20 Questions with Steve Brown, 4/15/03

 

 

20 QUESTIONS WITH…

40 Ft. Ringo and Ex-Trixter Guitarist Steve Brown

 

This week we finally have Steve Brown, formerly of Trixter! We did 20 Questions in the past with singer Pete Loran and bass player P.J. Farley, and after being on the Pussy List for a few years, Steve came forward to do 20 Questions. They were also kind enough to buy a banner to promote their new CD on our page, so that shows us that they back Metal Sludge and know how to spend their money wisely! Enjoy!

1. What are you currently up to? This is your only chance to promote your CDs, websites, etc.

I?m Currently ?up to my ears? in setting up the worldwide release of the debut cd ?FUNNY THING?from my new band, 40FT. RINGO www.40ftringo.com

Hey kids, If you like CHEAP TRICK& BUTCH WALKER you?ll dig this cd….13 Hard pop smash rock hits. We are signed to ATENZIA records for all of Europe and with UNIVERSAL for Japan( cd comes out in Japan in June). Driving around Jersey + New York hand delivering boxes of cd?s to get 40FT.RINGO in the racks for the 40FT FREAKS here in the Tri- State area. Doing a ton of interviews all around the world. The response to the cd has been great. We are gearing up for our 1st ever European Tour….looks like early June.Possible festival shows in Sweden & Denmark with LINKIN PARK,RADIOHEAD + AUDIOSLAVE. Also, producing bands in my studio www.mojovegas.com

…….Life is rockin?…..HAVING A GOOD TIME!!!?

2. Why has it taken you so long to do 20 Questions with us?

Come on …..you guys nailed it when you put me on the ?pussy list?,… I had nothing to promote. Let me just say that I LOVE YOUR SITE ,been a sludge fan for years, I check everyday to see if you have any cool updates. As Diamond Dave would say, ?METAL SLUDGE IS A STELLAR PRODUCTION?.

3. Unlike a lot of guys who used to be in hairbands, you guys don?t seem to hide or run from your past. We could understand why you would want to, but you don?t. You admit you used to be in Trixter. Why?

TRIXTER was the band I started when I was 11 years old with guys I grew up with in good old Paramus, NJ. We fought the battles of the club scene together and became one of the biggest bands in the area. Next ,we got signed and went on to hit the big time. We achieved every goal and dream we ever had together…from selling a ton of records to playing Arenas with our idols. Pj + I are so proud of what we were given by our fans that to ?HIDE FROM OUR PAST? would be a joke and a lie. We did what 99.9% of Musicians never get to do. TRIXTER was a magic time and we enjoyed every moment of it….we lived the rock star life for a few years and it was the best. The cd?s still sell and VH-1 made us the 29th greatest hair band of all time….next , the rock and Roll Hall of Fame…he,he,he.

TRIXTER kicked ass…..The one, the only, the mighty!!!

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

L.A. GUNS

5. Rate the following guitarists on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 being somebody who plays with broken fingers and 10 being a virtuoso.

I have to add a little more than that because some of these Kats have better things going on besides Guitar playing……..

Eddie Van Halen = 100….he?s the reason that I do this…the King of the 6 string…Greatest of all time and a friend. Spoke to him last week. He?s doing great.

Ace Frehley = 5 for playing / 10 for some of those classic written out solos ?100,000years? rocks / 8 for some of the tunes he?s written ?RIP IT OUT? rules / 50 for being A CLASSIC ROCK N ROLL FUCK UP= drugs, booze,money problems + still ?BELIEVING HE CAN HAVE A TOP 10 SOLO RECORD…..you gotta love ACE.

Joey Allen = 6 for playing / 25 for partying…..great dude… had lots of drunken nights with him

C.C. DeVille = 3 for playing ?CAT GUITAR AT IT?S BEST? , 10 for writing ?TALK DIRTY TO ME?….50 for all the Krell he?s done….glad he?s still with us. Bret + C.C. treated us like kings on our 1st ever arena tour with them in ?91….for that 90 to Poison

Mick Mars = 6 for playing / 10 for the riffs / 80 for the Evil tones……just got the new Motley reissues…..what an awesome batch of tunes.

Bruce Kulick = 9 ….great player, great guy

Butch Walker = 8 for playing, 25 for his solo record…..50 for ?ROCK VOCAL POWER?

George Lynch = 10…awesome…..the solos on ?TOOTH + NAIL? + ?INTO THE FIRE? kill me.

Bill Leverty = 9 for playing / 10 for writing / 75 for being one of the nicest guys around

Steve Vai = 10….Pj + I were listening to ?EAT?EM AND SMILE? last night…….BIG TROUBLE & LADIES NIGHT IN BUFFALO….one word….amazing……I also love ?FLEXIBLE?.

I have to add my other favorite besides ED VH and that is WARREN DEMARTINI……he gets a 50 all around….the solo on ?YOU?RE IN LOVE? is a classic…?WAY COOL JR.? is rock guitar at it?s best. Last year Pj suprised me one night by calling me while he was on RATT?s bus hanging with Warren. He was awesome to talk with….sweet guy.

