Up until about a week ago, I truly thought the closest I would ever come to having any contact with a member of legendary ’60s rockers The Doors would be when I saw Ian Astbury – who at one time stepped in the shoes of late frontman Jim Morrison with The Doors of the 21st Century (a.k.a. Manzarek-Krieger) in the early 2000’s – on stage with The Cult back in 2001.
But alas, as fate would have it, the chance to pick away at the brain of Doors co-founder and Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Robby Kreiger presented itself recently, and it was impossible to resist. Krieger just recently released a new album with The Soul Savages, an instrumental effort infused with jazz, and psychedelic rock that became our initial main topic of conversation.
One of the first things I wanted to know was what fans could expect from said new album. He stated; “I hope they can expect to hear me grow as a guitar player and writer…otherwise why bother?” He continued enlightening me with his personal favorite track from the record, saying “My fave lately is “Contrary Motion,” I think it’s pretty advanced musically.”
Krieger filled me in on the lineup of the band as well; “Kevin Brandon – who has played with me on other projects in the past – plays bass (quite well I might add). And (Lenny Kravitz drummer) Franklin Vanderbilt handles drums, and Ed Roth (keyboards) was the first guy I hooked up with for this project.” As far as any touring plans might go for the group he informed me; “Depending on how much radio play, I hope so. We’ll definitely do the local (California-based) clubs like The Baked Potato and Vibrato.”
I was also curious what his relationship with former bandmate and Doors drummer John Densmore was like today, and if there were any potential plans to possibly play together again someday. He told me; “We talk quite often and I’m sure we’ll play together again.”
There were two things regarding Krieger’s work while in The Doors that I really wanted to know; what his personal favorite track from the band’s catalog was, and how he felt looking back on the post-Jim Morrison albums Other Voices and Full Circle that he and late keyboardist Ray Manzarek each shared vocal duties on. He stated; “My fav lately is “Wishful Sinful.” And we wrote that stuff fully expecting Jim to come back from Paris and record. Would’ve helped a bit to have his voice there.”
If I had to pinpoint my introduction to The Doors, it likely came via the 1987 film The LostBoys, in which Echo & the Bunnymen’s cover of “People Are Strange” plays a big part in the beginning. I was curious what his opinion of said cover was, and he declared; “Not bad! In fact I recently sat in with them at a festival in Long Beach. Was fun!” And keeping with the theme of The Doors in film, I also wanted to know how he felt about Actor Frank Whaley’s portrayal of him in the 1991 Oliver Stone film TheDoors. He responded; “I thought he was pretty good, but not good-looking enough (Laughs).”
And lastly, I wanted to know what else was on the bucket list for Krieger; “Need to have an instrumental hit like Booker T…maybe it will come from this album!”
For many years now, bassist Jeff Pilson has been someone I’ve held much respect for (as one bass player to another), and has been on my radar to interview for quite some time now. But with someone with as many fires consistently burning as Pilson has, that is not always an easy feat. Currently, Pilson is still rocking stages with classic rockers Foreigner, and has two new albums soon to drop with both “supergroups” Revolution Saints, and The End Machine.
My patience finally paid off this past Tuesday, January 30, when I was finally able to sit down and speak with Jeff regarding all of the previously-mentioned projects of his, as well as touch upon other aspects of his storied career, including playing in such other legendary acts as Dokken and Dio.
With new music from Revolution Saints looming on the horizon, I wanted to jump right on the subject of that group right away, and asked a little about how his involvement with them initially came about. He explained; “It was a project originally conceived by (Frontiers President and mastermind) Serafino Perugino, and just one of those things that I just couldn’t resist. I had already met and worked with (Whitesnake guitarist) Joel Hoekstra over the years, and (Journey drummer) Deen Castronovo is just a total powerhouse in everything he does. It’s all come together fairly organically, and definitely looking forward to the new album.” (AgainsttheWinds will be dropping via Frontiers Music s.r.l. on February 9.)
Having a chance to already preview said upcoming album, I personally had a favorite track from it in mind already, and wondered if Jeff possibly had one as well. He told me; “I wouldn’t say I necessarily have a favorite track per se, since I tend to gauge things as a whole. I’d say the entire record is really solid overall.”
As previously alluded to, Pilson has also been busy once more with The End Machine, a project he started with former Dokken bandmate George Lynch in 2018. I asked him what could be expected with their upcoming third album, The Quantum Phase (set to be released in March), and he explained; “Well, it’s our first album with our new singer Girish Pradhan, who’s just such an amazing young talent that brings so much to the table. His vocal styles really compliment the band, and we’re extremely excited for everyone to hear the end results!”
2024 also marks twenty solid years for Pilson as a member of Foreigner, and I had to know what it was like for him when he first joined a band of such stature. He told me; “It’s been nothing short of phenomenal, having grown up listening to so many of those classic songs over the years and then having the chance to be up there actually playing them live has been such a joy. And we’re definitely excited to be getting out there this year and doing one last major stretch of the whole nine-months-out-of-the-year touring cycle.”
I was also curious what it was like playing quite possibly one of the greatest power ballads of all time every night in the form of “I Want to Know What Love Is” (which actually turns forty years old this year), and Pilson stated; “To this day I still get goosebumps from playing it and hearing the crowd sing it back to us. It’s just one of those timeless songs that everyone knows and loves, I’ve always personally loved it, along with “Waiting For a Girl Like You.”‘
And speaking of power ballads, I also wanted to know if he felt “Alone Again,” the very first ballad he had ever co-written while a member of Dokken, still holds up to this day. Pilson explained; “Don (Dokken, lead singer) already had the bare bones for that song for quite some time, and I just came in and helped complete it. I’d say it definitely holds up though – being told from the perspective of someone longing for something they cannot have will always no doubt be a fairly universal theme.”
Of course I wouldn’t be a good journalist if I didn’t at least inquire if the chance for a reunion (or even possibly a one-off show or two) with Dokken could someday be a possibility in the distant horizon. Pilson stated; “I wouldn’t ever rule anything out entirely (because there’s always a chance), but I know he currently has his new album out that he’s still promoting at the moment, and I’m definitely busy with all of the projects I currently have going on right now as well, so it’s definitely not a necessity at this given time.”
I also couldn’t resist to ask what it was like filming the video for “Dream Warriors” (from 1987’s ANightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors), and if he was a fan of horror films prior to that moment. He told me; “I wouldn’t say I was a huge fan of horror films before that, but I always liked the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, and working with Robert (Englund) and being around him as Freddy was a ton of fun, and just a total blast on set!”
As if being a member of each of the previously-mentioned bands was not enough already, Pilson also spent some time on-and-off with the legendary Dio in the ’90s and early 2000’s. I asked him to tell me a little about what that experience was like for him, and, of the three albums he recorded with them, if he had a personal favorite. He enlightened me; “That was another dream come true, to be up there alongside someone like Ronnie James Dio – what more can you ask for?! But I’d have to say (1993’s) Strange Highways was probably my favorite to record; I’d say I was definitely more involved with that one over the others, and truly captured where the band was at at the time the most.”
Last but not least, I had to ask about his involvement with the 2001 Mark Wahlberg film Rock Star (one of my personal favorites), where he played the part of Jorgen in the fictional band Steel Dragon. He informed me; “Well, I was already involved with working on the music for the film at the time, so it seemed only a natural fit to play in the band on screen. I still had to audition for the role like anyone else, but I must’ve done something right…though I’m still not holding my breath for Hollywood to knock down my door again to this day” (Laughs).
Sometimes, projects will present themselves across my desk that are hard to say “no” to, and it almost always turns out for the better when I do agree to say “yes,” no matter who the artist may be. A perfect example; Firefall guitarist and co-founder Jock Bartley, who, thanks to the assistance of an old “friend” of the Rewind It fam, the opportunity to pick Bartley’s brain recently presented itself, and turned out to be another eye-opening experience that I’m glad to have jumped on.
