Metal Sludge – Get ready for the grand return of D’Molls, once among the Sunset Strip’s most influential Glam bands before signing with Atlantic, putting out a great album, touring internationally but ultimately burning out too fast.
Much too fast, if you listen to founding singer Desi Rexx, who plans to recapture some old glory July 29 with a comeback concert at the Whisky.
Originally from Chicago, Rexx has a new supporting cast – nightlife legend Billy Dior is no longer the drummer – but the same ol’ confidence.
He believes in himself 100 percent, and that’s part of his tough Midwestern roots combined with attracting about a million girls when D’Molls made it to Hollywood.
In this extensive interview, Rexx leaves no stone unturned, collects no prisoners, and leaves nothing to the imagination.
All the names are here, all the facts, flattering or not.
And off we go.
Also, check out his amazing catalog of photos at VintageMusicImages
METAL SLUDGE: Let’s start with D’Molls’ black and white album cover. Pretty trippy.
DESI REXX: It was created by a Japanese artist named Shigeo Fukuda whose work lies somewhere between Esher and Dali. All of his op-illusion work shines, but his leg piece was blinding and fit our original super-hero drag-queens image perfectly.
METAL SLUDGE: The D’Molls lived like kings in the height of the post-Poison boom in Hollywood. Your thoughts?
DESI REXX: First, let’s fix your faux pas: There’s no ‘The’ in the band’s name. D’pizza’s on d’table. D’Beatles, D’Stones, D’Kinks… So, it’s always D’MOLLS and never The D’Molls. Now onward and forward…
EDITOR’S NOTE: Dear Desi, your Facebook page is addressed as “therealdmolls”, shouldn’t it be “realdmolls” with no need for the word the? You also forgot to use all CAPS in D’Molls.
We were absolutely d’undisputed Kings of d’Sunset Strip from d’moment we hit D’Mollywood. Our first show in town, at Gazzarri’s, was a sold-out event. In the audience were a couple of guys from the Crue, a couple from Poison, Phil Lewis & Tracii Guns, and Sam Kinison standing first row, dead center, whose jaw dropped to d’floor when we d’moll-ished Wild Thing as our set closer, with maybe a dozen beautiful gals from d’audience dancing around on stage, flanked by two knock-out babes we had dancing in go-go booths in fishnets, stiletto heels, top hats, & tux-tails set up stages far left & right in our portable go-go booths complete w/ black curtains, interior back-lighting, and mini-blinds to give the peep-show effect. A brunette and a young blonde named Bekka Bramlett.
We finished our first dozen or so shows by smashing our guitars, while Billy walked through his drum set to join d’front line for a full band front stage bow.
Hence, encores were out of the question.
A couple of months later, Sam released his vid of “Wild Thing”/ that was strikingly similar.
SIDEBAR: A few years ago, the day after playing Rocklahoma, I walked into a Waffle House to get breakfast before getting back on the road. Tracii & Jizzy Pearl were sitting at a table in the back of the joint. Tracii called out my name. I walked over to say hi. He said that he had a long-overdue confession to make. He said that one of the tunes of the 2nd L.A. Guns record was a direct lift from a D’MOLLS tune called D’Stroll. He said he was sorry. I asked him if it had done well. He said yes. I told him that I was happy for him.
Then he said, “You wouldn’t remember this, but Phil & I were at your first Hollywood show at Gazzarri’s…”
I pointed to where they were standing and his eyes bugged out.
“How do you remember that?”
I told him I’d never had any alcohol or drugs in my life and have a good memory.
He continued, “Phil and I were just putting L.A. Guns together at the time. While you were playing, I leaned over to Phil and said, ‘This is exactly what I want to model our band after.’ So I owe you a debt of gratitude.”
I told him he was very welcome. Then Jizzy said, “I’ve got a confession to make, too. I’d just gotten into Hollywood when I went to see D’MOLLS play at The Whisky. I heard 3 songs, punched a window out, walked out the door, and decided that I needed to go back home (Chicago), and start from scratch.”
I genuinely thanked them both for their kind words, made a little small talk, and went to my table for breakfast.
We’re all just trying to make a lasting impression.
METAL SLUDGE: Billy Dior, your drummer, had quite the reputation with the ladies. Tell us a Billy story.
