Category: ROCK MEMORIES
Firewind in the land down under
The Firewind tour here “down under” in Australia, finished two days ago in Melbourne, and I have to say that the guys, without a doubt, left a lasting impression on the Aussies. The shows in Sydney and Melbourne had the largest venues and crowds, but even the smaller gigs in Brisbane and Adelaide were memorable because the crowds were very enthusiastic. Great audiences everywhere – a very good rating considering that this is Firewind’s first visit here.
There are so many things to write about and I still haven’t quite landed in normailty – there’s been stuff going on 24-7 ever since I got here, would get anyone’s head spinning, not to mention a jetlagged Swede..!
It wasn’t that bad though – I just went on my Blue Mountains/koala tour straight away when I arrived in Sydney, and kept myself busy ever since. The real jetlag hit me after about 3 days when I just felt sick and not even my caffeine chewing gum helped much. It was the same with the guys in the band – they were all hit by that jetlag at different times.
There’s photos, videos, memories, stuff to tell enough to last for a WEEK, but I’ll just have to get back with all that and just share a few of my favorite pics this time. I’ll have like 16 hours on my way from Melbourne to Dubai to write more about this Australian trip, so – it’s all coming!
Met Mr Big by posing as a groupie…!
One of my long-time friends gave me a letter that I had written to her back in 1992 after I had met my guitar hero (right up there with Yngwie!) PAUL GILBERT for the very first time.
She figured it could be cool for me to have it now, all these years later, and maybe use it as material for my blog.
If she hadn’t given me this letter, I wouldn’t have remembered that I even got a kiss from Paul GIlbert (a very innocent one, but hey – still)!
FROM A TYPED LONG LETTER (over 20 pages!) after meeting MR BIG
at Circus, Stockholm, Sweden…..
April 29, 1992 (bits and pieces, that letter was crazy long! Slight changes also so that it makes better sense. :))
I couldn’t sleep, I had only ONE thing in mind: I HAD to meet Paul Gilbert. When I called my friend Lena she had suddenly changed her mind and didn’t even want to go! She said she had already seen and met Mr Big. She had tons to do, had no money and a whole bunch of bad excuses. I told her to cut the crap, get off her ass and tag along! She did. :-)
When we got to Circus (the venue) a limo with tinted windows pulled up just as we arrived, it was the band.
There were lots of fans there and the security guys exaggerated their attempts to keep people away from the car. So when Eric Martin stepped out, he grabbed one of those red roadsides and started yelling into it, making fun of the security guys: “Alright alright people! Move it, move it!”
The guards didn’t find it amusing, but he was just laughing at them, with that boyish smile of his.
[Jumping to the part where we are hanging out after the show, trying to figure out how to meet the band…]
We met Helen from WEA and a girl I knew, asked her to leave a message for Billy Sheehan. She had met him in the States and he had told her that she should look him up anytime & anywhere and he’d get her in on the guest list. So – she asked Helen to just give him the message.
Helen looked reluctant, saying something like “yeah, maybe“…. But probably not. She would be back “in a minute“. When she came back, she said she would catch BIlly AFTER the show. Yeah – right.
Oh and by the way, I found out that Paul goes to the same hairdresser as Vixen. Not that it has anything to do with anything, but, just a bit of trivia.
ANYHOO…… After the show, it was the same old shit as usual, security kicking everybody out, clearing the premises. I was convinced that I would have to accept that I would NOT be meeting Paul GIlbert this time. Yet I didn’t want to leave.
We told the security people that we were waiting for Helen from WEA, so they let us stay. Helen finally came out, shrugged her shoulders and just left. Not that I expected anything different anyway, but it was worth a try.
Lena was tired and wanted to go home. I didn’t, so I just went over to the groupie-section and joined all those chicks. I might as well sit there and wait.
Then a MIRACLE happens…!
A guy from EMA Telstar (concert promotor) walks up to the bunch, barely looks at anyone because he’s got his nose in his papers, and goes: “Would you follow me please!” and waved for us to follow him. We just walked STRAIGHT IN – without passes!
Apparently they didn’t expect anyone to be sitting there without a pass, so they didn’t even check!