First and foremost I was curious what was in store for him and Firefall in 2024. He informed me; “Firefall are in the process of making our new album Friends & Family 2 right now – it’ll most likely be released by May of 2024. The first Friends & Family album was released in early 2023 and had an amazing ‘concept’. Many of the original FF members – Mark Andes, Michael Clarke, Rick Roberts & I – played in other famous bands of the day: The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Spirit, JoJo Gunne, Heart, Dan Fogelberg, Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, etc. And secondly, Firefall toured a lot (and got to be friends with) many top groups in 1976 after our first album hit real big – Doobie Bros., Fleetwood Mac, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker, Loggins & Messina, etc. So the Friends & Family album was our band lovingly and respectfully re-creating songs by all those other famous band It got quite a bit of attention in 2023 and consequently, we decided to record a follow-up album for 2024. Same concept, playing great songs by other great bands we either toured with or we’re ‘in’ for a spell. It’s a new group of songs we compiled originally by Fleetwood Mac, The Beach Boys, America, Kenny Loggins and others. I’m in the studio this week finishing solos and vocals on a few of those new songs. It’s exciting to be doing this!!!”
He then added; “And as for touring in 2024 – We will be doing a 6-day ’70s Rock & Romance Cruise’ again in the Caribbean in March 2024 with 12-15 other famous bands. And playing a big number of co-headlining and headlining concerts across the U.S.A.”
I asked how he felt said latest release was received, and he told me; “Well, we got quite a lot of interviews and press on Friends & Family which was really fantastic since FF, other than touring a lot, has been out of the public consciousness with any of our newer recordings. But we made a few entertainment waves. We didn’t get much “radio” airplay, which was not a surprise (getting a song on any radio stations is a very tough proposition these days, much harder than back in the ‘70s when good songs could get played without being on a corporate playlist). But the album was VERY well received and got many fantastic reviews nationwide and even worldwide. Those positive reviews made me personally, as producer/band leader/lead guitarist, feel satisfied and thankful. Many of them said that our versions of those songs by other artists were “true” to the original band’s versions, recorded with respect and love for those songs (and the ’70s music they belonged to), and that those ‘cover songs’ still sounded like Firefall music and how great our band’s songs have been on record. And I was congratulated by some to have kept the guitar solos on our new versions, true and very reminiscent of the original soloists. On a few songs like Fogelberg’s ‘Part Of The Plan’ or Spirit’s “I Got A Line On You’, I pretty much learned and played verbatim Dan’s or Randy California’s original signature solos like they originally played them – that’s what those solos needed to be (and as you may already know, I asked Howard Lesse of Heart and Badfinger if he would play the solo on ‘What About Love’, the Heart song we covered). On other songs like Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” or Marshall Tucker’s “Can’t You See,” I just played guitar solos ‘reminiscent’ of those great solos played by the Skynyrd boys or Toy Caldwell. Friends & Family was a labor of love (and respect for that great music of the ’70s that Firefall played a small but vibrant role in). We’re lucky in that sense, to have toured with many of those bands and had saturation radio airplay of our own FF songs in the ‘70s, written by Rick Roberts and Larry Burnett.”
I also wanted to know of all the tracks on Friends & Family, if he had a favorite. He replied; “Tough question! The one song that still stands out as the perfect song to have chosen, and the perfect re-imagining and ‘alteration’ of the original tune I think is “Angry Eyes” by Loggins & Messina; that song is so like FF and what we sound like to start with; it was a natural selection (where other song choices like Heart and the Doobies were quite difficult). The original L&M version is probably about eight minutes long with long 1970’s segways of solos and instrumentation – I had to really try to capture the essence of the sax solo and guitar solos, while at the same time, pairing the arrangement down pretty significantly. Other favorites of mine are: “Part of the Plan” by Dan Fogelberg; just because we kept right to the original script of his recording and ours’ is energetic and fun, and sounds just right. My other fav is “What About Love” by Heart. That was a tough selection; what song by the Wilson sisters should we do??!! Yikes. New FF Lead singer John Bisaha said he could sing the hell out of ‘What About Love’ and bingo!! As it turns out, we deliberately made the intro sound like our hit “Strange Way” from 1978 and also kept that in mind on the acoustic guitars on the verses. And both John And I are good friends with Howard Lesse from Heart – who played the original great solo on the Heart version – and taking his solo, I learned it and played in unison with my lead guitar sound, so there are two of Howards solo tracks and one of mine (all playing his same unison melodic solo), and we ended up with a very striking and unique guitar solo on ‘our’ version.
With decades worth of memories in the music industry as a member of Firefall, I was curious to know what some of his favorite actually were. He enlightened me; “There are a few of those songs with great memories attached to them for me; “Chest Fever” by The Band makes me remember opening dozens of shows for that great group in 1976, one of America’s greatest ever musical groups. And all those times after FF had played our opening act set, I sat behind the curtain and watched close-up the amazing Levon Helm play drums and sing, and Garth Hudson weave his magical keyboard parts. And of course Rick Danko, Robbie Robertson, and Richard Manuel – they were my heroes!!! And also of course ‘Feel A Whole Lot Better’ by The Byrds has a special place in my heart. Not only did Byrds drummer Michael Clarke play drums for Firefall, but bassist Chris Hillman contributed quite a lot to our band’s inception and sound. Chris produced our 3-song demo tape (paid for by Warner Bros) that would lead to getting our record deal with Atlantic. And that Byrds songs (to me) was one of their best, written by the late great Gene Clark. The Byrds were/are at the center of Firefall’s ‘Family Tree’!!”
I asked if he’d elaborate a little on how all of the original members initially got involved, and he further explained; “Cool story!! It’s an example of the inter-meshing, intertwining and ’synergy’ of so many musicians and bands back in the 1960s and ’70s!! Gram Parsons joined the rock and roll Byrds and took them for one album in a very ‘country’ direction. Soon-thereafter, Gram quit the Byrds, and Byrds’ bassist Chris Hillman joined Gram in forming the Flying Burrito Bros. That core of L.A. musicians (in addition to The Buffalo Springfield & later Poco) pretty much invented the new genre of music at the time, ‘country’ rock (Rick Nelson and Michael Nesmith were in that ‘country rock’ musical experimentation in Los Angeles, too). When Gram Parsons quit the Flying Burrito Bros., Chris Hillman hired ‘new kid in L.A.’ Rick Roberts to replace GP. They made records together and toured the U.S. and Europe. While in Washington DC, after a Burrito Bros concert at the Cellar Door, Rick Roberts went to a club to hear local folksinger Emmylou Harris, she was amazing and Rick called Chris to come down and hear this phenomenal singer, which he did. They ‘ discovered’ Emmylou Harris and Chris called his friend Gram in L.A., and Chris quit the Burritos. For me – to have fallen into Gram & Emmylou’s band, The Fallen Angels, was a stroke of pure luck and ‘being at the right place at the right time’. On the road with Gram & Emmylou, in NYC Rick Roberts came to hear us and I met him at that show. We discovered we both lived in Boulder, Colo. and vowed to get together to jam. Rick thought he’d be making his third solo album on A&M Records, but when bassist Mark Andes joined our jam sessions, it felt like a BAND!!! Rick flew singer/songwriter Larry Burnett out to Boulder, and in that first week of rehearsals, we had 20-25 original songs by Rick and Larry to work out, WOW! Unheard of. Then Michael Clarke joined the band and we were set (Keyboard/sax/flute player David Muse joined the band to make our first album too). That’s the origins of Firefall.”