DESI REXX: My dear friend, and one-time bishop (Dave Beer) once gave me his definition of gossip: “Sharing information about anyone who is neither part of the cause, nor the solution”.
METAL SLUDGE: I thought D’Molls was great, but your Wiki bio makes the band sound a bit dysfunctional. What happened?
- D’MOLLS are great.
- What’s a Wiki bio?
METAL SLUDGE: Did you read Dior’s book? And did he tell you how big a check he got for settling with Poison?
DESI REXX: I didn’t. He didn’t.
METAL SLUDGE: Do you remember when you played for Concrete Jungle in like 87 or 88 at The Troubadour but cut the set after one song? Always wanted to ask you about that.
DESI REXX: Occasionally, one can express one’s complete opinion quickly.
METAL SLUDGE: Give us a thought or two about some figures from your past:
Lizzy Valentine: A truly gifted riff-meister. We turned out tons of timeless tunes together. Whew! That’s a lot of T’s, isn’t it?
I met a young bass player at Mario’s in Brentwood around the time SS Scotty and I were trying out the earliest incarnation of what would become D’MOLLS. We exchanged numbers.
A couple of years later, he called me up and asked if I’d like to sing in his band. I politely declined and asked if he’d like to play bass in mine. He accepted.
After hearing about St. Valentine, he thought that Lizzie was a great first name and, since I’d changed my handle from Valentine to Rexx, asked if I minded him using it. I’d had great luck as Desi Valentine and expected even greater things as Desi Rexx. I told him I thought the name Lizzy Valentine couldn’t miss.
We spent the next six months writing tunes and rehearsing as a 3-piece band w/ a drummer named Jim Bashaw p.k.a. Billy Bash. He ended up playing for a band called Daisy Chain. Super-nice kid, and a real solid player, but not a Moll.
At one of our earliest rehearsals, I suggested that we try Elvis’ Jailhouse Rock. I like the way I sing that one and thought it would be fun to work up. Everybody knows the main guitar riff: A half-step slide followed by two snare hits.
Lizzy mistakenly played it w/ a shuffle feel, making one of my all-time favorite boo-boos. That ‘wrong riff’ became Rally Baby, a great song that’s still in our live set because it still works. All good tunes are good at the time they’re released but can fall from favor.
Cool tunes defy classification and transcend time.
Rally Baby is a cool tune. Well done, Lizzy.
SS Priest: Oh boy, here we go…
There’s SS1 (Sean Freehill), SS2 (Scotty Davis), and SS3 (Stevie D of Buckcherry).
SS Sean was our lead guitarist when we first hit D’Mollywood in ’86. Other than the slide guitar solo which I played on Hi ‘n’ Lo, he handled all the lead work on our 1st Atlantic release, D’MOLLS (with the aforementioned B&W legs on the cover).
Sean was, and still is, absolutely the most talented, fluent, articulate, innovative, and lyrical 6-slinger with whom I have ever recorded and/or performed. No strictly heterosexual male had bigger hair, bluer eyes, poutier lips, or a more lethal stage persona.
He remains unparalleled.
We re-joined for one show at the Key Club in ’07 opening up for Metal Skool (now Steel Panther). Michael Starr, whom I’ve known since he was 10, had hoped for the original D’MOLLS line-up that night. What he got was even better: Sean & myself on stage for the first time in over 20 years, with Matt Fuller & Danny Alfano a deadly rhythm section who’ve done stints w/ BulletBoys & Bow Wow Wow, among others).
The Key Club held 900 legally. Apparently, d’word got out. There were 1,100 in the house that night, and better than 100 waiting outside. As we walked in together, Sean & I had as much fun high-fiving everyone stuck outside as we did playing the set.
SIDEBAR: Sean earned himself a gold record as producer of Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise. Good friend. Great guy.
We have video and audio of that very memorable night. I’d like to release it at some point.
SS Scotty and I met in Chicago in ’83 just after St. Valentine blew apart. I’d come home to visit family for Christmas. He was in a band called Diamond Rex that had something very special going for them: Scot St. Lust. I lived in Hollywood, and had two great songs: All I Want and Dressed to Thrill. We began putting together the band that would become D’MOLLS.