MVP?S= PHIL COLLEN (DEF LEPPARD) & RITCHIE SAMBORA( BON JOVI)good friends of mine who play great + are still relevant in todays music scene. Saw LEPPARD last week @ the Spectrum in Philly….9,000 people going nuts for the band. In this day + musical climate, it was a nice scene to see.

7. Peter Loran said in his 20 Questions, ?I think they all had a fucking ego problem…..everybody wanted to be the lead singer……….some sort of bigger dick ploy!!? Did you have some sort of bigger dick ploy going on? Why couldn?t Pete just be the singer?

Bigger Dick ploy???? That?s a great name for band. I have a medium size dick and I?m cool with that. What you have to understand is that after TRIXTER ended I started writing with a different style…..more CHEAP TRICK less BON JOVI. When I did the first couple of demos PJ + I both realized that I had the style of voice to fit the music + melodies.It was time to move on and reinvent ourselves. To have PETE be the singer would make it TRIXTER, no matter if we changed the name or not. As for?Ego? , it had nothing to do with that at all. It was what?s best for the music. Pete is a brother and always will be. Yes we?ve had our tough times but who doesn?t. We?ve been friends for over 20 years and I have nothing but love for that freak.

8. What was your biggest paycheck from something music related? Royalties, record deal advance, merchandise or some other?

personally= 200k for my publishing advance and a cool 1 million when TRIXTER renegotiatied with MCA for the ?HEAR? record.

9. Name the 3 highlights and the 3 lowlights of your music career so far.

highlights- 1- meeting and becoming friends with ED VAN HALEN

2- hitting it big with TRIXTER. 1990- 1993….everyday was like christmas.

3- getting a new record deal with 40FT. RINGO

lowlights 1- ending TRIXTER

2- lawsuits & bankruptcy

3- the loss of my rock n roll brother + dear friend, PAT FARLEY.

10. Give us a touring memory from the following cities:

Chicago = HAMER guitars, playing the WORLD in front of 40,000 people with WARRANT & FIREHOUSE

Detroit = watching KISS record ALIVE 3 on the REVENGE TOUR

Turlock, California = watching my guitar tech H.LOVE get a blow job onstage behind my amps while we were playing.

Atlanta = Cheeta club with GENE SIMMONS, UNDERCOVERS TOUR ?94 checking into a hotel downtown & finding a ?crack pipe? on the bed.

Tampa = ?LIVESTOCK FESTIVAL 1990? our 1st festival gig….KINGS X opened for us,which was a crime…they blew all the bands away that day.

Dallas = missing a chance to play ?DREAM POLICE? with RICK NIELSEN from CHEAP TRICK because I told him we were going on at 7:30 by accident, when we were really going on at 7…….that still bums me out.

Denver = sold out RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE with WARRANT & FIRHOUSE. For those who don?t know, RED ROCKS is a 10,000 seat venue built into the mountains and it is one of the coolest places to play.

Los Angeles = 2 nights SOLD OUT @ IRVINE MEADOWS AMPHITHEATRE on the SCORPIONS tour?91. It was at those gigs that we found out that our record went GOLD. I remember being in our dressing room telling JON BON JOVI about our achievement and how happy he was for us. He was the 1st person in the Music Biz to have an interestin us back in ?86, so to have him there made that moment really special.

New Orleans = we had a week there on the UNDERCOVERS TOUR….can you sayDRUNK FOR WEEK????? The Dungeon is a killer bar in French Quarter , got wrecked there with TURNER + DIXON.

Philadelphia = Playing the Spectrum for the 1st time. Philly crowds are amazing. We almost missed the gig because we were filming the ?SURRENDER? video in New York.We tore down the NJ Turnpike to arrive 10 minutes before our showtime. Needless to say?WE DIDN?T DRIVE 55?

11. Of all the bands Trixter played with, who gave you guys the least amount of respect?

GREAT WHITE

12. The last of Steve Brown:

Last CD you purchased = AC / DC ?BACK IN BLACK? the epic remaster

Last time you talked to Pete Loran = a few months back…he just had a son…he?s doing well.

Last movie you saw = does Porno count???? THE LION KING in IMAX with my daughter.

Last book you read = ?BLOW?

Last concert you saw = DEF LEPPARD…3 nights SOLD OUT,BEACON THEATER,NYC….KICK ASS

Last time you went to a Guitar Center = last week

Last national band you opened up for = ERIC MARTIN + ENUFF Z?NUFF sans Donnie Vie

Last time you listened to Trixter?s first album = a few months ago….it?s a classic.

Last time you threw up from drinking = Dec. 2001…too much Grey Goose w/ VINCE NEIL when 40FT. RINGO opened for him.

Last time you were interviewed by a giant banana = C.C. FUCKIN? BANANA……he rocks…last summer @ the POISON show.

13. If you got an offer to put Trixter back together and tour with Poison for a Summer, would you do it?

I don?t think so…..we all have other things going on. But ?NEVER SAY NEVER?

