to a scream that's cool. That's kind of like almost like a Hendrix Stevie Ray Vaughan guitar vibe, but you're belting out the song like there's some emotion in that one. What is that one about?

Corey Glover: 14:50

Um, it's it's plain and simple. It's about me not living up to my potential. You know, not being able to that, despite whatever's going on in my life, my mind will sometimes distract me in ways that make make me not. And put not put me in my best place. You know. And if I could, if I could get past some of that stuff and get out of my own way, basically is what that is that I can go from, you know, just go from a quiet place to a very loud place, but, but again, to keep your ideas and your goals in life, simple, move forward, forward, moving, always sort of moving in a direction.

Chuck Shute: 15:46

Yeah, what is what is your vise like, what what distracts you the most because I didn't know living caller, they weren't, you guys weren't like a big party band or anything were you know.

Corey Glover: 15:55

But you know, I distractions are everywhere. You know, I'm, I'm not much of a drinker, I drugs don't, don't do anything for me. Um, but apathy is a is something that you do sit to sit in front of a television, and just watch the world go by on TV. The Internet is a major, major distraction for many people, including myself. So there's, there are lots of things that that are, are not as good for me as I'd like it to be.

Chuck Shute: 16:31

You try to set like habits for yourself, like you're gonna write music every day or journal or, or practice singing? Are there certain things that you try to do every day? Or

Corey Glover: 16:43

is it to, I don't have a real routine, I know I things I have the things I have to do the things I'd like to do. But I know that there's always something for me to do in any given point of the day. I'm home right now. So I know that, you know, cleaning is a is a major thing that has to be done at some point in here. And I will get to it. But you know, I have other things on my plate as well.

Chuck Shute: 17:13

Yeah, this, it's crazy. Like, you know, people like I just remember being a kid and like, you know, you look up to these rock stars, and you think everything is so perfect. And then you start talking to them. And it's like, you know, they're just regular Pete, you guys are regular people. You have to clean your house too. And yeah. You know, it's all these things that

Corey Glover: 17:30

normal people. Yeah, bills and all kinds of stuff. I gotta take care.

Chuck Shute: 17:33

Yeah, right. And even like Mick Jagger, who, you know, you work with you toured with, and you got to watch him and how he works and stuff. Did you learn things from him about success and, and being a musician.

Corey Glover: 17:47

Um, you know, at the point at which jet we were on the road with them, they obviously established they would knew exactly who they were and what they were. And in order to maintain it, they did everything that they could to maintain it. You know, I think Jagger had a really strict exercise regimen. pretty strict diet dietary sort of thing. He was very, it was very much on his grind. And I and it was something to be admired when you watched it go down.

Chuck Shute: 18:23

Yeah, I just had a guy on who was a keyboard player. And they opened for Rolling Stones. And he said, Mick Jagger was watching them side stage. And he's always like, observing everything, looking at the level lights, and like, he's just in the zone all the time, which is crazy.

Corey Glover: 18:38

You know, he's very well aware of what what is necessary to make things work. And we'll put it and knows how to put those into action. Yeah,

Chuck Shute: 18:48

and you've probably picked up on some of that. I mean, because like I said, when I saw living color, just recently on this tour, it was it was amazing.

Corey Glover: 18:55

It's, you know, you kind of have to learn a few things while you're doing it while you're doing certain things. And, you know, we've been doing it for a long time. So I hope we I hope we're getting it right. And

Chuck Shute: 19:08

I got to think some of that is just pure raw talent, because I could not do what any of you got. I can't play guitar. I can't sing like that. Like you guys have an amazing talent to you've harnessed. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Corey Glover: 19:23

We've tried to make we've made. We made do with what we have. Unfortunately, we've been it's been. It's been good, you know?

Chuck Shute: 19:33

Yeah, I know. It's been amazing. Tell me about I haven't heard you ever talked about this. Do you remember like when you guys did Lollapalooza, in 99. That's got to be one of the first ones of that tour with Jane's Addiction and Nine Inch Nails. Do you have any memories of that? Hot it was always hot. Because it's summer, right?

Corey Glover: 19:52

There's this summer tour. And the first show we did was in Arizona, and it was like 106 degrees in the shade. It was just oppressively hot.

