20 QUESTIONS WITH…

Wildside’s Singer Drew Hannah

 

A few weeks ago we received the following email from somebody,“I talked with Drew from Wildside…he is working on releasing a Wildside DVD and CD of unreleased tracks. Are you guys interested in doing a 20 questions or something with him??” Considering we’ve never talked to anybody in Wildside, we were up for it. It’s another one to cross off our list!Wildside was a Sunset Strip band that got a huge record deal on Capitol and released their debut CD “Under The Influence” in the Spring of 1992. They toured around for a bit, blah blah blah, and now we’re doing 20 Questions with their singer, Drew Hannah. Enjoy!

1. What are you currently up to? This is the only chance to promote whatever it is you wanna promote.

Well I just got married! After 5 years I shut down my Porn Studio (due to problems with neighboring businesses.) I haven’t done too much music lately – too busy with Porn. I have a company called OneStopDigital, which consists of 3 digital, edit bays. We offer camera and lighting rentals as well. I’m currently Directing, Producing, and Editing videos for several companies such as Vivid, Wicked, Sin City, etc? I recently spoke with Steve Blaze about possibly doing something with his new music. We’ll see. That’s what I’m doing as of today.

2. How did you end up getting involved in porn, when did that start? What exactly do you do?

It seemed like a natural progression. You known the Porn Star meets Rock Star thing? Only, my story’s different. After starting an adult web-site with Marc Simon, and local rocker, Jeff Wilde, (Singer of Hollywood local band “Jade”) we realized we needed content. We started shooting our own Porn for the Web Site. We realized that the adult industry had no real facility to shoot this stuff (besides some shitty motel room) so we opened a studio offering Set design, Editing and equipment rental. It also gave us a place to shoot our own stuff. After about 3 months into it, my partner Jeff and I realized that having Marc Simon as a business partner was a joke. Maybe if I poured a trail of cocaine from his house to the studio, he’d follow it and show up, maybe. Anyway Marc never showed up for work and I haven’t spoken to him since. ( about 5 years now). The rest is just boring crap.

3. What was the exact story of the reason you guys had to change your name from Young Guns to Wildside? Didn’t have something to do with the movie Young Gunns or some shit like that, and couldn’t you guys think of anything better than naming the band after a Motley Crue song?

You got the story kinda right. Morgan Creek Productions wanted to sue us for using “Young Gunns”. We took the advise of Capitol Execs and changed it. It was something we didn’t care about that much. (coming up with a name, that is) We were recording the record and I remember Barry Levine (our manger) telling us that we needed to work on the name thing. I remember it being like this burden we didn’t want to deal with. After we spent years with “Young Gunns” coming up with a name we were all into was hard. Brent came up with WILDSIDE. And I think we all just said “whatever, cool, lets use it”.

4. What hard rock/heavy metal band should give it up and call it a day?

Most of em’?just kidding! Umm, “Slaughter”

5. Rate the following singers on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 being somebody who totally blows and 10 being a singing God.

Stephen Pearcy = 8 (style is everything)

David Lee Roth = 8 (style is everything)

Don Dokken = 5 (too many “fire, desire” lyrics)

Vince Neil =8 skinny Vince, 4 fat Vince

Jani Lane = 6 (not into Crooning)

Bret Michaels = 7 ( too sexy for his head band)

Jizzy Pearl = 8 (great energy)

Axl Rose = 9 (if only he would shut up and sing)

Stevie Rachelle = 7 (Stevie Michaels?)

Phil Lewis = Who? – 3 (sucks)

6. Rumor has it that part of “Under The Influence” was recording at Eddie Van Halen’s 5150, but it was never credited in the CD. Why is that and how did you guys end up at 5150?

Yes we recorded at 5150. We did all the guitar work, bass work and some vocal tracks there. Andy Johns had just finished “Carnal Knowledge” up there and felt comfortable recording there, that way he could hang out with Ed and see who could out drink who. That’s another chapter I won’t get into. We agreed not to advertise or tell anyone about recording there, on Ed’s request. Capitol paid him cash and I guess he didn’t want to declare it. So keeping it a secret was part of the deal. It was cool at first but after a while (3months later) nothing was getting done except to send the runner for some more coke and beer. Valerie threw us out.

7. Give us a touring memory about the following cities:

Chicago =One of our 1st headline shows sold out at the Vic Theater.

Dallas = Benny OD’d and I thought he was dead.

Detroit = “Harpo’s” I remember throwing a cup of beer at the backstage security guys face causing a small riot between club security. It was a pile up with Roxy Blue, us, and the security.

Boston = Cold

Philadelphia = Dirty and Cold

Denver =The Mile High Club?.too many girls!

St. Louis = Flooded

Milwaukee =Summerfest 92, 93

Atlanta = Weird and Humid

New York =Opening for Faster Pussycat at the Limelight to a sold out crowd and being threatened by club owners to get out of Brooklyn before they kill us.

8. After touring for “Under The Influence” a few band members left, it seemed the band kinda fell apart. What happened to lead up to that?

