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 What if you could get together with your buddies every now and then and play to a packed house? What if anybody and everybody were welcome to come on stage and jam with you? What if you all happened to be some of the best musicians in the world? This is exactly what Billy Morrison (the Cult, Doheny) and the guys of Camp Freddy – Dave Navarro (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction), Matt Sorum (Guns N Roses, Velvet Revolver), Donovan Leitch (son of legendary folk singer Donovan) and Chris Chaney (Jane’s Addiction, Alanis Morrisette) wondered.
Camp Freddy, which is not an official band, but more of an occasional happening, get together strictly to play and have a great time. More often than not, their shows are inundated with celebrity guest musicians like Moby, Robbie Williams, Ronnie Wood, Duff McKagan, Steven Tyler, Gavin Rossdale, Cypress Hill, Melissa Etheridge, Billie Joe Armstrong, Steven Jenkins, and Slash (just to name a few), who come to jam with the band. The audiences are always in for “one helluva show,” says Billy.
When Billy isn’t rocking on stage with Camp Freddy, he is busy writing and recording music for both his own projects and for other people. And if that isn’t enough, he has begun to study videography and film making. He is also trying his hand at acting in his “spare time.” Recently, after returning home to L.A. from an overnight Camp Freddy show in Las Vegas, Billy took some time to chat about the Cult’s 2001 reunion, the phenomenon that is Camp Freddy and all of his extracurricular activities.
CG: Hey Billy, how was the show last night?
BM: I crawled in from Las Vegas at four this morning. We played at the Palms Casino and as always it was really cool. The last song had six guitarists. Duff McKagan, me, Steve Jones, Billy Duffy, Jerry Cantrell, Dave Navarro, and Warren DeMartini and that’s... seven.
CG: How do you describe Camp Freddy to people?
BM: It’s a very hard thing to explain. We took a bunch of business meetings yesterday before the show and all of them without fail were looking at us with furrowed brows. They weren’t quite sure what they were going to be seeing. After the show, they understood!
 CG: Growing up in the U.K., how did you feel the music scene there was different to the U.S. music scene?
BM: Being 11 years old and watching the Sex Pistols on TV changed my life. We had the Clash, Siouxsie, the Antz, we had a crazy scene. But we knew something different was happening over in America, with the Ramones, the Dolls, Thunders, Iggy. It seemed so different back then, but I came to understand that it was the same revolution happening on both sides of the world at the same time. Amazing!
CG: How did you get your start with the Cult?
BM: It used to be quite an incestuous time. There was the original band called Southern Death Cult that gradually dropped the ‘Southern’ and then the ‘Death’ to become simply the Cult. Some of the other band members ended up forming a group called Into a Circle, in which I was the guitarist. There was this whole South London scene and I knew Duffy back then. I was playing out the same time he was but we kinda lost contact for a long time. When we ran into each other in the late ‘90s we reconnected our friendship. The Cult had been inactive for seven years and when they reformed, he called me up and said, “Do you wanna join?” It was interesting because I played bass in the Cult and I’m not a bass player. I obviously did OK though! But my reasons for joining the Cult were, a, I got to play in one of the biggest rock bands, and b, I got to develop my musicianship. During the Cult I was writing songs for a side project I was working on which ended up being Doheny. I like that about me—always working. I can dabble on the keyboards, I play bass, I can knock out a beat on the drums, but what I enjoy doing is playing guitar. And also, I will say, I was very lucky with the whole Cult thing. The Cult is Ian and Billy, and that’s it. As it should be. But I was lucky enough to be a part of the band at a great time. We did a bunch of shows with Aerosmith and Marilyn Manson—went to Japan, which was amazing, and it was all just good timing for me.
CG: What were the best times playing with the Cult?
BM: Definitely the Reading gig. The Cult hadn’t playing in England in years, and we went to the Reading Festival, which is like 100,000 people. When we hit the stage it was the first time the Cult had played in England in a long time. And even people who were ambivalent about the band were there to see the return. Just to be able to be a part of that lineup at that time was an honor. It felt amazing to be there. The shows in Japan were good as well. And playing Madison Square Gardens is a highlight for sure.
CG: How did Camp Freddy come about?
BM: I did the same thing in England on a very small scale just for kicks in the ‘90s. Billy Duffy played one of the shows and we called ourselves the Slags. I was in a band signed to Geffen called Stimulator and when you’re in a real band signed to a real label it’s a lot of work. So we spent our down time having a laugh playing the odd show with our friends. When the Cult came off the road I knew there wasn’t going to be anything Cult for a while. Then I got a phone call from Donovan saying he was doing the opening of this new hotel downtown, and would I want to put a band together to play a few cover songs? I said yeah and called Dave Navarro and Matt Sorum, had a bunch of fun, and now it’s been going for four years. And that was it, really. We invited Twiggy from Marilyn Manson for a couple of songs that night.
We didn’t think too hard about it, but we all had so much fun that we did it again at a club called Moomba. No motive behind it. We just expanded the idea, added a few more songs, but we did invite a bunch of friends to come and jam. Robbie Williams, Slash, Moby, Twiggy—everyone said, ‘yeah sounds like fun.’ And something happened in Moomba that night where we played for an hour and a half and could have gone on for another hour! It was really a special night. There were no egos, no tantrums, no dramas. It’s meant to be the antithesis of our day jobs. I think the reason it’s so successful is that the audience can see us having a great time, beaming and laughing and having fun and that’s what’s getting translated. And you go home knowing you have seen something that nobody else has seen, because no two shows are ever the same. Which is also why we’re not on a tour bus. Way too difficult!
