The Mistakes: Erased Before Making A Mark, Glam-Punks Deliver New CD & Colorful Past

Posted: 24th January 2013 by admin in Quotes and Chatter
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TWISTED MISTERS: From left, Chris Wilson, t.Odd and Stacey Starr

TWISTED MISTERS: All dressed up and nowhere to go, The Mistakes were, from left, Chris Wilson, t.Odd and Stacey Starr. After the band broke up, the guys were equally unlucky at job interviews.

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MISTAKES? YES. APOLOGIES? NO: After stints in the Zeros, The Mistakes and Total Chaos, t.Odd still maintains an upbeat attitude.

By Metal Dave

I first heard about The Mistakes while interviewing Poison singer Bret Michaels in 1999. Always quick with tons of fun stories, Bret was making the point that, despite Poison’s frilly image and blockbuster power ballads, the band still attracted its share of hard-ass freaks.

“There’s a band out in L.A. called The Mistakes that comes to all our shows,” Bret told me. “The singer’s got a flaming-orange mohawk that’s two feet off the top of his head.’’

Befriending Poison, of course, helped skyrocket The Mistakes to international superstardom and all the spoils that came with it — massive record sales, Hefner-esque mansions, booze-fueled limos and parades of high-heeled lingerie models willing to tussle in tubs of mud. Eh, not really.

The truth is, The Mistakes were erased before they could make their mark. After all, how could the music industry possibly market a band of vomit-spewing mascara junkies who proudly merged such polar opposites as the Exploited and Boy George. Yeesh! Good luck with that one!

Immediately scratched from my memory for, oh, the next 14 years, The Mistakes recently reappeared in 2013 when TUFF singer Stevie Rachelle emailed to tell me the band was releasing a new compilation CD that might appeal to my punk-rock tendencies. Not only that, but guitarist/vocalist t.Odd (formerly of the purple-haired Zeros), is all too happy to share The Mistakes’ down-in-flames, shoulda-woulda-coulda-been-famous rock-n-roll hard-luck story complete with drunken brawls, Twisted Sister and Total Chaos. Wow! No wonder they’re called The Mistakes. To borrow from Bret, how can I resist?

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GREATEST MISTAKES: Inspired by bands like Rancid and Face to Face, The Mistakes recently released a 50-song compilation of Cisco-fueled skate-punk anthems.

Hey t.Odd! Nice to “meet” you. Plug your latest release and share any possible tour plans/promo gigs
“The Karate Kid Ain’t the Only Punk From Reseda” is a 50-song collection of all The Mistakes’ songs, plus a compilation of our post-Mistakes projects like UltraX, XERO1, Satan’s Candy Machine and The Unflushables. Fifty songs for under $10, available on iTunes and all digital retailers. No current plans to tour. We’re all Al Bundy-style “Married with Children” now, but a few one-off shows could be possible.

Who’s the Karate Kid mentioned in the album title?
It’s a spoof on one of my favorite films, the original Ralph Macchio “Karate Kid” movie. In the movie, the kid moves to Reseda, which is where we lived, and the apartment building they used in the movie was actually right next to the liquor store where we used to buy Cisco, so we likened ourselves to ’90s punk-rock Karate Kids! The irony is that 15 years later, I’m now a Shodan in martial arts, so I’m still rockin’ the karate kid vibe!

ZERO BOYS: t.Odd with singer Sammy Serious back in their purple haze days as the Zeros.

ZERO BOYS: t.Odd with singer Sammy Serious during their purple haze reign as the Zeros.

Describe the “scene” post-Hollywood hair-metal heyday and tell us where/how the glam-punk Mistakes fit in — or didn’t as the case may be?
A little history: I first visited Hollywood in ’87 and ’88, and I remember reading Billboard magazine on the plane to L.A. in December of ’88. The No. 1 single in the country at the time was “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison. I was the first in my area to discover Poison, so I was proud to see my “idols” getting the credit they deserved. On that trip, I saw the Zeros and TUFF play a Christmas show at the Whisky. I loved TUFF, but the Zeros were too weird for my simple, teenage, Detroit mind. The irony is that three years later, I joined the Zeros thanks to being roommates with Stevie from TUFF.

I moved to L.A. in ’89 and the Sunset Strip scene was already fading. It’s easy to say that Nirvana and grunge wiped out L.A. glam, but that’s bullshit.

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HAIR WARNING: This is not Van Halen.

The bands and the songs on the Strip had become a joke, and what started as a movement/revolution by bands like Motley Crue, Quiet Riot — who deserve WAY more credit than they get — and Poison became a turd-fest for hacks with brown hair and Bon Jovi highlights. By ’93, those guys either bought flannels and moved to Seattle or moved back to their parents’ house in Ohio. That’s when shit got REAL dangerous in Hollywood, because the record deals and ass-kissing A&R guys all went away, so the bands that were left had to fend for themselves.

At that point NOBODY “fit in” in Hollywood. Big Bang Babies would be headlining the Roxy, Alleycat Scratch would be at the Troubador and Korn, Hybrid Theory (aka Linkin Park) or System of a Down would be at the Whisky — all on the same weekend! It’s funny that those last bands made it HUGE, but does anyone ever call Korn a Hollywood band? Those fuckers wanted to get the cover of Rock City News just like the rest of us — and they did — but you never heard them thank bands like Warrant, TUFF and Poison for paving the way. Fucking posers! So, the long answer to your short question is that The Mistakes NEVER fit in, which was fine with us!

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UNCULTURED CLUB: The Mistakes trash another beer-slick hellhole on their way to glam-punk oblivion.

Explain how your image came about and then describe a typical Mistakes gig
Our image was based on a scientific theory of what Boy George, Wattie from the Exploited, Dee Snider and “Eddie” from Iron Maiden would look like if they all lived together in a tool shed in Reseda. Chris Wilson, the bass player and founder for The Mistakes, and I lived in that tool shed for real and that’s where The Mistakes were born. Our shows, in a nutshell, were chaotic and simple. We had everyone from transsexual drag queens to washed-up ’80s rockers to punk rock kids that didn’t yet know about the “rule book” at our shows. It was magic, man. There might only be five people there, but they all sang the songs with us. That’s magic! You can’t buy that shit! Our songs were honest and real, and that’s the type of people that came to our shows. I wouldn’t have had it any other way!

Besides your connections to TUFF and Poison, what other bands were friends with The Mistakes and what brought you all together?
Everyone was united at the Rainbow Bar & Grill. From Lemmy and Corey from Slipknot to the Good Charlotte guys … I met and became friends with so many different bands and people, and in all honesty, it was never about what type of music we played, it was about being real people. That’s what brought us together with lots of bands and friends from every music genre.

What bands of the time did you consider to be your biggest rivals or competition?
We had no competition! NOBODY could be uglier or play sloppier than us! And if they tried to, we would just kick their asses and tell them to try harder next time!

TALK SHITTY TO ME: A pre-mohawk t.Odd with Poison singer Bret Michaels in 1988. A few years later, Bret chased some shit-talkers down the street on the rare occasion that t.Odd was willing to let it slide.

TALK SHITTY TO ME: A pre-mohawk t.Odd with Poison singer Bret Michaels in 1988. A few years later, Bret chased some shit-talkers down the street on the rare occasion that t.Odd was trying hard to not cause a scene.

