Latest / Booked On Rock with Eric Senich / Rock Chronicles: Joe Matera Unveils the Backstage and Beyond with Music Legends [Episode 197]

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Rock Chronicles: Joe Matera Unveils the Backstage and Beyond with Music Legends [Episode 197] · Booked On Rock with Eric Senich

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We're totally booked in rock and roll. I mean gotta leave you. You're
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reading Little Hands says it's time to rock and roll, wreck roll, I
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totally booked. Welcome back to Booked on Rock, the podcast for those about
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to read and rock. Find the podcast at booked on rock dot com.
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There you can find every episode of Booked on Rock, along with links to
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media sites. Are there the latest rock book releases and you can now watch
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every episode infull on video at booked on rock dot com. Also on the
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Booked on Rock YouTube channel at Booked on Rock. And if you like what
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you see, be sure to click the like and subscribe buttons. That goes
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a long way to support the podcast. Joe Matterra is a returning guest to
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the podcast. Joe is to bring new book titled Louder Than Words Beyond.
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The Backstage Pass came out last week. This is a follow up to twenty
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twenty one's Backstage Pass, The Grit and the Glamour. Joe has a unique
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position as a music journalist who is also a professional musician. It's a lot
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of access to areas where music journalists aren't able to. In this his second
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book, Joe traces his childhood influences and meets the musicians who changed his life,
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such as Gianna Shaffer, who played on ABBA's studio albums, Jerry Rafferty,
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the genius behind Baker Street, international superstar Brian Adams, and his songwriting
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partner Jim Vallence. Louder than Words also delves into the often tortuous touring life
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of a musician, with life on the road off and leading to band breakups
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or mental breakdown. Joe also examines the impact of MTV and a generation of
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musicians, particularly one video by rising rock star Billy Squire that's said to have
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ruined his career. In addition to his solo music career as a singer,
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songwriter, and guitarist, Joe Mattera has written for international music magazines like Guitar
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Player, Guitar World, Record Collector, and gold Mine. He also writes
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a popular newspaper music column for The shepherd To News. His list of interviewees
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includes Metallica, Queen, Blondie, bon Jovi, Kiss, and Black Sabbath,
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just to name a few. Hey, Joe, welcome back. Thank
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you for having me back. Eric, it's a pleasure. We're just talking
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before. We're kind of haveing a good laugh about But you're in Australia.
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I'm in the US, and it is just what time? What day is
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it where you are right now? Because right now where I'm at, it's
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it's just after seven pm on April thirtieth, but where you are, I'm
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here at nine am on May the first. It's just so crazy. So
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thanks for doing this. We coordinated the times or we're ready to go.
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And you've got this brand new book. This is your second book, So
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tell us about the book. It's not just based on interviews as a journalist.
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This is a combination of artists that you interviewed, worked with on the
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road. As a musician, have you hung with from time to time?
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And the title of the book is interesting. That's the name of one of
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your songs right from twenty fifty Yes, Latin Words. I chose that because
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basically, you know, words sort of give you an image when you're write,
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and I thought words can be louder than that. So this is louder
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because music is louder than words anyway. So but yes, it's you're right
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about what this book covers. It's much more my own personal experiences and the
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artists that influenced my life and shape my life and my music, and I
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sort of delve into how that connection happens and then also do a deep dive
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into their own careers, you know. For example, Brian Adams, I
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go over his whole musical output and give you my views of what I think
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of the music and him, you know, and he is such an important
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element in my musical life. So yeah, there's so many great stories.
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Like you said, there's stories about being on the road with bands like The
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Animals and Canned Heat, as well as you know, meeting up with some
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of the other heroes of mine along the way. So yes, really really
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great interesting stories and a lot more wider and then my first book. I'm
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looking forward to asking you more about Brian Adams because for whatever reason, I
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just got onder Brian Adams kick recently. I don't know what, you know,
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how sometimes something just triggered to you, well, well, let me
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give them a listen. And I've gone back and listened to Brian Adams like
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the whole catalog, and I have an even bigger appreciation for his music just
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after reading your book, So I want to ask you about that, but
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let's let's talk about life on the road. Because as as a journalist who
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who's talked to musicians and they've told you about what life is like on the
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road, you also yourself know what it's like to be on the road as
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a musician. So a lot of people think it's all glamorous, but it's
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it's anything but that, especially if you're an independent artist. What's life like
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on the road for the independent artist, it's it's very tough, mate,
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It's it's absolutely you know, it's hard work. It's it's you know,
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it's not all Ben and Roses that they say, you know, I'm Champagne.
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It's it's absolutely nothing like that. I mean, unless you're one of
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the major, major touring artists who can afford that, but usually independent artists
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like myself, it's very hard. But you know, you do it because
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it's it's a love, it's a passion, you know, and you want
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to just go out there and connect with an audience and play your music,
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you know, and that's what it's all about. It's about the enjoyment of
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being on stage, sharing your music with others and hopefully connecting with them,
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and yeah, it is wonderful. But in one of my chapters in the
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book, which you would have read, it details one of my really extensive
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European tours where I went through six different countries. So I tell you know,
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I give readers an insight into what that was like, some of the
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ups and downs, as well as I intersperse it with some really great stories
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from other artists who've been on the road, Like there's one from Snowy White
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from Pink Floyd, which is a pretty hilarious sort of story. Great,
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Yeah, you know, I love a boy, so you know, Croakers.
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So there's quite a variety of different artists that I sort of punctuate my
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story with just to illustrate further what it's like to be on the road.
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I spoke with that. I threw put a book out specifically as as a
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guide from youmusicians to get through life on the road and survive the challenges that
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come along with it. And yeah, there are musicians. Just looking back
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in rock history, you hear of certain bands here and there where maybe in
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the early days they had a lineup that featured a guy that just said,
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you know what, I'm out I don't want to tour like I think Boston
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the band Boston, It could recall somebody, just it's not for everybody.
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You have to really have a passion for the music and you really have to
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be dedicated to it. Absolutely, it's it is. I mean, it's
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it's a lot of sacrifices involved. I mean, you know that's I mean,
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for example, if you're on the road so for about a year,
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you know you're not going to see much of your family. You know,
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that puts strain on your on your relationship. So it is, it's it's
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something that you've got to really have, you know, a family that are
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supportive or you know, understand that, friends that understands you, and it
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is, it's it's pretty tough, mate, but you know, at the
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end of the day, it's you know, the reward of it is actually
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been on stage and put on that show for for your audience, you know.
