Fun
Lovin’ Criminals’ Frank Benbini / ‘I’ll always play music, because it’s my way
of beating the system in a crazy world.’
Ahead of the 20th anniversary tour of 1996’s
debut Come Find Yourself, proud Leicesterian and Fun Lovin’ Criminal
“Uncle Frank” is in reflective mood
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| From left: Brian Leiser, Huey Morgan, Frank Benbini |
“With the velocity of the Criminals over the years, its
miracle of self-combustion! So it’s definitely a celebration. I’m looking
forward to it.” Frank Benbini is feeling boyish. Looking ahead to the upcoming
tour ‘An Evening With The Fun Lovin’ Criminals’, Uncle Frank has deemed it an
appropriate time for a nostalgic look back at his career. Spanning over two
decades, it’s one that started in the dingy backrooms of Nottingham’s Rock City;
and taken him touring the globe with the Criminals. “It’s funny… it was there
(Rock City) about 20 years ago when I bumped into this dude who goes by the
name of Fast. I was chatting away with him, we hung out, and they all came down
afterwards. And that was my introduction to Fast, and Huey and Steven… I was
hanging with the Fun Lovin’ Criminals. And it kind of went from there, to
spending the last 15 years on the road with now my band.”
The brash, swaggering style of their debut – an eclectic
blend of hip-hop, rock, soul, blues and jazz – saw them dubbed the 90s’ answer
to The Beastie Boys. Joining the band in 2003, Benbini’s suitably diverse taste
and passion for music ensured a seamless transition. “There’s not a style
between us we don’t like, but me and Huey have always had a great love for rock
music. Fast loves dance, sampling and stuff, and we all have a massive love for
hip-hop music. I’m a kid from the 80s, so we grew up as that scene blew up… it
heavily influenced us.”
For the Criminals – affectionately dubbed ‘the cousins
from New York’ - influence for their music comes from far beyond that of their
favourite records, and Benbini is no different. “A lot of our stories and
songwriting comes from living your life.” He explains. “We’re not one of these
bands that reinvent ourselves every 18 months… we need to go away and live our
lives a bit for something to talk about”.
As ‘The Big Apple’ proved a rich source of storytelling
for Huey Morgan, the importance of growing up in Leicester proved just as vital
for Uncle Frank. “Y’know I grew up…” he pauses for a moment. “I come from a
broken family, grew up in council estates, and did a lot of wrong things as I
was growing up… and it schooled me. Over the years I’ve had apartments in the
States - New York’s my second home - I’m always there, got a second family
there, take influences from there. But every race, colour, creed live in my
town, and I grew up alongside all of them. A lot of my music has Leicester
pulsing through it, for sure.” That
said, his hometown ties aren’t all so sentimental. “I still got a business
where my boys run a barber shop, which is majority of the time… a legal barber
shop.” He laughs.
But the business side of the industry hasn’t always been
so kind to Benbini – he notes a previous lawsuit as his lowest moment in music
(“When you first get in a band and start playing, it’s not something you think
about… that can really hurt, and make you feel ill with the stress”), but otherwise
looks back on a colourful career with pride. “The biggest high is the fact
we’re still doing it - and I’m still doing. Y’know I judge success by doing
something you love, and I still am – even though I’m 20% bitter and jaded, it’s
the 80% that’s proud and very grateful.”
With the Criminals, it’s more satisfying still to look
back on a career made on no terms but their own. “And that’s the thing with the
Criminal’s records – very real.” Frank says. We don’t do what the record
company tells us, we don’t do what management tells us, we just do what we
want. You wanna get to the end of your career and you wanna mark these
milestones, and we can put our hands up, whether it’s right or wrong - like
Frank Sinatra - we done it our way. We did what we wanted to do.” But time is ever-precious
for the band, with Huey now an acclaimed DJ for the BBC and Benbini himself
juggling his many bands and side projects. For example, it’s been little over a
year since the release of Purple Reggae:
a unique Rastafarian take on the Prince classic, released under the alias Radio
Riddler and featuring the likes of Ali Campbell and Sinead O’Connor. It’s a
project Benbini is evidently proud of: “Anybody that knows anything about Frank
knows that I’m the biggest Prince fan
of all time – that’s no joke - but anyone who knows anything about music knows
Prince’s music is not the easiest to replicate. But it was really fun making,
and y’know…. people have still got a lot of love for it” But with the Fun Lovin’
Criminals’ last album Classic Fantastic
released in 2010, conversation turns to what’s next for both Frank and the band.
Uncle Frank acknowledges another Criminals album may well be due. “It could be
about time to put another gem down into the system, and work with a lot of
friends and see what we can do.” He explains, pausing for a moment. “But I’ll
always play music, because it’s my way of beating the system in a crazy world.”
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