Alex G Reveals His Role On Frank Ocean’s Blonde

Jeff Allen

Alex G Reveals His Role On Frank Ocean’s Blonde

Jeff Allen

It’s been a few months since Frank Ocean’s Blonde came out, and (possibly because of the whole Endless/Blonde label kerfuffle) we still don’t have that clear of a picture of who exactly contributed what to it. A partial list of collaborators was included with the Boys Don’t Cry zine and royalties database ASCAP lists some of the songwriting credits as well. But one name that doesn’t appear on either of those lists is that of Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter Alex G. He was credited on the Endless tracks “Rushes,” “Higgs,” “Slide On Me,” and “Wither,” and he also apparently played on Blonde as well.

In a new video interview for Run For Cover that was shot after a show in Boston last month opening for Built To Spill, Alex G reveals how the Frank Ocean team-up came about and what songs he played on. He contributed to “White Ferrari” and “Self Control”:

For “Self Control,” he wrote the chords and he just said, “Can you play these in a different way?” He wanted me to play them more … soulfully or something? I forget. But I did that and then I did little riffs on top of it. And then there’s an ending part that’s not me in “Self Control.” I just did the beginning chords. And “White Ferrari,” I do the guitar at the end.

And here’s how Ocean got in contact with Alex G:

We were on tour in the UK and then the day before we were gonna play London, I got an email from his manager and I was like, “Yeah, sure,” and she was like, “You wanna meet up with him before your show in London?” and I was like, “Yeah, sure,” and I met up and recorded a little, and then went back to the States. […] Occasionally they’d email me and ask me to fly out and do it some more in LA. That was about it. Every couple months, they’d be like, “Hey, can you do it this weekend?” and I’d be like “sure,” and then I’d go do it. So I don’t know why it happened, but that’s how it happened.

Watch the full interview below.

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