Coming to you from crash studios in Music City, USA. Nashville.
This is the rich Redmond show.
What's up, folks? Yep, your iPhone. Your watch is correct.
It's time for another exciting episode of the rich Redmond
show. We talk about all things music, motivation, success,
talking about a lot of things, but he's the things that drive
us. And I've got a lot of musician friends. It's the low
hanging fruit that drummer in the forest, the fruit is hanging
and these are my friends. It's a beautiful fraternity sorority,
we always get to kibitz we go into a bar drummers. We're going
to close the place down talking about gear widgets, or favorite
drummers. And usually I have my co hosts here co producer Jim
McCarthy, Jim McCarthy voice overs.com. Jim is on some sort
of a sojourn on the east coast. But that just means I get this
man all to myself, and a very special guest today. Today's
guest originally from Long Island, New York, and along with
Brian Setzer and Lee rocker formed the iconic band the stray
cats and spearheaded the Neo rockabilly movement of the early
1980s. Since then, cementing himself as rock and roll
royalty. I'm talking about our new friends slim, Jim, Phantom.
What's up, Jim? Hey, rich, you know how to those levels? Right,
left, right, right, left, right, left level 100 times a hotel
room, and everything's cool. Yeah, man. Well, I you know,
this has been a long time in the making. It's up. There's a
session drummer here in Nashville taught me this phrase,
Chad promo, this phrase called herding cats. And you run get
getting a podcast together and keeping your guests scheduled.
It is like herding cats. Because everybody's so busy. You know?
It's a really it's a good man. I think there's a lot of us, but
it's at the same time. It's a rare few good drummers, you
know, and yeah, good drummer, I think and rock and roll. Country
music, jazz swing America. Do you have a good drummer?
Anything else is possible? Absolutely. And the bad drummer
can take a great band and just anchor it sinking and go any
further. Unless you have a good drummer. That's the only thing
and that's why. That's why everyone's busy. Yeah, and there
was no and your band the stray cats. There was no hiding. There
was only three of you. There was no computers, there was no
tricks. It was like you count the song off. And there's three
guys I gotta make an app. Exactly. There was no rock time
to hide behind. Yeah. Now you know, you've played on of
course, other projects. Of course, we're going to talk
about the stray cats delineates the history, all that kind of
stuff. Because aren't you guys celebrating? 45 years? Yes, we
did. 40
we formed the 1979
on Long Island and played the CBGBs Max's Kansas City,
although well known, like New York City joins, we were our
towns like 45 minutes outside on the train line. So the Jones
Beach would be the famous place anyone heard of by us.
And we really worked at it, to be honest with you, we were by
the time that we were overnight sensations ever we had played
you know, 200 gigs, four sets a night, five nights a week kind
of thing for for for a couple of years. And
we we just loved it we we found rockabilly music. And we all
played
red and wrote music took lessons I just studied from an old jazz
got a mousy, Alexander Yes, that's heavy man. Wow. Dinah
Washington and he was like, and he was in our neighborhood. And
he really was he had a goatee and
you know, Ben Ray and he said Daddy oh and Cat Cat man. Yeah.
You know, and he gave lessons and he
we went through title needing you know, Jim cheap and all the
books. And you know, I love that you did the TED read book
especially the page 38 But but but but but but but, but it's
such a famous PAGE PAGE 38 And I still use it to this day to get
my students you know, reading exactly, and the you know, the
few back pages where it's just a where where he has accent
triplets on the different ones and the different it's still I
mean, there's 100 of them. I can
honestly say I use about seven of them all the time you know?
It's you know, it still stays in my head. If I'm trying some fill
on stage sometimes. I don't know like if a specific line but the
tape read the cover and the pops into my head. Yeah, I can all
the sudden see and hear the one triplet two triplet thinking
about thinking oh, that's a good Phil buppa buppa buppa buppa
buppa have the 10 reflections in my head. But um, so so we all
took lessons and we were on
We were the three guys in school that
played. And if there was a keg party or someone's parents were
out of town if there was a wreck dance or like we were the ones I
played at it
and lead partisan probably 70 or 79. We, me I know for a fact.
Just trying to find out the same as us all good. Who does?
Beatles like who did the Rolling Stones again? You like
invariably you wind up on Carl Perkins, Eddie Cochran, Chuck
Berry, Little Richard Johnny Burnett, that Jerry Lee Lewis
and then the Gene Vincent. And then ultimately I found the the
sun recordings of Elvis Presley.
The world stopped spinning for a billionth of a second and I knew
exactly what to do. And I had long hair, I had flares. I had
Adidas had a tennis shirt. And I was going to be a drummer one
way or another. I didn't know how or wait or what, but, but
that day, I heard Elvis Presley I saw the photographs of the
because we knew Elvis Presley, right? Everyone did we didn't
know well.
You're against it. But when I found out what the beginning
was,
through Beatles and stones and the rest, I I just changed my
life. I went into the city, which was that 10 train stops, I
cut all my hair off and walked across the street.
Detroit it in my
my Adidas for some blue suede shoes.
I traded in my flares.
Down the street a bit further. For some Ricky Ricardo pants, we
would call him and then I had no tennis shirt, you know, with an
alligator on I left that behind that I got a bowling shirt. And
I just went home. And that was my life. No matter what I was
going to do. I was going to play the drums and look that way
while I went to school worked at the liquor store, like whatever
I was doing. And we had the other two had the same
experience. And we all knew each other and like Holy mackerel,
did you I didn't know that existed either. And we just did
it. And as we do and while we could play like maybe once a
month at some of these famous rock clubs. We weren't
interested in that as much as we were like, every night we got to
play four sets and like this little buddy holly song we found
is the new Eddie Cochran had two albums. And we just lived it to
stores and you know, diners and we wound up making a pretty good
living from it when we were very young. Yeah. By finding old man
bars, just places that might have had a pool table that we,
you know, moved out of the way because they the TRad rock
clubs, and then the clubs in the city. We were a little bit even
too weird for it. They knew punk rock, they knew New Wave, they
knew disco. They knew the blues, they knew.
