Steve Van Zandt has criticised Primal Scream, and in particular Bobby Gillespie, for allowing a dependence on drugs to be career-limiting. The E-Street man says that he tried to get them to play in the US but they wouldn't commit because they didn't have the stamina.
Van Zandt: "I tried to get Primal Scream to come over to America several times. I thought their album before this last one was one of the greatest records in 10 years. I begged them to come over. I had a whole tour for them. Their agent talked me out of it. He said: 'They can't do 20 shows.' I'm like, 'Come on, man. We do 20 shows a month'".
He continued: "Primal Scream could be the biggest band in the world. They are fantastic when they make rock records - once every 10 years. But they can't tour because of drug problems, or whatever. I don't have patience for it. I'm like, all right, you want to be a drug addict, go be a drug addict. Don't waste my time".