Bill's PurpleCrayon Blog

2008-01-29T16:36:00.000-05:00

WANT TO KNOW HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY MARKET YOUR PRODUCTS OR SERVICES?

There's no finer teacher than Chef Seth Godin.

In his new book, Meatball Sundae, Seth serves up another easily-digested morsel that explains how you can succeed in today's over-marketed world.

I use Seth Godin's books as textbooks when I teach university-level courses in advertising, marketing, direct marketing, and permission marketing. The students eat them up, thoroughly enjoying Seth's whip-smart presentation and easy-to-understand advice. His principles often go against the grain of popular thinking in the ad world. But that's okay. What's out there isn't working all that well, anyway.

My advice? The first ingredient in your marketing mix should be any book by Seth Godin, but especially his latest. A steady diet of Seth Godin will surely help your organization stay lean, mean, and remarkably successful.

2008-01-04T10:53:00.000-05:00

THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE

The downsizing of ad agencies and the rise of marketing/PR concerns has created a glut of former adcats -- especially designers and copywriters -- seeking work. And the "rise" of marketing hasn't been all that great, either; it hasn't amounted to a surplus of jobs, particularly for recent graduates.

And I told my class as much. "There are more people in this class right now than there are marketing jobs available statewide," I announced on the first day. "And I haven't seen an advertising agency seek employees for years." That got their attention.

But I didn't leave my students without hope. I also told them this: The Internet has created a type of worker that requires no job, no office, no agency. "Start your own agencies," I told them. "Do your own thing. Each one of you is as qualified as anyone else to be your own boss."

It's true. I've discovered that copywriters, although not as revered as they once were, are still hard to find. Good ones, that is. Adequate copywriters are just as much a dime a dozen today as they always have been. Stand-out writers are still very much in demand.

For that matter, stand-out marketing strategists are, too.

What I find amazing is that people don't seem to be able to think clearly any more. So someone with a keen strategic mind, coupled with a gift for copywriting, can pretty much write his/her own ticket. Even in today's abysmal economy. Even when "good enough" is good enough to most clients.

"Good enough" has never been good enough for me. Maybe that's why I'm a sought-after copywriter, marketing strategist, university professor, and direct marketing guru.

Talent for writing is partly nature, and partly nurture. I have been blessed with both. I began my career with a love for writing, and a gift for seeing into the heart of the matter. Over the years, I learned from some of the world's best direct marketers, people who built enormous reputations and amassed fortunes because of their talents. I have created departments, lead teams, and achieved goals that many will never reach. I have worked with some of the world's biggest companies. I've had a rewarding career.

But I think what I enjoy most of all is looking into the future to see where my profession is going. Believe me, this is not the era in which to live if one does not embrace change. Because things have changed, and are changing. Rapidly.

Yet, "the more things change, the more they stay the same," as the old saying goes.

And what stays the same is this: There will always be a need for excellence in advertising, marketing, and PR. There will always be a need for bright-eyed, keen-thinking, passionate people to help keep clients in the black -- and the ad industry out of the dumpster.

So, recent grads. Go forth! Conquer the world! Be remarkable!

Above all, have fun. Life is way too short to be taken too seriously.

2007-10-31T18:22:00.000-05:00

NIGHTMARE RECORDS NAMES PURPLECRAYON DIRECT
AGENCY OF RECORD, MARKETING

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN (USA) -- Minneapolis-based Nightmare Records, one of the fastest-growing independent record labels in the U.S. for melodic, progressive, and power metal bands, today named PurpleCrayon Direct as its agency of record for all marketing communications. This marks the first collaboration between the two companies.

"I'm thrilled to work with Lance King," said PurpleCrayon Direct owner Bill Murphy. "Lance is one of the rare ones in the music industry today. He's not only a label owner, but he's also one of the world's best vocalists. So he knows both sides of the industry. His passion for progressive and power metal is unbelievable. And his stable of artists is truly remarkable."

As agency of record, PurpleCrayon Direct will assist Nightmare Records with all of its marketing communications, including advertising, public relations, strategic direction, and web sites.

Lance King, former vocalist for such bands as Balance of Power and Pyramaze, and current vocalist for Avian and Krucible, said the collaboration between his label and PurpleCrayon Direct came at the right time.

"My label has been growing dramatically," said King. "I've reached the point where I could use the help of someone like Bill Murphy. He's been in the marketing profession for over 15 years, and he's extremely passionate about my bands. He works with the Hungarian progressive metal band Everwood, the legendary British progressive rock band Galahad, and has been named the official interviewer for ProgPower USA in Atlanta three years running. So he knows the music industry as well as the marketing industry."

PurpleCrayon Direct began in 1999 as a general agency, but switched to working solely with artists three years ago.

To date, Murphy has provided marketing communications for Miami Vice actor Philip Michael Thomas, watercolorist Win Jones, Galahad, Everwood, and numerous bands around the world. In addition, he has interviewed some of the best-known musicians in progressive rock and metal, including Greg Lake (King Crimson/ELP), John Wetton (King Crimson/Uriah Heep/Asia), Ian McDonald (King Crimson/Foreigner), Bill Bruford (King Crimson/Yes/Genesis), Steve Howe (Yes/Asia), Steve Rothery (Marillion), Fish (Marilion), Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad), Tom S. Englund (Evergrey), Stuart Nicholson (Galahad), Floor Jansen (After Forever), Chris Caffery (Savatage, TSO), Mattias "IA" Eklundh (Freak Kitchen), Jasun Tipton (Zero Hour), Jorn Lande, Zak Stevens (Savatage, Circle II Circle), Olaf Thorsen (Vision Divine), Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth), Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica), Nils K. Rue (Pagan's Mind) and many more.

Nightmare Records was formed in 1990 with the release of Lance's self-titled debut album from Gemini, and is presently home to the some of the best progressive and power metals bands from all points of the globe, including Suspyre, Prototype, Beyond Twilight, Cloudscape, Pyramaze, Katagory V, and Evil Masquerade. He signs 9-10 bands per year and keeps a massive back-catalog of CDs on hand for purchase directly from Nightmare Records’ online store.

"Lance King is a tireless worker on behalf of his bands. He's absolutely dedicated to helping them succeed," said Murphy. "It's a pleasure to work with someone so devoted to his music. I predict great things in store for us."

Given the passion and dedication of these two business owners, how could anyone expect less?

# # #

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bill Murphy, Advertising and Marketing Consultant,
PurpleCrayon Direct
bill@purplecrayondirect.com

Nightmare Records is found on the web at: www.Nightmare-Records.com,
www.myspace.com/nightmarerecords1 (label page), and www.myspace.com/nightmarerecordsmusic (indie distro page).

Also, visit the OFFICIAL NIGHTMARE RECORDS FORUM on ULTIMATE METAL FORUMS
http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/nightmare-records-436/

2007-08-22T20:10:00.000-05:00

THE PERFECT MARRIAGE OF TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANITY

I just watched a video on the Yahoo home page about a start-up company named Kiva in San Francisco's Mission District that helps people all over the world who are in financial need by connecting them with people in other parts of the world who have money (as little as $25) to lend. From the accompanying article:

Kiva, which means "unity" in Swahili, is a lending organization with a twist: Anyone with a bit of money and an Internet connection can step forward as a microlender to assist struggling third-world entrepreneurs get out of poverty

After logging in, you can scroll through profiles of entrepreneurs, descriptions of their businesses, and the loan amounts they're requesting. Once you've decided who you want to lend to, you choose how much to lend, starting at as little as $25. (Individual lenders can fund an entire loan, but most of Kiva's loans are funded by multiple lenders.)

Funds are distributed to entrepreneurs through local non-profit microfinance partners in specific countries.

The Kiva web site is very cool, easy to use, and fun.

One of the criticisms leveled most often at the Internet is that it has a tendency to foster really ugly self centeredness; that it, in effect, becomes a tool that brings out the narcissist in people, allowing them to blog themselves silly (with words, pictures, or videos), often posting truly pointless, navel-gazing drivel. Sure, it can be used for that. But business ventures such as Kiva prove that the Internet can also be used to touch the lives of people in a truly life-changing way. Kiva is the ultimate marriage of the mind and the heart, of technology and humanity.

Best of all, the idea is so good that people will want to help promote it. Watch and see. The people at Kiva cleverly provide banners for people to cut and paste onto their web sites, as well as e-mail signatures for the same purpose. It's the most savvy -- and meaningful -- marketing I've seen in a long time.

I think conventional businesses could learn a lot from Kiva. For example: If you create a cool product, or if you offer a clever, needed service, people will be so excited that they'll market your products and services for you. Build crap and people will turn away. Build quality and, chances are, they'll beat the proverbial path to your door.

As for me and my house, I choose to build quality.

And, hey, I think I hear someone knocking at my door.

See?

2007-07-18T18:39:00.000-05:00

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS...

...open a chain of lemonade stores and sell franchises.

Living in Michigan is a mixed blessing. We are surrounded by some of the best beaches in the U.S. We experience (some would say endure) four different seasons. And there's plenty of wildlife to see just outside one's window. It's quite beautiful, really. Yet, our state currently boasts the highest unemployment in the U.S. Our airport in Grand Rapids was recently rated the worst in the nation for delays, overcrowded flights, and dissatisfied customers. And I just heard that Forbes magazine recently rated Michigan near the bottom for places in the U.S. in which to start a business.

So what can one do?

Anything one wants to do!

One of my favorite bumper stickers (next to Visualize Whirled Peas) is this one:

The Meaning of Life is to Live It

I like that. It's simple, direct, and profound. The Meaning of Life is to Live It.

I spent nearly 20 years in the professions of advertising, marketing, and PR. When I got in the business in the late '80s, it was a heady time. Copywriters were revered. The World Wide Web didn't exist. And ad agencies were still considered the keepers of All Things Creative.

Times have changed.

Today, as I'll tell my university students this fall, advertising is dead. Marketing guru Seth Godin (one of the most brilliant marketing strategists and industry commentators I've ever had the pleasure to read), predicted its demise back in 1999 with his book Permission Marketing. He, quite rightly, wrote that the public suffers a glut of advertising messages -- in fact, he puts the number around 3,000 messages per day -- and can no longer pay attention to them. In short, the public has tuned out advertising.

Can you blame them? One can't go into a bathroom, walk through a grocery store, drive down the road, turn on the radio or TV, or even open one's mail without being encouraged to buy something. Godin calls such advertising, "Interruption marketing" because it attempts to interrupt one's thoughts and gain one's attention. It doesn't work.

Therefore, in an attempt to break through the clutter, advertisers increased the number of messages, finding ever more "clever" ways to get an ad in front of someone's face. What happened is the public tuned out even more. It's a vicious circle.

Clients, frantic to find the silver bullet that would get the public to buy their products and services, jettisoned ad agencies in search of other agencies. Finally, tiring of having to pay exorbitant sums to agencies with no tangible ROI, clients turned to freelance writers, designers, and PR pros. Agencies responded by thinning their ranks. Or closing their doors.

Years ago, I realized this was a zero sum game. Or, to borrow the words of WOPR, the military computer in the classic 1983 movie WarGames, "The only winning move is not to play." I stopped playing.

Or, more precisely, I learned how to play as I used to. As a kid. I made the decision to -- as corny as it sounds -- pursue my passion: the Arts. Music, theatre, movies, painting, writing, photography, and literature. All of it. Just dive in and let it wash over me.

So, a few years ago, I created PurpleCrayon Direct, which is the perfect way to combine my nearly two decades of experience in advertising, marketing, and PR with my passion for the Arts.

And you know what? I've never been happier. Now I work with people I greatly admire, doing things I truly enjoy doing. Good-by Fortune 500. Hello, starving artist. PurpleCrayon has been a lot of fun.

Ultimately, that's exactly what PurpleCrayon Direct is all about -- allowing me to live my life to the fullest by helping others discover the joy in living theirs.

The Meaning of Life is to Live It.

It doesn't get any simpler than that.

Would I ever return to the advertising world? Maybe. Depends on the opportunity. If I greatly admire the work produced by an agency, I may consider returning to being an adcat. Certain cities are interesting to me, too. Chicago, for example. I think that may be my favorite U.S. city, along with St. Louis, Boston, New York, Denver/Boulder, and Milwaukee. If an opportunity arises from one of those places, I may take a hard look. Until then, nah. I'll stay where I am.

Living life.

2007-07-16T14:26:00.000-05:00

ANNOUNCING A VERY SPECIAL PROJECT: PHILIP MICHAEL THOMAS' AUTOBIOGRAPHY!

During the course of my work with Mr. Thomas regarding his official web site, I realized that the information I was collecting could be used for the Miami Vice co-star's official life story as well. So I posed the possibility to him. After thinking it over, he agreed. Enthusiastically.

So he and I are are now working on two projects together: His official web site, and his autobiography.