He didn’t want to leave Chicago, but I understood the timing, knew that Hollywood was the where, and Glam Rock was the what. It was only a question of who…
After a rehearsing 30 hours a week for a year, a few days before our first and only show before leaving for D’Mollywood, Diamond Rex’ manager told Scotty that, if he went to Cali w/ us, he would wipe Scotty’s tracks off of their just about to be released first record. Scotty’d put five years into Diamond Rex and couldn’t bear the thought. He bailed.
Lizzy had suspected him and had lined up his friend, Sean show stepped in and stepped up. We rehearsed a couple of times (Lizzy’d already taught Sean the whole set), did that show, broke the attendance record set by Motley the previous Halloween, and did it at 1:30 a.m. on a Tuesday night (technical Wednesday morning, huh?) w/ a lingerie runway show as the opening act.
Two days later we drove to Cali, two weeks later we cut a 3-song demo, fate brought a guy into the studio as we were about to listen to the very first playback… Let’s just call him a free spirit.
The studio was on Santa Monica Blvd. In the mid-80’s that was an alphabet rainbow country.
Billy & Sean had gone out for a beer while Lizzy & I stayed to finish the sequencing. My vote was rocker, rocker, ballad (All I Want, Crimes of Fashion, Hi ‘n’ Lo). The producer pushed for the ballad to be in the middle.
I said, “Rocker, Rocker, Ballad. I know my band!”
He said, Rocker, Ballad, Rocker. I know L.A.!”
Surround yourself with excellent people, and let them do what they do best.
I acquiesced. Michael B. (the producer) physically rolled out the tape, sliced, re-ordered, and spliced it, leaving what he felt was just the right amount of dead time between songs…
Billy & SS Sean blasted in the door w/ a guy who looked like the Pillsbury Doughboy, and two babes whom I will call Thing 1 & Thing 2.
Now, mind you, I had sunk all I had into financing this project up to that point, about 30K in 1986 money. To say that I wanted peace and quiet for our first playback is a gross understatement.
The doughboy flamboyantly shouts, “Let’s hear what you’ve got!”
I told him and d’Things to, “Sit the &%$# DOWN and shut the &%$# UP!”
Doughboy said, “Ooh, the strong type!” and sat down w/ his bookends on the couch in front of the mixing counsel.
I bit my lip, cursed Billy & Sean under my breath, closed my eyes, got back in D’Zone, and Michael jammed up the master fader as he prepared to push the PLAY button. From the hum of the speakers I knew it was gonna be REALLY LOUD.
I whispered, “You’re gonna blow out their ears.”
Michael said, “I’m gonna blow it up their…”
The first drum beat of All I Want started, three heads jumped about 3 feet out of their comfy couch, the Doughboy instantly jumped up and started flitting around the room in beat to the song.
My anger was building…
He danced for the entire song. As it ended, during the breath-and-a-half of silence Michael had strategically put between All I Want and the ballad, Hi ‘n’ Lo, the Doughboy dared to speak in my 30K Kingdom during our very first listen to what I’d invested all of my time, effort, and cash. As he spoke, I was irked just a little more…
He said, “Have you got a ballad?”
Michael said, “Have you got a second?” and Hi ‘n’ Lo started.
I’m trying to listen, imagining that I’m a record label guy hearing it…
We get through one verse, and one chorus and this knucklehead reaches over and hits the STOP button!
I made a fist, hauled back, and was just about to sink it into his face when he threw his business card down on the counsel, and said with authority, “Keith Cowan, Atlantic Records. Don’t shop this tape. I don’t want it to get too expensive for my label.”
He had no idea how close he came to needing plastic surgery.
We’d been in town for about two weeks. A month later, we signed a 7-record deal w/ the biggest label on Planet 3.
After making that record, SS Sean confided in me that Hollywood was chewing him up. He was young and needed to get away from the life.
I was devastated but, of course, I supported his decision.
We went home to Chicago to sort it out over Christmas ’87. While there, who should come a-courting but SS Scotty.
Back in d’band, we made the 777 video and went out on a co-headlining tour w/ Warrant.
That’s another story for another interview.
Scotty handled the lead work on Warped. Stellar performances.
We re-joined forces several years back and rocked many an audience in many towns together. He’s a super-cool guy, whom I have considered a brother for four decades.
SS Stevie contacted me about a year ago. We hit it off immediately. Dare I say ‘soul-mates’? He just laid down an inter-stellar solo on one of the tracks off our upcoming record, a little ditty called Free Your Mind that needed just the right touch. Stevie grew up with SS Sean. Need I say more?