Share the most legendary story of Mistakes debauchery
As far as I’m concerned, if anyone is able to not only remember, but also write books about how fucked up they were – Hello, Motley Crue? — then it’s all made-up bullshit. Chris and I were black-out fucking, Cisco-drinking assholes. There was a special called “Hollywood Nights” once on that show “A Current Affair” and my Mom called me to tell me I was on TV getting in a fight. That’s not cool, but at the time I was happy to be on TV!

I wrecked two cars and a motorcycle on Laurel Canyon, and consumed ridiculous amounts of chemicals and alcohol. I did shit that most wouldn’t have survived. I saw lots of friends die, but I lived. Why? God only knows. I don’t want to sensationalize being a fuck-up, but I won’t deny it either.

Here’s a good story: One time Bret Michaels took me and Shawn Smash up to a party in the Hollywood Hills. It was, like, the wife of the owner of Virgin Records at the time, and he gave her our Mistakes cassette demo in front of idiots like Lenny Kravitz and the prick-ass dude from Filter — he wasn’t famous enough to remember his name — to the owner of the house. Bret didn’t give a fuck what people thought, and at that point he was more famous than anyone in the house. At the end, we were in the parking lot and some douchebag started talking shit about me and Shawn. Contrary to our usual behavior, we didn’t want to start a scene out of respect for Bret. Next thing you know we hear, “ARE YOU FUCKING WITH MY FRIENDS?” and Bret literally jumped over us and chased the fucking idiots down the street! THAT was fucking punk rock!

BROTHERS AND SISTER: Chris Wilson and t.Odd flank Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider

BROTHERS AND SISTER: Chris Wilson and t.Odd with Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider

Why was Dee Snider of Twisted Sister such an influence?
I literally owe Dee Snider my life. As an awkward teenager in a small town in Michigan, I didn’t think ANYONE understood me. I didn’t fit in. Remember when a couple Metallica fans committed suicide by locking themselves up in garage with a running car in, like, 1985? Let’s just say me and my high school friend, Greg Stiltner, joked about doing the same thing — but it wasn’t really a joke. When I heard “I Am, I’m Me” by Twisted Sister, everything changed. Those were MY feelings! Someone else “got it” and that inspires me to this day. One of the reasons Chris and I bonded was over a love of Twisted Sister. And booze — but that’s a different story!

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I GOTTA WRITE!: With a book to his credit, t.Odd can claim his share of text, drugs and rock-n-roll. I wonder if it has any mistakes?

Also if you listen, there’s a hidden voicemail from Dee Snider at the end of our cover of “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” I met Dee in person while I was in the Zeros and again during The Mistakes, and as far as I’m concerned there is no better frontman, songwriter or human being on this planet! He’s a true inspiration. He even called me from Croatia once to tell me what he thought of the sci-fi book I wrote a few years ago called “Modern Youth: A Vision of the Future(?).” He’s the best!

I’ve been lucky that my heroes – Dee Snider, Poison, Tony James from Generation X and Sigue Sigue Sputnik — all ended up being super cool. I also met guys like Axl Rose over the years, who was a total asshole, but I wasn’t a big enough Guns fan to give a shit!

Do you ever wonder if choosing punk or glam exclusively rather than combining the two would have made The Mistakes more marketable or successful?
I’m SURE it would have. If we had played by the punk-rock rule book and only wore certain clothes with certain patches and played with certain bands etc., we could have gotten way bigger in the mid-’90 commercial punk explosion. The thing is, our version of “punk” didn’t fit the bullshit rule book that the so-called “punks” lived by, and honestly we didn’t fucking care. We did what we wanted, dressed how we wanted, wrote songs how we wanted and didn’t give a flying fuck what anyone thought about it. Boy George, Dee Snider and Johnny Cash were our punk idols, not some fucking posers with studded jackets that had never written a song in their lives. Glam was literally “poison” at that time (intentional pun!), so we loved fucking with people by wearing makeup (aka war paint). I did it in Total Chaos, too, and had loads of fun having so-called “punks” give me shit for being DIFFERENT! Being yourself IS punk rock. Anything else is just a fucking poser fucking sheep!

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TOTAL RIP-OFF?: After The Mistakes, t.Odd and his mohawk joined mainstay California punkers, Total Chaos — until missing money caused a split.

Tell us how you came to join Total Chaos and describe that experience? Why did it end?
Shawn and Rob from Total Chaos were big ’80s glam-metal fans, and they started hanging out at the Rainbow around the time The Mistakes started, so we became drinking buddies. We opened for them a few times, and when Joe Bastard, their bass player, couldn’t make some shows, I filled in. He left just before a Japan tour, so I joined full-time. We did Japan twice, Warped Tour 2002, etc. I financed everything at that point, including the “Punk Invasion” CD and Rob’s 12-pack of Corona per day habit. I put my heart into the band, but in the end, Rob Chaos stole money from me so I quit. Then I went bankrupt. Funny thing is that Rob loves to talk shit about me, even though he’s the biggest poser I’ve ever met. To this day, I hear they still play The Mistakes’ song “DUI” and Twisted’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” which is something that I obviously brought to the live show.

Any personal or professional regrets after living the decadent, Hollywood rock-n-roll lifestyle for so long?
The cliché answer — and a lyric from my song “Freak” – is “No regrets/No apologies!” But looking back, if I could do it all over would I do things differently? Fuck yeah, I would! I had some great times — some I can even remember! — but I honestly believe that the level of success I achieved, or lack thereof, was directly proportionate to the amount of fucking around I did. I remember Stevie Rachelle once invited Penelope Spheeris, the film director from “Decline of Western Civilization,” down to a Mistakes show at the Blue Saloon in North Hollywood. She was getting ready to do “Decline 3” at that point. I’d been out for, like, two nights before and was SO fucked up and hungover on the day of the show that we had to cancel. Stupid shit like that was such a waste! I guess on the plus side, even though we never “made it,” at least we lived to tell about it. Many of our peers from the time weren’t so lucky.

For more Mistakes go here. To follow on Twitter, go here. To buy “Karate Kid” on iTunes, go here. To find “Karate Kid” on Amazon MP3, go here. To find t.Odd’s “Modern Youth” book, go here or here.
BELOW: The Mistakes rock, roll and vomit through “Tomorrow”

 

 

Motorhead: Getting ‘Hammered’ with Lemmy … And Sparing No F-bombs Along the Way!

Posted: 8th January 2013 by admin in Quotes and Chatter
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SIGHT FOR SORE EYES: In his younger days, Lemmy would not only blacken your eye, he’d also poke it out, chew it up and spit it back in your pathetic, whimpering face. These days, he may spare you the agony and embarrassment in exchange for a Jack and Coke. Maybe. If you’re lucky.

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‘TIL DEAF DO US PART: Among other things, Lemmy and Motorhead are known to make your ears dial 9-1-1.

By Metal Dave

Looking for some candy-ass rock star interview? Then run from the room screaming! Looking instead for some unscripted, brutally honest, always hilarious and fully intelligent (if not a wee bit profane) insight from rock’s most enduring and uncompromising warhorse? Then stir up some Jack and Coke, have a seat and enjoy my 2002 Houston Press interview with Motorhead main man Lemmy Kilmister. And don’t say I didn’t warn you.