I'm thrilled to be part of this extraordinary man's life. I'm honored I was chosen to help him write his life story in book form. And I'm awed by the spiritual and emotional insights working with him has brought to me. He's a remarkably talented man, and I can't wait to give the world a peek into his highly creative mind.

Or, as PMT would say, "'I'm having Fun with a capital F!"

I'll post updates from time to time. Watch this web site, as well as the entertaining Miami-Vice fan site, for news.

2007-07-03T08:21:00.001-05:00

UPDATES

I am still hard at work with actor/musician/producer Philip Michael Thomas to create his official web site. His production of the enchanting musical Sacha on Broadway opened last month in Florida. By all accounts it was an unforgettable, magical, uplifting experience.

Currently, Mr. Thomas and I are contacting people that I need to interview from his 40+ years in the entertainment business. We're also working to assemble an exclusive collection of photos, interviews, and other memorabilia that will the talk of the town.

My goal with Mr. Thomas' web site is to create something that mirrors his personality. He's a very energetic, uplifting guy. He loves people and is enthusiastic about life. Therefore, my strategy is to create a site that's simple, elegant, interactive, loaded with exclusive content, and brimming over with enthusiasm. So the web site's design is secondary to its content.

Depending on how quickly content can come together, I hope to have the site launched by early Fall.

In other news...

Everwood, the highly-regarded Hungarian progressive metal band, has hired me to be their North American Marketing & Promotions Manager. Part of my job will be to help them land a new record contract, seek greater distribution, suggest edits for their web site and MySpace page, edit their marketing communications, and make inroads for them in the U.S.

Koncz "Balu" Balázs, Everwood's lead singer, is a very nice guy. And the band is one of the most talented I've encountered in a while. They have a bright future ahead of them. I'm honored to be part of it.

In other news...

I am writing two screenplays -- one is a romantic comedy with a supernatural twist, and the other is an adaptation of my favorite childhood books -- affectionately known as the "Trick Books" -- written by the late Scott Corbett. I'm taking the title of my movie from the first book in the series: The Lemonade Trick. I hope to have that script completed by this Fall.

In other news...

I am in the process of transcribing and editing my interviews for the Atlanta music festival ProgPower USA. Last year, for ProgPower USA VII, I interviewed all the bands appearing at the world-famous music fest and posted the interviews on Notes From The Other Side. This year, for PPUSA VIII, I will post my interviews on Dark Rhapsody. I created both sites just for my ProgPower interviews.

This has been an extremely busy time for me and PurpleCrayon Direct!

2007-03-24T14:26:00.000-05:00

PURPLECRAYON DIRECT GRANTED PERMISSION TO CREATE MIAMI VICE CO-STAR'S OFFICIAL WEB SITE

I doubt there's a person alive who doesn't remember the groundbreaking TV show Miami Vice.

For five seasons, Sonny Crockett (Golden Globe winner Don Johnson) and Rico Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) ruled the airwaves with cars, clothes, music, and attitudes cooler than cool.

I was -- and still am -- a big fan of the show.

So I am pleased to announce that I have just been granted permission to create the official Philip Michael Thomas web site!

I kid you not. Mr. Thomas' manager called me last night. She told me he is thrilled with my request to create his official web site. She also told he'll be calling me soon to chat about it. There may even be an in-person meeting in the offing.

I can't tell you how excited I am about this. Few shows have ever been as cool as Miami Vice. And few actors were ever more suave than Philip Michael Thomas. He and Don Johnson ate up the screen during their tenure as Miami's hippest vice cops. I've been a fan of Mr. Thomas' for over 20 years.

I don't really know what else to say other than, "Wow." This is an opportunity of a lifetime. I'm assuming it'll take a couple of months to get his site up and running. But I'll be sure to let everyone know when it's done.

Philip Michael Thomas. Rico Tubbs himself. Man. Somebody pinch me.

2007-02-02T09:48:00.000-05:00

RETURN TO PROGPOWER USA

It's official!

I've just been granted permission to again be the official behind-the-scenes reporter for ProgPower USA in Atlanta, October 4-6.

Last year, it took me six months to create a web site, interview all of the bands appearing at PPUSA VII, transcribe the interviews, and post them. But it was a joy.

For ProgPower USA VIII, I'm creating a new web site for this year's band interviews and photos (on-stage and backstage). Once the first interview is posted, I'll post the link to it. Right now, it's just a shell that I'm slowly adding to.

I love ProgPower USA. The line-up of bands is always outstanding. This year is no exception:

Sonata Arctica (Finland)
After Forever (Holland)
Pagan's Mind (Norway)
Redemption (U.S.)
Virgin Steele (U.S.)
Raintime (Italy)
Primal Fear (Germany)
Threshold (United Kingdom)
Firewind Greece)
Communic (Norway)
Vanden Plas (Germany)
Freak Kitchen (Sweden)

What that list represents is literally the finest bands in the genre from around the world.
If you're into music of that kind, there's truly no finer music festival in the U.S., perhaps in the world. Glenn Harveston, the festival's organizer, does a first-class job all the way. The venue is great. The bands are remarkable. And the people you meet along the way are some of the coolest around.

Tickets go on sale in a month or so. Keep your eye on the ProgPower USA web site as well as Ticketmaster.

2006-10-12T09:34:00.000-05:00

PURPLECRAYON WEB SITE TO FEATURE PODCASTS

Watch for a major update soon to the PurpleCrayon web site! I'm excited to announce that I'll be adding podcasts that feature advertising/marketing news, book reviews, interviews, etc.

Also, watch for new blog posts this week, including the Top 10 questions to ask and answer before going into business...or before contacting PurpleCrayonDirect.com.

Keep Purple!

Back to PurpleCrayonDirect.

2006-08-22T12:10:00.000-05:00

NOTES FROM THE OTHER SIDE

This has been a busy summer. We spent the bulk of it interviewing musicians from all over the world who will appear at ProgPowerUSA VII this fall in Atlanta and then posting the interviews on my Notes From The Other Side web site.

I'm also working on my screenplay based on the series of children's books that meant so much to me when I was growing up.

Plus, I'm considering taking on the role of manager for a promising local progressive metal band.

In short, lots is happening at PurpleCrayon.

One thing that hasn't been happening is the transcription of my interviews with members of King Crimson and posting them on the superb ProjeKction web site. That, I'll get back to ASAP now that my interviews for ProgPower USA are finished.

Well, almost finished. I have a few more "surprise" interviews to conduct, including an interview with one of the world's most popular CD booklet cover artists. This guy is an Artist with a capital A.

More info to come.

Keep Purple!

Return to PurpleCrayon Direct.

2006-05-30T11:42:00.000-05:00

RELAX. THINK ARBYS. MOVE FORWARD. BOLDLY. UGH...

When I'm not listening to music, or interviewing musicians who make the music I listen to, I'm director of marketing and public relations for a non profit organization in Grand Rapids.

I've logged nearly 20 years in the profession of advertising and marketing, working with Fortune 500 companies here and there, as well as Mom & Pop shops.

Suffice to say I've learned a few things along the way.

One of those things is about branding -- currently the marketing phrase du jour, granted. But an important term nonetheless.

Simply put, branding is nothing more than the relationship a business has with its customers. A strong brand is one that customers repeatedly choose, even if the product or service sold is more expensive than competitor's productions or services.

Why am I writing about brands?

Because nothing bugs me more than seeing an advertising agency rip off its clients by telling them that a brand is a new, clever logo and even cleverer tagline. Their rationale? If you display it, they will come. Baloney. I hate most of the taglines I see on TV these days. They mean nothing. They're feel-good catch phrases that are as fleeting as the spring season in Michigan.

Example: Arbys. I'm thinking Arbys.

Say what? Of course you're thinking Arbys. That's the name of the restaurant. You're only thinking Arbys because you just said Arbys. Arbys. I'm thinking Arbys. Ugh.

Example: Centennial Wireless. Relax.

Relax? Are they selling mattresss? Sleeping pills?

Example: Toyota. Moving Forward.

Huh? Shouldn't a car do that without having to stake its claim that it's able to do that?

Example: Subaru. Think. Feel. Drive.

Very clumsy attempt to encapsulate the decision-making process customers go through when considering to buy a product or service. Some think. Some feel. Some do both if the purchase warrants it.

Example: Sprint. Yes You Can.

Yes you can what? Yes you can choose a cellular company with more imagination than that?

Example: Cinguluar Wireless. Raising the Bar.

Frankly, I think someone spent a little too much time at the bar when she came up with that one.

Example: Ford Motor Company. Bold Moves.

What in the heck is that -- the mantra of a desparate man in a singles bar? Something Mr. Miyagi taught Daniel-san in The Karate Kid movies? Dude, I don't want a car that's built on bold moves. I want one that sips gas, is environmentally friendly, and is safe as a mother's womb.

A tagline should be as descriptive of a company as possible, telling people at a glance what product or service the company delivers. It should be unique to that company, applicable to no other. If a tagline can be removed from one company and slapped under the logo of another, it has failed to be unique to that company. Try that with the taglines above. You can do that with every single one except for the Arbys tagline. But that's not because the Arbys tagline is good. It's because it uses the name of the company in the tagline.

Logos and taglines do not increase business. (Well, that's not entirely true. They increase business for the advertising agencies selling logos and taglines.)

What does build brands, increase business, and make company owners and stake holders wealthy? Simply this: Provide a remarkable product or service, at a fair price, and treat your customers as if they're worth their weight in gold.

That's it. That's the secret to success in today's wicked world. If you want to strenthen your company, start with a remarkable product or service. Then excel at customer service. Treat your customers as kings and queens. With plenty of respect. Let your customer service be so astounding that your customers do the advertising for you. Let them tell the world (at least, the world they encounter in their day to day lives) how good you are.

How can music groups, artists, sculptors, playwrights, etc., apply this thinking?

First, be remarkable. Be extraordinarily talented. Unique. Then keep in constant contact with your fans, clients or customers. Treating their fans/customers with respect. Go out of your way to reach out to them. Acknowledge their role in helping you succeed. Do something special for them now and then. MySpace.com is a great vehicle for doing that. So are Forums on band web sites. Or blogs on Artist web sites. So is (whenever possible) rubbing elbows with fans after a performance. Or hosting a seminar, autograph signing, or painting exhibition.

In short, by being remarkable.

If you're a company, and you're going to create a logo, make it the greatest, most easily recognized logo the world has ever seen. Make it as unique as special as your company is. If you're going to create a tagline to go with your logo, make it say something unique about you -- what you do, who you are, and (most importantly) what you can do for your customers/clients/fans.

Advertising is not rocket surgery. It's just common sense applied to the marketplace. It's doing what businesses used to do 40 years ago. It's applying the Golden Rule to customer service. It's thinking as if your business is in downtown Mayberry and Barney is about to walk into your shop at any moment.

Try it sometime. Pay attention to the taglines you see and hear every day. See if they make sense to you. Then see if you can swap one for another, putting tagline A into Slot B under company logo C. If you can do that without changing what you perceive to be the company's key product or service, you've just discovered for yourself how awful today's crop of taglines are.

Keep Purple!

Back to PurpleCrayon Direct.

2006-05-29T08:05:00.000-05:00

"WE WANT TO BRING METAL FOOD TO A STARVING NATION," SAYS VERONICA FREEMAN OF BENEDICTUM

Presenting Part Three of My Exclusive Three-Part Interview With Benedictum

Even now, after dozens (if not hundreds) of listens, I still find something fun, fresh, and catchy about Benedictum's debut album Uncreation. For example: the album’s huge guitar sound, Veronica’s powerful, soaring vocals, the pristine production quality, the covers of Dio’s Sabbath-era masterpieces "Heaven and Hell" and "Mob Rules"...right down to the cover art. Uncreation is an amazing achievement in the annals of debut albums from metal bands.

This final installment of my exclusive interview picks up immediately where Part Two left off. Enjoy!

VF: I wanna be in front of people that get it. And Italy gets is, you know? Europe gets it, for the most part.

BM: Speaking of classic rock, what was it like for you to read that story about yourself in that magazine?

VF: [laughs] Which one are you referring to?

BM: The Classic Rock magazine with the, let’s see here, you’re on page --

VF: The picture with the motorcycle?

BM: Yeah.

VF: I loved it!

BM: Was that good?

VF: I cracked up. That was the first. I had done some phone interviews, and that was a phone interview, but that one was written in a different con...it was the first time I thought, like, not in a question and answer format. So they took some of the things I said, they took a lot of liberties with it.

BM: I can imagine.

VF: But it’s so funny, ’cause when I read it, I rolled! I thought it was great! I just thought it was just a great thing. I was so thrilled with it. And I may… I think with that one…is that the one where they put the little thing with the Dio worship in it?

BM: Yeah. [laughs]

VF: [laughs]

BM: Yeah, there’s a --

VF: You gotta love that!

BM: Oh yeah.

VF: You know, yeah. Well, coming to a high-heeled boot emporium near you?

