1 00:00:04,320 --> 00:00:07,920 Speaker 1: Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to the Bob Left Sets podcast. My 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,040 Speaker 1: guest today is guitarist and songwriter extraordinary Eric Bazillium. He'll 3 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 1: know him from the Hooters, also as a songwriter of 4 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:21,599 Speaker 1: Joan Osborne's one of us bon Jovi songs, Billy Myers 5 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:24,760 Speaker 1: Kissed the Rain. We'll go on and I'm Eric. How 6 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:27,840 Speaker 1: you doing, I'm great, Bob. Thanks. So let's start from 7 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: the beginning. You live in Sweden. I do live. I 8 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:34,200 Speaker 1: live in Stockholm now. I've been living there, uh since, 9 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,559 Speaker 1: since the summer. I've spent every summer there since I 10 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:40,960 Speaker 1: met my wife in nine and then every other Christmas. 11 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:43,879 Speaker 1: Done a couple of full years, but we decided to 12 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:46,400 Speaker 1: do it again. Now did she meet you based on 13 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:49,479 Speaker 1: your fame? Absolutely not. She sat next to me on 14 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: a flight from from JFK to Stockholm. We were on 15 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:54,279 Speaker 1: our way to do a festival by that basically by 16 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 1: the North Pole. She had been. She had lived in 17 00:00:57,080 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 1: l A for a bunch of years, moved back to Sweden, 18 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:01,280 Speaker 1: went back to l A to keep her green card 19 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 1: active and see if the the ex boyfriend was a thing. 20 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 1: So we sat next to each other, um exchanged phone numbers, um, 21 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:14,960 Speaker 1: stayed in touch, found myself back there a few few 22 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: weeks later, and you know, it happened and the rest 23 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: is history. So you've been bands, most specifically the Hooters 24 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: were still together. Is who the members married to? Does 25 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:31,480 Speaker 1: that affect the harmony of the band? It really can? Yeah? Yeah, 26 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:33,840 Speaker 1: I mean I was married what I call my training 27 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: marriage um before this, and she uh, she was also 28 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 1: our bands stylist and visual director. Um. So she's responsible 29 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 1: for those colors that we wore and that got weird, 30 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 1: it got really it complicated things a lot. Okay, So 31 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 1: you're from Philadelphia. I am from Philadelphia. Okay, when how 32 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:57,080 Speaker 1: did you first get into music? Um? I saw the 33 00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:00,040 Speaker 1: Beatles on edge before that. Were you into music? It 34 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 1: get all before the people. My mom My mom was 35 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 1: like a child prodigy concert pianist. She like, yeah, she 36 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:07,120 Speaker 1: went to Curtis when she was nine, Curtis the famous 37 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:11,679 Speaker 1: Curtis Institute, and um uh she was studying at the 38 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 1: University of Pennsylvania. She met my father when she was eighteen, 39 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,600 Speaker 1: got married, had me And Okay, wait, did you finish 40 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 1: college or she drop off? When she finished college in Wow, 41 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:26,640 Speaker 1: did you finish a pen? She did? She she graduated 42 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:29,440 Speaker 1: Penn after I did, so what motive hit her to 43 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 1: go back? She and my dad got divorced when I 44 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 1: was twenty one, and so she wanted to, you know, 45 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: find herself. And she apparently I don't remember this, but 46 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:39,680 Speaker 1: apparently she asked me, you know, what do you think 47 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 1: I should study? And I said, well, because my mother, 48 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 1: being even though she was a musician, had a serious 49 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 1: scientific bent about her. So I said, well, how about science? 50 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: So anthropology. So she ended up majoring in physical anthropology. 51 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: That's unbelievable. So your parents get divorced when you're twenty one. 52 00:02:57,440 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 1: I have a very good friend whose parents got divorced 53 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 1: right after we graduate from college. It really messed him up. 54 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 1: Didn't mess you up? I didn't think it did at 55 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:09,639 Speaker 1: the time. In retrospect, yeah it did. I mean, it's it, 56 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:11,760 Speaker 1: you know, it shakes the foundation. But you know, I 57 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:17,200 Speaker 1: was I wasn't living at home. Um, but you know, yeah, 58 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:21,240 Speaker 1: I think on some level it definitely did. So since 59 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:24,600 Speaker 1: she's a concert pianist, did she introduce you? She make 60 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:26,800 Speaker 1: you take piano lessons as a little kid. She didn't 61 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:29,760 Speaker 1: make me. I I asked her for them, and I did. 62 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:31,400 Speaker 1: She used to play the piano in the house all 63 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:32,959 Speaker 1: the time, and I would sit next to her while 64 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 1: she was rocking chopin really and I would you know, 65 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: that was the first that was really my first rock experience. 66 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:42,080 Speaker 1: Even though she was playing chopin. I would just see 67 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:43,760 Speaker 1: the way, you know, her eyes would roll up into 68 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:46,040 Speaker 1: her head and she would you know, I want that? 69 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:49,360 Speaker 1: Did She also play records in the house, not that much. 70 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 1: But then my uncle, my my father's brother, played guitar. 71 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 1: He was a folk musician. Yeah, of any noted, no, no, no, 72 00:03:57,600 --> 00:03:59,600 Speaker 1: but he taught me my first guitar chords and my 73 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 1: first song on guitar. But the first song that I 74 00:04:02,320 --> 00:04:04,840 Speaker 1: ever learned to play and sing was El press Nueva 75 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 1: by Joan Bayaz and I learned it in Spanish. And 76 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:11,280 Speaker 1: how old were you? I was nine or ten? I 77 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:13,040 Speaker 1: think I was ten at that point, Okay. So you 78 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:16,680 Speaker 1: start playing piano at what age six? Probably okay? And 79 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:18,760 Speaker 1: when you when you pick up the guitar at what not? 80 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:21,400 Speaker 1: Eight or nine? Not? Probably nine? And so you were 81 00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:23,800 Speaker 1: taught how to read music? To this day, can you 82 00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:27,039 Speaker 1: read music? I was taught to try to read music. 83 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:29,360 Speaker 1: It's like I learned the alphabet, but I could never 84 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 1: like make music out of it. I've had a recent 85 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:36,599 Speaker 1: experience with with reading because I am Someone showed me 86 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:39,359 Speaker 1: a video of Chris Theely doing a Bach solo violand 87 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:44,480 Speaker 1: sonata on mandolin. Now, mandolin, here's a mandolin. My my 88 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:47,120 Speaker 1: career basically in the United well in the in the 89 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 1: United States, began with these cards. So I owe a 90 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:56,279 Speaker 1: lot to the mandolin, but I never really addressed it 91 00:04:56,360 --> 00:04:59,680 Speaker 1: as a serious instrument. It was a spice in the Hooters, 92 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:04,159 Speaker 1: the Hooters Arsenal of sounds. Um. Someone showed me this 93 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:07,400 Speaker 1: video of Christinely playing this Bach piece and I said, 94 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:10,200 Speaker 1: I'm I'm gonna learn that. And this was right when 95 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:13,440 Speaker 1: we had moved to Stockholm, and I walked into the 96 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: famous Hellstones music store and he had just gotten in 97 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:20,000 Speaker 1: this ninety five Gibson mandolin. The price was right. I 98 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:22,839 Speaker 1: didn't have a mandolin in Sweden. Bought the mandolin, went home, 99 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:25,800 Speaker 1: downloaded the sheet music, printed it out. And that was 100 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 1: early September. And I am still struggling to play this piece, 101 00:05:29,839 --> 00:05:33,800 Speaker 1: but I can kind of read a little bit. Now. Wow, 102 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:38,040 Speaker 1: so okay, you're playing guitar and piano a little bit 103 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:41,039 Speaker 1: and then are you listening to the transistor? Philly has 104 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:43,600 Speaker 1: a legendary radio stage. Yeah, oh, I listened to. You know, 105 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:47,040 Speaker 1: it's funny that the Beatles weren't the first thing that 106 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:50,479 Speaker 1: that shook my rock to my question? So what was ironically? 107 00:05:50,560 --> 00:06:04,599 Speaker 1: The first record I ever bought was do Move? Uh 108 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:13,960 Speaker 1: nak We can't play the too because we get into publishing, right, 109 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 1: But that was certainly good. But continue, So the first 110 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:19,800 Speaker 1: song I learned was Sukiyaki, right, which is really called 111 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:23,800 Speaker 1: Aruko by Ki Sakamoto. And I would stay home from 112 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:26,480 Speaker 1: school feign illness to listen to the radio to hear 113 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:29,320 Speaker 1: that song, which they were playing every playing every hour. 114 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:32,600 Speaker 1: Your father was a psychiatrist. He didn't realize you were 115 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:37,120 Speaker 1: feigning illness. No, he didn't notice. How many siblings do 116 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:39,720 Speaker 1: you have? None? None? You're the old there's a lot 117 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:42,760 Speaker 1: of pressure on you. Okay, So the Beatles. It's February 118 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:46,960 Speaker 1: sixty four, February nine, The Beatles come on, Sullivan. How 119 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:50,040 Speaker 1: does that change? My parents had gone to Baltimore to 120 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 1: look at it a Steinway for my mom, and I 121 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:55,919 Speaker 1: opted to stay home because I wanted to watch the Beatles. 122 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:58,240 Speaker 1: So I went over to our friend Bernie's house. You know, 123 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:01,960 Speaker 1: they walked out, they did um all my loving and 124 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:05,600 Speaker 1: you know, wow, And I remember when they remember because 125 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:08,880 Speaker 1: underneath it they put the status of all the people. 