Genesis – Interview with Nir Z – Berlin 1997

While we were waiting for Ray, who couldn’t be there during our interview with Tony and Mike, Jon Webster from Virgin UK came into the room with a young man we hadn’t met before and said, ‘I’ve got a surprise for you, this is Nir Z. If you like, you can talk to him first.’ Of course we wanted to… so we interviewed Nir Z as well.

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it: How do you feel as the new Genesis drummer?
Nir: I feel great. But to be honest, I haven’t had time to think about it yet because I’m focused on the music. This week, we put my drum kit together in New York. They’re still working on it there, cutting it and assembling different things. But I feel great. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

it: How did you actually come into contact with Genesis?
Nir: I moved to New York five years ago. I was born in Israel. In Israel, I played with the top acts there. For no particular reason, it was just a feeling I had, so I moved to New York. Very quickly, I started playing with different people. I had my own band called Hidden Persuaders. They still exist. We played in Europe and America, but never got a record deal. I started playing in sessions with different people and worked with Nile Rodgers. People talk, and somehow you make a name for yourself. I played all kinds of music, from rock to heavy alternative and everything in between.

Two or three years ago, Tony Smith, Genesis’ manager, saw me playing with my band in New York, and he kept me in mind. When Genesis were looking for a drummer, Tony had a colleague in New York send him recordings of me playing. Mike and Tony listened to them. They called me and said, ‘Come over for an audition!’ So I arrived at the studio, and they had already recorded the music. Everything was completely instrumental. I sat down behind the drum kit and started playing whatever I wanted. That’s how it started, and now here I am.

it: Nick D’Virgilio also played drums on some of the tracks on the album. Was there any competition between you?
Nir: We’ve never met. I’d really like to get to know him. There’s a funny story about that. After we finished the album, I flew back to the States, to New York, and from there to Los Angeles for the NAMM Show. It’s a big musical instrument trade fair where the latest products are presented. Thousands of people are there. Of course, there was also a large section for drum and percussion accessories. That’s where I went.

Everyone wore a badge with their name and where they played. The people at the stands were confused and said to me, ‘Wait a minute, your name is Nir. Half an hour ago, someone named Nick was here who also plays with Genesis.’ At that moment, he was ahead of me. So I slowed down, and when people asked me where I played, I said, ‘With different people.’ (laughs) To be honest, there is a competitive spirit internally. But it’s a competition with respect. We make music, after all. I can’t understand how you can compete with that. It depends on what you like or don’t like. I think he played great on the songs he’s featured on.

it: Which tracks did Nick play on and which ones did you play on?
Nir: The album has 11 tracks, of which I played on 7 1/2 and Nick played on 3 1/2. On Alien Afternoon, Nick Davis, the producer, had one recording of Nick and one of me. Nick can be heard on the first part and I’m on the second. Well, I’ve never met him and don’t know much about him. It was the people who stirred up the competition, because I somehow represent New York. New Yorkers say, ‘You’re from the East Coast, he’s from the West Coast.’

it: You’re also going on tour with Genesis…
Nir: Yes, we’ll start rehearsing in September. I haven’t listened to the new stuff for a while. At the moment, I’m working on the old songs, rehearsing Abacab and Cage etc. I think we’ll be playing a lot of old material.

it: Which songs, for example?
Nir: We’ll be playing Mama, Cage, Turn It On, Afterglow, Carpet Crawlers, lots of old stuff. Ray has this certain dark charisma, especially with the old songs. That’s my personal opinion and that of many people. It’s sure to be great. I think Genesis are back in an ‘up to date’ version. It’s amazing that Tony and Mike are so attached to the music after all these years and do it primarily for themselves. With the new album, of course, Ray and I came in as different people. I hope we can make another album together where we work more as a band. That would be great. I also like the idea of it being more progressive Genesis, with long songs and instrumental parts.

it: Does it bother you that you’re not considered part of the core of Genesis, only Tony, Mike and Ray?
Nir: A lot of people ask me that. No, not really, because while the three of them were on a 2-3 month promotional tour and giving interviews, I was able to relax and play music. It doesn’t bother me. Whenever we’re together, I feel like part of the band, and there are no differences between us. We sleep in the same hotel, fly in the same jet. It’s one big family, including the crew, e.g. my drum technician. Everyone is very professional and friendly. You should generally see it as me replacing Chester Thompson in the band. But the difference is that I also play on the album.

it: Would you like to contribute to the songwriting on future Genesis albums?
Nir: I would like to do as much as possible with Genesis. I write music myself.