BM: Yeah. [laughs]

VF: You gotta love that! And I just thought, you know what, you get it. It’s like, a joke. I’m not meant to be a joke or anything, but I mean, it’s like they were having fun with who I was in the right way, you know? So, it was like, wow, this chick’s great, and all this kind of stuff, and the band’s great, and let’s have fun with them. And let’s just enjoy them. And that’s what we want to be about. Just enjoy the music, have a good time, you know?

BM: [laughs] Hey, let me ask you just two questions, and I’ll let you get back to everything here. I appreciate your time. The first one is, are you guys playing a lot of gigs right now in San Diego?

VF: No. I’m not gonna lie to you, we’re not. I am focused on getting this store opened, ’cause it’s a store that, you know, I’m dealing with the city and permits and fire and hazmat and everything else, and everybody’s doing their thing. We knew that our target market was going to be Europe at first, and we are hoping, we’re hoping there’s going to be a place for us at the table here in the states. Because now, you being one of them, I’m just now getting a lot of inquiries from the States, but it took a while to even get that. And, but I dream big. So I’m hoping that we’ll start a new revolution over here. You know, for us and for other people. ’Cause there’s a lot of bands out there that are playing really good stuff. And it’s like I said, it’s about money.

BM: Well, I can tell you, Michigan might not be the warmest state, but this is a metal state. There are a couple of venues here, one in Detroit and one in Grand Rapids, that host metal bands constantly. I mean --

VF: You think they’d like us?

BM: Oh yeah. What day is this, Friday? Just this past Wednesday night, Opeth and Devil Drive and a bunch of bands just played in Grand Rapids.

VF: Really?

BM: The place was packed. I mean, absolutely packed.

VF: Well, what I’ll do is, I’m gonna forward you...I just got the information on our U.S. promoter. I just got it yesterday. And our album released here on the 14th. Well this is the third? I’m just now finding out- I already knew coming off the bat, that the US promotion was- that they didn’t have a whole lot of roots over here. So, but I’m glad they have something going over here. I have not dealt with it. So I don’t want to in any way undermine them, I’m just saying, I didn’t even know who they were until a couple days ago. So I’m gonna forward them to you, and maybe you can contact them and say, “Hey, what about --

BM: I can give them, yeah, I can give them the names of four or five likely venues in just Michigan alone that would host you guys.

VF: Ok! I’m all for it! Is it really cold? [laughs]

BM: Well, right now it is. It’s only 20 degrees here, man!

VF: Ok, what is your definition of cold? Is it 20 degrees or --

BM: 20 degrees is cold, you know?

VF: Ok, well, we need to talk about this. [laughs]

BM: Well, it’s not that way year round! If you come here in May or June you’ll be fine.

VF: Well how warm does it get?

BM: Well in July and August, it gets to be --

VF: 25 degrees? [laughs]

BM: [laughs] No! 80 or 90, babe, let me tell you!

VF: Ooh, don’t break out the suntan lotion! [laughs]

BM: Yeah, we don’t get a lot of sun here, but it gets hot.

VF: You have no idea how much I would love to do something like that. I wanted to say I -- WE would love to do something like that. It’s not about just me. Hello?

BM: Well, Grand Rapids here, where Opeth played, I was surprised there were that many- the place was packed.

VF: Was it!

BM: It’s a pretty good-sized venue and, yeah, we’re kinda starved for that stuff here. So --

VF: We want to bring metal food to a starving nation.

BM: Well -- [laughs]

VF: [laughs]

BM: That’s a great quote, you’d better write that down.

VF: Wasn’t that good? YOU better write it down!

BM: [laughs]

VF: Yeah, we want to bring metal food, metal sustenance, to a starving nation.

BM: That’s perfect!

VF: [laughs]

BM: [laughs]

VF: And I really mean that. I know, from the shows that I’ve done here, whether it be with Malady or this band or whatever, after the show, people will come up and go, “Where have you been, oh my god.” You know, male or female. It kinda transcended the male/female thing? That’s why I get a lot of questions about, “How do you feel about being a woman?” It has really so seldom been about that. It has at times. But the majority of it hasn’t been about male/female. It’s been about the music that we play. And, “Oh my god, you guys really rock, but it’s not like the death thing or, you know, being a loner.”

BM: I really cannot stand...I can’t think of anything that takes less talent than to play that sort of death speed metal stuff. That’s crap.

VF: I’m not gonna speak to that.

BM: [laughs]

VF: But all I can say is for my own...I’m just not. Because everybody has the right to do their thing.

BM: Oh sure.

VF: And I really mean that. But, I mean, it’s just not MY thing. And so, you know, I mean, people in the band that have their own influences, and so, we gotta when we come to the table, we gotta stick with what’s working for Benedictum. And if you want to get your ya ya’s out doing something else, that’s fine too. You know? But I just -- it’s almost like a starving for it. I’m a very, a person that really feeds on energy, more so than anything else. So I feel people. I know this probably sounds weird to you, but I just do.

BM: No, I know.

VF: You know what I’m saying? So I get off the stage and people come up to me and they’re like, almost like in tears. I don’t know how to explain it. “Oh my god, you’re so rad.” I’m not that rad, but ok, that’s great. But, “You’re so rad, I haven’t heard anything like this in a long time.” But it’s not about, later on it goes into, “You being a chick it’s even better.” But it’s like, “Oh my god, you’re singing this kind of music that I really love. “ And this is from people that are like, half my -- well, not half my age, but a lot younger than me, or just like, oh, like you said, they’re starved for it. And they haven’t heard anything like this in a long time. And I get this a lot from the UK. And it’s like, I wanna get there so bad, and feed them. [laughs]

BM: [laughs] A metal missionary. That’s great.

VF: I’m on a metal mission to feed the world.

BM: [laughs]

VF: [laughs] To save the world from metal starvation.

BM: [laughs]

VF: [laughs] Oh god, that’s a quote, isn’t it? The band’s gonna KILL me! But you know what I’m saying, I’m like the Mother Theresa of metal. [laughs]

BM: [laughs] Man, you’re talking in quotes. I gotta be writing this down.

VF: You should be! You’re not?

BM: I’m taping it, so I’ve got it all.

VF: Oh god, that’s even worse. Oh god! [laughs]

BM: Well listen, I’ll ask you one more thing. And I think I can guess the answer. But, in 2005, you said you were at one of the lowest points of your whole life.

VF: Yes, I did.

BM: Where are you now? Is this like, you’re the happiest you’ve ever been? Or you’re on the verge of that? Or what are you feeling right now?

VF: I feel relief. I feel relief from the absolute crushing depression that I had in 2005. The first week of 2006, and I know this sounds really silly, but it to me was an omen. I get this e-mail, like, on New Year’s Day, from, was it DNX radio. which is an online radio thing, and someone -- long story short -- someone from MySpace said, “I think you’re really beautiful, why don’t you submit some of your pictures to the ‘Babe of the Week’ for some web radio thing”. And I was kind of laughing, I got on there, and these girls are like, so beautiful. And I’m like, I don’t even, you know. I’m not even, don’t even look like that. And they got back to me and said, “Congratulations, you’re gonna be the first ‘Babe of the Week’ for 2006.” And I kinda thought to myself, this is gonna be a good year.

BM: [laughs]

VF: [laughs] And I read my horoscope and I had my full-on chart done, and it was like, this is gonna be a year where things start happening for you, and you can define your future from this point. And you know, I believe that. Not just because, you know, the horoscope thing, but I’m seeing that. And it’s been a rough -- 2005 was -- there were days when I didn’t want to wake up. That’s how bad it was. I just didn’t wanna draw my next breath. I don’t mean to get that personal with you, but I don’t know how to express how bad it was. And I just felt like -- yet that was also -- that’s why I think it’s ironic that the song “Heaven and Hell” is on the album. Because 2005 was indeed heaven and hell. It was the year that I recorded this album on Creation. Well, the band recorded it, but for me on a personal basis that I recorded, you know. But I had Jeff Pilson draw out of me things that I never thought I could do. That things were presented to me -- if you look at it in retrospect, I think, oh my god, the synchronicity of things, that this person came into my life at this time. And this person happened to be in San Diego at this time. And this person said, “You need to listen to this.” And I had a chance to be in a Judas Priest tribute band. And it was like, an all female Judas Priest band. I’m like, “But I’m not even...my register’s not, I can’t even do that stuff.” And if you’d known what I’ve done before, you’d understand that the stuff I did on this Uncreation album with the high-pitched screams? That was relatively, let’s see, I did that in the last month before the recording. I’d never done that before. I never thought I could do it. And it was, the manager that we have now said, “You need to listen to this.” He turned me on to this song called Defenders of Creation by a San Diego band called Warrior. And they’re awesome. I’m sure you probably heard of them.

BM: Not really.

VF: But their lead vocalist is absolutely flawless. And his voice was so fantastic, I was inspired by it, and so I would try to sing it like he did. And all of a sudden I was finding I could push out these really weird screams and stuff. So I went to Jeff, I said, “Jeff I want to try something different.” Because we’d already done like, maybe half the songs on the album at that point. And I said, “I wanna try something.” I said, “Don’t laugh if it doesn’t come out right, but I’m able to do these little scream things.” And it ended up being part of the album. And it ends up being now, a lot of what I’m getting -- I don’t want to say recognition for -- but comments on.

BM: Well I think it’s cool!

VF: Really?

BM: Yeah, I thought it was great.

VF: It’s new to me.

BM: Well, you know, Halford doing “Green Manalishi,” you know.

VF: Yeah!

BM: Those kinds of notes, you don’t hear anymore. Especially from guys. So I like that sort of thing. I thought that was kind of, really cool on the album.

VF: Good, I’m glad you like it. ’Cause it’s not the easiest thing to do, because for me. I don’t know how it is for anybody else, but for me, I have to go to a completely different place to get there. And I’ve never had any vocal training. Well, that’s not true. But the vocal training I’ve had would have made me sing a completely different type of music. I would be doing Celine Dion stuff or something. [laughs]

BM: [laughs]

VF: I went to an operatically trained person.

BM: Really?

VF: Yeah. And for a while, and they were like, “Oh my god, your voice is so powerful. You have one of the most…” you can tell by my speaking voice, I’m probably blowing your ears out. But, I have a loud voice. I don’t mean it to be that way, it’s not necessarily that gruff, really rough style, but when I sing, it really comes out. It’s very loud and powerful. And so, they didn’t speak a whole lot of English. They were from Mexico City, opera singers from Mexico City. And so, what they came out with, “You are like wild animal” [laughs] --

BM: [laughs]

VF: -- “That needs to be tamed. You’re a wild animal.” And I’m like, ok. And then, recently, last year, one of the highlights of last year, was I got to go to Korea as a job, as a like, liaison with a band, which was a female AC/DC tribute, called -- it wasn’t AC/DC. It was Whole Lotta Rosies.

BM: Oh yeah.

VF: And, yeah, you had to believe I was eating my heart out, ’cause while they’re singing and up there, and I’m just like, making all the arrangements, I’m thinking, god, I wanna be up there doing it. But they were beautiful and wonderful and all that kind of stuff. And one of the -- the lead singer for that band is also a vocal coach. So we talked, and I told her, you know, I told her what I did when I sing, and that I really sing really guttural and all this kind of stuff. And she’s all, “Oh, you’re not going to be able to do that for very long.”

BM: [laughs]

VF: Basically, she goes, “Probably, to be real honest with you, what I would teach you is, you know, to probably undo everything you’re doing right now. So if you want to continue singing the way you do, you probably want to keep doing what you’re doing and not have any lessons. ’Cause any professional is going to teach you to sing completely the opposite of what you’re doing it.” I’m like, thank you. [laughs]

BM: [laughs]

VF: You know, I mean, she’s like, “You’re not going to be able to do that, ’cause you’ll burn out.” And that’s one of my fears, is when I get my, what I call, quote unquote, metal voice, you know, it’s -- I don’t always sing with that really hard core, gruff type of thing.

BM: I hope not!

VF: No. I’m not -- I know, it’s probably why I’m single. People get scared. [laughs]

BM: [laughs] No, it’s just-

VF: Can you imagine getting in an argument with me? If I put on the metal voice? You’d lose! You know? [laughs]

BM: [laughs]

VF: But you know, what can I say?

BM: Well let me ask you one more thing. You mentioned reading your horoscope. Do you really believe that? What sign are you? I hate to even ask --

VF: Sagittarius.

BM: Are you really? Ok.

VF: Double Taurus. Sagittarius with a double Taurus. Taurus ascended, Taurus moon.

BM: I’m like a complete, pure Gemini.

VF: Ooh.

BM: Start to finish. [laughs]

VF: Are you really?

BM: Oh, if you read the description on me, and everything about it is exactly me.

VF: I subscribe to this thing -- ok cat? My cat is on my lap now.

BM: Really?

VF: My cat is my -- you have to mention my cat in whatever you do, ’cause --

BM: I’ve got a cat you wouldn’t believe.