126 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:12,000 Speaker 1: And then he's married. I think it was. It was 127 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:14,440 Speaker 1: during It was either at that point or I want 128 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:16,240 Speaker 1: to hold your hand where I realized I want to 129 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:19,000 Speaker 1: be him. First I looked at Paul, because no one 130 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:22,600 Speaker 1: Paul was cute and he and and dark haired and 131 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:25,400 Speaker 1: and I wanted to be him. And then I looked 132 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:28,400 Speaker 1: at George, who was playing the solo for till there 133 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:30,080 Speaker 1: was you, and I said, no, I want to be him. 134 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:32,560 Speaker 1: Then I saw John, who was like the coolest guy alive. 135 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:34,560 Speaker 1: I said no, I want to be him. And then 136 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 1: I saw Ringo, and no one had more fun than Ringo. 137 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:39,800 Speaker 1: I realized I wanted to be all four of them. Okay, 138 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 1: So then what happened next? So what happened that next 139 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:44,160 Speaker 1: was the next day Bernie and I started our first band. 140 00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:46,800 Speaker 1: Bernie was gonna play drums, and once again, Bernie's your 141 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:50,280 Speaker 1: best friend, best friend. Okay, Bernie had any musical experience, 142 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:54,560 Speaker 1: none whatsoever. Okay, and did you start said band? We did? 143 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:56,840 Speaker 1: We did, We did it with our friend Paul. So 144 00:07:57,280 --> 00:07:59,360 Speaker 1: it was a trio. We and I called us the 145 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:04,080 Speaker 1: Limes stuff like the quarry Men. And so before this 146 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:06,600 Speaker 1: had happened and I had learned to play this Joan 147 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:09,760 Speaker 1: Bayz song, my uncle I knew a guy named Gene 148 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:12,480 Speaker 1: London who had a local kids show in Philadelphia, and 149 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:16,120 Speaker 1: I performed on that show. So performed playing the guitar 150 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:18,640 Speaker 1: and playing the guitar, singing the song. Well, that's pretty dramatic. 151 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:22,960 Speaker 1: Unfortunately they the tapes are long gone, but he brought 152 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:25,960 Speaker 1: us back. So the Limestones performed on the Gene London show. 153 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:27,920 Speaker 1: We did A Hard Day's Night and House of the 154 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:31,080 Speaker 1: Rising Sun. I mean, I'm speechless. So in high school 155 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:33,120 Speaker 1: you must have been the biggest thing going. This is 156 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:37,079 Speaker 1: so I was getting the crap kicked out of me 157 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:40,080 Speaker 1: because I had long hair. Wow, you went to public 158 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:42,240 Speaker 1: school or private? I went to public school through sixth 159 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:45,079 Speaker 1: grade and then I went to private school. But you 160 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:47,640 Speaker 1: didn't get yours k I actually did. In private school. 161 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:50,320 Speaker 1: I went to a Quaker school, and I thought, oh, 162 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:52,679 Speaker 1: I'm you know, I'm gonna be certain. No, it all 163 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 1: changed in like ninth grade. Uh, And like the guy 164 00:08:55,640 --> 00:08:57,640 Speaker 1: who was kicking my ass and eighth grade suddenly is like, 165 00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:01,520 Speaker 1: you know, my biggest defender of So you see the Beatles, 166 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:04,360 Speaker 1: you need an electric guitar, API I got. Well, I 167 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:06,199 Speaker 1: wanted to play bass because I wanted to be like 168 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:09,280 Speaker 1: Paul first, So I got. I got you know, Dan 169 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:12,439 Speaker 1: electro bass for eighty dollars. Okay, eighty dollars your parents 170 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:16,839 Speaker 1: give you. Um, I had saved it, um, and I 171 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:19,760 Speaker 1: got the bass. And we thought that Paul, who knew 172 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:21,640 Speaker 1: a couple of chords, was going to play guitar. Well, 173 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:25,680 Speaker 1: Paul couldn't play guitar, so Paul played bass. I played guitar. 174 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:29,360 Speaker 1: And where'd you get a guitar? Paul had a guitar, 175 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:32,040 Speaker 1: he had a Superro, he had like a thirty and 176 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:33,880 Speaker 1: you had the amps too. I think we had one 177 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 1: amp between us, which is what the Beatles had for 178 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 1: a while. And we did, Um, yeah, we did. We 179 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:42,679 Speaker 1: did the TV show and then um, that's sort of 180 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:47,400 Speaker 1: never really caught fire. It wasn't until I was fifteen, 181 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 1: um that my first real band jailed. It was still Bernie, 182 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:55,240 Speaker 1: Bernie and I and then um, there was a kid 183 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:58,880 Speaker 1: that I went to Hebrew school with and Paul Vernick, 184 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:01,839 Speaker 1: who kept trying to get me to play with him, 185 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:03,520 Speaker 1: but he was such a nevish he was just like, 186 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:05,760 Speaker 1: come on, man, come on man, I can sing, I 187 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:07,760 Speaker 1: can play. Okay, fine, And then Bernie. It turns out 188 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:11,160 Speaker 1: he went to high school with Bernie, and uh, Bernie said, 189 00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:12,920 Speaker 1: you know, this kid is really good. So we got 190 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:15,120 Speaker 1: the three of us got together. By this point, Bernie's 191 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:18,400 Speaker 1: playing bass, We get a drummer. This kid opens Paul 192 00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:22,240 Speaker 1: opens his mouth, and I'm like, oh god, this is like, 193 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:26,120 Speaker 1: you know, Steve Winwood, Paul McCartney. This was like the 194 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:29,200 Speaker 1: voice and he played great rhythm guitar and he wrote songs. 195 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:33,160 Speaker 1: So we had our first real band at fifteen sixteen. 196 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:36,760 Speaker 1: It was called Evil Seed, and I just got in 197 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:39,559 Speaker 1: touch with What are The guy who managed us back 198 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:41,760 Speaker 1: then got in touch with me. He had recordings which 199 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:44,599 Speaker 1: I thought were all gone, Wow, Where are Paul and 200 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:47,960 Speaker 1: Bernie today? Paul is no longer with us. He had 201 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:53,040 Speaker 1: substance issues, which ultimately kim okay. Bernie is in northern 202 00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:56,240 Speaker 1: California doing, you know, living a real life, having a 203 00:10:56,280 --> 00:10:59,319 Speaker 1: real job, still playing bass. We get together sometimes and 204 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:03,040 Speaker 1: it's like where one brain with four hands Okay, so 205 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:07,679 Speaker 1: you have Evil Seed, you're fifteen years old. What happens next? Musically? 206 00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:10,920 Speaker 1: You know, we start getting really good. Uh, and then 207 00:11:11,559 --> 00:11:14,560 Speaker 1: they come over to the house and fire me because 208 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:16,559 Speaker 1: I have another year of high school left. I was 209 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:20,000 Speaker 1: a year younger and um, and I was also taking pictures. 210 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:22,079 Speaker 1: I was really into photography at that point as well. 211 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:24,599 Speaker 1: I don't know whose idea it was, but they fired me. 212 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:27,199 Speaker 1: And then three months later they came back cap in 213 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:29,640 Speaker 1: hand and said, sorry, man, would you come back? And 214 00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:32,160 Speaker 1: did you go back? I did? I did because it 215 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:34,439 Speaker 1: really was a great band. I mean, listen, how much 216 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:36,319 Speaker 1: were you working in terms of you know, playing like 217 00:11:36,559 --> 00:11:39,240 Speaker 1: forts parties and stuff like that. We we actually someone 218 00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:41,440 Speaker 1: actually did hire us for about misfah and they shut 219 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:43,080 Speaker 1: us down after the first song. They did not want 220 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:46,400 Speaker 1: to hear Cream and Hendricks covers. So this was a 221 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 1: band you played in the living in the basement or 222 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:52,240 Speaker 1: in the party room, but you didn't play out. We did. 223 00:11:52,559 --> 00:11:54,839 Speaker 1: We did. We played you know, coffee houses. There was 224 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:57,760 Speaker 1: one legendary coffee house called the heck It Circle, like 225 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:01,480 Speaker 1: he could he They got us um where a lot 226 00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:03,559 Speaker 1: of weird, a lot of weird ship went down but 227 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:06,559 Speaker 1: I managed to stay away from all that. So so 228 00:12:06,720 --> 00:12:08,760 Speaker 1: this band, Evil Seed takes you all the way through 229 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:10,760 Speaker 1: high school, all the way through high school yep, and 230 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:13,319 Speaker 1: then you yourself go to PEN and I myself go 231 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:15,560 Speaker 1: to Pen. Band kind of breaks up. At this point, 232 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:19,079 Speaker 1: Paul has already had his his substance issues have already 233 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:20,520 Speaker 1: gotten the better of him, and it turns out that 234 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:24,600 Speaker 1: there are other mental mental health things involved. So yeah, 235 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:27,320 Speaker 1: I go off to Pen and my first week there, 236 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:30,520 Speaker 1: I go to an electronic music class that they have. 237 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:33,880 Speaker 1: They have him Moog synthesizers, serial number zero zero three, 238 00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:36,520 Speaker 1: and I see this guy in there with really long 239 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:38,800 Speaker 1: blonde hair down to his waist and I recognize him. 240 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:42,320 Speaker 1: He's in another Philly band called Wax that I've seen 241 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:46,920 Speaker 1: open for the Birds, and um, we start talking and 242 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:49,240 Speaker 1: hanging out and it turns out that his band, Wax 243 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:52,120 Speaker 1: guitar player had left. At that point, their configuration was 244 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:55,080 Speaker 1: two electric pianos, two drummers, a bass player, and a singer. 