With the band’s 1976 hit “You Are The Woman” remaining their most popular to date, I asked if the track was ever a hindrance at all for the band. He stated; “Funny you should ask that! That question is a double-edged sword. A huge positive and a minor restricting ‘negative.’ On the one side, having a song as big a hit as “You Are The Woman” was and is fantastic and has kept the band working for 30 years – it got to be #1 on the Easy Listening charts!!! Top Ten on the regular charts in 1976. On the other side of it though, that song is kind of white bread pop music and isn’t a ‘rock’ song (like the band is really a ‘rock’ band), and has been somewhat of a ‘hindrance,’ with potential fans and the music industry thinking that Firefall is simply a light poppy band with a few big hit love ballads. But we’re a diverse rock band with ‘folk rock’ and ‘country rock’ roots, and our material (which gave us two platinum and three gold records) with a wide range of ’styles’ and impacts. We go a lot deeper than that, and unfortunately lots of people don’t know that. I thank my lucky starts to have “You Are the Woman” and “Just Remember I Love You” be as big as hit songs as they were/are. But the band has much wider range than those love ballads and can hold our own on stage on a bill with the likes of 38 Special, Doobies & REO Speedwagon!
And lastly, with original bassist Mark Andes having recently retired in 2022, I asked what it was like not having him by his side on stage any more. He told me; “Mark’s a few years older than I am, he totally got fed up with the physical grind of touring – airports, long drives, hotels, etc. I get that. The only ‘fun’ part of being on the road now is the GIG itself, being on stage for 45 or 90 minutes, everything else is a physical, mental and psychic DRAIN. So I get it. And the band greatly misses Mark’s amazing and unique bass playing on stage and in the studio. Mark Andes is one of the best bassists on the planet – he’s been in rock star bands in the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and beyond – over five decades! But he wanted to be done with it all. And because Mark left the band, I suddenly was forced into finding a bassist who could sing high vocals (or maybe have Steve Weinmeister move over to bass and then find a second lead guitarist who could sing high). Then all of a sudden John Bisaha, lead vocalist and bassist for The Babys, became available. First time I heard him sing a lead vocal, I was astounded by how great a singer he was!!! And he was a very good bassist too. Fortunately The Babys weren’t touring much or recording at all…and it became a perfect fit for John. Having John Bisaha and Steven Weinmeister be the two lead vocalists now in Firefall, who sounded fantastic on our new 2023 album Friends & Family and currently making a F&F2 album featuring their lead vocals – is amazing, fantastic, the best lead vocal pairing FF’s had since the ’70s. Steve and John have become best of friends and – Voila! – Firefall vocals are as good if not better than they’ve ever been live AND in the studio since the 1970s heyday of the band (and as third lead singer in the ‘vocal blend’ and producer of these albums, I’m in high heaven working with these two!). They can sing anything, high or low, tough or tender. Here comes Firefall’s Friends & Family 2 album in mid-2024!!!
Many moons ago, long before Facebook had taken over as the social media giants they would soon become, there was this little site people connected on called Myspace. At the time, I was new to navigating it, and just starting to feel my way around the world of journalism. Looking to score my first interview piece for the magazine I was writing for at the same time, one of the first celebrities I ever followed and reached out to was one I had always been a fan of growing up; Courtney Gains of The‘Burbs and Children of the Corn fame.
I cannot recall if I ever did hear back regarding my interview inquiry back then or not, but for whatever reason, the moment was simply not meant to be. Fast forward to 2023, where after a solid fifteen years of writing about entertainment for various media outlets has lead to a number of interview opportunities actually presenting themselves to my desktop on nearly a daily basis. One of those recently being none other than Gains, who admittedly I did not realize until fairly recently was also an accomplished musician with a new studio release on the way at the time (in addition to still being a talented actor).
So I jumped at the chance to finally speak with Gains one-on-one, and after finally settling on a mutual day and time, sat down for a phone conversation with him. With a body of work in film that stretches all the way back to the early ’80s, I decided to start off with his music endeavors first, and asked just how long he had been playing for, and what instrument he originally started off with. He told me; “I started taking (guitar) lessons when I was thirteen years old. I’ve been in bands in LA for a number of years, probably from about the time I was eighteen. So it’s always been my side hustle/hobby; it wasn’t how I was making a living (back then), but I was always pursuing it. But this time around I’m really doing my own project as opposed to being in ‘a band.’ The last project that I had before this current one was a band called Ripple Street, and the last album we put out was just a straight break-up record. I played guitar and sang with them, but in this band I really wanted a better guitar player, so I actually play bass and sing, which has been an interesting process for me.”
I decided to dive right into his new EP, Safe Haven, which he had just started officially promoting the week prior to our conversation. Regarding it he informed me; “It’s a six-song EP, all rock ‘n roll and blues, and all things I want to talk about that I think are a little whacked out. For example, I have a song called “The Healer” that’s the point of view of an egotistical plastic surgeon (Laughs). Then there’s songs like “Bills in Space” about the billionaire space race, stuff like that.”
He continued his point regarding the latter song; “I think it’s funny some of the ‘greater minds’ spend all this money so they can go out into space…how about solve some of the problems right here first? (Laughs). What I’ve learned though is you just never know the impact something’s going to have on someone. By talking about/promoting this and getting it out there, there might be at least one person that it effects. If you just put yourself out there, you just never know the impact it’s going to make.”
I wanted to know if he had a personal favorite track from the record, to which he said; “Someone else recently asked me a similar question, and I had to go with “Good Times;” I’ve been playing that song for over twenty years. Three of the songs on the record are songs I’ve had around for awhile, and they all appeared in a movie called Benny Bliss and the Disciples of Greatness from 2009 that I produced and starred in that had an anti-technology message, so there’s definitely a theme there of things that I’m not too keen on (Laughs). But that song has been around forever and is the type of song that just gets people up on their feet, so it’s good to finally get that one out there.”
Gains informed me; “We’ve been really gigging for the last eight or nine months, and it’s all been gearing up for hitting the road next year to really promote the record, that’s what this has all been really heading towards. It also ties in with Children of the Corn’s 40th anniversary next year, so it will definitely be a big convention year for me in 2024. I’ve been doing horror conventions for fifteen years or so now, and it’s been a good run. But I’m getting kind of tired of the traveling and jumping on plans and all that, so I think I’m going to call it and go out on a big note.”
Gains continued; “But it’s good timing-wise, because I can also promote the music during this same run. We’re even talking about doing some 35mm print screenings of the film with some Q&A’s and the band playing.” And as far as if this might make it to Florida, he told me; “We’re going to start coordinating all that soon. I don’t know for sure if there’s any art houses or places in Florida that want to screen it yet, but if they do, we’ll show up!”
As far as landing the role of Malachai in Children… all those years ago, Gains enlightened me of the process; “I had to audition, which I still often do. There was this casting director named Linda Francis who had seen me in a showcase, which were just starting to happen in LA. They would invite agents and casting directors down and you’d present a scene, and if they liked you they might take your picture or whatever. And she took a liking to me and was really the first person to become a ‘fan.’ She cast me in this one film that ended up not happening, but she was the one that kept pushing for me, and really made a big difference in my life.”
He continued further; “But the famous story goes that in the first reading for Children…, I pulled a fake knife on the reader, who didn’t know that it was fake and about wet himself! He’s since gone on to be a huge casting director, and to this day will use that moment as an example at his lectures and tell people to never do that…which I agree, but at the time I was just young and hungry, although that’s a good way to never get called back again (Laughs)! Then the second audition was with John Franklin who played Issac, and I was grabbing/lifting him up by his lapels, and he said I was by far the scariest one in the room, and the rest is history! That was both his and mine’s first film, and we’re still tight and do conventions together to this day.”
I was also curious if Gains had been a Stephen King fan prior to appearing in a film based off of the writer’s work. He told me; “I didn’t really realize how big he was (or was going to be) at the time, but thank God for that, we’ve been riding Stephen King’s coat tails for almost forty years now (Laughs).” And as far as the numerous entries in the franchise that have come since? Gains told me; I saw the sixth one which John (Franklin) returned for, and I did see the Sy Fy reboot that the producer of the original one, Don Borchers, also returned for – and that was alright. I was supposed to actually do a cameo for that, but I wasn’t able to do it because I was actually at a con in Florida at the time, and the weather didn’t permit, so it didn’t end up happening.”