VF: What kind of cat do you have?

BM: It’s a Scottish fold.

VF: Is that like the really cool kind with the folded up ears?

BM: Yeah, the round --

VF: Oh, you’ve got one of those?

BM: I’ll send you a jpeg of him.

VF: Yes, you will. [laughs]

BM: [laughs]

VF: Don’t make me get my metal voice on. [laughs]

BM: [laughs]

VF: Wow, I’ve got a cat that I got through -- she’s the love of my life, and she’s sitting on my lap right now, totally, like interrupting everything I’m doing. But that’s what she normally does. And, um, she owns the house.

BM: Oh yeah.

VF: She’s got the mortgage in her name. [laughs]

BM: [laughs]

VF: But she’s been my best buddy through all this crap. So are you going to write something nice about me?

BM: Yes, of course. I’ll just have you say what you’ve been saying. It’s very good.

VF: Yeah well...That could be scary.

BM: [laughs] No, I appreciate your time, I really do.

VF: I appreciate yours! Hello?

BM: You know what, do have me get in touch with your promoter, ’cause I know a lot of places you guys could play around here.

VF: Ok, what I’ll do is this, I’m getting back on my computer as we speak, ok, so I’m going to take you, and I’m going to forward it to my manager. Do you have, like a number? Did you ever give me your number?

BM: Sure. I’ll give it to you now. [Reads off telephone number.] Well hey, you have a good evening. And keep in touch, would you please?

VF: No, you promised me that. You’ve been really wonderful, I appreciate that. And I’m going to forward your info to my manager. But please, by all means, if you have someone that’s interested, we’d love it.

BM: Well, you’ve got it. I’d love to help bring you guys here, how’s that?

VF: You gotta give me an extra blanket. [laughs]

BM: [laughs] Just don’t come now, you wouldn’t like it at all.

VF: I’ll get over it. I was in Chicago. Chicago’s not bad.

BM: No, it’s not. All right, girl.

VF: It was snow on the ground, I really freaked out. I thought it was really cool.

BM: [laughs]

VF: I had just missed the big snowstorm they had, so it was actually quite beautiful. When we touched down it was like this nice blanket of snow. And the storm had passed and it was like blue skies, and it wasn’t that bad. It was like 43 degrees?

BM: Oh wow.

VF: That was cool. I was like, walking around thinking I was all that in my little t-shirts and everyone was like, “What’s wrong with you?” I thought I was looking great, so it’s all good. But do keep in touch, honey. And much success to you.

BM: I will. Thank you so much. Same to you.

VF: Thank you. Ok, take care of yourself.

BM: Bye, now.

VF: Bye.

And so ends my interview with Veronica Freeman of Benedictum. I hope this has given you a glimpse into Veronica’s personality, creative thought process, and professional background. I don’t know about you, but I always appreciate music more when I know the hard work that went into creating it.

Thank you, Veronica, for your time. Good luck to you and your band. Hope to see you out this way sometime!

Keep Purple!

Back to PurpleCrayonDirect.

2006-04-30T12:12:00.000-05:00

PRESENTING PART TWO OF MY EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH BENEDICTUM VOCALIST VERONICA FREEMAN

The more one listens to Benedictum’s freshman release, Uncreation, the more fascinating it gets. There’s a lot going on in this CD. The guitars are big, the vocals are bigger, and the production is bigger still. It’s a tremendous accomplishment that only gets more exciting with every listen. In concert, this band will blow away all competitors.

Veronica Freeman, Benedictum’s vocalist and lyricist, is an articulate woman with diverse interests, curiosity about the world around her, and no fear about speaking her mind.

This is Part Two of a three part interview conducted in early March.

Enjoy!

VF: And “Them,” with this little lovely lyric, was actually when I was working at another establishment, and was in a position where I felt that I was being very attacked. And the boss that I had a the time, who is very, very -- we still are very close friends -- at that time felt like I was just being a hysterical woman. And I was like, “No, you’re really being deceived here. These people are doing this and that,” and it was just this, you know, work drama. So I was so mad that I just, I had to get it out somehow, so I wrote the song. I mean, it’s not about -- and people are thinking yeah, it’s the obligitory, “I’m some tough woman in metal.” If it wouldn’t have been for the men in my life, I wouldn’t be here, so I’m like, “What are you talking about? You know?” So let me set the record straight on that.

BM: What about the other tunes? What about Wicca? Is that a subject matter you’re interested in or is it just --

VF: Very much so!

BM: Really?

VF: I’m a very spiritual person. And I, you know, I don’t want to get on my soapbox. Anything in history -- present, past, future, whatever --that I just feel that we should…that we’re spiritual entities and as such, should be, feel pretty free to express ourselves. So the deal with that song was the same boss, who, like I said is still one of my good friends to this day, was in a phase of his life where he was into -- he was actually practicing Wicca and that stuff. So he had a book that he was reading, which was a nonfiction book, by the way, and it had some letters of people that had been persecuted as witches. One of the letters was from a father to his daughter. And the daughter’s name happened to be Veronica, which really freaked me out. And he read it to me. And the letter was so profound, it was like, it described his torture, it described what they did to him, how they would lift him up at the top of a makeshift ladder, so to speak, and just drop him to the ground, you know, breaking bones or whatever. And the whole deal was the same deal that it always was: you need to confess to being a witch. And you also need to confess that your neighbor, so and so, is also a witch. And if you don’t, you’re gonna die. You’re gonna die anyway, but at least you can die with a clean soul. [laughs]

BM: [laughs]

VF: And that stuff just blows my mind. And so he was trying, apparently he was able to smuggle a letter out, of some sort, to his daughter. “You know what? Don’t even try to come here. This is probably the last time you’re ever going to hear from me. You know, I love you, just go. Cuz they’ll probably come for you too.” And it was just, that’s what that song is about. It was only Wicca, you know. It was an ancient ritual, loving the earth and all that stuff. And you can put your twist on it or whatever, but the bottom line was, a lot of people, if you really look at the historical content of it, it was a lot about depriving women and a lot of other people of their property. It was about money. [laughs] You know, and the church and all that stuff back in the day. Didn’t mean to just blow you off the platform there. But, you know…

BM: No, that’s perfectly okay. I have a wide variety of interests as well, so I’m just soaking this up, you know. I enjoy listening to you talk about it. So it doesn’t freak me out or anything. It’s --

VF: Ok, Sorry.

BM: No, no problem.

VF: [laughs] That’s great.

BM: Well, how do you then...you’re a spiritual person. You sound like a very intelligent person.

VF: Thank you.

BM: Very emotional. Romantic, even. How does this then fit with the stereotypical view of a metal chick in a band? Do you find any discrepancy with that?

VF: Well, whose view is that?

BM: Well, look at how -- well, look at how you were talking about the lyrics to that song, the obligatory tough metal chick sort of lyrics. Do you feel like you are yourself when you sing these songs and you’re on stage and all that?

VF: Yeah.

BM: Or is there a part of you that’s not showing?

VF: Who am I gonna be?

BM: Well, that’s a good question.

VF: So, I mean, that doesn’t equate with me, because of the diversity of the songs. I mean, if you really -- and so I throw it back to you. I know you just got the CD. I mean, listen to the lyrics. They are what they are. It comes from the depth of my experience, whether it be something I picked up upon, like the article in the book, for example, or one of my fascinations being the macabre, you know, the serial killer thing, or whatever. But I put my own twist to it, because I often think, “God, what an awful thing.” I think of these people and what they’ve been through. I’m a very empathetic person. So you know, I don’t even think about the metal chick thing. I mean, what is a metal chick?

BM: [laughs]

VF: To me that’s like, what’s that? Is there a metal dude? I mean...[laughs]

BM: [laughs]

VF: I mean, it’s just a person that happens to be singing this.

BM: Well, there’s a “metal god”; there’s Rob Halford, if that matters. [laughs]

VF: Okay. Well, good for him, I mean. And more power to him. I mean, I just, I don’t --

BM: Well, you gotta admit though, look at your persona. Look at these photos, like the cover of the metal magazine here. There’s a certain look that you’re portraying, that’s probably not -- you don’t walk around your hardware store looking like that, right?

VF: Hell, no I don’t. That’s why I laugh at that crap!

BM: [laughs]

VF: I mean, you know, come on! I don’t wake up looking like that, with some thigh-high boots and a bodysuit on!

BM: Sure.

VF: [laughs]

BM: So there is a certain amount of persona though, right?

VF: But whose fault is that?

BM: I don’t know!

VF: I mean, nobody put a gun to my head to take the pictures. However, it was pretty much laid out to me, this is what the promotional plan will be.
BM: Oh sure.

VF: The promotional plan will be a such and such, and then B, once we get it out there. And I don’t fault anybody for it, it’s just rock and roll. It’s metal. Not even rock and roll, it’s metal. There’s not a whole lot of women, I don’t -- no, let me rephrase that -- Ok, there’s not a whole lot of women singing the genre I do, in the way that I do.

BM: That’s true.

VF: I understand that. So, it’s all good. Do you mean- I don’t take that stuff too seriously. Am I thrilled to death when I get a cover of any magazine For me, is a joy. I mean, I look at it and I laugh. I think it’s great.

BM: Yeah.

VF: Do I think, “Oh wow, I’m some metal bitch from hell”? No! [laughs] I mean, come on!

BM: Now, I hope you realize I’m not criticizing anything you’re saying, I’m just asking you questions. [laughs]

VF: I appreciate you asking the questions, and it gives me a chance to give you my perspective of it. Um, I was kind of tentative about the whole thing [her on stage metal persona]. I think it takes a really strong -- I’m gonna go there with this -- I think it takes a really strong bunch of men to be able to back me in this. Does that make sense?

BM: Sure, cause you’re going to upstage everybody.

VF: I don’t mean it that way. What I’m saying is, you know, when I first kind of came on the scene -- although I’d been on the scene for a long time -- when I first got noticed and started doing press stuff, it’s like, “Yeah, we need this image” and stuff like that. And I’m like, “What are you talking about?” And I’m still like, “What are you talking about?” I mean, as long as the product is good, that’s all I care about. If the, if you look at it -- I don’t even know how to put it. Well, I do know how to put it. It’s like, “Ok, you have a can of beans. And it’s a really good can of beans. And you want to put the plain label on it, or you want to put the fancy label on it.” I’m still about the can of beans. I really, and I wanna say I could care less, of course I wanna look good and everything, but that’s not what this is about. You know, I didn’t have a whole lot of control over what the press has done, but nobody put a gun to my head to take the pictures. It was all cool and everything, and all that stuff, but I don’t think of myself as some vixen, rock diva type thing. I think of myself as someone who is having a really good time, singing stuff that she really loves. Now, if everything can come together as a whole, then that’s great. But, you know.

BM: Is there any worry you have -- and I don’t disagree with anything you’re saying -- do you have any concern that maybe some of these sort of vixen-like pictures or some of the press you’re getting will overshadow the music and the band?

VF: I don’t see how it could overshadow it. How could it? I mean, if- ok, there’s either A or B. Either A, you’re going to look at the picture, or whatever it is, the image, quote, unquote, which is so not me anyway – ‘cuz, I mean, really, in just talking to you, I mean, I had a good day, that day, for that photo shoot. [laughs] I had a good day. And I’m like, I have been trying to get my hair to look like that ever since. [laughs]

BM: [laughs]

VF: And I failed miserably. And I’m like, “Wow, you had 15,000 lights shining on your hair and it’s all shiny and you’ve got angled just right.” And I’ve got like a crooked nose, and you can’t tell ‘cuz it’s like, angled right, and it’s like, oh please! And makeup and false eyelashes and all that stuff. So for me, I look at it and go, “Wow!” I’m like, “Wow, that’s really good!” you know what I mean?

BM: [laughs]

VF: So I’m probably more excited about it than anybody else is. I’m like, “Wow, this is cool!” ‘Cuz I don’t look like that. And I’ve had people that know me go, “Wow, oh, that is you,” and I’m like, “Oh, bite me,” you know? I mean, ‘cuz I don’t look like that. I wish I did. I wish I did. If I looked like that, I wouldn’t leave the house! [laughs]

BM: [laughs]

VF: So it’s like, it’s kind of a joke to me. But, however, the whole thing -- um, if I felt that this band was sub-par, or we were like putting out a bad product, or something like, oh, you know, let’s throw some stuff out there, but we got a good-looking chick and we can make it work. But it never was like that. I’m not that good-looking. [laughs] And the bottom line is, we do our thing. I’ve been singing, like I said, for a long time, however, I never got really serious about recording anything and putting it out there. And it wasn’t until Craig [Goldy, guitarist] said, “You’ve GOT to do this, now’s your time”, and so I finally did. And Pete [Wells, guitarist] and I had already talked about wanting to do that before hand, and so everything’s kind of fallen into place. So, you know, I don’t think that -- to answer your question -- if the image is out there, and it gets people to get curious about what Benedictum is, even if it’s only based on the image. If it’s based on the image alone, and they pick up Benedictum, and they like it, that’s a plus. Ok, if they don’t look at the image, and they pick up Benedictum, from word of mouth, through other people that have listened to it and like it, that’s a plus. So it’s a plus plus.