245 00:12:55,120 --> 00:12:59,319 Speaker 1: And I'm like, put me in. So I joined that band, 246 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:03,800 Speaker 1: and that was challenging because he was at that even 247 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:08,040 Speaker 1: at that point, Rob Himan was like that was Robbin. Yeah, Okay, 248 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:11,240 Speaker 1: challenging because of his personality or because you weren't up 249 00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:13,760 Speaker 1: to snuff musically. I was up to snuff, but I 250 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:16,200 Speaker 1: really had I mean I really did have to up 251 00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:19,760 Speaker 1: my game the musically. It was really some sophisticated music. 252 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:22,400 Speaker 1: It was even then even instead we're talking about like 253 00:13:22,480 --> 00:13:26,400 Speaker 1: September seventy one. Okay, so you joined that band. How 254 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:28,880 Speaker 1: much time goes to that band as opposed to school? 255 00:13:29,920 --> 00:13:33,000 Speaker 1: A lot? In fact, I basically almost flunked out second 256 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:36,840 Speaker 1: semester freshman year. But you graduated a physics major. Right 257 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:41,560 Speaker 1: by everybody's standards. Physics is not easy. You know, I'm wired. 258 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:44,120 Speaker 1: I'm wired. Funny, I guess I was getting seasoned history 259 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:47,720 Speaker 1: courses and a's in physics. Yeah, he just just comes naturally. 260 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:49,719 Speaker 1: It didn't I had to work hard. But if I 261 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:51,839 Speaker 1: worked hard, I'd get it and and the feeling of 262 00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:57,199 Speaker 1: satisfaction was similar to learning a piece of music. You 263 00:13:57,280 --> 00:14:00,640 Speaker 1: know that understanding Newton, understanding einst I there was there 264 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:03,360 Speaker 1: was a moment, you know, there was magic eye paintings. 265 00:14:04,160 --> 00:14:05,640 Speaker 1: For me. It was like that I would stare at 266 00:14:05,679 --> 00:14:07,199 Speaker 1: a problem, and stare at a problem, and all of 267 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:09,560 Speaker 1: a sudden I would see it clearly, and then if 268 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:13,440 Speaker 1: I looked away, it would disappear. Okay, the obvious question 269 00:14:13,559 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 1: people would ask today is you have anything to do 270 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:20,720 Speaker 1: with physics today? Not externally, but I think internally my process, 271 00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:24,920 Speaker 1: the way my subconscious mechanism works. I think it's the 272 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:27,440 Speaker 1: same thing. I was going to ask that question second. 273 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:29,440 Speaker 1: So you certainly answered it. But when people don't get 274 00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:32,040 Speaker 1: today today, when it's funny, because it's our generation and 275 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:35,000 Speaker 1: even younger generations, they send their kids to school as 276 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:38,000 Speaker 1: a glorified trade school to get a job. Where we went. 277 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:40,080 Speaker 1: Our parents said, if you go and you graduate, we 278 00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:43,720 Speaker 1: don't care what right. That's what That's what mine said exactly. 279 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:47,240 Speaker 1: So you are now playing with Rob in this band Wax, 280 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:50,880 Speaker 1: to what degree? Do you have a dream of further success? 281 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:53,680 Speaker 1: That's all I really want to do. In the meantime, 282 00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:56,160 Speaker 1: I took all the premed requirements and you know, got 283 00:14:56,240 --> 00:14:59,920 Speaker 1: my degree. Rob graduated three years before I did. H 284 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:02,280 Speaker 1: So he and the singer David went off and just 285 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:05,680 Speaker 1: kept writing songs. Meanwhile, Rick Schurdoff, who was the drummer 286 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:08,240 Speaker 1: in that band, goes and gets a job for Clive 287 00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:11,920 Speaker 1: Davis as an A and R slash producer. His first 288 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:14,760 Speaker 1: act of a and our heroism is he finds Mandy 289 00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:18,360 Speaker 1: for Barry Manilow. By Clive's terms, that's a huge victory. Yeah, 290 00:15:18,400 --> 00:15:21,080 Speaker 1: well by anybody's terms. I mean, Clive is always about 291 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:22,400 Speaker 1: when you would go for a meeting with Clive, when 292 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:25,000 Speaker 1: you want to hire somebody, he would say, bringing five 293 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:27,200 Speaker 1: songs that are out there that you believe will be 294 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:29,960 Speaker 1: covered and be hits. That's exactly what he what. I 295 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:32,120 Speaker 1: think that was one of them. I think peaceful Easy 296 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:35,280 Speaker 1: Feeling was one. I think Mandy came later. I don't 297 00:15:35,280 --> 00:15:37,880 Speaker 1: think that was an audition song. So so so Rick 298 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:40,320 Speaker 1: goes off there and you're left at pen doing what 299 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:43,120 Speaker 1: studying physics? And I had a band, you know, my 300 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:46,840 Speaker 1: my roommate who had known from high school years. He 301 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:49,600 Speaker 1: had a Hammond organ, and then we found some other guys. 302 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:53,160 Speaker 1: We had a band called Cyclic Blowfield and his funky calypsos. 303 00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 1: Definitely the seventies. And to what degree were you known 304 00:15:57,480 --> 00:16:00,760 Speaker 1: in Philadelphia? Not at all? We played fat part ease um, 305 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:04,840 Speaker 1: you know, w and what to what degree was there 306 00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:07,280 Speaker 1: a scene in Philly at that point? There wasn't. That's 307 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:09,760 Speaker 1: the thing there really wasn't much of a scene. Yeah, 308 00:16:09,800 --> 00:16:12,360 Speaker 1: the famous Tower Theater where David Bowie cut his live album, 309 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:14,280 Speaker 1: So there was a live music scene, but none of 310 00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:17,920 Speaker 1: the local people were populating. The Tower didn't really start 311 00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:23,840 Speaker 1: going until the mid seventies, right seventy four, even seventy 312 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:27,520 Speaker 1: There was a spectrum and where the roof blew off? 313 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:30,120 Speaker 1: Where the roof? Yeah, yea for those I don't know, 314 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:32,920 Speaker 1: that's a famous arena in Philadelphia. So the roof blows 315 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:36,640 Speaker 1: off the spectrum. But were you an avid concert going yourself? Oh? Yeah, yeah, 316 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:39,160 Speaker 1: I was a photographer too. Did you have a dream 317 00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:41,560 Speaker 1: of being a successful to be the Annie Leeb of it? No, 318 00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:44,160 Speaker 1: I had a dream of being John Paul George and Ringo. 319 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:46,720 Speaker 1: But in the meantime, I enjoyed taking pictures of these 320 00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:48,280 Speaker 1: people and I love being in the dark room. I 321 00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:51,560 Speaker 1: loved printing them. So it was purely a hobby. Yeah, yeah, 322 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:53,840 Speaker 1: except that at that point, bands would play two nights 323 00:16:53,880 --> 00:16:56,200 Speaker 1: at the Electric Factory. They play Friday and Saturday. I've 324 00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:58,680 Speaker 1: got on Friday. First in line, get right up front, 325 00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:01,280 Speaker 1: which is literally pushed up against the stage, which is 326 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:04,720 Speaker 1: about a yard high. Shoot Shoot Shoot, Shoot, Go Home. 327 00:17:05,080 --> 00:17:08,280 Speaker 1: Developed the negatives, let him dry overnight, spend all day printing, 328 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:10,680 Speaker 1: go back down, get first in line, and sell prints 329 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:13,400 Speaker 1: to kids online. So you were obviously dedicated. You would 330 00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:14,920 Speaker 1: sell them to the sell them to the people in 331 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:16,880 Speaker 1: the line. How much would you selve them for? Buck? 332 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:18,919 Speaker 1: Buck and a half? Maybe? How big were the prints? 333 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:21,280 Speaker 1: Five by seven? Eight by ten? Really? Yeah? And what 334 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:24,240 Speaker 1: was somebody's supposed to do with the print during the show? Yeah, 335 00:17:24,320 --> 00:17:27,200 Speaker 1: you know, nobody ever seen. But then I would I 336 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:30,120 Speaker 1: started handing them to the bands on stage. People would 337 00:17:30,119 --> 00:17:32,280 Speaker 1: come out, someone would come out and say, with the 338 00:17:32,359 --> 00:17:36,399 Speaker 1: individual who handed those photographs to Rod Stewart please come backstage? 339 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:39,560 Speaker 1: And did you meet Rod Stewart? I did? I did? 340 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:42,560 Speaker 1: And Ronnie Wood. It was the first Faces tour and 341 00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:46,640 Speaker 1: like like an idiot, I sold the Negatives while Rod 342 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:49,520 Speaker 1: Stewart was so cool back then he was So those 343 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:51,200 Speaker 1: were the first rock stars you met? Or did you 344 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:55,000 Speaker 1: met other people? Um? I actually had um? Well, but 345 00:17:55,080 --> 00:17:58,000 Speaker 1: yeah that was them, Jeff back ten years after. I 346 00:17:58,080 --> 00:17:59,800 Speaker 1: really went after ten years after because I wanted to 347 00:17:59,840 --> 00:18:02,880 Speaker 1: be Alvin Lee and I actually got to be friends 348 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:05,040 Speaker 1: with them because I was fifteen sixteen, but I looked 349 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:08,040 Speaker 1: twelve my voice didn't change a lot of sixteen. So 350 00:18:08,760 --> 00:18:12,680 Speaker 1: this begs the question greatest guitarists in rock history. Ah, 351 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:16,920 Speaker 1: that's that's a pantheon. I mean I have my favorites 352 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:21,480 Speaker 1: for different things. George Harrison obviously, because he was the 353 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:24,240 Speaker 1: first guitarist that had parts, he really played orchestra Ley. 354 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:27,720 Speaker 1: Then came the Holy Trinity, Clapton, Beck, and Hendricks. Okay, 355 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:30,560 Speaker 1: of those, how do you rank those three or the unrankable? 356 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:34,160 Speaker 1: They're kind of unrancable, I say, technically Beck right, hands 357 00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:38,280 Speaker 1: down if you like panatonic blues, Clapton revolutionizing the guitar 358 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:41,760 Speaker 1: as a world Hendricks. Okay, so let's go back. So 359 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:45,200 Speaker 1: Rick Shart off to New York working for Clive, and 360 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:47,600 Speaker 1: Rob is playing in his own band because he graduated 361 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:49,880 Speaker 1: three years before. He and David the singer are writing. 