By Michalis Limnios BLUES @ GREECE
„I got a trouble with The Blues, but The Blues got trouble with me…it’s my life…“
Vasko The Patch: Blue Jean Blues
Vasil Georgiev (aka Vasko The Patch) was born in Sofia on the 6th June 1959. He is a driver and car mechanic by profession, but he is a musician by nature.
Self-educated. He plays drums, harmonica and the guitar. Author and blues singer. In the 1980s he plays drums in different pop-rock groups – Parallel 42, Start and others. At the end of the communist regime he makes his own band – Poduene Blues Band. He is an enthusiastic supporter of the change from dictatorship to democracy in Bulgaria.
He can be seen with his guitar and Poduene Blues Band at all demonstrations, barricades and other events, organized by the democratic opposition. In these memorable years in Bulgaria Vasko the Patch writes and sings songs, which truly express the whole generations’ striving for freedom and thus he becomes one of the symbols of change. At the same time he promotes his own style and he makes the way of blues in Bulgaria, as he is the creator of the first serious blues formation here.
Rebellious and not swimming with the tide, Vasko the Patch has become one of the most controversial people in modern Bulgaria. One can read about him various things – he is called „a symbol of democracy“ and „just an imitator“; „he has broken the stereotypes and inertia of degraded Bulgarian songs, making the way for sincerity in the text and the blues scheme“ and that he is „a candidate for most stupid text“; “ the wise messages of the songs from the new PBB album inspire hope, vitality and freedom“ and „radio and TV programs stink of beer and barbecue because of some stray dogs“; „it is impossible to imagine the awakening of generations of Bulgarians for the daring dream for a New Bulgaria, going on its way of uniting with the free world without Vasko the Patch – the troubadour of democracy“ and „a mother can’t go to bed and sleep peacefully, knowing her twelve-year-old daughter is somewhere, listening to the unruly songs of Vasko the Patch“ and others…
Interview by Michael Limnios
– Vasko, when was your first desire to become involved in the blues & who were your first idols?
– When I was about 10 I saw a picture of Bob Dylan with guitar and something metal around his neck . I thought his neck is broken and he play with medicine metal splint… yeah !!! Big hero !!! …didn’t know that is harmonica stand – later I heard his music and harmonica sound put me directly in the Blues…
– What was the first gig you ever went to & what were the first songs you learned?
– My bigger brother (5 years) he teach me to smoke and other bad thinks and put me on the Rock’n’roll concert of Bulgarian band call Grupa 13 in early 70s it was big explosion for me I was 11-12 … we still got a guitar this times and I learn some Beatles song …
– What made you fall in love with the blues music, what does the BLUES mean to you & what does Blues offered you?
– Rolling Stones – You Gotta Move !!! That’s my first Blues with a feeling… this slide guitar put me deep down in the sound… The Blues was something different …these times everybody was listening Pop, Rock and Hard… Beatles, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath… I was feeling like the dog from the communist ghetto… no freedom, no long hair, no different opinion … so The Blues gave me the hops, that I am not alone, gave me feeling to believe that somewhere another world exist, the world of the brothers and sisters of different opinion… you can sing for your misery you can boogie all night long … and feel better
– Which was the best moment of your career and which was the worst?
– Well the best moments are soooo many …when I was walkin on the street in the night time after some gig and I hear the young guys singing with a guitars in the park some of my song …. This is the best award…One’s a years ago we went to the city in Bulgaria and we got only one ticket sold….
– What experiences in your life make you a GOOD musician?
– My music comes from the street.
– How/where do you get inspiration for your songs & who were your mentors in songwriting?
– I like to be inside the life, I travel so much … I am not a tourist in this life… straggler on the road, my songs are stories … simple stories about the real things… sometimes happy sometimes not …sometimes smell on rakia, or mastiha (like greek ouzo), sometimes small on gasoline ….
– What do you think is the main characteristic of you personality that made you a bluesman?
– To heal the pain and transform it to the music.
– What characterize your sound & your progress? How do you describe Vasko’s philosophy about the blues?
– My broken dreams are more broken then my jeans… the little harmonica in my pocket , the guitar in the hand …. The blues bus on the road full with guitars drums…my band keeping my back …. my friends are my doctors when I am sick, my Judge when I am guilty , the woman I love is my everything….I got a trouble with The Blues, but The Blues got trouble with me… it’s my life …..
– Do you remember anything funny or interesting from the Poduene Blues Band?
– Oh yeah… one of our first concert was in Bulgarian jail, my brother was there in 1989 before the wall fallen it was so funny and scary … we were thinking that never go out …. Our first recording was these times in a government studio and we went inside incognito no one has to know that we are making record, and we had 2 hours to record some songs and we did 4 songs , but somebody hear whats goin on inside and was a big scandal for the sound engineer and so on… like this we start…
– What are some of the most memorable gigs, jams and open act you’ve had?