BM: [laughs]

VF: I can’t imagine anybody looking at the pictures and going, “Oh, ok, that’s great, but I won’t listen to it.”

BM: [laughs] That’s true.

VF: You know what I mean? It’s like, if it was a picture, and they listened to it, and the stuff was crap, THEN that would be different. It’s not going to be everybody’s cup of tea. I know that our style is not necessarily, you know, the trend. It’s not the soup, you know, the metal du jour. But, you know what I mean?

BM: [laughs] Sure.

VF: But I gotta go with the stuff that I love. I love that kind of old school kind of stuff, yet I like a modern edge. And so, you put all these different things together, you get Benedictum. And I like it, you know? I don’t think everybody in the world’s going to like it. And it’s not going to be everybody’s flavor of the month. But for those that like more of a classic style, I think it’s different, as far as something that’s thrown out there that’s got a lot of different elements. It’s got some old school, yet it’s got some new edge to it.

BM: See, you’re kind of leading into my next question here

VF: Go for it.

BM: Without even knowing it

VF: Yeah?

BM: See, my background is in advertising and marketing, and I sometimes teach those subjects at a local college. And one thing I always tell the students is, you gotta have a USP. There’s gotta be a unique selling proposition. Every product, every business, has to have a USP. And if I asked you that question, what is Benedictum’s USP? What do you guys do that nobody else can do, or that you do better? What is it about Benedictum that would make somebody want to listen to you anyway? What do you offer that’s unique?

VF: We offer what we do. And that is, to define that is, we take our eclectic volume of influences, and we bring that to the table. I -- that is a good question -- I’m not exactly sure how to answer that. I’ll tell you what’s been told to me from Craig. I’ll take it from Craig, because Craig’s the one that’s pushed me in this direction. I wish he was here, otherwise I’ll kick his ass, cuz it’s like, “Oh, now I need you, you’re not here!” He would always tell me, “Veronica, you’re unique. You have this look, but you sound like a guy, but, and you sing with this power, but you look like this, and you do this and you do that, and then you’ve got Pete.” And Pete’s so incredible, Pete’s one of my guitar heroes, and yada yada- and then, now you’ve got the rest of this band, which -- you know, Craig’s known me for a long time, so he’s heard the stuff that I did with, you know, the other band I was with, and that was all good. And he was like, “Yeah, this is great.” And some of this stuff we morphed into what we’re doing now. But all the elements were there for him to be able to say, “Let me take this to somebody.” So, but he’s always believed in me. I mean, there were long periods of time where I didn’t sing at all. It’s not like I’m surrounded by people who are like, all, like, metal fans. In my life, my particular experience has been most people trying to tell me, “Can you sing something else?” I had the opportunity to do a voice demo to make some serious money! [laughs] I won’t mention any names or anything, but the point being that, “Wow, V, your voice is really good. Let’s do this that and the other thing. I need a voice demo.” But all the stuff I’ve ever done has been metal. And so when they heard it, it’s like, “Can she do anything else but that? Her voice is absolutely…I’ve never heard anything like it. But, can she do it in this genre or that genre?” And I just never have. Craig would always tell me my unique selling point is gonna be being a woman, being a non -- I don’t want to say non-white -- but I’m not white, you know, I’m not skinny and blonde, I mean I, you know, that’s just not me. [laughs]

BM: [laughs]

VF: I mean, you know, I just do what I do. And that’s what he’s always telling me that the selling point would be. Me or the vocals or whatever, and coming from a woman, you know, not being mousey, but being very strong and powerful and that kind of stuff. I mean, I don’t know what else to say, that’s kinda like what’s been told to me. I still feel really uncomfortable with it. Because there’s members of my family that to this day haven’t even heard my album, because they’re just so not into metal.

BM: [laughs]

VF: I mean, it kinda hurts my feelings, other than they’re very proud of me. But they’re like, “Uh”, and I go, “But you’ve never even heard the whole album.” “No, no, well, you know...” They just, they can’t groove with that, you know?

BM: [laughs] Well now that you guys have the album out, what are you finding is your biggest challenge? Is it distribution? Is it airplay? Is it booking? What challenges face you now, as a brand new band?

VF: D. All of the above.

BM: [laughs] Yeah.

VF: Ok? We’re signed to a relatively small label in Europe [Locomotive, based in Spain]. I have to give them their props because for doing that, I am eternally grateful. For a small label in Spain to sign a Southern California band is awesome. It’s great. And the press that we’re getting is Europe is great. I mean, I’m thrilled about it. However, the challenges are, we’re getting, at this point, a lot of press. I mean, I am backed up with I don’t know how many interviews I have to type up.

BM: Type up?

VF: Yeah. Because I’m doing phone interviews every week, but I have a lot of written interviews --

BM: Oh, I see.

VF: -- that I have to do too, for webzines and magazines. And all that stuff is great, but the challenge is getting this band over to Europe. And with a small label -- it costs money to fly us over there. So you have the inhibitive cost factor, which I’m hoping -- I know Locomotive has put a lot of money into our press and promotion. And I am grateful for that, so I don’t want to sound ungrateful. I am hoping that they won’t close the books on it, and I’m hoping they will see that, “Wow, they are getting [lots of press]” I’ve got a few covers here and there. And that’s kind of like, that’s really cool for a new band from San Diego. Please, think about it, in the big picture. So that’s all fine, but I want to get there and be able to promote the album, ‘cuz it just came out in Europe on the 27th of January. So it’s been just a little over a month. And so, we will be going over to Europe in June.

BM: Oh really?

VF: Oh yeah. We’re doing the Gods of Metal in Italy, and I love Italy for it. Because I’ve gotten more -- you know, at this juncture – press in Italy has been good to me. It’s been good to Benedictum.

BM: [laughs]

VF: As well as Europe in general, you know. And Benelux and Belgium and all that stuff, the Netherlands, all that’s been great. And now, the UK is jumping on board too. I’m getting a lot of fan mail from there through the site. I answer every single email. It just means the world to me, you know, ‘cuz I didn’t really expect to be doing this stuff now. And it’s a joy. So I guess my perspective’s a little bit different. Maybe there’s a reason why it didn’t happen for me when I was 19. You know what I mean? So I appreciate it more now ‘cuz I have more bills now. [laughs]

BM: [laughs]

VF: I have a mortgage now, you know? And I don’t have a husband, so that’s out of the picture. I was thinking I was going to have myself taken care of and I’d be able to fly around the world, you know? It’s not like that now.

BM: So what you need in the US then -- well, there is a distributor in the US, right? But being on a small label it’s hard to get into bigger CD stores and whatnot.

VF: I guess we’re going to be in, we’ll be in Tower Records and stuff like that. I mean --

BM: Really?

VF: Yeah! Yeah, I’m just kinda trippin on that. And we have a person, a promoter here in the states whom I have not spoken with yet, and I’m still dealing with, I’m mostly dealing with now, the European promotions. Which is great, which like I said, I’m backed up with that. And after I get off the phone with you I’ve got to finish these other interviews. Which, it’s a joy, it’s just, I’m pretty much the one that does those things. So, you know, it’s an interesting journey. I just didn’t know what to expect, ‘cuz a part of me always wanted this to happen, but the reality and everything involved with it is a little bit different than what you, you know. “Gee, I wanted to have this happen and, you know, this happen.” It’s like, you ask for it, you just might get it. [laughs]

BM: [laughs] So what do you say is your biggest issue or challenge right now, just finding time to do it all?

VF: No. It’s money. I’ll be straight up, it’s money.

BM: Money?

VF: It’s all about money, getting over there, you know, plane tickets, getting over there, staying over there. Hopefully when we get over there, our lodging and everything will be taken care of. And there’s five of us, you know, and not everybody is in the financial position to just pack up and go. But --

BM: How long is the tour?

VF: It’s only like, it’s not -- I guess you’d call it a tour. But right now it’s like, what, 13 days? 10 days?

BM: That’s a tour.

VF: Yeah, it’s a tour. We get over there, you know, we’re still, at this juncture, we’re still waiting for confirmation on some other things. The only other really, really confirmed things are Gods of Metal in Italy, a show in Belgium at the Bebop, and then I think there’s two other shows in the Netherlands. But someone else told me we’re confirmed – ‘cuz I have a lot of people that kind of look out for me, which I think are wonderful, across the ocean and stuff -- but that’s all I know so far. And what we’re working on is hopefully getting, what, Monsters of Rock in the UK?

BM: That would be cool.

VF: Oh my god! You don’t know how bad I want that!

BM: [laughs]

VF: I mean, because, the reason being, just that the type of comments I get from the fans in the UK. They -- Craig used to always say, “It’s going to take someone to get you, Veronica. Once they get you, once they get it, it’ll be on.” And they get it. It’s like, there’s no question about, well what’s up with this woman that sounds like a man, and da da da. It’s like, ok, this is some classic rock, and it’s done a certain way, and it’s really cool, and it’s powerful, and oh my god!

And so ends Part Two. The third and final part will be posted later this week.

In the meantime, buy Benedictum’s CD Uncreation. It’s available at Amazon and, probably, your local CD store. If you don’t see it, ask for it.

Keep Purple!

Back to PurpleCrayon Direct.

2006-03-29T10:50:00.000-05:00

BILL MURPHY GIVEN PERMISSION TO WRITE MOVIE BASED ON BELOVED SERIES OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS

I can't tell you how thrilled I am.

I was just granted exclusive rights to adapt into a screenplay or stageplay one of the most popular and influential series of children's books ever written!

I grew up with these books. They made an indelible impression on me. So much so that five years ago I searched online for each of the 12 books in the series and bought them all in the library binding editions I vividly remember reading as a kid. Little did I know that in the spring of 2006 I'd be given permission to write a movie based on these wondrous books.

Sadly, a couple of weeks ago, Scott Corbett passed away at the age of 92. But I had the privilege of talking to him for about five minutes 10 days before that. What an honor. I actually got to thank him for writing the books that helped shape my life. I'll never forget that evening, just as I never forgot Mr. Corbett's spell-binding books.

The process of adaptation has already begun.

Keep Purple!

Back to PurpleCrayon Direct.

2006-03-29T09:30:00.000-05:00

PRESENTING PART ONE OF MY EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH BENEDICTUM VOCALIST VERONICA FREEMAN!

Veronica Freeman is a rarity in the world of metal. First of all, she’s a woman. Of that, one can make no mistake. One glance at her photos on the Benedictum web site eliminates any question of that. But that’s not what sets her apart. Sure, she has a killer set of pipes and can belt out a song with the best of them. And her band’s debut album has gotten rave reviews around the world – not least of which because of its pristine sound courtesy of producer Jeff Pilson, formerly of Dokken. Or the guitar and keyboards supplied by renowned musicians Jimmy Bain and Craig Goldy, who put in a guest appearance on a few tracks. But that’s not it, either. In my mind, what sets Veronica apart is her down-to-earth genuineness – in spite of the fact that her band is poised on the brink of world-wide success. Has this notoriety gone to her head? See for yourself in Part One of my exclusive three-part interview with Veronica Freeman.

This interview was conducted earlier this month, after I had a chance to listen to a promo (pre-release) copy of Uncreation, Benedictum's astounding debut CD, which Veronica was kind enough to send me. NOTE: Prior to this interview, Veronica and I e-mailed back and forth a few times. So by the time of our interview, we almost felt like we were like old friends. What follows is a word-for-word transcription of our conversation...

VF: Hello?

BM: Hi. Is this Veronica?

VF: Yes.

BM: Hi, this is Bill Murphy.

VF: Oh, no way. What are you doing?

BM: How are you doing?

VF: I’m doing okay. Oh, I’ve had a day. How are you doing?

BM: Doing great. I’ll bet you the weather is a lot better there than it is here, though.

VF: Not necessarily. It’s warmer. Of that I’m sure. But it’s sprinkling. It’s actually been raining outside.

BM: [joking] Really. Yeah, but what’s the temperature?

VF: Well, I don’t want to talk about that, I don’t want to make you feel bad. [laughs]

BM: [laughs]

VF: What’s up, my friend? I finally get to hear to, like, hear your voice and everything.

BM: [laughs] Yeah. This is great. I appreciate your time.

VF: Oh my God. Please. It’s, like, my pleasure.

BM: Hey, this album of yours is great.

VF: Do you like it?

BM: Oh, man. Yeah. [laughs]

VF: You do. Okay.

BM: The guitar sounds are really punchy. I really like them.

VF: Aren’t they awesome?

BM: But they don’t go overboard to that wall-of-sound, sort of indistinct sort of riffing. They’re real riffs. They’re great.

