And... the worst (and why)? - Once I loaded a van,
drove 6 hours from New York to Baltimore, played 4 / 45 minute
sets to a dozen grandmas and grandpas, loaded up and drove home,
all with a raging flu. But you know what... it was fun!
What bands
do you think were the most influential during...
(a) the 70s - Zep & Stones
(b) the 80s - don't remember the 80s!
(c) the 90s - Wasn't paying attention during
the 90s!
Alive or dead, fact or fiction, who is your ultimate
hero? And who else would be in your top five heroes'n'heroines
list? - My Dad, honestly, is my ultimate hero. And
also my wife, who works harder and more selflessly than anyone
I know. My other three heroes are my fellow Lizards, who go
out into the wilderness every night with one bullet and come
home with dinner!
Favourite drink - sparkling apple cider (no booze for
Randy anymore!)
Who would be in your fantasy band line-up - with yourself in
the line-up too, naturally? Me on Bass and Harp - Mel
Galley guitar (and on bass when I'm on harp) - Jimmy Nolen guitar,
- Al Jackson Jr, on drums - Bernie Worell on keys
Three words each that describe the other guys in the band -
Pat Klein - Wizard, "The Man", "Star"
Bobby Rondinelli - Athlete, Italian, "Child-star"
Mike Dimeo - Soulful, bachelor "Star"
Favourite actor - Lee Marvin
What's your ultimate ambition musically? - To keep
getting better(the Lizards and myself), for the Lizards to become
headliners, to write songs that will last.
Message to the fans - Thanks for being there
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The story
so far....
I've been playing
bass since the early 80s. Before that I was a poser and an obsessed
fan-boy. I switched to 6 string in the early 90s. I never play
4 string anymore. The necks on my basses are longer than normal
(36" scale, normal is 34") The necks are big and hard
to play. They hurt my hands sometimes, but the tone is beautiful.
I first got into Rock music when
the Beatles arrived in America. I went to the Fillmore East
a lot in '70-'71. I saw Led Zepplin, King Crimson (w/Greg Lake)
Fleetwood Mac (w/ Peter Green) I hate to sound like someone's
dad, but I think Rock was probably peaking then. We have a joke
in the Lizards "Nothing after '78". We're really not
that self-concious about it, but that's the period we're most
influenced by. When the blues was still felt in the music.
Another major influence on me
is old-school Funk. When I was a kid in '67, I saw James Brown
at Yankee Stadium. WOW! He's like Mozart to me. Sly Stone, Ohio
Players, Slave. There's an element of that in the music of
The Lizards, and you'll be hearing it more as we develop.
There's a "sweet spot" where James Brown and Black
Sabbath meet. We want to be there.
It's unknown how
far a band over 40 (except Mike, "the kid") playing
original Classic Rock can go. Who knows? We love what we're
doing and we won't quit, so if you love this music, let's work
together!
Influences:
Trapeze, Stray Dog, Cactus, Vanilla Fudge, Boomerang, Sir Lord
Baltimore, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Free, Bad Company, Detective,
The Babys, Pink Floyd, Little Feat, Spooky Tooth, Mountain,
Grand Funk, King Crimson ('til "Red") Gentle Giant,
Jeff Buckley, Humble Pie, Captain Beyond, Robin Trower, Jeff
Beck Group, The Doors, Hendrix, Frank Marino, Blue Cheer, Black
Sabbath, James Brown, Ohio Players, Sly Stone, P-Funk, Slave