I asked about his follow up to Children…, the 1984 sex comedy Hardbodies, and what that was like filming, and Gains joked; “It was terrible! I got to hang out on the beach all day with hot girls, so it was just absolutely brutal! (Laughs). But I got that part because I would go to this class that the director (Mark Griffiths) would have on Sunday nights, and he took a real liking to me. So when he got greenlit to do that film, he more or less tailored made that role for me, which was basically mine to not blow.”
As far as that sweet checkered hat he wore in the film and hanging out with the all-female rock group Vixen at the time, he informed me; “I put that whole outfit together, and remember actually getting in a fight with the wardrobe lady (Laughs). She was living closer to the south beach areas and what was going on with the kids down there, but I was going for more of a skateboarder vibe. I’d say a good seventy percent of that wardrobe was all stuff of mine, and I had that checkered hat for a number of years afterwards, but I’m not sure whatever happened to it. I do remember the first day driving in Malibu like that though and people were just laughing. But hey, it was already getting a reaction, so I must’ve been on to something! (Laughs).”
And when it came to seeing a pre-famous Vixen on the set; “I was walking from a trailer down this alleyway in Venice Beach, and I heard them as they were actually in the garage rehearsing (just like the scene they appear in the movie), and I thought they’re pretty cool! Then I remember a few years later seeing their poster up somewhere and being blown away by how huge they had become. I thought they were just a band they had put together for the movie (Laughs).”
The following year Gains appeared in the film that would kick off one of the biggest trilogies of all time, 1985’s Back to the Future. Although his role was brief, I asked how it felt to be a part of such a blockbuster series. He explained; “To be associated with that franchise in anyway is a pretty mind-blowing, amazing thing. My character had already been dropped one time, and if you’re doing a movie they can only drop you one time, and if they bring you back they can’t drop you again. So they had already dropped me once in the middle of all the chaos of re-shooting everything after dropping Eric Stoltz in the lead role and replacing him with Michael J. Fox. Still to this day, one of the top residual checks I get is from Back to the Future, so it’s been a financial blessing in my life.”
Ironically Gains would go on to co-star with Stoltz after all in the somewhat forgotten classic, 1990’s Memphis Belle. I asked his thoughts on the film today; “The timing was bad because it came out right when the first Iraqi war broke out, and no one wanted to go see a war movie at the time. But still a very good film with some top-notch people involved with it.”
Of course one cannot forget his role as the nerdy best friend to Patrick Dempsey in 1987’s Can’tBuy Me Love. Regarding the film he stated; “Well, it’s definitely had an impact. It was a just the second film for this little indie company called Apollo Pictures which I had already done another movie for. It was originally this low budget film called Boy Meets Girl, and then Disney picked it up with their new division called Touchstone Pictures, and they dumped some more money into it to do some re-shoots and take all of the bad jokes out of it (Laughs). And then they bought the rights to (The Beatles song) “Can’t Buy Me Love” – which was not cheap – and then they made that the title, which really took it to the next level. But that movie was like the the number three movie that summer, and really launched Patrick Dempsey’s career.”
But perhaps the most memorable role of Gains’ career to this day (aside from Malachai) will always be Hans Klopek, creepy neighbor to Tom Hanks in 1989’s The ‘Burbs. Gains stated; “That’s the one that I think is really the most underrated. While we were shooting it, Big had just come out, which was just a huge hit for Tom Hanks. Comparatively they were disappointed, but thanks to home video and all that it really kept getting out there, and it wasn’t until I started doing conventions years later that I realized that there was a whole like dedicated, underground, ‘Burbs community out there (Laughs). There’s people that tell me stories that this was the movie they used to watch with their parents, and now watch with their own kids. It seems to be the movie the whole family agrees on, and I even had a guy tell me it’s the movie his mom watches when she gets depressed! You can never underestimate the impact that a movie can have on people. It’s pretty cool.”
He continued his thoughts on the film; “I had a good time working on it, though. Joe Dante was a nice guy to work for, and Tom Hanks was the most down-to-Earth A-lister you’re ever going to meet. I was (and still am) a huge Bruce Dern fan, so for him to recognize my work at all meant the world to me (and still does). And ironically there was a writer’s strike going on at the time (which we have one going on right now), and it was just us and Fletch Lives shooting on the entire Universal lot, and we got those movies in right before the strike.”
Bruce Dern puts Gains in a chokehold in a still shot from The ‘Burbs (1989).
He then briefly stayed on the topic of the current writer’s strike; “I’ve been seeing the writing on the wall for this coming for a long time now. I was very aware that the residual checks had been becoming less and less and the industry was getting worse for awhile. That’s why I moved out to the southeast, it’s more live-able and also opened me up to the whole east market including, New York. Last year I did a movie in New Jersey called The Wrath of Becky, and that was a great role, and I’m pretty happy with it.”
With Halloween just around the corner, I also wanted to know Gains’ thoughts on his cameo appearance in Rob Zombie’s 2007 version of Halloween. He stated; “It’s pretty crazy how many times they’ve re-booted the movies at this point! But I think that Rob knows his horror, and does try to make a point to bring people from the genre into his films, so I was happy to be a part of that. I had a friend of mine who had worked with Rob before that gave me a really great piece of advice, which was to be prepared that Rob might just completely go off script if he doesn’t like the way something is going. And that turned out to be the greatest advice, because what Rob’s trying to find is the truth of a scene, and I really appreciate that. A lot of times directors get so caught up in the process of moving things along, they don’t stay in the process and try to make something good out of it.”
He went into greater detail; “So what was supposed to be one day’s worth of work turned into another because we kept working it and adding stuff to it. It was such a nasty, disturbing scene though that nobody wanted to hang around the monitor to watch it, and I’ve never seen that before. But I like the way Rob works, and he has a great sense of the vibe and design of a scene. He knows what he likes and what his audience likes, and has a very great sense of all that.
This very weekend (which happens to kick off with a Friday the 13th!) is primed to be a busy one for Gains, as he informed me; “There’s a haunted house out in the woods in North Carolina called the Haunted Pyramids, and my band will be playing two nights there on the 14th and 15th. So we’ll be playing for a bunch of horror fans out there. All the rest of the bands are going to be metal except ours, but we’re going to go out there and rock their asses off anyway! (Laughs).”
And with Halloween just around the corner, the last thing I wanted to know was whether or not Gains had any sort of personal annual traditions for the holiday at all (it should be noted, in addition to all of the films previously mentioned, Gains has also appeared in the likes of more recent seasonal films such as 2015’s The Funhouse Massacre and 2019’s Candy Corn). He told me; “I’m the worst (laughs), because like, what do I do for a living? I get dressed up in costumes! And I’m usually doing conventions around this time, so Halloween is usually my day off! (Laughs).”
Nicholas Caruso is a busy man to say the least; not only is he co-owner of one of the best local places around to find band shirts, Rock Stop (which has multiple locations in the central, FL area), he’s also a part of not one, but three separate tribute bands, including his most recent one, the Pearl Jam-inspired act, Black Ledbetter, which he leads.
Over the years, I’ve caught up with Nicholas (or “Nicko,” as he often goes by) a time or two, but had still yet to do an “official” interview with him (though the subject had been brought up on more than one occasion). Thankfully, we were able to finally put an end to that with a recent chat, just ahead of Caruso pulling double-duty with both Black Ledbetter and Nirvanna at Daytona’s Hard Rock Hotel this Friday, September 1.
I started our conversation off by inquiring about all three of Caruso’s acts and asking him to tell me a little more about each of them. He stated; “I’ve been a featured performer with Nirvanna as the Meat Puppets guitarist Curt Kirkwood. I’ve been doing that for eight years since this past February (wow time FLIES). I approached my band leader Ryan Salamone about starting a Linkin park tribute cause our singer for Nirvanna sounds EXACTLY like Chester Bennington, so honestly it was a no-brainer. His name is Eli Mitchell, and he’s so talented it’s disgusting! Ryan agreed wholeheartedly with the idea, and quickly put it into motion. We are called The Linkin Park Tribute Band (kept the name simple for marketing reasons I believe). I’m the guitarist and fill Brad Delson’s role.”