VF: I’m glad to hear you say that. I was, like, real nervous. Like, “Oh, my. Well he’s got the CD now. What if he doesn’t like it?” [laughs]

BM: Yeah, right. [laughs]

VF: I mean, you never know.

BM: Well, I mean, how can you go wrong? I mean [producer Jeff] Pilson? Come on! I grew up with Dokken. So I love that sound. And of course [Jimmy] Bain and [Craig] Goldy. Heck. How can you argue with that?

VF: You can’t. You can’t argue with that. But I wanted to argue with it. [laughs] But that’s just my personality, you know. What can I say? [laughs] We’ll leave it at that.

BM: [laughs] So how was your day? What do you do around there for a day job?

VF: Oh, honey, I am right now in the midst of assisting in the opening of a new hardware store.

BM: Are you really?

VF: Yes. So, it’s huge. The store is 24,000 square feet. I used to be the office manager of another hardware store here in San Diego for about eight years. So I took the time off to do the album. And, of course, the album wasn’t yet paying my bills. So I had to get back to work. I just had a really wonderful circumstance happen where I could work with the owner that’s there now and do something really, really different and start it from the ground up. So I’m dealing with the city, trying to get permits and all that stuff. It’s been really crazy.

BM: So what are you telling me? You’re the manager of a hardware store?

VF: Yeah. It’s not even open yet. I mean, I’m trying to coordinate the trucks coming in with the merchandise and getting forklifts and getting staff and all that stuff. It’s just been real wild. The store is due to open around the second week of April.

BM: So you’re a hardware person?

VF: Well, that’s not my choice. [laughs] It seems to be, like --

BM: Well, you gotta pay the bills, man.

VF: Yeah, you gotta pay the bills, baby, you know. For right now, anyway.

BM: Well, there’s nothing wrong with that.

VF: Yeah, I know. But I’d rather just have the music thing totally, though. That’d be great.

BM: Well, crank out a couple of albums and do some tours and it may happen.

VF: I’m workin’ on it. [laughs]

BM: Let me ask you something about your new album. Pilson, Goldy, Bain. That’s a heck of a line-up for a debut album. How did you guys get so lucky?

VF: Well, I’ve known Craig for a long time. He’s a long time friend of mine. And he’s the one responsible for me even singing at all. As far as this type of music.

BM: Oh really?

VF: Yeah. I never really felt real comfortable with my singing voice. And he was the one that always told me I’d be perfect for metal. And at the time I wasn’t even into metal.

BM: What were you singing before that?

VF: I wasn’t singing anything.

BM: Really?

VF: At the time I knew Craig – I’ve known Craig for, like, 10 or 15 years. So he and I hooked up and he was doing his thing, on his way up to the top, and he was like “you gotta check this stuff out.” And I thought, “Wow. This music is really powerful.” My singing voice is kind of different from my speaking voice. Obviously. [laughs] So we would just hang out. I love him to death. He and I are like – you know, they call people “soulmates” and everything. He and I are like that. We don’t see each other very often. But when we do see each other we don’t miss a beat. So it’s really cool.

BM: How did you meet Craig Goldy?

VF: I’ve known him for, like, a long time. I’ve known him since high school.

BM: Really? It goes back that far?

VF: Yeah, it goes back a long ways. So he was the one that said, “You know, you need to check this stuff out.” I was, like, “Nah. Well okay. Hey, this is kinda cool.” He was the one who encouraged me to keep doing what I do now. We made this pact with each other that whoever made it first would help the other one out. Well, I went on my little life adventure and he did his thing. When it finally came down to it, you know, many many, years later he was in San Diego visiting his family. And he came by and heard what I was doing with this particular band that I have now (minus, you know, some people, but for the most part) and he was, like, “Wow. I need to do something with this.” He heard some of our rehearsals tapes. He took it to some of his people and they were, like, “This stuff is really good. But we need a little better production.” So this is what I call The Domino Effect. He then introduced me to Jeff Pilson and we took the demo that we had – we did a five song demo, originally – and took that demo to Jeff Pilson said, “Well, I’ll work with them. These guys sound like they have some potential.” And the rest is history. So it was from Craig to Jeff and Jeff was the one who suggested that toward the end of things that we hook up with Jimmy Bain because we had finished what we were going to do with Jeff and Jeff had a lot of other obligations with Foreigner and all that stuff. So we were almost done with the album and all of a sudden there was a need for a bonus track. So we’re, like, “Well we don’t have any more money -- [laughs]

BM: [laughs]

VF: -- And we don’t have any more time.” So we needed to do something all of us knew. And that’s when Jimmy Bain came into the picture. We recorded that down here in San Diego.

BM: Which one? “The Mob Rules”?

VF: “Mob Rules,” uh-huh.

BM: Yeah. That’s cool. It’s one of my favorites on the album. It’s great.

VF: You like it?

BM: Yeah.

VF: Oh, cool. Right on.

BM: Yeah, “Valkyrie Rising” and “The Mob Rules” are, I think, two of my favorite tracks on the album.

VF: Right on. I like “Valkyrie,” too. We always wanted to do, like, an epic song, you know what I mean? So we created that with the epic thing in mind. You know, going to battle and doing all that good stuff.

BM: [laughs] Were you familiar with Pilson’s work before he got to you? Did you listen to Dokken at all?

VF: Oh hell yeah. I’ve got, like, all kind of stuff from Dokken. That’s why we were so nervous when that came down. You mean Jeff Pilson? Oh hell no. [laughs]

BM: The Jeff Pilson. [laughs]

VF: [laughs] The Jeff Pilson. We were freakin’. Yeah. It was, like, “Wow.” We went in and we did a five-song demo and then Craig took that to his people, like I said. They were, like, “Ok. Cool. We see the talent. There’s a little left to be desired.” So, you know, so okay. But it was all good. But Craig was, like, “Well, I know someone who’d be great. And that would be Jeff.” I was, like, “Okay.” And then I was, like, “Jeff who?” He was, like, “Jeff Pilson.” Oh. Uhhhh. So there was a whole waiting period where we sent our stuff up to Jeff to see if he was willing to even work with us. And when he said “Yes” were, like, really thrilled. It was a really scary thing. So we went up there. We took all the stuff that Pete and I had done with Malady. And the stuff we had written since then -- which was then Bound because we weren’t called Benedictum then -- and waited to see what he was going to say. He was so thorough. He had one of those legal pads, you know, with notes on every single song: “This will work...This won’t work...I don’t like this part…I like this part...This part is good…This part is lacking…” And when we went up there to talk to him it was, like, gnarly. We only had the money for three songs. We had to pay him. So we went up there and it was, like, “These are the three songs we’re going to do.” And the three song demo consisted of “Benedictum,” “Misogyny” and “Wicca.” And the original forms were a little different. He took some bits and pieces of some other songs we had done and put those together and gave it a hook and did what he had to do with it. So that was a very interesting process to deal with that.

BM: I was going to ask you about that. Your web site says Pilson had a real focused perspective on things. You kind of answered that question before I asked it. But what exactly did he do? Did he give you new hooks? New power? New sound? What was it?

VF: All of the above. Not new sound. Because he really liked what our quote/unquote “sound” was, what our “vibe,” was, if you will. He just wanted to make it more palatable, if you will. Give it that professional edge. So the first three songs he definitely did what I would call a cut and paste. He took – especially with, I would say, “Benedictum” and maybe “Wicca.” – “Misogyny” was pretty much intact. But he just added a thing or two. The other ones he said, “You know they’re great. But they need to go somewhere.” And so he gave them a little bit more of a direction.

BM: Cool.

VF: Yeah, it’s cool now. At the time, it’s like if you consider that Pete and I had been writing together for, what, seven years and –

BM: And this guy comes in and says, “Nope. Doesn’t work.” [laughs]

VF: [laughs] Yeah. It’s like hacking up your child, you know. I’d been singing “Benedictum” in my own way for quite some time. I, personally, I didn’t have a problem with it. But it was just harder for me. And then to hear it back just kind of go, “Wow.” Now I can’t imagine it any other way. But at the time it was a little bit difficult.

BM: Are you somebody who likes to take direction easily? Or do you fight it?

VF: No, I didn’t fight it. Not with Jeff. Probably had it been anyone else, I would have fought because I’m a pretty feisty person. [laughs] But when it comes to stuff like this it’s, like, these people have had...I mean, when you walk into his house you see the gold and platinum albums on the wall. And you have to think, “Hello? Do you have one? Uh, no.” [laughs] Okay. Let’s do the process of elimination here. You have to kind of look at it, like, this person knows, or knew or whatever, at one time what was going on. And he’s very much in touch with things that are going on now. If one were to listen to his current projects or things that he’s been involved with recently. Obviously, on my own merits I have been doing this for a while and haven’t gone anywhere, so to be even talking to you, obviously somebody did something right by me, so, [laugh] you know what I mean? You gotta take that. So I had no problem with it.

BM: What are your influences? Aside from the obvious Dio and Sabbath, that is. What did you listen to a lot that sort of became who you are as a musician now?

VF: For me personally?

BM: Yes.

VF: Tina Turner.

BM: Really?

VF: If you were to listen to – and I always preface this with someone gave as me a birthday present two years ago Tina’s Turner’s whole collection, there’s this album collection and it has this stuff she did in the Sixties. If you were to listen to her vocals, take the genre out of the time, and listen to her vocals, that’s almost me.

BM: Really?

VF: At the time, they said about her the same thing I’m reading about myself. “She sounds like a guy. What’s up with that?” She things with this power. And I’m, like, “Oh wow,” you know, because I kind of trip on that. She does, she did. There’s some songs, oh, ‘A Fool in Love.” If you listen to it, the screams that she does in there are so powerful and so raw that it’s, like, “Man, she should have been doing metal.” [laughs] I think she’s a wonder to this day, you know. And I’m no spring chicken, either. But I just think, “Wow. This woman is something else.”

BM: So you can do a wicked cover of “Proud Mary”?

VF: I’d probably rather do “Nutbush City Limits.”

BM: [laughs] Ooh, yeah. That’s a good one.

VF: That’s what I want to do. It’s funny. Because Craig and I talked about that. I said, “Look. You need to listen to this. Oh, ‘Nutbush.’ I want to do that one.” [laughs]

BM: [laughs] With the experience of this album behind you, hopefully you can look back on it a little more objectively. What tracks really stand out in your mind as being favorites?

VF: I’d say “Valkyrie Rising.” I have a personal favorite for probably very personal reasons and that would be “Two Steps to the Sun.” Music to me isn’t just music. It’s, like, a part of me. I don’t know how to explain it.

BM: Sure, I understand.

VF: It’s very cathartic for me. Because I have my regular nine to five. And I always have. I have so many things going on in my life. But the one artery in my life that gives me my life force a lot has been music. So, “Two Steps to the Sun” I was in such a dark space in 2005 [laughs] –

BM: That was just last year.

VF: That was just last year, honey. I just wrote that song last year.

BM: Where did the song come from? What was going on?

VF: I was just going through such a depression. I don’t want to get too personal, but from thinking that I was going to be able to quit my job, get married, have this...walking through the house we were going to do this to the house, and we were going to remodel this and do that. And all these wonderful things. I’ve always wanted to be married and have the wedding and the whole bit. And within a 30 day period of all that everything changed.

BM: It fell through and didn’t happen?

VF: Just like that.

BM: Yeah. Yeah, I know that experience. I’ve been there.

VF: You have?

BM: Oh yeah.

VF: It sucks. Because I was, like, “What?” It was, like, “Oh, by the way, I gambled away all the money, I’m not going to be able to marry you, I love you, but I’m a hopeless alcoholic and I gotta go.” And drove down the driveway and that was that. And I was devastated.

BM: Yeah, but dude, look back on it now. Would you really have wanted to be with that guy with all those problems?

VF: Hell no. Hell no. You’re absolutely right.

BM: So it was actually a blessing in disguise.

VF: It was a blessing. But it took me a while to see that because I just thought I work really hard, you know. And I get tired. And I wanted to have his point where I could just take a breath. I was so looking forward to be able to concentrate solely on the music and taking dance lessons. I have this vision of what I want for myself as a performer. I have all these things that seem to block me from that because I have to pay the bills. So, you know. That would have been nice, you know. Plus, I’m a hopeless romantic anyway, a real softy when it comes to that.

BM: That’s amazing. You sound a lot like me.

VF: [laughs]

BM: So what you’re saying I fully understand. [laughs]

VF: Do you understand? [laughs] You know what I mean. I don’t have these unrealistic Cinderella complex things going on. I don’t expect a prince to come up on a white horse and put on the glass slipper. No. I just want someone to be real with me. And, you know, I want to have happiness in that. I do a lot better in a relationship. At least so I think. But I do believe that everything happens for a reason. And that being the case, that probably that person wasn’t right for me.

BM: Probably?

VF: Yeah, okay. Well, we know. [laughs] Okay. Fine, Bill. Thank you. Just rub it in. [laughs] Put salt in the wound. [laughs]

BM: [laughs] I’m trying to make light of the situation. It just sounds like if somebody had all those problems he would have just dragged you down and kept you away from your music.

