Interview with RACHEL BOLAN from SKID ROW

Wow...what an excellent interview this turned out to be. We've wanted to do an interview with one of the SKID ROW guys for ages, but it just wasn't working out for us. Actually, I don't think we ever asked until now. Funny how that works. I think the fact that they're about to go on tour with POISON and VINCE NEIL, and their disc 'ThickSkin' is about to be released helped a little. Anyway, we set this up, got the questions fired off to Rachel, and got them back within four days....which is a fucking record for us.

Rachel was more than cool with every question he was asked, and he was even told that he could tell me to go fuck myself if he didn't want to answer of them. Honestly, I thought I might get him with one or two, but apparently I didn't shake his cage enough. Oh well, maybe we'll get another chance to talk with him and I can mess with him a little more.

FoundryMusicSteve: How goes the hunt for a record deal? If nothing substantial comes along, will you guys release an album yourselves?

Rachel Bolan: The initial plan was to release it ourselves but some labels started showing interest. Now we are seeing if we can work something out that is good for the band. We have everything in place to do it either way.

FMS: What was the hold-up with Thickskin? Why wait so long to release the new disc, and moreover...how much nudity will be on the accompanying DVD?

RB: Johnny joined the band in 2000. We went out with KISS 2 weeks later. We barely had time to rehearse let alone write a new record. We figured we would be home in 3 months and then we'll start writing new stuff. The tour ended up lasting 8 or 9 months. We wrote a couple songs on the road which was strange for us because we usually don't do that. So now we're looking at 2001. We had a few more songs and we wanted to see how our crowds like them, so we hit the road again. We wrote and recorded every chance we had. Then came the Rock Never Stops tour in 2002. At this point we had most of it done, but we were not satisfied with the end product. So we rerecorded most of it in NJ. And being none of us live there anymore, it takes a little more planning than usual to get together. Soooooooo, now we have a finished CD and it's just how we wanted it and it rocks! The proudest I have ever been. As far as nudity goes, I think there's a shot of Phil's ass in there somewhere. The DVD is cool. We had a friend follow us around with a camera for 2 years. You can imagine some of the stupid shit you'll see.

FMS: You've been touring with the new incarnation of Skid Row for a few years now. However, you haven't released a new disc with the current lineup. Do you think people are still showing up to see you guys expecting to see the original cast of characters? How are the crowds reacting to Johnny being up on stage with you guys?

RB: I think at first people didn't know any different. The Kiss tour was very sudden so there was no time for promoting the fact that we had a new singer. As time went on, it became known that Johnny was in the band. The crowds react great to Johnny. How could they not. The guy sings his balls off and there is nothing pretentious about him. He is what he is. A great singer and a great person. He had a lot on his shoulders and he was unshaken by it. That says a lot for his character.

FMS: Skid Row is about to hit the road with Poison and Vince Neil for a summer tour. When Poison first started going out on these treks, they were selling out shows all over the country. In recent years though, ticket sales to these shows haven't exactly been stellar. Are you worried that this tour might get cut short?

RB: If it does it does. Who gives a shit. SKID ROW will continue one way or the other. I think it's a great line up. We're planning some stuff for the show and so are Vince and Poison. It's going to be a lot of fun regardless.

FMS: Seen this picture yet? Click this - http://www.bretmichaels.com/photos/photos/p047.jpg Thoughts? Comments? Anything?

RB: Yeah, so. The guy hasn't aged in 15 years. That's a good thing last I heard.

FMS: Skid Row went from playing arenas and stadium shows in the late 80's and Early 90s to getting booked at clubs like The Stone Pony or Double D's, a strip club in Morristown, New Jersey. Honestly, what's the experience like? How does it feel to go from one extreme to another?

RB: First off, we will always play the Stone Pony. It's part of our life. I saw so many great bands there. And Double D's is a weird concept. Rock club with tittie bar attached. Pretty funny when you think about it. It really doesn't phase me. That may sound nialistic but it really doesn't. I came from a small town in NJ and played every fucking club on the shore before SKID ROW and then we did it again with SKID ROW. It's an endless cycle for a band like us. Playing live is the life blood of this band. Now more than ever.

FMS: You're racing cars now? From the picture we saw, the car you're racing looks to be the size of a go-kart. Tell us how you got into auto racing...Plug, plug, plug...

RB: I've been into racing since I was a kid. My brother Richie would take me to Wall Stadium for stock car races and to Raceway Park for the drags. I would occasionally ride in the back seat when he would drag race his buddies on a side road. So as time went on I would compete in some celeb races and charity stuff and found it to really exciting. Now I'm racing in the 600 Racing Legends Car Series which is awesome. The car is far bigger than a go-kart and way more powerful. It has a 1250cc engine and about 130hp. It only ways about 1000lbs. So do the math. If anyone is interested in Legends, Bandoleros, or Thunder Roadsters check out 600racing.com, rachelbolanmotorsports.com or skidrow.com

FMS: Given the state of the music business in 2003 (record company consolidation, internet piracy, rock acts being ignored by MTV and radio), if you were faced with having to start from scratch with a new band, would you do it?