He continued; “It came to fruition rather quickly, and we’ve been touring all over the southeast U.S. Mainly Florida thus far, with respects to House of Blues New Orleans, but we are going to be all over the place in the upcoming year. I am also the merch manager for both bands. During the same conversation I had when I approached Ryan with the Linkin Park idea, I also informed him that last December I started a Pearl Jam tribute called Black Ledbetter, which I’m the singer and band leader for (Ryan owns the other two projects, while Black Ledbetter is mine).”
I wanted to know which one of said three acts was his personal favorite, and he informed me; “Black Ledbetter is my favorite – I get to be more animated as Eddie Vedder. I enjoy moving around a lot on stage, and the other two bands don’t leave much room for that by their design. Linkin park is also a lot of fun and the music is very rewarding when executed right. We are really tight, so it’s always an awesome experience. Nirvanna I also enjoy, however, I usually only play two, and on rare occasions three songs with them since the Meat Puppets only played three songs on Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York. But nonetheless, it’s really cool and adds a great intimate moment to the Nirvanna set.”
As far as how long he’s been playing for, he told me; “I started learning guitar at age nine, but like most nine-year-old’s, I wasn’t mature enough to keep a practice schedule, and didn’t really start gaining any real skill until I was around twelve. Ironically the first song I ever learned on guitar was Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Laughs). Never played that particular song in Nirvanna, but it’s still kinda neat that it was my first. My first passions though are power metal and prog metal, particularly Iron Maiden and Helloween, so my first bands for the first 15 years of my career focused on ’80s covers and older songs that were very responsible for the ’80s metal style (The Who, Arthur Lee and Love, The Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, many others from the ’60s and ’70s. All the finest that influenced all of my ’80s metal heroes).”
Of course I had to ask him about his childhood acting as well, which he stated; “I’ve done a lot of acting jobs as a child actor. My favorites would have to be Welcome Freshmen, a Pepsi commercial in 1992 with Lou Pinella when he managed the Cincinnati Reds, and the 1993 movie Cop and a Half. Henry Winkler directed that and he absolutely loved me, so it was an unparalleled experience and a great honor for me to work with such a legend.”
He elaborated; “I was a lead character in Welcome Freshmen, and at thirteen years old, that was a trip. I was “corrupted” during that time, and damn near grew up overnight. I was tutored during the film schedule for about five months, and when I came back to school all my friends had become my bullies and all my bullies had become my friends. It was WEIRD. But soon after that I started taking guitar really seriously and was learning Iron Maiden songs at sixteen, so I was about to enter the rabbit hole that has brought me where I am today.”
I also wanted to know who he would share the stage with if he had the choice between anyone (living or dead). He responded; “Oof, that’s a tough one! A small list would be Tina Turner, Arthur Lee, the Obscured by Clouds era of Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, The Who, the Guess Who, the 1964 Brian Wilson Beach Boys lineup, the 1952 Four Freshmen lineup, Helloween, Filter, Cannibal Corpse, Midnight Oil, Living Colour, Katie Melua, Taylor Swift, and Mike Patton. I would include Candlebox among that list but I’ve played “Cover Me” with Kevin Martin and the Hi Watts at a sold out show in Tampa in 2003. So I’ve done that. And at this stage of the hand with Black Ledbetter, I would LOVE to play with stone Gossard and Mike McCready. I would also include Dying Fetus and Cattle Decapitation, but honestly I would only be able to bring merch sales ability and waterboy responsibilities to those two tables! (Laughs)”
As far as the Daytona Hard Rock show on the September 1 goes, Caruso assured me; “At Hard Rock Daytona Black Ledbetter opens up for Nirvanna. I will be performing with both bands. The fans can expect to have their faces melted off…”
Caruso also filled me in on some additional upcoming shows; “Black Ledbetter plays the Alley in Sanford on Sunday, November 5 with the Smashing Pixies. Nirvanna and the Linkin Park tribute has a multitude of gigs all over the state and I think a couple across the US soon too. Honestly we are all working SO much the easiest thing to do is go to our social media pages. Black Ledbetter has a Facebook page where we list EVERYTHING. Nirvanna and The Linkin Park Tribute Band have both Facebook and Instagrams and I believe our Linkin park tour schedule for the rest of the year is up, though it’s always subject to change since hurricanes and illness can strike sometimes, but also many more gigs are being booked daily so the schedule gets heavier often. Again any one interested should go to our Facebook pages and follow us!”
He ended with; “Thanks for talking with me today! I’m always down to answer any questions you may have and look forward to seeing you and everyone else in the future! Up The Irons, brother Jesse! And all the fans past, present and future! Viva Black Ledbetter!”
Monster Magnet have always been one of those bands (from my home state of New Jersey, nonetheless) that I’ve always admired. While seeing the band live may still be one thing that alludes me, I couldn’t help but jump at picking the brain of longtime guitarist Phil Caivano once the chance to interview him presented itself to me, just after his debut solo album – simply titled Caivano – reached my desk.
One of the first things I wanted to ask Caivano was what made him decide to release solo music at this junction in time. He responded; “I finally had the time to explore the option of doing it. With Wendigo Productions involved it all started moving. I had some riffs and a few songs together. It was a matter of just committing to the process.”
I asked Phil who else performed on the record with him, and if it were fully recorded in New Jersey. He informed me; “[Monster Magnet drummer] Bob Pantella played drums and mixed. He’s the only other person involved with it. So fun working with Bob. Yes everything was recorded in NJ and Bob’s Freakshop Studio, and my Studio 13.”
I asked Caivano in his opinion which would be the go-to song for someone who had not yet heard the album, and he replied; “I’d say “Now Is Forever;” it’s the first song we released, and the first one I recorded with Bob.”
As far as taking the songs out live he informed me; “I’m thinking about doing it live if it makes sense. Some people have reached out to me to play if that’s the road I’m gonna go down. I have some people in mind as well.”
I was also curious as to how he felt the music on the album compared to his work in Monster Magnet, to which he stated; “Nothing really compares to Monster Magnet because Dave is so special. Such a great artist. The comparison is my guitar work. I play the way I play. I tried a few different things but my playing is how I do it.”
And as far as future touring with Monster Magnet goes? “Dave (Wyndorf) and I are talking about that now. Hopefully we can tour the USA and get back to Europe by 2024.”
I was always curious how Caivano originally came about the job as Monster Magnet guitarist back in 1998, and how familiar he was with their music at the time. He explained; “I was very familiar. Dave and I were friends long before Monster Magnet. I was at a lot of the early shows and around some of the records. Dave asked me to join after Powertrip was finished. I was living in LA when he made the record. I was back in NJ visiting when he asked.”
Lastly, I wondered if there were any obscure Monster Magnet songs that he’d want to pull from out of the vault, which ones they might be. He told me; “I love “Black Balloon” and “I Control, I Fly.” We’ve played them in the past. Always loved those songs.”
And with that, Caivano left with these parting words; “Thank You as well! Hope ya enjoy the record!! Rock ON!!!”
The moment Lockhart first passed by my radar, I knew there was just something unique about this trio of newcommers from Canada. Formed in recent times by frontman/mastermind Devon Kerr (formerly of Axxion and Midnight Malice), he quickly enlisted Cauldron’s Jason Decay to handle bass duties, who in turn brought on board Annihilator drummer Fabio Alessandrini, effectively making the project a “supergroup” in it’s own right. So it was far from a difficult decision to reach out to the band with some questions on my mind, and I was thrilled to swiftly hear back from Kerr himself, who provided me with answers to many of said questions.
Regarding the band’s origins, he explained; “The name Lockhart was an idea that came to me in 2014. I was fooling around with love songs, and wrote “No Chance in Heaven” way back then. I thought it was a half funny name for a love rock band. Eventually when it came time to name the band we stuck with it. But, hey maybe it’s after Lockhart, Texas… bands like Boston, Chicago, Toronto, London, and Europe name themselves after places (Laughs)!”
