Posted on 11/26/2004 6:31:46 PM PST by John Lenin
NEW YORK In one recent video, Lenny Kravitz cast himself as a hard-living, substance-abusing, wild-child rocker whose life is unraveling behind the scenes.
While Kravitz insists he's never lived that stereotypical rock life, he has been at the point of breakdown. "I was going through a depression," says Kravitz, who staged a nationwide tour this fall. "But you know, you work it out, you deal with it, you figure out and I'm here now and I'm great."
"I was just going through a time where I had to deal with certain issues in my life."
"Issues" are the focal point of his latest album, "Baptism," which touches on themes like depression, frustration and burnout — all of which started to overwhelm Kravitz a couple of years ago, when he was on tour.
"This album is about getting through all that. Feeling spiritually reborn, musically reborn, mentally reborn, just getting through," says Kravitz, who turned 40 on May 26.
From the outside looking in, it's hard to see why Kravitz would have a reason to be depressed. He has dated models and actresses (including Nicole Kidman), has enjoyed a best-selling recording career, and stays on the celebrity A-list as rock's perennial hipster.
But Kravitz scoffs at the idea that his life is charmed.
"People are people. It doesn't matter what you've got or what position you're in, we all have issues in life, spiritual battles ... all kinds of things that need to be nurtured," says Kravitz.
One of the ways he's tried to nurture himself is to stop being his biggest critic.
"I'm a perfectionist and very hard on myself — constantly standing outside of myself and looking and critiquing and judging, and sometimes you've gotta just ease up," says Kravitz. "That's the part about learning to love yourself. We're all a work in progress."
Kravitz wishes others would also ease up. Ever since he made his debut with the album "Let Love Rule" in 1989 with its mix of R&B, funk, and psychedelic rock, Kravitz has been labeled a recycler — someone who borrows the styles of others. Even though now Kravitz arguably has developed his own sound, critics still charge he sounds like some other act — Prince, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, etc.
The subject brings out a rare display of emotion from the typically low-key musician.
"You can put on any classic group that they hail as classic and genius, whether it be the Beatles or Jimi or Led Zeppelin, and I can sit there and pick apart their influences just as hard-core as they pick mine," he says.
"I can say that lick came from Willie Dixon, the bluesman, or that song is exactly a rip-off of this, or the Beatles right there were doing Motown, or Jimi got that guitar lick and style from Curtis Mayfield, or the Stones were trying to be Muddy Waters."
So why does he think he's been criticized?
"I'm a black man in rock 'n' roll, first of all, and the only one right now, and the only one for a lot of years, and I play all the instruments, I write it, I do it," he says. "I'm good at what I do, and it's been told to me it's not coming from my mouth it's just a lot and people don't want to believe it's real.
"If I was white, we wouldn't even be having this conversation about these critics. I'd be sliced bread. But that's OK. And I am half-white," he jokes about his biracial heritage.
He also manages to laugh about his playboy image.
"I like the ladies, but I'm definitely looking to settle down and be with one," says Kravitz, the divorced father of a 15-year-old daughter (actress Lisa Bonet is his ex-wife).
"There's been people I've been with, a couple of them that were the right person. I still know that they were but I wasn't ready, or they weren't ready, but it was the right person."
While he still may be looking for love, he's no longer searching for happiness he's managed to find peace within himself.
"I'm just trying to at this point of my life glorify God the best way I can," says Kravitz. "I'm very appreciative of God's blessings."
He's still in recovery, I don't know where he got that idea.
Doubt it, or he would've specifically mentioned it.
I went to high school with the guy and remember seeing him play guitar often. Talented, but more show than go for my musical tastes.
It's nice to know that, with American men and women risking life and limb to preserve our freedom, we still have self-absorbed celebs to open their pathetic lives to us mere mortals.
I always thought he had a lot of talent, he's got a few outstanding songs. Now I see what his problem is, he has to do it all, he should join up with a good writer/lyicist for a few albums and give the person some room to create.
No, he was critized for being a white man trying to sound like a black man in Rock and Roll....not to mention the pelvis girations.
Was he Mr. Bisexual in high school?
It's sooooo obvious.
Nicole Kidman has a thing for gay men.
Makes me wonder if she's gay.
Check your mail.
His father is a Jew, how come he isn't a "Jewish man in rock". I am so sick of this 1/2 or even 1/16 black = black, like Halle Berry, Obama, etc.
Lenny why are you advertising your depression?
C'mon, give the answer to all of us.
not much to it ... he's another Springstein and his music sucks. Want to be a rock and roller ? First thing you have to do is be yourself, and not allow anyone to tell you otherwise.
I'm sorry, but reading y'all's replys I'm going to go out on a limb and have some sympathy for the guy.
I'm a musician, and music is the only thing (like like Lenny) that helps me keep it together at this point.
Maybe it's just because we are idealistic artist types, I don't know.
Plato said, "To the musician, music is both the disease, and its cure".
You have no idea how right that statement is.
Flame away if you will, but I agree with him (having never dated a supermodel, even)
Music is the only thing that allows me to keep my life together. I hope it works for Lenny as well as it has worked for me.
He had a couple of good songs. I liked his drummer, Cindy Blackman. She's the one with the 'fro on "Are you gonna go my way." She plays jazz now.
"Boomer. Listen to me. You're not that great"
...
"Not that great!?"
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