362 00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:52,919 Speaker 1: They're just writing songs so that Rick can signed them 363 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:57,439 Speaker 1: to Arista. Right when I'm about to graduate, they get signed, right, 364 00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:00,520 Speaker 1: that's Baby Grant. That's Baby Grant. So again it's a 365 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:02,680 Speaker 1: keyboard player and a and a singer. They need a 366 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:05,959 Speaker 1: guitar player. Okay, So were you in touch with them 367 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:08,840 Speaker 1: when they called you? Yeah? I touch all through. Okay, 368 00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:10,560 Speaker 1: so you called, so you must have thought you made it. 369 00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:13,160 Speaker 1: I thought, this is it. You know, I'm gonna I'm 370 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:15,600 Speaker 1: gonna make a lot of money right away, and you 371 00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:17,240 Speaker 1: know we're going to go on the road and all 372 00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:20,240 Speaker 1: that great stuff that goes along with it. And then 373 00:19:20,600 --> 00:19:23,520 Speaker 1: what happens, Well, well, we're still working on the songs 374 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:26,480 Speaker 1: and and you know, Rob's playing me these songs. And 375 00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:29,200 Speaker 1: you know, the thing about meeting Rob was I met 376 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:32,240 Speaker 1: my equal, you know. I mean, Paul, who was in 377 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:36,080 Speaker 1: The Evil Seed was an amazing songwriter singer, but Rob, 378 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:39,560 Speaker 1: you know, his musicality just was on another level. I 379 00:19:39,640 --> 00:19:41,639 Speaker 1: mean really it was. To me, it was like Steely 380 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:44,680 Speaker 1: Dan on steroids, the way his his sense for chord 381 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:48,879 Speaker 1: changes and melodies, and and David who wrote all the lyrics. Then, um, 382 00:19:48,960 --> 00:19:51,639 Speaker 1: so it really really challenged me and it made me 383 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:53,960 Speaker 1: up my game, especially when it was time to arrange 384 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:56,960 Speaker 1: these songs and come up with signature guitar parts, and 385 00:19:57,240 --> 00:19:59,359 Speaker 1: I would come up with like instrumental sections. I'd go 386 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:01,359 Speaker 1: off and would it and come back with this you know, 387 00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:05,120 Speaker 1: three minute exploration and they loved it because you could 388 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:07,800 Speaker 1: do that. Then yeah, well listen, nothing better than having 389 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:10,639 Speaker 1: your work be loved. So you make the record who 390 00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:13,480 Speaker 1: produced that record? Rick Rick and Rob Okay and the 391 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:16,040 Speaker 1: record comes out. I have to own that record where 392 00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:18,280 Speaker 1: you're not on the cover and you got the person 393 00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:20,560 Speaker 1: made out of vegetables. And that's the second album. Well 394 00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:22,239 Speaker 1: that's the second album. I don't know if I own 395 00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:24,800 Speaker 1: the first. First one has has a Botero painting. I 396 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:26,879 Speaker 1: have to go back to my collection. I certainly remember 397 00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:29,600 Speaker 1: the second. So you get to make two records. But 398 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:32,719 Speaker 1: by my standards, nothing really happens with either of those rounds. Now. 399 00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:34,119 Speaker 1: I mean, we had a couple of shows where it 400 00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:36,359 Speaker 1: really felt like it was happening, and afterwards we're going, 401 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:39,880 Speaker 1: We're the next Beatles, But uh no, it didn't happen. 402 00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:42,399 Speaker 1: I think we were. We were ten years ahead of 403 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:44,639 Speaker 1: our time or ten years behind. But you know, our 404 00:20:44,680 --> 00:20:47,879 Speaker 1: first album came out when Talking Heads was happening, and 405 00:20:48,119 --> 00:20:50,480 Speaker 1: it was everything was going minimal and you know, and 406 00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:52,760 Speaker 1: if you you know, if you could play really well, 407 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:54,920 Speaker 1: you kind of had to hide it. Whereas I'm playing 408 00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:57,400 Speaker 1: like I'm getting paid by the note. But Clive is amnimal. 409 00:20:57,800 --> 00:21:00,400 Speaker 1: He's behind it, he's behind it, but you can tell 410 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:03,960 Speaker 1: he's like Rick was his pet A and R guy, 411 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:05,919 Speaker 1: so we'll let Rick have his fun with these guys. 412 00:21:06,359 --> 00:21:08,600 Speaker 1: But after we did the second album and we started 413 00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:10,879 Speaker 1: writing songs for the third and by this point that 414 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:13,280 Speaker 1: Robin David had brought me in as a full member 415 00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:15,359 Speaker 1: of the band, and you know, brought me into the 416 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:19,399 Speaker 1: songwriting process, uh, And we started writing songs and sending 417 00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:21,720 Speaker 1: them to Clive, and Clive kind of sat us down 418 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:25,240 Speaker 1: and said, guys, you know what a hit song sounds like, 419 00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:28,200 Speaker 1: and he played us actually something that he thought was 420 00:21:28,240 --> 00:21:30,640 Speaker 1: going to be a hit song, which was really lame. 421 00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:33,000 Speaker 1: And it was not a hit. No, but you know what, 422 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:36,920 Speaker 1: nobody nobody bats a thousand. Even Clive doesn't take away 423 00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:39,560 Speaker 1: from anything. So we sit down and and we we 424 00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:42,440 Speaker 1: just realized this is not the place for us. And 425 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:46,840 Speaker 1: then at some point Rob and I realized that it 426 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:50,040 Speaker 1: wasn't gonna happen the style of music we were doing. Um, 427 00:21:50,359 --> 00:21:54,119 Speaker 1: the singer wasn't a rock star. And he even told us, 428 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:56,800 Speaker 1: he said, you know, I wasn't born to rock. So 429 00:21:57,040 --> 00:21:58,879 Speaker 1: Rob and I decided to give it one more shot. 430 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:01,320 Speaker 1: This is seventy nine. We're gonna have We're gonna have 431 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:04,240 Speaker 1: one more band. What are we gonna do? How are 432 00:22:04,280 --> 00:22:07,040 Speaker 1: we going to make it into something that everyone else 433 00:22:07,119 --> 00:22:09,120 Speaker 1: isn't doing because we're not gonna do punk, because we're 434 00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:13,640 Speaker 1: just way beyond that. Um. At this point, the SKA 435 00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:17,040 Speaker 1: Invasion was happening, of course, so you know, we saw madness, 436 00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:20,040 Speaker 1: we saw the Selector, we saw the Specials, the police 437 00:22:20,080 --> 00:22:23,320 Speaker 1: were happening. And Robert Rob actually grew up going to 438 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:25,679 Speaker 1: Jamaica as a kid and he was way into reggae, 439 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:28,520 Speaker 1: so he said, you know what, no American bands were 440 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:32,399 Speaker 1: doing this sca thing. Let's try that. And we had 441 00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:35,159 Speaker 1: already found a drummer. When originally we were going to 442 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:36,639 Speaker 1: do it as a three piece, I mean, Robin I 443 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:38,199 Speaker 1: looked at each other and I said, can you sing? 444 00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:40,640 Speaker 1: I don't know? Can you I don't know? Well let's 445 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:43,119 Speaker 1: try it. Well at least if we sing together, at 446 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:46,280 Speaker 1: least we can cover each other's asses. And we originally 447 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:47,800 Speaker 1: we're going to do it as a as a three piece. 448 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:50,120 Speaker 1: Rob was going to play left hand bass like Raymond's Eric, 449 00:22:50,840 --> 00:22:53,760 Speaker 1: but then um, the drummer was was in a band 450 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:57,240 Speaker 1: which was which was breaking up because the lead singer 451 00:22:57,320 --> 00:23:00,520 Speaker 1: and lead guitarists were leaving. So I went with them 452 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:02,840 Speaker 1: with that band, they had a two week commitment at 453 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:06,520 Speaker 1: this club, and I realized, here's a great drummer, a 454 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:09,040 Speaker 1: great bass player, a great guitars will bring them in. 455 00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:13,240 Speaker 1: And that became the Hooters, the original, the original Hooters. 456 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:16,639 Speaker 1: So this is this is at this point, it is 457 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:21,800 Speaker 1: eighty this is living in New York. Were living in Philly, Okay, 458 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:23,800 Speaker 1: And what's the next step with the Hooters. Next step 459 00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:26,720 Speaker 1: with the Hooters is to write some songs, get a 460 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:31,080 Speaker 1: band name, and get some gigs. Now the band is 461 00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:33,840 Speaker 1: named after the melodica. Yeah, Well, what happened was we 462 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:37,600 Speaker 1: went into do our first first demos and uh my, 463 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:39,639 Speaker 1: my friend Glenn, who was actually sitting out there and 464 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:43,200 Speaker 1: in the control room, had had a melodica. Uh. Rob 465 00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:45,320 Speaker 1: and I being into reggae, we're listening to a lot 466 00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:49,360 Speaker 1: of Augustus Pablo, you know. He would just play melodica 467 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:53,560 Speaker 1: over over these these tracks. Um, and Rob said, how 468 00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:55,840 Speaker 1: we should try a melodica, said, well, my buddy Glenn's 469 00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:58,480 Speaker 1: got one of them. And the meantime a friend of 470 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:02,399 Speaker 1: ours had a mandolin and he also happened to have 471 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:06,240 Speaker 1: some recording gear, so he recorded our first demos so 472 00:24:06,359 --> 00:24:08,600 Speaker 1: we're set up setting it for the first demos. I'm 473 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:16,400 Speaker 1: playing a mandolin better than that, but um, And then 474 00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:20,280 Speaker 1: the engineer says, give me a level on that hooter. Ah, 475 00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:23,640 Speaker 1: And we looked at each other and went, okay, well, 476 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:27,000 Speaker 1: this is a hooter. This is a hooter. The band 477 00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:29,520 Speaker 1: name thing took a few days because we were looking. 478 00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:32,439 Speaker 1: We wanted to be a plural noun so that each one, 479 00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:35,359 Speaker 1: each guy in the band could say I am a beatle, 480 00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:37,600 Speaker 1: rolling stone, not a shoe, not a chair, and it 481 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:40,760 Speaker 1: couldn't be a household name. And then dawned on one 482 00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:42,840 Speaker 1: of us that it could be a hooter. So you 483 00:24:42,920 --> 00:24:45,200 Speaker 1: become the Hooters. And what's the next step towards success? 