Dixie Fried Rock, I mean, they like knew that kinds of what we
were doing was even that was the most American thing. It was very
unheard of. And finally, so we just found all these places that
would have us play. So we did this place every Tuesday, this
place every Wednesday up above. And we made money every night
because we packed out people who weren't rockabilly, but they
found us. We had a following. They look like dazed and
confused. You know, like that exact whatever. 1979 looked
like. Yeah, they were and they just went everywhere we went we
had a couple 100 people every night. Okay, here's this 1950s
music and in 1979 You guys are already, you know, two decades
have gone back and you're creating a resurgence. Yeah,
because it was right there what we say now what I say now is you
know, rockabilly is hiding in plain sight is staring you right
in the face. Do you like the Beatles? Yes. Well, then you
like Carl Perkins? Do you like The Rolling Stones? Yes. Well,
then you like Bo Diddley, do you like Pete Townsend and who are
yes, well, then you like Eddie Cochran it's like very easily
proven stuff. So you're not going to trade in your, you
know, Led Zeppelin records, but I can tell you this for a fact
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant they love Carl Perkins, you know, you
know, that's where it comes from. And then you factor the
blues in the original blues, Howlin Wolf and muddy waters and
and, and then go back a little further to the jump blues. We
had. We found Amos Milburn and Louis Jordan and the I love
Louis Jordan, man, if our Friday night fish fry, come on. actly,
right. And you find that and we found all that at the same time
and we wanted to, you know, you know, make that combination of
of influences and we and you were killing it you were you
were getting your 10,000 hours together, creating your look
creating a following
and, and making some money. So you didn't have to go get a job.
It's great. Without knowing what any of it was. That's the beauty
of it. That's where it kind of, maybe ignorance is bliss. That's
just what you did. I can't say that we planned it any more than
that and it
was a, you know, a beautiful thing. It was good that one play
bass one plays
the drums than the other two much more than me. They're like
virtuoso kind of players in there. They
they were just good at it ever since that do you go back
further with Lee you guys were like do each other at 12 years
old, right? Well, all of us.
We went to the same grammar school the same everything Lee
and I are in the same class actually, is two years old and
which now when someone's 80, and someone 78, it doesn't matter.
But like when you were 14 and 1214 and 16, then it really
matter. And he was a brilliant is was always a, you know, a
brilliant player. But somehow, like two years when you're in
junior high or high school seems like it's bigger to yours
because they weren't in your class. Yeah, yeah. And I would
put class together and go listen to, you know, Howlin Wolf
record. And then we we love Buddy Guy and Jr. Wells and that
kind of stuff. And talk about how well that blind faith
record, you know, that's a Buddy Holly song that they would like
Lee and I were in the same class. So we'd have to wait to a
little bit of school and all of us left school a little early
till you could find out. You know, Brian knew us. Oh, yeah,
the guys from the two years down. You knew my brother. And
yeah, that's awesome. Well, no, no. So we were all together. But
it got together together and would have been like, 1979, I
think it would have been, yeah, the rest was history, man. So
that's what we did our 40th anniversary was in 19 2019. And
everyone in the industry and because we made an album in
1980. So the you know, the 40th anniversary was 2020. Everyone
had an idea. So on without speaking to each other, and
everyone came back with the same answer. Well, we didn't form in
1980. Because we don't want anyone to think still to this
day that we just appeared out of nowhere. We play 1979 worked
very, very hard. So we insisted that the 40th anniversary be
2019. And there was a little bit of like, well, it's a cricket
number 2020 2020. Yeah, it looks and I agree. But if we had done
that, it never would have happened. COVID it out. It was
great that you guys did 2018 and had a beautiful year. Yeah. That
must have been incredible. So how many dates was that? Was
that a world tour? Yeah, yeah, that was.
And we had made an album, then. 2018 At the very end, I think
but got released in 2019. That didn't that did very well. Yeah.
Who had no love, which still counts? I think you know, oh,
great, incredible. Congratulations, Bill for speed,
double platinum rock, this town, voted by the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. I mean, right there.
That's a legacy. You can hang your hat on all those cool MTV
videos.
And I know there's a story I know there's like an evolution
of the band. And it's really interesting how MTV got fed some
of those early videos because they ended up being promotional
videos for the European market. Right? Can you tell us about
that? Yeah.
I think MTV was a beautiful
cosmic blank, you know, tapas was a it still is was at the
time like a beautiful thing. And
for us, we left New York in 1980. June, because we just
wanted to have an adventure. We got the English newspapers and
kind of nobody knew who we who they didn't know who know who
our heroes were in a funny way. We were doing this virgin
Vincent for Johnny Burnett and
already liked it. And I think if we stayed around in New York, we
would have got a record deal on that. But we wanted to have an
adventure. We heard that in England, people
look like this. They dress like we thought everyone was Ringo.
Everyone was Eddie Cochran because they knew who he was
there. So we went to England, we sold everything we owned, and we
bought one of my plane tickets, and we went to London. That's
incredible. Bunch very brave man. How old were you at the
time? 19 years old? Yeah. Wow. We were 19 years old. And then
we get there. And we use that as a good idea. No, you said it was
a good idea.
You know, clutching does a magazine article that from from
a year ago that we mean Were you asleep and where are you guys?
We we we were homeless. We set the movie theaters a little bit
until that ran out. We hung around like ghosts and parties
and crashed for a while like a sitting Nancy kind of house and
you know those types of types of things.
That's incredible. We really had three of us and we had
we had knocked on enough doors and made ourselves known
as much as we could on a very
We miniscule in any town when it comes down to it. The club's
circuit order is very, very small even in London or New York
or LA or whatever it is. It's still same couple 100 people
maybe you
so we had just, I guess, had some obnoxious charm, you know,
we knocked on a lot of doors eventually, this would have been
about September, August to September I think we had gotten
a fourth on the bill that uh, you know, music pub that had
bands every night anyway, kind of thing. And we just made
ourselves known and hung around these places. enough that we
managed to string together five, seven shows maybe all going on
if four in the afternoon or seven at night or for Bill like
nothing that was, but we had made ourselves known enough that
a few of the people that we met along the way came to the first
few shows with the idea of maybe, maybe that'll be good,
maybe they'll shut it up and go home. Maybe they saw maybe what
we're going out anyway, that night. Let's go to let's stop in
at the Greyhound first and check out these guys from New York.
And that original gang of people included Lammi
a Joe Strummer, Krishna, hi.
Glen Matlock from the sacred pistols so there was the like a
core of hipsters that we had met at parties and you know, but no
one waves we will just use it noxious guys.
