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By SCOTT SAALMAN
scaramouch
guitar face magazine got an exclusive interview with the Indiana-based classic 1970s rockers Courtesy Flush, who will be launching into their 50se Anniversary “Expiry Date” tour this fall. We caught up with co-founders Tweed and Twill Seger to discuss half a century of touring and recording, their notorious infighting, and what fans can expect. This is the first part of a two-part interview.
GF: Today you rehearsed your 1976 hit single “Motel Indiana” 12 times.
Tweed (Vocal): We had to. Twill kept smearing it on that weird eightfold neck guitar.
Twill (Guitar): You are trying to play eight guitar parts simultaneously. It’s 48 finger strings! My Fender Signature Series Eight Neck sound is what made “Motel Indiana” a staple of FM rock! I didn’t do anything. Tweed is the mucker. He kept on singing Hotel instead of motel –
Tweed: Excuse me! I wrote “Motel Indiana” 46 years ago! I’m sure I didn’t miss the lyrics. I’m going to sing it right now…
Greetings from Motel Indiana
Backyard Cornfield Maze (Backyard Cornfield Maze)
And a go-kart track
Vacation at Motel Indiana
You could hit a deer (you could hit a deer)
Lose your dignity here
Twill: You missed it again earlier, Tweed.
GF: How did the eight-neck guitar come about?
Twill: I got the idea for Cheap Trick when we opened for them. I love Rick Nielsen. Ricky and I were always trying to outdo each other on this tour. He started to play a double inning, so I upped the ante with a triple inning. Ricky bought a straight neck which got him tons of attention. I had no choice but to break the eight pass. He said to me, “I surrender, man. That’s too much fretboard for me. Soon after, Cheap Trick had a hit with “Surrender”. Even today, Ricky bows down when he sees me and says, “I’m not worthy, man.” Jimmy Page once said to me, “Man, you look like an octopus playing that thing.” Jimmy Page, man! Forty-eight strings! If any song deserves a 48-string sound, it’s “Motel Indiana.” I am the octopus. Dig it!
GF: Excess aside, I guess the neck eight actually complements “Motel Indiana”‘s sociopolitical themes of Hoosier hedonism, greed and excess!
Tweed: In fact, it’s the opposite of excess. A neck eight is cheaper than hiring seven other guitarists to play a song.
GF: Regarding “Motel Indiana”, can you tell us more about the famous “Hotel California” court case from 1978 in which you accused the Eagles of plagiarism?
Tweed: Simple…Don Henley stole our song. Read the affidavit.
Twill: The whole feud started at a truck stop.
Tweed: Twill and I shared the same urinal.
GF: Nothing annoying the.
Twill: Wait…what? It was the 70s, man. Besides, we are brothers.
Tweed: Dad made us pee in the pot together to cut the water bill. We are military brats. The major was a fan of synchronized peeing.
Tweed: I couldn’t pee at all.
Twill: Tweed has a shy bladder.
Tweed: Actually, I haven’t peed since 1969.
Serge: TMI, man. What Tweed just said is unofficial.
GF: Duly noted.
Tweed: To mentally block others in public restrooms, I’m thinking of new lyrics.
Twill: He first sang the chorus of “Motel Indiana” out loud in the restroom at the truck stop. The acoustics were amazing.
Tweed: Greetings from Indiana Hotel –
Twill: You see, you just said Hotel not motel.
Tweed: Hey, who wrote a hit record while pretending to pee?
Twill: The next thing we learned was a lanky guy with a white man’s Afro got kicked out of a stall. He didn’t even flush the toilet.
Tweed: He rushed like a man in a hurry to… oh… let’s say… find a notebook to write a song he just heard and steal it.
Twill: We looked at each other and said, “Wasn’t that Don Henley? »
Tweed: “Motel Indiana” came out before “Hotel California”. I mean, hello?
Twill: “Motel Indiana” tops Casey Kasem’s Top 40 American list at #40.
GF: Twill, #40 is actually the bottom, not the top. #1 is the top.
Twill: Wait…what?
GF: A week later, “Hotel California” released your Top 40 song and finally reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Twill: Yeah, but “Hotel California” wasn’t good enough to hit #100 on the Billboard like “Motel Indiana” did.
Tweed: Hit!
GF: Will “Motel Indiana” be on the upcoming setlist?
Tweed: If Twill stops messing it up –
Twill: You’re the mucker, Mr. Mucky Muck.
Tweed: We have to sell tickets. Definitely tell your readers that we will be playing “Motel Indiana”.
Twill: Shit, tell ’em we’re gonna open the show with this.
GF: Wait…what? You open with your only success? Aren’t you worried that your audience will leave after that?
Tweed: Hmm. Tell them this will also be our reminder. This will keep cigarette butts in the seats.
GF: It’s crazy! “Motel Indiana” twice in one show?
Twill: Why not? When we published our Courtesy Flush Greatest Hits album, “Motel Indiana” occupied all 10 tracks. Same with our Best of Courtesy Flush Greatest Hits compilation. Dare I mention the box set?
GF: Did any of these compilations move enough units to reach Platinum status?
Tweed: pewter.
Twill: Tell readers we’ll also be playing “Motel Indiana” just before intermission. A “Motel Indiana” hat-trick! How’s that for a Guitar Face exclusive?
Contact: [email protected]. Buy Scott’s books on Amazon.
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