484 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:49,400 Speaker 1: Rob's girlfriend at the time had a successful record store 485 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:53,280 Speaker 1: that like alternative punk, new wave record store, and she 486 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:56,720 Speaker 1: took it upon herself to to manage us with with 487 00:24:56,960 --> 00:25:00,520 Speaker 1: with Rob and we had a we had a very 488 00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:03,520 Speaker 1: successful marketing campaign. We printed up, we got she made 489 00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:06,040 Speaker 1: a logo for us, and printed up a bunch of 490 00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:08,439 Speaker 1: yellow eight and a half by eleven sheets of paper 491 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:12,800 Speaker 1: that said h oo question mark, and we papered them 492 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:15,000 Speaker 1: all over the city. Right, that's a good campaign. I 493 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:17,600 Speaker 1: gotta give her credit. And then a week later Hooters, 494 00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:21,880 Speaker 1: and then the the date of our first show, which 495 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:24,760 Speaker 1: was I think June of at a bar in Levittown, 496 00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:27,600 Speaker 1: and was it successful to people show up? People showed 497 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:29,960 Speaker 1: up well because the band that I had played in 498 00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:33,040 Speaker 1: with David, our drummer, had a following, so they knew 499 00:25:33,119 --> 00:25:36,879 Speaker 1: David and they knew me, And yeah, they came, you know, 500 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:39,560 Speaker 1: a hundred maybe the first night, two hundred the second night, 501 00:25:40,359 --> 00:25:43,520 Speaker 1: and we ended up playing at the bar called Vernon's 502 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:46,280 Speaker 1: five nights a week, four sets a night, so that 503 00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:49,800 Speaker 1: was like that was our Hamburg exactly. I was just thinking, so, 504 00:25:50,280 --> 00:25:51,960 Speaker 1: how do you end up getting a deal with Columbia? 505 00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:55,200 Speaker 1: That was a long road really Yeah, yeah, yeah, we 506 00:25:55,240 --> 00:25:57,560 Speaker 1: did Vernon's places like that. Then we started doing a 507 00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:00,640 Speaker 1: residency at a place called Grendel's Lair in the City 508 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:04,000 Speaker 1: on South Street in Philly every Monday night. Again. The 509 00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:06,480 Speaker 1: first time maybe we had seventy five people, second time 510 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:09,720 Speaker 1: and fifty and within a few months the line was 511 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:14,280 Speaker 1: around the block. Then a very lucky thing happened. Uh 512 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:17,880 Speaker 1: this this jockey named Michael Tearson. I hear from Michael 513 00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:20,440 Speaker 1: tears all the time of course you do, Of course 514 00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:22,680 Speaker 1: you do. He decides he's going to put the studio 515 00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:25,120 Speaker 1: on lockdown and only play the music he wants to play. 516 00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:29,240 Speaker 1: Guerilla Radio. That was the that was the original Guerilla Radio. 517 00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:33,000 Speaker 1: So Betsy the manager calls him and says, hey, we 518 00:26:33,119 --> 00:26:35,560 Speaker 1: got some demos. Should we come down and said yeah. 519 00:26:35,760 --> 00:26:38,399 Speaker 1: So he plays our our first demo. It was a 520 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:42,320 Speaker 1: sky instrumental called Man in the Street. Um, he plays it, 521 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:46,119 Speaker 1: and I guess the phones went wild because they started 522 00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:49,080 Speaker 1: playing it like in regular rotation. This is w MMR. 523 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:52,720 Speaker 1: This isn't like you know, you know, cheesy little. That's 524 00:26:52,760 --> 00:26:56,760 Speaker 1: one of the original so called underground FM rock stations. Yep, yep, 525 00:26:56,880 --> 00:27:00,639 Speaker 1: it was the second one. You know, things just and 526 00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:03,480 Speaker 1: then we put out our first single. We did a 527 00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:07,000 Speaker 1: live broadcast. We opened for for the Beat, for the 528 00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:10,520 Speaker 1: English Beat, who are our heroes right mirror in the bathroom, 529 00:27:10,640 --> 00:27:13,639 Speaker 1: Oh my god? And um we opened for them, and 530 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:16,600 Speaker 1: we did a live version of All Your Zombies, which 531 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:19,000 Speaker 1: they started playing and started really playing it. So we 532 00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:23,919 Speaker 1: put that out as our second single. So things are 533 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:26,320 Speaker 1: really heating up. We're really getting gigs and it's spreading 534 00:27:26,359 --> 00:27:29,720 Speaker 1: out into the you know, into Jersey into Delaware. But 535 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:32,399 Speaker 1: what happens in Philly stays in Philly. You know, you 536 00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:34,240 Speaker 1: go to New York to try to get somebody interested, 537 00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:36,359 Speaker 1: we'll come play in New York. So you go, I 538 00:27:36,480 --> 00:27:39,239 Speaker 1: think the place was called Privates and ten people show up, 539 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:41,359 Speaker 1: you know, the A and our genius has come out 540 00:27:41,359 --> 00:27:44,400 Speaker 1: and say, well, it wasn't electric, right, but you try 541 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:50,920 Speaker 1: being electric in front of ten people. Hey, it's Bob 542 00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:53,320 Speaker 1: left Sets. I thank you for your time. Welcome to 543 00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:57,320 Speaker 1: my new podcast, the Bob left Sets Podcast. Remember to 544 00:27:57,440 --> 00:28:01,240 Speaker 1: subscribe on tune in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. 545 00:28:05,200 --> 00:28:10,800 Speaker 1: So the Cindy law Per record was before the Hooters deal. Yes, okay, 546 00:28:11,119 --> 00:28:13,320 Speaker 1: Rick calls you Ricks, the producer of that. What does 547 00:28:13,359 --> 00:28:15,879 Speaker 1: he say? He says, because she she's already come from 548 00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:19,479 Speaker 1: failure in bankruptcy, right, he says, And he was basically 549 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:23,680 Speaker 1: assigned her. Um and he says, I got this artist 550 00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:28,440 Speaker 1: and uh, he took her to see a number of 551 00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:31,280 Speaker 1: musicians and apparently she didn't like me at first. She 552 00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:34,760 Speaker 1: liked Rob, but she wasn't nuts about me. So it 553 00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:37,080 Speaker 1: was originally going to be another guitar player. But then 554 00:28:37,840 --> 00:28:39,480 Speaker 1: I don't know if Rick talked her into it, or 555 00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:42,360 Speaker 1: she saw us again and decided I was up to snuff. 556 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:45,880 Speaker 1: But we started hunkering down in our We had this 557 00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:50,080 Speaker 1: rehearsal studio that we called the ranch like but it 558 00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:52,520 Speaker 1: was like not a ranch. It was like here in Philadelphia. 559 00:28:53,520 --> 00:28:57,400 Speaker 1: It was really like Deliverance world around there. Um and 560 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:02,320 Speaker 1: Rick had is his suitcase full of songs. He had 561 00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:04,200 Speaker 1: girls just want to have Fun. Well, that's a Robert 562 00:29:04,240 --> 00:29:08,000 Speaker 1: Hazard song from Philadelphia. Did you know Robert Yeah? Oh sure. 563 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:10,320 Speaker 1: He was our competition. He was our arrival. He had 564 00:29:10,360 --> 00:29:11,480 Speaker 1: that one thing, you know, We had that song on 565 00:29:11,560 --> 00:29:15,440 Speaker 1: the Elevator of Life. Which Escalator of Life? He talked 566 00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:17,840 Speaker 1: about his taking his mas to to the supermarket. He's 567 00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:21,600 Speaker 1: dead himself at this so okay he had that. And 568 00:29:21,680 --> 00:29:24,640 Speaker 1: then where do time after time and all that stuff 569 00:29:24,680 --> 00:29:26,960 Speaker 1: come from? Time after time? It was a later rival 570 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:30,920 Speaker 1: girls this one am I allowed to play any of girls? 571 00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:32,840 Speaker 1: Just one to happen, but keep it short. Okay, this 572 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:37,280 Speaker 1: was how it was originally written. But come home in 573 00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:40,240 Speaker 1: the middle of the night, my father. I haven't heard 574 00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:43,040 Speaker 1: the original version, so Cindy and it was boys just 575 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:45,320 Speaker 1: want to have fun? No, it was girls just when Western. 576 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:47,840 Speaker 1: Yes it was, but Cindy said, I will never sing 577 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:50,880 Speaker 1: that song as song as I don't like the music 578 00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:54,760 Speaker 1: and it's demeaning to women. So we tried doing it 579 00:29:54,800 --> 00:29:56,880 Speaker 1: as a reggae. We tried doing it as a sky 580 00:29:57,200 --> 00:29:59,480 Speaker 1: we tried doing it as like a cat Stevens. She 581 00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:02,160 Speaker 1: was not having any of it. But Rick, who was 582 00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:04,440 Speaker 1: really an a and our genius, he knew that that 583 00:30:04,680 --> 00:30:09,920 Speaker 1: voice singing that song was gold. So finally one day 584 00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:12,320 Speaker 1: we came in and Rick's like, can't we figure out 585 00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:14,200 Speaker 1: a way to do this? Now? This was when Come 586 00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:16,360 Speaker 1: On Eileen was all over the world, and who didn't 587 00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:19,239 Speaker 1: love Come On Eileen? So Cindy says, can't you make 588 00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:23,840 Speaker 1: it sound like come On Eileen? And I remember that 589 00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:26,320 Speaker 1: I have such a clear visual memory of that moment. 590 00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:28,040 Speaker 1: I had an eight to eight drum machine, that's what 591 00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:30,600 Speaker 1: we did all of the demos, of course, and I 592 00:30:30,720 --> 00:30:33,400 Speaker 1: turned it that big tempo knob down. I changed the 593 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:41,640 Speaker 1: kick drum pattern. I picked up my guitar and I went, yeah, yeah, 594 00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:44,520 Speaker 1: that's that's what's it like when you hear that riff 595 00:30:44,560 --> 00:30:46,400 Speaker 1: that you just come off that easy. When it became 596 00:30:46,520 --> 00:30:50,080 Speaker 1: ubiquitous all over TV, and radio did that kind of 597 00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:52,520 Speaker 1: just like blow your mind. It was pretty wacky. I 598 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:57,400 Speaker 1: mean it was yeah, yeah, I probably felt like Raphael 599 00:30:57,520 --> 00:31:00,720 Speaker 1: Ravenscroft felt when every year right Acre Street, because I 600 00:31:00,840 --> 00:31:02,320 Speaker 1: got paid about as much as he did for that. 601 00:31:03,640 --> 00:31:06,640 Speaker 1: But um uh, And you know, of course a week later, 602 00:31:06,800 --> 00:31:08,800 Speaker 1: she's saying, you know, I always wanted to sing that song. 603 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:11,840 Speaker 1: That song is so empowering to women. Oh listen, leave, 604 00:31:11,840 --> 00:31:14,040 Speaker 1: I'll leave it in today's environment. I won't make any 605 00:31:14,120 --> 00:31:16,640 Speaker 1: comment about that. So you're making that record? How long 606 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:18,600 Speaker 1: does it take to make that album? We spent about 607 00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:22,080 Speaker 1: six months demoing the songs that that that Rick had 608 00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:24,320 Speaker 1: brought in a couple of them Cindy had co written. 609 00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:27,360 Speaker 1: It was a Jewels sheer song. There was all through 610 00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:30,120 Speaker 1: the night, and then we went into um, we went 611 00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:33,000 Speaker 1: into the record plant and okay, you make the record. 