MOTIVATIONAL MOTORHEAD
by David Glessner

Motorhead front man Lemmy Kilmister certainly has a way with words. The sore-throated singer and bass guitar bruiser once described his band’s music as an amphetamine-driven fist of fury. Another of his pithy pronouncements had it that if he moved in next door, your lawn would die. End of story.

Decades later, the poetic punch lines have proven prophetic. As evidenced by Motörhead’s umpteenth album, Hammered, the band is still heavier than a burlap bag full of bullet belts and knuckle-dusters. It’s also a safe bet that Lemmy’s neighbors still quiver behind drawn blinds, praying the warts-and-all badass keeps off their grass.

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FREEBIRD: Never one to kiss anyone’s ass, Lemmy salutes the music business in the only way he sees fit.

Who can blame them? Anyone with the power to unite such onetime enemies as punks and metalheads can be viewed only as a menace.

“We do rock and roll about chicks and panties and fucking roaring, killing, blood-smeared death,” Lemmy rasps without apology. As for bringing the Mohawk and metal crowds together, he says, “So did the Ramones, ya know? It was just the wrong haircut. But our music was so obviously not Judas Priest.”

And what of the Ramones’ recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

“They’d be better off with a plaque from their favorite whorehouse,” Lemmy says. “They deserve so much better. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame sucks big-time. It’s absolutely fucking awful. They have no clue about rock and roll. The biggest room in there is the gift shop!”

FIREPOWER: With his cigarette properly lit, Lemmy turns his attention toward recycling the latest Nicki Minaj CD into something more useful. Like an ashtray. Or a toenail scraper.

FIREPOWER: With his trusty cigarette properly lit, Lemmy turns his attention toward recycling the latest Nicki Minaj CD into something much more useful. Like an ashtray. Or a bunion scraper.


Like the Ramones, Motörhead is as anti-establishment as they come. Too honest and raw for radio and about as photogenic as the Elephant Man, Motörhead is the music industry’s undisputed ugly duckling, the lost cause that won’t get lost. Though he’s a contemporary of the newly kinder, gentler Keith Richards, Lemmy still lives up to the “Born to Lose — Live to Win” tattoo emblazoned on his arm.

“I can insult them much longer than they can insult me,” he says of industry types. “I’m pretty much at peace with myself. We’re supposed to be Motörhead. That’s what we do, and nobody does it better. For us to sit around and listen to those whiny, ass-kissing motherfuckers…I’d just as soon shoot myself, ya know? I won’t even let them into the recording studio when they come down with their 2.5 bloody kids. Get ‘em out of here and lock the doors.”

IF IT AIN'T BROKE: In the words of Lemmy, Motorhead's aptly titled 'Hammered' is another fine, upstanding collection of 'chicks and panties and fucking roaring, killing, blood-smeared death.' Any questions?

IF IT AIN’T BROKE: In the words of Lemmy, Motorhead’s aptly titled ‘Hammered’ is another fine, upstanding collection of ‘chicks and panties and fucking roaring, killing, blood-smeared death.’ Any questions?

The doors were rusted shut earlier this year when Lemmy and longtime comrades Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee — Motörhead’s guitarist and drummer, respectively — banged out the aptly titled Hammered. It’s the band’s first album of new material since 2000′s We Are Motörhead. Two years may be a quick turnaround for most bands, but for Motörhead, it’s almost an eternity. “We’ve been working on this album and touring” overseas, Lemmy explains. “Motörhead’s a rock band. We don’t fuck around in the studio. Actually, for the first time in my life, I had three months” off the road.

Hammered leans more toward darker themes of war and retribution than Lemmy’s wickedly humorous tales of mooching Bon Jovi’s booze or table-hopping at L.A.’s trendy Rainbow Bar & Grill. “Hammered‘s a bit more English,” he says of the album’s dark tone. “I don’t know what it is, but I know what you mean.”

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH: Lemmy contemplates another shot of Jack during his lunch break from JCPenny.

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH: Lemmy contemplates another shot of Jack during his lunch break from JCPenny.

It’s also another excuse for yet another punishing tour. To paraphrase some of Lemmy’s classic lyrics, speed don’t kill and Motörhead’s the proof. It’s a sentiment that’s also echoed in the title of the band’s classic live album, No Sleep ’til Hammersmith.

“I’ve been on the road in a fucking little shelter with one wall missing and the rain and the wind coming in,” Lemmy says, audibly exhaling another throat-charring cloud of cigarette smoke. “You think to yourself, ‘Fuck this shit!’ But if you’ve got a couple of pals with you, it’s the best time of your life to write songs, because you don’t remember the rain and shit and the freezing cold. You just remember the companionship. If you have a job at JCPenny, you’re not going to remember much from that. ‘Yeah, the manager came down and shook fucking hands with me!’ Whoa! Fucking hell! If that’s your life, show me another.”

ROCKIN' VICAR: A young Lemmy in an early publicity photo

BLESSING IN DISGUISE: A young Lemmy in an early publicity photo as a member of the Rockin’ Vickers.

Lemmy’s life began in the English Midlands as Ian Kilmister, a vicar’s son and a fan of the Beatles and MC5. Determined to make music his destiny, young Ian later became “Lemmy” (for his supposed habit of asking friends to “lemme a fiver”) and landed work as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix during the hippie heyday.

“It was a very special time,” Lemmy recalls. “We discovered the Pill and acid at the same time. Then we got Hendrix and Sgt. Pepper and all that stuff. If you can say you remember it completely, you were with the wrong crowd.

“We did a whole [Hendrix] tour, and it was only two of us rolling around his equipment. We’d use the house PA and just gear up and go. No mikes on the drums, no fucking nothing in those days, and all that good music came from that. You think about that for a minute. It doesn’t have to be all electronically perfect and digital. In fact, that’s part of the death of rock and roll. It’s not supposed to be clean, you stupid bastard! It’s supposed to be raunchy and fucking sleazy and looking up your skirt, ya know? That’s rock and roll.”

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SNAGGLETOOTH: Lemmy flanked by the equally cuddly “Fast” Eddie Clarke (left) and “Philthy Animal” Taylor. Come and get ‘em, ladies!

After a brief stint in Hawkwind, a psychedelic metal band, Lemmy formed Motörhead in 1975. The classic lineup featured guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke and drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor. In no time, Motörhead was reviled as the worst band in the world. While the image of Lemmy wearing mirrored shades and growling upward into an overhead mike was frightening enough, what came out of the speakers and amps was deemed even more repulsive. Still, the denim-and-safety-pin crowds marveled at Motörhead’s ability to offend with such classic underground albums as Overkill, Bomber and Ace of Spades. A young Lars Ulrich was enamored enough to serve as president of Motörhead’s West Coast fan club before becoming the drummer for Metallica; Motörhead’s god-awful growl also helped spawn the likes of Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax.

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KISS MY ASH: In case you were wondering, Lemmy couldn’t give a flying rat’s ass about your secondhand smoke concerns.

Lemmy’s debauched existence is as legendary as his band. If what doesn’t kill him ultimately makes him stronger, Lemmy will be smoking, drinking and imbibing sordid and sundry substances from here to eternity.

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ACES HIGH: The long-running current lineup, from left, is God, guitarist Phil Campbell and one of the best drummers in the world, Mikkey Dee

“I’ve never recovered from any vice,” he says. “I thoroughly enjoy them. Maybe I’m just dumb lucky.