VF: That’s true. At first, he was my biggest supporter. Half the photographs and everything. I didn’t have a lot of money at the time. It was, like, “I’m going to invest in this and that. And I really believe in you.” But as things progressed in his life I saw the other side of things. The very, very possessive person that he was. And all the sudden becoming very jealous of my time with the band and my time with this or that. I didn’t need the drama, you know what I mean?

BM: Sure. It takes away from your creative energy.

VF: Oh, it was killing me. It was killing me.

BM: What you’re saying is interesting because I was going to ask you if these songs [on Uncreation] were personal or fictitious.

VF: Oh, extremely personal. From the press that I’ve gotten so far, there are two misunderstood songs. The most misunderstood songs are “Misogyny” and “Them.” “Misogyny” is not about me. It’s a third person song. I am the biggest Court TV, A&E, Discovery Channel freak you’d ever want to know. [laughs] So I watch The Forensic Files and all that kind of stuff. I am totally into – in a very morbid sense – the stuff about serial killers and all that kind of stuff. So you take Ted Bundy and the Green River Killer and the Hillside Strangler and the BTK and all that. These people are what is termed misogynistic, misogyny meaning a deep hatred of women. Those guys, their crimes were based on a hatred of women as dictated by the way they performed their crimes. They would do very demeaning things to women, etc. So that song “Misogyny” was like a shout back from that sort of crime. So [reciting lyrics] “the bitch that you can’t ignore” and “I know who you are, a perfect stranger with a face that blends in the crowd.” If you look at a lot of these serial killers you’ll see that the same theme follows along over and over. It’s, like, “Wow. He was such a great guy. He used to mow my lawn. Wow. He was so nice. He was the elder at the church.” And “I know who you are, you’re the perfect stranger with the face that blends in the crowd.” Nobody would expect that it’s you. But behind the scenes you’re torturing and killing and raping women and all that kind of stuff. It’s really awful. So “Misogyny” is a shout back from a victim’s standpoint to a serial killer saying that even though you may have killed me and you may have done all these things to me, my spirit will rise above no matter what. You cannot take my life. Even though on this plane you may have. You cannot take my life. You cannot make it right. That’s what that song’s about. It gets twisted into, “Veronica thinks she’s the bitch that you can’t ignore.” [laughs] I’m, like, “Where does that come from? No way!” But I’ve been singing that song for a while, too. I wrote that before I was in this band. Pete and I had that song going on for a while. So it’s very interesting the way people are interpreting that.

Part Two coming soon...

Keep Purple!

Back to PurpleCrayon Direct.

2006-03-19T19:31:00.000-05:00

COMING SOON: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH VERONICA FREEMAN, AMAZING VOCALIST WITH CALIFORNIA METAL BAND BENEDICTUM

Earlier this month, I spent a fascinating 90 minutes on the phone with Veronica Freeman, the kick-butt lead singer for new melodic metal band Benedictum.

Uncreation, Benedictum's astounding freshman release, is now in stores or available online at Amazon or LaserCD.

My interview with Veronica will be posted soon.

Keep Purple!

Back to PurpleCrayon Direct.

2006-02-20T14:47:00.000-05:00

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT COMING SOON...

PurpleCrayon Direct was just given the verbal go-ahead to write a screenplay based on a famous and enormously popular series of children's books!

Suffice to say, this is a dream come true for me. I grew up reading these magical and imaginative books and they've stuck with me ever since I was about 10 years old. Being able to write a screenplay based on them is an honor and a privilege.

Once the deal is officially inked, I'll let you know the books, the author, and the story behind this extraordinary announcement. I'll also keep you up to date on my progress writing the screenplay(s). (Yes, I can envision writing a series of movies based on these delightful books.)

Keep Purple!

Back to PurpleCrayon Direct.

2006-01-29T11:55:00.000-05:00

PURPLECRAYON GIVEN "ALL AREAS" PASS TO PROGPOWER USA VII

Glenn Harveston, the wizard behind America's premiere progressive/power metal festival ProgPower USA, has asked PCD's Bill Murphy to capture PPUSA VII from an exclusive behind-the-scenes vantage point.

If your musical tastes include prog/power metal bands from all over the world, there's no finer music festival in the US than ProgPower. This year's show is scheduled for September 15-16, 2006, at Earthlink Live in Atlanta, Georgia.

The line-up of bands is simply astounding and features some of the most dynamic groups from all over the world: From Sweden (Evergrey and Freak Kitchen), The Netherlands (Epica), Denmark (Mercenary and Pyramaze), Norway/America (Jorn Lande, an extraordinary vocalist currently with Masterplan and formerly with Ark, Millennium and other bands), Finland (Thunderstone), Germany (Savage Circus), Italy (Vision Divine), and Greece (Wastefall).

Tickets to ProgPower USA VII go on sale April 1st at 10:00am EST via all Ticketmaster outlets. If you're even remotely interested in attending, I recommend you not wait much past 10:02 EST to buy your tickets. Only 900 are available and they usually sell out within a matter of days -- months and months ahead of the gig.

Watch Bill's Blog for updates.

Keep Purple!

Back to PurpleCrayonDirect.

2006-01-25T15:56:00.000-05:00

PURPLECRAYON TO PROMOTE UPCOMING GEORGE WINSTON CONCERT

One of my favorite albums of all time is December, by George Winston. I've been listening to it for some 20 years now and it still chokes me up. It's really melancholy music that never fails to send my mind down some dark, cobwebbed alleys. I love it.

So it was a thrill to ink a deal yesterday to promote George Winston for his concert in Coopersville, Michigan, on April 24.

I'm just now in the strategic planning stages of the project.

I'll keep you posted.

Keep Purple!

2005-12-21T13:01:00.000-05:00

SIXTY MINUTES WITH WORLD-CLASS DRUMMER BILL BRUFORD

My interviews with drummer extraordinaire Bill Bruford were among the first, and still remain among my favorites – not necessarily because of what he said per se. Rather, because of how he said it. He was intense and serious. My impression of Bill at that time was that he was cynical, somewhat bitter. Perhaps some would say angry. Of course, his demeanor could have been an affectation for my benefit. Or that could have been his natural personality. I don't know. But he seemed to have obvious disdain for my project (writing a book about progressive rock) and for the music industry in general. But, at all times, he was extremely articulate and thoughtful. I appreciated his candor.

This is Part One of my first interview with Mr. Bruford. It was conducted on November 14, 1992. I called him at his home in England and spoke for about an hour.

Please keep in mind that I only caught a moment in time with this man and we’re looking back on it some 13 years later. The ‘80s King Crimson was nearly 10 years past. The ‘90s King Crimson was still just a gleam in Robert’s eye. It was an in-between time for Crims. In addition, Yes had just toured behind their Union album and Bruford was part of that tour. After the tour, Yes continued on, but Bruford opted not to be part of it. All of those circumstances became questions for me to ask him.

What I got was Bill Bruford extemporaneously venting what I saw as frustrations with the music industry, but also professing his love for jazz. Perhaps, he was also a little hurt because, at that time, Fripp had not asked him to be in the ‘90s Crimson. And, as you'll see toward the end of my inteview, he seemed to be extremely proud of his work with the Crims.

What is he like today? I don't know. Chances are, since my interviews, Bill has mellowed with age and is a happier guy. One can only hope so.

Feel free to circulate this interview as you see fit, quoting from it liberally. I only ask that you include the following attribution when you do so: © 1992, 2006 Bill Murphy. Thanks!

By the way, this is an excerpt of my interview with Mr. B. The whole Part One can be found on Darren Lock's superb ProjeKction site. (It's subscriber-based. So you'll have to log in and create a name. But once you're in...wow. The site is jam-packed with info.)

BM: Hi, is this Bill?

BB: Yeah.

BM: I appreciate you taking some time this evening for me.

BB: That’s all right. I forgot what we’re talking about, Bill. Remind me again.

BM: This is a book I’m putting together on progressive rock, art rock, classical rock, what-have-you and –

BB: Oh, God. Good luck to ya.

BM: [laughs] Yeah. It’s quite a big topic, I must say. But you seem to play a large role in it, though, so that’s why I’m giving you a call.

BB: What can I do for you?

BM: Well, I have a pretty good question to start with: I’ve heard that King Crimson is reforming and that Yes is still together, but a notable exception is that you’re not in either one. Why is that?

BB: [laughs] Well, because I would rather, if I could, look forward than look back if possible.

BM: Uh-huh.

BB: I can only look back insofar as it affords me financially the wherewithal to look forward.

BM: I see.

BB: When I grew up, of course, record companies had some interest in encouraging the future. They invested some of their profits in what we call research and development, investment for new music. Now, of course, they don’t do that. They just operate on the back catalog side, you know, turning what they have into ever increasing profits.

BM: Uh-huh.

BB: That would be Yes and King Crimson and so forth, without breaking any new territory. So it’s up to the musicians to provide the future however they can. So inasmuch as you will ever find me associating with anything from the past, it is only to get money to finance the future.

BM: Ahhh. It seems kind of strange that you cast your lot with Robert Fripp at other times before but you turned him down this time. I guess that’s –

BB: Well, well you’re jumping lots of guns.

BM: [laughs] What do you mean?

BB: First of all, the last gig…I still consider I’m in King Crimson.

BM: Really?

BB: The last gig I had was in 1984 and I’m still waiting for the phone to ring.

BM: Oh.

BB: I consider it most unlikely that the phone will ring because I’m quite sure Robert will have some other band in mind.

BM: Hmm.

BB: So you’re all going far too fast.

BM: Ahh. I just assumed…well, I was talking with Tony Arnold last month and I guess he said that Tony Levin and Adrian Belew were back with this new incarnation –

BB: Yeah, well you see, you have to understand that Robert and I are probably not the most compatible people.

BM: Oh, really?

BB: And Robert likes to control things the way they are and that’s fine. So it’s really better that if I have any idea of how music should go that I should form my own band and work in what I perceive to be a better field, a field that’s more suitable for me.

BM: Hmm.

BB: So that’s what I do and I’m now more in the so-called jazz department.

BM: Yup. And let’s start with that. Tell me about Earthworks. Your last album (All Heaven Broke Loose) came out in 1991. Do you plan to put out another one shortly?

BB: Yeah, hopefully so. It’s – what can I tell you about Earthworks? – it’s different from rock.

BM: Yeah.

BB: There are lots of things that are different about jazz from rock, not the least of which is the music. But lots of other ancillary things, too: The purpose of the music and why the musicians do it and the fact that you’re not going to make a living at it, obviously, because it’s called jazz and the fact that you make large portions of it up as you go along, and that it’s not just perceived as an entertainment and all kinds of other things.

BM: Right.

BB: So it’s quite different. And there are lots of things about it that I like and lots that are disadvantageous. But nonetheless it’s where I feel I can express what it is that I want to do on a musical instrument. And, therefore, people like me were squeezed out of rock into what you would call the peripheral musics around it, be it classical music or art music or some sort of experimental music or jazz – these are all the musics from which rock gets its material – but at times it includes musicians from those peripheral musics, when it’s feeling generous and when the economy is…when the dollar is strong and when the economy is big.

BM: Sure. I can see that.

BB: But in a recession those people get squeezed out, of course, because there’s not enough money to pay for them. All this has to do with finance. Practically everything you know about music has to do with money.

BM: I’m finding that out. Especially when it’s called progressive rock these days. Many bands have had to start their own labels and distribute their music themselves, independently, because major labels don’t want anything to do with it.

BB: Almost anything, anything whatsoever to do with music has to do with money – be it the church’s support of, you know, Beethoven or Jimi Hendrix or anything else. It’s all to do with money. What you hear is the result of somebody being paid or not being paid.

BM: Well, tell me about Earthworks. You’ve made three albums so far. Do you have a favorite of those three? Or are they all just –

BB: What you hear is a work in progress, Earthworks. It continues. Yes, I do, but if you ask any musician what his favorite album is and he’ll say his last album.

BM: And is that what you would say in this case, too?

BB: It’s what I would say in this case, too. Yes. It’s the loosest of the three, which I like, myself, personally. The best seller was the first one. But that, again, had nothing to do with the music on the record. That had everything to do with the number of people trying to sell it.

BM: [laughs] You sound like you have a very pragmatic view of the music business.

BB: Well, I assure you I do. And, of course, you would too if you were trying to live in it.

BM: Yeah. [laughs]

BB: If you were trying to live in it you better understand that you’d have to have a very pragmatic view, immediately. Otherwise, you won’t last more than ten minutes.

BM: [laughs]

BB: So my favorite album, I think, is All Heaven Broke Loose. But that’s because the band is beginning to find its voice and, you know, it’s like a long, slow process. It’s a bit like maturing wine or something. It takes a while. And, of course, everything that people want these days has to be done in five minutes or else it’s no good.

