Interview With Bill Bateman

Bill Bateman is the drummer of the Blasters, the legendary rockabilly band he started in the 1970s with guitarist brothers Phil and Dave Alvin and bass player John Bazz. Bateman also played drums in the 1981 “classic” edition of the Flesh Eaters (with vocalist Chris Desjardins, guitarist Dave Alvin, bassist John Doe and percussionist D.J. Bonebrake), which recently reunited to record an album. As well as continuing to tour with the Blasters, Bateman regularly sits in with other L.A. bands and is a member of the rock group Electric Children.

In 2015, Bateman was interviewed at Art Share L.A. for the film "Tales of the American," a documentary about downtown Los Angeles, the American Hotel and Al’s Bar, where Bateman played with both the Blasters and Flesh Eaters in the early 1980s. “Do I remember any of it?” Bateman remarks. “Hell no, it was out of control!”

Filmmakers Pamela Wilson and Stephen Seemayer interviewed more than a hundred artists, musicians, writers and others who lived, worked and partied in the community around the American. They are periodically releasing (in alphabetical order) edited versions of these interviews on this channel.

To watch "Tales of the American" on Amazon Prime, go to https://amzn.to/2MyARcA.

For links to other streaming services and a message from “Bosch” creator Michael Connelly (executive producer of “Tales of the American”), go to https://www.talesoftheamerican.com.