Motorhead350
08-27-2010, 12:12 PM
The reason I am posting this is because so many of you ask what's going on with me. Through PM and sometimes calling. So I decided it would be easiest to just post up.
A few years ago I was asked to record on the new Misfits album and just the other week it finally happened. I was invited to go down to Durango, CO to record with them and meet a producer named Ed Statium. He has recorded with Joan Jett, Reverend Horton Hear, Motorhead, Ramones and now the Misfits. His first hit was Midnight Train To Georgia.
So I get there to find out the producer is very anal and admits it. That was fine though because the band was there to work, not to mess around. Before I knew it a few days went by and Ed is taking out ever 45 that would interest me. He said I was one of the very few people that would appreciate his collection being that I collect too. He had quite a few goodies including the Fender Strat that played many guitar solos on Ramones albums. The guitar was almost on every track on Road To Ruin.
He also had a bunch of Phil Spector stories. Turns out Phil and him got along just fine and wasn't the psycho he's made out to be. Ed also had a pin that said Back To Mono that was given to him by Phil. The first time Ed met Phil, Phil was trying to figure out God Bless America and ended up falling off a chair and peeing on himself when the night was over, quite a first impression.
When the days were over me and Dez (the Misfits guitar player and former singer from Black Flag) would be up until 2am listening to music and jamming on acoustic guitars. He showed me how to play Stranded In The Jungle by The Jayhawks and Charva by Frank Zappa. One night I choose to listen to Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreaks and we listened to a concert from beginning to end. He was telling me how much fun it was seeing him live in 1979 or 1980. Wish I was there for that. Dez would put on something and say "This is a good song." I would ask "What makes it good Dez?" He's the only one that's ever been able to answer that question... "It touched my heart." Wow, ok, that's saying a lot.
On a sunday we went on a train ride from Durango to Silverton and the train was from 1925. It went though the mountains and at times was up 300 feet. :eek: It was a gas and took about three hours each way.
When it came time for me to record I was asked to do backing vocals to a song Dez wrote that songs more like a Black Flag song. It would have been perfect for the Misfits album Earth A.D. Also I did some handclaps on another song sang by Jerry Only. When we would listen I actually wrote the melody for the backing vocals on the song I did the handclaps for. I doubt I will be credited and didn't really want that melody. It would have been good for a Beach Boys song, but I didn't think it fit The Misfits, but they used it anyway. It was quite an honor singing along side a former Black Flag front man and with the producer Ed. It took me two attempts to get in key for the song, but when I got it I never lost it. Ed said it sounded great, so I guess my vocals aren't as bad as I thought. ;)
Jerry Only was the one who invited me out there and I couldn't believe how nice he was. He asked me to come out to meet the Producer and promote my band, it wasn't for his advantage at all. Every night we had a good meal too that we cooked. Sometimes pasta, sometimes a porterhouse steak... he didn't mess around. I got to play his bass too, while not on the recording. I also found out Jerry, Doyle and possibly Danzig all had K5 Blazers at the same time, pretty cool in my book!
When we had downtime around Ed I found 10 Sun Records all original. It was a pain that he wouldn't sell, but then again for what they are worth, I couldn't buy. What was really cool was Ed showed me something he had been working on for two years... the next Joey Ramone album. He played me a track that had Joan Jett on guitar, Ritchie Ramone on drums (I forgot who was on bass) and Joey on vocals. It sounded great. I was in awe and Ed could tell I really appreciated what he showed me. :eek: The other guys didn't really care, but I did and Ed could tell. It was really nice to get a preview.
We kept going back and forth on Rock N' Roll trivia and he couldn't believe all I knew. He actually asked "How do you know all of this?" "I have no life and hate society." He just laughed and I did too, to my surprise we laugh the same way, kinda creepy. Ed later turned over about six books on Rock N' Roll trivia and I read about three of them from front to back.
There are a few things that went on that I cannot discuss on-line. The aren't related to Street Racing either, when I see some of you I'll tell you about a time I feared for my life on the way back. Ed did mention the only session he quit was with Motorhead. Apparently Lemmy was snorting crystal meth during the session and got out of control. He's 70 and hasn't changed a bit, still kicking it.