15. What do you remember about writing or recording the following songs:

Physical Attraction = wrote it in ?86, always a fun live song. We recorded the demo with our friend, GEORGE DRAKOULIAS, who went on to produce THE BLACK CROWES.

Bad Girl = wrote it in ?88 about all those Dirty little chicks that we all love. The show opener on many tours.

Give It To Me Good = took 10 minutes to write this one. I knew it was a hit as soon as I finished it.I remember playing Gus the demo with me singing it and he was flipping out because it was so good. It became a Top 50 hit.

Surrender = alot of work writing and rewriting it. Great ballad ,some cool lyrics. Another Top 50 Hit.

Line Of Fire = I remember recording this at the Village Recorder in L.A. Had a ton of amps cranked up…..so rock it hurts.Killer riffs and one of my favorites to play live.

Rockin Horse =I wanted TRIXTER to cop the feel of ?SHOOT TO THRILL? by AC/ DC.Ripping tune, lots of energy.

Road Of A Thousand Dreams = wrote it on the Warrant tour ? 91. We had a portable studio on the road. PJ , Liad and myself worked everyday doing demos for the ?HEAR?record.Deep lyrics, great song but it shouldn?t have been the 1st single off the ?HEAR? cd.

Anyway = 40FT. RINGO?s 1ST single. Another song that took 10 minutes to write. PJ + I knew it was a Hit from day one.

Origami Mommy = wrote this back in ?98. A song about child neglect because of substance abuse.

Big Fat Smile = This is the 1st song we ever recorded as 40FT. RINGO. Brian + Maz came in and we rocked out.This one goes over big in the live show.

16. You guys toured with Kiss. What is the best advice you ever got from Gene Simmons or the most hilarious thing he ever said to you?

Gene is a classic. He always treats me great.Best advive= Back In ?89 we met him at the MTV MUSIC AWARDS and he told Pete + I to ?watch where you stick it? and?always wear a rubber?. Great advice from a Guy who will fuck anything. The Most Hilarious thing he ever said was that we should have ERIC SINGER be in TRIXER and that he wants 10% for it.

17. Yes or no, has Steve Brown ever:

Played a game at Mark Scott?s amusement park = no

Wanted to play guitar for Warrant = no

Had a threesome = yes

Told PJ to grow his hair out so his ears don?t stick out so much = no. His ears were never that big 15 years ago. It?s from all the chicks he?s fucked over the years pulling on them when they come. PJ is a ROCK GOD.He?s like McDonalds…..?over a billion served?

Had dinner with Eddie Van Halen = yes. Quite a few times.Not only have I had dinner with him, but I played volleyball with him and Valerie at his killer Malibu beach pad.Got drunk and jammed with him in his hotel room.Been to 5150 and his house ….played all his guitars from the good old days. It goes on and on.Ed is the coolest. My Idol and My Bud.

Drove Trixter?s tour bus = no

Filed for bankruptcy = yes

Hi-Fived Sebastian Bach = who?s SEBASTIAN BACH?????? Isn?t he that Gay Broadway Star.

Met a cast member of The Sopranos = not yet. This year I might. My good friends Uncle ison the show. PJ lives 2 miles away from the BADA BING.

Wanted to move to Newark, New Jersey = no

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

Butch Walker = A great talent. Met him for the 1st time back in October. He treated PJ & myself like family. His band kats were also cool as hell .

Liad Cohen = started as my guitar tech. Became a dear friend and a big part of TRIXTER. The classic ?off stage keyboard player?….that?s one thing METAL SHOPis missing. Co-wrote ?WILD IS THE HEART? off the ?HEAR? cd.

Sum 41 = Pain for Pleasure….they rock…they have the right attitude and that is to?have a good time ,all of the time?.

Kid Rock = ?where?s the video tape of you fucking Pam’s ass???????????

Lit = great band in need of a hit……..hey guys ?let?s write some songs?.

Sebastian Bach = never heard of him. Wasn?t he a classical composer.

Nikki Sixx = Sixx kills. Great songwriter and his wife have great tits. Good Luckwith B.O.D.

David Lee Roth = THE GREATEST ROCK-N-ROLL FRONTMAN TO EVER WALK THE STAGE?.

SR-71 = good band. Missed the mark with 2nd record. Wrong direction for the 1st single.Sounds like the story of the 2nd TRIXTER album.

Jani Lane = In need of a personal trainer.

Gene Simmons = He?s trying to sell the POPE a case of KISS kondoms as I write this.

I just got word that 40FT. RINGO HAS been added to the “17TH ANNUAL KISS EXPO & HARD ROCK CONVENTION” on Sunday , May 4th, 5pm showtime@ THE SHERATON MEADOWLANDS HOTEL in NJ. for info http://www.starzcentral.com/kissexpo/index.html

For more info on 40 Ft. Ringo, you can visitwww.40FtRingo.com. If you wanna buy the CD, and of course you should, you can click the banner up above