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And it's it's not really the montre value as you know. I mean,
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we all want to be able to get paid and you know for what
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we do. But that for me, that doesn't drive me. What drives
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me is the passion for music. Is there any particular moment or story that
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stands out to you about life on the road, like a funny moment or
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a crazy moment, Because there's one that stands out for me from the book,
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and that's the one with Can't Heat. There was a meltdown on stage
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a guitarist John That's yeah, that's right. John Paula says, this is
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really interesting because my perspective of what I saw be inside of the stage watching
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watching that whole thing go down, compared to I had a friend who was
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in the audience, and he saw it totally different. And as I explained
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in my book, you know, John paul Is, he string broke and
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then all of a sudden he only had that one guitar and he's wait for
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someone to sort of, you know, change strings on one. I'm thinking,
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what's going on, And all of a sudden, you got you know,
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the other guy's going, come on, get we gotta kick going,
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and they just started jamming on this song. Well, this is all happening,
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you know, and then the arguments that were just sort of happening that
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the audience can see. But my friend saw it as as a big part
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of the act. He thought. He came to me, Lady goes,
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wasn't that a great great act I said, what do you mean? He
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goes, oh when that all happened? And I go, that wasn't an
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act mate that This is what happened. So it's really interesting what the public
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sees compared to what actually goes on behind stage. Kick, was that one
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gig that you played with them for or did you play it several shows?
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Play that one? Actually? Just yeah, I just came back from Sweden
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and two days later I was back on stage in Melbourne playing that one.
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The only did one show in Melbourne, so that's why I ended up doing
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this support. But you know that they were great guys, you know,
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really actually really funny guys. But it's just sort of both hilarious as well
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as uh, you know, surprising that this happened, and especially you think
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that the guitar player would have a spare guitar ready to go, you know,
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but he didn't. Well also to their like I said, the great
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guys, but they're on the road all the time and they're they're they're traveling
9:01
all the time together, so they're getting on each other's nerves. It's just
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it's gonna happen, and that's right. Absolutely, I'm in with you,
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in close quarters with someone twenty four seven, it'll get to you, you
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know. So you've got to have that sort of space. And that's why
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I think a lot of bands end up imploding when they're on the road,
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because it's just like anything, you know, it's like a marriage. You
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know, you've got to have your time to yourself to sort of recoup from
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you know, what you've just performed. I mean, the adrenaline rush after
9:26
show is quite high, which takes it quite a long time to sort of
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come down to relax a bit. So you put all those elements together and
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yeah, you can anything can happen. The one about meck Box from you
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Ray Heap is one that I remember hearing from an Arthur Whut a book on
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Ray Heap. This story and he told you the story, so if you
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could please share it. It's it's when he broke his arm, you know.
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But it also speaks to especially back in those days when you're out on
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the road, you're playing almost every night. Hey, you got to get
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out there and keep playing, right, talk about this? Yeah, yeah,
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yeah, he I mean he had to go to nearly every emergency department
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in the us in order to sort of get that arm in order to continue
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to show. Because two in is is it's there's another thing that poppy people
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don't understand. You can't just all cancel show and you know, get yourself
10:18
well and go because there's a lot of there's people on your on your you
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know that you're paying to keep on the road. Is there's you know,
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the show itself. You know, you lose a lot of money, so
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you've got to be able to keep it going. And that's where all this
10:31
other stuff comes into it. So, you know, breaking his arm and
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he's got to get that fixed in order to be able to get through the
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show broken places, he said, I think that's shot. Yes, I
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forget how it happened. Did he tell you how it happened? Did he
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fall or something happened? Yeah, he fell over and yeah, that's right
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he did, and then he was in pain and he had to sort of
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just try and get something to get through to the show. But yeah,
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I mean it goes in depth in the in the book a fair bit more,
10:58
but it is really quite a revealing side of touring life. By the
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way, Mick Box still he's the sole surviving member original member. I believe
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yes, and that there is still going and they sound awesome with the lineup.
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There's still they're still going. Yeah, and now the white stories,
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let's let's talk about those. He told you of his time touring with Pink
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Floyd. If those who may not know the name talk about his role with
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the band and share some of the stories, like the one he falls asleep
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on stage or he literally takes a leak during a show. That's right,
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Yeah, yeah, that's right. Yes, it is on the wall tour
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he did with Pink Floyd. And you know, obviously people know him with
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Thing Lizzie, which I loved. He's stuck with Thin Lezie. I think
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that's fantastic stuff. Yeah, it's just what I mean. The thing that
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turing is it becomes when you're doing the same thing day in day out,
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you sort of go into this zone where you do things automatically. And this
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particular night, you know, snow he said to me he was just sort
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of playing the way you know, and sort of fell asleep kind of thing,
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and oh, you know, because it's automatic, he's still playing and
12:11
it's hilarious. And then the other story where you mentioned he went off,
12:15
there was a guitar solo and I think it was or somebody's doing an instrumental
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sort of break. So he thought he had about a few minutes left and
12:24
he went off and had a leak. And while he's there at the at
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the urinal, he looked beside him and as Dave Gilmour doing the same thing
12:33
break. So it's like, oh, we're going to be back there in
12:35
time, aren't we. And Uh, he was on the Wall tour,
12:41
and then I think he was. Was he on the following tour, uh
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for Roger. I'm trying to remember Roger solo tour, that's right, Yes,
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he was Roger tour, that's correct. Yeah, yeah, so,
12:52
And I think the reason they had him on that tour was just gonna help
12:54
uh with the overall sound, to recreate the sound of the album, because
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normally he wasn't. I don't think he's on any of the studio tracks,
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is he. No? No? I mean, as you know, like
13:05
the Wall album, there's a couple of sort of additional guitar players. I
13:09
mean Leke Rittno plays a couple acoustic parts on a couple of tracks too,
13:13
right, Yeah, great stories, man. I only within the last handful
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of years been appreciating Beach Boys music more and more. I don't know why,
13:24
but now I'm just like, I can't stop listening to Pet Sounds.
13:28
And you had the opportunity to interview Brian Wilson, I mean, like one
13:33
of the greatest geniuses in rock history. This is in two thousand and two,
13:37
and he was performing all of that album live on tour and there's a
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moment where you hear the sound of his dog barking in the background while on
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the phone with you, and that is surreal because that's the inspiration behind the
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song good Vibrations, right, That's right, Yeah, it is absolutely I
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mean broun was. The thing about Braun was his ants were very very short.
14:01
You know, it's almost like two three words that's all you get out
14:05
of it. But yeah, I mean Pet Sounds is the album that I
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first heard when I was four years old. It's what developed my love for
14:11
music, you know, and even still today, I can listen to the
14:16
album and it just takes me back to where when I was four. But
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such brilliant music. There's things you hear now years later that you may not
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even have picked up on. That's right. It's that brilliant. That's right.
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Yeah, good vibrations that you know, the inspiration for that. That
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is true, It is really. I mean you're doing an interview and next
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minue you hear this dog in the background. You know it's it's I mean,
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that happens quite a lot few times. You know. There's sometimes I
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could be someone on Zoom for example, and they're having a chat with me.
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Next minute their phones going off and go hangd on and you listen to
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it and it's like they're talking to the manager. And actually I have to
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share this story with you. This happened the band Jet we know from Australia,
14:54
who twenty years ago sa the Wings songs. Yes, So that the
15:01
day, a day before they left to go to the States to record their
15:05
first album, they had a sort of gone way party in Melbourne. So
15:07
I was invited and you know, hang around with the boys and then manager
15:11
was there and we're having a chat with the manager. Next minute the phone
15:13
rang right and some manager picked it up and it was Mick Jagger, you
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know, and Jagger said to him, you know, can the boys do
15:20
the supports for us women in Australia later that year and he goes, yeah,
15:24
you know, so he and that was like surreal being right next door
15:28
to the manager here in his conversation about Mick Jagger inviting Jet to sort of
15:33
do some supports. Yeah, yeah, man, that's sort of stuff.
