Calling Nir Z's Station - Interview with Nir Z.

it. You were born in Israel, but what most people don’t know – WHEN were you born?
Nir Z: I was born in November 1967.

it: You are from Israel but live in New York now. What was the reason for you to leave Israel and move to New York?
Nir Z: I became a professional musician at a very young age. And I thought it would be good experience to seek my chance in New York. it’s also a place I always wanted to go to and that’s what I did. I was almost 25 years old when I left Israel. To explain what I did here all these years would be really difficult. A lot of time has passed. But it was a very smart move to do and music was the main reason. I knew I would be able to do much more in New York than in Israel. I could work with more people, learn from so many great musicians and play different styles of music. That’s it basically.

it: You now have your own studios in New York for a couple of years. But as a musician – what do you like more: being in a band or being a session drummer?
Nir Z: I love both. I love playing live with people but I also love the studio work. One of the reasons why I spend more time in the studio the last couple of years is simply because I get to do more. it’s different being just a sideman in a band or being part of the creative process when you’re in the studio, I also produce and write music. There are much more areas to cover in the studio than live. But also, there’s nothing like playing live in front of an audience, which I miss a lot. But right now I am in a stage where I prefer to do the studio work, experimenting with music....I get music from people from all over the world to play drums for them, which is very interesting, because you always find new stuff and have new ideas. I just feel I have more to offer right now to play in the studio rather than being a sideman in a live band.

it: So this is basically the concept behind your studio that you get stuff from all over the world to play drums to...
Nir Z: Well some people send me the music, but many people also come into the studio here in New York, it really depends. I do not only play drums for people, I also produce other people’s demos, do the preproduction, things like that.
Technology now allows us to do music in a remote control; it’s a great thing. For example what we did with Ray Wilson on his last Stiltskin record.

it: We will talk about the Stiltskin album later in details. Now we would like to take a look on what you have been doing over the last ten years, starting with Genesis. Before you played with them, how familiar were you with their music?
Nir Z: Well I wasn’t that familiar with the music, I wasn’t one of those fanatic fans, but Genesis was always there and I always liked the band. I respected them. But it wasn’t like – ‘oh that’s what I want to do’ and it wasn’t my goal to play with them or to play their music. But they were part of my musical education. And then it happened and it was great experience, it was really amazing. For me it ends up being a step into higher classes as a musician, to develop myself.

it: It’s now almost ten years ago, since you played on the Calling All Stations album and tour. If you look back now, do you see things differently than you saw things back then?
Nir Z: Of course, I can look at it now in a much more objective way than I could back then. But it’s very important for me and I want people to remember my time in Genesis as a positive and good experience. But to be honest it also got to a point where it was very tiring. And that was because of the discussions around it. Ray Wilson and myself, we had to fill such big shoes. There was this legendary band with a history of 30 years and there we were, jumping into the situation. At the time we did the best we could. But I don’t think we really got the chance to develop it, to take it to the next stage. And only when we finished the tour of Calling All Stations - that was the point when it felt like a real band. And I thought – wow, it would be cool to go into the studio now and record a new album. And that did not happen. Of course I was disappointed in the end, but it happened and you have to move on! it was a lot of pressure to deal with. There were so many people around that have analyzed the “new band”...but it was just one record and three months of touring. Somehow we had to accept that and that’s it. I choose to remember that as a good experience. it was a great project to be involved with but it was nothing we could have control of.

it: Talking about the tour, was it difficult to play these parts that Phil Collins was famous for, like the double drums he used to play during Firth of Fifth with Chester Thompson?
Nir Z: Well, it was a bit difficult but I tried to find a balance between my approach and my style but yet keep the signature of drumming of Genesis – which was basically Phil Collins. When I listen to it now, I am pretty satisfied with what I did. But it’s also a matter of time. The more you play it, the more you will find your own signature for those songs. And I have to say, that Mike and Tony gave me a lot of freedom. They always gave me the chance to do it my way. So it was not really an issue as it came very natural to me. That really was one of the easiest parts for me among all those experiences with the band. Of course people always compare between me and Phil Collins which is funny, it’s like comparing apples and oranges or comparing Ray Wilson with Peter Gabriel. it’s simply a new thing.

it: Have you ever met Phil Collins and Chester Thompson?
Nir Z: Yes I have. I met Phil at a Christmas party of hit & run back in England. And it was great, Phil was very supportive. For what I understood he really liked the drumming on Calling All Stations. And Chester Thompson I met at Namm show in L.A., he is a wonderful guy.

it: You have told Dave Negrin in your 2001 interview for worldofgenesis.com that you would like to work again with either Mike or Tony on their solo stuff. Has it ever been discussed that you get involved in their solo stuff?
Nir Z: Well I don’t remember a particular discussion about that. There hasn’t been one. No one ever talked to me about any particular project. Let’s put it this way: they know where to find me [laughs]. I never got any phone calls from them to be involved with any of the solo projects.

it: They don’t do a lot these days anyway
Nir Z: You probably know better than I do. I don’t even know exactly what they do.

it: Does it happen very often that you get asked about your Genesis time in interviews?
Nir Z: That depends where you are. In Europe it’s noticed more than in the USA, because we toured in Europe. And as you know in the states the record was not successful and we didn’t tour the United States. So it happens not very often here that people put me into the Genesis category. People know I’ve played with Genesis, but it’s not the main thing.

it: After the Genesis thing ended, you went on to work with Ray Wilson and have contributed to every solo project of his. And with Cut you played in front of 90 people in clubs and then again in front of 60.000 in stadiums to support Westernhagen or 10.000 to support The Scorpions - if you compare these three different categories of Cut-performances, what memories do you have about this?
Nir Z: You know I really enjoyed all of that. it’s a different vibe at every show. it doesn’t really matter. You can play in front of 50 people and have a great time and I had a really great time. In small clubs it’s the intimate vibe with the audience, face to face. You get the response right away; it’s like a party. And in the stadium it’s a completely different thing, but it’s still very exciting, watching, 10, 20 or 30.000 people. But it never gets personal; at least from my point of view behind the drum kit, all you see is sea of people [laughs]. But I can say that I really enjoy it all, it’s just different. There are situations where even the greatest musicians play in a club in front of 20 people and have a great time. it’s not always about the show; it’s about the music and its soul. And when you leave the stage and realise that you’ve satisfied 25 people in the club - then it’s just as good as if you satisfy 30.000 inside a stadium.

it: After the Cut thing was laid to rest you became more a session player rather than a live player. Did that happen by chance or did you make a certain decision?
Nir Z: Well, some things you can plan, but you don’t have control all the time. I would love it if we could continue with Genesis. I wanted to be part of a creative unit, of a real band. I wanted to take it to the next level. It didn’t happen with Genesis, and somehow didn’t happen with Cut. But I went with Cut after Genesis because I was hoping that this band would take off, because I saw a great potential. And then it didn’t happen and you come back home. And I had to continue to do what I do, so I continued doing sessions. That’s basically the reason. You sometimes go with the flow. That was my lane or my fate if you want so. And as a musician you get to the point where you say, ok I’m not 22 years old anymore and also not 25 years old anymore. I cannot put the time in a bag forever if nothing happens. That’s why I became more of a session player. And now I do sessions and really put 100% into every project I do as if it was my own thing.

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In the second part of our interview Nir tells us more about his work with Ray Wilson, his other projects and future plans - and how he aviods technical problems with the PC.