Beautiful Creatures Fans – Did You Know This?
Beautiful Creatures released their self-titled debut album on August 14th 2001 and today they are celebrating its 25th anniversary, giving us on Junkyard the perfect excuse to dig back into one of the coolest records to come out of the early 2000s Los Angeles rock scene.
But instead of telling the story of the band and the album all over again, we went looking for the little details that usually get lost between the big milestones. The band recently sat down for an anniversary interview and came up with plenty of them.
So, since there are 12 songs on this magnificent record, here are 12 rare things you might not know about Beautiful Creatures, but definitely should.
1.Kenny Kweens got the gig before Joe Leste had even heard him play.
Joe simply asked Kenny what he wanted the gig for during their first meeting. Kenny was surprised because they hadn’t even played together yet.
2.Their first showcase was basically a demo rehearsal in front of record labels
Beautiful Creatures had been together only four or five months, had no photo, no proper identity and only four or five unfinished songs. They played roughly 20 minutes at the Whiskey.
3.Members of The Doors were there
Robbie Krieger and Ray Manzarek of The Doors were at the Whiskey that night for their own show. They told the young unnamed band about the venue’s history and how The Doors had started there in the ’60s.
4.Beautiful Creatures wasn’t their original name
The band initially called themselves Ego Star, a name taken from a Mother Love Bone song Captain Hi-Top. They eventually decided they needed something else. Interestingly, most biographies about Beautiful Creatures state that the band’s first name was Hellstar.
5.The name Beautiful Creatures came from a stripper documentary
This one is almost too perfect like it came from the real RnR fantasy story. Joe Leste had a business card in his pocket for a documentary called Beautiful Creatures. It was about strippers. The band was sitting at Jones in Hollywood trying to come up with a name when Joe pulled it out.
6.The band bought their own debut album at midnight on release day
On August 14, 2001, the band was in New York when the self-titled album officially came out. They went to the Virgin Megastore in Times Square and saw the record sitting on an endcap. They each bought a copy. Kenny Kweens still has his sealed copy and the receipt.
7.1 A.M. was inspired by their rehearsal schedule
The mystery behind the 1 A.M., the opening song of the album: The band would regularly finish rehearsals at around one in the morning, and that became the inspiration for the song’s title.
8.The nasty guitar sound on Ride involved a dying battery amplifier
They used a tiny cigarette amplifier with low batteries to get the strange, gritty guitar sound in the song that you can hear in DJ Ashba’s riffs.
9. Goin’ Off wasn’t the only version of the song
The band also recorded a heavier version called Get Up. They chose Goin’ Off for the album, while Get Up later appeared on an import release. Kenny Kweens says it could potentially be released digitally in the future.
10.DJ Ashba’s Bad Horsie pedal was practically everywhere on the album
The band members joke about how much DJ Ashba used the Bad Horsie wah pedal on the album, calling him a master of it and noting that he eventually got his own model.
11.Beautiful Creatures never actually broke up
Beautiful Creatures have spent years changing members and them being involved in other bands and projects, which can make it easy to assume the band eventually called it quits. Apparently, that’s not how they see it, as of today. In their latest interview, when asked about the band’s status, Kenny Kweens gave a very simple answer: “We never have not been together.”
12.A Beautiful Creatures reunion isn’t completely off the table
Listen, the band isn’t announcing a reunion show or anything like that, but the idea of playing live again clearly hasn’t been dismissed. During the aforementioned interview, Kenny Kweens and Anthony Focx talked about the possibility with enthusiasm while also acknowledging that they don’t want to make the wrong decision.
Whether that will actually happen, and in what lineup Beautiful Creatures would appear, given all the changes the band has gone through over the years, is not important at this point. Whatever happens, Junkyard will always be here to keep you informed in time.
Happy 25th anniversary to the self-titled album, one of the best rock records of that decade and probably beyond.
Now, watch the interview if you don’t believe us and check out the newly opened merch store.