15:39
Now. I think on the good vibration story too, I think you said
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I hear a dog back there, and that kind of I think that led
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to brain telling you the story. Vibrations that's right, Yeah, yeah,
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about the vibrations of Yeah, that's correct. Yeah, yeah, the vibrations
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of the dogs, like dogs pick up on vabrations there human Yes, that's
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right, Yeah, picking up good librations, that's right, yeah, because
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dogs are very sensitive in that area. Yeah, you landed an interview with
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Nick Jones, a foreigner, a legend. Somebody thought you were the band's
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lead singer, Kelly Hanson, right, yeah, I know that was hilarious.
16:15
I was waiting the hotel and this stuff, and this this fan come
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up to me and goes, Kelly Hanson, aren't you And I go,
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no, oh, you just look like him, And I go, oh,
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it's hilarious because they thought I was a singer. Said no, no,
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I'm wait here for Mick Jones. You know, and but yeah,
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it's it's really interesting. I suppose the bandanna and because I know Kelly at
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that time was wearing a bandanna on stage too, So but you know,
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that's that sort of moment that happens. But Mick Jones was absolutely, really
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weird, wonderful man. He was another guitar hero of mine. I named
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my cover band after double Vision the Old Mint song that yes I did,
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and I showed him the logo I had all that and he signed it for
16:57
me and he was really raped to sort of hear that. Yeah, he
17:00
just sort of shared stories with me about the band, you know, and
17:06
so it was just a really bright moment. I spent with him about probably
17:08
but half an hour with him, you know, in the hotel room.
17:11
And yeah, look I reckoned Finner, one of the great bands, you
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know. Absolutely. And it's sad now that Mick can't sort of too anymore
17:18
because due to his health. But it's good to seem still going strong.
17:23
Yeah. I think he tries to get up there for a show or two
17:26
here and there. And I also believe am I correct now Foreigner is getting
17:30
into the rock hall. That's great. Yeah, Now this interview you did
17:33
with him was a sex Not long after the Graham had a falling out with
17:40
me, and he did open up a little bit about that to you.
17:42
Nick you talked about Yeah, yeah, he The thing about Mick is if
17:48
you go back through or like even Free Foreigner, you know that he had
17:53
a vision for the band, and yes, you know, Lou sort of
17:56
always said that is because they will sort of becoming too with their music,
18:00
you know. But I think the direction they took was actually, I mean,
18:04
it just widened their audience, you know, like I mean, I
18:08
want to know what love is. I mean, that's that's a great song.
18:11
I mean yeah, okay, it's not really rock, but it did
18:14
wind the audience bring them hits. And it's sad how that that sort of
18:18
all ended up, you know, between Lou and Mick, because they were
18:19
a great, great team together, you know, both of them. But
18:23
I suppose you know again, yeah, as time goes on, things that
18:26
that do happen. It's just sad that has to end up in such a
18:29
way where there's a bit of animosity between each member. But I think that's
18:33
stud to heal now, which is I was gonna say, Yeah, I
18:36
think over the past years yeah, things. They both got into the Songwriters
18:38
Hall of Fame and they both shot up for that. So I think things
18:41
are much much cooler now than they were back then. Yeah, that's good.
18:45
Yeap Jeoe Materia is louder than words. Beyond the backstage pass it is
18:49
out now. So I'm a big Kiss fan. I'm wearing my Kiss shirt.
18:53
Yes. And being from Australia, you have an interesting take on Kiss
18:59
because in seventy nine nineteen eighty very different here in the States as it was
19:04
in Australia. They were in decline here, but where you were they were
19:10
huge. So for those of us US kids fans who don't know what that
19:14
experience was, like, how popular were theyre on that time, it was
19:18
like Beatles hysteria here. I mean Dynasty of the album and I Masked.
19:22
Those two albums are massive here and especially Dynasty. I know a lot of
19:26
Kiss fans disliked that album because it's more of a disco influenced album, but
19:30
still got some great rockers man as tracks are great. I love as absolutely.
19:36
In fact, it was huge, you know, I remember, you
19:37
know, buying the album. Also, they have the other poster that came
19:41
with it. And when the boys came out, it was just they just
19:44
bet couldn't walk anywhere, because it's just every nearly every teenager I knew,
19:48
and even underage people were just trying to get to the show. And it
19:51
was at the VFL Park which is no longer there now it's the big football
19:56
stadium, and they and they packed that out, you know. And it's
20:00
really interesting because in Australia and then, I know, like in America you
20:03
said that would decline, but here you would have thought that, you know,
20:06
they were always in the paper every day. There was a story about
20:07
kissing the paper. Huge, absolutely huge. I'm trying to figure out why
20:11
that was so. And nowadays with the Internet, YouTube and all that,
20:15
it's it's a much smaller world. But for whatever reason, I don't know,
20:21
the songs more popular that were getting more airplane in the radio. What
20:23
was the reason behind them being so big there? Not here? Well,
20:27
there we had a show he called Compdown, which is like sort of equivalent
20:30
to what is it in the in the UK at the top of the Pops,
20:34
And I think in America it's called what's it called midnight? Oh jeez,
20:42
it's seventy sort of mid days. That's right, Yes, So that
20:47
used to They used to really play a lot of their videos and the music,
20:52
and they did get a lot of airplay on radio here. I mean,
20:53
I reckon Dynasty got more airplay here than any of the previous tracks.
20:59
Part for I mean I rock and roll all night long, because that was
21:02
just everywhere. But yeah, it's interesting and also because of the media interesting
21:10
and that, like I said, that were always in the pipe and nearly
21:11
every day they were in the magazines, and it just become huge, you
21:15
know, just unbelievable connected with the youth of its study. How quickly did
21:21
you know that Vinnie Vincent was in the band rather than Ace? Because in
21:25
those days, news spread slower than it does nowadays. Because I know there
21:30
are guys I listened to the podcast Three Sides of the Coin and it's a
21:34
kiss podcast and they talk about back in those days, literally they didn't even
21:38
know Ace wasn't in the band until they showed up at a concert on that
21:44
nineteen eighty tour and see somebody else there in an arc makeup, which is
21:48
Vinnie Vincent, right, because on the newspaper advertisement still had Ace's picture.
21:52
Ace's picture was on the front of the album. How's when did you find
21:55
out Ace was not there anymore? Do you remember? It's a sime I
21:57
mean here we had now White. I mean again, you know, everything
22:00
was still you know, with Ice and Peter Cris. It's only when Campdown
22:04
said they had an exclusive first video of Kiss to shut to screen and they
22:11
broadcast that was the first time we saw Vinnie, you know, and we
22:15
go and all of a sudden it was talk of the town. But I
22:18
mean I would say maybe the really die hard fans, really really fans might
22:23
have known something, but again, it was really it was kept under wraps
22:26
really well until you know, it was made public. Yeah, that's fascinating
22:32
that the whole story of Kiss, every era of Kiss, the high times,
22:37
a lot of times whatever. It's just fascinates me, that whole thing.
