Many thanks go out to Davey for taking the time to answer my questions and giving an awesome interview.
Q: Can you start by telling us a bit about yourself. Where are you from, your age, etc. How long have you been playing guitar? Perhaps you could tell us a bit about your previous bands.
A: My Myspace page says that I'm 29, so we'll just leave it at that. I was born in raised in a "magical place" called New Jersey, 10 miles from the beach. I have been playing guitar since I was 13 years old. The only bands worth mentioning, before Pretty Boy Floyd, were Mars Needs Women, who were signed to Warner Bros. The singer Shawn Mars went on to front Ozone Monday, the band that Snake, Rachael, Scotti and Rob from Skid Row were in after firing Sebastian and hiring Johnny Solinger. Also worth mentioning was Frankenstein 3000, fronted by Keith Roth, who is a radio personality on Sirius Satellite Radio.
Q: What are your musical influences – what bands/artists inspired you to pick up the guitar?
A: My musical influences are very ecclectic. I started early because my older cousins forced me to listen to who they were into. KISS, The Beatles, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Yes, The Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, Electric Light Orchestra. By the time I was 2 years old, I was recording myself singing and playing "Band on the Run" by Wings with my little acoustic guitar that I had no idea how to play. For my 5th birthday, I got a drum set and the "Alice Cooper Goes to Hell" record. As far as guitar heroes go; Jimmy Page, Brian May, Rick Neilson, Mick Ronson and all the guitar players from The Rolling Stones and the Beatles of course. Not a lot of people know this, but Paul McCartney did a lot of the great solos on The Beatles records.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about your relationship with the guys from Skid Row. How do you know them, what was their influence upon you and your playing?
A: When I was a kid and my mom finally decided to bring me for guitar lessons, we went to a music store in Toms River, New Jersey called "Garden State Music Center." I remember walking in and seeing this really cool guy with long hair and telling him that I wanted heavy metal guitar lessons. He responded, "Well, then I'm your kid." I introduced myself and he said, "My name is Dave Sabo." I took lessons from him for about a year. During that time, two of his friends started working at the store and giving lessons also. Scotti and Jimmy, who soon changed his name to Rachael just seemed extremely cool to me because they were in a band together and I got to see what it was all about. And it didn't hurt my hero-worship at all that Dave was really good friends with Jon Bon Jovi. During my time taking lessons there, when Dave's schedule and my schedule would conflict, I would get lessons from Scotti or Rachael. What's funny was, I was a horrible student and they would try to teach me theory, scales and all that crap, and I would protest and say, "No, teach me this KISS song instead."
Q: What do you remember about Skid Row before they broke through? Do you remember the kind of music and bands they were listening to, what inspired them?
A: During that period, around 1985 or 1986, they were talking a lot about Jon helping them get a record deal, but they needed to get rid of their lead singer and find a new one. I remember there was about a 7 month period where they couldn't find a new lead singer, and it took so long that it became a running joke between us. I remember distinctly one day calling Scotti at the music store to tease him about still not finding a lead singer, and he shot back at me, "Sorry, we found a lead singer." I said, "Oh yeah, what's his name?" and he responded, "Sebastian Bach." I remember laughing and saying to him, "Who the hell is named Sebastian Bach?" and he said, "No, no, he's really cool and he sings his ass off." After they got Sebastian in the band, they were quickly signed with Atlantic Records. I remember when they quit their jobs at the music store and went to record their first record in Minnesota. After that, we would keep in touch randomly and through Dave's mom, who I became close to. It really hit me the first time I saw the video for "Youth Gone Wild," on MTV. When I saw that they had made it, I thought, "Wow, my friends are rock stars." As far as what inspired them, I knew that they were really into KISS and The Ramones, but other than that, I don't know many of their influences.
Q: L.A is famous for its metal, rock and glam scene during Skid Row’s formative years – do you remember a similar scene in New Jersey – how appreciative of audiences of the music Skid Row were playing?
A: There was a similar scene on the East Coast at that time, but it wasn't as condensed. You would have to travel hours sometimes to see your favorite local or national act. The fans were very appreciative after Skid Row was signed. As far as I have been told, because I was too young to go to their shows before they were signed, the buzz about going to a Skid Row show was that at any time, Bon Jovi might show up, but it soon turned into, "Wow, this is an awesome band," and they soon turned into local favorites.
Q: You are currently playing with Pretty Boy Floyd – can you tell us how that came about?
A: My last band, "The Dropoutz," who I had been with for all of 6 months, had broken up after some conflicts of interest between the band members during our tour with Bang Tango and House of Lords. I was at home, not really wanting to do anything musical when the Dropoutz drummer called me and apologized for what went on on the last tour and asked me if I wanted to play guitar with Pretty Boy Floyd for a few shows. The stipulation was, after those few shows were over, we would see how we were getting along and maybe go back to the Dropoutz. So we did a little over a week as Pretty Boy Floyd on the East Coast, and things went so smoothly and so well that we decided we would like to continue on as the official Pretty Boy Floyd lineup. Steve Summers liked it and he agreed to take us on as the new lineup.