I was super excited and whispered to Lena: “Can you believe that we are on our way to meet Paul?!” She just yawned and said she wanted to go home. Very inspiring indeed.
We were shown to this corridor and given free beer. A lot less groupies than usual by the way. Not like Skid Row’s backstage area. Mr Big only had maybe 10 groupies and they weren’t as slutty as Skid Row’s.
Pat came down and greeted everybody with a smile: “Good evening, ladies!” One of the girls yelled: “Nice ass!” – and he strutted his stuff all the way to the dressing room haha!
Up next, was Billy, who looked dead tired after the show. He stopped, looked at everyone and went: “I’m feeling better already!”
He walked on. “If you follow me, ladies….” and suddenly he had ten chicks following him like a tail. He yelled through the dressing room door: “ARE YOU DECENT??” and got a loud “YES!” from Pat, we all walked in. There was only Pat in there – and lots of food and drinks.
Eric walked in, mr Hyper! He was singing, joking, just attracting attention. I don’t know why, but I started talking with him and I asked if he wasn’t worried that people would start thinking of Mr Big as a ballad-band, because they released two ballads in a row as singles?
– Don’t you want us to be successful? This is obviously what people want to hear. We released “Daddy, brother…” and “Green Tinted Sixties Mind” as singles, so we’re not a ballad band!
He kept going on and on about it, I never meant it THAT seriously, it was just a thought.
While he was talking away, I saw Paul’s shoes walking in our direction, and next thing I know, he’s standing right next to me. Lena gave me a look and a wink, as if to say “THERE he is!” Geeezuz.
Suddenly Eric yells:
– ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME? with a “what the fuck“-smile.
Lena quickly leaned over to Eric and explained: “GOD just entered the room…!”
Eric looked at me – looked at Paul and yeah, he got it! He gave me a wink and a smile and left.
I was shaking like a leaf as I was trying to get my Racer X-CD’s and the “Guitars That Rule The World”-CDout of the plastic bag .
I walked up to him, he greeted me cheerfully and started talking. A lot! I had had this idea that he was a shy type of guy, but… far from it!
He hadn’t even SEEN the “Guitars That Rule The World“-cover before! So he was very curious. He had only heard Zakk Wylde’s song on that album and said he liked it.
Then he saw that godawful pic of him and Billy and just laughed out loud. People were turning their heads just to see what was going on. He held the pic up in the air yelling: BILLY!! HAVE YOU SEEN THIS??! JESUS CHRIST!!!
He wanted to know if I REALLY wanted that horrible picture signed, and yeah I did – so he signed it, but giggled for minutes after that. He gave me a pick as well.
I told him that I loved his little tune, and he said thanks, and explained that it was mostly meant as a joke, to make fun of that whole guitar-hero myth. I asked if he would ever consider playing it live, and he replied that it would be almost impossible because the song consisted of 5 different solos mixed with acoustic guitar,
I laughed and said: “Hey, people call you a genoius – you should be able to rearrange it and play it live!”
He laughed, said it was a fun idea, he would definitely consider it and see what he could come up with. So – if he ever DOES play it live, I will know where he got the idea from. ;)
Lena started talking to Paul, so I went over to Billy Sheehan instead. What a super-nice guy. He shows a genuine interest in every single person he talks to. He was very down to earth and easy to talk to. I asked him if it was possible to get a pass for Copenhagen as well and he said it could absolutely be arranged.
He was so impressed that I was going to see them twice… If he only knew how many times I’ve seen Skid Row…!
Went back to Paul after a while, cause none of the chicks gave a shit about him, so he was alone. Perfect – for me.
I asked a little about his education, considering he became a guitar hero already at the age of 16. He said that he finished high-school and after that he’s been educating himself to the best of his ability.
Then he got up with a smile on his face and went to get his bag.
– I’ll show you what I’m reading right now!
I thought it would be something silly, cause he had that look on his face, but it turned out to be a book about PHYSICS!
– I NEVER thought that you’d be reading a book like this! I said with eyes as big as plates.
– Well… I haven’t finished it yet, but…
His attitude was that, just because you’re a musician, it doesn’t mean that you have to be STUPID.
I asked him what kind of music he was listening to. Once again, he walked over to his bag, grabbed another bag and handed it over to me.