– We start in the times of guitar revolution agains communism in the end of 1989 and we played in front of hundreds of thousands people who want freedom and changing the system. PBB was first blues band in the country and I will never forget these times of strong feelings on the streets of Bulgaria. It is so nice to play with brothers and from the same kind from different countries… I got also opportunity to play with Hobo Blues Band – Hungary, with James Cotton Band, Sugar Blue, Eric Sardinas, Guy Davis, Joanne Shaw Taylor etc…
– I wonder if you could tell me a few things about the story of nickname “Vasko the Patch”?
– When I was in the army (every boy has to be in the army during the times of communism…even me), and my first 3 day off, my brother found for my (no easy) a blue jeans, my first original blue jeans and I was so happy to have it and I was wear this jeans allays years and years and start to put patches on it …. Till now …it was 1977 …I was 18 … now I am wearing the same legendary jeans and everybody starts to call me Vasko The Patch because of the hundreds patches on my jeans and on my life…
– Are there any memories from all GREAT BLUESMEN, which you’d like to share with us?
– Yeah the Hungarian musician and song writer Laslo Foldish from Hobo Blues Band is the man who change my life. When I saw his film Kopash Kutia in earley 80s I decide to make a Blues band in Bulgaria… because the films before like „Hair“, like „Last Waltz“, like „Honeysuckle Rose“ etc…. are so nice but the things happen in another world…Hoba made this in the socialistic lager…and I was thinking my self yes !!! it’s possible to do something from this side of the wall the dark side of the wall…. So I made Poduene Blues Band…And now I am good friend with my east hero and we play often together.
– Some music styles can be fads but the blues is always with us. Why do think that is?
– Oh The Blues has no bottom… every day I found new names in Blues…the guys from all of the world play blues young and old… We went to Th European blues Challenge in Berlin last month.There was 19 band from 19 european countries and everybody was great and diffenent… getting older – getting better Jetro Tull says : Too old to Rock’n’roll ,and too youmg to die …and I say TOO OLD TO DIE AND TOO YOUNG FOR BLUES!!!
– From whom have you have learned the most secrets about blues music? Of all the people you’ve meeting with, who do you admire the most?
– My mother and my father sings and play a Bulgarian authentic folk music and I live in poor but funny family…Parties every night, singing, drinking, dancing with the friends… so the magic of the music and surviving I got from a folklore and than Rock’n’roll and The Blues catch forever…
– What is the “thing” you miss most from 70s – 80s?
– Nothing!!! Nothing can be the same!!!The big moving of the blacks from The Delta to Chicago born some Blues heros like Muddy Waters,Willie Dixon and the others…now the electric and acoustic blues guys are everywhere…The white guys from UK came in the States and they open the door for the Blues…Woodstock festival was only one …and the hippie flower-power was only once… I believe that in every time in every moment you can feel the freedom of the music… Now is time to keep the music and doin some festivals and the new generations will believe in everything what is sincere …I even believe in internet given this interwue….
– Make an account of the case of the blues in Bulgaria?
– Yep we have Blues rock festival “Cvete za Gosho” in June in Sofia, also “Sofia Blues Meeting” twice in the year and in “Spirit Of Bourgas” we have Blues stage…so no much thing but from the heart. One day I got to invite some greek blues musicians.
– How has the blues business changed over the years since you first started in music?
– No business only show!!! I am famous, I got 15 albums, but no market only fun…Big fun!!!
– If you go back to the past what things you would do better and what things you would a void to do again?
– Nothing …everything is allright the spring is inevitable….
– Why did you think that Vasko the Patch, continued to generate such a devoted following?
– Well now we have some Blues life in BG and some festivals and some Blues life and I work hard for this …so maybe there is some small blues alley in my country and somebody must walk on it because other way will overgrown…..
– What advice would you give to aspiring musicians thinking of pursuing a career in the craft?
– If you got music in side … the music will go out… if you are strong enough you can understand your heart …If you are good enough you will give your soul to the people … the success is a smile …just a smile…
– What is your “secret” music DREAM?
– To learn harmonica better
– What was the relation between music and activism?
– From the morning to the next morning…
– What turns you on?
– Love
– Happiness is……
– Happy kilometers
– You had pretty interesting project “Blues For Kids”. Where did you get that idea?
– To tell the interesting storryes about blues musicians to the children and to tell them by plying live with the guitar some lyrics of the songs is education what you can newer find in the school … let the children know about Blues and Rock’n’roll more and don’t worry what kind of music they prefere…one day some lamb will be on…
– Did rock blues played an important role – demonstrations, barricades and other events, organized by the democratic opposition – to the youth of 80s in your country?
– In 80s no . This was the times of big Moscow boot. If you got different opinion than the power you gone!!! So many people were in the communists jail for different opinions. Ilia Minev is a man who was in politic jail 33 years (Nelson Mandela 18) and so many other people died for the freedom. Bulgaria was too close to Russia ,but it’s history. In end of 80’s we start protesting on the streets and we got our Woodstock there!!! Now we have communist-capitalism something between Russian mafia and Bg kandidat-mafia….any way we got some freedom now and Bulgaria getting better and better slowly like a Blues… we can travel in the world and try to find home and my music helps me to find a people in the crazy world.
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