Happenin Harry: Harry was a friend of Scotty from Chicago. He flew out to roadie for us, became a very dear friend of mine in the process, and has taken on the role of surrogate roller-coaster rider w/ my darling wife, Debbie. I don’t know if it’s brain-shrinkage over time or my goofed-up middle ear, but I can not handle amusement park rides. That was almost a deal breaker during our courtship.
Enter Harry.
Harry’s a great guy, great hard rock singer, great promotor, and successful entrepreneur who’s been clean & sober for 30-plus years. He’s probably my biggest fan, gives valuable, always constructive critiques, and is a fellow that never complains regardless of what cards life deals him.
Don’t let the Hell-Hole thing fool you. Happenin’ Harry is headed for Heaven.
Chip Z’Nuff: Of all the people you’ve asked me about, I’ve known and loved Chip the longest. By far,
We’ve played in several bands together, written dozens and dozens of songs together, and helped one another in any way we could when it was within our means to do so.
TWO INTERESTING SIDEBARS:
One: Chip, Ronnie Younkins (KIX), and I once put a band together called M-80.
Fast-forward a couple of decades and you’ve got D’Molls and Rhino Bucket, featuring Brian Forsythe (also of KIX) playing a gig in a great roadhouse in the Midwest.
Brian & I each sat front row in front of the other guy admiring their craftsmanship and giving unabashed accolades. Cool venue, cool vibe, cool night. There’s a vid on YouTube of D’Stroll from that night. It’s worth a watch.
We complement one another backstage then went our ways.
I contacted Brian a little while back and asked if he’d like to spread some of his miracle frosting on a new track Jonni Lightfoot (formerly of Air Supply) and I recorded for the new D’Molls 777 studio album called Hey Little Sister.
He laid down such a perfectly-crafted performance that we’ve had him play on three additional tracks: One in a Million, Shock Treatment, and Blue. He murdered those as well. What an incredible talent.
Look for them on our upcoming release.
Two: When D’Molls were in that solid year, 30 hours a week phase of honing/polishing before relocating to D’Mollywood, Chip called me nearly nightly asking me to give Lizzy the boot and install him as a Moll. Now, make no mistake about it, Chip is a world-class bass player, songwriter, and performer. He was then, and still is one of my closest musical friends. But he’s a power pop-rocker, not a MOLL.
When I told him that Lizzy Valentine was the perfect bass player for d’project, Chip asked if he could play 3rd guitar. I’ve always dug his look, and he’s a great back-up singer, and we’d been in several bands at that point, and he wanted in so badly that I told him to come down to a rehearsal and try playing guitar.
During that one rehearsal, the stage had too many people. At one point, I leaned down to belt a high note just as Lizzy, crowded over by Chip, was coming up… His tuning gear hit me just above the hairline, and the red, red groovy started to flow.
We finished the rehearsal, I went to the hospital for stitches, and Chip un-invited to all subsequent rehearsals.
I’ve never been able to quantify exactly what a MOLL is. But I know what isn’t. Chip Z’Nuff is not a MOLL.
And, thank Heavens. Had he joined D’MOLLS, there would never have been Enuff Z’Nuff.
Things always work out as they should when we don’t interfere.
Donnie Vie: I like Donnie. I like the way he sings. I like the way he writes in minor keys. I like that he plays guitar and/or piano when a tune calls for it and doesn’t when it doesn’t.
Tunes tell you what they need if you’ll listen. They talk to Donnie and he knows how to listen.
He only adds what’s lacking. He never wants it in because it’s his ingredient but because it’s the right ingredient.
Buy this print on eBay
Bret, Lizzy, Desi, SS, Billy & Bobby
L-R: Tracy Stevens, Sten Serensino, Billy McCarthy and C.C. DeVille
CC DeVille: Cecil was Billy’s good friend. As I said earlier, I don’t know anything about any song they may have written/co-written.
Editor’s Note: The video for “Talk Dirty To Me” by Screamin’ Mimis featuring C.C. DeVille and Billy ‘Dior’ McCarthy is embedded at the bottom of this page.
I do remember that while we were mixing one of the tunes for our 2nd Atlantic release called My Life, Cecil walked in, heard the main riff, and said, “Great riff! Can I steal that?” Billy (who had written exactly none of that tune) said, “Sure!”