22:40
And it's like crazy nights. That album in Europe was huge and in
22:45
the US didn't do as well as they had hoped. That was in Stralia.
22:48
Yeah, it did well in Stralia. I mean again, that whole
22:52
eighties period with Kiss Australia, I mean especially, I mean it was when
22:56
I was playing guitar, I mean learning guitar a lot of the guitar players
23:00
in the country. We're learning a lot of the kiss stuff from that period
23:03
because Bruce Kulik his stuff was very much on the shredding side of stuff,
23:07
you know, and so they were very popular during the eighties. It's interesting,
23:11
you know, like you go over the whole career and you see different
23:15
periods where they were huge in the States, but here they was sort of
23:18
still, you know, not not as known, and then they were huge
23:22
year, but they declined in one part of the world. It's interesting the
23:25
trajectory. I don't think that'll happen ever again again. Because of the Internet,
23:30
the world is much smaller. Yeah, absolutely, I mean that's that's
23:33
a difference now today, you know, the internet is so fast. I
23:36
mean the news you get Internet is fast faster than say the news outlets themselves
23:41
getting it. The book done right. Podcasts will be back after this.
23:47
You interview Gene in two thousand and two, Gene Simmons promoting is We Kiss
23:52
and Makeup? Which I love. There were some tense moments during that interview.
23:56
Please tell us about this. Yeah, when he said that he's called
24:00
it. When was it? They went on tour with bon Jovi, I
24:03
think it was nineteen eighty if I remember. And I said to him,
24:06
well, bon Jovi weren't even formed in nineteen eighty, and he got really
24:08
tense and he says to me, well, now, and there's a few
24:11
other things in regards to other bands that they toured with and his memories.
24:15
I pulled him up on it. I said, Jean, this is ain't
24:18
right. This is these facts that are incorrect, and he goes, well,
24:21
you know it's my it's my experience, it's my you know, how
24:25
I view things, and if you know that's how I see it. I'm
24:27
thinking, well, but it's not right. You can't just make up something
24:33
to say you went on the road with bon Jovi nineteen eighty when they weren't
24:34
even formed yet. Didn't you mention some of our judas priest priest? Yeah,
24:40
yeah, just priest. And I may and not think it was too
24:42
yeah, Gene, Yeah, this isn't a book. This is a book
24:47
about a rags to riches story. That's right, Yes, rags to Richard
24:52
that's correct. Yeah, it was, like you know, it might it
24:56
was tense and it's of stuff, But I look back on it, it's
25:00
pretty hilarious, really, I mean, you know he is how can I
25:03
say he's got the gift of the gap that's oh yeah, he does.
25:07
Yeah, And he's a professional, so he just he's just, yeah,
25:11
one of a kind. Geen a year Lad, you interviewed Bruce Killer,
25:12
who was, like I said, he was in the band in the eighties
25:17
into the nineties before the original form members reunited in ninety six. What did
25:21
he have to tell you about that ninety six reunion? Was he blindsided by
25:25
it? And how did he feel about it? He sort of knew something
25:30
was going on, but he was pretty sort of surprised by it because you
25:34
know, he was I think it was boy it at that stage, it
25:37
was about ten years was already in the band with Kiss so and he could
25:42
sort of tell when I was talking to him, he could sort of could
25:45
of hoew that he was sort of bit hurt by the whole thing, because
25:47
you know, he didn't see sort of think it would happen, but he
25:52
did, you know, And I think he's understood it now and he's he's
25:56
accepted it, and he's grateful to be have been in the band, and
25:59
you know, at the end of the original members and a lot of fans
26:02
want to see those four original members, Peter, Ace, Jean and Paul
26:04
really but you know again, you know, Peter and Ace can be,
26:11
as Jean and Paul have sort of stated over the years, can be a
26:15
liability to the band too. Yeah. Yeah, Bruce handled it well,
26:18
he got it. It was hard for him, but he understood. Yeah.
26:22
Yeah. The what's interesting too, he was with Grand Funk I think
26:26
longer than he was with Kiss, right, he was talking about it,
26:30
that's right, Yes he is. Yeah, but he is absolutely great guy.
26:33
Bruce really really down to earth. Really, I can see you know
26:38
how fans sort of love him because he's just a really nice guy. You
26:42
know, he's down to earth. East phely you talked to as and O
26:47
nine again some Greek quotes here? Can you share his response to you asking
26:51
for his teake on Geene Simmons claim that East didn't play on some of the
26:56
classic Kiss songs. He claimed they replaced a solo on Sweet Peen without telling
27:02
him, right, isn't that what he's told you? That's right? Yes,
27:03
he did. I mean, look, gene Evan said to me that
27:06
he said when I he admitted to me that some of even the bass parts
27:11
weren't even his bass parts, you know that they were played by others.
27:15
And he says, you know, like the Beatles did it too. He
27:17
says, John Lennon played you know one part that you know, I think
27:21
he said bass or something. And you know, Paul, he says,
27:22
it happens all the times, So why can't you kiss could have done it,
27:26
he says, anything to get the song together, you know. And
27:27
I thought, well that was that's really interesting. But yeah, I mean
27:30
some of those parts in the on the solos were replaced later on, you
27:34
know, bob Ezra and I think because you know, they had to make
27:38
an album that was sort of much more tighter and commercially acceptable. And I
27:41
think and aces Ace, you know, his guitar playing is a certain style
27:45
I suppose, you know, and he just lays it down and then he's
27:48
a funny guy, really is his laugh? Yes, it's wicked, isn't
27:56
it. He is. He's one of the guys. I actually he lived
28:00
up in I me in Connecticut. I worked at a radio station and in
28:06
Fairfield County, which is right near New York, and he lived in that
28:08
area. So the guy that there was a guy that I worked with Sean
28:11
that was friends with Ace, and he had all these great stories about as
28:14
just I mean, he was just nuts. You know. This is when
28:15
Ace was still drinking, you know, yeah, yeah, driving the wrong
28:21
way on a freeway, you know. He Yeah, there was one about
28:26
they went to some club one night in the city and of course everybody knows
28:29
who he is, so the band's like everybody is really you know, he's
28:32
come on up jam with us, and Ace was just like just out of
28:34
his mind drunk, and the whole time he was he just had feedback and
28:38
he was so drunk he couldn't figure out how to get the feedback to go.
28:44
I mean, it's just it is hilarious. Yeah, I think he'll
28:48
make a good talk shot I reckon. Yeah. Yeah, he's got a
28:52
new album that's good. He's fantasty album. I think it's uh, I've
28:57
listened to quite a few times. I think it's as good as he's solid
29:00
on from seventy eight. Oh yeah. There are people are saying that love
29:04
Ace. Now. There are bands that should have become huge but never did.
