Q&A: Patrick Carney on the Black Keys’ Summer Tour, Van Halen and Dance Music
“If they replace someone who’s been in the band for 30 years with a 17-year-old, they’re obviously assholes, right?”
By Patrick Doyle
June 22, 2012 10:00 AM ET

“We’re playing better than we have since 2010,” Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney tells Rolling Stone in the middle of the band’s summer tour. “When you play a song 60 times a year, you fuck around with it.” Carney, exhausted from months on the road and ready to return home to Nashville for a vacation, opens up about what it’s like when women flash the band, why he hated seeing Van Halen live and why he won’t be checking out the dance acts at Lollapalooza.

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What bands will you be checking out at Lollapalooza?
I love Black Sabbath, but I don’t know if I’d want to watch Black Sabbath without Bill Ward. The band is Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Ozzy. I have no interest in seeing bands with partial lineups. I just saw Van Halen without Michael Anthony. I’m not a very big Van Halen fan but it was such a fucking bummer. Like what the fuck is the point?

Yeah, definitely.
I mean, sure, Eddie Van Halen’s son is a pretty good bass player and he’s a 20-year-old kid and that’s cool, but like, what the fuck is that? That’s fucking retarded. If someone is able to be in a band for 30 years and then people are okay with replacing him with a 17-year-old, they’re obviously motherfucking assholes, right?

Did you enjoy the show at all?
No. Not at all.

Why?
It felt flat. It didn’t sound good. I don’t think Dave’s voice is really there. Eddie Van Halen’s guitar sounded pretty good but I’m not a big fan of that music to begin with. I do like some of the classic Van Halen stuff, but not in the same way that I actually like Black Sabbath stuff. I just think some Van Halen is exceptionally awful.

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OK. Didn’t like the Black Keys before and now I think the drummer is a complete tool. I mean really, you play drums in a band and you’re going to undermine a band like Van Halen just because the original bass player is no longer in the band. This idiot would probably learn something from watching the mighty Van Halen instead of having this preconceived bias which just clouds the brain. Man, I just hate this trend with indie types always undermining musicians who actually care about playing and growing with their instruments.

Who are the Black Keys……and why do I care what this butt hole has to say?

jroundy:
Who are the Black Keys……and why do I care what this butt hole has to say?

THIS

I’ve heard of these guys but never heard any of their songs so I just watched a performance on Letterman. This guy is really a Tool. He and his freind would have a much more successful career if they copied Van Halen instead of The White Stripes!

While I do not agree with his opinion, at least he gave an honest answer. I respect that.

Maybe I’m old….but, I have no clue who the Black Keys are.

This guy slams everybody in the music biz. I hate the Black Keys even more now. What an ass

Where have you gone Bill Wyman – a nation turns it’s lonely eyes to you.

Wes:
Maybe I’m old….but, I have no clue who the Black Keys are.

I was thinking that very same thing…

Wow.. what a dick. Why go if you’re not a fan? Obviously he doesn’t get it.

I have never heard of them .