Well, guys got a cool suit. But it's kind of dirty, almost, you
know, like he's been sleeping. We have been.
So we had these. So immediately, that's when we were in control
of our own destiny was at Go and play for wherever it was on the
planet, or 20 minutes. No problem. Because we had done a
year of in the clubs for sets and five nights a week in New
York, you know, so we were in control of and then yeah, I
don't think anyone ever seen anything like it was standing
up, playing the drums, spinning the bass around, he tossed the
guitar 10 feet over his head and grabbed it in the middle of his
solo and doesn't miss to be crazy, you know, the stray cats.
And so the next time that she hi and gave an interview, or Glen
Matlock, from the Sex Pistols or Joe Stover gave an interview
that week because everyone kept those music papers going. They
said, Well, what do you been doing last week, Joe? Well, I
saw this band from New York and they were so there was a buzz
and now there are tastemakers that were vouching for you
groundswell. And that led to Chrissy Hein five days later, a
week later brought Ray Davies now when he saw it, he mentioned
it Melody Maker. And then by the end of the couple of maybe,
maybe 10 shows we did over two weeks, the Rolling Stones came
because they had heard about it.
They were all at a table all together from rail, right front
row is that the story club and some club have that's happened
since they all go to something that's not their thing.
The five guys could agree on something. And that's when it
took it out of the out of the music papers into the national
papers like why those things unknown guys who don't even guys
were doing it yourself. It was not like you hired a an
expensive publicist. No, no, we
we had no one I'm I'm not against expensive publicity.
Yeah, no, but I mean, jeez, that's incredible. So then it
then then it happened very quickly. We, we, we had a lot of
offers to do record contracts. And the, the right company came,
which was ours to records at the time. And someone else who would
come in to all the shows was going to Dave Edmonds, who were
a fan of his guitar players, wicked artist. And he, he said
he would produce that the same night that the record company
got the one what so it all kind of was, it was, it was a needle
threading thing that was had to be, and we wound up making the
record with Edmonds and then having it out by Christmas,
which is when the charts froze, like, as right before the
charts, we had gotten to the top 10 so it stays in the top 10 for
like, three weeks. So you're and and we just did what we knew how
to do. We just went on the road. And during that time, we made a
couple of videos. Because the the reasoning behind the video
was it was all for Europe because we signed a record
contract out of England, even though we were Americans. It was
an English record contract. So we didn't have North America.
It's called X North America, not x like we were from there. Extra
excluding Yes, it's too big of a gamble for record companies. Now
I get it completely to try to break a band, you know, you're
gonna have to had a hit in England or
It is still America is a different, different beast
universe for all that so big. You can't drive from LA to
Chicago and play a gig that night in England, you can drive
to London to Scotland and play a gig that night.
So we had made a few
videos, and I got to Julian temple did that was very well
known film director. And we made them because if you're on tour
in England, they could play it on the Saturday afternoon kids
show in France. Or if you were in France on tour, they could
play it on the you know, the solid gold, Sweden or whatever
kind of you could be in two places at once, basically, with
the video. So and was another thing that we had very good
people around us, we had certain amount of input, but who could
organize video
to be you know, and and then what, like,
you know, like a few other things. We got it. And we were
kind of natural at it. So when MTV
came about a year or so later, I think it was in 81. You leave it
on MTV needed content.
Towards the end of MTV, or during the middle of you, people
were making very expensive clips and trying to get them on. And I
do think at at the beginning of MTV, they were happy to to have
content. Oh my god, I did a Video Killed the Radio Star.
They're like, how are we going to do this for 24 hours? That's
exactly right. So they found ours And in, in the USA, that
created a big groundswell. And we were doing very well at
import radio, without even knowing it. Because now he got
played one time and you know, Saskatoon, you somehow know
about it right? Then we were kind of popular in regions that
we wouldn't really know about. So it was very popular in in LA,
and we came through LA to gone all the way to Japan, I believe.
Australia, not really knowing that MTV had this big
groundswell and then MTV had affected radio and when in the
reverse that so important radio shows were really playing the
the the singles so we stopped in LA to kind of have one
night and someone asked us to play at the Roxy we said sure
that famous but so that turned in to one night tonight, we
wanted to do like four or five nights with a with a matinee
show and an evening show where for such a brief period of time,
and that's what kind of launched MTV was very very helpful with
that along with import radio, and I played all those places on
the strip except for the Roxy have never stepped foot in the
Roxy man I got it. I gotta make it happen. Switchblade House of
Blues whiskey Viper Room. Yeah, we did have with the house blues
man was a big night when we sold that sucker out and then they
knocked it down. Now it's a high rise condo. Yeah, kind of sad.
Totally. But what I understand the Viper that strip right there
at a liquor store and everything has been sold.
Yes, that's the that's, that's the news on the street. But it's
still. As of right now. It's operating? Yes. I think there's
a lot of permits, and you know, clearing and still a lot of
stuff to do always up there. So I do know what's still open now.
Well, hopefully the whiskey and the rainbow will know will never
go away. No.
I don't think so. I know, the whiskey is like,
like very strategic. It's got the signage, and it's very
valuable. Yes, location. And it's still great people. It's
the same family since Garrison's, the 60s, and we're
very old. They're very friendly with them for for all this time.
And and,
and they're the same family that owns the rainbow as it will be
there. Forever. It's a good, you know, good, strong family vibe.
And the Roxy is in good hands, too. That's part the original
family and they are partnered with golden voice. So that's a
secure myth there. And the troubadour. Hopefully, that
never goes away. You know? I don't think I
don't know. I've done my bit to keep it open. Yeah, yeah, for
sure. So MTV acts as a massive catalyst for you guys. And then
you're off to the races and then you go like way when America
starts to pop, are you guys immediately doing headline
shows? Are you opening up for packages or
in the states we?
We mainly
did
well, we made it into headline but we started out in clubs, and
it was the you know, the type of the typing. type of gigs like
would have been like say the Roxy or the whiskey you go
everywhere and like across the states, the places that you got
to, you got to play bow guards.
You got to play the chants in Poughkeepsie, you got to play
Lost Horizon. It's here.
Here's where do you play in Saskatoon and I've actually
played
it, it was that circuit of the gotta play while you're in there
in that town rock circuit. And and it was beautiful because we
probably could have done maybe the one larger the first time
around but we didn't because we were committed to it. So every
one of those gigs became the like, you had to be there. It
have a legendary thing if you were there kind of thing. And I
mean, you know how it works like everyone who said that they were
there, they would have been a 5000 seater. Not everyone could
see the Beatles at Cavern Club is this big. So
we're the ones who really were there.