I'll be posting pics soon and will post more as it comes back to me. What a wild week and a half.
A few years ago I was asked to record on the new Misfits album and just the other week it finally happened. I was invited to go down to Durango, CO to record with them and meet a producer named Ed Statium. He has recorded with Joan Jett, Reverend Horton Hear, Motorhead, Ramones and now the Misfits. His first hit was Midnight Train To Georgia.
So I get there to find out the producer is very anal and admits it. That was fine though because the band was there to work, not to mess around. Before I knew it a few days went by and Ed is taking out ever 45 that would interest me. He said I was one of the very few people that would appreciate his collection being that I collect too. He had quite a few goodies including the Fender Strat that played many guitar solos on Ramones albums. The guitar was almost on every track on Road To Ruin.
He also had a bunch of Phil Spector stories. Turns out Phil and him got along just fine and wasn't the psycho he's made out to be. Ed also had a pin that said Back To Mono that was given to him by Phil. The first time Ed met Phil, Phil was trying to figure out God Bless America and ended up falling off a chair and peeing on himself when the night was over, quite a first impression.
When the days were over me and Dez (the Misfits guitar player and former singer from Black Flag) would be up until 2am listening to music and jamming on acoustic guitars. He showed me how to play Stranded In The Jungle by The Jayhawks and Charva by Frank Zappa. One night I choose to listen to Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreaks and we listened to a concert from beginning to end. He was telling me how much fun it was seeing him live in 1979 or 1980. Wish I was there for that. Dez would put on something and say "This is a good song." I would ask "What makes it good Dez?" He's the only one that's ever been able to answer that question... "It touched my heart." Wow, ok, that's saying a lot.
On a sunday we went on a train ride from Durango to Silverton and the train was from 1925. It went though the mountains and at times was up 300 feet. :eek: It was a gas and took about three hours each way.
When it came time for me to record I was asked to do backing vocals to a song Dez wrote that songs more like a Black Flag song. It would have been perfect for the Misfits album Earth A.D. Also I did some handclaps on another song sang by Jerry Only. When we would listen I actually wrote the melody for the backing vocals on the song I did the handclaps for. I doubt I will be credited and didn't really want that melody. It would have been good for a Beach Boys song, but I didn't think it fit The Misfits, but they used it anyway. It was quite an honor singing along side a former Black Flag front man and with the producer Ed. It took me two attempts to get in key for the song, but when I got it I never lost it. Ed said it sounded great, so I guess my vocals aren't as bad as I thought. ;)
Jerry Only was the one who invited me out there and I couldn't believe how nice he was. He asked me to come out to meet the Producer and promote my band, it wasn't for his advantage at all. Every night we had a good meal too that we cooked. Sometimes pasta, sometimes a porterhouse steak... he didn't mess around. I got to play his bass too, while not on the recording. I also found out Jerry, Doyle and possibly Danzig all had K5 Blazers at the same time, pretty cool in my book!
When we had downtime around Ed I found 10 Sun Records all original. It was a pain that he wouldn't sell, but then again for what they are worth, I couldn't buy. What was really cool was Ed showed me something he had been working on for two years... the next Joey Ramone album. He played me a track that had Joan Jett on guitar, Ritchie Ramone on drums (I forgot who was on bass) and Joey on vocals. It sounded great. I was in awe and Ed could tell I really appreciated what he showed me. :eek: The other guys didn't really care, but I did and Ed could tell. It was really nice to get a preview.
We kept going back and forth on Rock N' Roll trivia and he couldn't believe all I knew. He actually asked "How do you know all of this?" "I have no life and hate society." He just laughed and I did too, to my surprise we laugh the same way, kinda creepy. Ed later turned over about six books on Rock N' Roll trivia and I read about three of them from front to back.
There are a few things that went on that I cannot discuss on-line. The aren't related to Street Racing either, when I see some of you I'll tell you about a time I feared for my life on the way back. Ed did mention the only session he quit was with Motorhead. Apparently Lemmy was snorting crystal meth during the session and got out of control. He's 70 and hasn't changed a bit, still kicking it.
I'll be posting pics soon and will post more as it comes back to me. What a wild week and a half.