– You can see for yourself. I think I’ve got everything in there.
There was some “J.O Bach” (not J.S Bach!), Dee-Lite, AC/DC, Motown soul… All kinds of stuff. He wasn’t kidding when he said that he had “everything”…!
I asked him about his opinion of female musicians.
– Bonnie Raitt is one of my favorites. And Lisa, from Wendy & Lisa, Have you heard her?
I nodded and he was just about to ask me if I had heard this song…but I had to stop him there cause I didn’t own her record, unfortunately.
He loved Lita Ford (yey!!) and his favorite Lita-song was “Gotta Let Go“. And he liked Diana Ross as well.
Kept asking him stuff like there was no tomorrow! I wondered howcome he stopped writing for Guitar Player, and he just said he didn’t have time and that he had run out of ideas. He looked surprised, probably didn’t expect someone like me to be reading Guitar Player.
The band had to leave, so he got up and was about to give me a hug, when I jokingly said that if he hugged me, I would probably drop down dead. So he kissed me instead!
Uhhh – YES, I definitely hit the ground right after that. Lena went: “Miracles DO happen, huh?”
Jesus, yes – you could say that.
[there was a part two of this letter too – a LONG part two, but I will spare you.
Billy remembered the passes for the Copenhagen show the next day, bless him. :)
And yes, I met Paul there too. Awesome guy! I’m still a big fan of his – he rules!]
A collector’s confession (oops, eBay is dangerous…!)
One of the reasons why I love music – apart from the purely emotional aspect (music is what feelings sound like) is that there’s ALWAYS something to EXPLORE!
I’m curious by nature, I absolutely LOVE digging for facts, information, gaining more knowledge about something that truly interests me. I can lose myself in books or webpages for hours, sometimes days cause I want more!
I used to go to the library several times a week when I was a teenager (the days before Google and internet…) and spend hours in their music department. It was heaven!
There were all these books about ALL types of music styles, artists… Biographies, encyclopedias… And you could listen to records. Back then, there was a couch in a corner of the music department, with 4 pairs of headphones. You would go there with your pile of LP’s and listen through each and every one, just to get an idea what it was.
Music wasn’t available (for free) any other way before the Internet, so it felt like such a privilege to be able to explore.
I borrowed TONS of LP’s and cassettes back in those days – all kinds of styles, just out of curiosity. It could be anything from the brothers Strauss and their Austrian waltzes and operettes to one-hit-pop-wonders to country, blues, heavy metal…
Discovering something new that I liked was a true kick. Especially when I didn’t expect it.
It’s not quite as fun nowadays, because it’s not so much a sport anymore. Pretty much ANYTHING is available – easily and quickly. You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes and I kind of LIKED the challenge.
It’s also funny HOW you end up listening to some bands. The turns things can take and where it can lead you. That whole FIREWIND-thing for instance.
Went to see HALFORD when they were opening for OZZY at Madison Square Garden. I was jetlagged and tired and just wanted to get some sleep. The plan was to skip Ozzy after a few songs, had already seen him many times so I figured I wouldn’t be missing out on a whole lot.
UNTIL I noticed the “new kid on the block”, the new guitarist GUS G, who was absolutely fantastic! I forgot about being tired and stayed throughout the whole show.
Then I ended up checking for more info – who’s the dude? Firewind? What’s that? Gotta check it out. Found myself on the next flight to London and Relentless Garage to see that Firewind-band. Absolutely LOVED the energy they produced on stage – and yeah the rest is history.
I didn’t go digging as eagerly into FIrewind’s back catalog, as I did trying to find interesting stuff that Gus had played on in the past. So I got most of THAT, just for the sake of having it. The music was not quite my thing to be honest, but in order to appreciate an artist for who he is today, you need to know a bit about his past as well. It just gives you a different perspective of the journey that they’ve made.
When Firewind parted ways with former singer Apollo Papathanasio, I was bummed at first because I love Apollo’s voice. It’s the next best thing to Tony Martin who is my #1 all time favorite singer ever. Nobody comes close to Tony Martin in my book, but Apollo comes pretty darn close.
I was looking for video interviews of Apollo on YouTube before I did my own interview, just to have something to compare with, but instead I ended up seeing his name on what felt like a million different projects!