And we did that we did. We did an opening run with the Rolling
Stones and that but that was before our album had come out.
They brought us over in 1981 because they liked us and it was
just something wacky to do. And we said yeah.
So we got ourselves to the states. And we opened some shows
for them. And it was good because they played every other
day or every couple of days it wasn't that hard of a schedule
that like what we were used to so but on the plane also didn't
pay us anything. So on the days off we filled in, in these now
very legendary shows, like we played King Tut's in Chicago or,
you know, someplace in St. Louis, someplace in Minneapolis
that was a tiny like a, like a Viper Room kind of thing. Just
to like, get the gasoline or in the hotel to the next rolling so
I get it. So the stones were they knew their power. They were
they didn't pay you guys. They're like, Hey, this is
massive marketing for you guys. Just say no, no, no, no, that's
okay. Now at this particular time, you're opening for the
stones. I mean, they see you guys are the thing is, is this
is all happening. Did you have management? Are you self
managing, we were pretty much taking care of ourselves. Wow,
you never really had the right person at that time. And we were
kind of, we had a couple of people who on a crew helping us
and we were just, you know, taking advice a little bit and
just kind of doing it they will I don't remember, when I wish
back then we had had some new management company, whatever
life would have been different. But now it makes for a good
story that we kind of did it ourselves. And it's a great
story. So who was the first manager that came along?
We had a few people over the years really.
There's been once of the last 20 years. But like scarily back,
then we we beat ourselves into the like the the really the mid
part of the 80s. Really we just we had some lawyers opening and
you know, accountant that's passed on that we really liked
him and he was helping us. But
it was really I would love to say that was di we saved the
commission or we were like smart, Johnny Ramone style or
something? No, it wasn't any of that. It was just, I don't know,
if we got it together. We somehow got there and did all
the stuff but
I can't say it was a plan or Yeah. Where are you ready? Well,
I worked all right. And I tell her all my people I say look at
you'll know when you need a manager, it's become when your
life is unmanageable, you know?
So and you've always I mean, so meteoric success. We've been
doing it for 45 years, you guys are all still friendly. 2019 and
the big tour and you've always had all these amazing side
projects, Phantom rocker and slick. You had your dead men
walking, you got the cheap day two, you gotta head cat, you got
the jack, TARS looks like you may be started a new rockabilly
band with Chris Chaney, and Jimmy Barnes. That's really so
many hours in the day, man, how you doing all this?
A lot of it has to do with
what keeps the stray cats good at this point is that we don't
do it all the time. Yeah, it's been a few times where there's
been like, longer kind of gaps. And I know
you got to stay in Beverly Hills somehow, you know, yeah.
I'm very grateful that like, along the way, of, of all of
this, these are who my friends are, like, Lammi. I met 1980 He
was one of the original people at the original shows that we
did. And we just stayed in touch, literally 45 years until
he kicked the bucket a few years ago, we as we sat with him, you
know, and that was one that we were just
really pals and and he wanted to do rockabilly music. He couldn't
really in his band, and mighty moto had been and have an
opportunity to say do three call Perkins songs on an album and to
Buddy Holly ballads it just you know. So that's he wanted to do
that and like, Well, okay, I can organize that for me, you know,
so we did that together.
And kind of a similar thing with Harry Dean.
The cheat
Days Harry Dean Stanton was a maybe the best character actor
ever he was oh my god, alien dude, that what he did an alien
I will take to the grave and what a great performance. And he
was one of the first people that was at the Roxy for somebody who
played in 1981. And he's another one we just became friendly and
I stayed in touch with them. And he was my friend while I went to
his house, more days than not, and in the crossword puzzle and
watch TV and that kind of stuff. And he was always a great player
and singer Cool Hand Luke, he plays the guitar in that and
he's like, that's something he he always did. And cheap dates
was a result of doing some gigs. Really round town. You know how
we wanted to play. And we got our little gang together,
including Jeff Baxter from the doobies. Who's my neighbor, I
saw else we would play the tin machine. Iggy Pop, Jamie James,
I can fall within two seconds. Dammit.
Jim is walking to adjust something in his home office.
Like the sun is setting there or something. It's like the Yeah,
it's like 333 30 in LA.
And it's been raining for like, over a week. And this is with
the first nice day there's a lot of cleanup going on. Yeah, you
guys got like, a year's worth of rain in one day or something?
Oh, yeah, our street was underwater was the kind of in
the news and all that the world.
But the whole neighborhood really, so. So a lot of the
things I did because I mean, you all know this is a drummer,
it's, for me being a stylized drummer. Like you kind of have
to do things that are around what you can do in a funny way.
Right. And like, I don't know if I could go
join a you know, real hard rock band or being
you know, it's a tribute Giffords, you know, Rush is
something that we love every drummer, right. But we know our
limitations at the same time. And everything I've done is kind
of been around what, what I can do my you know, for swings a
little bit, and it rocks a little bit, you know, one of the
then I'm the guy that for it, and we've just met the right
people who who are friends who want to do that kind of thing
that may be in their their like regular job. That's not coming.
They're like Christianity from living in and Barnsey
who I met in 1981. The first on the show, Catherine, Australia,
Barnes he and I are pals. And he said some new rockabilly record.
Yeah, of course, we talked about it for 40 years, and Chris
Chaney became my friend, because my son who's 33 years old, he
liked the band living in so I was able to take with his
friends to go see them at some gig in LA that can handle and I
met Chris, and that's where the, the couple of years back then
was, you know, the same kind of thing. Chris is younger than me
now we're all on our 50s You know, plus, so it doesn't matter
so much.
