TOMMY THAYER INTERVIEW
by: Beth FOXNEWS Jordan
Beth: Hey
there Tommy! Thanks so much for joining us today. First, tell
us a little bit about yourself growing up. When did you first
decide that being a guitarist in a rock band is what you wanted
to do above all else? Who were some of the artists who influenced
that decision.
Tommy: When
I became about 13 or 14 it was that kind of magical time of your
life when you first really discover rock & roll and begin
going to concerts, I think it was around that time that I thought,
"This might be a cool thing to do." I was heavily influenced
by bands like KISS, Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, Foghat, Montrose
and Deep Purple.
Beth: Tell
us when and how did you first met Gene Simmons and about the albums
he produced for Black n Blue?
Tommy: B
'N B toured with KISS as an opening act in late '85, so soon thereafter
we asked him to produce our third (and subsequently fourth) albums
mainly because we wanted to recapture our heavier and rawer side
that we got away from with our second LP.
Beth: When
did you meet the rest of the band?
Tommy: I
remember getting to know Eric, Bruce and Paul when I would visit
their recording sessions for Crazy Crazy Nights, Hot In The Shade
and Revenge albums which were all recorded in the Los Angeles
area.
Beth: Do
you have a special memory of Eric that you'd like to share with
the fans?
Tommy: Eric was always a great guy and very approachable. KISS was mixing Hot In The Shade at Cherokee Studios in LA and I had a couple co-writes with Gene so I was at the studio listening to the mixes of those two songs and I remember telling Pat Regan (mix engineer) that I thought the drums needed to come up level-wise because they were a bit buried in the mix. At the end of the session later that night, Eric pulled me aside and thanked me for making sure the drums were well heard, which I thought was cool.
Beth: Finally,
tell us a little about what KISS has in store for the fans next.
Tommy: The
KISS Rock The Nation Live! DVD will be released this fall ('05)
and it's spectacular.
Beth: Tommy,
thanks again for taking the time to join us today and for helping
us celebrate Eric's memory!
Tommy: Thanks and rock on!