Bobby Rock | Nelson | Vinnie Vincent | Hardline | Slaughter | July 2002 |
This months interview is with one of the hardest working guys out there....
Between books, drumming clinics, and videos, tons of bands through the years,
and even a fitness guru... there isn't much left for him to cover...
So here he is...
Bobby Rock.........
J-Ok...first off, lets rewind to the good ol' days:
One of the first times I recall seeing you was in the band Vinnie Vincent Invasion…how did you hook up with those guys?
B-I was out on the road in another band at the time and had heard that Vinnie was going to be auditioning drummers. Someone else knew that Dana Strum (Vinnie's bassist at the time) was coordinating things, so they actually gave me Dana's number. So I called, talked up a storm on his answering machine and he agreed to let me come on out to LA to try out.
J-Also, that's not Mark Slaughter on the album...but he's in the video???
B-Yeah, Robert Fleischman did the first record but things didn't work out beyond that. Mark was hired after the fact, then came in as a permanent band member and did the video, tour and everything else, as well as the second record.
J-How was it working with Vinnie?
B-He was an interesting character...let's put it that way. I actually got
along with him pretty good, though.
J-Any good road stories?
B-It was during the decadent mid to late-eighties at the height of the glam
metal era...every road story was a good one!
J-Did everyone in that band get along?
B-For the most part, yes, although towards the end there was somewhat of a
strife between Vinnie and the rest of us due to a lot misunderstandings and
so forth. But even at its worst, we all did okay.
J-How many albums did you play on with them?
B-Two - the self-titled debut and "All Systems Go."
J-What ended up happening with VVI?
B-We split up at the end of the second tour.
J-Do you still talk to any of the guys?
B-Mark Slaughter pretty regularly, Dana Strum on occasion and, unfortunately,
Vinnie Vincent never. He seems to have vanished.
J-The next time I remember seeing you was in the band Nitro. How did that come about?
B-I actually never officially joined that band. I was friends with (singer) Jim Gillette and (guitarist) Michael Angelo and they asked me to play on
their debut record. We had a blast recording it, of course. They just wanted everything over-the-top, which was cool with me.
And they were cool guys to hang with.
J-And what happened with that?
B-Well, I just wound up doing that first record with them, then I got tied up with a bunch of other projects.
J-After that you were in Nelson.. how did you hook up with the brothers?
B-I had met them a few years prior at the MTV awards and we would run into each other from time to time thereafter. Then, once they were signed and ready to put the band together, I ran into them at the "Whiskey" in LA one night and it was like, "Bobby, what's happening? What have you been up to? Why don't you check out what we've been doing?" and so forth. And that was pretty much it. We started hanging out and doing some playing and the next thing I knew I was in the band.
J-What was it like in that band?
Any good road stories with them?
B-It was actually a very cool experience. They put together a monster band; everyone could play their asses off and we all got along really well. I have a lot of good memories with Nelson and, yes, it's safe to say there were a lot of good stories from back then.
J-How many albums of Nelson did you play on?
B-Three or four, I believe. All of the first one, most of "Imaginator" half of "Because We Can" and, if I'm not mistaken, a little bit of one of their Japanese releases.
J-And why did you guys break up?
B-More than anything else, it all just kind of rode off into the sunset. There was never a point where we all said, "Okay, it's officially over now." Circumstances led us apart...
J-Still talk to any of the members?
B-Of course, all the members.
J-All of the bands you have played with have a VERY different sound/style. Out of each of these bands, which do you prefer as a musical style to play drums with?
B-It's tough to say. My solo stuff suits me the best, no doubt, and I've really been enjoying the Gary Hoey material, but it's all apples and oranges, really. Each situation has had it's own special elements.
J-All the bands up to this point had some drastic images. How important was the look back in the hair days?
B-It was definitely a big part of the package, there's no doubt. But in a lot of ways, that's always been the case. When you think about it, even the grunge thing had a contrived look. These bands were as predictable looking
as we were with their flannel shirts and greasy hair. They were so into NOT making a visual statement that THAT became a look in and of itself. Same with a lot of these "modern hard rock" acts, dressed in black with all of the
tattoos, piercings and those big-ass combat boots. It's all the same, really, except that in the glam days, the image vibe was just considerably more overt.
J-And do you ever look back at the photos and think "what the hell was I thinking?"
B-I knew what I was thinking! But yes, in retrospect, it does look a little ridiculous.
J-What's the craziest thing a fan has ever done to meet you?
B-She sent me a very "specialized" home video tape demonstrating some very unique gifts!
J-What's the biggest crowd you have played for and where?
B-Probably one of a few outdoor festivals - 40,000 or 50,000 maybe? Can't remember where...