And the same with
and so, so bonsey, new Cheney from Australia altogether, and
they were friendly with Jools Holland, who has been my friend
since the early 80s. When squeezing the stray cats played
together. And it was like another thing Yeah, let's make
an album someday. So eventually, these things tend to do, do
happen, something to talk about, and the Barnstormers with Jules
and barzee. We were all set. It was down to window or I'll see
we were going to Australia to go to Kevin Shirley studio, live
there, some amazing place on the water and make an album Jules
Bonzi, Cheney and myself. And my wife plays a band called Eagles
of Death Metal. Yeah. And they were touring Australia, we were
going to go make the album, I would meet them on the weekends,
it was really the perfect plan. And then of course, everything
weeks before was going to happen. I guess I'm grateful. I
don't want to be trapped in Australia. Generally, if you
don't live someplace, it's hard to be trapped there. Although
it's fine. I'm sure two years later, wherever I was staying
with it, it would have gotten sick and
right before we were supposed to go everything I
canceled. And you decided to this is where the modern world,
the stray cats and me like in particular being very seemingly
old fashion.
We did the record through file sharing the whole album, I would
go and record the drums at Gilby Clarke because my other neighbor
has a great studio in his house. He's great at doing drums. And I
would send that to Jules Jules put his piano on he would send
that to Chris Chaney, he played guitar and he would send that to
Barnsey who would sing it and every every step went via Kevin
Shirley, who's the producer who like organize that pack and
moved it on, and it took a year we didn't do it every day. We
made an album that got to the top of the charts in Australia.
Oh kitty
You go, ah,
that's the last the last thing that we did. And it was kind of
like an old timey thing, but done with the most modern
approach. That's great. And so you're you're just mixing
business and pleasure. You're making great music with your
friends. And that's kind of the best kind of way to make it.
Totally. Yeah. And in recent years, I think you told me at
least seven years you can correct me you've been hosting
the weekly radio show, rockabilly rave upon a little
Stevens underground garage. How did you get into that new gig?
That 70 we did in January was our 300th. Show. Nice. So that
was another funny one, where
where
I've written a book, like auto bio that maybe seven, eight
years ago, and it's called What's that called? It's called
a stray cat struts. Nice.
And it was good was on St. Martin's Press. It's all the
copies. It's good. I might tune in to say, you know, pressing
over with really these stories with a few photographs on that
harradine called me and I wanted to make a band. It's just you
know, irony funny stuff about the formula stray cats. And
so I had written a book and
I would became friendly. This is all on Twitter, with Maureen van
Zane Stevie's wife,
who's also on Sopranos. She paid Gabrielle Dante. She's awesome.
Yes.
We had become somehow crossed paths on Twitter of liking the
same old TV shows and watching Colombo and meet TV and that. So
she said, Steve is playing in LA. Once you come to the gig, I
said great, because I hadn't met Stevie I knew that Bruce a
little bit because he came to see the strikeouts play and we
met few times been whispering things at the club and jersey
with us on that first tour playing guitar because but
Steve, he's like an East Coast guy. And sometimes, if you
don't, you know, there's like New York people. Even though I'm
from New York. I've been in LA 40 something years. I didn't
know Stevie so so. So Marina invited me to see his show. And
to bring a copy the book. Great. So I went to the Roxy in the
daytime, the Roxy again. There was no one there is you know
there's more than anyone clubs in the daytime have kind of the
weirdest place in the world. Yes. And like somehow the doors
open and lets all the light in and you're like, oh, close the
doors. What are you round still the same time maybe they're in
the office or maybe they're loading in but haven't started
yet. It's like that. Three o'clock in the afternoon at a
nightclub before the gig. It's odd place. So so I'm wandering
around in there. And and I wandered up into the dressing
room and there's still no so I was about to leave and then
another door open and who's out who that and it was Stevie. He
was by himself in the nightclub as well. I said I was devious
Maysam Jim song. How you doing kid? Very strange. And I said, I
got this book for your wife. My wife, isn't it? Yeah, we're
talking about you all. She's not here today. It's just me. And
the parents on their way. So it was an and my friend Charlie
Drayton was playing drums at the time. The great player. Yeah,
we're Facebook friends. Yes, exactly. He was playing drums
for Stevie at the time. So I hope to see SMBC Charlie and
drop this book off. Oh, Charlie could make this trip. I got to
substitute. I know the guy. Maureen wasn't there. So I'm
with Stevie by myself
and table in a nightclub but it's completely dark at three
o'clock in the afternoon. So and I knew he had his channel said
well, you know what, what do you got?
Yeah, got it there this book to give to you wise? You said no,
no. What do you got? So I just went on my kinda, well, there's
no Beatles without Buddy Holly. There is no Rolling Stones.
Without Bo Diddley. There's no who without Eddie Cochran Led
Zeppelin loves called percussion. And I just got my
thing go in my manifesto. And I realized, like, 710 minutes have
passed, I have taken a breath. And the Stevie just stopped. And
he's, he's still the Oadby. You know, he's, he's like, right?
For a show. Three weeks. What are you talking about? I want
the first show in three weeks. I don't even know what I was
doing. So that was your, what do you got? That's funny. I mean,
what does that even mean? You know? Yeah, exactly. Yeah,
exactly. So I did the first show and, and I've been doing it
every Sunday since since then, the rain or shine, I'm on the
road and I learned how to do it via you know, you know, record
it and send it and it's, you know, a beautiful thing. You
know, it's for me of everything I do. It's kind of my favorite
thing. Yeah, I record the tracks. While I have a setlist I
mailed that ID to the producer.
and who I don't know personally, but I
know because they're based in Washington DC serious, it's a
whole how the world works is so kind of funny. And thank God for
these, this interwebs man is so young, you put a setlist
together of your favorite genre songs for that particular week
and then you record all your talking head stuff, your
interstitial stuff. Yes, after he sends it back, and
where the brakes go? Yep, we used to do a Sirius XM studios
that are beautiful. But then that changed as well right a
couple of days. After doing it the same place for a certain
amount of time. Then they opened these beautiful new offices
where you would want to go and hang out and see everyone. But
that got closed. So you had to learn how to do it from home
sink or swim. So I got a nice microphone and interface and in
my closet. My wife's closet is insulated.
