13 QUESTIONS WITH RICHIE KOTZEN

Here's an interview I've wanted to do for a VERY long time. Chances are, if you were an aspiring young guitarist in the early 90's, and had a subscription to any guitar magazine, you know who RICHIE KOTZEN is, and you probably learned to play a number of his songs . Even if you haven't heard OF him, chances are, you've HEARD RICHIE KOTZEN's music at some point. He's a living, breathing example of how unfair the music business can be to some performers.

Check this out:

He was signed to Mike Varney's Shrapnel Records (at the time it was a haven for technically proficient, guitarist, shred-heads who could play a million notes per minute) when he was still a teenager, and released his debut instrumental disc at age 18 in 1989. He released two more CDs for Shrapnel before being recuited into POISON, where he helped them write Native Tongue, which I think contains some of the most mature, and well-written music that band has ever produced (thanks in great part to Richie's playing and writing). After a controversial and very messy split with Poison, Richie moved on to Geffen Records, and released the bluesy 'Mother Head's Family Reunion' disc...which didn't do much domestically.

He's become extremely popular overseas in the years since, releasing at least once CD every year, and is constantly involved with various projects, ranging from replacing Paul Gilbert in MR. BIG to a jazz/fusion project with Stanley Clarke, VERTU. He writes hooky, soulful, melodic, mass-appeal music, in line with what you'd hear from LENNY KRAVITZ or the GOO GOO DOLLS. Underneath his songwriting, he's still an amazing guitar player. He often will play every instrument on his albums, and the guy can sing his ass off.

He's sold hundreds of thousands of records internationally, but has not been able to crack into the U.S. mainstream. By all accounts, the guy has paid his dues...with interest. So why haven't YOU heard of him? Excellent question, kiddies. Let's find out, shall we? (and let's ask him some stupid shit while we're at it)

SteveC: Richie, you seem to release music (many releases overseas) at a machine-gun pace (13 solo releases alone, not counting the work you've done with other bands). Is this a reflection of your own work ethic, are the foreign labels THAT much more demanding on their artists, or is there THAT much demand from the people for new Richie Kotzen material?

Richie Kotzen: I THINK IT IS A COMBINATION OF THINGS. OBVIOUSLY IF THERE WASNT AN AUDIANCE FOR THE MUSIC THEN MAKING RECORDS WOULD BE POINTLESS. I HAVE BEEN MAKING RECORDS FOR A LONG TIME SO I GUESS THAT IS WHAY THERE ARE SO MANY. I STARTED VERY YOUNG. WHEN I MADE MY FIRST RECORD I WAS 18 AND THEY WERE STILL SELLING LPS. ('LP's, kiddies, are what some people refer to vinyl records as...and no, most bands don't make them anymore... and yes, I realize that you probably DIDN'T need to be told that, but I was being a nice fella. So there.)

SC: One project of yours that people may not be aware of is Vertu, a Jazz/Fusion group, in which you collaborated with bassist Stanley Clarke (and you were the only one singing on the disc...I could be wrong... I don't have it in front of me). Do you have any plans to regroup with Stanley in the future?

RK: I HAVE BEEN WRITING SOME INSTRUMENTAL JAZZ SONGS WITH THE INTENT OF RELEASING A CD NEXT YEAR. I HAVE ALREADY SPOKE TO LENNY WHITE AND HE WANTS TO PLAY ON IT. HOPEFULLY STANLEY WILL SAY YES AS WELL.

SteveC: On VH1's "Behind The Music" with POISON, Bret Michaels said some pretty unflattering things about you, and appeared very upset about your relationship with Rikki Rockett's girlfriend (or ex-girlfriend, depending on whose version of the story you believe), Deanna Eve, who you married, and have divorced. Since VH1 didn't seem to concerned with YOUR side of the story, is there anything you'd like to add/edit about the events that led to you being asked to leave Poison?... OR, better yet... Let's say you meet up with Bret face-to-face next week, what would you like to say to the guy?

RK: WE HAVE MET UP FACE TO FACE ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. HE IS A LITTLE GUY, VERY SMALL BUILD, MAYBE ABOUT 5'7, PROBABLY AROUND 140 LBS AND NON CONFRONTATIONAL SO WHEN HE SEES ME HE IS VERY FRIENDLY. I DONT KNOW WHY HE WAS SO PISSED ON TV... WE WERE ALL FUCKIN WITH EACH OTHERS WOMEN AND EVERYONE KNEW ABOUT IT... IM PRETTY SURE HE FUCKED WITH ONE OF MY BITCHES IN FLORIDA. I GUESS THEY NEEDED A GOOD STORY TO TELL. THE WHOLE PREMIS OF THAT BAND WHEN I WAS THERE WAS BANGING OUT CHICKS.... I GUESS MAYBE IT GOT A LITTLE OUT OF HAND TOWARDS THE END...SORRY...(Wow, that's as close as I've heard anyone come to calling Bret Michaels a puss without actually coming out and saying it. Way to go, Richie...)