BM: Sure. I understand. It has to sell big or forget it.

BB: You either sell big like Madonna or Genesis or you don’t exist. That’s the way things currently are. But, nonetheless, people like me, of course, refuse to go away. So we form bands like Earthworks and watch them slowly grow better, which is lovely.

BM: Well, it kind of amazes –

BB: Sort of like gardening.

BM: [laughs] Yeah. A long, slow methodical process, eh?

BB: Yeah.

BM: Well, it amazes me that you say people like you get squeezed out and all that because you’re considered, from what I understand, to be one of the best drummers in the world. You know, why would somebody of your stature be squeezed out of the business?

BB: [sharply] You don’t understand?

BM: [laughs] Because you like to play music that doesn’t make a quick buck, is that it?

BB: Of course, yes. Yes, I mean, being one of the best drummers in the world – whether I am or not has nothing to do with anything. That has to do with being voted so by other drummers. They don’t pay for anything.

- End Excerpt -

You can read the rest of my interview with Bill Bruford on Darren's site.

In Part Two, I asked Bill more specific questions about his work with King Crimson and his working relationship with Robert Fripp. As you might expect, his answers were nothing less than fascinating.

Keep Purple!

Bill

2005-12-15T13:23:00.000-05:00

THE VAULTS OPEN: INTERVIEWS TO BE SEEN FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!

I spent years researching progressive rock and talking to the members of King Crimson as well as many other bands. Darren Lock's recent discovery of my efforts (see November 11, 2005 below) has prompted a flood of inquiries and a surge of enthusiasm.

Perhaps the time is right for my book project(s) to be made public.

Please watch this site - as well as Darren's fabulous ProjeKction site - for updates. I have a feeling 2006 is going to be an exciting year for Crimson fans.

Keep Purple!

Back to PurpleCrayonDirect.

2005-12-15T13:16:00.000-05:00

OFFICIAL KING CRIMSON SITE PICKS UP NEWS ABOUT MY BOZ BURRELL INTERVIEW

Sid Smith, the author of the first King Crimson biography, posted an entry about me and my interview with King Crimson/Bad Company bassist Boz Burrell on DGMLive, the official repository of all things King Crimson. The entry, as well as the entire site, is worth visiting.

Keep Purple!

Return to PurpleCrayonDirect.

2005-11-30T15:00:00.000-05:00

BILL'S BLOG EXCERPTED ON KING CRIMSON FAN SITE

Darren, the webmaster of ProjeKction, a way cool fan-operated King Crimson news and commentary site, stumbled across my entry in Bill's Blog and excerpted it on his site.

That generated a tidal wave of visitors to this site.

In fact, since I posted my blog entry about my history with Robert Fripp, King Crimson and the British prog band Galahad (among many others), PurpleCrayon Direct has received 500 visitors from some 15 different countries!

I've posted a couple of excerpts of my interviews with ex-King Crimson musicians on the Projekction site. Feel free to take a look.

Keep Purple!

Back to PurpleCrayon Direct.

2005-11-11T12:31:00.000-05:00

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: PURPLECRAYON TO TAKE OVER BRITISH PROGRESSIVE ROCK BAND GALAHAD'S WEB SITE, HELP PROMOTE THE BAND WORLDWIDE

About 10 years ago, I began to research a book on progressive rock, what likely would have been the first.

I spoke to many, many prog rock musicians from around the world, including Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater), Annie Haslam (Renaissance), Kerry Livgren (Kansas), Ken Hensley (Uriah Heep), Ed (Ozric Tentacles), Mike Pinder (Moody Blues), Gayle Ellet (Djam Karet), Frank Bornemnn (Eloy), Leslie Bradley (inventor of the Mellotron), Dave Brock (Hawkwind), Andy Latimer (Camel), Geoff Mann (Twelfth Night - his last interview before passing away), Kit Watkins (Camel, Happy the Man), Fish (Marillion), Steve Howe (Yes), Bill Bruford (Yes, King Crimson), Bruce Pilato (Greg Lake's manager and sometime author of CD booklet liner notes), Steve Rothery (Marillion), Steve Hackett (Genesis), Nick Barrett (Pendragon), Gilbert Gandil (Pulsar), Martin Orford (IQ), Clive Nolan (Pendragon), Steve Holly (Wings), Eddie Jobson (UK), Stuart Nicholson (Galahad), Mick Box (Uriah Heep) and others. I also interviewed heads of progressive record labels at that time, including Willebrord Elsing from SI Music and Bernard Gueffier from MUSEA.

During the course of my research, I discovered that I was talking to a lot of King Crimson alumni. So I thought, "I wonder if I should turn this into a book about King Crimson?" And I contacted Crimson head honcho Robert Fripp to see if he was interested in the idea.

Surprisingly, he was. Fripp declined to be interviewed, of course, but he encouraged me to proceed with my book idea. I believe he said, "The only viable book on King Crimson that could be written is King Crimson from the perspective of all of its members." And then he provided me with contact info for key King Crimson musicians who had been in (or involved with) the band since its debut in 1969. I let my fingers do the walking and I called all of them.

Unfortunately, to focus on King Crimson I had to abandon my book on progressive rock. That, I did. Reluctantly. But, oh, what a heady time I entered into!

Over the course of the next few years, I spoke to a large number of musicians who were in Crimso, including Ian McDonald, Pete Sinfield, John Wetton, Boz Burrell, Jamie Muir, David Cross, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Adrian Belew, Keith Tippett, Ian Wallace, Richard Palmer-James, Dik Fraser, Richard Vickers, and more. I even interviewed Tony Arnold, the engineer who helped Fripp remaster the King Crimson CDs the first time around.

I can't describe the feeling of calling up a world-famous musician, only to be told, "Yeah, Mike Giles and I were just talking about you" or "Bill Bruford said that? I'd better call him to see how he's doing." Or -- and this is the ultimate thrill -- to get a phone call on a lazy weekend afternoon, pick it up and hear on the other end, "Bill Murphy? Robert Fripp." What a trip.

I was thrilled to speak to all of those talented people. Heroes of mine, actually. I respected all of them. One -- Ian McDonald of King Crimson and Foreigner fame -- became a long-time friend of mine. I spent a few weekends at his place in New York and loved every second of it. (One night, we ordered Indian take-away from a nearby neighborhood restaurant. We brought it back to his place. It must have been 9:00 or 9:30 at night. His apartment windows were open. Outside, the unmistakable sound of New York could be heard plainly - sirens wailing, car horns honking. And there I sat eating Indian food while Ian regaled me with his tales of life in Crimson and Foreigner. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.) Ian McDonald is an enormously talented musician, and a painfully self-effacing and genuinely kind-hearted person. (I have an interview tape with Ian in which he talks through, track by track, every song on In The Court of the Crimson King. His stories were fascinating.)

At one point, a few years after I began the project (1997 perhaps?), Robert Fripp called me up to invite me to London to the King Crimson reunion and CD playback of Epitaph, a box set of live Crimson recordings from the first incarnation of the band. (I'm written about in the booklet of that box set.) So I flew to England to meet Fripp and the other members of King Crimson. (True story: The first time I laid eyes on Robert Fripp was in the bathroom of the hotel that hosted the playback. As I washed my hands at the sink, I looked up in the mirror and who should be coming out of the stall behind me? Why, it was none other than Robert Fripp! "You'll have to forgive me for not shaking your hand at this moment," he said in his typically dry manner.) At the playback, I sat at a table with Mike Giles and his daughters. During a couple of songs, I'd look up to see Mike remembering the moment the music was recorded. Sometimes, he'd punctuate a particular stirring passage with a "Yes!" and a huge grin.

I took photos of the playback. One of my favorite shots is of Mike Giles and Greg Lake giving each other a hug upon first meeting.

Needless to say, this was an incredibly enjoyable time in my life. However -- isn't there always a "however"? -- I noticed a certain undercurrent in my interviews with the Crimson alumni that was negative, almost cynical. The timing of my interviews was between the last King Crimson album of the '80s (Three of a Perfect Pair, 1984) and the first one in the mid '90s (Vroom, 1994 and Thrak, 1995). And I think that had a lot to do with it. For Bill Bruford, especially, it was a particularly low point personally. You have to remember, this was an in-between time for King Crimson. The previous incarnations of Crimso were history (and at least one or two of the musicians resentful) and the next incarnation hadn't yet been formed. Plus, publishers rejected my book proposal because they thought King Crimson was dead and buried. Old news. How wrong they were! (Undaunted, I planned to self-publish because I was so excited about the subject matter.)

I continued to interview, but I couldn't shake the feeling that people enjoyed a love/hate relationship with Robert Fripp. A couple of them were downright angry at him. (Plus, Fripp was embroiled in an ugly legal battle with former label E'G at this time.) If I printed interviews verbatim (as I'd planned to), they would have cast Fripp in a disparaging light. And if I included information about the legal squabbles, it would have made the book even darker. But if I left out that information, I wouldn't be presenting the real story of King Crimson. What to do? In the end I felt the information I had would taint the entire book project by turning it into a He said/She said airing of dirty laundry. For a band I loved as much as King Crimson, that simply wouldn't do.

So I gave up the project, even though I was told things that I doubt anyone else has ever heard before. (To be sure, the negativity about Crimson and/or Fripp wasn't the only reason for me not finishing the project. But it was the major one.)

Later, a fine chap named Sid Smith picked up where I left off and eventually published the first biography on King Crimson. I was sad to lose the opportunity, but my conscience was clean. The book I wanted to write, I couldn't. The book Sid wanted to write, he did. That was that. (I'll never forget the phone call I received from Ian McDonald one afternoon. Always the gentleman, Ian told me he had been contact by Sid. Ian asked me if it would be okay for him to talk to Sid for Sid's book. Ian didn't want Sid to spoil my book project for me. I told Ian it was okay.)

Despite the loss of being the first to publish a book on King Crimson, I had a great time getting to know all of the musicians I interviewed. I can also take pride in knowing that I was partially responsible for getting the musicians in Crimso to speak to one another again after years of silence, even estrangement. When I'd call up one of them, they'd ask who I talked to. I'd relay some stories. They'd inevitably tell me, "I should call..." I believe I put Ian McDonald in touch with Greg Lake. And prompted John Wetton to call Bill Bruford. And I got everyone talking about everyone to the point where they decided to put aside their rivalries and feelings of ill will. I believe that synergy lead to the Epitaph playback in London, as a matter of fact.

I still have all of my interview tapes. And I still have stories and information I didn't see in Sid Smith's book. Someday, I'll figure out a way to tell the Crimson story that I came to know -- but leave out the bitterness and rivalries. Or maybe keep them in. Now that a relatively upbeat book on Crimso has been published, maybe the time is right for one that tells -- to borrow Paul Harvey's words -- "the rest of the story."

(By the way, my chat with Mike Pinder and Leslie Bradley, developer/builder of the Mellotron, gave me goose bumps. I'd love to relate those stories in some fashion.)

Another benefit of me being on this long strange trip was that I got to know Stuart Nicholson from the fine British progressive rock band Galahad. He was one of my first interviews when my book was about progressive rock in general. I found Stu to be gracious and witty and incredibly humble considering his remarkable vocal talent.

Stu and I also kept in touch over the years. In the mid '90s, I became editor of GalaHAPPENINGS, a newsletter I printed in the States and shipped to Stu in England for him to mail to the Galahad fan club. I did that for about a year. Maybe a little more. It was a blast to interview the members of Galahad, transcribe the tapes, print the newsletter and ship it out. It was Stuart who drove up from Dorset to pick me up at Heathrow and take me into London for the King Crimson reunion/playback. Stu drove me all over London that weekend and I'm forever grateful for his kindness.

As the years moved on, so did my advertising career. I moved to St. Louis. Then to Milwaukee. Then back to Grand Rapids where it all started. Over the years, I lost touch with Stuart. I thought my days working with Galahad were over.

Until this month.

As I browsed the Galahad web site a week or two ago, I noticed their current webmaster (Stuart Cormie) had posted a noticed a month or two prior asking if anyone wanted to take over the site. I sent him an e-mail to inquire if he'd found anyone yet. I also sent an e-mail to Stuart Nicholson, my friend from Galahad.

A few days later, Stuart Nicholson called from England one evening while I was at work. We chatted a bit. Swapped stories about music, technology, life. We also talked about the Galahad web site. Long story short, PurpleCrayon Direct will now be responsible for the Galahad web site.

I'll be working with gifted web programmer/designer Kyle Adams on the project. Kyle is the genius behind other PurpleCrayon Direct web projects, including Life is Zen and Zen Reality Show. He's also working with me at Circle Theatre to help keep the Circle web site up to date.

I'm really looking forward to working again with Stuart, Roy, Spencer and others in Galahad. I have a few ideas for their web site that I'll bounce off Stu and Company when they return home from recording sessions for their latest album.

As always, I'll keep everyone informed.

Keep Purple!

Return to PurpleCrayon Direct.