And you do interviews in that closet. There's looks like
there's shoes behind you and stuff. Like Well, the thing is
leopard skin lounge. It's like, yeah, blue jacket, and there's a
you know, you know, there's an orange cowboy suit and there's
Genovese leopard skin. Fuzzy jar and this is part of the stick
but but it sounds good enough. So so we've been doing it like
that for the longest the longest time and then since I've learned
how to do it, if you're on the road, you just really need a
quiet place and someone to leave you alone for an hour and then
you can do it and then I record it and I send it in back in and
then it's on every Sunday at five o'clock. That's killer ya
know, for at one point I had XM radio in my one of my leased
vehicles but then I returned the car and then I haven't had the
XM since I gotta get back on it so I can listen to your show
man. is where the five bucks a month you get it in your house
in the car everything Oh yeah, I got to do that. Yeah, cuz my my
my girl is like a Howard Stern freak. I mean, she never misses
an episode, you know? Exactly. So I think he can do it. I think
they're running a promotion now too. I could do it. I should do
it bad. Probably on half the songs on the outlaw country
channel man I did to him I probably on a lot of them. And
then you're doing some charity work, man, your love hope
strength foundation. I'd love to hear about that. And I think
through the organization. Now this is crazy. Is this true? You
climbed Mount Everest in Mount Kilimanjaro? Yes. I mean, don't
you have to train for months and months at a time and have like a
Sherpa and like, you know, like steer? You have to have a
special breathing apparatus. I mean, how do you go about doing
that man? Tell me that. Tell me that story. What how that came
about was
one of my earliest friends again, it all leads back to to
this original group of shows that we did in England 1980. And
then the first tour after the album came out what was in the
was in the winter of 1980. And the opening act was a band that
would become the alarm. Nice. And Mike Peters, who was the
lessor the law is still my friend to this day. This is 1980
until now have a long that is always staying in touch. And
he's you know, he's he's, you know, he's there with me
original pal. Now he had a cancer diagnosis. And the first
time that he beat it, he wanted to give back because he's a very
write on rock'n'roll can save your soul guy. And he formed
the, the, the charity love, hope, strength, which which is,
which is a cancer.
Although all the proceeds go to cancer research, perfect. And
he's a very, you know, he's one of those guys, when he says he's
gonna do something, he does it. And he organized this
organization, love, hope, strength. And,
you know, we said the same with my pals all, you know, just tell
me what you want me to do. And I'll do it. And he organized
this climb for fine for a cure. And it was to Mount Everest. And
it could have easily been deep sea diving. And then I would
have had to have done that. But it was like that was the thing
that he chose
that we're going to hike to the base camp of Mount Everest,
which two weeks after that, when you get to base camp, that's
when it's the technical climbing that's like a different
universe.
But the hike itself, you got to think it's 27,000 505 or some in
you know, amazing number like that. And it takes two weeks or
you know, trekking through to sleeping in a sleeping bag at
night with Sherpa. That whole thing.
There was a couple of people the guys from the fix the band the
fix. Oh yeah, love it.
reached the beach. Yeah, exactly. And
Glencoe work from squeeze where my paths cross again with
original friends of mine. He's somehow on it. And then it was
about
Many other people, but it was the core few of us
musicians and we played along the way, played with, you know,
a pair of sticks and on a rock kind of
had to be freezing, you got to have the right gear and the
right food and all that. Yeah, it was, that's, that's where it
was very well planned by the, by the organization, I kind of went
and did it. And it was, you just you still had to put one foot in
front of the other and go up there and deal with the altitude
and, and the, you know, the how how hard it is. And that's the
whole thing. But we we got to the base camp, and it was quite
extraordinary. And then
up from base camp, we went up another 1000 feet, and on like a
ledge. And we had
an acoustic guitar, or maybe to a pair of sticks. And someone
had carried something like some some type of drum. And we had
like 35 seconds or five minutes before everyone froze to death
in the weather came in. And we didn't work this down. And that
was when CNN went past and some broadcasting. So it was a
beautiful thing. But it was really one was from Mike, you
know,
anything that he had asked me to do. So we got home and it was
very nice thing was film for documentary ethics to do with VH
one and National Geographic. But that was my thing. I was a go
along. I said Mikey, now you got everything out of me, please
don't ask me do anything like this have you got to, and no
problem slim. And then about six, eight months later is that
we're going to do the same thing in Africa. And I had have always
had a very strong fascination with Africa and going and I
looked into it myself, like, I want to go there and you know,
bring the food and bring the water. That's great. Jim is
$12,000. You know, I want to go and hang out with the with the
tribes people and bring them. That's great, Jim, it's $12,000
to do. Okay, well, and in the intro music into it. And the
last trip, Mike Peter said, we're going to do the same thing
at Kilimanjaro. And I said, Well, you know, I always wanted
to go to Africa.
So we did, we did Kilimanjaro. And then I said, Now I'm done.
But that was a beautiful, beautiful thing. I really, I
really love that. And that's more about the heat than the
coal or Kilimanjaro is more Yeah, it's like altitude when
you're getting. I mean, it wasn't as high as Everest, but
not that much less. And it's kind of the
really, the altitude is the thing, and just the every day,
you know, you're gonna be hiking up straight up for eight, nine
hours. And there's not particularly any trail. So
there's a, there's a, there's a path, I suppose. But every step
is different, like you need sticks, and you need to really
watch your feet. So like you could be walking for two hours
past the most beautiful landscape in the world, and
you're staring at your feet.
Because one false step and you're kind of, you know, bit in
trouble. So, but it was an amazing thing. And then we went
on a safari that, you know, at the very end that I saw a rhino
and uh, you know, they say they never see them anymore. And I
said, Well, let's try to conjure one up, you know? Yeah, I mean,
just
the Savannah, you know, the lions and tigers and zebras. And
they all gather at the watering hole. And it's just
unbelievable. It's all true. I mean, I'm fascinated by my whole
life and
playing the drums I had to go on, you know, since my supper a
little bit again, play, you know, play the drum. Yeah, is
that you know what that but the thing is, is that, you know,
people love the drums and it literally has taken us around
the world. I mean, you manifested your childhood dreams
and you did it with friends of yours. So when you guys take
these little breaks for each other, I always I always
interesting talking to people who have been in the same band
20 3040 years, right? Things go by where you won't talk to each
other, right? Maybe even a year goes pass? Yeah, certain times.
Yeah. And then when there's something brewing someone wants
to play or it's getting an offer or an offer comes through the
really know about right away. Everyone starts to get in touch
with a bit of an organic thing. I know. Here we stay in touch
like
every now and again find you know, some picture something
funny from somewhere in school or some joke that you remembered
like so innocuous in this three people who were interested in
would find that funny, right? So that that somehow drifts in and
it's you know, Hey, should we do some gig? Well, let's see what's
out there and it's and then everyone is in touch for a while
and then
but like the gigs it's very funny thing because I'm not in
any bad vibe district gets since this since the very beginning.