“A lot of my friends are dead. I don’t recommend any lifestyle over any other. Just figure out what you like best and do it. If you live a life you don’t like, it’ll kill you just the same — and make you miserable before that! You gotta get out there and figure out what you like to do and then die trying to fucking do it.”

BELOW: Proof positive that the ladies love guitars. God bless ‘em.

Review: The Last Vegas Rolls Out Good Tunes With ‘Bad Decisions,’ 2F2D’s Album of theYear

Posted: 18th December 2012 by admin in Reviews
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THE LAST BOYS: Danny Smash (bass), Nate Arling (drums), Chad Cherry (vocals), Johnny Wator (guitar) and Adam Arling (guitar) are beating the odds at rock-n-roll roulette. New album ‘Bad Decisions’ is a safe bet for fans of Aerosmith, GN’R, Buckcherry and AC/DC.

BAD DECISIONS, GOOD ALBUM

BAD DECISIONS, GOOD ALBUM

By Metal Dave

The Last Vegas from Chicago may be dicey on geography, but who cares where you’re going when you’re having this much fun?

Handpicked to tour with Motley Crue after an impressed Nikki Sixx decided to produce their 2009 album, “Whatever Gets You Off” — and then holding more than folding while opening for Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC and Alice Cooper — The Last Vegas is not only flirting with rock-n-roll stardom, they’re ready to give it the nasty.

On seductively trashy new album, “Bad Decisions,” the Vegas guys raise a toast to the aforementioned influences, then stir in some Buckcherry (by way of Aerosmith) and the ballad stylings of the Black Crowes to create a deliciously raunchy, strip-club soundtrack that’s danceable enough for the girls, girls, girls yet tough enough for the atomic punks. Think “Back in Black,” “Appetite for Destruction,” “Dr. Feelgood” and a bit of “Sonic Temple,” and you’ll understand the uni(versal)sex appeal.

While it’s easy — and not entirely inaccurate — to stamp The Last Vegas as retro-’80s, hair-metal rowdies (“Evil Eye” rides a Motley-sounding “Wildside” riff and “Take It So Hard” echoes the drum breaks from “Sweet Child O’ Mine”), doing so is a lazy injustice to the band’s underlying ’70s soul and funky grooves. “Leonida” oozes a thick, lava-like Led Sabbath grind while the Ron Davies cover, “It Ain’t Easy,” twangs and slithers like a sun-baked, southern swamp rocker. And damn if “She’s My Confusion” doesn’t slink across the dance floor like a leftover INXS track.

Sure, the Last Vegas turns up aces on the screechy, gimme debauchery themes of “Bad Decisions,” “My Way Forever” and the crazy bitch warning of “The Other Side,” but they owe as much to hair-band predecessors like Aerosmith, Nazareth and Alice Cooper as they do Motley Crue and GN’R.

In a year that offered better-than-expected releases from Van Halen, Slash, Aerosmith and The Cult — as well as impressive showings from underdogs Prima Donna and the Lower Class Brats — 2Fast2Die votes for The Last Vegas’ “Bad Decisions” as Album of the Year. Go ahead, give it a gamble.

Overall Grade: ‘Album of the Year’ pretty much says it all

Favorite Songs: “You Are the One,” “Bad Decisions,” “Take It So Hard,” “Good Night”

For Fans of: Jack Daniels, Saturday nights and charismatic singers who sound (kinda) like Axl, but shimmy like Prince. To see and hear more, go here and here or click the videos below.

Hellbent for the Holidays: A Metal Gift Guide

Posted: 4th December 2012 by admin in News Bites
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‘SCREAMING’ FOR CHRISTMAS: As if Judas Priest could possibly improve on their masterful 1982 album, ‘Screaming for Vengeance,’ the leather lads from Birmingham, England, go one better by offering a 30th anniversary reissue complete with bonus tracks and a classic live DVD. You’ve got another thing coming, indeed!

LEMMY TO DIO: All I want for Xmas is something from Chipster!!

LEMMY TO DIO: All I want for Xmas is something from Chipster!!

By Metal Dave

Santa hasn’t been caught cranking King Diamond’s “No Presents for Christmas,” but I’m still convinced Old Saint Nick has a naughty weakness for heavy metal. How else do you explain Ronnie James Dio’s early years as an Elf? Doh!

Lame holiday humor aside, 2Fast2Die is happy to share the very best heavy metal gift bag your favorite headbanger could possibly hope to pillage. It comes courtesy of ChipsterPR, whose year-round roster of all things heavy metal is the next best thing to guzzling eggnog with Lemmy.

So, in the interest of lightening Santa’s load — and sparing him from the guilt-ridden career suicide of transporting the devil’s contraband – 2Fast2Die cuts out the middle man and takes you straight to the source for all your hard-rocking, heavy metal gift-giving.

JUDAS PRIEST
How do you improve a masterpiece? If the work in question is the flawless 1982 Judas Priest classic, “Screaming for Vengeance,” you repackage it on its 30th anniversary and include not only the re-mastered original album plus bonus tracks, but also add the long-awaited Judas Priest concert DVD taken from the May 29, 1983 US Festival filmed in front of 350,000 screaming fans in San Bernardino, California.

As for the bonus tracks, Priest includes the rare, non-album song, “Prisoner of Your Eyes,” and live versions of “Electric Eye,” “Riding on the Wind,” “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming,” “Screaming for Vengeance” and “Devil’s Child” — all of which were recorded at a September 1982 tour stop in metal-crazy San Antonio. Adding eye candy to the ear-spank is a photo booklet by Mark Weiss and sleeve notes written by “That Metal Show” co-host and longtime, rock radio personality, Eddie Trunk. To buy or learn more, go here.

SAXON
The glorious power of the holiday season takes a royal new twist as British metal legends Saxon celebrate the international release of “Heavy Metal Thunder – The Movie.” Wonderfully unfiltered and intimate, the double-disc DVD tells the story of Saxon along with bonus features, including a full-length performance from April 23, 2008. Riveting, honest and including the frank memories of every musician who has played in the band, “Heavy Metal Thunder,” retraces the history of Saxon, from frontman Biff Byford’s teenage years in the coalmines of Yorkshire through Son Of A Bitch (the first incarnation of Saxon) and onward to top 10 hits and world tours.

A working class triumph showcasing every facet of Saxon’s journey, “Heavy Metal Thunder” explores the true characters who make up the band — and despite the ongoing problems between the Byford/Quinn and Oliver/Dawson parties, everyone tells the full, unedited Saxon story with heartfelt honesty and integrity. “We do have a great legacy,” Byford says, “whether you joined the band in 1994 or (as) an original member.” To buy or learn more, go here.

MOTORHEAD
Motorhead will never stand accused of reinventing the wheel and for that we can thank them profusely. In what amounts to a near-carbon copy track listing of their previous release, “The Wörld Is Ours – Vol 1 – Everywhere Further Than Everyplace Else,” Lemmy, Mikkey and Phil offer the cleverly titled follow-up, “The Wörld Is Ours – Vol 2 – Anyplace Crazy As Anywhere Else.”

