Rewind With Joey Allen, 12/26/02

  

REWIND WITH…

Ex-Warrant Guitarist Joey Allen

 

We last talked to Joey way back on July 6, 1999. It’s now 3 1/2 years later and Joey recently emailed us requesting a Rewind, so here it is! Joey’s always been pretty open and honest about all things Warrant and this is no exception. Enjoy!

1. What are you up to?

I work as a Database Admin for a manufacturing company. I started jamming again and have hooked up with a few very talented guys. We are having fun kicking around some songs and drinking some cold ones.

2. Before we go any further, has anybody mistaken you lately for Art from Everclear?

Nope, not yet. I need a bit more hair and a few hit songs to be mistaken for him. I do have a close friend in Portland that wants to kick his ass! Go get ‘em Chuck!

3. Tell us your 5 best and 5 worst memories of Warrant.

Best:

1. Getting to perform in concert in front of people that enjoyed the music and show for 7+ years.

2. Hanging with my Bro’s Erik, Jerry and Steven…and sometimes Lane. Also hanging with my friends Davie, Phay, Valjean, Danny, Frenchie, Roger, Terry and others that were in the various road crews that supported Warrant tours. The glue to all bands on the road that never get enough acknowledgment!

3. Going double platinum…twice!

4. Working with Michael Wagener.

5. Walking away from it at the right time.

Worst:

1. Dog Eat Dog failing to sell well.

2. MIA singers on tour(s), radio shows, meetings, etc…

3. Letting down fans because of canceled shows.

4. Being naive enough to let a former manager talk me into signing a personal note for $1,000,000…live and learn!

5. Laughlin, NV. Better known for the moment I felt I was a member of Spinal Tap! Girlfriends/wives (not mine) in an argument with a promoter…other band members letting it happen…I left the band two gigs later.

4. What are your thoughts on the current status of Warrant, such as missing shows due to “traffic,” Jani having a Mohawk, etc.

I don’t feel comfortable commenting on something if I wasn’t there. I can tell you about my experience with the missing of shows or canceling of tours. For starters I don’t know what is so hard about touring! Compared to getting up at 5a.m. five days a week, working 50+ hours touring is a vacation. May I suggest that some sobriety may help certain individuals? When you miss shows not only do you screw your fans, you screw promoters…once you screw the good ones you only have the shitty ones left to screw…enough said there! It really doesn’t take a genius to figure out what a completely asinine business decision that is. I guess whom ever said “if I could fuck myself, I would” wrote that little ditty about situations like missing shows, canceling tours and issues of the like! It is the ultimate self-fuck! I feel bad for anyone that as a result of association has to put up with that kind of business! Oh yea?the Mohawk??? I almost forgot?nice, very nice! Is the nose ring chain next?

5. Rate the following guitarists on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 being somebody who sucks and 10 being a virtuoso.

C.C. DeVille =6. Great pop song writer and fun as hell to watch play live and hang with!

Billy Morris = 6. He had good chops the last time I heard him play…eight or so years ago.

Keri Kelli = 6. I only heard him play once in Ratt. I heard he was a shredder though.

Mick Mars = 6. Great live tone. I got to play through his rig on the Feelgood tour during sound check once. Mick is cool.

Steve Vai = 9. Nice guy, too many toys plugged into his rig the last time I saw him.

Warren DeMartini = 10. I saw Warren this year and he ripped my head off! An amazingly talented shredder…up there with Edward in my book!

George Lynch = 8. Great chops, toured with him when he was in Lynch Mob. Trippy dude but he can wield!

Rick Steier =7. I never really listened to Rick from a lead stand point. It was always Danny Stagg tearing it up. Rick can hold his own. He’s a super nice guy.

Tracii Guns = 7. I haven’t heard Traci in over 10 years but I hear he shreds.

Erik Turner = 6. Turner is a solid rhythm player and a good friend.

6. If the money was right, would you consider doing a reunion with Warrant?

Fun + Money + Sobriety = Reunion. Don’t hold your breath though and never say never…confused yet?

7. With all the hairbands out there touring last Summer, do you ever sit back and wish you were still a part of it, or are you over it?

From what I read on your site and what I’ve heard from friends that went to shows, NO, I didn’t miss anything last summer or since I have left the business. I don’t want to be part of what it represents now. No offense to those that do, it is just not my cup of tea! I’m pretty over it? I’d say 95% or so, from time to time I dream-weave about the old days. That was some fun shit!

8. Hypothetical question. Let’s say Jackyl gets the AC/DC tour and they want you to play guitar. What do you do?

Stay home and have my girlfriend Jackyl me off!

