Online interview (January 2019)
Where were you born and in which year ? "Bennington Vt. 1/1/52"
Did you have a musical childhood ? "No".
Did you parents listened to music ? What exactly ? "A mix, Radio was always on."
Do you have brothers and/or sisters ? "A sister and Brother."
If yes did they influenced you in your musical taste ? "No"
What were the first records you bought with your own money ?
"The Beatles. I was 11 years old."
You were a teenager while the Beatles exploded in the USA. What do you remember of this ? "In the fall of 1963, I heard a song on a floor model radio (Short wave) I stopped at a song called "Please, Please me" by a group called the Beatles. Went to local store to buy it. They never heard of them (laughs)
Did you love them, watch them on the famous Ed Sullivan show in 1964 ? "Yeah, I couldn't wait to see them. My brother and I wanted
to form a band and call ourselves "The Lightbing bugs" (laughs)!
When did you decide to learn an instrument and why ?
Which instrument was it ? "Guitar. There was a band playing in a parking lot one day in the late spring. I met a guy a year tounger than me who said he played guitar and would teach me some chords."
As a teenager what were your favorite singers/group ? And why ? Beatles, Stones, Dave Clark five and others."
Did you start playing music by yourself, or did you already in the beginning start to play in bands ? In school ? If yes, what were
the names of the bands you played with ? "By myself. Started writing songs using a plastic toy guitar." Played house parties as
"The Harvesters" Then, School dances In a band called "Visual Sound"
Did you record some music in studio (professional or not) with those bands ? "Some bands, as I had a reel to reel I got on my 13th birthday. But by 1969 The tapes were flaking off the plastic tape. I recorded many later on."
If yes did you pressed those songs on vinyl ? My first
vinyl was an EP with a band "The Bandroids in 1978. Have many songs and live stuff on Cassette.""
When did you start writing original songs ? Do you remember the first one ? "Yes, it was a song called "Im a Mr Spaceman" in 1962.
I remember the song. But it was Rap like. I had heard a music piece on a flexy disc called "Music of the spheres" Some guy manipulating oscillators with reverb. I than heard Abbot & Costello in the movie "In the Navy", where he talked singing. So, I got my sister and brother together one afternoon and I manipulated the old Philco floor model radio. The didn't have filters as today. My sister played pots and pans, my brother
had a 45 record player where he scatched and played a record backwards and I'm playing with iocilator sounds back and forth rapping! (laughs) I called it Sound effect music. We also were influenced by Spike Jones old records someone gave me.
Did you play them alone or in bands ? "I had more fun with bands."
Did you played live as a teenager ? Did you liked it ?
If yes where did you play ? "Yes, played parties, school dances, bars and weddings.
Did you go to University ? If yes what did you studied ? Did you have plans of having a "regular" carrier or did yu hoped of becoming a
professional musician ? Self taught. But, did have a music teacher try to give me lessons. I choose cello, but I saw how good this other guy
played. I was more interested in songwriting and rocking away!"
Did your parents let you do what you wanted then or did they
influenced your choice ? No, my father wasn't crazy for rock, he did buy
me a guitar and Supro amp.
Were you concern by the political turmoil of the sixties ? Were you concern in maybe going to Vietnam ? Or maybe you knew someone who
went there (friends or family) ? "I volunteer for the Airforce. Was in a short while. Kept getting sick and ending up in the hospital because of the shots they gave us. i was so sick and they asked if I wanted to go home I said yes. I got an honerable discharge. I was 22 at the time.
It seems that "Ruling Planet" was your first published records. How and why did you choose to record all alone ? Was it more convenient,
or maybe you weren't confortable with a band ? Was it a demo-like recording in hoping to sign a contract with a label ? Or just did it
because you wanted to ? "My first was the Bandroids EP. When I was going to do the next project the drummer left and my brother and guitarist were off doing something else. We had played out as the Bandroids for a short time, lots of cassette tapes.