Like its sibling (identical twin?), “Anyplace Crazy” is an audio/DVD combo packed with loud-n-live tracks from “The Wörld Is Yours” tour, including the triumphant 2011 Wacken headline appearance as well as highlights from the Sonisphere and Rio shows. Call it more of the same if you must (although the audiences and DVD viewings differ), but any headbanger worth his/her denim knows a Motorhead repeat is a helluva lot better than a new album of turds by your former favorite band. To buy or learn more, go here.

TriumphTRIUMPH
It seems only fitting that Santa’s goody bag offers something from the Great White North. After 20 years apart, Canada’s famed power trio, Triumph, reunited at the Sweden Rock Festival on June 7, 2008 and captured the event as “Live at Sweden Rock Festival.”

The set consists of a DVD and CD (both featuring identical track listings) and features all of the Triumph classics, including “When the Lights Go Down,” “Lay It On the Line,” “Never Surrender,” “Magic Power” and “Fight the Good Fight.” Bonus features include the onsite Triumph press conference, a behind-the-scenes peek at the festival, a photo gallery and a full-color, 18-page booklet, including lyrics, credits and photos. Take off, eh! To buy or learn more, go here.

DioDIO
You wanted the “Beast,” you got the “Beast!” Hot on the cloven hooves of “The Very Beast of Dio” comes a second volume of Dio tracks fittingly titled, “The Very Beast of Dio Vol. 2.” The 17-track CD picks up where the first volume left off, namely from 1996 onward. In addition to latter-day Dio numbers such as “Killing The Dragon,” “Push” and “Fever Dreams,” the compilation also adds several rarities including “Electra” (which previously was only a part of the ultra-rare “Tournado” box set), “Prisoner of Paradise” and “Metal Will Never Die.”

Also included are liner notes by Dio friend and 2Fast2Die hero, Eddie Trunk. Oh, and if the front cover painting looks familiar, that’s because it was done by artist Marc Sasso whose previous credits include Dio’s “Killing The Dragon” and “Master Of The Moon” album covers. Horns up! To buy or learn more, go here. For more Dio music and info about all-star tribute band, Dio Disciples, go here.

shadowsideSHADOWSIDE
Proving that melodic metal is not exclusive to beer-burping dudes, she-devil siren Dani Nolden leads Shadowside into the fray. Hailing from Brazil and already critically acclaimed, Shadowside survived a tour with WASP and is ready to stomp the world with new album, “Inner Monster Out.” To buy or learn more, go here.

BELOW: Watch Judas Priest on the brink of worldwide superstardom at the 1983 US Festival — and then go buy your favorite headbanger a coal-crushing holiday gift at www.chipsterpr.com

Dangerous Toys Reunion Always a Big Bang

Posted: 30th November 2012 by admin in Reviews
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‘SCARED’ OF CLOWNS: Dangerous Toys’ 1989 debut album sold more than 500,000 copies on the strength of heavy touring and heavy rotation on radio and MTV. The album’s best-known songs include ‘Scared,’ ‘Teas’n Pleas’n,’ ‘Sport’n a Woody’ and 2Fast2Die’s favorite, ‘Queen of the Nile.’ (Artwork by Tommy Pons)

SCREAMIN’ DEMON: Unlike many of his late-’80s peers, former Watchtower and Dangerous Toys singer Jason McMaster still sounds better than ever thanks, in part, to non-stop performing with his other bands, Broken Teeth, Evil United, Ignitor and others. Look ‘em up! (photo by Gregg Maston taken at 2008 reunion concert)

Austin rock legends Dangerous Toys reunite Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012 at Red Eyed Fly in Austin. Ticket info here. Review below is from 2008, but serves as a safe-bet preview for this Saturday’s upcoming annual reunion. Hey, why fix the Toys if they ain’t broken?

By Metal Dave

Santa’s worst enemy returned with a bang Saturday when Dangerous Toys reloaded at Red Eyed Fly for a one-night stand of hair-metal mischief.

As Austin’s late-’80s bullet-belt rock champs, the Toys once played in the same box as L.A. Guns, Faster Pussycat and other mid-level motley crews. Tours with Alice Cooper, Judas Priest and the Cult kept the carousel spinning until the life of leather and leisure disappeared in the gloom of Nirvana.

To the delight of Saturday’s 200 Backroom refugees, the Toys still enjoy random returns to the playground.

Opening with “Gunfighter” from the the 1991 sophomore album, “Hellacious Acres,” singer Jason McMaster screeched with the red-faced fury of Janis Joplin while guitarists Scott Dalhover (bald) and Paul Lidel (hair to spare) traded sharp jabs of shredded blues. Bassist Mike Watson sported a bandanna-beneath-a-backward ball cap and was returned to health after illness postponed the gig a few months earlier. Curtain-haired drummer Mark Geary caffeinated the pulse.

STILL PISSED: The reunion lineup of Dangerous Toys features longtime guitarist Paul Lidel, back center, along with, clockwise from bottom, McMaster, drummer Mark Geary, guitar shredder Scott Dalhover and bassist Mike Watson. The band’s hard-to-find third album, “Pissed,” is a fan favorite. Go find it!

The hard-charging “Outlaw” was followed by “Sugar, Leather & the Nail,” the bluesy bop of “Take Me Drunk” and the teeth-chattering scat of “Gimme No Lip,” which melted into a snippet of Iron Maiden’s “Runnin’ Free.” Somewhere in the flashback, a shout of “Watchtower” referenced McMaster’s pre-Toys thrash band and drew a raised eyebrow and appreciative grin from Austin’s well-traveled, current Broken Teeth singer.

As expected, the radio and MTV hits were greeted like high school crushes. Peppered among gems from the Toys’ overlooked third album, “Pissed,” the hits included the jet-engine vocals of “Queen of the Nile,” the sing-along shout of “Line ‘Em Up” and the silly slyness of “Sport’N a Woody.” A rarely heard “Demon Bell” was summoned from Wes Craven’s schlock flick, “Shocker,” before the two-hour gig came to a close with a bump-and-grind punch of “Teas’N Pleas’N” and “Scared.”

All told, the Toys were sturdy as a Tonka, skinny as a stick and still a whole lotta fun.

2Fast2Die says: The above review originally published in the Austin American-Statesman under my David Glessner byline, Nov. 9, 2008.

BELOW: ‘Scared,’ a Dangerous Toys song dedicated to Alice Cooper

Slash Reloads With ‘Apocalyptic’ New Band

Posted: 27th November 2012 by admin in News Bites
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GUITAR HERO: The guitar playing on Slash’s latest album, “Apocalyptic Love,” may be his best ever — which is saying a lot considering his previous output. More like a polished combo of “Use Your Illusion” and Velvet Revolver than the raw, punk-metal sleaze of “Appetite for Destruction” “Apocalyptic Love” is worthy of praise from even the stingiest of guitar snobs.

GUITAR HERO: The guitar playing on Slash’s latest album, “Apocalyptic Love,” may be his best ever — which is saying a lot considering his previous output. More like a polished combo of “Use Your Illusion” and Velvet Revolver than the raw, punk-metal sleaze of “Appetite for Destruction” “Apocalyptic Love” is worthy of praise from even the stingiest of guitar snobs.

By Metal Dave

To say it’s been a banner year for rock guitar hero Slash is like saying he has an appetite for the occasional pack of smokes.