Chuck Shute: 20:02

Oh shit. Yeah, that's where I am now I'm in Arizona. I would not recommend an outside tour here. I've seen a lot of bands outside in the summer and it's miserable. It's

Corey Glover: 20:10

it was. I had never never been that hot before in my life. Yeah,

Chuck Shute: 20:15

that's crazy that you know, you think that some of those summer shows and the places would be indoors if it's really hot or the humidity in the South? I'm not a fan of

Corey Glover: 20:24

either. It was just ridiculously hot everywhere. Everywhere. was summertime. always hot.

Chuck Shute: 20:31

Did you guys think that like because music scene changed. I mean, people could have called you guys in 80s band. But then when the music scene changed I felt like you guys kind of leaned into that like you guys fit with that seen the grunge and stuff better than some of the other bands that were full on glam? Did was were you thinking that you would have fit in better with like the Allison chains and stuff. Like I thought like that's the stain was that the album? 93 You guys made I love album. That's I think it's so underrated. Yeah,

Corey Glover: 20:59

yeah. But I think out what we were hearing and what we were dealing with was, you know, really a production issue. You know, we needed to we wanted to hear I wanted to, you know, they had to be more guitar heavy. It had to be more groove oriented. And I think we tried to do try to do that over the state.

Chuck Shute: 21:24

Yeah, I mean, because I think the song leave it alone. I think that might be my favorite Living Color Song. And I didn't realize it was actually nominated for a Grammy last to plush by Stone Temple Pilots. But I mean, that might be one of my favorite songs that you guys ever did. I love it.

Corey Glover: 21:39

Well, thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it. I'm sorry. Yeah.

Chuck Shute: 21:43

Yeah. I love to hear it live to it. I know you got another one. I'll let you go here soon. I want to ask you too about the you guys did that in 2010. The experience Hendrix tour. I'm mad myself that I missed that because this sounds amazing. You had Joe Satriani, Eric Jones and Kenny Wayne shepherd. I mean, it sounds like an amazing fun. You just all was like covers a Hendrix? Right? Yeah,

Corey Glover: 22:05

all we did was exchange. You know, we did one tour with with, with Steve via was was on tour. That was fun. Um, Robert Randolph, was on you know, electric slide guitar. The guy some double treble were there. It was a great band. It was a really good time. Because a lot of fun.

Chuck Shute: 22:26

But no chance you'd ever do that again, or do something similar to that

Corey Glover: 22:29

no one has ever they haven't asked us back. You know, we haven't even been even considered in that regard. So I'd love somebody to ask us back. We'll do it.

Chuck Shute: 22:38

What about like a version of that? Like a like a prince? One? Because I never got to see Prince.

Corey Glover: 22:43

Yeah, that'd be great. That will you know, the the revolution is out on the road. With the singer. Doing shows. Yeah. So Wendy and Lisa and brandmark. And all those guys and Dr. Fake. They're all out there. They're on the they've been on the roads. You should check it out. It's like, Prince. It's the revolution. Okay.

Chuck Shute: 23:03

I actually check that out. Yeah, cuz I think you guys, I think you guys played a prince cover when you were jamming and stuff. And it was so awesome. Like,

Corey Glover: 23:11

we did this to us. It was we started that, right after sinead o'connor passed away. So we were it was an homage to our all of our fallen friends. Yeah,

Chuck Shute: 23:25

that's great. Well, I know you're talking about a future Living Color record. This Sonic universe record is coming out soon. It's out. Okay, yeah. Because I got to listen to it. I've listened to the dance copy. And then you also have possibly I think that you talked about a documentary about the band coming up soon. At some point, too. Yeah,

Corey Glover: 23:46

absolutely. Yeah. Should hopefully totally, totally fine. We'll have a bunch of stuff coming in like a new record and maybe adopt the documentary about the band. Okay,

Chuck Shute: 23:55

awesome. And I look forward to seeing Sonic universe live if you guys come to Arizona.

Corey Glover: 24:03

Not in the summer. Now sometime a little

Chuck Shute: 24:05

cooler. Absolutely. Sounds good. Thanks so much, Cory. Thank you. Alright, see you later.