Where did you record ? Do you remember the technology behind it ? Console, Amp, Guitars etc... ? I had a Gretch hollowbody at the time.
Teac two track recorder. Ace drummer. I use a American Fender strat hybred now."
Was there a specific idea behind the title of the album and the front cover photo ? Who did the photo ? "My wife. We were on vacation."
The original Idea for an LP was Me looking through a ripped paper and I was going to call it The Other world.
How many copies were pressed ? Did you sold them at gigs or just gave them to friends and family ? "300. Played on local radio station sold playing out and in stores. A radio station in New York City bought and played it. they wanted me to go and play live in studio. At the time I couldn't."
So did you gigged near where you live to make people know about the record ? Or maybe elswhere in the USA ? After my brother met a drummer, he wanted to play out as Ruling Planet. We played in the New York area next door besides Vermont and Mass.
Did you succeed in selling almost every copy of the album ? "Still have less than half. I'm always recording new songs, even now. We went on to the next projects. The 45 and EP. With two leftovers in can.
If i'm not mistaken, you did then the single in 1980 and the mini-Lp in 1981 ? Did you record at the same place you did "Ruling Planet" ? "We recorded both of them in a proffesional studio (Green Mountain recods) near Rutland Vt.
What are your memories behind those specific recordings ? "We had a full album worth of songs, but the drummer kept tweeking his drums and wasting time and my money. My brother was too excited and was tired. He couldn't continue after we did 12 songs, so i only did the 45. The rest encluding some of my brothers songs that erased when he used the 16 track tape for a band he was later in.
Did you alway record songs even if you didn't pressed them on vinyl ? "Yes, still do. I'm cursed in writing songs! (laughs!)"
Did you continue after the mini-Lp until today ? "Yes, hundreds!"
Did you succeed in living thanks to your musical talents or did you
have a day-to-day job ? "Day to day jobs in many Low tech and High Tech.
The money I made with music went to music. Recording and equipment."
Had lawyers a few times where some minor recording records wanted me and the band because I won two 4th place billboard awards one year Madhouse CD, and two the next Hidden Illusion CD. Had songs played in Convience rotation, Jukeboxes, Radio stations all over the New York VT station. College stations.
What does your family think of the records you did in the late seventies early eighties ? If you have children today, what do they think
about it now ? My son is a great drummer. We did a live studio CD in a professional studio in Dalton Mass, where I did a lot of my CDs. We were in a band Nitrophonic. I love the Eternity CD! All one takes. I did add a backup the bass player forgot to do and my son never dubbed I let him do on one song and I put the ending sound from Synth to show the next evolution of songs coming. It was great playing out with that band.
Do you have more orignal songs in the vault today ?
Will it possible to hear them ? "Way too many. But you can hear many at
RFSII Music on youtube. My family and friends have certain songs they like."
If you have anything to add feel free to do so. Was a Disc jockey here at a local station in 2016 for 6 months. Played for two hours a day as "Rocking Roger" I even had an hour on Wednesdays to do a Paranormal show, since, I've had experiences in such. I quit after they treated a couple of volunteers badly and had them leave because they were paranoid. I left with them. The station still want me back when I met the manager at a store. I played a few of my songs everyday. I also played in a band called Reverse Spin through the 80s. We lasted 8 years. We did a cassette called Turn of the dial. Sold many playing out and videos of gigs and for local TV in skiing areas. Also a Studio band Technopolis Sancuary CD. I got Radio play, Jukebox and sold on net and stores. My wife and I was surprised when we were over in a New York mall, wand then we heard one of my songs from the Technopolis CD. Usualy someone tells me they heard me somewhere. I still get calls about putting "Say you love me" on compilations now and then, I say go ahead. So many missed opportunities because of musicians who drag their feet! Played Colleges and motorcycles gangs parties. We played a mixture of cover songs and some of my stuff, interesting. Many other crazy stuff too long for here.
Thanks for asking! RFSII 2019