29:10
And oftentimes it's the story of you know, just timing and opportunity meets
29:17
timing. As someone will say, and it's the story behind why they didn't
29:21
make it is almost as interesting as the ones who do make. And you
29:23
write about some of those bands in the book, like Double Drive, Phantom
29:27
Planet, let me see if I pronounce this right, bet to Dupa Yep,
29:32
Okay, The Vines, Hog Boy, those are just some of the
29:36
bands. Now, the Vines had their share of drama. Talk about that
29:40
if you could, and how that led to the demise of a band that
29:42
could have been big. They were tagged Australia's own Strokes. Yeah. Craig
29:47
Nichols, the Laite singer, was very temperamental and he would throw sort of
29:51
tangent on stage and he didn't he didn't sort of. He also sort of
29:55
rubbed journalists up the wrong way in his attitude. So and you know,
29:59
once I won the his whole temperamental just got out of hand, you know.
30:06
He became this sort of rock star grat in one way, you know,
30:10
and it caused a lot of sort of turmoil between him and the bass
30:12
player Patrick Matthews, who first then walked off stage and never came back again
30:17
because he was just fed up with it. So that band could have been
30:21
really, really huge. But because of all the problems, and later on
30:23
I think he got diagnosed with aspergers, which sort of fit in a lot
30:29
of the gaps of why he behaved in that way. But again, the
30:33
amount of pressure, I mean, they went from really a zero from doing
30:34
I think it was about two or three shows to signing a record deal to
30:37
being on the road in America. I mean, that's that's quite a quick
30:42
trajectory, you know, And to do that from gone from as you said
30:47
earlier, rags to riches, is it's just it's going to cause a lot
30:51
of problems if you're not really well adjusted and expecting what's going to come.
30:56
One artist who did make it but then had a downfall all because of one
31:00
video, so they say, Billy Squire And this may be my favorite chapter
31:04
of the book because the story of Rock Me Tonight, that video from nineteen
31:07
eighty four. I'm still amazed at that because he was one of the biggest
31:11
names in rock. But the video had such a negative impact on his career.
31:15
But I always wondered, is that overblown? But it was looked at
31:21
as a downfall of his career. So you devote an entire chapter to this
31:23
in the book. Talk about the chapter why that video had such a negative
31:27
effect on Billy and what do you think of it and what did Billy say
31:30
about it? Okay, well, in the chapter, I talked to Billy
31:34
and we spent many, many hours talking about this. I could get the
31:38
full story from him. And also I tracked down all the main players,
31:42
like I tracked down VJs in TV, he's musicians, you played with him
31:48
to get a really good perspective on whole thing. I really think that the
31:52
whole video thing has been overblown. I think it's been you know, as
31:55
though it really ruined his career, which is not really the case because,
32:00
as you know, rock Me Tonight was his biggest one of his biggest selling
32:02
singles. Yeah yeah, and and he you know, he still released albums
32:07
another seven years later before he actually walked away from the industry. He still
32:12
had albums you know that followed. And it's really interesting, I as when
32:16
I first saw that video, I never thought anything about it apart from the
32:21
fact that it was you know, it was pretty different, you know.
32:23
But it's interesting that people say that, you know, they watch video of
32:30
Billy sort of on the ground and you know, really dorm with the sort
32:32
of moves. They really put a lot of fans off now and and having
32:37
the pink clothes and you know that sort of stuff. Now, as I
32:38
say in the book, Billy was ahead of his time because if you go
32:43
a few years forward into the glam rock scene of the Sunset Strip, bands
32:46
like Motley Crue and a lots of stuff, you notice they had, I
32:50
mean the shredits for example, had pink guitars, you know, pink.
32:52
They had more more feminine sort of outfits. You know, they did all
32:57
these sort of moves, I had their hair. So Billy was really ahead
33:00
of his time, but it was too early in the time, and I
33:04
think that sort of played an effect on his audience, but in no way
33:09
that to ruin his career. The whole the whole thing about his career was
33:13
basically later on where the CEO of one of the label he was with said
33:19
to him when Billy handed in his album tell the truth that it was one
33:23
of the best albums he had given to the label, but unfortunately he was
33:28
going to bury it because at that time grunge was popular, you know.
33:30
So Billy got his lawyer straight away and got himself out of the contract and
33:37
he just had enough of the industry and just walked away from it, you
33:39
know. And yeah, and if you go back to the stroke, he
33:43
sort of tells you a bit about what the industry is really like, you
33:45
know, if you listen carefully to the lyrics. So it's quite interesting to
33:50
it. There's a lot more to it than just the video that ruined Billy
33:52
Squire's career, because it did not ruin his career. Actually, he still
33:57
had a career. People want to simplify, they want to find an easy
34:00
answer. It's it's too it's too difficult to have to get into all of
34:04
the details, the behind the scenes stuff and all that. It's just easier
34:07
just to say that that's the reason it was that video. But I agree
34:09
with you, it really wasn't. It wasn't that big of a deal.
34:13
But also you need a lot of homophobic people at the time, aids it
34:21
was. It was like just people just distance themselves from him. That's right.
34:24
Especially I'm sure there was some some some of it was because of that,
34:29
but not all of it. Yeah, that's right. And Billy explains
34:32
about that too. And in the book, you know, and you know,
34:36
with the Queen Association, because you know, because of Queen have that
34:38
video with I Want to Break Free? That sort of again the homophobic sort
34:43
of at that period because of Aydes and his connection with Queen. You know,
34:46
because there's a there's a track he does a song with Freddy which the
34:52
label said they released an edited version for the US. I didn't want Freddy's
34:57
voice on it because they were worried about the connection with Queen. You now
35:01
that hamab right, which Brian May talked about the downfall of Queen towards the
35:07
end of the eighties, had a lot to do with that. That mindset.
35:10
Yeah, there's that. What's the song he does with with Freddie?
35:15
I Love is a Hero? Yes, that's the one. It's a great
35:17
tune. It's great to it. And then he comes back with enough Is
35:21
Enough? Was it from eighty six? That was a follow up to Signs
35:27
of Life? Right? That that and that's the one that has rock mean
35:30
site Enough is Enough? But then here and now in nineteen eighty nine Don't
35:34
Let Me Go, great song Don't Say You Love Me? I remember that
35:37
was on the radio Creatures of habit as the one you refer to, and
35:39
I remember reading about that too. He just got fed up with it,
35:43
but he's he's done. Just find me because they and this is a well
35:45
known story, the publishing, he's got all of the publishing, so he's
35:51
he's said. I saw him play in Connecticut at a blues festival maybe ten
35:57
maybe fifteen years ago now, and he just jumped up on there and played
36:00
a few songs, just jammed and it was just it was so great to
36:05
see him because he really he still doesn't go on tour and all that,
36:09
so it was so cool to see him do that. And it was such
36:13
a it was such a cool artist move, like, yeah, I'll go
36:16
up and just jam some blues tunes. I'm not interested in going back out
36:20
there and making a big return. I thought it was absolutely Yeah, he's
36:22
great. Well, he's absolutely great guitar player. I loved everything all his
36:27
output, you know, and yeah, he just sort of he released a
36:30
you know, a new single last year which is Harder on a Woman,
36:35
which is a very sort of great track. You know, it's sort of
36:37
a red bluesy type thing. But you know, he just does music when
36:40
he feels like it now, which is really cool because you know, he
36:43
doesn't need to, you know, the industry is it is a tough industry.