SC: When you (and just about everyone else from the Shrapnel shredder era) were learning how to play guitar, you spent countless hours practicing scales, memorizing theory, technique, phrasing, etc... How do you feel about the fact that guitarists with one tenth of your chops (and one extra string) are making fortunes with music that you could play in your sleep?

RK: I KNOW THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO NEVER EVEN HELD THE INSTRUMENT THAT ARE MAKING MORE MONEY THAN THE GUYS WITH 1/10TH THE CHOPS.... IF I WANTED TO BE REALLY RICH I PROBABLY WOULDNT HAVE FUCKED WITH THE GUITAR AT ALL. I DONT THINK I MAKE THE KIND OF CHOICES THAT PUT MONEY IN FRONT OF MUSIC ALTHOUGH I HAVE NEVER BEEN MAD AT MONEY EITHER. (aah, the old "I'm not in this for the money, but I wouln't mind being rich" answer...a popular choice)

SC: When CC DeVille left POISON, there were two major contenders for the lead guitar gig, you and Blues Saraceno. Both of you were Shrapnel artists, and technically, playing at a much higher level than anyone in Poison. What is it (other than the cash, chicks, and huge crowds) that would draw an overqualified musician to join a power-chord, party rock band? ... Or is it simply the lure of cash, chicks and playing to huge crowds?

RK: FIRST OFF BLUES WAS NEVER ON SHRAPNEL. (Shit! Dammit! He's right! Blues was on Guitar's label, and had I gotten my dead ass out of my chair and looked at a Saraceno disc, I would have fucking known that.)AS FOR THE MOTIVATION TO JOIN POISON. I WAS A BIG FAN OF THEIRS... I LOVED THEIR IMAGE AND I THOUGHT THEIR SONGS WERE HIGH ENERGY AND EXCITING... WHEN I MET THE GUYS BEING FROM PENNSYLVANIA WE INSTANTLY HIT IT OFF... I WAS ABLE TO BE A BAND MEMBER NOT A HIRED HAND... WHEN I GOT THE CALL I COULDNT WAIT TO GO DOWN THERE... WE WROTE ALL THE SONGS TOGETHER AND THE WHOLE THING WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE.

SC: You and Lenny Kravitz are essentially writing the SAME kind of guitar-driven, soulful, mass-appeal, funky, bluesy, melodic songs (anyone who doesn't agree with that can just listen to the single "Don't Wanna Lie" off of your last disc, SLOW)...but he's gained himself substantially more noteriety in the U.S. than you have. Is there some kind of conspiracy going on, or is this just a black guy/white guy thing?

RK: I THINK IT IS A MAJOR CONSPIRACY... I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE I DONT KNOW ABOUT OUT TO GET ME AND HOLD ME DOWN. EVERYONE HAS THESE SORTS OF DEMONS IN DIFFERENT FORMS. SOME ARE OBVIOUS AND SOME LURK IN THE SHADOWS. I HAVE SEVERAL DEAMONS THAT I HAVE DISCOVERED... I FOUND THAT GIVING THEM NAMES HELPS TO IDENTIFY THEM AND CAN BRING YOU TO A SITUATION WERE YOU CAN ADDRESS THEM AND MAKE THEM WORK FOR YOU. DISCOVERY IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE BUT THE FIRST STEP TO SUCCESS. (It's a good thing I know he's being a wiseass, or else we would know that his inability to attain success stateside could be attributed to his schizophrenia and belief in "little demons"...wakka wakka)

SC: When you joined MR. BIG, how much time were you given to learn Paul Gilbert's guitar parts?

RK: I KNEW MOST OF THE SONGS GOING IN... I WAS FRIENDS WITH SOME OF THOSE GUYS AND WAS FAMILIAR WITH WHAT THEY DID.

SC: OK, now how many seconds did it take you to learn to play CC DeVille's material?

RK: I WAS NOT AS AWARE WHEN I JOINED POISON SO IT TOOK ME QUITE SOME TIME TO GET ALL THE OLD SONGS DOWN. ONCE I FELT CONFIDENT WITH THE MUSIC IT WAS NO PROBLEM. I WOULD LIKE TO TALK WITH THE GUYS ABOUT RERECORDING A LOT OF THOSE OLD SONGS WITH ME ON GUITAR SO THAT THE NATIVE TOUNGE CD WOULD NOT SEEM SO DIFFERENT FROM ALL THE OTHERS. (Hold on, wait a sec...stop the music... didn't he JUST say a few questions ago that he "THOUGHT THEIR SONGS WERE HIGH ENERGY AND EXCITING"?... Now he's saying he wasn not as aware? I don't know, man. I'm starting to smell poo...might not be bullshit. Could just be Gorilla shit...speaking of which, someone really needs to clean that fucker's cage)

SC: The whole MR. BIG saga ended on what one might call a sour note (Billy Sheehan went so far as to quit in the midst of a tour). There's also a Mr. Big tribute disc, Influences & Connections, being released by Universal Japan on which you are featured on four tracks, Billy Sheehan is on five tracks, Pat Torpey is on almost EVERY track, but Eric Martin is not featured on a single song. One might conclude that Mr. Martin (or his ego) had a lot to do with the demise of this band. What say you to this, sir?