THAT got me curious! First I bought MAJESTIC, simply because I know a few other guys who played in that band.
Then I got FAITH TABOO – another band Apollo sang with in the 90’s and I loved the sound and the versatility of that album. His vocals were great even back then, but it also shows how much he’s prospered over the years.
Next thing I know, I’m typing “ebay.com” in my browser, searching for all those Apollo-fronted old bands and projects…. The CD’s were CHEAP for the most part, guess it’s cause it’s not as “cool” to buy CD’s, as it is to just DOWNLOAD shit. But I want the REAL DEAL. I want the booklet, the lyrics, the credits, the thank-you’s, the pix, just the whole thing!
And I had synchronized my eBay account with my PayPal, which means that it was easier and faster than EVER to buy shit on there! Dammit. Bad idea. ;)
I kept clicking away just for the fun of it – “oh look! There’s one! I’ll get THAT… Ah! Another one! I’ll get that as WELL…! Cool, check it out, don’t have THAT….”
An hour later…errrm… Well – take a wild guess. And now that I started, I have to finish it.
Always been collecting records – I love it, nothing like having an artist’s complete back catalog…!
When I started collecting TONY MARTIN stuff, I found his solo-album that HE didn’t even have HIMSELF (long story), and old demos, bootlegs and stuff… I couldn’t just quit half way through, either I had to have ALL his shit or NONE of it. And since he was – and still is – my favorite singer, of course I had to get ALL of it.
[When I started my Tony Martin-collection waaay back in ’95 or ’96]
Apollo has this amazing voice, I just love it. To me a good rock’n’roll voice is not about belting out high notes. I always hear people using M Matijevic of STEELHEART as an example of “good singers”. Sure, the guy can sound like his …uh… boomstick is stuck in his zipper or something, but I get pretty tired listening to that range after more than one song.
I do, however, love the deeper, masculine voices with an edge and a dramatic vibrato (NOT the “Dickinson wannabe”-vibrato or the German power-metal singer parody type of vibrato).
So I’m like a kid in a CANDY STORE right now! Here I’ve been following Firewind all over the globe the past few years just because I enjoyed their live shows – yet I never bothered to start digging deeper into the musical history of anyone except Gus G’s.
Getting all these old Apollo-projects on CD now is going to absolutely rock! I even found that very first vinyl single he recorded with CRAZE like a hundred years ago, yesterday!
In a way, it’s a good thing that the guys went separate ways, cause now they can try their wings doing different things. Gus G is working on his solo-project which I’m DYING to hear… And Apollo trying something different with stoner band Spiritual Beggars and the one-off Craze-reunion and whatever else he’s got up his sleeve.
Everything happens for a reason in life – as well as in the music business. Firewind will start a new exciting page in their history, there is a different dynamic in the band now with what Kelly is bringing to the table. I’m convinced that it’s for the better. :)
Well, regardless what band or artist rocks your boat – isn’t it just awesome to be able to lose yourself in MORE of whatever it is you like about what they do?! It’s what keeps the rock’n’roll spirit alive!
Metal God birthday!
it’s Rob “Metal God” Halford’s (Judas Priest) birthday today – so here’s a loud shout out from Sweden: HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROB!!
It’s not a secret that Judas Priest is my number one favorite band of all time. They got the ball rolling, they’ve been a source of power since I was 13 years old. The story has been told many times in this blog before, so I’ll spare you. :-)
It’s just amazing how music can be so important and become such a religion. I remember going to one of their gigs with a 42 degree Celsius fever, the best reason in the world to stay in BED, and totally forgot about it once they started playing!
There is no Aspirin in the world that has that power!
I’ve been pushed, pulled, beaten, scratched, stepped on and squished in the front row, but I always figured that if I was gonna die, I couldn’t think of a better place than at a Priest-concert. :-)
When you really love your music, it becomes your source of inspiration like nothing else. I would judge guys on whether or not they liked the band, even “cast” band members that way – that’s still a joke when we remember that episode every now and then.