36:47
I mean, as I talk in the chapter, it's you know,
36:50
there's a lot of the mechanations of the industries is you know, there's a
36:52
lot of elements to it, you know. But yeah, I mean it's
36:55
just like you said earlier. People just want to label one thing the video
36:59
that killed Billy Sky, and that's it. They don't want to I mean,
37:00
hopefully with my chapter, people will read it and get the perspective because
37:05
even the VJs MTV, one of them said to me he never remembered it
37:08
being the most hated video, even though the book that came out on MTV
37:14
said that he was the worst video ever made. And it's you know,
37:19
it's not you know. And I also quote I also give my opinion about
37:23
because there's a quote from I think Phil Collin from def flipp It Who in
37:29
the book I Want My MTV where he says that about Billy taking his shirt
37:35
off or whatever. And in the book I write, well, philm's made
37:38
a living out of playing live with no shirt. You know. It's a
37:42
bit of hit right. Yeah. Now, speaking of the music business,
37:47
and it's a fact on an artist Jerry Rafferty, This story in your book
37:52
on Baker Street is interesting. The song is timeless still sounds as good as
37:57
it did when it came out in eighteen seventy eight. But there was a
38:00
story that he didn't want to go out on tour, and it was because
38:07
what he didn't want he wanted to be no more for his music and he
38:10
felt he did tour that would have what was his reasoning, he wasn't look
38:15
he and I think that's what ended that he sort of because obviously, when
38:20
you release an album, the label expect you to tour because that's what helped
38:22
sells the copies of the album. And and he didn't want it, especially
38:25
going off to America. I mean, he could have been even huge in
38:30
America, but it was about the music. And he said he always wrote
38:32
the music because it was more like wrote music for his daughter, and it
38:37
was more about that, and he didn't want to go on the road.
38:38
He didn't want to sort of be commercialized. Even though that album was you
38:43
know, I think it sold what five million copies just itself, and Baker
38:45
Street is a timeless track. You know, he's got another single on there
38:50
too, Yeah, right down the line, which actually got picked up by
38:55
TikTok last year. Yeah, right down the line. Yeah, yeah,
39:00
you know, so that music just keeps, you know, generate new new
39:05
audiences for him, you know, after all these years. And and I
39:07
think that's part of sadly why in order to cope with all the pressures of
39:13
the industry, I think he sort of drowned his sorrows in alcohol, you
39:17
know sort of stuff, because that's what eventually killed him, alcoholism. But
39:22
you know, he was a genius. He was actually a master craftsman at
39:24
songwriting, know, and yeah, it just didn't I mean, even his
39:28
manager wasn't happy about him not not sort of going on tool because he said,
39:31
it's important you got a tour, but he didn't well the same type
39:35
of deal with it. It was, it was simplified down to just the
39:37
fact that he didn't show up on a particular talk show. That's right,
39:42
he wanted to hear he says, not not going on the talk show because
39:45
I just don't want to do it. So you know when the stander said,
39:47
that's the reason why, that's right. Yeah, But then Jerry's widow
39:51
was quoted as in the book saying that's that's not true at all. It
39:54
is. And that's another that's another interesting thing I found when I this book
40:00
is a different perspective from different members of the band or the family saying one
40:04
thing. So it's and you know, I wasn't there, so I can't
40:07
sort of give you my own opinion. I can only put my opinion based
40:12
on what everyone's told me. But that's correct. The mancher says that was
40:15
the reason why the daughter said no, that's not the reason why. So,
40:20
but I think there's sort of also an underlining sort of issue between maybe
40:24
certain parties where you know, they disagree on many matters in regards to elements
40:30
of Jerry's life. Would be an interesting documentary. There was a biography on
40:36
him maybe ten years ago. It was an independent publisher, but it would
40:40
be interesting. That's just an interesting story of like, here's a guy who
40:45
had the chance to become even bigger and said no, no thanks, Yeah,
40:50
I don't want to get more famous. Yeah. And now, what
40:52
was the story behind the Sack solo? Because that's another thing you clet up
40:57
the story in the book. The demo of the song answers the question as
41:00
to who wrote that solo. That's right, Yeah, a sax player.
41:05
He made a living out of telling everybody. I mean, he got a
41:07
lot of work at it. From playing on Jerry's Baker Street, he ended
41:10
up playing Saxville, Pink Floyd, and numerous other bands. And he always
41:15
claimed that he wrote that sex line, and for many years, you know,
41:19
he said that I never got paid for it. You know, he
41:22
came up with it and Jerry ripped him off. But then Jerry released a
41:25
demo off it, and I've got the actual demo too, which was on
41:29
one of the reissues, and you can definitely that confirms once and for that
41:35
Jerry did write that sex rift because he plays it on guitar and you can
41:37
hear the whole melody. So when Raf came in to play the saxophone solo,
41:45
he heard what Jerry had had done and he just put his own take
41:49
onto it. In regards to doing the sax version of it, but Jerry
41:52
wrote that completely, There's no no doubt about it when he hit that demo.
41:55
Raphael Ravenscraft, that's right. Yeah, he passed away a few years
42:01
ago, and you spoke with Gary Taylor the basis on that track, so
42:06
you got somebody who confirmed. Yeah, Yeah, he did too. Absolutely,
42:10
I heard that. I heard the demo. Yeah, Jerry wrote it.
42:15
That's right. You know when you get when you get other musicians who
42:20
can clarify and verify the fact. And like he said, he heard it
42:23
too, So once and for all, that clears any argument that who wrote
42:28
the original motive for the Baker Street The book Done Right. Podcasts will be
42:34
back after this. Let's finish with Brian Adams, who wrote the forward to
42:38
the book. Yes, let's get let's get to how do Yeah, how
42:43
did you get How did you get him to get right? The forward?
42:45
Is that through Jim Valum. Look, it's just amazing. I've been I
42:50
overousely interviewed Jim Valance to get his view on some of the stuff from Brian
42:53
Adams. And I've known Jim for a few years, you know, we've
42:55
been communicating. And anyway, because I interviewed Brian Adams last year and I
43:02
interviewed what's his name, Keith Scott, it just I went to his publicist
43:08
and I said, you know, I'm writing a book. You know,
43:09
I've got this whole chapter on Brian Adams. Do you think Brian might you
43:13
know, do a foreword from it, and she said, oh, well,
43:17
he'd like to sort of, you know, see a bit about your
43:20
book and you know, make sure what it's about. And I go,
43:22
yes, I send some chapters. They loved it came back to me he
43:25
says, yeah, I'll write your forward, and I go, wow.
43:28
You know, it was just absolutely an honor because as far as I know
43:31
Eric, I don't think he's ever written a forward or endorsed in the other
43:35
book before. So they have that endorsement from Brian is such an honeman and
43:39
been one of my ultimate musical heroes. I mean, what more can you
43:44
ask. It's just I'm just, yeah, so grateful he did it.