RK: I DONT KNOW REALLY WHAT WENT ON THERE. THERES A BAND WHO DOES NOT DO DRUGS... DOES NOT BANG OUT CHICKS ON THE ROAD... DOES NOTHING CONTRIVERSIAL AT ALL YET SOMEHOW THEY JUST CANT GET ALONG. IT IS QUITE STRANGE TO ME. I WAS ONLY THERE FOR 2 YEARS AND THEY HAVE A 12 YEAR HISTORY SO PERHAPS THERE IS SOME DEEP DARK SECRET THAT HAS BEEN EATING AWAY AT THE SITUATION THAT I SIMPLY DONT KNOW ABOUT.

SC: Richie, you've been in the music business (a notoriously shady business sometimes) since you were a teenager, and you've met a ton of people through your career, some shadier than others. If there was one agent/manager/celebrity/rock star (male/female, past or present) who you could toss off the Golden Gate Bridge with cinderblocks tied to his/her ankles, who would it be and why?

RK: I FIND THIS QUESTION VERY DANGEROUS AND I WOULD RATHER NOT ADDRESS IT...I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND. (Rats. I thought he might be able to come up with at least one dickhead who deserves to have crabs eating his eyeballs. Then again, he DOES deal with Japanese record labels on a frequent basis, and those guys might have the Yakuza on standby if they think someone's talking shit. Oh well, continue interview...)

SC: Your catalog has been released stateside, but it's barely promoted...and it's not like you write shitty songs (anyone reading this must go now and buy a disc What Is if you need further proof)... If you had to guess, why won't record companies spend any promotional bucks on you?

RK: MAYBE THEY DONT KNOW ABOUT ME...I HAVENT MADE MUCH EFFORT TO FUCK WITH MAJOR LABELS SINCE I LEFT GEFFEN. THE BUSINESS CHANGES SO FAST AND SO DOES THE PERSONNEL... I GUESS I AM SATISFIED IN A WAY BOTH MUSICALY AND FINANCALLY SO MAYBE I JUST DONT GIVE A FUCK. (Yeah, but who couldn't use a few million extra, right? *nudge nudge*...Right? Listen up all you rock-star-wannabes; here's a guy who's released THIRTEEN solo albums...not counting the other bands/projects he's been involved with...and HE's had enough of the major labels.)

SC: In the U.S, a band/artist can sell hundreds of thousands of CDs on a major label, and risk being dropped. In Japan however, if you move that many units, they're building temples in your honor (figuratively speaking). How badly do sales have to dwindle overseas before they send the Yakuza after you... or before they tell you to get your shit together?

RK: ITS ALL RELATIVE. THERE ARE 2 MARKETS THERE... DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL... OBVIOUSLY I WOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED DOMESTIC.A DOMESTIC ARTIST CAN SELL MILLIONS AND THATS SUCCESS. AN INTERNATIONAL CAN SELL 100,000 AND THATS A BIG SUCCESS... SOMETIMES THERE ARE CROSS OVERS LIKE MARIAH CAREY WHO SELL MILLIONS BUT THAT IS HARD TO DO FOR A ROCK ACT.

SC: Hypothetical situation: You lose a swordfight with a notorious Japanese gangster (Hey, it could happen), and in his fury, he relieves you of your hands, ears, AND your tongue, thereby preventing you from playing guitar, hearing, or singing...ever again. How is Richie Kotzen going to pay the bills?

RK: AT THAT POINT FUCK BILLS. (Ineed. "Fuck Bills", because you'd be a welfare-collecting, armless fugger if that ever happened. Goddamn. Honesty...we likes that)

Now that was fun, wasn't it? Let's see, show of hands here people...after reading this interview, who has the urge to go chase down a major-label recording contract? C'mon, get those hands up... What? No one? Not one hand? Well, I see young Kenneth in the back is once again giving me the finger, but not ONE of you wants to get in bed with a major label? Wow. Shocking.

Now, which one of you kids wants to go take spelling lessons after reading that (actually, I shouldn't bust his balls too hard on that one. He only fucked up a few times...mainly on the words "AUDIENCE" and "CONTOVERSIAL"...)

CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL RICHIE KOTZEN WEBSITE AT RICHIEKOTZEN.COM

CHECK The OFFICIAL MR. BIG website for more information on Influences & Connections, the Mr. Big tribute disc, which Richie is featured on.

TO CHECK OUT (almost) EVERY RELEASE RICHIE HAS EVER BEEN FEATURED ON, CLICK HERE.