What are the similarities between the Gypsy music and the blues?
MM: The similarities are that they are both straight from the street, straight from the ground. They are the musical traditions of poor people, from those outside of human society and everything else. Blues is simple and Gypsy music takes everything, everything except the blues. They never play blues, they like harmony. Blues is really, really black music without harmony. It’s all about the movement, the rhythm and the tune, the tune! Not harmony – like John Lee Hooker – very simple but powerful. KP: So, do you listen to a lot of blues? MM: I have always listened to the blues. What I’m playing with Homo Twist is also blues – because it’s groovy, because it’s rhythmic and harmony isn’t important. There is harmony, but I tune my guitar like old bluesmen did, to an open tuning. I used open tuning on the streets many years ago because it’s louder and I could play a little melody and still play through the chords, play some rhythm and a lead. That’s how I learned how to play. KP: Do you thi
