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Entertainment Chat Transcripts
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Mike
Jordan: Kevin, you probably get the same generic questions all
the time, but I have to ask one. What is the strangest thing
that you have seen occur when you were on stage.
Kevin Cronin (REO Speedwagon) : Well, let's see..there've been a lot of them. There was a girl in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, who was getting more and more excited during the set. She showed me her body at one point. Everyone in the band kind of enjoyed that. But as the night went on, she ran out of ideas, so she actually took out her dentures and exposed her gums to us. It grossed us out pretty much. Mike Jordan: Barry, how did the Sound of Music show go last night in Jackson and are you going to appear at Northpark or Metrocenter today? Thanks, M.J. Barry Williams (Brady Bunch) : We had a magical opening night, and our run here in Jackson is totally sold out. Hope to see you at the book signing. Mike Jordan: Barry, who were your musical influences? Barry Williams (Brady Bunch) : James Taylor, Elton John, Neil Diamond, Jim Croce. Mike Jordan: Barry, have you had any negative feelings toward Hollywood, such as many other "child stars"? Barry Williams (Brady Bunch) : No. Hollywood is a business and studio factory, and always creates new challenges. I am happy that I have been able to navigate the minefield. Mike Jordan: Ronnie, is there any special significance to the DIO logo? Ronnie James Dio: No, I think that the thing that what people imply is that if you turn it upside down and read it backwards it says devil. That's not true. You can construe or misconstrue anything in this life. Dio is Dio. Mike Jordan: Do you still keep in touch with Don Dokken? George Lynch (Dokken) : Not at all. I've not heard from anyone in Dokken since I was terminated in '97. When you're in the record business, you renegotiate when you make it. Don basically said he didn't want to share the deal, so he tried to fire the linchpins and hired replacements. We sued him to quit using the name Dokken when he went off and did his own thing. But his career didn't go so well, although Lynch Mob did o.k. He came back with his tail between his legs in 94, asking me to come back, said he had reinvented himself, etc. I jumped back in bed with him and got screwed again. They never paid me what they were supposed to pay me, blah blah blah. Mike Jordan: George, what is your favorite tune to perform live on stage? George Lynch (Dokken) : Improvising. Going off occasionally, starting a riff, and making it up as we go along. Mike Jordan: Peter, did you think in your wildest dreams that "Frampton Comes Alive" would be so successful? Perfect timing, right? Peter Frampton: I had no idea that it would have been so big 25 years ago, and certainly never thought that it would have this indelible effect! I think that's the ultimate tribute paid to me by the public. Sometimes you make something that lasts artistically or musically or literarily that last forever, and I'm humbled by that. Mike Jordan: Jeff, first of all, I just want to say that I've always thought that Tesla's music was/is totally unique in the genre of hard rock, especially the "western" sound of Modern Day Cowboy. Where do you get the inspiration for your music? Thanks man! Jeff Keith (Tesla) : That would be Frank and Tommy and Brian's department. They're influenced by Southern Rock and the '80s. We all love AC/DC, Skynyrd, Led Zep, etc. We think it's a great mixture. Mike Jordan: Jeff, where do you see the future of rock music going? I hope whatever direction, that Tesla leads the way! Thanks! M.J. Jeff Keith (Tesla) : I think rock music sounds good these days. I was a big fan of the grunge stuff, so I always love where music's going. I'm very excited to make the new Tesla album. Mike Jordan: Yngwie, of all the singers you've performed with, whom do you think fits your style of music the best? Yngwie Malmsteen: I have yet to find the guy. I write in such a wide range of notes -- I've always looked at the vocalist as another instrument. It's operatic. It's a bit of a struggle. Mike Jordan: Rikki, what do you think of today's music scene? Rikki Rockett (Poison) : That's a big question, because we could be talking about electronica, rock, latin. If you're talking about rock, I think it's getting better. But there's too many people trying to be heavier than the next guy, and it's resulting in not enough creativity. An angst competition. Mike Jordan: Kevin, do you think the style of 80's metal will ever be as popular as it once was? I mean like the long hair, screaming guitar solos, groupies, etc. Kevin DuBrow (Quiet Riot) : Nothing ever returns to its exact same form. I think it'll come back in a different form -- bands like Buckcherry are spearheading that movement. As far as the screaming guitar solos, some of that got a bit excessive, and that's why some bands eliminated them. Guitar solos played by the right person I quite enjoy. As far as the groupies go, I don't know if that'll ever come back, especially with the AIDS thing going on. Mike Jordan: Rob, do you forsee the style of 80's "metal" making a comeback, such as other genres of music have. Thanks, M.J. Rob Halford (Judas Priest) : I think the 80s style of metal never completely vanished. I'm pleased that style (and others) are alive in kicking in America. It's only in America you can have such a diverse cross-section of metal music. Mike Jordan: Juan, what song do you most enjoy playing live and in which city do you enjoy performing the most? Thanks! Juan Croucier (Ratt & Dokken): That's a tough one! We had so many great songs that I enjoyed. "Round and Round" was always fun. Favorite cities? Virtually anywhere in the U.S. was great to play. Mike Jordan: Zakk, howdy. Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and what rock acts do you enjoy listening to today? Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne): Sabbath was the band for me, and Jimi Hendrix (my guitar teacher turned me on to him), Mahogany Rush. Today I listen to everything from Neil Young to Ministry to Pantera. Also sports talk radio. Mike Jordan: Zakk, was Ozzy as wild on tour as all the rumors have said? Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne): When I first joined the band he was still drinking, so it was pretty nuts. He can still throw down now. It was crazier when I first joined the band. Mike Jordan: What is the strangest venue you have played? Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne): When I first started playing I played someone's kitchen, and we blew the windows out of the house. Mike Jordan: Do you forsee a return of "hair metal" in the near future? Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne): I don't know about that, but definitely metal and hardcore music. Bands like Mudvayne, Slipknot, like that. It's about heavy music, not about goofy hair. But you never know. If a 15-year old kid thinks it's cool they'll do it. Mike Jordan: What CD is in your stereo right now? Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne): Early Van Halen, Ministry, Pantera. Mike Jordan: Stephen, was there any one thing that led to the breakup of RATT? Stephen Pearcy (RATT): It was called disrespect, fighting, feuding, insecurities, and having to put the blame on somebody. I started this band, down to the logo, and I'm a main writer. It was terrible. Too many people wanted to take credit for things they didn't do, and blaming each other for things going wrong. It's totally Spinal Tap - that's why that movie is so real. When these guys started attacking me a year or so ago I didn't want to say anything until I felt I had to tell my side. There are people who are way out of line. Mike Jordan: What do you think of today's metal music scene? Stephen Pearcy (RATT): I think it's metal rap, at least until I release my new record. There are some great bands (Disturbed, Korn) who get the niche, but then it messes up somewhere. That's an internal problem. There's a great scene out there, and there are some good bands. I can't take some stuff, but some stuff I groove, to like Linkin Park. Mike Jordan: What Crue video was the most fun to make? Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue): I got asked this the other day, and I have to say that my favorite is Primal Scream. Mike Jordan: Bret, I'm a collector of sports memorabilia and I saw recently on MTV that Sebastian Bach collects KISS stuff. Do you collect any particular thing? Bret Michaels (Poison): My biggest collection is Pittsburgh Steeler/Pirates/Penguin stuff. I like sports memorabilia; Mohammed Ali's boxing glove, Cal Ripken's baseball. Mike Jordan: Of all the wild things that you must have seen and been involved with during Poison's heyday, is there any one thing that stands out as the strangest? Thanks. M.J. Bret Michaels (Poison): Considering this is a family newspaper,I'll tell this. Playing the Texas Jam in 1987, going on stage, having Steven Tyler watch us perform, and having Paul Stanley jamming with us on stage, was probably one of the most memorable and surreally strange moments of my life. Mike Jordan: Do you see a resurgence of "80's Metal"? Mark Slaughter and Blas Elias (Slaughter): Mark: I think there's a resurgence of people wanting to relive the good times. Right now, it's stronger than it has been in the last 10 years. I really can't put my finger on it. We're very blessed. Blas: There's an increased demand for us in our live performances. Record sales aren't always reflected by live attendances, so we're coming up with new music. Mike Jordan: Hi guys! What performer or group has been the wildest to go on tour with? Mark Slaughter and Blas Elias (Slaughter): Blas: Probably Poison in 1991. Those guys were pretty out of control back then. Kiss was great, although not as out of control backstage as onstage. Mike Jordan: Jeff, I read that George Lynch doesn't think very highly of Don Dokken. Were the problems in Dokken that bad? Thanks! Jeff Pilson (Dokken): I would say yes, it was pretty bad, but I wouldn't blame one person. A lot of it was the combustible nature of the personalities. That's one of the reasons it couldn't work. Don has respect for George, but a lot of loathing as well. They don't have the same work ethic. Those two in particular didn't have a pleasant work situation. It made us all miserable. Mike Jordan: Which tour is the most memorable in your career and what group toured with you that year? Blue Oyster Cult (*Not sure who answered the question.): I'd