KISS Drummer Eric Singer - "It Was Pretty Heavy To Have No Experience And All Of A Sudden Your First Record Is A BLACK SABBATH Record"
February 25, 2010, 14 years ago
KISSFAQ.com has posted Part 2 of a lengthy interview with drummer Eric Singer. An excerpt can be read below:
Q: Take me back to the first time you recorded professionally in a studio. What was that experience like?
A: "Well my first studio experience was probably doing demos back in Ohio with friends in local bands that I played in. But my first record I ever did was that BLACK SABBATH record, Seventh Star - that's the first record I ever did and that was in 1985 when we recorded it. It came out in, I think 1986.
My first record was done back then, 25 years ago. Even though I had done some demos and recording with people before, I never had anything that was officially released as a record until then.
For me it was pretty heavy to have no experience and all of the sudden your first record is a Black Sabbath record (laughs). It was very cool though. The one thing I have to say, every step of the way, I always kept my eyes and ears open because I realized that you better have a very, very fast learning curve because you may not get another opportunity. In other words, if you don't take advantage of these opportunities that are presented to you right now you may not get other opportunities down the line. I kind of grasped those moments and had a very good work ethic and was very focused on everything I did at all times.
I always tried to keep my energy level very, very high because I think that's important. People recognize when you come in and you're upbeat, you're energetic and you don't get burnt out. You have plenty of gas in the tank, if you will. People notice those kinds of things and they see your work ethic and your attitude and they go, 'Oh, this guy has a good ethic, he's willing to work hard and he's not watching the clock.' Those little things, you kind of don't realize that people notice that and that's sometimes what will be the difference between you and the next guy and why they may want to use you or continuing working with you. Because they see that you bring those things to the table.
We all know there are a lot of talented musicians out there - a lot of great drummers, guitar players, bass players. But just because you're good doesn't mean that you're right for a particular situation. And that's the trick, learning to be the right guy for the situation."
Q: You mentioned 1985 so I have to stay in that time period for this question. A person who looks like you appears in OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN's 'Culture Shock' video (see below). Was that you, and if so, what can you tell us about that gig?
A: "Yeah, that's me. Actually that was filmed in 1984. It was recorded at the old Starwood Club in Hollywood. And that was done because I was playing with LITA FORD at the time.
I'll give you a couple of fun tidbits. Olivia Newton-John was pregnant at the time so that's why you never see a lot of good body shots and her clothes are kind of looser. She was like five or six months pregnant during the taping of that. And her nephew played bass in the video, I remember he was Australian and he told me he was her nephew. And I was just hired to be in the video and the way it happened was, David Mallet - I think he did some stuff with KISS actually..."
To view the Q&A; in its entirety, click here.