612 00:31:33,120 --> 00:31:36,200 Speaker 1: You have any idea it's going to be this gigantic smash, 613 00:31:36,240 --> 00:31:39,240 Speaker 1: which it turns out to be. I was really sort 614 00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:42,960 Speaker 1: of running on fumes creatively at that point. Cindy is brilliant. 615 00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:45,600 Speaker 1: I love her. She's like that wacky cousin that you 616 00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:50,440 Speaker 1: like have Thanksgiving with and and and you're tired afterwards. 617 00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:53,880 Speaker 1: But but she's great. I mean, I think she's one 618 00:31:53,920 --> 00:31:57,800 Speaker 1: of the greatest singers ever and fine, fine person, but 619 00:31:58,600 --> 00:32:01,400 Speaker 1: it was it was draining. And then towards the very end, 620 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:03,720 Speaker 1: Rick was saying, you know, we could really use a 621 00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:07,280 Speaker 1: couple more songs, and Cindy was reading TV guide looking 622 00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:10,440 Speaker 1: for titles, so she found two titles Vertigo and time 623 00:32:10,480 --> 00:32:14,000 Speaker 1: after time I got Vertigo. We tried to write a 624 00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:17,120 Speaker 1: song called Vertigo. It wasn't good. She and Rob meanwhile, 625 00:32:17,760 --> 00:32:19,800 Speaker 1: come to me a couple of days later, say hey, 626 00:32:19,840 --> 00:32:21,320 Speaker 1: we got an idea for a song. They play me 627 00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:24,080 Speaker 1: the chorus like a verse idea and the chorus, and 628 00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:28,000 Speaker 1: I just said, you've you've just written yesterday. We're gonna 629 00:32:28,120 --> 00:32:30,000 Speaker 1: We're gonna hear the song for the rest of our lives. 630 00:32:31,320 --> 00:32:34,240 Speaker 1: Who created the arrangement? That was really me and Rob 631 00:32:34,320 --> 00:32:37,040 Speaker 1: and Rick and Bill Whitman, who was the engineer and 632 00:32:37,160 --> 00:32:40,440 Speaker 1: is now Cindy's musical director for fifteen years. So, but 633 00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:43,560 Speaker 1: the album comes out and goes nuclear. Did you foresee 634 00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:45,760 Speaker 1: that at all? No? I remember when I got got 635 00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:48,720 Speaker 1: my first pressing of it. I just listened to that. 636 00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:51,480 Speaker 1: I get aside from time after time, time after time 637 00:32:51,600 --> 00:32:53,840 Speaker 1: was a slam dunk. But like I heard, girls just 638 00:32:53,880 --> 00:32:55,520 Speaker 1: want to have fun coming out of my speakers, and 639 00:32:55,560 --> 00:33:00,280 Speaker 1: I'm like, I don't know, I just don't notice. H 640 00:33:01,680 --> 00:33:06,680 Speaker 1: But obviously I was wrong. Okay, so that's a big success. 641 00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:08,720 Speaker 1: How do the Hooters get signed? A lot of it 642 00:33:08,800 --> 00:33:10,360 Speaker 1: was on the strength of that. I mean I think 643 00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:13,000 Speaker 1: that gave Rick the ammunition he needed to be able 644 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:15,280 Speaker 1: to sign us. So you basically owe your career to 645 00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:19,040 Speaker 1: wreck absolutely and even more so as in the next chapter, 646 00:33:19,120 --> 00:33:22,480 Speaker 1: Will Will Will reveal. But um, you know, we we 647 00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:24,640 Speaker 1: got we got a deal. We made the record, and 648 00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:27,240 Speaker 1: you know, All Use Zombies was the first the first 649 00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:30,479 Speaker 1: they were now in the MTV era. Okay, so when 650 00:33:30,520 --> 00:33:32,760 Speaker 1: you started the Hooters, it was before that because August 651 00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:38,560 Speaker 1: of eighty one is MTV. So how does that affect 652 00:33:38,760 --> 00:33:42,880 Speaker 1: the creative process and what you end up doing. It 653 00:33:42,920 --> 00:33:45,520 Speaker 1: didn't affect their songwriting or record making at all. I mean, 654 00:33:45,640 --> 00:33:48,000 Speaker 1: we just figured somebody would come in and make a video. 655 00:33:48,520 --> 00:33:50,480 Speaker 1: So okay, so you do All Use Zombies, which becomes 656 00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:53,800 Speaker 1: a huge yet became it's funny. It's funny. I think 657 00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:56,200 Speaker 1: it peaked at number fifty seven. Yeah, but the numbers 658 00:33:56,240 --> 00:33:58,040 Speaker 1: are irrelevant. They played They played it all the time 659 00:33:58,160 --> 00:34:01,360 Speaker 1: on the on the video channel, and then the next 660 00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:03,840 Speaker 1: track comes and we danced, which was really was what 661 00:34:04,640 --> 00:34:07,960 Speaker 1: made us go platinum. And now you're touring and you're 662 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:10,680 Speaker 1: living the life, living the life, and do you believe 663 00:34:10,880 --> 00:34:13,680 Speaker 1: that you've you've achieved your dream? I was too busy 664 00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:16,600 Speaker 1: to believe anything. It really you miss it the first time. 665 00:34:17,120 --> 00:34:19,200 Speaker 1: You know, we weren't we weren't that young. I mean 666 00:34:19,200 --> 00:34:21,760 Speaker 1: I was already in my early thirties when this was happening. 667 00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:25,160 Speaker 1: But you know, it's such a whirlwind. I mean, we 668 00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:29,000 Speaker 1: played live AID, live aid. You know, people ask me 669 00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:30,960 Speaker 1: what was it like? I don't know. You know, we 670 00:34:31,080 --> 00:34:33,040 Speaker 1: walked on stage, we did two songs, we were off. 671 00:34:33,880 --> 00:34:35,640 Speaker 1: Do you hang out the rest of the day? I 672 00:34:35,719 --> 00:34:39,759 Speaker 1: actually there were there were personal issues. I actually ended 673 00:34:39,840 --> 00:34:42,400 Speaker 1: up going home for for a few hours, and I 674 00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:46,040 Speaker 1: went back for the for the finale. But um, I 675 00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:48,360 Speaker 1: was there for a fair amount of it. Okay, So 676 00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:50,600 Speaker 1: the first album comes out, goes platinum, and then where 677 00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:53,160 Speaker 1: does that leave you? Um? When we toured a bunch, 678 00:34:53,239 --> 00:34:56,480 Speaker 1: we opened for Lover Boy, Turn Me Loose, YEP, and 679 00:34:56,600 --> 00:35:01,239 Speaker 1: we opened for for Squeeze. UM, Don Henley for two weeks, 680 00:35:01,239 --> 00:35:04,000 Speaker 1: Squeeze for a couple of months, and Lover Boy Um 681 00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:06,359 Speaker 1: and then we have to make another album. And then 682 00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:08,320 Speaker 1: Day by Day was the third single, which was actually 683 00:35:08,360 --> 00:35:11,680 Speaker 1: the highest charting single. But you have three hits, which 684 00:35:11,760 --> 00:35:14,960 Speaker 1: by today's standards is gargantrain, actually four Where did the 685 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:17,680 Speaker 1: Children Go? The single didn't really do well, but the 686 00:35:17,800 --> 00:35:20,759 Speaker 1: video was number It was our highest charting video, number two, 687 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:23,480 Speaker 1: a live video. So then we have to make another record, 688 00:35:23,560 --> 00:35:26,840 Speaker 1: and there's that, you know, sophomore. We've used you know, 689 00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:29,440 Speaker 1: we've used all of our But while we were on 690 00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:32,680 Speaker 1: the road, we stayed busy, you know, we we're we're 691 00:35:32,719 --> 00:35:35,600 Speaker 1: on a bus. I had a mandlin and um on 692 00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:38,840 Speaker 1: one day, on a drive from New Orleans to San Antonio, 693 00:35:39,080 --> 00:35:47,280 Speaker 1: I picked up a mandolin and start going, etcetera, etcetera. 694 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:49,759 Speaker 1: It's just that easy, just comes to you. Yeah, m 695 00:35:50,160 --> 00:35:52,840 Speaker 1: the brain and the fingers become one, okay, and you 696 00:35:52,960 --> 00:35:56,040 Speaker 1: realize you've written something that's gonna go. I realized I've 697 00:35:56,040 --> 00:35:59,000 Speaker 1: written something that's gonna make me go. For a while. 698 00:36:00,560 --> 00:36:02,320 Speaker 1: The whole band was in the back lounge when we 699 00:36:02,440 --> 00:36:04,120 Speaker 1: when we did that, and you know, Rob was playing 700 00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:07,920 Speaker 1: in the melodica the hooter Um, and it actually took 701 00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:10,840 Speaker 1: us six months to write the song because you know, 702 00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:12,719 Speaker 1: a riff like that is just a riff you got right. 703 00:36:12,760 --> 00:36:14,239 Speaker 1: At some point you have to sing something, and I 704 00:36:14,360 --> 00:36:17,000 Speaker 1: never thought the song actually came up to the level 705 00:36:17,080 --> 00:36:18,800 Speaker 1: of that. I wish that we would have found a 706 00:36:19,120 --> 00:36:22,560 Speaker 1: way to sing that melody, but the words never came. Okay, 707 00:36:22,600 --> 00:36:24,799 Speaker 1: But that's the second album. Now, that's the second album, 708 00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:26,320 Speaker 1: so that we do the second time, we take a 709 00:36:26,360 --> 00:36:31,120 Speaker 1: big chance a chordion's mandolin's uh, really going going out, 710 00:36:31,239 --> 00:36:35,000 Speaker 1: going for our ethnic weirdness thing. We've left the reggae 711 00:36:35,080 --> 00:36:37,440 Speaker 1: thing behind at this point. You know, we're staying with 712 00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:39,560 Speaker 1: our God theme, you know, all you zombies as a 713 00:36:39,600 --> 00:36:42,360 Speaker 1: Bible story. And we write Satellite, which is about like 714 00:36:42,440 --> 00:36:47,680 Speaker 1: Jimmy Folwell and and that el evangelist thing. Everybody thinks 715 00:36:47,719 --> 00:36:50,000 Speaker 1: we're like a Christian band or you know know, we're 716 00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:52,719 Speaker 1: a couple of lass Hebrews right and stuff. So the 717 00:36:52,760 --> 00:36:55,319 Speaker 1: album comes out and it's Ships Gold, which they took 718 00:36:55,360 --> 00:36:59,000 Speaker 1: back from us because after the returns um Our first 719 00:36:59,040 --> 00:37:01,839 Speaker 1: single from that album was Johnny b which the video 720 00:37:01,880 --> 00:37:04,800 Speaker 1: was directed by David Fincher. Did you know he was 721 00:37:04,800 --> 00:37:07,440 Speaker 1: going to turn into David Fincher. Nobody knew who he 722 00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:10,040 Speaker 1: had to turn to David Fincher. But um, and we 723 00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:12,600 Speaker 1: toured with Bryan Adams on that album, but it never 724 00:37:12,800 --> 00:37:18,240 Speaker 1: really caught hold in the US. Meanwhile, Germany happens. Johnny 725 00:37:18,280 --> 00:37:22,080 Speaker 1: b is a smash ubiquitous in Germany. We go there 726 00:37:22,760 --> 00:37:27,440 Speaker 1: and wow, I can do this, Okay, Germany and Scandinavia. 