9. 2nd Hypothetical question. Let’s say Warrant does a tour with Jackyl as support. Do you still do it?

Stay home and have my girlfriend Jackyl me off?a second time! And why did the Skids open for them on the ‘Rock’s never Sober’ tour? What jackass agent was responsible for that mess? I don’t care for Jackyl, can you tell? Although the chainsaw is classic Spinal Tap shit!

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

Phoenix = Tesla, Rick Savage and massive cold ones! Oh, and the ‘fucked her face-off’ girl on the Motley tour!

Hartford = Sneaking out of the tour bus in disguise to get by a severely less desirable female that I was with in Boston the night before in a drunken haze and hanging with my friend Charlie Walk from Columbia.

Philadelphia = Turner getting hit with eggs on stage while opening on the Motley tour. It sucked but watching him get pissed off about it was fucking hilarious?Hey ET?scrambled or over easy? Ha, ha, ha?

Atlanta = A tattoo by my friend John Rainey, a bottle of Jack, Dan Marino, John Elway and Cheetah’s?hike!

Tampa = Dog Eat Dog, Michael Wagener thrashing his rental car, Morrissound studios, Jennifer B., the Rockit club, Gilligan and the Hole in my (condo) Wall!

Dallas =35,000 people at the West End, waking up the next day reading the front page of the Dallas Morning News and Jani was being accused of inciting a riot. Dimebag singing backup on Down Boys every time we were in town.

Detroit = The Ritz, Harpos, The Landing Strip, the wicked witch of the west theme song, a bike ?hilarious! Great city! Mikee H.

Chicago = The World Amphitheater, cold as shit on Dec. 23 one year?awesome party town! Spaghetti with Vinnie V., my friend Jerald. Gene Simmons and Peter Criss being very cool to me during the Kiss reunion tour in ’96. A certain Sony Music executive threatening to stop supporting DRFSR because we weren’t playing a certain song live that was a released single.

Las Vegas =Bungee jumping with Dixon while we were faced. Pete D. and too much gack! Cool shows, Paulie Shore and the late, great Savannah! My friend Jenn.

Baltimore = HammerJack’s and Kix?ever wonder where Bret M. got all his moves and persona???…check out Stevie from Kix?he was the real deal! Bad ass singer/front man!

11. What is your take on frontmen being replaced like Jizzy Pearl singing for RATT or Johnny Solinger in Skid Row? Do you think that Jani could be replaced in Warrant?

For starters I don’t think that Lane could be replaced because all of the (successful) tunes where written by him and when he is sober and doesn’t talk too much on stage he’s a good front man and a decent singer.

Before I comment on Ratt I would like to say that Robbin Crosby was a very fine human being, he is missed! As for singers in Ratt… I toured with Ratt when Steven was in the band, I like Steven and I liked Steven in Ratt. Sometimes if business partners don’t get along what are you supposed to do? It is either walk away or continue on if you can. I understand what Bobby and Warren did. I have seen today’s Ratt and they sound great…a really powerful band…Jizzy does a fine job, as does Robbie and Corabi!

The Skids are a great live band. I saw them on this last tour. Scotti, Snake and Rachel are great live. As for Bas I think that the Skids are just fine without him, Johnny does a great job live! I have seen them twice and I was not disappointed. I wish them all of the success and luck in the world!

12. Warrant had 3 major label releases selling roughly 7 million copies. Do you think it’s right that Jani goes onstage nightly and bitches about how weak and sappy the songs are? Or should he just shut up, play it and have a good time?

We sold ‘roughly’ 7 million copies, damn Jethro??? Somebody owes me some greenbacks, SONY??? **Note to self…Audit someone!

Those are his songs he can do what he wants. Does it make good business sense to me?…I don’t think so!

13. Please match the numbers to the letters! Who’s who?

1. Jani Lane	A. Is a mediocre guitar player!
2. Erik Turner	B. Is close to selling Amway!
3. Jerry Dixon	C. Jani’s bitch!
4. Billy Morris	D. Is bitter, lost & a deadbeat dad!

You guys/gals are brutal. I can’t slam Erik, Jerry or even Billy. I would love to mess with Lane just for fun but I’m through with being bitter about the whole mess. I wish Jerry, Erik, Billy and even Lane the best of luck in the world!

14. Of all the 80s rock stars, who’s the first poser that comes to mind?

One certain bandana-wig-wearing singer that wasn’t in Warrant?oops?did you say ‘complete talentless asshole’ or ‘poser’???well it really doesn’t mater now does it, one goes in hand with the other for this wonder boy! Figure that one out on your own.