J-What was your favorite video you did...and any of the bands you were in?
B-I dug the "More Than Ever" video with Nelson because we were actually recording the song live as we were shooting instead of the usual lip-sync vibe.
J-After the Nelson gig, you went out on a drum clinic tour. How did that go? Do you enjoy doing these?
B-I've actually done quite a few since then. I love 'em. In that forum, I get a chance to really stretch out and get into drumming as an art form. It's very exhilarating to be able to tour in that capacity. And, as an extension of the solo drum tours, I've also done a number of tours with my own band. We play in both clinic and club settings, focusing on material from my solo CDs. It remains one of my favorite things to do.
J-You also have a lot of health and fitness things going on. Tell us about that?
B-I've been into health and fitness for years and, as time has permitted, I've done a lot of consulting
and writing on the subject. My first book on superior health - "Muscles, Mangos and Meditation"
is now transitioning into a second edition called "Rock-Solid Fitness," which ties into my
umbrella company for all of my health-related pursuits. I've got a web site underway for it (www.rocksolidfitness.net) and I hope to have this edition of the book available in the next
several months.
J-...and about your Hypothetical Erotica book ?
B-That's been a lot of fun! It's basically a hardcover, conversation-evoking party book that
presents these sexual-tinged dilemmas which are designed to stimulate interesting discussion. This book has its own dedicated site, as well (www.hypos.com), and you can go and check out some of the book's scenarios there in the Hypo of the Week section.
We're also in the middle of putting together a cable TV pilot for this thing.
J-Also you have been gigging off and on with Gary Hoey. How did that come about?
B-Gary and I have been friends for years and he's been one of the few really successful instrumental rock artists. So, the timing worked out back in late '99 where I was just getting back home from about six months of touring and he was looking for a drummer for his "Money" tour. Perfect timing, I would say. It's been a blast, and I'm looking forward to doing this new record with him in the next month or so.
J-Now the big news...(at least for me) your playing on the new Hardline album?
B-Yes, it's a done deal. Should be out there in September, I believe.
J-How did that come about?
B-I've known the Gioeli's since back in the late-80's and even did a little playing and recording with them right after the Vinnie Vincent thing. And,
of course, I loved that first Hardline record. So when Johnny called me to play on the this new one - I was in!
J-What's the sound of the album like...does it stay true to the first release?
B-It's definitely along the lines of the first one but even with a bit more dimension to it.
J-Any touring plans?
B-With Hardline? Well, we just did this festival over in England and, sure, I would be open to doing any more dates with them that might come up. I would suspect that most of their stuff would be in Europe and Japan since those are the primary markets their label caters to.
J-How do you feel about mp3 sharing and company's like Napster?
B-I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, in this information age, it's a great technology for getting your material out there. There's no doubt that it makes your music much more accessible to people who might not have otherwise been exposed to you and, as the theory goes, this could lead to more CD sales and concert attendance. On the other hand, the number of folks who actually go out and purchase something you've done or see you live as a result of their downloading your music for free is a very difficult number to quantify and probably fluctuates radically from one band to the next. So it's a fine line because, as the co-owner of my own indie record label, I see both the value in getting exposure through any non-traditional medium, and also the importance of actually selling records in perpetuating the business and being able to finance future projects! Nonetheless, I think we're right on the brink of seeing some major changes in how music is distributed and promoted.
J-How do you think the Internet has changed promoting bands nowadays?
B-It's really leveled the playing field because virtually any band can have a presence on the web.
This gives you the ability to offer your fan base immediate access to your music, to all kinds of info about your band, to your
tour dates, to your photos and video clips and even to picking up your actual products...all from the comfort of their home.
This is phenomenal. And this is to say nothing of the grass roots promotional capabilities of the web -
the newsgroups, chatrooms, e-mails, e-zines, links and specialized web sites that all can bring a band to the attention of
listeners who, again, might not have had the opportunity to hear about them. Now granted, this easy accessibility
of the Internet to any band or artist has definitely created a sense of over-saturation in many web-based promotional
strategies. But still, if a band can market their web presence effectively and - always most
important - if they are making great music and staying on top of their craft,
it remains an unparalleled medium.
J-Do you have a web site where your fans can find out what you're up to?
B-Sure, it's www.bobbyrock.com.
J-Anything you want to say to your fans reading this?
B-Two things: Thanks for your continued support in all that I do, and thanks
for all of the e-mails. Even though I'm not always able to write back, I
always appreciate when someone takes the time to drop me a line...
J-Well, that's about it Bobby. Thanks again...and good luck with all you do.
B-Thanks, and same to you...