727 00:37:27,800 --> 00:37:30,399 Speaker 1: But what does the label say? Label says, that's great, 728 00:37:30,440 --> 00:37:33,600 Speaker 1: But um, you know, we gotta do another album. So 729 00:37:33,719 --> 00:37:36,440 Speaker 1: we go back and we've come off the road and 730 00:37:36,520 --> 00:37:38,520 Speaker 1: we're a kick ass band. I mean we still are. 731 00:37:38,680 --> 00:37:41,040 Speaker 1: We're more now than ever. Really, it's a rock and 732 00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:44,560 Speaker 1: roll show and the mandolins and the accordions make it 733 00:37:44,680 --> 00:37:46,920 Speaker 1: rock even harder. We play at we play at hard 734 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:49,719 Speaker 1: rock festivals in Europe. Now. We played between like Black 735 00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:52,800 Speaker 1: Label Society and Azzi really Yeah and Pete. When we 736 00:37:52,840 --> 00:37:55,000 Speaker 1: pull out the mandolins and the according to they go nuts, 737 00:37:55,360 --> 00:37:58,320 Speaker 1: they lose their minds. So it's the energy that appeals 738 00:37:58,360 --> 00:37:59,920 Speaker 1: to that. It's the energy. It's the energy and the 739 00:38:00,239 --> 00:38:03,040 Speaker 1: songs because we write real songs. Okay, So you're making 740 00:38:03,080 --> 00:38:05,319 Speaker 1: the third record, making the third record, I want to Rock. 741 00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:08,200 Speaker 1: I Want to Rock. We end up doing five miles, 742 00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:10,120 Speaker 1: a cover of five hundred miles, and we have Peter 743 00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:12,200 Speaker 1: Poe and Mary sing on it with us, and it's 744 00:38:12,239 --> 00:38:15,719 Speaker 1: kind of a lugubrious reggae vibe. The whole album ends 745 00:38:15,760 --> 00:38:19,160 Speaker 1: up being our folkiest album yet, and I can't blame 746 00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:21,840 Speaker 1: it when anyone I signed off on every decision that 747 00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:24,319 Speaker 1: was the album that wanted to be made. It's like saying, 748 00:38:24,520 --> 00:38:26,960 Speaker 1: I'm going to conceive and give birth to a nuclear 749 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:30,439 Speaker 1: physicist and he turns out being a basketball player. You can't, 750 00:38:30,520 --> 00:38:33,839 Speaker 1: You just can't. You know, every song, every recording has 751 00:38:33,880 --> 00:38:35,960 Speaker 1: a life of its own, its decide. The one chooses 752 00:38:36,040 --> 00:38:38,920 Speaker 1: the wizard, chooses the Wizard. That's a good one. I've 753 00:38:38,960 --> 00:38:42,160 Speaker 1: never heard that one before. It's from Harry Potter, whose 754 00:38:42,200 --> 00:38:43,920 Speaker 1: I haven't read it. There you go. It's in the 755 00:38:43,960 --> 00:38:46,879 Speaker 1: films too. But so we do our focus album yet 756 00:38:47,280 --> 00:38:50,480 Speaker 1: and at this point Columbia basically drops us. I mean 757 00:38:50,520 --> 00:38:52,320 Speaker 1: they don't drop us, but you know, they pulled the 758 00:38:52,360 --> 00:38:56,720 Speaker 1: plug on everything. We're touring places where we were selling 759 00:38:56,760 --> 00:39:00,360 Speaker 1: out theaters, were playing at at clubs and strip malls, 760 00:39:00,440 --> 00:39:03,279 Speaker 1: nobody's coming, nobody's playing the record on the radio. We're 761 00:39:03,360 --> 00:39:06,200 Speaker 1: fighting on the bus. Then we get a call we're 762 00:39:06,239 --> 00:39:09,880 Speaker 1: going to Sweden. We're going to Stockholm. So March ninety 763 00:39:10,239 --> 00:39:13,240 Speaker 1: we played the concert house coat who said in Stockholm, 764 00:39:13,280 --> 00:39:16,160 Speaker 1: which is one of the most beautiful venues in the world, 765 00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:19,520 Speaker 1: it's sold out. Everyone knows every word to every song. 766 00:39:19,920 --> 00:39:22,800 Speaker 1: Five Miles is a number one record there, And it's like, 767 00:39:22,920 --> 00:39:26,000 Speaker 1: at this point, okay, we're a European band. We knew 768 00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:31,239 Speaker 1: even then. Okay, let's segue. Now do you becoming a songwriter? 769 00:39:31,800 --> 00:39:36,160 Speaker 1: Because was the year of Joan Osborne. Joan came a 770 00:39:36,239 --> 00:39:39,520 Speaker 1: bit later along what year was John Osborne? Joan Osborne 771 00:39:39,560 --> 00:39:43,000 Speaker 1: was um came out in God, I guess it's in 772 00:39:43,080 --> 00:39:45,440 Speaker 1: the past and it's all blending together. So at what 773 00:39:45,600 --> 00:39:47,919 Speaker 1: point do you side you're gonna write songs for other people? 774 00:39:48,200 --> 00:39:49,680 Speaker 1: Rob and I did a bit a bit of that. 775 00:39:49,840 --> 00:39:52,560 Speaker 1: We we did an album with Patty Smythe We wrote 776 00:39:52,600 --> 00:39:54,600 Speaker 1: some of the songs on that. We did Uh. We 777 00:39:54,719 --> 00:39:56,759 Speaker 1: did Cindy's third album with her and we wrote we 778 00:39:56,840 --> 00:40:00,400 Speaker 1: wrote a lot of that. But Rick and I've actually 779 00:40:00,400 --> 00:40:02,920 Speaker 1: simultaneously found Joan in ninety three, she was playing at 780 00:40:02,920 --> 00:40:06,400 Speaker 1: one of our manager's clubs in Philadelphia, and Um, we 781 00:40:06,520 --> 00:40:08,920 Speaker 1: decided to have her over and see what happened, and 782 00:40:09,080 --> 00:40:12,239 Speaker 1: we we clicked. Okay, I love that album. She's never 783 00:40:12,280 --> 00:40:14,200 Speaker 1: been able to follow it up with Ladder and all 784 00:40:14,239 --> 00:40:16,160 Speaker 1: those other songs. Get But how do you write one 785 00:40:16,239 --> 00:40:18,160 Speaker 1: of us? Okay, Well, here's how you write a one 786 00:40:18,239 --> 00:40:20,480 Speaker 1: of us. It was like a laboratory. We would go 787 00:40:20,600 --> 00:40:23,560 Speaker 1: in every day to to our our place. Anybody had 788 00:40:23,560 --> 00:40:25,680 Speaker 1: an idea, we would develop it, try to make a 789 00:40:25,719 --> 00:40:28,400 Speaker 1: real song. And the meanwhile, I've been on tour with 790 00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:31,520 Speaker 1: the Hooters. I sit down on a plane, a flight 791 00:40:31,640 --> 00:40:37,520 Speaker 1: from from JFK to Stockholm, and this beautiful, obviously Swedish 792 00:40:37,560 --> 00:40:40,640 Speaker 1: girl sits next to me. I asked her her name 793 00:40:40,840 --> 00:40:42,920 Speaker 1: in Swedish because I was already I had a feeling. 794 00:40:43,160 --> 00:40:44,839 Speaker 1: I had a feeling was gonna come in early Andy, 795 00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:47,520 Speaker 1: and um, she says, I'm a Swedish girl with the 796 00:40:47,560 --> 00:40:50,560 Speaker 1: Jewish name. Oh, Sarah, Well, I'm a Jewish boy with 797 00:40:50,600 --> 00:40:54,440 Speaker 1: a Swedish name. Um. And one thing leads to another. 798 00:40:55,400 --> 00:40:58,399 Speaker 1: That January, she she moves in with me. We're making 799 00:40:58,840 --> 00:41:01,719 Speaker 1: We're gonna make the Jonas on record. She has my car, 800 00:41:02,440 --> 00:41:04,759 Speaker 1: picks me up at one of our sessions. I have 801 00:41:04,840 --> 00:41:07,000 Speaker 1: a guitar riff. You saw, you saw the thing with 802 00:41:07,080 --> 00:41:09,680 Speaker 1: the fingers. I picked up a guitar at Rob's one 803 00:41:09,760 --> 00:41:16,160 Speaker 1: morning and I did this. It just came out that 804 00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:20,200 Speaker 1: that's what it's the riff doujor. That was the riff doujur. 805 00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:22,880 Speaker 1: So that was in my head. I was playing that 806 00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:25,000 Speaker 1: playing on the piano. In fact, when Sarah came to 807 00:41:25,080 --> 00:41:26,960 Speaker 1: pick me up from the session, I was sitting at 808 00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:29,600 Speaker 1: the piano playing it and Joan was like riffing, doing 809 00:41:29,640 --> 00:41:33,359 Speaker 1: her Joan bluesy riffing thing over it. Maybe we'll make 810 00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:35,400 Speaker 1: something out of that. So we go home, we have dinner. 811 00:41:35,560 --> 00:41:38,040 Speaker 1: We watched the Making of Sergeant Pepper. You've seen that 812 00:41:38,120 --> 00:41:43,279 Speaker 1: documentary George Martin at the flat four channel. So it 813 00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:46,120 Speaker 1: ends and Sarah says, well, four track recording. What's what's 814 00:41:46,160 --> 00:41:49,319 Speaker 1: that all about? I said, well that, well, that crap 815 00:41:49,440 --> 00:41:51,920 Speaker 1: on my dining room table. That's a four track recorder. 816 00:41:52,080 --> 00:41:55,640 Speaker 1: Oh record something for me, she says, So, okay, I've 817 00:41:55,680 --> 00:41:58,000 Speaker 1: got this guitar riff. I have a little keyboard with 818 00:41:58,200 --> 00:42:00,759 Speaker 1: you know, drum sounds. And bass sounds. So I make 819 00:42:00,920 --> 00:42:03,800 Speaker 1: a little arrangement, a little track arrangement. Okay, I'll for 820 00:42:03,920 --> 00:42:08,000 Speaker 1: the verse, I'll just apeggiated of chord changes. Yeah, and 821 00:42:08,239 --> 00:42:13,480 Speaker 1: then I'll go somewhere for the B section. Yeah. Um. 822 00:42:13,719 --> 00:42:16,080 Speaker 1: And I put together a little arrangement and recorded it, 823 00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:20,040 Speaker 1: and I thought she'd be really impressed. And she's like, oh, 824 00:42:20,160 --> 00:42:23,400 Speaker 1: that's cool. Now sing it? Like sing it? What do 825 00:42:23,480 --> 00:42:26,040 Speaker 1: you mean? You need a chorus, you need a title, 826 00:42:26,080 --> 00:42:28,120 Speaker 1: you need a concept, and you have to write verses. 827 00:42:28,160 --> 00:42:30,479 Speaker 1: And then you realize that the verses don't fit the chorus, 828 00:42:30,520 --> 00:42:32,120 Speaker 1: so you change the course. And then two weeks later 829 00:42:32,160 --> 00:42:34,399 Speaker 1: you realize you ruined the whole thing, and you start over, 830 00:42:34,480 --> 00:42:38,320 Speaker 1: and eventually you know it takes takes some time here. Meanwhile, 831 00:42:38,360 --> 00:42:40,960 Speaker 1: she falls asleep on the sofa and I hear the 832 00:42:41,040 --> 00:42:43,680 Speaker 1: voice of Brad Roberts from the Crash Test Dummies in 833 00:42:43,760 --> 00:42:49,239 Speaker 1: my head, singing, if God had a name? Right? So, yeah, 834 00:42:49,239 --> 00:42:52,399 Speaker 1: I've told you this before, so but tell everybody else, telling, 835 00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:55,520 Speaker 1: telling everybody else. I hit record and I sang the song. 836 00:42:57,280 --> 00:42:59,160 Speaker 1: I sang the whole song except the last line of 837 00:42:59,200 --> 00:43:02,920 Speaker 1: the chorus. I was stuck just the stranger on the 838 00:43:03,160 --> 00:43:08,359 Speaker 1: bus and Sarah wakes up and goes trying to get home. 839 00:43:09,440 --> 00:43:13,719 Speaker 1: Stranger on the bus trying to get trying to trying 840 00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:18,360 Speaker 1: to make his way. Thank you, go back to sleeve. Okay, 841 00:43:18,400 --> 00:43:20,759 Speaker 1: you finished the song. Finished the song. One in the morning, 842 00:43:20,800 --> 00:43:23,799 Speaker 1: my my five year old daughters asleep upstairs. Go into 843 00:43:23,840 --> 00:43:27,359 Speaker 1: our our writing session the next day, have the little 844 00:43:27,440 --> 00:43:29,760 Speaker 1: dad tape with me. Forget about the song. I forget 845 00:43:29,800 --> 00:43:32,480 Speaker 1: that I've done it. Take a break in the afternoon. Um, 846 00:43:32,600 --> 00:43:34,719 Speaker 1: there might have been some herbal component to the to 847 00:43:34,840 --> 00:43:37,239 Speaker 1: the break. Uh. And then I remember, oh, guys, I 848 00:43:37,360 --> 00:43:40,719 Speaker 1: wrote this crazy thing, popping it. Rob pops in and 849 00:43:40,760 --> 00:43:42,879 Speaker 1: it was we were at Rob's at this point. Song ends. 850 00:43:42,960 --> 00:43:44,640 Speaker 1: I look up at first I see Rob and he's 851 00:43:44,640 --> 00:43:47,000 Speaker 1: sitting there with his arms crossed with that Oh god, 852 00:43:47,080 --> 00:43:49,520 Speaker 1: here's another one of another one of Eric's weird songs. 853 00:43:49,960 --> 00:43:51,680 Speaker 1: I look at Joan and she's like, you know, okay, 854 00:43:51,760 --> 00:43:54,080 Speaker 1: when can we get back to work? And Rick is 855 00:43:54,160 --> 00:43:56,600 Speaker 1: just looking down in that deep Rick space that he 856 00:43:56,680 --> 00:44:00,640 Speaker 1: gets into. Looks up says Joan, you think you could 857 00:44:00,680 --> 00:44:02,719 Speaker 1: sing that? He didn't say do you want to sing that? 858 00:44:03,040 --> 00:44:06,080 Speaker 1: Because she probably would have said, right, do you think 859 00:44:06,120 --> 00:44:08,439 Speaker 1: you could sing that the story I tell us she said, 860 00:44:08,520 --> 00:44:10,520 Speaker 1: I can sing the phone Book right out the lyrics. 861 00:44:11,360 --> 00:44:13,359 Speaker 1: I don't think she actually said that. She did say 862 00:44:13,400 --> 00:44:15,920 Speaker 1: something about a phone book, but it wasn't in that context. 863 00:44:16,040 --> 00:44:18,320 Speaker 1: But I wrote out the lyrics. I plugged the guitar 864 00:44:18,400 --> 00:44:21,320 Speaker 1: in and we just did a live to tape version 865 00:44:21,600 --> 00:44:24,120 Speaker 1: with guitar and vocal, and we all just looked at 866 00:44:24,160 --> 00:44:28,480 Speaker 1: each other and went, okay. I got remembered. That session ended. 867 00:44:28,520 --> 00:44:30,920 Speaker 1: I got in the car, poptica set in, listened and 868 00:44:31,320 --> 00:44:33,560 Speaker 1: started writing the grammy speech I should have gotten to give. 869 00:44:35,080 --> 00:44:37,520 Speaker 1: So you knew right away. I knew. I knew that voice, 870 00:44:37,680 --> 00:44:39,960 Speaker 1: that that was the voice that was born to sing 871 00:44:40,080 --> 00:44:41,759 Speaker 1: that song, and that was the song that that voice 872 00:44:41,840 --> 00:44:44,600 Speaker 1: was born to say. Okay. Now that song became ubiquitous, 873 00:44:44,960 --> 00:44:48,080 Speaker 1: to the point there was even a backlash. Did you 874 00:44:48,200 --> 00:44:54,919 Speaker 1: experience that as the writer? No? Yeah, they protested Joan 875 00:44:54,960 --> 00:44:57,680 Speaker 1: Osborne the Catholic League, which turns out has nothing to 876 00:44:57,719 --> 00:45:02,359 Speaker 1: do with the Catholic Church. Yeah. Really, And I saw 877 00:45:02,440 --> 00:45:04,920 Speaker 1: the guy interviewed on TV and he says, I remember 878 00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:08,040 Speaker 1: him saying, yes, you know her album, there's lots of 879 00:45:08,080 --> 00:45:14,520 Speaker 1: spirituality and sexuality and it raises questions. That's what a 880 00:45:14,560 --> 00:45:17,240 Speaker 1: song does. We'll have none of that here, but okay, 881 00:45:17,360 --> 00:45:21,359 Speaker 1: you write a song of that magnitude, two opportunities come 882 00:45:21,400 --> 00:45:24,800 Speaker 1: to you. Bone starts ringing off the Desmond Child. This 883 00:45:24,880 --> 00:45:27,319 Speaker 1: is where Desmond comes in. My buddy Glenn was sitting 884 00:45:27,320 --> 00:45:31,680 Speaker 1: out there, met Desmond at a dinner in Miami, calls 885 00:45:31,719 --> 00:45:33,640 Speaker 1: me and says, can I give Desmond Child your number? 