As far as putting together the missing pieces, he informed me; “Jason and I have been really close friends for over ten years; we’ve lived, worked, and played music together during that same amount of time. We both share a love for AOR, or essentially heavy music with huge hooks. Fabio was Jay’s friend and number one draft pick for drummer, and I wrote the music before asking anyone to play on the recordings. I play the synth, all guitars, and handle all vocals. The full length will feature Jason on backup vocals, and some guest guitarists, I hope. If we ever do live stuff we’ll have to get a guitar player, since my core role is synth and vocals.”
Kerr continued; “I wrote the songs, and it was a no-brainer to ask Jason to put his bass spin on things. I also knew he would have the perfect drummer for the project through his extended friend group…he suggested Fabio, and I’m glad he did! He’s perfect for the group, and gels with us flawlessly. Again, although I wrote the songs, I wanted both Jason and Fabio to make their parts their own, so they do deserve some real credit here!”
He elaborated further; “The songs turned out great because of (the two of) them. I’m trying to work a little bit closer with the other guys for the album when it comes to writing. Now that we’re solidified with the two other members, we can begin to incorporate the other guys’ songwriting creativity all while keeping the Lockhart sound you know so far.”
I wanted to know a little more about what lead Kerr to play the music he does, and he explained; “Guitar came first at maybe 11, or 12. I started playing piano at around 14, and got into actual sound design and the ins and outs of synthesizers in my mid-twenties. Self taught for the most part – I took music all through high school so that helped.”
He continued even further; “First started playing guitar to bands like Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, and whatever classic rock bands were on shirts in the local “rock t-shirt store” when I was first starting out. It developed more into metal, and then dove pretty deep into the ’80s underground (Icon, Tyran’ Pace, Gotham City). When I was about 23, I discovered that to me, AOR music got me pumped up the most. Foreigner, Survivor, Europe, Night Ranger, Van Zant, Alien, Old Michael Bolton, Chicago, Cher, Heart, Anything Desmond Child wrote and SO much more…if it had great synth, I was sold! You can’t go finding ’80s rock synth guys on every street corner, so I took on that role. I am a better guitarist, but I prefer keyboards.”
And whether we see Lockhart on the road any time in the near future, Kerr informed me; “There are unfortunately no touring plans at the moment simply because of the responsibilities of being a grown up…hopefully one day we can make it happen again. And while there’s no touring plans yet, it certainly is something I hope we can one day pull off.”
Stuart Fratkin might not be the most recognized face from the ’80s and ’90s, but he certainly played a huge role to the entertainment world – not to mention my own world – during those eras. Appearing in such staple slapstick comedies as Teen Wolf Too and Ski School, not to mention a host of popular TV shows at the time, he no doubt graced both the big and small screens far too many times for one to even keep count.
I was recently able to pick Fratkin’s brain about his entire career, and found his answers both insightful and fascinating (as I so often do with many of my interviewees). But before I got into his war stories from years in the trenches of the acting field, I asked him to give readers an idea of what he’s been up to more recently. He informed me; “After some smaller parts in the early 2000’s I began to transition to the business world. I became partners in a shaved ice business that I got featured on several shows I guest starred on and eventually sold it. I realized I could not make a living for my family on $1.75 residuals from Divorce Court, so I took a job in the technology industry and have been successful for the past 10 years or so. I reengaged with my commercial agent a few years ago and have been actively auditioning. My goal was to get back into entertainment after my kids were grown and off the payroll! (Laughs).”
I wondered if he would give me some backstory on just how he got into acting, and he enlightened me; “Classic story of, ‘I had the burning desire to entertain and make people laugh’ ever since I was a kid. I have vivid memories of making 8mm movies, arranging skits at elementary school and being an extra on Camp Grizzly, a pilot with the late, great Carl Ballentine in the late 70’s. My parents were moderately supportive and not until I showed my mom a check from Girls Just Want to Have Fun for $650 did she believe it was possible.”
Regarding his experience in said first film role in 1985’s Girls Just Want to Have Fun, he elaborated; “I got my SAG card on that movie. I was in a cold reading class with a casting director named Gino Havens who brought me in for the lead role. He was impressed enough that I was brought to meet the producers immediately. The role was eventually offered to newcomer Jonathan Silverman, otherwise…who knows?! I accepted the role of Sam and most of the experience was great except for Lee Montgomery. He sucked. After shooting my scene, my manager at the time came to find me and desperately asked if I already shot my part. I said I did, and she said, ‘they didn’t clear you with SAG before and now they have to Taft-Hartley you.’ That’s how I got into the union.”
Another early role that sticks out on his resume was an appearance on The Golden Girls in 1986. I asked Fratkin if he knew at the time what a special show he was a part of, and if he had much time to get to know the show’s stars while on set. He informed me; “Incredible. Had I have known then what I know now, I would have appreciated it more. I watched all of the rehearsals from the bleachers and reveled in their professionalism, candor, work ethic and warmth. I was fan of Maude growing up and working with Bea on our scene was a highlight from my early career. Guest star Polly Holiday yelled at me backstage on tape night because I tried to speak to her while she was getting into character as the blind sister of Betty White. I responded with, “Calm down. It’s only a sit-com, Flo.” Just kidding (Laughs).”
Aside from The Golden Girls, Fratkin made a number of guest spots on several other notable shows from that time frame, including The Facts of Life, Silver Spoons, and Sledgehammer!. I asked if he was a fan of any of these shows before appearing on them, and he said; “No. I was not a fan of any of them. Facts… was actually my first network show. I had the pleasure of meeting a dude on my first day of work that I bonded with because it was his first day of work, too. We were both a little uncomfortable, but we became pals and he was a good dude. His name was George Clooney. See what I did there?? I set you up and you were like, ‘who was it??’ and it turned out it was Clooney!! (Laughs). Anyway, I ran into him several times over the next few years, and he really is a good guy. The experiences were meh. Nothing earth shattering on either sets. I will say that after being in theater throughout high school and college, I felt very comfortable in front a live audience. Sledgehammer! was a lot of fun and kitschy. I did a lot of guest starring roles around that time, 1984-1987.”
Of course I had to ask what his experience in Teen Wolf Too was like, and if he had researched Jerry Levine’s portrayal of the Stiles character in the 1985 original or not prior to playing him in the 1987 sequel. He explained; “No. I had not seen the first film prior to auditioning for TWT. I received a script in early 1987 of the sequel and it was very funny, original and quirky. That’s not the movie that was made, which is too bad because it could have been a very good movie on its own rather than a retread of the original. I did not think it was in my best interest to see Jerry’s performance from the first film while auditioning and working on the movie. I thought about it but felt I needed to put my own spin on Stiles. I’ve mentioned this before in other podcasts but while working on TWT, I discovered that the Stiles character has different first names in TW and TWT. He’s called “Rupert” in the first one and “Ridley” in the second one. In my mind, they were related, but not the same. Hence, my interpretation was my own. I ended up seeing the original after the shoot was over. It’s a very different movie than the second one and Jerry was outstanding.”
And as far as what it was like to work with such legendary actors on the set like John Astin, Jason Bateman, Mark Holton, and the late James Hampon, Fratkin says; “I couldn’t believe my life! All of 1987 was a dream. After I booked the job, the fun began. We shot the movie at Montclair College in and around Montclair, Upland and Claremont, California. One of the lasting memories I have is upon meeting Jason, Mark and the rest of the cast, we bonded in Jason’s suite getting high and drunk. It was a great time for a bunch of 20 somethings. Being a fan of films from the 70’s, I was star struck meeting Jim Hampton. He was impressed that when I met him, the first thing I said was, ‘hello Caretaker!’ He was a sweet guy and I hope he rests in peace. I’ve spoken about my overall experience on TWT as not being fantastic due to a vicious prick executive from the studio, Atlantic. Whenever he was on set, no one wanted to go near him for fear of being chastised or criticized. Observing behavior on set, if director Chris Leitch had a tail, it was tucked firmly between his legs a la Buffalo Bill.”