CG: Who is your favorite guest artist so far?
BM: Apart from getting to play with Dave? From a musical standpoint, Lou Reed. To stand up and play a Velvet Underground song with Lou was just perfect! Robbie Williams is a personal highlight. I love the guy and he just has one of the most amazing voices. Standing next to Ronnie Wood on a stage is an experience. That guy is a rock legend. Slash is always good fun. Then you have the random things like the time we played in New York at Roseland and Kid Rock and Melissa Etheridge just appeared onstage with us from outta nowhere and did Led Zep’s “Rock and Roll” with us! That kind of stuff is what brings out the magic. We have a lot of pride in Camp Freddy because we know we’re waving a flag for real music. We really are. Where else do you get to see Brandon Boyd of Incubus singing a Led Zeppelin song with Jerry Cantrell and Billy Duffy trading lead solos? Last night we played “Eighteen” by Alice Cooper. Mark McGrath sang and Dave and Warren DeMartini did the lead guitar. That's a spectacle that might never happen again. The crowd last night was a little Sunday night – pretty noisy, but worried about messing up their shirt! We do a lot of corporate gigs, but occasionally we’ll do a charity show or our own unannounced club gig in L.A. and that’s when you really see the audience go crazy. We should do more of those.
 CG: You’re a Les Paul man?
BM: Les Pauls. Only Les Pauls. I’m such a staunch advocator of that guitar. I mean I just think the instrument is amazing. And you know where it stems from is watching Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols. Changed my life. I have a couple of favorites – I don’t know if I should call it a Standard or Custom – it’s a ‘50s Standard neck profile, Custom body with the Camp Freddy logo and Steve Christmas at Nashville built it for me. It came out of the box in tune and it plays like a dream. I have one of the old white Customs that they don’t make anymore, and I’ve been trying to convince the people at Gibson to do a white Standard. That would be the guitar for me.
CG: You’ve toured the Custom Shop, right?
BM: It’s outrageous. The guys that work in that shop are ridiculously good. You take a guitarist in there and they never wanna leave.
CG: Why are you a Les Paul advocate?
BM: I’m walking over to a guitar rack back here and I see an Ibanez, two Fender Teles, a bunch of randoms, and then two racks of Gibsons. Out of all those guitars, if I get called for a session today I would grab one of those Gibsons and go down there because I know what it’s going to sound like. I mean we’re talking rock and roll here. You can name just about any rock and roll record and it will have a Les Paul on it. Townsend, Page, Slash, the list goes on. And I don’t wanna have to shove my guitar through a rack of stuff, even though I do from time to time! I want to add that the people at Gibson have been nothing but amazing. I pick them up and they feel and sound right. It gives me a feeling in my stomach that no other guitar can do. And believe me I’ve tried. When I fell in love with my wife it was game over. And the first time I picked up a Les Paul, my stomach did that same kind of back flip.
CG: Any special tunings you use?
BM: I have a few. In a nutshell, I have a Custom and a Standard in concert tuning, but then I need a spare of each so that’s four. And then I have half-step down-tuning and a spare. Then I have drop-D tuning which I use different gauge strings for. And then I have the open-G Keith Richards tuning. So if you’re playing in four different tunings, that’s a lot of guitars! I have a Goldtop that I bought just because I love how they look. Same as the Burst finish. I’ve got one of those digital ones as well. It’s amazing. The possibilities are endless.
Camp Freddy's Dave Navarro (L)
and Billy Morrison (R) | CG: Would you rather be on stage or in the studio?
BM: On stage. Don’t get me wrong I love the studio. But it doesn’t give me that feeling that I get when I’m on stage.
CG: Is it difficult to juggle your time between Camp Freddy and your other projects?
BM: My life is crazy. First of all, in Camp Freddy, not only do I play the shows but I’m also the guy who gets involved with the logistics. Travel, crew, all the bits and pieces. Then I always have some kind of creative band going. I play sessions, I write songs. My life is full.
CG: How did you become interested in studying film and movies?
BM: I’ll tell you the truth. Part of it is a work ethic. I’ve spent a lot of years out of my head – stoned, doing nothing. When I woke up from that, I supposed I wanted to make up for lost time. So I throw myself into anything I can do and try to do the best I can. When people call, and ask if I can do something, I try to say yes. With the acting thing, I kind of woke up one morning and said, “I think I’d like to try acting.” And I called a friend of mine who is a photographer, took a couple of head shots and gave them to my manager. Four days later, I had done my first audition and got the part! I’m not trying to be the next Anthony Hopkins or anything and it’s just a bit of fun. But I’m an English guy with long hair and tattoos, and I play a great gangster.
CG: What will happen for you in 2006?
BM: If only I could tell you. Camp Freddy is moving into new territory next year on a number of different levels. I can’t tell you anything because nothing is written in stone. But there is a lot of exciting stuff being talked about. I have some side projects that I just finished the writing stages of and I’m slowly doing the business bit of it where you have to take a lot of meetings and smile a lot. I also plan on doing more acting because I enjoy it. Let me put it this way, I’ll be busy.
photos by Wendy Gonzalez |