say the most fun tour was the earliest tour supporting Alice Cooper in 1972. We really learned a lot from touring with Alice. He really invented the blending of theater and rock and roll. Mike Jordan: Michael, in the 80's when you and Stryper first started playing heavy metal music for God, what kind of feedback did you get from record execs and other suits? I think Stryper rocked and your lyrics were a breath of fresh air and uplifting. Michael Sweet (Stryper): At first we didn't get a lot of feedback. A lot of doors closed in our faces, and there are still people to this day who don't believe metal and God mix. Enigma was the only label interested in us at the time. They weren't suits, which was probably why they were liked us. They were down to earth and not shmoozy. We didn't have a lot of suits interested at the time, and still don't. Mike Jordan: Hi guys! It seems that your self-titled platinum album came at a peculiar time in the music scene in '91, when metal was on the way out and grunge was getting popular. I hope the metal sound makes a comeback and that groups like Firehouse lead the way. How do you see music progressing in the near future, as far as rock is concerned? Thanks! Bill Leverty and CJ Snare (Firehouse): Bill: I see things getting better, but not fast enough for me. We're finding that rock stations are doing an hour of hair bands. Down here in Tampa, their hair metal show is the most popular show in the whole marketplace. The more success stories we have like that, the more we'll find labels signing melodic hard rock. CJ: We're the hair band with no hair. As far as will the trend turn back, that's hard to say. Maybe movies like Rock Star will turn the trend. It's very cyclical. We've seen jeans go flared, straight legged, bootcut, and now flared again! We'll keep making music of the heart and hope it's what people want to hear. Mike Jordan : Hey Hammer, what's up? What is your opinion of the current Hip Hop music scene? Is anything out there new and fresh that you like? Thanks! MC Hammer: No one fresh. I don't see anything out there that's new, but there are acts that have been around I like, like OutKast. I like the fact that other regions are producing other sounds. Mike Jordan: Mr. Kaplan, did you keep any of the "Welcome Back Kotter" merchandise from the heyday in the '70's. That stuff is worth a fortune! Thanks! Gabe Kaplan: It was before e-bay. Now, we see there are a lot of people that save their lunchboxes. Mike Jordan: Mr. Kaplan, what do you think the decade of the 70's will be most remembered for? Gabe Kaplan: Afros Mike Jordan: Mr. Kaplan, if one of the networks decided to remake "Welcome Back Kotter", besides yourself, what actor would you like to portray Mr. Kotter? Gabe Kaplan: Cameron Diaz. That's all the time I have for now. Thanks for your questions and I have to go back now, the Sweathogs are causing some trouble. Take care. Mike Jordan: Joe, it
seems that hard rock music in the 80's doesn't get enough
credit or respect as a musical style, but every year some
one-hit wonder is acclaimed as the future of music. Why do you
think that is and what did you most enjoy about the 80's?
Thanks & keep on rockin' man! Joe Elliott (Def Leppard): It jumps generations. This is my theory: Any decade doesn't start until there's a "2" at the end of it. We were becoming the old wave in 1992, and it was the first time one generation challenged the previous generation with hatred. When grunge happened, they hated Motley, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, but the '70's were cool. Nowadays, you look at the late-night infomercials, and the '80s are becoming recognized again. The bands now are kids and mallrats from the '80s, whether System of a Down or Linkin Park. That's just the nature of the beast. When you see guys like SOAD or Lit raving about Leppard, it's interesting. If we can make slightly vital records, and we can keep a modicum of dignity in our appearance, we can get a break. Look at Aerosmith and U2. The '80s was all about being fake. Everybody was living this non-existant lifestyle, painting over the cracks of Saddam Hussein and the ghettos and pretending everything was o.k. The younger generation pointed all this out. Also, the '80s were experimental with regards to technology and studio stuff. That's when you had people like Madonna taking looks and records to the extremes.
Mike Jordan: Hi Clint. Here in Jackson,
there is a radio station that plays current country music with
a lot of classic country in between and it's great to hear some
of the classics on the radio again. Do you think some of
country music's core fans are being ignored by radio stations,
because they only play contemporary music? Thanks!
Mike Jordan: Edgar, hi. Are there any new
and original rock groups that you like who are on the scene
today? Thanks man.
Mike
Jordan: Hi Steve. Is it true that you had to practice "messing
up" the guitar solo in the movie Crossroads during the scene
when Ralph Machio wins the competition? It must be difficult to
make mistakes on cue when making a movie like that, especially
when you're such a talented guitarist. Thanks!
Mike
Jordan: LL, what's up? Do you think that classic rap from the
late '70's and early '80's gets enough respect from today's
young hip hop generation? Thanks, MJ |