So
at least I'd say the 90s or the late 80s. Everyone travels
separately. And like arrives to the gigs. And somehow,
everyone's on the side of the stage five minutes before you go
on to it. That's a nice shirt. Oh, man, that's looking good.
Let's do this one tonight. And let's Excel. Okay, yeah, no, no,
but and then we go on, we have a great gig. And then everyone
goes, Oh, and it's not on purpose. And there's no bad
vibe. Everyone's kind of friendly. I think maybe that's
what helps keep it friendly in a funny way. Who's got their own
family and their own schedule and their own? Well, I want to
stay in Amsterdam an extra night, why don't want to go
spend the night in Chicago, I want to fly on to Minneapolis.
Everyone does with I love that everybody just like they'll meet
you at the gig man. Because, you know, we're just, you know, our
band is very much we're attached at the hip and the airports and
the tour bus and we can't we can't escape each other. You
know, we don't want to but it's, you know, yeah, we're all going
together. So there's, I kind of think that, you know, you and I
the drummer, so we accept whatever, I'm fine with either.
What to do to keep it all going. I think that's the, you know,
the, you know, the ultimate goal is to keep it all going but the
drummers may just want it to know. Yeah. You know, you want
to be like Ringo. And that's what I always wanted, you know,
my whole life. Yeah, you just go.
It was my own. Yeah, well, funny. You know what, you did
it, man. And you you know,
you know, hanging backstage with Charlie Watts, all the great
stuff. Now you stand the majority of the time, right? Are
there any projects where like, you know, you sit down and play
or just traditional, like studio session, seated or no? Yeah,
besides the stray cats, which we do everything, how we do it at
the gig. Most everything else, when I record it, I'll sit down.
Gotcha.
And further the gigs. Really, it seems like at this point, that's
what they want to be they meaning the, you know, the
beautiful people who come to the gigs and, you know, book the
gigs and want the gigs and I tend to stand up like with
Lemire stood up.
You Yeah, it's mainly mainly standing up at the gigs. And,
and I do a trio. That's, that's great. My wife plays bass. And
we, we have a nice little cast of characters who's available
and which are,
which is really a beautiful thing that, you know, such a
great
level of musicians and a quantity of the Well, I had some
gig comes through that's, you know, in New York, and the usual
guy cut Yeah, but I know another guy in New York, and well, he
knows this guy. And it's just like a beautiful community. And
Leon and I on on, like, a very nice level of musicianship, and
like, respect, it's kind of a cool, no cool thing to think all
these years later, that because we love Ringo, and then called
Perkins and these things were all you know, 100 years later,
you kinda like, you know, touring and well, I don't know,
you know, like, chocolate in Chicago. Well, my friend is the
so and so. And he can do and it's just a beautiful thing to
be part of. Yeah, but like relationships are like, that's
your life. That's kind of like your love language, man. It's
like that your whole career is about relationships. Like that's
my buddy that I met in 1980 You're still mixing business and
pleasure with people decades later.
Yeah, that's the funny thing. The beautiful thing fair and
haven't we? We we just came to the last thing we did. We just
came back a couple of days ago. We did
every February the third we do the Buddy Holly tribute that's
at the surf Ballroom in Clear Lake Iowa. That was the last gig
that Buddy Holly Ritchie bounds in the boilerplate I bopper
Yeah. And, and every third of February they do they meaning
the city and the you know, the, you know, the town Arts Council
kind of thing. They they do a gig at the surf ballroom, and
all sorts of beautiful people around it's like, two 3000
people every night and they do it over the course of a weekend.
It's all things like, Buddy Holly and you know, which is you
know, affected me it was one of the things that I first got
turned on to 1979 the Buddy Holly story came out and that
was the same time I was thinking well Beatles have kind of Buddy
Holly and like it was all part of my evolution of finding about
you know, all these things we love it was kind of like a like
an era when I was finding out late 70s And so every February
the third we deal with thing and they get in touch with me and I
make a nice little gang. And this year we
we had
we Jenny V played bass with me Gilby Clarke from Guns and
Roses, who's my friend and neighbor 35 years.
Glen Matlock, from the Sex Pistols who wrote the six pistol
songs the bass player. Amazing is my friend since those early
days.
In London, and he and I played a couple of bands together. But I
called him in on it Albert Lee, who's beautiful guitar player,
Marshall Crenshaw, who played on the Hollywood bomba, Chris
Montez, whose original American rock and roll it from the early
60s, and he was a contemporary and a friend with Richie Valens.
So, these are all my friends and we, who could we call this year
and this is the gang that we assembled this year for, we just
came home like two days ago was, you know, a beautiful thing. So,
where it's, you know, like you say, it's so true to have your
friends and like, it's like all the same thing. You friends in
the gig. And it's like all the same thing. Really, ya know,
that I talked about all the time and mixing business and
pleasure. And everyone should check out your website, you've
got fantastic looking merchandise and looks like you
do like a sort of like a one man show like, you know, book, Jim,
and he'll come in he'll do performance and they'll do
questions and they'll tell stories. It's cool, man. Yeah,
yeah. A lot of cool stuff. And my beautiful wife I have to give
her credit for a shoot she on those types of things. She She
organizes it and comes with points and shoots me. It's no
that's it. I love that. You know, I think I saw I think it
was 2016
I believe I saw your wife play bass with Courtney Love on a
hotel. A Hollywood rooftop party. Yeah, she played with
love. And that was before she she she join the death metal.
Yeah. And, and it's, you know, a great, a great thing if you knew
your partner, someone who understands the business and it
makes life a lot easier and and can also, you know, a good bass
player drummer, we know that, you know,
rhythm section of life. Yes, yes. Now that NAMM as a great
thing, who's who plays drums right now in the Eagles? Death
Metal. Okay, these are death metal right now is someone who's
awesome, who I'm glad you asked me about
their longtime drummer, he retired after maybe two tours
ago. And they needed a drummer. So I they, they asked me to
assist in the, you know, the search being a drummer, and now
it's close that group with the other death metal. And we
started to look for drummers. And I thought it would be cool
idea. And so there's my wife to have to try to find a rock and
gal, you know, girl playing the drums and okay, the lot of good
people, every
every description, good drummers out there. And
we were looking through drum videos and
for some reason, and it was in the background, because we
checked out a few there's already five that were amazing.
