“The Hollywood scene in the 80s wasn’t just a scene, it was a movement.” – Kenward Cooper

LOS ANGELES – He never wore lipstick nor played in the most popular local hair-bands but make no mistake – Kenward Cooper is pure glam, and he always will be.

Cooper published the classy fanzine Rockstar magazine beginning in the late 1980s when Rock was its height on the Sunset Strip.

Yet unlike a lot of glam bands Cooper favored, he never faded away. The Southern Californian has published a new book, Rock N Roll Will Only Break Your Heart. 

In the meantime, we got together for this exclusive scoop with Metal Sludge 10 Questions.

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1 ).  The first question has got to be about Big Bang Babies. I was their first manager, and if memory serves, you were at every show plus every pre-party and every after party, correct?

Absolutely. I remember crossing paths with you a lot, and yes, I was at all those shows and parties. Charlie (Kit Ashley) and Keri Kelli became great friends of mine. We’d hang all the time, especially hitting up whatever all-you-can-eat sushi joints we could find.

2 ). As a Glam rock expert, was BBB the last great one?

In terms of the Sunset Strip, yeah, for sure. They were the last of the breed that was worth a shit. 

3 ). Talk about what you’ve been up to lately – what’s your latest project?

I’ve just published my memoir titled Rock N Roll Will Only Break Your Heart, which details my days of being a teenager starting my own rock magazine and moving from Vegas to LA in the 80s to be part of the music biz. 

First with journalism, and then forming my own bands. Going at it nonstop. 

The heartache that comes with being so close to your dreams and trying hard to attain it.

4 ). Will there ever be a vibe like prime-era Rainbow Bar & Grill?

I imagine there will be something. The Hollywood scene in the 80s wasn’t just a scene, it was a movement. When you think of the Strip back then, and how packed Sunset was from Gazzarri’s to the Whisky, a sea of people, bands and fans, all on the same crowded block with the same reason, to hear great music and have a good time. 

Can that happen today with that kind of feeling and intent? People must’ve said the same thing in the 70s with Studio 54 or Max’s Kansas City. Eventually the party fizzles, but something else comes along. 

It’s a different time. I don’t think it can be recreated, and the idea shouldn’t be to try and recreate it either.

5 ). You were such a nice guy back in the day in a culture of dishonesty and insincerity – how did you somehow fit in?

Having great supportive parents must’ve helped. But I didn’t feel I had to change my own character to interact with anyone. That never occurred to me. 

Like being in school, you make friends just being who you are.

6 ). Rockstar was a great magazine. How did it start, how did it do, and how did it end?

I did a ‘zine before Rockstar called Raging Death, which focused on thrash metal. I always listened to everything though, Top 40, hard rock, you name it. Once I discovered BAM Magazine in Hollywood, and saw all the adverts for bands, I knew I wanted to start a new magazine devoted to the LA scene. It did great on a local level, you’d find it monthly alongside all the other free music publications. We also had it distributed on the east coast, overseas in England, and Japan. 

The last issue was in the early 90s. The scene was changing, and so were my interests. I remember being at Geffen Records interviewing Fiona, and the publicity department flooded me with all their new releases by Nirvana, Teenage Fanclub, Nitzer Ebb. It didn’t make sense to keep it going with the same genre/format that it originally was.

7 ). A trip down memory lane. Give a fun memory or snarky comment about each of the following bands:

WildSide 

I remember thinking it was nice to see Marc Simon from St. Valentine go on to another project after that, which made some noise. But honestly at that time, it came out too late for me to give it any attention.

Swingin’ Thing

Killer band that should’ve gone on to have their day with the big boys. They were very entertaining and fun to watch. Fantastic live band. Lots of personality. Great songs.

Tryx

Jesse, arrogant lil’ prick, wasn’t he? HA! When they arrived on the scene I thought they had a good thing going. They went for the total bubblegum sound and cartoon appeal and really nailed it.

Ana Black

Never got around to seeing them. They did however end up being “Doucheband of the Month” on a Glambone podcast episode.

Taz

KK was a star. Saw them headline the Country Club. What a great place to see a show. The night club in the opening scenes of Boogie Nights is the Country Club in Reseda, for those who may not know. I always reminisce about the bands I saw perform there whenever I watch that movie. Taz, yeah, I dug them. “LA Dangerzone” captured the spirit of Hollywood in the 80s. Cool tunes.

The Zeros

That period of ’88/’89 belonged to The Zeros. They were my favorite band to go see back then. The Whisky and Coconut Teazer venues painted their building purple for the band. What other band was capable of having that kind of homage and support before even getting a record deal? No one else. I always said they were a perfect mix of The Beatles meets The Ramones, with glam rock power pop all thrown in. They were originators. Local bands copied them. They were a marketing dream. Record companies failed to see that.

SouthGang

I saw them early on at Gazzarri’s when they were called Byte The Bullet. Hats off to Butch Walker and all he has achieved.

Wild Boyz

I thought they were WildSide. Must’ve gotten the two mixed up.

8 ). What’s the one obscure band you still listen to?

Lions & Ghosts. The records they made never get old for me. Most particularly the first one, it’s a timeless gem. They were special. They could appeal to the Sunset Strip crowd and open for Guns N’ Roses, and then the next night be at The Scream, or opening for Gene Loves Jezebel. 

9 ). What was your favorite street rag fanzine back in the day?

I loved BAM for all the show advertisements.

10 ). Anything to add? 

Check out the book, Rock N Roll Will Only Break Your Heart. It’s more than just a recollection of my days on the LA scene. Intertwined with that is a coming of age, a love story, the ups & downs of pursuing this rock n roll life, and a family thread connecting it altogether. For those who’d like to say hello, reach out to me on Instagram @glam_bone, especially if we knew each other during the Rockstar Magazine days, I’d love to hear from you!



Kenward Cooper @ New Book – Instagram – Facebook – YouTube –



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Gerry Gittelson can be reached at gerryg123@gmail.com