Fratkin has also appeared in a number of non-comedic roles as well, guesting on the likes of Matlock, Freddy’s Nightmares, and the sorely underrated Vietnam series Tour of Duty. I asked him to tell me a little about these experiences as well, and he explained; Matlock is the gift that keeps on giving. I’m referring to the residuals, not the performance (Laughs). Long hair, New York dialect and a stereotype punk is a recipe for a poor and laughable role. Andy (Griffith) was cranky and unapproachable. It seemed he was at the end of his Matlock-ed contract. If you’ve seen that episode; picture Andy’s lines being written out on the pool table, furniture and by the camera. Opie would be ashamed (Laughs).”
He continued; “Absolutely loved Tour of Duty. This episode was directed by the great producer Ron Schwary (Tootsie, Ordinary People, Batteries Not Included). I had a very high opinion of myself at the end of 1988 and went into read for this show, booked it and off to Hawaii to shoot it. It was a fantastic experience and one of the highpoints in my dramatic career. The cast was great led by Terry Knox and Stephen Caffrey. It was a very rewarding experience highlighted by Ron, who was an absolute sweetheart. If you’re a cinephile, watch Tootsie again. Ron plays the agent in the scene with Director Sydney Pollack and Dustin Hoffman in the Russian Tea Room. Freddy’s Nightmares was a lot of fun, too. This was around the time when I was trying to grow up and play different age groups and be more of a character actor.
Fans may also recall Fratkin had co-starring roles on a handful of short-lived TV series, namely The New Adventures of Beans Baxter, and They Came From Outer Space. I asked if he considered these to be some of his career highlights, and if he had wished they would have perhaps caught on more and lasted longer. He replied; “To address the former and latter questions; hell yes. Beans came first. It was the inaugural Fox season and they were greenlighting everything. Conceived and directed by Savage Steve Holland (Better Off Dead, OneCrazy Summer), it was way ahead of its time. Quirky, fun, entertaining and a little odd. I was still young in industry years and felt spoiled that I booked this role as it was fairly easy. For most of my career, I’ve been able to improvise on most of my auditions and it served me very well on these two different jobs. Beans was an unfinished script, meaning it was still evolving when we shot a 10-minute pilot presentation in 1987 at Cal Arts in Valencia, California. The rest of the shows were shot in Vancouver, BC (Hollywood, North) when other series were filming at the same time including Wiseguy, 21 Jumpstreet and the movie Stakeout. It was a great time and often a big party. I made a lot of friends on that shoot and was heartbroken when I got the fateful call in my apartment in North Hollywood that Fox had cancelled the show.”
He continued; “Three years later, I worked on a movie called Ski School where I met Dean Cameron. I took that role knowing that I would get a chance to work with Dean and there would be a good chance that mayhem would ensue. That job led to Dean and I working together and a comedic shorthand was created between the two of us. We had a chance to audition for TCFOS together and aside from having an amazing time, the process was nothing less than magical. It’s not often in an actor’s life that they meet someone and they are just symbiotic. That was Dean and me. I sorely wish that magic would have continued because I firmly believe, given the right vehicle, we would have gone down as being inseparable.”
I asked him to elaborate more on his working relationship with Cameron, as well as how he feels today about the previously-mentioned cult classic Ski School the two did together in 1990. He stated; “The answer above addresses part of the question, but I had been aware of Dean for several years prior to eventually meeting him at the airport to get on a plane to Canada to shoot Ski School. Dean had a reputation in the biz as the one to beat. If you were auditioning for the offbeat, best pal, comedy relief dork, Dean got all those roles because he was/is incredibly talented and gifted. After a few years of losing roles to him, I wanted to join him, not beat him. And…love Ski School. Another fun time with the cast, crew and Whistler. No other opportunity I had in my career could I say that the producers came to actors and said, “we’re going to be short on time in the movie, can you guys write some scenes?” All of them are in the final cut. A fun, sexy, stupid cult film that’s fun to get drunk and watch. I fully endorse that!”
And as far as why he didn’t appear in Ski School 2 a few years later? He explained; “Dean told me it was because they didn’t have the money. I secretly think it was because I did not go to the photo shoot for Ski School 1 and I was being an asshole about it. I regret that decision because I think it cost me that job and maybe a Ski School 3: Fitz Marries Paulette (Laughs).”
As the ’90s went on, Fratkin appeared on more staple shows from that era such as DoogieHowser, M.D., Baywatch, and Friends; as far as what those were like, he told me; “Friends was great. I read for the pilot episode when it was called Friends Like Us for Chandler, so the producers remembered me. They were awesome. It was a great little role, and I came back for a second episode later in the season, and that scene was eventually cut (another residual windfall).The other shows kept my wife and I fed for a while, but those kinds of guest starring roles will not buy you a house. I was making the rounds and trying to maintain a foothold while I was growing up and trying to transition to adult roles like Melrose Place, Murder One, JudgingAmy (twice), NYPD Blue (twice) and Courthouse.”
Another book mark in Fratkin’s career was his appearance in the 1998 summer blockbuster Godzilla. I was curious how he felt looking back on the film, which performed far better finaically than it did critically. He stated; “I remember quite vividly how incredibly excited I was to be part of it. Being a huge fan of the Godzilla movies from my childhood (hence the “Godzirra” reference I wrote into Ski School). My wife and I went to the premiere at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, and were thrilled to see my scenes were completely intact and received quite well. Overall, I was disappointed with the final cut. I wasn’t a fan but yikes, they play it a lot!”
Fast forward to some of Fratkin’s most recent acting credits were on such memorable shows as Spin City and Malcolm in the Middle in the 2000’s. Regarding these roles he noted; “Not a lot to say about these gigs. I was still trying to figure out where my career was going. Spin City was fun and as fan, loved working with the cast. This was Charlie Sheen’s first season and he was still kind of feeling his way around a sitcom. Since I was familiar with Heather from Melrose Place, it was fun to work with her again. My part was small, and I remember really needing a job, any job. After working as an actor for almost 15 years, I was reaching a point where I needed to make some decisions. With a mortgage, two young kids and a decent stream of residuals, it was almost time for a break. Malcolm was the last job that I remember thinking, if I wanted to make a good living, three lines on a sitcom was not going to cut it.”
Before our conversation was finished, I asked if we’ll be seeing him in anything in the near future. He assured me; “I hope so! I feel the need to express myself and hope to get some opportunities. That was the plan all along!”
Swiss rockers Krokus have always been one of those bands that, while they may not have achieved some of the same heights as many of their contemporaries here in America, they’ve still always held a special place for me (and even if I sometimes do overlook them for awhile, something will always draw me back to them eventually). So it was a sheer thrill to be able to correspond recently with founder and bassist Chris Von Rohr, who I was able to have some meaningful words with, despite the distance between us.
One of the first things I asked was what the status was for the band’s “farewell” tour, which was postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic. Chris explained; “Well at the moment we are looking at the world and what is happening, and wondering when – hopefully soon – it will be back to a “normal” situation. But of course we are in contact with each other, everybody is playing either with side projects, or spending time with their instruments. Musicians want to play music, you know? Day by day we hope that the clouds disappear soon, and rock and roll comes back into our lives, so we can continue our tour that was interrupted.”
I also asked if the band might have one more studio album in them before they retire, to which he stated; “At the moment we are not planning a new album. We have so many songs that we cannot even play live because there are so many albums, and we personally think there are enough Krokus songs out there. But you never know, sometimes maybe a new song might come out, but the necessity for a new album is not there. We’d much rather play gigs, that’s what we miss most.”
I was also curious if their might be any chance of a re-release for the band’s obscure 1976 self-titled debut album. Chris told me; “Yeah it definitely is obscure, and has nothing to do with the original lineup of Krokus. It was an album which I am the only survivor of it, and it went more in the direction of prog rock. It was really a…search. We don’t play songs from that period, and I don’t really see a necessity to revisit that on a wider scale. The Krokus fans we have now, I don’t think they would particularity love it.”