Poison released their next record before we did. Give My Life and Unskinny Bop a back-to-back listen sometime.
Editor’s Note: D’MOLLS “My Life” is also at the bottom of this page.
A couple of years later, Cecil was out of Poison, had dyed his mop shocking purple, and had put together an outfit called The Cecil DeVille Experience. I was in a super-group called Rexx & Johnson. The line-up was Danny Johnson on lead guitar (Axis, Derringer, Alice Cooper, Rod Stewart, Private Life, and Steppenwolf), PJ Smith on keys & left-handed acoustic guitar (No Sweat), a great singer and beyond talented bassist that never got the attention he deserved named Lou Castro, and Andy Parker (UFO) on drums.
We were playing The Roxy that night. Cecil dropped by backstage at The Roxy to see if I would sell him my 1960 Les Paul Standard. No. He asked if he could introduce us. Yes. A few minutes later, as we all plugged in, he took the center mic and said to the crowd, “Good evening, everyone. The band you’re about to see is so good that you all need to go back outside and pay a second admission fee!”
Cecil’s a great guy w/ an uncanny eye for talent.
Nikki Sixx: One day, while living in the apartment on Clark St., Nikki and I both walked out of our apartments at the same time. We knew each other casually, so I said, “Why don’t you dump Mick and replace him with a real guitarist, me ?”
Nikki replied, “Will you be cool with me writing ALL the tunes and making ALL the decisions?
I had other things in mind, so we wished each other well.
I still remember my reflection in the green mirrored sunglasses he was wearing that morning. I looked good.
Mario Maglieri: Mario loved us. Success begets popularity. Popularity begets fans, many of whom become friends. Some call that an entourage. I always thought of it as Have Fun – Will Travel.
The Rainbow always had great food. Mario had known Billy and myself since our days in Kid Rocker (oh yeah, he was the drummer). He liked us personally and couldn’t’ve disliked the fact that we attracted customers (a great deal of whom were of the gentler gender and very easy on the eyes).
So, Mario always had a table and an attentive waitress waiting for us. Good times.
David Lee Roth: What can I say about Dave that he hasn’t already said himself? No one has better timing. He’s a comic genius. He’s got a signature voice and knows how to use it for the greatest effect.
We really enjoyed working together.
Dave and his two co-managers, Pete Angelus, and Patrick Whitley decided that Diamond Dave Enterprises wanted to expand the scope of their business ventures to include managing another band as well as the David Lee Roth band.
D’MOLLS was the first band they chose to manage.
Three Molls decided that the game plan Dave, Pete, & Pat had mapped out had worked well enough for Van Halen, but wasn’t right for D’MOLLS, and didn’t want to continue the relationship. The fourth Moll was asked to break the news to management.
So I did. That’s another story for another interview.
That management group went on to pick up another up-and-coming act called The Black Crowes which worked out well for both parties.
When Jason Becker took ill Dave needed another guitarist for the European tour. I was offered the opportunity, thought it would be fun, and took the gig. It was fun.
Dave and I enjoyed being in a band together, and going shopping for stage clothes together, and clubbing at night together, and brain-storming ideas for the schtick he does between songs.
He certainly knows how to talk, but he knows how to listen. Like me, Dave’s success-driven and likes to be the Ringmaster but understands that surrounding himself with excellence makes him shine even brighter.
That’s a good life lesson.
He’s always been willing to put in the time, effort, sweat, & dough that it takes to assemble a great band that makes unforgettable records and puts on unforgettable performances.
He shared countless tricks of the trade and back-stories with me. D’MOLLS have benefited greatly from my association with him.
Thanks, Dave.
Andy Parker: You’re diggin’ deep, GG. Andy is the quintessential English gentleman. His work in UFO speaks for itself. Not only are the content of his stories fascinating, but the manner in which he tells them; his timing, panache, and nuance, coupled with that well-bred English accent, make for good listening, indeed.
Some people are funny without trying to be. Andy is hilarious. He sees things from a skewed perspective, and he approaches songs that way.
He’s not a flashy drummer, but he lays it down (how could he not?) with that incredible English back-beat where the snare cracks on the &’s are just a fraction of a second late. So tasty. It can’t be taught; only felt. Most English drummers have it. Only a handful of the others do.