Wait a minute, who's that? Go back to that one. No, no, that
one before that. Who is that? And it's a girl. Her name was
Leah Bluestein.
And she's Berkeley grad.
Just 25 years old.
Berkeley graduate, who can
read anything? Latin jazz fusion, but she could also do
punk rock, got her NASM. And I said, this is the person. And we
got in touch with Leah. And she came out. And I never even met
her before I saw her videos and her vibe. We spoke during the
phone. And she came and went.
Went to the audition process. And they stop talking to people
after it's she's very clear choice. And so she's been doing
with them for the last couple of years. Right? She's great. I
like going and watching. I mean, you're like me, I'm sure I like
every drummer and like going to sit on the side. And then you
know, be able to walk around and go to the front and have to
suddenly steal from everyone. Yeah, yeah.
Any time night or day i So and then seeing one that
Blows your head off.
That
you know, there's certain drummers that do that. Well.
They're really good. And I kind of know what they're doing. I
can't do it, but I know what they're doing. And then you see
ones that I don't even know what you're doing. She's
Oh my God, that's incredible. Yeah. But you got to keep that
in our back pocket while she's playing with the Eagles because
that's that's just rocket straight down the middleman.
Yeah, so you find her her name is Leah Bluestein. And you look
her up incredible. She's great. So they're, they're you know,
tight, like really tight band and I think they'll be going on
the road later this year. And we're going to be doing stuff my
wife and myself. I think we're going to go do South by
Southwest with them.
There's a
you know, keep fresh, they're going to do that. A few other
ones and you know, there's just always stuff going
Don't always always that's I'm saying it's like, you know, my
life I just, I'm the same way I just tried to have a lot of
creative options. And that all fill in on the calendar. So
every day you get to do something creative. Exactly
right. You know? Exactly right. And and so so what are your
plans? When are you going out again? Oh, man, our plans were
were pretty late. You know, we used to do 200 shows a year and
then you know, it gets whittled down as the venue's get bigger.
And now we're on a cool cycle where we pretty much do about
5055 shows a year and it's usually July to October, so I do
every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, July to October.
That's awesome. Easy limited. If you don't have to, when are you
going on the road if you don't have to?
You want to do a couple of weeks here a couple exams I know I
will always jump I'm a road dog. I will always jump into a bunk
man you know, sometimes it's weird that I have to come home
and like grocery shop and make sure that the lawn is cut and
all that stuff because I'm just so used to the 20 years of just
living on the road you know,
but we have a cool you know, we have a cool lifestyle in
Nashville where you could jump on the bus on a Wednesday night
and get your rocks off Thursday, Friday, Saturday with with the
people and then Monday through Wednesday. You can write songs
produce record, you know, do your thing you know. So January
to June Do you not take gigs or do you? Oh no, I take I take
gigs I do sessions on Music Row. I do sessions here in my house.
I I teach a lot. I just wrote a new book I'm promoting and then
you know we I'm I'm recommitted to this podcast. One episode a
week and five years ago, we are hot and heavy, like two episodes
a week man no matter what like Marc Maron that's how you do it
man Joe Rogan that's and then you know, life gets in the way.
And so we like sometimes just like one episode a week. That's
what we're gonna do. 52 episodes this week this year. Yeah. Yeah,
man.
It's amazing. But dude, thank you so much for sharing your
time with us this amazing story, this amazing legacy. I I admire
your passion, your charisma, your groove, and you're just
keeping it all alive, man. Thank you. Oh, well, thanks for
reaching out. Just you know, you and me know. Probably a lot of
people watching is you know, the drums are thing you know, we
just love
that. No, we're not like all the other ones. All drummers like
each other. Oh, no, it's a brotherhood sisterhood. And we
will close down that diner late at night. It's just drummers.
And that's what we want to talk about, you know, the threads on
the cymbal stand for an hour. Fine with me.
Totally. It's a beautiful thing. And you know, we've been with
Gretch Zildjian. Vic Firth since day one on grandfathered in.
When things changed a few years ago, they made a contract signed
by Fred Gretsch signed by Vic Firth rip signed by Armin
Zildjian. And like that alone to me, I would have one right,
they're giving me a drum kit. And now it's amazing. Now, were
you with DW at one point? Yes, yes, I saw like an instructional
video on YouTube when they first thought I had a kit made because
John good was a friend of mine. And
so, so we had to keep me from them. But just the whole idea
that like, you know, an all drummers are the same to get
your simple setup in the Zildjian catalog. Pretty cool.
You already want everything pretty cool when when when the
people at these companies they see you and they respect you as
a touring musician or a recording musician or an
educator. And they're just like, we believe in you and we support
you and it's this beautiful back and forth relationship. I
couldn't agree more among on one 9% So if we cut it out, that's
what it is. You gotta know it. Yeah, it's been kind of going in
and out. It's kind of a cool effect as it looks like the sun
is cresting or something but hey man and built in effect. Rogers
would know behind this is the beautiful thing and it is that
stained glass is gorgeous, man. I you know, I ran so much during
COVID all over Beverly Hills. I probably ran past your house a
million times. That's cuz I spent on COVID in Beverly Hills.
A one Beverly Glen. Oh, nice. Yeah. Street like the main
street is right there. Yeah, my girl had a spot on Doheny and
Beverly so it was kind of like right there.
Which
she was by the it was it was an apartment complex kind of like
by the Ralph's and right on the corner of Bohemian bedroom. I
lived for 20 years on Tony drive and Sunset Boulevard. Right
there at the right there would that impossible? You know, how
do I park my car? It's like straight up like this. It's
exactly Christian Turner's 1014 North Rohini I lived there for
25 years. That's my so you are right next to the filters. Right
across the street. Yeah, that's a great what what a sci fi thing
I mean, if you drive past it, you'll see it. It's got the old
awning that was my house for the longest time. That's really
incredible. It ever is no excuse to not go out every night on the
Sunset Strip if you live right there.
Yeah, I walked everywhere.
Man, you made it kid.
Your addresses Sunset Boulevard, you're doing something right.
Beautiful, awesome, brother. Well, hey, we really appreciate
it. And we hope that we could see you in the flesh here as
well the listeners. Hey, thanks so much. If you love the show,
subscribe, share rate and review. It helps people find the
show and until next time, hey, we'll be here. Thanks, Jim. This
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at rich redman.com forward slash podcasts.