886 00:45:33,640 --> 00:45:37,000 Speaker 1: I'm like, are you kidding? Right? Right right? So Desmond 887 00:45:37,040 --> 00:45:39,520 Speaker 1: calls me and he says, I've got this artist in 888 00:45:39,800 --> 00:45:43,560 Speaker 1: uh in London that I'm gonna sign. I've got a 889 00:45:43,680 --> 00:45:46,520 Speaker 1: song title Kiss the Rain, and I want to write 890 00:45:46,560 --> 00:45:48,000 Speaker 1: that song with you, and I want you to play 891 00:45:48,040 --> 00:45:49,440 Speaker 1: your guitar like you played it on one of us, 892 00:45:49,480 --> 00:45:53,759 Speaker 1: and I want your lyrical quirkiness for this, okay. And 893 00:45:53,880 --> 00:45:56,480 Speaker 1: I said, well cool, but I'm going to France next 894 00:45:56,520 --> 00:46:00,840 Speaker 1: week for this songwriting thing at my Miles Copeland's castle. Okay, 895 00:46:00,960 --> 00:46:04,680 Speaker 1: I'll come. So he followed me there and that's okay, 896 00:46:04,760 --> 00:46:06,800 Speaker 1: and that's where we started the song. And then he 897 00:46:07,000 --> 00:46:09,160 Speaker 1: lured me to London where we finished it with Billy 898 00:46:09,239 --> 00:46:12,800 Speaker 1: and at the Houseyon Hotel. Okay, how hard is it 899 00:46:12,920 --> 00:46:15,440 Speaker 1: to write when you're giving those prescriptions as supposed to 900 00:46:15,520 --> 00:46:17,640 Speaker 1: waiting for inspiration. I'll tell you how it happened. We 901 00:46:17,719 --> 00:46:21,360 Speaker 1: were standing by a wall in the courtyard and in 902 00:46:21,440 --> 00:46:23,320 Speaker 1: the castle and I picked up the guitar and go 903 00:46:31,680 --> 00:46:35,040 Speaker 1: and Desmond says, that's the chorus. That's that you've We've 904 00:46:35,120 --> 00:46:38,680 Speaker 1: just started kiss the Rain, okay, and it's cool. And 905 00:46:39,200 --> 00:46:41,400 Speaker 1: so we went to London. I played that and Desmond, 906 00:46:41,560 --> 00:46:45,160 Speaker 1: you know, kissed all right? That was you know, you 907 00:46:45,239 --> 00:46:48,000 Speaker 1: know I I do too, in fact of what you hear, 908 00:46:48,040 --> 00:46:51,839 Speaker 1: and that we recorded on My My, um My then 909 00:46:51,920 --> 00:46:54,840 Speaker 1: State of the Art Roland vs. Eight eight in that 910 00:46:55,000 --> 00:46:58,040 Speaker 1: hotel room in London. So what are your some of 911 00:46:58,120 --> 00:47:01,840 Speaker 1: your other favorite sort of sort of songs for hire 912 00:47:01,920 --> 00:47:05,879 Speaker 1: that you've written. I still like old before I die. 913 00:47:06,160 --> 00:47:09,040 Speaker 1: Robbie Williams first single, Okay, you know we live in 914 00:47:09,120 --> 00:47:11,680 Speaker 1: America where Robbie Williams never made it. How big was 915 00:47:11,800 --> 00:47:15,200 Speaker 1: that song in the UK? Huge? Huge all over Europe 916 00:47:15,520 --> 00:47:17,880 Speaker 1: over here? Okay? So you write these songs. We hear 917 00:47:17,920 --> 00:47:20,880 Speaker 1: all these stories about the music business. Do you believe 918 00:47:20,960 --> 00:47:23,600 Speaker 1: you were a the deals were fair and you got 919 00:47:23,680 --> 00:47:26,920 Speaker 1: the money you were entitled to. I still not have 920 00:47:27,080 --> 00:47:29,760 Speaker 1: not seen a scent from from our our Sony records, 921 00:47:29,760 --> 00:47:33,440 Speaker 1: our Columbia Records were still in the red. Wow, that 922 00:47:33,560 --> 00:47:38,400 Speaker 1: was a songwriter. Um, I've always kept my publishing, so 923 00:47:39,280 --> 00:47:42,080 Speaker 1: that's yeah. That was good. That continues to be good. 924 00:47:42,480 --> 00:47:45,080 Speaker 1: You know that the balance is changing now because streaming 925 00:47:45,680 --> 00:47:49,560 Speaker 1: favors the the rights owners. So right, the songwriters are 926 00:47:49,600 --> 00:47:53,120 Speaker 1: screwed in terms of percentage wise with streaming. Draconian. Okay, 927 00:47:53,440 --> 00:47:56,799 Speaker 1: so do you now view yourself You've had these successes, 928 00:47:56,840 --> 00:47:59,960 Speaker 1: We're going back twenty years to you know yourself yourself 929 00:48:00,000 --> 00:48:03,000 Speaker 1: as a songwriter as opposed to performer. I'm a musician, 930 00:48:03,760 --> 00:48:07,160 Speaker 1: you know. I'm a guitar player. I'm a singer when 931 00:48:07,160 --> 00:48:10,040 Speaker 1: I need to be. I'm an entertainer. I love performing. 932 00:48:10,239 --> 00:48:12,600 Speaker 1: I write songs because I need something to play. And 933 00:48:12,719 --> 00:48:14,800 Speaker 1: at this point in time, do you write the song 934 00:48:15,000 --> 00:48:17,520 Speaker 1: and then find the artist or to use or is 935 00:48:17,560 --> 00:48:21,279 Speaker 1: it like with Desmond Child, Hey, here's the title, here's 936 00:48:21,280 --> 00:48:23,760 Speaker 1: the situation. Right for this, it's usually with the artist. 937 00:48:24,520 --> 00:48:27,520 Speaker 1: You know. I had a great relationship with Amanda Marshall. 938 00:48:27,520 --> 00:48:30,239 Speaker 1: I wrote almost all of her second album. She was 939 00:48:30,400 --> 00:48:32,319 Speaker 1: whatever happened to her, you know, I stay in touch 940 00:48:32,360 --> 00:48:35,600 Speaker 1: with her, and she she had a nightmare thing with 941 00:48:35,680 --> 00:48:38,239 Speaker 1: her management and with with her her record company, and 942 00:48:38,360 --> 00:48:42,200 Speaker 1: she literally couldn't make music for five years, six years. 943 00:48:42,239 --> 00:48:44,839 Speaker 1: And by then, but I even saw at the Troupe door, 944 00:48:44,880 --> 00:48:47,640 Speaker 1: I was a huge fan. I wrote eleven of the 945 00:48:47,680 --> 00:48:50,120 Speaker 1: thirteen songs on that second album and produced the singles. 946 00:48:50,480 --> 00:48:53,640 Speaker 1: I loved her. I love her as a person, her voice, 947 00:48:54,120 --> 00:48:57,200 Speaker 1: she did things that were I wept after she did 948 00:48:57,280 --> 00:48:59,320 Speaker 1: the vocal for if I Didn't Have You, which is 949 00:48:59,840 --> 00:49:01,760 Speaker 1: I think one of the best songs I've ever written. 950 00:49:01,960 --> 00:49:04,400 Speaker 1: She did a song on the Tin Cup soundtrack. We 951 00:49:04,560 --> 00:49:07,800 Speaker 1: involved in that. That was earlier. Okay, So okay, you 952 00:49:07,840 --> 00:49:11,799 Speaker 1: said you work with her and any other situations recently, Yeah, yeah, 953 00:49:11,800 --> 00:49:13,799 Speaker 1: I mean I've been writing with the Scorpions for two 954 00:49:13,840 --> 00:49:19,160 Speaker 1: thousand three. About Scorpions went on their retirement tour. I 955 00:49:19,320 --> 00:49:20,840 Speaker 1: think I know the age, and I think the retirement 956 00:49:20,880 --> 00:49:22,600 Speaker 1: tour was three and a half years ago. And then 957 00:49:23,040 --> 00:49:25,399 Speaker 1: there's been two new albums since those five years ago. 958 00:49:25,400 --> 00:49:27,799 Speaker 1: And I actually wrote the single from that album, the Bet, 959 00:49:27,840 --> 00:49:30,640 Speaker 1: which was called the Best is Yet to come? Right 960 00:49:30,719 --> 00:49:35,719 Speaker 1: have been a clue? So you know, some people would 961 00:49:35,760 --> 00:49:37,960 Speaker 1: say that's a huge journey from Joan Osborne. But I 962 00:49:38,000 --> 00:49:40,600 Speaker 1: guess if you're a guitar player, it all works. It's 963 00:49:40,600 --> 00:49:42,719 Speaker 1: all music. It's all music. You know. I've done a 964 00:49:42,760 --> 00:49:45,719 Speaker 1: lot of folky stuff I've done, I've done r and 965 00:49:46,200 --> 00:49:48,680 Speaker 1: you know, it's music. It's finding a melody in some words, 966 00:49:48,760 --> 00:49:50,800 Speaker 1: and finding a way to play it. So how do 967 00:49:50,880 --> 00:49:53,279 Speaker 1: you decide to get the Hooters back together? You get 968 00:49:53,320 --> 00:49:56,880 Speaker 1: the band back together as well. We sort of we 969 00:49:57,000 --> 00:49:59,359 Speaker 1: never broke up. The phone started ringing off the hook 970 00:49:59,400 --> 00:50:02,880 Speaker 1: for me. You know. Rick signed us again to his 971 00:50:03,320 --> 00:50:06,440 Speaker 1: his label, PolyGram, but the well had sort of run 972 00:50:06,520 --> 00:50:09,520 Speaker 1: dry for Hooters songs, uh and Rob and Rick had 973 00:50:09,560 --> 00:50:11,839 Speaker 1: this concept for an album called Largo, which was based 974 00:50:11,880 --> 00:50:16,520 Speaker 1: on the Vorjak's epic journey across America. I wasn't feeling it. 975 00:50:16,800 --> 00:50:20,120 Speaker 1: I didn't really get what the concept was. Um, but 976 00:50:20,360 --> 00:50:22,880 Speaker 1: the music was beautiful. Um. It was just it was 977 00:50:23,320 --> 00:50:26,239 Speaker 1: ironic that on on the heels of my biggest ever hit, 978 00:50:26,280 --> 00:50:28,600 Speaker 1: which was totally lyric driven, I didn't write a word 979 00:50:28,640 --> 00:50:31,840 Speaker 1: of lyric on on the Largo album and it ultimately stiffed. 980 00:50:32,120 --> 00:50:34,040 Speaker 1: It did, which is a shame because it did. It 981 00:50:34,160 --> 00:50:36,360 Speaker 1: really did deserve to be heard, but there wasn't a 982 00:50:36,440 --> 00:50:39,839 Speaker 1: real artist. You know, I didn't. I did not want 983 00:50:39,840 --> 00:50:41,680 Speaker 1: it to be called the Hooters. It to me it 984 00:50:41,800 --> 00:50:43,799 Speaker 1: was not a Hooters record. The Hooters are a rock band. 985 00:50:44,200 --> 00:50:47,759 Speaker 1: That was not supposed to be Hooter's album. Um it's 986 00:50:47,800 --> 00:50:50,480 Speaker 1: a beautiful record. In fact, we performed it at Joe's 987 00:50:50,520 --> 00:50:54,320 Speaker 1: Pub last year because Rick and Rick is on a 988 00:50:54,400 --> 00:50:56,640 Speaker 1: mission to make a musical out of it. But there's 989 00:50:56,680 --> 00:50:59,000 Speaker 1: no book. It's like it's that kind of asked backwards. 990 00:50:59,080 --> 00:51:04,239 Speaker 1: But God us and his tenacity is is noteworthy. But uh, 991 00:51:04,520 --> 00:51:06,560 Speaker 1: you know Rob wanted you know, we had kids were 992 00:51:06,600 --> 00:51:08,680 Speaker 1: do you know we're raising our families. Rob wants to 993 00:51:08,680 --> 00:51:12,840 Speaker 1: build a studio. I'm getting all these opportunities, and you 994 00:51:12,880 --> 00:51:14,520 Speaker 1: know I did just I wanted to do a solo record, 995 00:51:14,640 --> 00:51:16,880 Speaker 1: which I did. I finally released that in two thousand 996 00:51:17,080 --> 00:51:19,359 Speaker 1: to no acclaim. But it's but I enjoyed it. Thank 997 00:51:19,400 --> 00:51:21,000 Speaker 1: you you did, and you wrote a really nice thing 998 00:51:21,040 --> 00:51:23,520 Speaker 1: about it. Time just went by all of a sudden. 999 00:51:23,560 --> 00:51:25,600 Speaker 1: We hadn't you know, played in six years. And then 1000 00:51:25,640 --> 00:51:28,040 Speaker 1: we get a phone call from Pierre Robert at w MMR. 1001 00:51:28,120 --> 00:51:30,960 Speaker 1: He's celebrating twenty years with the Hooters get together and 1002 00:51:31,080 --> 00:51:33,600 Speaker 1: play at his anniversary concerts. So we get on stage. 1003 00:51:33,600 --> 00:51:39,240 Speaker 1: We played forty minutes before Fuel. So we get on stage. 1004 00:51:39,400 --> 00:51:40,719 Speaker 1: You know, we re hearsed a couple of days and 1005 00:51:40,800 --> 00:51:44,279 Speaker 1: we remember playing looking around. We even think this is 1006 00:51:44,360 --> 00:51:46,600 Speaker 1: the best band I'll ever be in. I mean, you know, 1007 00:51:46,680 --> 00:51:48,560 Speaker 1: I've played with the greatest musicians in the world, but 1008 00:51:48,640 --> 00:51:50,400 Speaker 1: this is the best band I will ever be in. 1009 00:51:50,960 --> 00:51:53,280 Speaker 1: And uh, you know, we all had we had commitments 1010 00:51:53,320 --> 00:51:55,759 Speaker 1: through that summer. So but finally two thousand three we 1011 00:51:55,920 --> 00:51:57,959 Speaker 1: went back on. We went back to Germany. We toured 1012 00:51:58,000 --> 00:52:01,719 Speaker 1: all summer. And how much you work now basically it's 1013 00:52:01,719 --> 00:52:03,719 Speaker 1: a it's a summer job, okay. And how many of 1014 00:52:03,760 --> 00:52:06,400 Speaker 1: the people are original people? Well, our bass players only 1015 00:52:06,480 --> 00:52:11,560 Speaker 1: been with us since seven and everybody else, everybody else 1016 00:52:11,640 --> 00:52:14,399 Speaker 1: is originally Yeah, and we had we added a six 1017 00:52:14,520 --> 00:52:16,680 Speaker 1: member in two thousand ten because I broke my shoulder. 1018 00:52:16,719 --> 00:52:18,839 Speaker 1: Didn't know if I'd be able to play skiing don't 1019 00:52:18,960 --> 00:52:20,719 Speaker 1: do not a bad fall, but it was a snow 1020 00:52:21,160 --> 00:52:25,040 Speaker 1: uh snow ice snake under this powder snake. I landed 1021 00:52:25,120 --> 00:52:27,480 Speaker 1: on my on my elbow. Snap. I didn't know if 1022 00:52:27,480 --> 00:52:29,399 Speaker 1: I'd be able to play, So we added friend who 1023 00:52:29,440 --> 00:52:31,480 Speaker 1: I always said, if I hurt myself, you're the call. 1024 00:52:31,840 --> 00:52:34,279 Speaker 1: So can everybody make a living from their music? From 1025 00:52:34,320 --> 00:52:39,240 Speaker 1: the Hooters? We we we Yeah, yeah, pretty much. Okay, 1026 00:52:39,480 --> 00:52:42,000 Speaker 1: So if you achieve the dream looking at it from above, 1027 00:52:42,040 --> 00:52:43,640 Speaker 1: of course, I've written a song that everyone in the 1028 00:52:43,680 --> 00:52:46,239 Speaker 1: world knows and loves. I play in a band that 1029 00:52:46,600 --> 00:52:48,680 Speaker 1: plays as much as we want to, when we want 1030 00:52:48,719 --> 00:52:50,680 Speaker 1: to where we want to. I still feel there's a 1031 00:52:50,719 --> 00:52:52,520 Speaker 1: bit of a restless thing. I feel like there's something 1032 00:52:52,560 --> 00:52:54,840 Speaker 1: I still haven't done that I'm gonna do right, And 1033 00:52:54,920 --> 00:52:57,000 Speaker 1: how hard are you working at it? I am working. 1034 00:52:57,080 --> 00:53:00,080 Speaker 1: It's so hard. I'm working it so hard. I'm know 1035 00:53:00,160 --> 00:53:02,160 Speaker 1: now that I'm living in Stockholm, I'm in the center 1036 00:53:02,239 --> 00:53:05,800 Speaker 1: of the songwriting producing universe. So one day I'm writing 1037 00:53:05,880 --> 00:53:09,360 Speaker 1: a pop song. Uh, the next day I'm writing with 1038 00:53:09,400 --> 00:53:11,640 Speaker 1: a hard rock band. So you okay, So how does 1039 00:53:11,680 --> 00:53:13,759 Speaker 1: that answer your work? There's a network or you have 1040 00:53:13,880 --> 00:53:15,800 Speaker 1: to create the network for yourself. They come to me 1041 00:53:17,440 --> 00:53:20,520 Speaker 1: that we have to. You have come to listen to 1042 00:53:20,560 --> 00:53:23,759 Speaker 1: the Bob Left Sets podcast with Eric Basilian. We heard 1043 00:53:23,760 --> 00:53:27,839 Speaker 1: amazing stories about his band Cyndi Lawper other successes. Thanks 1044 00:53:27,880 --> 00:53:34,920 Speaker 1: so much, for doing this. Thank you, Bob. Always a pleasure. Hi, 1045 00:53:35,120 --> 00:53:36,759 Speaker 1: this is Bob left Sets. I don't want to thank 1046 00:53:36,800 --> 00:53:40,080 Speaker 1: you for being a fan of my podcast. You can 1047 00:53:40,200 --> 00:53:43,160 Speaker 1: email me at Bob at left sets dot com and 1048 00:53:43,440 --> 00:53:46,200 Speaker 1: let us know what you think. We're open to all ideas. 1049 00:53:46,480 --> 00:53:50,200 Speaker 1: Be sure to subscribe to tune in, iTunes or your 1050 00:53:50,520 --> 00:54:06,080 Speaker 1: podcast player of choice. Can think of