He continued; “And for us, the original is the band that played on Metal Rendez-vous, Hardware, One Vice at a Time, and the famous Headhunter albums. And then after the break coming back with Hoodoo, the Dirty Dynamite album, the greatest live album we had called Long Stick Goes Boom; that is the “real” lineup, the one that made it “big” and has the real sound which we want to transport with Krokus.”
Before eventually settling on the bass, Von Rohr had actually started as a drummer. I asked if these changes were due to preference or necessity, and he informed me; “Yeah, my way was a long way. As you know, I started as a drummer, and as we went on, for us to put on the “best” formation, I had to change instruments. I went from drummer, to singer, to bass player. It was about finding the right combination of the right people who blended perfectly together. For me it was interesting because as a producer a little later on, it’s good to know all instruments a little bit, you know? And I still play a little of each today.”
Shortly after the Headhunter album in 1983, Chris and the band parted ways for a bit, with him occasionally re-joining before he would come back permanently in 2008. I asked how he felt regarding some of the material the band released during his time away, and he stated; “Well the unfortunate split we had in the mid-80s was not very good for either of us. We lost direction during my absence. I didn’t consider it “bad” music, but I didn’t really consider it real Krokus, or what the fans really expect from Krokus, which is basically what was on the Headhunter or the Metal Rendez-vouz albums. That is the essence of Krokus, what made us successful. But fortunately we found each other again, and we are wiser today and we know what went wrong, and why it did.”
He continued; “It was definitely a big exhaustion, with bad management and some sad stories we don’t even want to talk or think about much. Since our reunion in 2008, we’ve played big festivals and have had number one albums, but unfortunately we couldn’t get things in America on that scale, because I think a lot of what was released after Headhunter did a lot of damage, and that’s why we concentrated on Europe. Over here they know us better, and after the reunion they instantly got it, that that’s real Krokus. Let’s see, I really hope that one day we will make it back to America for our fans.”
He continued further; “I do think this incarnation of Krokus is absolutely the strongest, because it unites all of the band members which were important, and it has three guitar players! If you listen to the last live album I mentioned, you feel that is a band on its peak; it’s an energy that has never been that strong before, as well as an experience which comes out of the playing. When you get a little bit older, you know how to play those songs best. I wish American fans can see this band live, because it is not an old band, it’s like young dogs on the loose. It’s absolutely exciting to play with Krokus.
Having gone through a rough breakup the same year I originally gotten the Headhunter album, I always associated the power ballad (and the band’s most well-known hit) “Screaming in the Night” with my own personal experience. So I always wondered if the band anything or anyone specifically in mind while writing the track. Chris explained; “What a ballad, definitely. A special mood, and a special, semi-dark ballad with a lot of feelings in it, a drama ballad in a way. It was not about any one special thing, but it is probably the most popular Krokus song. If you look at Spotifiy, it has millions and millions of views, and we always love to play it still, because it’s not like a commercialized ballad, it has this rough edge still, and we love that song.”
And as far as the song’s music video goes, which can no doubt be described as “out there,” Chris said; “A bit inspired by Conan the Barbarian, maybe, we were basically not too happy with it. We thought it was a bit too much with effects, and it looks almost like a L.S.D. trip (Laughs). But at the time it was played a lot on MTV, I don’t know why. Hopefully because of the song of course. But some people love it, and it’s a great song, and that’s what counts. But if you ask any band, videos are always a bit of a pain in the ass! We are not models, and we don’t like photo shoots. We like playing on stage and kicking ass, that’s what we like!”
I also asked if perhaps there were any songs in the bands catalog he really enjoyed that might not be as well known. He told me; “I could listen to hundreds of songs from our earliest stages which I still like, but what really makes it is what you play live. But if I could name three songs that maybe are not so well known in America, it’d definitely first be a song called “Winning Man.” That was the favorite song of Lemmy’s who, when we played with Motorhead, would almost every night come to the side of the stage to listen to that song. Then “Fire” from Metal Rendez-Vous, a great power ballad and dramatic song. And from newer times, it would definitely be “Hoodoo Woman,” which at the time is one of the most well known songs of the band here in Europe.”
Although I rarely touch base on politics or world events during interviews, it seemed impossible not to ask his thoughts on the current events unfolding in the Ukraine knowing how close in proximity Chris is. He stated; “Well, to talk about the world and what is going on would definitely take us all night probably, wouldn’t it? But as a book writer, I definitely reflect a lot, and I’m always astonished how it is still possible that human beings – which have developed so much, in so many ways over the past one-hundred years – can still be back in the medieval ages it seems? This is hard for me to understand that with all of these inventions and progress that the human being has made, that he is still just an animal. That is the unfortunate reality.”
Chris continued; “We as a band try not to go too much into politics, because, as a guy who studies history as well, it’s always a little bit strange to hear rock musicians talk about politics, because most of the time they don’t know what they say, or know history enough to really understand it. One very strong diplomat, I don’t know if it was maybe Henry Kissinger who said, ‘The more you look into a war, the more complicated it gets,’ and you don’t know any more really, who is the guilty, and who is the not guilty. And the whole black and white sides we see in the media, is not helping, you know? It divides the population in two parts, and this I don’t like. It might be a little naive, but with our music, we try to unite the people. Because there is not only god and bad, there is not only black and white, and we really should come together as The Beatles said, and stop all of this aggression, because this is not what we like. I grew up a Woodstock kid in the ’60s, and I don’t believe in all these wars and aggressiveness.”
Local rockers Nova Rex are far from strangers to Rewind It Magazine; not only have we photographed a concert or two of theirs over the years, I’ve interviewed bassist and founder Kenny Wilkerson (who has become as much of a personal acquaintance as he has been a supporter/feature of our little publication) more than any other musician I can recall at this point.
Now, Kenny and the guys are back, kicking off 2022 with the recent announcement that John Bisaha, longtime frontman for British rock act The Babys, who also briefly sang with Nova Rex back in 2012, has replaced (now former) lead singer Adrian Adonis. Once again, Kenny and I – along with said newcomer Bisaha – recently caught up to discuss all things Nova Rex.
One of the first things I wanted to know was what exactly was the catalyst that finally brought Bisaha and Nova Rex together again. John explained; “Kenny finally nailed what I want in my rider for shows – Good & Plenty candy! It’s my favorite, and he said he will keep me stocked! (Laughs). Seriously though – we are all looking to get out there and jam. This pandemic has kicked the crap out of everyone. Life is short. Gigs are fun. Let’s jam!”
I was also curious what the first order of business will be for Nova Rex now with John at the forefront, and Kenny stated; “Buying more eyeliner/tighter pants and recording new music.” Of course I also wanted to know how splitting with (said former frontman) Adonis went, and if he and the band were on good terms or not now. Kenny informed me; “It went as good as it could go, and we wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Another thing I wondered was how well acquainted John was with the other two current members of Nova Rex, guitarist Greg Polcari (formerly of Britny Fox) and Shawn Lowery, prior to joining the band. He stated; “Greg and I had some communication last year with a couple of tunes – get the feel for some tracks. Now Shawn – is a different story – we go WAAAAAAY back. To last week…” (Laughs).
I also wanted to know from John how being a member of Nova Rex compares so far to fronting The Babys. He noted; “You’ll have to ask me after the first gig! It’s been a while since performing Nova Rex tunes; I did two shows many moons ago – and the only constant member is that bass player guy. Fronting Nova Rex is a way different gig than The Babys – a little more out of control, a LOT more cheese!”
And lastly, I asked if the upcoming Bike Week shows the band have set beginning Mar. 5th at The Legendary Boot Hill Saloon in Daytona Beach, will be the first to officially feature John on stage with them again. Kenny stated; “Yes, it’s a perfect place to showcase him at a hometown show and we are adding new songs, new dates, new look, and more mayhem as we speak!”
John Bisha (left) and Kenny Wilkerson on stage with Nova Rex in 2012.