Q: What made you want to play with Pretty Boy Floyd?
A: It just seemed like a fun thing to do. I was never a fan of the band, in fact, on one drunken evening I admitted to Steve that when their videos would come on MTV, my girlfriends would comment how cool the band was and I would insult them with many four-letter words, until I had to start learning songs for the tour, and I became a real fan of the music because I realized that it came from the same musical background as I grew up on.
Q: Do you think the music of PBF is still relevant today (can you qualify your answer)? How do audiences respond to it?
A: I think its relevant in the fact that people still enjoy it. It's as relevant as The Beatles in that it makes people happy, and in music, that's all that really matters. I could say that I love The Beatles and you could say that The Beatles are shit. Who's right and who's wrong? Audiences respond as much to it as we, the band, put into it. If we do our best to hit that sensory nerve in their brains, to make them feel as they did the first time they heard these songs, then they respond well. If we don't, and we don't do our jobs well, then they don't respond as well. I go out there every night with the attitude that "this is not for me. This is for the people that have been into the band for the past 20 years and know every nuance and every note." So I'm there to please them and make them happy, and if they're not happy, it's my fault.
Q: What was the best gig you played so far with PBF?
A: I would have to say it was a place called The Crazy Donkey on Long Island, New York. We opened for Firehouse and Phil Lewis' L.A. Guns. It was a beautifully hot summer night, and we, as a band, just hit our stride on stage. The environment of just the club in itself was amazing and very openly rock n' roll. We went out there and we kicked ass for 35 minutes and walked off feeling like heroes. The audience was blown away.
Q: What are the best and worst parts about joining a band like PBF? Have you any particular stories from the tour you would like to share?
A: The best part about joining a band like Pretty Boy Floyd is that they're established and have a reputation. The worst part about joining a band like Pretty Boy Floyd is that they're established and have a reputation. You have to deal with the yin and yang of the fans and the critics; some will love you, and some will hate you.
Q: What do you think is the legacy of bands like PBF?
A: I see the legacy every time we go out on the road and there are fans in their early 20's; that means the music has survived all of the critics, all the turns of pop culture, and all the people who've tried to destroy it. The legacy is that it didn't just stop with the fans that were around in the late 80's and early 90's.
Q: PBF and many other bands from that era are as famous for their images as they are for their music – what do you think about this? What do you think about the glam image – does it work now – did it ever work? Do you think it adds to or takes away from the music?
A: I think it works to a certain degree. I do think there is a certain limit to where you shouldn't be dressing up in ladies' frocks. If you hit a certain level of success and you're able to transcend the glam image the way that Bowie or Queen or Elton John did, then that's a great freedom for the artists. A band like Pretty Boy Floyd or L.A. Guns or Poison never got that freedom. We were never allowed to grow up. As long as these bands are still around, we will always have to be Peter Pan, which is okay, but it does present a problem where you have to fight time and age in order to keep your job, really. It's like being a stripper. No one wants to see a fat, old stripper getting on stage and shaking her ass in clothes she should have stopped wearing 20 years ago. But the image for us is important to keep to a certain extent to create a "time warp," if you will. I was presented with that problem when I joined the band because I had gained weight after the death of my grandmother. I was told if I wanted to keep my position in the band that I'd have to lose the weight, period, and rightly so. There were no hard feelings when I was told to lose the weight - I expected it, and I had to do it. If I was in Lynyrd Skynyrd, or I was playing for Tony Bennet or something like that, my appearance would not have mattered much. But I'm in an 80's glam rock band, and you have to look the part.
Q: There have been some rumblings on the internet from two recent ex-members of PBF who have been very critical of PBF and their vocalist, Steve Summers. Can you shed some light on what happened and why this has devolved into a sniping match conducted online between all the members?
A: This is what happened, in a nutshell: the two members in question were my ex-bandmates in the Dropoutz and Pretty Boy Floyd. There are always personality conflicts on the road. But what it all boiled down to was money, and not a whole hell of a lot of it, either. The last show we all played together in Ohio was a disaster, which had followed many other disasters that run of shows being cancelled and when shows get cancelled, you don't get the money that you thought you were going to get when you left for the road. That last night in Ohio, we didn't get paid at the end of the show. Steve Summers was never in charge of the money during that lineup. Yes, he was the boss, but he had to wait to get paid like everyone else in the band and crew. The band member who was in charge of the money had arranged for us to be paid that last show by Western Union to New Jersey a few days after we had gotten home. The problem was, Steve didn't come back to New Jesey - he flew back out to L.A. from Ohio so he wasn't there to supervise that the money went to each member. When the money was doled out in New Jersey, every member got paid what we had coming to us. Steve Summers never saw a dime of that money, and he had taken money out of his own pocket for plane fare back home. I was put in the uncomfortable position of smoothing things out between Steve and the rest of the band. All Steve wanted was his cut of the money, and the other band members refused to give it to him. They were so insecure of their status in the band that they wanted to put it towards Steve's next plane ticket to the next run of shows, which would guarantee that they would remain in the band. During this time, I was trying to talk sense into them and tell them that this was not their money - they owed it to Steve - and to pay the man. What I got in response was "You're a fucking traitor", "you're an ass-kisser", "go to hell," and so .. two weeks of phone calls back and forth, Steve told me he was done with them, but I would remain in Pretty Boy Floyd if I wanted to. At this point, let's get one thing straight - and I told this to Steve on the phone - I don't care if you're my best friend or if you're Paul McCartney, and I'm working for you. If I think you're doing the wrong thing to somebody, I'm going to tell you, and that's what I did to my so-called friends and bandmates. And I was ostracized for it. So my staying in Pretty Boy Floyd was not an act of ass-kissing, it was because I just did what I thought was right. All the internet bullshit that followed was just a case of a few guys acting like dumped girlfriends. The whole time this individual was trashing Steve on Metal Sludge and Myspace, I was getting phone calls begging me to talk to Steve to get the same individual back into the band.
Q: Have you anything else, or a definitive statement, to make on this matter?A: People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. When the smoke finally cleared, this person had taken me personally for $1,000, our road manager for $5,000, and the Pretty Boy Floyd organization for tens of thousands of dollars. Q: Has touring with PBF been a positive experience?
A: Very positive. Positive that I should have gone to medical school instead (ha ha ha).
Q: You mention in your blog that you know the guys from L.A Guns – that is to say the original line-up of the L.A Guns – are you aware of the (one sided) war of words between the two line-ups? Where do you stand on the matter – are Phil and Steve treating Paul and Tracii unfairly?
A: I only say that because when I was with the Dropoutz we did some dates with Tracii's version of L.A. Guns, and they were very nice to us. I don't know them well, but I always look forward to seeing somebody who was nice to me in the past. I do know the members of Phil's L.A. Guns also, but just professionally. I don't want to get in the middle of their conflict. All I have to say is they all seem like nice people and they should all live well and be happy. It's sad that is not happening right now.
Q: What other bands would you like to play with, and why?
A: Paul McCartney - although I don't think I could play for being in awe of him - Alice Cooper, David Bowie...just because they were and are so influential to me. When I was in my bedroom imagining playing to audiences, that's who I was on stage with.
Q: Could you give me your opinion (if any) on the following bands – Motley Crue, Poison, Guns N Roses, Bang Tango, W.A.S.P, Sebastian Bach solo releases.
A: Motley Crue: Still the kings. Haven't missed seeing them on tour since Girls, Girls, Girls.
Poison: Still love to go and see them play year after year.
Guns N' Roses: Loved them when they came out, kind of over it now. They were The Sex Pistols of the L.A scene. If they would have just done "Appetite," not beaten a dead horse, came back 20 years later for a few shows here and there, it would still be special. But they've run that act into the ground.
Bang Tango: Used to idolize them as a teenager, and now I got to go on the road with them and became very close with their current line-up. But Joe still owes me a steak dinner for calling me a "cheap Jew." Ha ha.
W.A.S.P.: Blackie was in The New York Dolls, right? That's cool, I guess.
Sebastian Bach solo: I haven't really heard much of it yet, but he's always been cool to me, so I wish him success.
Q: Who do you think are the best guitarists to come out of the 80s/90s scene - why?
A: Mick Mars is the most underrated guitar player in history.He took at what times was mindless drivel of heroin addicts and made it into art. He is the unsung hero of heavy metal music. As for the 90's, there is no one geater in my eyes than Rich Robinson from The Black Crowes.
Q: Gent Magazine seemed like it was a lot of fun – can you tell us about your role, what your job entailed?
A: Gent Magazine was the most popular of the titles from our publishing company, so that's why I usually mention it first, but we did a bunch of other adult magazines such as Oui, Nugget, Dude, etc., etc. My role was mainly to help the editors lay out the magazine and scan and Photoshop out any imperfections in the photographs. It was office work mostly, 9 to 5, but every once and a while, we got to do cool things like go on photoshoots, videoshoots, judge Ms. Nude World contests and hang with the porn stars. No, I never did date any of them, yes I did sleep with a few of them, but I will tell you, the biggest kick I got from working there was all the free porn. I would use it as barter for goods and services, Christmas bonuses to my valets at my apartment building, reservations and nightclubs and restaurants - it came in handy. When my friends would get too greedy in asking me for porn, I would get back at them by taking a gay porn tape, tearing off the label, and putting it in a Jenna Jameson box for them. You should have heard some of the phone calls I got with my friends screaming at me when they got their "surprise!" (ROFL - Ray)
Q: What are your current plans/projects – feel free to tell us any plans you have or may want to promote – are you staying with PBF?
A: No real current projects to promote right now. I'm seriously considering moving to Los Angeles to be closer to the music scene. As far as staying in Pretty Boy Floyd, that's up to Mr. Summers. I'll be here as long as he wants me to be.
I'd like to thank Davey again for a great interview! All the best bro!
The Cover of Pretty Boy Floyd's debut album, Leather Boyz with Electric Toyz
No comments:
Post a Comment