RB: It's hard to say. I have to do something creatively in my live and it has always been music. So maybe I wouldn't get into the whole flyering of clubs to play for 10 people thing but I would have to do something musically.

FMS: Hypothetical situation: In one hand, you're offered a multi-million dollar deal to tour the world, and release a disc on a major label, which is going to get promoted on radio and MTV, but you've got to kick out John Solinger and do the tour/disc with Sebastian Bach. In the OTHER hand is $1000 and a rubber mallet aimed for your nuts. Are you going on tour, or pounding your testicles into a fine mist?

RB: That is truly hypothetical. First of all, Johnny Solinger is permanent. For anyone that thinks he isn't, it's time to wake the fuck up. Johnny and Phil are members of SKID ROW. Second, is a major label release and MTV supposed to sound appealing? As hard as this may be to believe, we are doing this for the right reasons now. To be creative, write and play MUSIC to people that appreciate it. We are musicians and entertainers. We have other skills, but want nothing else. To do what we are doing now with all the scrutinizing and skepticism that might come our way, we've got huge balls so a rubber mallet wouldn't stand a fucking chance.

FMS: Many musicians make mistakes when trying to attain success (ie; signing bad publishing deals, abusing alcohol or drugs, pissing away money)...if you had to list the major errors you made when you were coming up in this business, what would they be?

RB: When we started out I think we put way to much trust in the people that were handling our career. Essentionaly, they were handling our lives. But you live and learn. I didn't blow all my cash on bullshit. I don't do drugs so that was never a factor. I just don't relate to being a "rockstar." I'm a regular guy. I still have my old friends I'm close with my family and I dig NASCAR. I won't be pissing my money away on a private jet or Malibu beach house anytime soon. Now we take care of everything ourselves. This way if something goes wrong, we have no one else to blame. There is no one that knows what's better for a band than the band themselves. As much as some people want to make you believe that they know what's better, they don't.

FMS: You and Snake are primarily responsible for the songs on a Skid Row record. Decribe the songwriting process for "Thickskin" vs. the songwriting process for "Slave To The Grind".

RB: "Slave" was written mostly at home. We weren't touring. It was a lot easier for us that way."Thick" was a whole different animal. We were on tour. We were selling our houses and moving. We were on tour again. We'd write. We would record. We were on tour again. It was fuckin nuts. Imagine trying to learn how to drive in the middle of a demolition derby. The end result is all that matters to us. So the amount of time it takes really doesn't matter.

FMS: Skid Row now features only three original band members (one more than the current version of RATT) its lineup. Let's say, for argument's sake, that tomorrow, Scotti gets hit by a bus and a house falls on Snake, would the band still be called Skid Row?

RB: You forgot Johnny and Phil. See you don't get it either do you? The answer is, NO.

FMS: What kind of women are showing up at Skid Row gigs in 2003? Are there hotter women showing up in say, Cleveland, Ohio than there are in oh...say...Asbury Park, New Jersey? (no bullshitting, please... I've seen the banged-up crackwhore skanks that show up at some of these shows).

RB: Your questions were pretty good until this one. Sorry to disappoint you, but I really don't make a conscious effort of rating the women at our shows. If someone is there to see the band, I appreciate it.

FMS: What are your thoughts on the tragedy at The Station in Rhode Island? If you were playing a show at a small club that held no more than 300 people, would you blow off a giant sparkler on stage (Regardless of whether or not the powers-that-be approved it beforehand)?

RB: We don't use pyro in clubs. I thought it was an avoidable tragedy. That was the hardest part to comprehend for me. I lost a couple friends and a lot of acquaintances that night. I'm still affected by it. Thinking about it now saddens me. I've heard stories of people getting out, only to run back in to save others and losing their own life in the process. They are my heroes. That is bravery and selflessness beyond compare. That inspires me to appreciate everything that you have. Life is about being comfortable in your own skin. Make the best of it.

FMS: Are you envious of the success some of your peers (Bon Jovi) or former bandmates (Sebastian) have had in the past ten years?

RB: I envy no one. I don't keep tabs on others success. Life is what you make it. I'm living my life the way I want to live it. I know what it takes to be successful. And success is a sate of mind. I'm in a great band, with my best friends. I get to tour the world and perform. I race fast cars and made a lot of friends in the racing community. My family is great and no matter how "successful" I am they will always be there for me. So it's all good from where I'm standing.

FMS: Do you have any regrets (other than agreeing to this interview)?

RB: It would take a lot more than this interview to rattle my cage.

Like I said earlier. Excellent interview. I wish he had a little more fun with that picture of Brett Michaels, but he's going on tour with the guy, and it's probably not in his best interest to make fun of his hair. Understandable.

You can read up on SKID ROW at skidrow.com, and skidrow.net, and you can check out Rachel's racing website at RachelBolanMotorSports.com

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