it: What kind of music is it?
Nir: That’s hard to describe, because the last five years in New York have been very intense for me. I played with so many different good musicians that I was influenced in many different ways. I always surprise myself. Then suddenly I’m sitting there playing guitar…

it: What instruments do you play?
Nir: Mainly drums. But I also play guitar and bass. I can play any instrument if I have to. When I have to write music, I can sit down with a multitrack and put the instruments together. As a guitarist, I’m not at the same level as I am as a drummer, but my girlfriend sometimes says, ‘You should be a guitarist,’ because she really likes it.

it: How familiar are you with the history of Genesis?
Nir: Compared to die-hard fans, I don’t know much. I’ve always known Genesis and was a big fan of Gabriel. I’ve always had a lot of respect for Phil Collins. He’s one of the best drummers. Of course, I also know about Mike and Tony. I listened to the music, but to be honest, like most people, I listened to the old stuff and later everything that was on the radio and MTV. Genesis was always there. When I was 15-16 years old, I was addicted to The Police. Whatever I listened to, it was The Police. But I know enough about Genesis to play with them. I don’t think they would like to have a crazy fan in the band. For me, it’s something completely normal.

I played with my band in New York, now I play with Genesis here. That’s how I see it, because it’s the only way for me to deal with it, to focus and do the right thing. If you start thinking, ‘Wait a minute, I’m replacing Phil Collins,’ you put yourself under unnecessary pressure. People are going to scrutinise me from top to bottom anyway. At every session, they’ll look at how I hold the drumsticks. That’s just the way it is. In my spare time, I still play with other people. I haven’t done much in the last month except work on the Genesis songs, but the contract between me and Genesis allows me to play with others. However, Genesis has priority.

it: Are you featured on any albums by well-known artists?
Nir: I finished an album a few months ago that’s coming out this month. It’s by an artist named Alannah Davis. She’s signed to Elektra and she’s incredibly good. But it’s different music, more R&B/funk. I think it’ll be quite successful. I’ve done various things with Dan Reed and Nile Rodgers, but they haven’t been released. We didn’t get a record deal. Since I made the album with Genesis, I’ve been getting more requests, but I can’t take the gigs because I’m too busy with Genesis. I’ve been involved in a lot of good recordings in New York, but nothing that’s particularly well known here.

I’ve noticed that there are big differences between Europe and the States. Some European records aren’t even available in shops in the USA. When I come to Europe, I see albums that people tell me are very successful here, but I don’t know them.

it: There have been different spellings of your name in the press.
Nir: I know it sounds pretty crazy to some people. When I flew here, a taxi driver picked me up from my flat in New York. He stood at the bottom of the stairs and called up, ‘Eh, man, I don’t know, I’ve got a crazy name here. Do you know where that is?’ I said, ‘Yes, that’s me!’ (laughs) My first name, Nir, sounds like ‘near or far’. Sometimes it embarrasses me, but it means something like ‘happiness’. It’s not a word you would use for ‘happiness’ or “happy”. It’s just a name for a person.

My surname is a burden. People, especially in America, can’t pronounce it properly. Some of my friends have tried to learn it, like Ray, for example. We were in a car in New York, and I said, ‘Try it very slowly.’ He practised and practised, and finally he can do it now.

it: How do you pronounce the name correctly?
Nir: Sid-kiā~hu

it: Sid-kiā~hu, it’s quite simple.
Nir: It’s probably easier for Germans. I have a friend in Israel. He’s an American guitarist who lives there. Before I went to America, he said, ‘With all due respect to your parents, change your surname to Z, Nir Z. It will be much easier for you.’ I said, ‘Okay.’ When I appear in the credits on an album, it says Nir Z. A few weeks ago, I got a call from London about the Genesis album. They asked me what name they should put in the booklet. I said, ‘This album is so important. People should learn my surname, so write it out in full.’

it: Which spelling is correct, the one with “Z” at the beginning or the one with ‘Ts’?
Nir: In Hebrew, it’s Tsidkyahu. That became Zidkyahu. That’s how it was written in my English dictionary in Israel. I shortened the beginning because it’s easier.

it: All this fuss with interviews and so on must be new to you…
Nir: Well, I know it from the band I was in in Israel. So it’s not new, just bigger. But I don’t mind. It’s great. I don’t think there’s as much fuss about Genesis as there is about other rock “n” roll bands, where you can’t leave the hotel without crazy fans waiting for you.

At that moment, Jon Webster came in with Ray Wilson, and after Ray and Nir had greeted each other ‘stormily’ (they hadn’t seen each other for quite some time) and Ray had ‘wired’ himself up, we continued the interview with the new interviewee…

Interview: Helmut Janisch, Bernd Zindler, Peter Schütz
Transcription: Helmut Janisch
Photos: Peter Schütz