It has been my good fortune to play with some of the world’s very best drummers (a natural that played drums for me when I was 10 named Billy O’Toole, Gregg Bisonette, Zak Starkey, Zaido Cruz, Greg Potter, D’Molls 777’s current drummer, Van Christenesen p.k.a. Vandolf the Great (and he is), and Andy Parker).
When Doug Fieger & Don Was jumped onboard the Rexx & Johnson wagon as co-producers Doug’s first directive was that we replace Andy w/ Ringo’s son, Zak Starkey (later of Oasis & The Who). I broke the news to Andy. He and I had been friends for years and had had a great time working up the Rexx & Johnson repertoire.
Neither of us were thrilled w/ Doug’s decision that day.
Great drummers give the breath of life to a song, as much by what they don’t play as what they do.
Andy is that kind of drummer.
In retrospect, Zak was a better fit for that project, and within a couple of months UFO did a big reunion tour.
Again, timing is everything.
METAL SLUDGE. List 3 great memories from D’Molls and one bad one.
DESI REXX: I have no bad ones, so I’ll give you four good ones:
One: On our first tour, co-headlining w/ Warrant, we played NYC. As we pulled in front of our hotel in Manhattan, there just happened to be a triple parking spot right in front of the hotel big enough to accommodate our tour bus. Timing is everything.
Our manager, Gerry Tolman, had flown in from L.A. to take us in, personally, to meet Atlantic’s big cheese, Ahmet Ertegun. Gerry walked us into Ahmet’s office to meet him like he was royalty, or something. We were Atlantic’s new darlings so a staff photographer snapped a couple of the six of us and we were shown out.
I prefer leaving scenes on my own terms and timeline. It having occurred to me that D’MOLLS were the royalty, I turned around, walked back to Ahmet (now seated at his desk), pulled an “I (red heart) D’MOLLS” merch button off of my shirt, pinned it to his $400 silk tie, got in his face and said, “We’re playing tonight in Manhattan, 10:30. Find out where, and be there, or be square!” and turned and walked out.
Gerry asked me what I could possibly have been thinking. I was thinking that we were about to make Ahmet a ton of money and he needed to show a little advanced appreciation. Gerry rolled his eyes.
When we hit the stage that night, Ahmet was standing front row center. With his gold teeth smilin’, he looked me dead in the eye and gave me a big wink. He had a drop-dead gorgeous blonde in each arm, a champagne glass in each hand, and he rocked out from the first beat of the first song, Rally Baby, to the end of the encore. That was satisfying.
Two: Driving down Sunset in my yellow Corvette, the week that our first record was released. I happened to have the radio tuned into KROC. Rodney Bingenheimer wasn’t just talking us and our new record up, he spun the entire first side. Sublime.
Three: We were performing Hi ‘n’ Lo at The Waters Club in San Pedro. I saw the most beautiful girl I’d ever laid eyes on, bar none, just as I sang the line, “I don’t even… know your name.” After delivering the line, I mouthed to her, “What’s your name?” I didn’t actually understand what she said, but when I saw the way that she said it, coupled w/ that angelic smile I thought to myself, “I might be in trouble here.”
I’d never seriously considered getting married… until that very second. Isn’t that funny? Things go the way they should if you’ll just let them.
Incidentally, I didn’t just marry her. She introduced me to the Latter-day Saint faith. After a two-year investigation, I joined the Church, and we were sealed to one another in the Temple not just for Time (i.e.‘Til death do you part.’, but for all Eternity.
There’s much, much more to that story, but this isn’t the appropriate platform for the telling of it. Suffice it to say that, if you ever decide to join the ranks, I’d be happy to fly in and baptize you, GG.
Four: Looking back, the ‘original’ line-up (revolving SS’s notwithstanding) was the right guys at the right time. Good things happened because of the chemistry/symbiosis of that particular group of individuals.
Over the years, different players have filled the positions. Really great players. And it’s always fun to play D’MOLLS songs. The crowds have been good. Lots of fans have been loyal from the beginning. I’m truly grateful for all of them. It’s fun to play great songs to an empty basement, but it’s really fun to play them to an appreciative audience that doesn’t just sing along a little here and there, but really gets into it with you, sings all of them, and sings hard.
We, all of us, are only this rock for a finite amount of time. When the band and the audience are all sweaty and spent at the end of the night, we’re all happy that that’s how we chose to spend that chunk of time together.