I was totally drunk (I was in my early 20’s, I was allowed to, haha!) and had almost passed out on a couch outside the ladies room at this rock club. The other guitarist in the band poked me and went: “Daniela! Here’s Lukas, who’s interested in joining the band”. I looked up at the guy, said: “Do you like Judas Priest?” He said “Yes” and I replied: “Good! You’re in the band!”
Slightly different from how normal bands choose their members, lol! ;)
Anyway – my “heavy metal phase” that my dad used to call it when I was a teenager, is still alive and kicking, and I owe it all to the Metal Gods – Judas Priest.
So once again a big, huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROB!! And thank you for the music. :)
The day that changed everything
Found my old (handwritten) diary from 1988…
And read the entry I wrote the day I was recruited to write about heavy metal for one of the biggest newspapers in Sweden. I was just a teenager, this thing was so HUGE to me!
The day that changed everything
DECEMBER 14, 1988
This is unreal. Everything is like a dream, and I’m waiting to wake up from it. For years I’ve been dreaming about this, and now that it’s happening, I just don’t get it. I’m shocked, to say the least. And all I did was WRITE LETTERS!
Now… my own column/page every Friday, my own mailbox, free records, free concerts and interviews that I’m getting paid to do. Yes, I’m getting paid for something that I would happily have done anyway, it’s insane!
There must be a catch somewhere. I mean, here I am, a nobody from out of nowhere, ending up at one of Sweden’s main newspapers where it’s basically IMPOSSIBLE to get in… and I get my own… I can’t believe it, it can’t be real.
I wonder how long it’s gonna take until I fully comprehend this, before I understand how much this actually means.
When they called, I thought that I might go with them and interview Europe, as that is closest on the concert schedule. Only THAT would have been incredible, I never even thought beyond that! And NOW…!
I went there today on my lunch break, dead nervous and aware that it was a question of life and death. If I screw this up, I might as well go and jump into the canal. But Magnus, whatshis name, at work, read my stuff and said “I think you’re a good writer!”
The next step was a byline-photo. The editor called someone on the fast line: “Get a photographer over here NOW, I need one right away. We have a nice young lady here who’s gonna be writing about hard rock for us.”
Holy shit, photo too…
I got 500 kr for the article. And I will get my own letterbox in the newsroom. They will be paying my phone bills from now on. And I’m having dinner with them on Monday.
I was dazed, just said thanks and left to go get a burger, fries and a Coke. The old bitchy woman was being rude as usual, but I didn’t bitch back because I was in a good mood. I called my mom from the phone booth to tell her the news. And then I told everybody at work.
On my way home, on the bus, I was blasting Yngwie really loud on my freestyle. Two metal dudes were sitting right behind me, and I thought to myself “Just you wait, soon you’ll recognize me”…
[This is what we called a “freestyle” back in those days!]
When I got home, I told them everything, and Renata (my sister) made a funny card for me.
Everybody in my German class was really happy for me.
Well… I need to get some sleep and clear my head…”
[The drawing my little sister made for me when she heard about the news :)]
If they only knew, at Kvällsposten, how their decision to take a chance and hire a teenage girl who was fresh out of senior high school, would change her whole life!
I was 18 when all this went down, was one of those kids who lived for rock’n’roll, loved it beyond anything – and I got THIS opportunity….
And here I am today, 25 years later, still loving this life as much as I ever did. The only difference is that now I know what I’m doing. :-) Back then I had to make a lot of mistakes before I learned how this business works.
Now, I’m a part of it, and have been my whole adult life.
I’m just so grateful for that. I love my life, I always have. Some people have a mission, a calling in life, and this is what I always wanted to do and what I was blessed enough to get the opportunity to do. Many people have the dream but are not as lucky. I’m more than thankful, that’s for sure.
It’s been a long journey, and it’s far from over yet. :-)
It just felt kind of touching for me personally, to see where it all began and how I felt about it the very day that it happened. And to see who has been supporting me all these years, and the new people that are joining me along the way. It’s humbling and flattering and I can only say thank you for reading! :)
[One of the early articles, when Painkiller came out, and I got to talk to KK Downing… I remember he called one day and I wasn’t home, so he had to speak with my mother – and she left a message on the kitchen table with his number in Spain, saying “Call Kay Kay Dawning at this number”. Lol!]
IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR 