BRAIN/BOC: interview w/ Deborah Frost

[John A. Swartz]

> Interview With Brain Surgeons' Deborah Frost from music street
> journal.

I need to get this linked up to my tBS website...  I hope Albert will
have a chance to elaborate a bit more on parts of the interview here.

> Some good news and bad news alike innit, but such is life.

Yeah - bummer to hear that it seems Pete and Billy may not be playing
with them in the future.  2 great talents.  I haven't heard too much
lately about Billy's health.  I'm sure if the news was 100% good we
would have heard more, and that it may not be easy for those who really
know them to discuss his health.  I continue to hope and pray for the best.

> In fact, both
> Pete and Billy were around only sporadically for "Piece of Work", so I
> just had to do it. Live, I am the guitar player now. It's a challenge.

How much did Deb play guitar on PoW?  Electric?  Acoustic?  Any leads?

> And I'm also playing bass on
> some songs, which I never realized I would enjoy so much.

Did Deb play bass on PoW, or is she just doing this live?

> During the long lay-off, Pete
> decided he was quitting music completely, sold all of his equipment,
> without even telling us. He also got married and had a child-- which, I
> suppose, in his  mind, doesn't seem compatible with playing. It is
> really a shame, because he's an incredible musician, but it's his life,

Well, I can empathize with having to give up things when you get married
and have kids - if you're a busy person before getting married and hope to
be dedicated to your family, something's got to give.  Still, I find it somewhat
surprising to hear that Pete got rid of all his equipment.

>  Deborah Frost:If you are referring to songs that Albert wrote
> earlier in his career, of course we play them. A better question
> might be why the band that tours as BOC irregardless of who's
> playing on any given night so heavily relies on the material and
> contributions of someone who's been gone for almost 2 decades.

LOL - Deb ain't mellowing with age, is she?  ;-)

Still, without meaning to be a BOC-apologist, I think the answer is
fairly simple.  While Albert may have been responsible for a lot of
material that BOC continues to play, that material was made what it is
by BOC "the band" in those days-gone-by via the band's albums and live
shows.  Black Sabbath didn't stop playing all the old songs when Ozzy
left; Pink Floyd, despite not having Roger Waters in the band for years,
recenlty released a live box set featuring music from "The Wall", which
relied heavily on Waters' input; and if Paul, George, and Ringo ever did
a "reunion tour", I'm sure that they would play numerous songs co-penned
by the late John Lennon.

One would still like to see BOC "mix it up" more, but they have always
relied on a fairly limited sampling of their catalog to play live.
Recently, their have been some hints as they added "Teen Archer" and
"The Subhuman" to recent setlists - and then of course there was that
period about 3 years ago when Eric's voice was problematic and Buck had
to sing 90% of the setlist.  Otherwise, however, there are few
surprises.  I think they should try and feature the newer material more,
but I suppose they find that risky?  Unfortunately, it's harder to win
new fans with older material exclusively, rather than trying to branch
out a bit and expand the fan base.  The irony is that the demands for
new material and setlist variety is coming from the "die-hard" fans...


> In some cases, Albert feels that the
> songs were never done justice on record-- which may be due to a poor
> choice of producer or a rushed recording schedule or compromises that were
> made to appease colleagues at the time. It's a chance to get it right now or
> to re-interpret them.

Does this mean we'll soon hear the definitive version of "You're Not the
One I Was Looking For"?  ;-)


> And people just really love hearing Albert play and sing them.
> And he does them better than ever. He's the rare rock musician who's
> really increased his chops and expanded his vocabulary,

Absolutely!

> rather than so many
> performers who rely on the oldies are essentially going through the
> motions, and whose core audience has dwindled down to the faithful few
> who are basically there out of some nostalgia for their youth rather than
> to be challenged by anything new or demanding.

Of course we all know to whom she is referring...  ;-)

> It takes a long time to digest. But
> anyone of any intelligence and taste who listens to it agrees it is
> great.

Thanks for the compliment!  :-)

>
> Deborah Frost:We are working on an album and a concert to honor the
> memory and music of Helen Wheels,

Any news on this project?  While I'm excited about the prospect of this,
obviously there are deep feelings about this amongst the participants.
This project is surely a labor of love and meant to honor the passing of
a dear friend.  As such, we as fans really shouldn't put any demands on
this product - of course, there is curiousity...

> Music Street Journal:What was the last concert that you attended?
> Deborah Frost:Blue Oyster Cult at the Bottom Line

Kind of an ironic ending to the interview - after Deb has some strong
words (as always) for "Albert's old band", it just happens to be the
last band she saw live.  Timing is everything, I guess...


John