Besides rave reviews for his latest album, “Apocalyptic Love,” the former Guns N’ Roses outlaw was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Sure, GN’R singer Axl Rose spitefully snubbed the ceremony (or maybe he’s just running late), but the recognition was deliciously wicked for a band that sold 100 million albums laced with hard-rock f-bombs and blatant excess.

More recently in Los Angeles, Slash again was honored when he scored his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Compared to other sidewalk scores, the Walk of Fame ordeal was at least police-approved (although emcee Charlie Sheen may have raised a sniff of suspicion).

Now mutually estranged from Axl Rose and the drama of a Stone(d) Temple Pilot (see Velvet Revolver), Slash brings his new “Apocalyptic” posse — singer Myles Kennedy, bassist Todd Kerns and drummer Brent Fitz — to Stubb’s on Friday where career-spanning hits like “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” “Paradise City” and “Slither” are all fair game to be pulled from his hat.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR? In a year that's seen impressive releases from Van Halen, The Cult, Aerosmith and The Last Vegas among others, Slash has a serious contender.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR? In a year that’s seen impressive releases from Van Halen, The Cult, Aerosmith and The Last Vegas among others, Slash has a serious contender.

Lest anyone think Slash’s best playing rests with Guns N’ Revolver, “Apocalyptic Love” proves he’s got plenty of bullets to spare. A hard-boogie grinder full of slinky blues and ballistic solos, “Apocalyptic Love” may be Slash’s finest hour. At the very least, the solos in “Anastasia” could stop a conversation between Al Di Meola and Eddie Van Halen. It ain’t bragging if it’s true.

In Kennedy, Slash has a powerful all-terrain vocalist. Whether wailing and growling like Axl Rose or fanning the low-spark soul of Steve Winwood, Kennedy proves to be a full-time keeper after first appearing on Slash’s 2010 solo album alongside guest vocalists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Dave Grohl, Fergie and Chris Cornell. Welcome to the jungle, indeed.

SMOKE MY CIGARETTE WITH STYLE: After decades of huffing cigarettes, Slash finally gave up the filthy habit of wearing shirts.

SMOKE MY CIGARETTE WITH STYLE: After decades of huffing cigarettes, Slash finally gave up the filthy habit of wearing shirts.

Slash in a Flash:

Born Saul Hudson in England, 47-year-old Slash was raised in Los Angeles where he attended school with Lenny Kravitz. His mother worked for, and reportedly romanced, David Bowie. After an early audition with Poison, Slash found universal fame with the more compatible Guns N’ Roses, whose blockbuster 1987 debut, “Appetite for Destruction,” is considered one of the greatest rock records of all time. Before falling out with Axl Rose in 1996 following GN’R’s “Lies, Lies, Lies,” the double-album “Use Your Illusion,” and the covers collection, “The Spaghetti Incident?” Slash recorded two albums with his side project, Slash’s Snakepit, and eventually joined ex-GN’R mates Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum in the all-star Velvet Revolver featuring singer Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots. To date, Slash has collaborated with such legends as Michael Jackson, Iggy Pop, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Stevie Wonder and, um, “Phineas and Ferb. 

MYLES AWAY: After a stint with former members of Creed, singer Myles Kennedy is now riding shotgun with Slash.

MYLES AWAY: After a stint with former members of Creed, singer Myles Kennedy is now riding shotgun with Slash.

Myles’ Past

Boston-born musician Myles Kennedy first gained national prominence in 2004 as the singer for Alter Bridge, which was basically the massively successful band Creed minus singer Scott Stapp. More importantly, he also made a closing appearance in the 2001 film, “Rock Star,” featuring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston. That’s him climbing out of the crowd to replace Wahlberg as the totally stoked singer for the totally rad Steel Dragon.

2Fast2Die Note: The text of the above article originally published in the Austin American-Statesman on Sept. 6, 2012 under my “professional” byline, David Glessner. Gotta pay the bills, ya know?

For more Slash info, visit www.slashonline.com

Review: Aerosmith Delivers Classic Gems, New Rockers, High Energy at Austin Concert

Posted: 18th November 2012 by admin in Reviews
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Four decades into a career of classic rock hits and toxic drama, Aerosmith arrived victorious on Friday during Formula One weekend at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. (photos by Josh Rasmussen)

Four decades into a career of classic rock hits and toxic drama, Aerosmith arrived victorious on Friday during Formula One weekend at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. (photos by Josh Rasmussen)

Aero 5By David Glessner
Special to the
American-Statesman

Of all the well-oiled machines in town for Formula One weekend, none have survived more mileage and wreckage than legendary rockers, Aerosmith.

Long sober and back on track following singer Steven Tyler’s detour to “American Idol,” the bad boys from Boston screeched into the Erwin Center on Friday to deliver four decades of classic rock hits along with choice fresh meat from impressive new album, “Music From Another Dimension.” Add a killer opening set from Cheap Trick and somewhere the cast from “Dazed and Confused” is still sleeping off the hangover.

At an age when they should be rocking bingo parlors instead of arena stages, the impossibly skinny Aero-seniors swaggered through a balance of ’70s gems and MTV mainstays beginning with “Mama Kin” from 1973’s self-titled debut album.

Joe Perry (by Josh Rasmussen)Hyper as ever, Tyler wasted no time teetering to the last half-inch of the catwalk to offer high-fives and flirty pouts amidst his cyclone swirl of trademark scarves. With eternally cool guitarist Joe Perry locked to the singer’s hip, the rehabbed Toxic Twins struck their classic share-the-mic pose in an image that was torn from garage-sale copies of Creem magazine.

Fast-forwarding through 1989’s “Love in an Elevator” to nail 2001’s “Jaded,” Tyler peeled the sunglasses off his monkey-mouth mug and pitched them to some lucky catcher who today is likely shopping for shadowboxes or at least getting goofy on E-bay.

The mix of new and old ranged from Tyler and Perry’s very first song together, “Movin’ Out,” to brand new, knock-your-block-off rockers like “Oh Yeah” and “Lover Alot.” Proving as always that he is criminally underrated, guitarist Brad Whitford stole the show on “Last Child.”

While most drum solos are antsy excuses for filling cups and emptying bladders, recent Texas transplant Joey Kramer froze feet with his bare-handed pounding and synchronized head butts. Another don’t-blink moment came when video images of Perry in front of Austin landmarks drew Texas-proud roars. “I like Austin because it rhymes with Boston,” he said.

Aero 2With a voice as elastic as a slingshot, Tyler stretched things to the hilt on “What it Takes” and added the signature chimp chatter that could only come from one of rock’s greatest singers. “No More, No More” cold-cocked the old-schoolers as Perry changed guitars mid-song while keeping the original slung over his back. Another classic pose.

A little song called “Walk This Way” had Tyler pulling a woman onstage to shake a leg before “Dream On” brought the singer up from the cellar on a hydraulic-lifted piano. The billowing white smoke was volcanic nirvana, especially when Perry climbed on top to scuff said piano’s pristine white surface.

By the time bassist Tom Hamilton was properly introduced as the architect of “Sweet Emotion,” Aerosmith was on a three-song bender that could rival the Stones or Zeppelin. Even Perry had to finally admit that “I love Austin because it’s Austin.”

Overall, hardcore Aero fans would’ve leveraged more Toxic tunes from the ’70s. That said, it’s impossible to deny the bulletproof charisma and stellar showmanship of America’s greatest rock-n-roll band.