15. The last of Joey Allen:

Last time you talked to Steven Sweet = Via voice mail last week.

Last concert you saw = The Scorpions and they kicked ass!

Last rock star you went golfing with = Dixon, although it has been a while. I golf like shit now that I have a day job. Dixon’s has a 10 handicap now?bastard!

Last time you played live = October 31st, 2002.

Last CD you purchased = Queens of the Stone Age?kicks ass!

Last time you listened to “Cherry Pie” =Last gig with Warrant April, 1994.

Last autograph you signed for a Warrant fan = Last week for a cousin’s friend. I charged him $10?ha, ha, ha!

Last time you did blow = I got blown last night…oh…oops…I quit (for good) 2/3 years ago. I still drink coldies…got any?

Last time you had a threesome = Last week at Mile Square Park Golf Course, the forth pulled a ‘no show’.

Last song you wrote = This last week, it is titled “Bitter and Phat”.

16. What was the real reason behind Steven Sweet’s departure from Warrant?

I could go off but that is not the reason why I’m emailing you this shit. I know the truth, so does Steven, Erik, Jerry and Jani. It is not something I would do or would have done to a friend. Maybe in hindsight there are some regrets from people?who knows. I can tell you that it is water under the bridge for Steven, which is all that matters to me. He’s doing great. We hung at the river this year for a weekend and had a blast with my boat, our women, some beer and shit load of other people.

17. Yes or no, has Joey Allen ever:

Purchased a Doug Marks’ instructional guitar video =No, not yet. Hey, does he still have all that hair?

Sold a guitar on Ebay = No. But I did sell about 20 to the Hard Rock Corp.!

Drove drunk = That’s a stupid fucking question, who hasn’t at one time or another? My favorite color is green, I like sushi and Law and Order…come on already!

Bought a Latte Grande Mocha from Erik’s Juice Shop =No, but I did buy a juice when he was in business.

Had Jani Lane cook you a meal = Yes, a long time ago. He’s a good cook. Maybe he’s indulging in his own cooking too much lately huh?

Used Rogaine = No, never. I tried some other shampoo in 1994 for a few weeks but bailed on it. I am who I am bro/bro-ette! I’m currently sporting the military look.

Sold soap = Not that I remember.

Been in rehab = No, but I was a candidate for one about ten years ago?at least my liver was.

Gone bankrupt =Yes, heavily?once. Thankfully those times are completely behind me. In fact if anyone is reading this was affected by that, was a friend and you didn’t receive my apology “Sorry about that”?and for the one(s) that caused it “Suck my C*CK”! It was completely out of my control.

Thought Rikki Rockett kept great time = If I remember correctly the last instance I asked him for time he answered 3, but that was a long time ago maybe he can count to 4 now?!?!? I actually saw Poison about three years ago and he seemed to be playing pretty good, I had enough of Bret and left after three songs. Rikki must have worked really hard to get his chops up like he has. Kudos RR!

18. Have you heard about the possible lawsuit involving Warrants management and their booking agent? And if so, what is your take on this scandalous matter?

I haven’t heard anything you haven’t on this?bummer for all involved. Happy I’m not involved! Surround yourself with shit and shit happens!

19. You don’t really expect The Joey Allen Project to get a record deal, do you?

Are you discussing my website stuff? Of course not. In fact I’m not even releasing it on CD. I was going to but I decided to work on some new stuff with the new guys. You can download a few tracks on my site (Thanks Big Al) and get a taste of all of them but I’m not shopping for a deal with that material, absolutely not. I put that out there for people that were interested. When the new band is ready I’ll let you freaks know!

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

Bobby Blozter = Good drummer, hits ‘em hard. Decent guy, although I heard he needs to get his story straight on the golf course!

Jani Lane = Super talented songwriter lost in a bottle(s)!!! Someone needs to throw him a life preserver!

Paul Garagno = Don’t know him. Does he install garage doors?

Nikki Sixx = Nice guy, was good to me on tour, great metal song writer, good dad from what I remember! What’s up Nikki?

Shelly Bergren = Friend, smart girl, hard worker…funny boyfriend!

Vince Neil = You mean Elvince? He was always nice to me. Sorry to hear he’s a mess.

Billy Morris = Ohio boy turned big time…Best of luck Billy boy!

Beau Hill = Richard Head.

Phil Collen = Friend, cool tofu BBQ’s!

Bill Gazzarri = Thanks Bill, R.I.P..

Obi Steinman = Dolphins fan.

Thanks for letting me ramble on.

Peace,

Joey

 

 

Thanks for the quality Rewind, Joey! For more information, you can go to his website at www.joey-allen.com