D’MOLLS live shows are a big party. You can check your temporary feel-good substances at the door. We will give you something you can take w/ you that will help you through future rainy days.
I’ve always considered myself to be a brightly lit cheerleader.
Looking forward, the new line-up is the perfect quartet. How lucky am I to’ve hit paydirt again?
Jonni Lightfoot is an extraordinary talent. Absolute virtuoso bass player. 4-, 5-, 6-string, and 12-string electric bass, piccolo bass, acoustic stand-up double-bass…
He shreds on all of them. He’s also a great singer, engineer/producer, is an absolute take-no-prisoners monster on stage, and my very, very dear friend and business partner.
Van Christensen is as good a drummer as there can be. He’s literate and articulate. Anything you can play he can play better. Anything. Most drummers that can play anyone else’s style have no style of their own. No one plays like Vandolf the Great. He’s a great back-up singer and considers himself lucky to be a MOLL.
I consider myself lucky to have him slammin’ d’cannons behind me.
Mick James is a California boy. He’s a G.I.T. grad and life-long friend of Eric Turner who turned us on to him. Mick was Warrant’s first choice for lead guitarist but didn’t feel it was the right move for him at the time. He’s never regretted that decision. Like me, he feels that every move we’ve made in our lives has led us to where we are.
He’s picking up the SS Sean torch and burning a new trail with it. So much fun to have on stage right. At four years and counting, he’s our newest member.
I’ve already mentioned Brian Forsythe’s contributions. Stevie D (Buckcherry) did his magic on You’re your Mind. Blas Elias (Slaughter, Blue Man Group, and now Trans-Siberian Orchestra) flew into SLC recently to lay his trans-extraordinary drum tracks on Blue and Turn it Up LOUDER! He marveled that I can still sing the way I do. I marveled that he can still play the way he does.
He also sang back-ups on Turn it Up LOUDER!
An SLC guitar virtuoso named Jeff Alleman played guitar and sang back-ups on Need a Little Lovin’.
Have I forgotten anyone? Oops, James the lead lead singer from Jonni’s old band Skit-Skat put his signature on the back-ups for Free You’re your Mind.
No Joke, this new record is unbelievable. You know, they say you’ve got ten years to make your first record, then a year or two for each successive release while you’re touring. For that reason, many bands’ first records are considered their best.
D’MOLLS have always written and recorded great songs. Period.
But this new record feels like our first one. We’ve taken all the time needed to attend to every little detail, and it’s paid off. I’m beyond stoked about its release.
Other than letting a few close associates hear a section or two of a song or two, we’ve kept it tightly under wraps.
Now that the unveiling is imminent, I really appreciate the opportunity to talk a little about it and what our fans’ appetites.
Everyone put your napkins ‘round your necks… Sharpen your knives, shine up your forks & spoons ‘cause this one is yummy!
METAL SLUDGE. Give us the good, the bad, the ugly with St. Valentine.
DESI REXX: There was nothing ugly or bad about St. Valentine.
Guys in bands cakin’ on the make-up, and even wearing chicks’ clothes was nothing new. T. Rex, The Sweet, Edgar Winter, Twisted Sister, and The New York Dolls had all dabbled. Bowie had pushed it even farther. But all those acts considered themselves Glitter Rockers, a completely different genre.
Technically, Alice Cooper was androgynous, but his permanent five o’clock shadow begged to differ.
The term Glam Rock had not yet been coined.
In early ‘81, my stint as one of four lead singers in a Beatle-esque quartet from Chicago called We’re Staying, (with fellow bandmate, Chip Z’Nuff) had ended. We had written over 80 original tunes, nearly all of which were radio friendly.
My songs and I moved to Hollywood. The L.A. glitter rock band London had recently broken up. Nikki Sixx had moved on to Motley Crue, who were categorized as a Heavy Metal act.
I met up w/ ex-London guitarist, Lizzie Grey (not to be confused with Lizzy Valentine), who was looking for a new lead singer to reform London. I had just left an L.A. band called Kid Rocker (a temp gig that afforded me a place to live while I sorted out the L.A. scene). That apartment, on Clark St. just above The Whisky-a-Go-Go happened to be right across the courtyard from the apartment that Nikki, Tommy Lee, and Vince Neal occupied.