This review originally appeared in the Austin American-Statesman on Nov. 17, 2012

Interview: Aerosmith Drummer Joey Kramer Talks New Album, ‘Idol,’ Skynyrd, ’70s Insanity

Posted: 15th November 2012 by admin in Quotes and Chatter
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DRUM UNTIL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE: Joey Kramer and his Aerosmith band mates have sold more than 150 million albums since leaving their drug- and roach-infested apartment at 1325 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston during the early 1970s. (photo by Ross Halfin)

DRUM UNTIL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE: Joey Kramer and his Aerosmith band mates have sold more than 150 million albums since leaving their drug- and roach-infested apartment at 1325 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston during the early 1970s. (photo by Ross Halfin)

Music From Another DimensionThe following originally published in the Austin American-Statesman on Nov. 15, 2012 to advance Aerosmith’s Nov. 16 concert in Austin with special guest Cheap Trick. Where noted, it has been expanded to include additional content.

AEROSMITH DRUMMER JOEY KRAMER STILL HITS HARD, LIVES IN TEXAS

By David Glessner
Special to the American-Statesman

Joey Kramer wasn’t born in Texas, but he got here sooner than never. A native New Yorker and longtime Bostonian, the 62-year-old drummer for legendary rockers Aerosmith today resides in Georgetown (who knew?). “I’ve been here for two years,” he said. “I love the peace and quiet. I love the area. It’s great.”

BACK ON THE (BBQ) SAUCE: After 40 years in Boston, Joey moved to Georgetown, Texas, two years ago. According to his website, Joey's last meal of choice would be Rudy's Bar-B-Q from nearby Austin.

BACK ON THE (BBQ) SAUCE: After 40 years in Boston, Joey moved to Georgetown, Texas, two years ago. According to his website, Joey’s last meal of choice would be Rudy’s Bar-B-Q from nearby Austin.

Prior to last week’s release of Aerosmith’s 15th album, “Music From Another Dimension,” Kramer phoned to discuss four decades of classic hard rock, toxic excess, hard-won sobriety and that prickly issue of singer Steven Tyler’s two-year stint on “America Idol.” Oh, we also tossed in some Skynyrd trivia to give you an edge at happy hour. You’re welcome!

What brought you to Georgetown?
My wife, Linda, is from Houston. She came to live with me (in Boston) and didn’t really care for it. I’d always heard Austin was really nice, and I fell in love with the Hill Country. Next thing I knew, we were buying a house.

Jack Douglas returned to produce “Music From Another Dimension” after famously helming your classic ’70s albums. Any anxiety about the new album being measured against your past?
I don’t know that there’s anxiety, because this time we were measuring (the songs) against (fan feedback). Everybody really likes the older records, so basically this album is all new material, but with the old Aerosmith spirit applied to it. I don’t even think we anticipated being as pleased with it as we are − at the moment, anyway.

AMERICAN IDLES: When Aerosmith was put on hold following another round of infighting and singer Steven Tyler's stint on "American Idol," rumors circulated that Kramer and the rest of the band were seeking a replacement singer. Among the names making the gossip rounds were Sammy Hagar and Buckcherry singer Josh Todd. With due respect to both, not even God can replace Tyler. (photo by Aaron Josefczyk)

AMERICAN IDLES: When Aerosmith was put on hold following another round of infighting and singer Steven Tyler’s stint on “American Idol,” rumors circulated that Kramer and the rest of the band were seeking a replacement singer. Among the names making the gossip rounds were Sammy Hagar and Buckcherry singer Josh Todd. With due respect to both, not even God can replace Tyler. (photo by Aaron Josefczyk)

Is “American Idol” still a sore subject?
The thing everybody (in Aerosmith) was annoyed about most was how we found out. I found out during the course of an interview, because the interviewer asked me, ‘What do you think of Steven’s new gig on ‘American Idol?’ I was totally at a loss. At the same time, it brought us new fans and it all worked out for the best. It was something I think Steven needed to get out of his system as far as doing extracurricular activities.

You’ve been sober for 25 years following decades of notorious partying. What epiphany steered you straight?
One night, I’d come from a friend’s house after doing a bunch of drugs and I was in my parents’ basement drinking vodka. I was on the floor crashing from the cocaine and booze, and I called my wife downstairs and said, ‘Listen, I can’t do this anymore. I need help.’ And off I went (to treatment). To my chagrin, in ’95, I had a nervous breakdown and didn’t understand where that was coming from, because I was clean and sober for eight or nine years. I went through treatment to get over it, through it, around it. I learned a lot about myself. I’m grateful to be alive, grateful for the band, grateful for the woman I’m married to. I have no complaints.

It’s a little-known fact that, three months prior, Aerosmith was advised against buying the plane that crashed and killed members of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Did you consider dismissing that advice?
No! The guy we had (inspecting the plane) was a man by the name of Harold Buker who we trusted explicitly. He had been a pilot for many, many years and was the father of a good friend of ours. Whatever Harold told us, that’s what we did. Obviously, (the crash) could have been us.

WRITE THIS WAY: Kramer’s tell-all autobiography is a great read that captures both the self-destructive insanity of his wild days as well as his personal struggles with his father and depression.

In your book, “Hit Hard,” you write candidly about your father. Was there good with the bad?
I think that although I dealt with an abusive childhood, my father also instilled in me the intestinal fortitude that I have to get through something like a nervous breakdown or drugs and alcohol. The one thing he told me all the time was that if I ever needed to slow down, then do so − but whatever you do, never stop.

Can you look back now and laugh at the insanity of the ’70s?
(Laughs) Yeah. I was single, 25-years-old, making a lot of money. We were having a good time. I look back now and don’t know how I lived through it because there were many times, Lord knows, I should’ve been dead. I wouldn’t go back and do it again, but if I didn’t do it the way I did, I wouldn’t be where I am now.

————-
2Fast2Die Says: The following comprises the expanded interview. Why? Because me-n-Joey ain’t done talkin’ yet! OK?

What does Jack Douglas bring to the table that, historically, has helped Aerosmith create magic?
The biggest thing Jack brings to the table, besides his expertise of course, is the fun factor. I’ve always believed if you’re doing something and having a fun time doing it, it’s going to come out well. That speaks for the likes of “Toys in the Attic” and “Rocks” and all the records that Jack did. I think we’ve done six records with him. We always have fun doing the tracks and working with Jack. In that kind of an atmosphere, you produce. He knows how to pull it out of us.

Did Steven Tyler have the “it” factor from the moment you met him?
Oh, yeah. Steven and I go back to high school together and he had “it” back then. It was pretty clear to everyone what he was going to do and who he was going to be and what he was going to become. It wasn’t really a mystery.

NEW STRINGS ATTACHED: Aerosmith’s 1982 album “Rock in a Hard Place” featured guitarists Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay replacing original guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford. Despite an admitted lack of focus due to copious amounts of drugs, many fans give the album an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

Despite the absence of Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, a lot of Aerosmith fans like the “Rock in a Hard Place” album
It is a good record and there’s a lot of great playing on it and some good songs on it. Jack ended up finishing that record. It was just a weird time in the band. Joe left and eventually Brad left, and me, Tom and Steven were left holding the fort down. We were all using heavily and it took a long time to do the record and it wasn’t the band in its truest form. It wasn’t the record that it could have been. We were just doing the best we could with what we had at the time

Your collaboration with Run DMC was a freak accident of the highest order. There’s no way – especially at that point – you could’ve seen that as being a recipe for success
No, we didn’t. It was basically a launching pad for the second part of our career. It went down in history because it was the melding of two different generations as well as two different types of music. It did what it did and it helped both of us out.