43:47
Yeah, And there's a lot in this part of the book on Brian Adams
43:53
that I just I couldn't put it down because I'm fascinated with the music he
44:00
put out in the eighties, especially an album like Into the Fire, which
44:04
is an interesting story. So he has he has this huge album in nineteen
44:09
eighty four, Reckless Reckless. Just to remind people how huge that album was,
44:16
Run to You Somebody, Heaven, Summer of sixty nine, One Night,
44:22
Love Affair, It's Only Love, which is the one with Tina Turner,
44:24
I mean that's freaking huge. Six. I mean, yeah, that's
44:29
huge. That's like def Leppard hysteria level. And so he comes back with
44:36
three years later, Into the Fire and it does okay. Like the previous
44:39
album I think was like twelve million copies sold, Into the Fire sells a
44:45
million, which is still good, but you know, the record label was
44:49
thinking bigger. Heart's on Fire was a single Heat of the Knights on there,
44:54
very different album. So interesting talk about what Brian's mindset going into this
45:00
album was because it had to do with some some of the well, when
45:05
he was on tour, I think he was was he working with Barno you
45:10
two and Peter Gabriel and Sting. Yeah, so he got inspired by a
45:15
lot of the social issues of the time. And you know, all all
45:17
the songs up to that period, like up to Reckless itself were songs about
45:22
you know, love and boy and girl and that sort of stuff. So
45:25
now he wanted to sort of he was observing that the climate was more about
45:30
doing some social issues. I decided to write some songs more that was socially
45:32
aware. And he was part of a concert though Industry International, that's right,
45:38
yes, one where he was really inspired to do that's right, Yes,
45:43
to do this, that's right. Yeah. And I think that's that's
45:45
a huge sort of departure from what people knew about it. You know.
45:50
But that album is I mean when I when I first heard that album,
45:52
I think that's brilliant. I think it's it's it's it's purely courageous for him
45:57
to have taken that brute to to do something different, you know, subject
46:00
matter wise, and I think you know, it's off its time, you
46:04
know, I mean, like you said, you too, Peter Gabriel.
46:07
All those bands were doing socially aware issues, you know, and it's relevant
46:12
to its time. But unfortunately, you know, Selom one million albums compared
46:15
to was it twelve million for Reckless? It's so different. But again,
46:21
how can you seriously follow up an album that's had six hit singles, has
46:25
sold so many copies? It's always hard. I mean you look at def
46:30
Leppard and that they can never sort of top Hysteria. You know, you
46:35
go through every band sort of catalog. There's also there's always going to be
46:38
an album that was the biggest album, then the follow up we always tend
46:42
to sort of go down because you know, a c DC Back in Black.
46:45
There's no way when they came up back with for those back to rock
46:49
that it could sell that many copies. So it's just a natural natural I
46:53
think outcome from it. But that album, I loved it, and I
46:55
think it's so underrated. I think, you know, fan should sort of
47:00
really listened to the album now with fresh ears and realize the beauty in that
47:06
album, especially that song I'm Native Song, which I go into detail about.
47:09
I think that guitar solo, and I'll state my reputation as one of
47:15
the greatest guitar solos ever committed to take because I think, you know,
47:21
in all the sort of guitar magazines when I write, you know, the
47:23
top ten guitar solos of all times always mentioned Stairway to Heaven Comfortably Numb,
47:30
but no one ever mentions Native Song by Keith Scott. And I think that
47:34
silo as a guitar player has got everything, taste, melody, style,
47:39
you name it, and I think it's so overlooked. I have ignored this
47:45
album until I read your book, and now I hear what you're saying,
47:49
and I will go with Remembrance Day as maybe my favorite. Yeah, and
47:54
again yeah, yeah, but you have to now that now that read the
48:00
book and I understand what his what he was doing we're trying to do with
48:04
it. Now I get it. And and now I get it because listening
48:07
to the songs. I would listen to a few of the songs here and
48:10
there, and I was like, I'm not sure what was he thinking?
48:13
What was he doing? Because Reckless he could credit to him, he could
48:16
he was a guts. He could have done Reckless too. Yeah, that's
48:21
right, and he just and then as an artist he did something completely different.
48:25
That's right, absolutely, you know, and on I think and that
48:28
is takes a lot of guts to do that, because you know, you're
48:30
right, he could have just done Reckless too, you know, but then
48:32
what happens after that, you know, Reckless three, You know, it
48:35
just becomes the same thing over again. You know, you've got to be
48:37
able to evolve with an artist, and that's what he's done. Every album
48:40
that he's brought out. You can see the evolution. I mean, you
48:43
look at his late ninety stuff again, there's lot electronic outman start coming into
48:47
it. You know, he's he's he doesn't follow trends. He sort of
48:51
listens to what's going on, and he makes it always contemporary and it's you
48:53
know, but it's always moving forward. It's and I think it's brilliant.
48:57
I mean, that's how you're supposed to be as an artist. So and
49:00
that's why he's still here, you know, forty years later, he's still
49:02
you know, playing stadiums and still you know, selling records because he's constantly
49:07
evolving as an artist. Into the Fire is Great, Another Day is Great
49:14
and After the Fire, which he wrote for Roger Daltrey. Roger had a
49:19
hit with that as a solo artist. I heard Brian's version somewhere. I
49:22
think it's on one of the deluxe editions or something. I heard Brian's version
49:29
of that. Great songwriter. And by the way, speaking of kiss,
49:31
he wrote a one or two kiss songs. I know he he wrote he
49:37
wrote a song off of Creatures of the Night, that's right, Yeah,
49:40
And I think it's what's that one? He wrote rock and roll? Help
49:45
get rock and roll? Hell, that's I believe. I think that's Brian.
49:50
I could look at I think I look it up. But he also
49:52
write for Batminton, Iver draw Yes Crocus. He wrote, Yeah, the
50:00
Boys' night Out for Crocus. That was he wrote that one that's from the
50:04
album The Blitz was him and Balance wrote and that's the thing about also if
50:13
you noticed that, so that Jim Vallens and Brian Adams songwriting partnership, which
50:17
is amazing the hits that they came up with, you know. And and
50:21
later on he joined up with Mutt Lang, you know, and uh,
50:23
well I want to get to that. Yeah, man, that's that's awesome.
50:27
Yeah, he rock and roll Hell. He is credited on that,
50:30
but I believe Backminton Rover Drive did their version of rock and Roll Hell as
50:37
well. It's on one of their albums. I don't know if it was
50:38
before or after Kiss. Okay, there is there is a book backing turn
50:44
Over Drive version of rock and Roll Hell. But I want to say,
50:45
didn't he yells there was one more than he maybe wrote for Kiss anyway,
50:50
But uh, let's go back real quickly though to to reckless. What what's
50:57
what's his gear set up? Like that tone of his guitar, it's so
51:00
cool. What is he using? Is that a Fender? What guitar?
51:02
It's a it's a it's a it's a Fender guitar. I can't remember the
51:07
top of me head now, but yeah, it's it's you can you can
51:09
hear that single call pick up, so's it's just it's a clean sound.
51:15
Yeah, that's it's a beautiful sound to it. And then like in Summer
51:20
of sixty nine where it just stops and also bump it simple but so awesome.
51:28
Man, It's just yeah. And on the Run to You, he's
51:31
got a a flanger, which you know, it gives you that sort of
51:37
glassy sound to it, which what it is. It's it's not really heavily
51:39
distorted. It's a bit like I see DC sound. You know, most
51:42
people have a heavily distorted sound. It's not. It's actually very clean.