As I remember it, Brent had other ideas for music. He was heavily influenced by “White Zombie, Filter, NIN, music like that. He wrote most of the music as I wrote the melodies and lyrics. We just didn’t click like we had in the past. Benny was going thru all kinds of addictions. Drugs, gambling, etc? It lead to other stuff as well. He and I agreed that we should part ways until he got it together. He never did!

9. Recently the porn business shut down for a few months in LA due to the HIV scare. Did that affect your business at all and what are your thoughts about that?

The Adult Entertainment Business got a wake up call that was long over due. Too many risks and too many irresponsible people working in it. One guy goes down to Brazil, contracts HIV. He brings it back to the states (not knowing) and Fucks on camera just like he does everyday not realizing what he’s spreading around. Finally it’s time for his required monthly STD test and the results are positive. Like a domino effect several others are turning up positive to HIV. It slowed the work down for sure. But as of today it’s back to business as usual.

10. The last of Drew Hannah:

Last CD you purchased = Wildside’s Under The Influence (Japanese Release) Pretty vain ..huh?

Last time you got a Wildside royalty check = I get one every few months for random radio and TV airplay

Last movie you saw =Dodgeball

Last book you read = Adult Video News

Last porn that was shot in your studio = The Masseuse – Starring Jenna Jameson

Last concert you saw = OzzFest

Last member of Wildside you talked to = Bruce Draper (unofficial member)

Last song you heard on the radio that you dug = Can’t remember the name of it but it buy the band Kill Hanna

Last 80s hairband CD you listened to = RATT – The best of CD

Last porn star you met = All of em’

Last time Wildside played a gig = A long time ago. – it would be fun to do a small tour again.

11. Wildside’s 2nd CD was darker and more grunge influenced. Is it safe to say you guys were just riding the band wagon at that time?

Maybe, but I think the dark side of it came from depression. I was going through a lot of self-pity. I wrote most of the lyrics while living in Australia the summer of 94. I was real unhappy with what had happened to us.

12. What rock star deserves a smack in the mouth and why?

Courtney Love – Grow Up

13. What do you remember about Wildside touring with Roxy Blue and Babylon A.D and who had the bigger egos?

I remember Babylon AD being the biggest ego-maniacs but if you ask them they would probably say it was us.

14. Paul Stanley got writing credit on the Wildside song “Clock Strikes.” How did you guys end up working with him and how was it working with him?

We were introduced to Paul and Gene at the very beginning of our relationship with manager Barry Levine. He was at one time a very well known Photographer who took pictures and created images for a lot of rock bands in the early to mid 70’s. Kiss, Motley Crue, etc? After meeting Kiss, soon we were hangin out with Paul and all the women that Paul had around him. Brent and Paul talked about writing a song together and not long after that “Clock Strikes” was born.

15. Yes or no, has Drew Hannah ever:

Had sex with a hooker named Lucy =No

Worked as a pirate =That would be BENNY

Met Traci Lords = No

Filed for bankruptcy =No

Hung out at Wilcox & Yucca =Yes

Did blow with C.C. DeVille = Yep

Been to the Playboy Mansion = Yes

Pissed on a chick = Uh?.yeah

Done the splits off the drum riser = Probably

Taken advantage of a young porn chick right off the bus = NEVER

16. Name 3 bands who got signed off the Sunset Strip that had no business getting a record deal and 3 that should have gotten a record deal?

Kick Tracy, Engines of Aggression, and 100 others. I can’t really remember who was worthy of a record deal 12 years ago.

17 . Wildside used a lot of samples when you guys played live. Is that because you guys couldn’t pull it off live?

We used samples for the backing vocals and you gotta admit it sounded HUGE. There were many times when we did it all, live. But live was not as HUGE and we were into a HUGE sound. Big Deal.

18. In what business are you more likely to get screwed in, the porn business or the music business?

Tricky question! I don’t want to sound bitter but I think you get Fucked in the Porn Biz and Screwed in the Music Biz.

19. Considering that Wildside’s “Under The Influence” barely sold 50,000 units, is releasing a rare CD of unreleased tracks as well as a DVD necessary?

I’m not releasing a Rare CD of unreleased Wildside tracks. My wife tracks Ebay and found a consistent market for Wildside stuff so perhaps a DVD would be necessary.

20. Time for Metal Sludge’s Word Association. We mention a name and you give us your thoughts.

Jani Lane = Bug eyed and bald

Brent Woods = great rock guitar player

Andy Johns = A drunk brit

Robbie Crane = too cool for school

Benny Rhynedance = Catch him at Treasure Island – Vegas (2 shows a night)

Paul Stanley = Still Going

Barry Levine = Lies all Lies

Neil Zlozower = “let get high and take some pictures boys”

Jenna Jameson = cool chick – smart businessperson

Axl Rose =put up or shut up

 

Ok, that was cool. Porn is good. We don’t have the address to Drew’s website so if you’re looking for somewhere to go you’re shit outta luck