Lizzie Grey was an incredibly talented and prolific songwriter and a good guitarist who wanted no competition for that position. He and I put together what I believe was the very first act that was referred to as a Glam Band: St. Valentine.
Lizzie dug my Chicago connection. We quickly decided that re-hashing the London moniker wasn’t the best way to go. London had catchy tunes, the guys were good looking, and they’d definitely made a splash, but we wanted to start fresh.
We bounced band names around and hit on St. Valentine. The name conveyed both glamor and gangster nuance.
Lizzie suggested that I put my guitar down and change my name to Desi Valentine. It weakened the band’s sound, but made Lizzie feel better. And I thought that having my name in the band name was great (my dear friend, Chip Z’Nuff took note…). The drummer was a tall, swarthy lad named Nigel Itson, after trying a tall curly-headed fellow from Sun Valley named Gary Bushnell, our final choice for bassist was Donnie Cameron. All four faces pleased the ladies without makeup. A quick trip down the Maybelline isle at the local Thrifty and the gals stood no chance.
The other three painted their faces but kept their masculine garb. A friend of mine, Annie Henderling, had lived in NYC back in the 70’s and had ended up w/ Johnny Thunders’ (NY Dolls) pink sequin dress. She said something like, “Your face is pretty enough to do this dress justice.” So, I wore it for one of the Troubadour shows.
The crowd lost it.
Lizzie & I were always looking for a gimmick. We decided to call what we did GLAM ROCK. We pressed up transparent pink 45’s and flyers, and papered the parking lot of the ’83 US Festival…
I’m not saying that no one had ever used that term before. But I am saying that both Lizzie and I were in the biz, living the life, and neither of us had ever heard it before.
The songs were catchy. They included All I Want & Dressed to Thrill (which made in onto D’MOLLS first Atlantic release) and a brilliant ballad Lizzie’d written when he was in London called Chasing a Rainbow.
The band looked great in pictures and on stage, we had an over-the-top stage show, and Nigel’s right foot was deadlier than a Thompson sub-machine, but the overall musicianship was never gonna garner a big record deal with a major label. And that’s what I was after.
St. Valentine did play some memorable shows: New Year’s Eve 1982 at The Roxy in Hollywood, and three or four shows at another Hollywood club called The Troubadour. A young, sandy brown-haired kid w/out make-up from Studio City attended all those Troubadour shows. I can still remember him standing dead center, three or four rows, back punching holes in the air shouting, ‘Desi!! You kill! Desi!! Desi!!”
My father took ill in 1983. I went back to Chicago to help w/ family business. Dad died the next year. While I was away from the L.A. scene, my young Troubadour fan joined a band from the east coast, bleached his hair, changed his name to Cecil De Ville, and Poison carried the Glam Torch across the finish line.
St. Valentine was all good. The gooder was my becoming the very first Glam Rocker.
METAL SLUDGE: And finally, do you have any regrets?
DESI REXX: Yes, I regret not having met and married my wife sooner. We have a daughter and two sons whom I love far more than life itself. But I would like to have had a houseful. The more children the better.
I used to think of my songs as children. I had created them, put as much of myself into them as I could, and understood that they represented me, and would outlive me.
Songs are dear to my heart. I love songs. But I love cars, and I love ice cream. I love thinking, and I love hard work. I’ve loved playing guitar since I began at seven. I’ve loved singing and playing in bands, in front of audiences, since I was ten. I love my wife. I love going to see my children play sports, and graduate from various grades. I love the guys in D’MOLLS. I love progressing. I love languages.
I love that the Greek language has seven different words that we only express as ‘love’ in English.
Having loved all the above things, I assure you, the way I love my family outweighs even my love of music. And that’s saying something.
And, if I might say one more thing…
D’MOLLS at D’ Whisky on Friday, July 29th. We’ll be recording that night for an upcoming live record: D’Molls 777 Live from D’Mollywood! Come on out and make some noise with the original Noizz Boyzz. It’ll be worth whatever it’ll cost you in babysitters, gas, parking, dinner out, and price of admission.
There’s nothin’ like a D’MOLLS live show. Well. Yeah, I suppose our records are something like that…
Anyway, be there, or be L777.
Gerry Gittelson can be reached at gerryg123@hotmail.com
D’MOLLS management: JJ Garcia at: GESMUSICHQ @ (G) MAIL (Dot) COM
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