51:45
It's just breaking up on the Marshall d just enough. A lot of those
51:51
songs were built around a riff on those restless songs. Yeah, yeah,
51:57
run to you. You know it's fantastic, you know as you Yeah,
52:00
Now I want to talk about let's let's fast forward a little bit. Now
52:04
go to the Mutt Laying album, which is another interesting story. So that
52:09
comes out in nineteen ninety one. Waking Up the Neighbors is the album.
52:13
Now he starts off with he starts off with Jim Valence, but then they
52:17
had like that's where there's a falling out they kind of yeah, I think
52:22
that just separate, Yeah, because what was happening with you know, from
52:25
into the Fire that the whole thing started, and it was so big,
52:29
I mean, Brian was so big at that times. Look anything. I
52:31
think they were with each other almost twenty four to seven write songs for like
52:36
a decade, so I think they needed sort of break to try something different.
52:39
And now I think I think it's healthy at times, you know,
52:43
because it just helps you to sort of do something fresh and different. So
52:45
you know, he went off with Mutt Lang because later on Brian and Jim
52:50
did get back together, which they are now, you know, but at
52:52
that period he went off with Mutt Lang and he did that album which was
52:57
even huge and Reckless, you know, like you know, he still holds
53:00
the record in the in the UK for the most weeks at number one with
53:05
Erif and I Do I Do for You? I think it's sixteen weeks.
53:07
No one has bet that record yet, straight number one. Insane. Yeah,
53:10
Jim and Brian works seven days a week, day and night on the
53:14
songs from Reckless that just gives you an idea. So they just they had
53:17
it was time for them to take a break. Yeah, everything I do,
53:21
I do it for. You can't stop this thing we started. There
53:23
will never be another tonight. Thought I'd died and gone to heaven, which
53:27
is my favorite from that album. All I want is you do. I
53:31
have to say the words. And it does have that sound, has that
53:36
deaf leopard yes, menalized sound, gang vocals and all that. Yeah,
53:42
it's very much muttlang signature sort of sound. Yeah, just huge. But
53:46
like you say, he doesn't stick with one thing for too long and he
53:51
continues to evolve. And I guess we'll finish with this because he had some
53:54
interesting comments to you about surviving the music business and he owes a lot of
53:59
that to just not succumbing to the trappings of drugs and alcohol. That's right,
54:05
Yes, that's true, and I think that is that is pretty much
54:07
part of course a lot of artists who are still around, you know,
54:10
who have wised up and know that because really, I mean spirits a lot
54:15
with Brian for example, if your lead singer, you can't be partying every
54:17
night you're going to it's going to affect your voice. I mean, I
54:20
don't know if you saw the John bon Jovi documentary, I'm darting to see
54:23
it. You got to say that. And you know, he goes into
54:27
that a fair bit too about you know, how important your voice is.
54:30
You can't sort of be doing this sort of stuff. And but yeah,
54:32
the secret to Bryan's success is, you know, he's passionate about his music,
54:37
about his careers. He's one of the most hardest working artists in the
54:42
business, you know, and he's always stayed away from the you know,
54:45
that side of the industry because you know, when you're serious about your music
54:49
and you love your music so much and you want to have a career that's
54:52
going to still be here decades to come, you've got to be really focused
54:55
and you've got to be you know, know what you want. And he's
55:00
and he does that. So you know, if you have all this other
55:01
stuff where you sort of four by the wayside, it's not going to be
55:05
good for you. So he's been very good in that sense that that's why
55:08
he's still around. You talked to him in October of twenty twenty three.
55:12
That's still long ago. That's right. Yes, it looks the same,
55:15
sounds the same. He's like mid sixties, he's sixty four, that's right.
55:20
Yeah, you know he's a clean, living rock star really and I
55:25
mean that affirms it for you. You know why he's still here, you
55:28
know, and he can still put on the show that rocks like he did
55:30
forty years ago. I mean, how many artists in that that age can
55:32
still put an energy, energetic show like that. I really need to see
55:37
him live. I've never said to how many times have you see him live?
55:40
Then? You mum? Quite Some of the early days are quite hazy
55:45
for me, I writ in the book, but I've seen himubably, but
55:47
four or five times, absolutely fantastic. Yeah, so louder than words.
55:52
Beyond the backstage pass. It is out now. You can find out wherever
55:57
books are sold. Joe Mattera, the author of The Musician. There's a
56:01
little of everything. Column's got a column too, right, you have a
56:05
column, I said, music pages, the whole newspaper page. I write
56:08
once a fortnite here in Australia. Yeah, I sort of interview artists fun
56:14
and just do the latest news and I sort of you know music news and
56:19
charts, just share music stuff and fun facts. There's always a fun fact
56:22
which people really love. You know. I come up with find things that
56:24
are you know, about music, and there might be something really an obscure
56:29
fact that people go, well do you know that? So yeah, I
56:31
love that stuff. Yeah, the Minutia Tribute. I was just reading the
56:37
book Prince and I'll be interviewing the author soon, Andrea Swinson, who's like
56:44
the Prince. She's like the go to for all Prince history stuff, right,
56:49
and this is the forty Adversary. And in the book there's some great
56:52
stuff like that. They talk about the song Purple Rain that when Prince played
56:58
it for the first time, it was August of eighty three, small club
57:01
in Minneapolis, and because the people didn't know the song, I never heard
57:05
it before, there's not you know, there's an applause at the end,
57:08
but they really wanted to bulk it up. So they record a Minnesota Vikings
57:13
football game and they take the crowd noise and they put it at the end
57:15
of that. Wow, that's interesting that. I love that stuff. That's
57:20
the sort of stuff. Yeah, they're a good sort of little trivia information
57:23
I love too, exactly. So, Joe, where can people find you?
57:28
Online social media, online on Facebook, on my website Joentman too,
57:32
they can contact me. I'm always very proactive on social media and and always
57:37
open to you know, hearing from fans and you know, readers like you
57:42
just want to connect with me. And if they ever want to ask if
57:45
they read a book and they see something and they won't ask me about it,
57:47
they can write an email to me. And some great music that you
57:52
have on your YouTube channel too. People thank you so much to really appreciate
57:54
it. Yeah, yeah, I'm glad you enjoy that. Yeah, And
57:58
that's the thing. Also with alloud on words, I want to sort of
58:00
bring the music side blending with my writing sof because at the end of the
58:07
day, writing is just like also, songwriting is the same as writing articles.
58:10
It's still writing. So I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thank you so
58:15
much. Awesome, Thanks so much, Joel. Thanks for being on and
58:16
look forward to having you back on again soon. Thank you made I appreciate
58:21
your support. And I'm glad you enjoyed the book. And thank you so
58:22
much. You've got some really really great questions there. Made made my brain
58:27
go kicking over that s good. We could talk about the stuff all night
58:30
man. I love talking I can roll. Thanks Joel Worries, you have
58:34
a good one and we'll talk again soon, I'm sure, and we'll stay
58:36
in touch. That's it. It's in the books.