You’ve talked candidly about your bout with depression. Does it still require daily maintenance?
No, it’s not a daily struggle for me anymore. I deal with it now and again, once in a while, but there was a period in my life where I dealt with it a lot. I kind of worked my way through it and worked my way through some issues I had with my father and relationships I had with different people that were close to me in my life. But it’s about dealing with yourself and seeing yourself for what you are. If you want to be a better person, I can attest to the fact that it takes a certain amount of work. A lot of us want to do the work and a lot of us don’t. It’s really difficult to stand back and look in the mirror and take a candid look at yourself, and it’s really hard to take a step back and listen to what someone else is telling you if you’re lucky enough to have somebody like that in your life to do that for you.

How’s your coffee business doing?
I’m actually on my way to Boston tomorrow to do some coffee business. We’re in the midst of negotiating some deals to get it into retail stores. Right now it’s available on rockinandroastin.com. I’ve loved coffee ever since I can remember. It helps me when I’m up, it helps me when I’m down, it helps me practice, it helps when I’m lagging in the middle of the day. There’s no bad time for a cup of coffee.

For more Joey Kramer, visit www.joeykramer.com
BELOW: Aerosmith on “Late Night with David Letterman” performing “Lover Alot” from new album, “Music From Another Dimension.” Apparently Boston’s ballad boys can still kick a whole lotta ass. I told ya!

Tom Hamilton Talks Shoplifting, Sobriety, ‘Sweet Emotion’ and Meeting Ace Frehley

Posted: 7th November 2012 by admin in Quotes and Chatter
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BASS COMMANDER: After years of self abuse and a recent battle with throat cancer, Tom Hamilton is still in the saddle as Aerosmith's rock-solid bass player.

BASS COMMANDER: After years of self abuse and a recent battle with throat cancer, Tom Hamilton is still in the saddle as Aerosmith’s rock-solid bass player.

DONE WITH MIRRORS: Hardcore Aeroheads will know this photo was shot in a mirror as Tom's tattoo is on the wrong side of his chest.

DONE WITH MIRRORS: Hardcore Aeroheads will know this photo was shot in a mirror as Tom’s tattoo is on the wrong side of his chest.

Aerosmith plays the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, TX on Friday Nov. 16 with Cheap Trick. Ticket info here.

By Metal Dave

Let’s give credit where credit is due: Just because Steven Tyler and Joe Perry pulled rank as Aerosmith’s “Toxic Twins,” that doesn’t mean the rest of the band was all cookies and chocolate milk. Bless their hearts (and pickled livers).

“Yeah, they get all the credit even though I worked so hard at fucking up my life,” said bassist Tom Hamilton during my 1999 interview. “Everybody was into enjoying the times, but some of us weren’t doing it so much in public.”

After more than four decades of rock-bottom lows and all-time highs, Aerosmith’s original lineup is still amazingly intact and celebrating today’s release of their 15th studio album, “Music From Another Dimension.”

Somewhere between the suicidal excess and miraculous sobriety, Aerosmith became America’s greatest and longest-running, hard-rock institution. Ask Van Halen, Guns N’ Roses, Motley Crue or Metallica where they got their wings and you can bet an Aerosmith album (or two) lands under their influences

BOSTON BAD BOYS: One of the best-sounding and coolest-looking bands ever, circa 1973.

BOSTON BAD BOYS: One of the best-sounding and coolest-looking bands ever, circa 1973.

What follows are quotes from Tom Hamilton excerpted from interviews I conducted in 1999 and 2003. The quotes originally published in stories I wrote for the San Antonio Express-News. As Aerosmith’s bass player, Tom is used to being in the background, but as an interview subject, his quotes are center-stage entertainment.

1999

On the early days circa 1970
“We all lived in an apartment on the second floor on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. We’d all wake up in the morning because we’d hear Joe crashing around in our little roach-infested kitchen. Steven and Joe would make this dish out of brown rice and vegetables. When I was really hungry, I’d go to Burger King or down to the Stop-n-Shop and ‘liberate’ some hamburger meat. That’s what we called shoplifting back then.”

On finding sobriety
“I don’t like the word ‘sobriety,’ because to the public it sounds very Amish and I’m definitely not Amish. We really are teetotallers at this point, because mentally, we’re too close to the consequences of (screwing) up again. If you have a leaky roof and you let it leak a drop at a time, eventually you’ll have a waterfall coming down on you.”

SPACED: Tom claims the inspiration to his signature "Sweet Emotion" intro came from a (ahem) higher power.

SPACED: Tom claims the inspiration to his signature “Sweet Emotion” intro came from a (ahem) higher power.

On writing the famous bass intro to “Sweet Emotion”
“It was one of those songs where I was, shall we say, mentally prepared (laughs). I just started exploring the neck of my bass. We were recording ‘Toys in the Attic’ and we had an extra day in the studio, so Jack Douglas, our producer, asked if anyone had anything. It finally dawned on me that ‘Sweet Emotion’ will be around for a long time, which is weird because we were such an underground band when we started.”

TOXIC, TOO: Joe and Steven got the "Toxic Twins" nickname, but Brad, Tom and drummer Joey were no less pickled.

TOXIC, TOO: Joe and Steven got the “Toxic Twins” nickname, but Brad, Tom and drummer Joey were no less pickled.

On the early ‘80s departure of guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford
“Speaking for myself, it was a renewal. Joe is one of my oldest friends, but it had gotten to the point where the corruption of booze and coke had alienated us. The musical potential was like an abused child that had to play second fiddle to everyone’s problems.”

On reuniting and making a comeback
“In the beginning of 1984, we looked at our (situation) and decided we had to get clean, coherent and − God forbid – humble. We looked at what we threw in the trash and it forced us to come out of our denial.”

ROCK THIS WAY: Four decades since forming Aerosmith, Tom and his original band mates are still likely to give you a contact high.

ROCK THIS WAY: Four decades since forming Aerosmith, Tom and his original band mates are still likely to give you a contact high.

On making music videos
“When we first started doing videos, I thought they were a major pain in the ass. But we learned that it’s another way to be creative. Some members of the band are more comfortable in front of the cameras than I am, but we all love movies and it’s satisfying when a song and a video complement each other.”

2003

On early gigs with KISS
“We did a few dates together (in the ’70s). They opened a couple of shows for us and we didn’t know what to expect. Nobody mentioned to us that this band had such a bizarre stage show. We kinda got caught with our pants down.”

On hanging out with KISS guitarist Ace Frehley
“The first night I ever met Ace was in 1972 when we got our recording contract in New York City. He happened to be a friend of a friend. I was hanging out with him and he told me he was a guitar player. I asked him if he was in a band and he said, ‘Yeah, I’m in this weird band and I don’t know what’s gonna happen with it.’ That was the last I saw of him until we did those gigs together later on.”

BELOW: In the second phase of the band’s career, Aerosmith became famous for its big-budget MTV music videos. This 1975 promo clip is not one of them.

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