posted 10/31/2007 2:12:33 PM

Ryan Trevor Interview

by Plastic Crimewave

PCW--What's your first musical memories?

RT--Very young, like 2 years old. My dad was a big band leader and had his own orchestra. There was always music in our home. Dad would have most of the rehearsal in a music studio he had built behind the back of the house we lived in. As I got a wee bit older (5-6 years old) I'd go to many of the rehearsals and shows he put on. Later on, he was a studio musician in Hollywood, California for many of the Big Bands like Harry James, Lou Brubeck, Duke Ellington, Dezi Arnaz. I started playing a musical instrument at 6 years old, the trombone, and the following year the trumpet. I got rushed off to England with my Aunt and Uncle towards in the middle of my 7th year and at nine was in the Birmingham Music Conservatory in Birmingham, England playing and studying piano to the Baroque style of music. At 12 Years Old I picked up a minor study at the Conservatory in classical guitar. Altogether I had formal study in these instruments for 6 1/2 years, I. didn't get into Rock 'N' Roll until I returned to the United States at 16 years old. And up until then, I really hated it, which included the Beatles.

PCW--Did you play w/any bands?

RT--After I returned from England to the USA in 1966, I started at a high school in Ontario, California. I made friends with a group of kids who were trying to start a band. A couple of them became close friends of mine and found out that I had formal musical training. Because of the ease of being accepted by these people because I had a British Accent they wanted me to sing in there group. It was the first time I had ever done such a thing, so I tried it and began with a Beatles song called "And I Love Her". Immediately everyone started saying that I sounded exactly like Paul McCartney, I couldn't hear it, but everyone kept saying that until I started believing it myself. So after a few weeks I joined this band but I wanted to do more than just sing-- so since I sounded like Paul McCartney and they didn't have a bass player, I bought a bass guitar and amp and started a crash course in learning how to play the bass. It came to me very quickly and within a few weeks I had it down well enough with songs to become the groups bass player and lead singer. It was funny too that I am left handed, so it really had a great appearance on stage. I was in two rock n’ roll bands the three years I was in high school. First was a group called the "Blue Glue", and a second one was caledl "The Revival Meeting". I started one of my own called "The Defenders of Mr. Toddle" but it didn't catch on too well, everyone said it sounded too much like Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. After high school, myself and another guitar player from the Blue Glue band went off and formed a duet and started playing folk music in clubs around the local area and Hollywood...we called ourselves "The Lonely Minstrels". I started as a solo act in 1975 as just Ryan Trevor and began playing only the stuff that I was writing. I played that scene for a couple of years and got some interest from A&R reps and did a couple of demos, but it was luck that an engineer from the TEAC Corporation came to see me in one of my acts at a club in Ontario. He was on his way to Palm Springs to see a friend and just stopped in for a drink and something to eat, when he caught my act. He stuck around for the whole thing and afterwards came up to me and started asking questions. He turned me onto a friend of his a Capitol Records by the name of Al Cohen, who later went to Warner Bros Records. Al knew a couple of guys by the name of Len Chandler and John Braheny who had a radio show and were starting a showcase called “The Alternate Choirs” in Hollywood at a club called Joe Laboe's, who was Art Laboe's brother. Art was a big Hollywood music critic and A&R at the time. I auditioned for Len Chandler and he made me a casing partner with him and John Braheny for the Alternate Choirs. I finally got introduced to a fellow by the name of Paul Freeman who was Richard Dreyfus’s cousin. Paul was in the A&R and management business, and was partners with a guy by the name of John Haws who was a Hollywood music attorney. They had started a recording studio and publishing company called Freeman & Haws in Newport Beach, California. Paul got to hear a demo recording I had made and loved my music and sound, so he wanted to sign me to his company and be my manager. Paul was close friends with Jeff Beck and Robin Trower. So I started mingling with this group of people and before a year had gone by I had the Nights in the City Album started. We did a couple of commercials that I'd written and I had submitted three songs to Barry Manilow through Aresta Records. I was a Roadie with Robin Trower in 1976 while he was in concerts in the USA and got the promotion through Warner Bros for “Nights in the City” and a single called "How can I lose you". I did a comedy play set to music with Screen Gems called "Old Time Comedians" in 1978, and 6 songs for Sesame Street in 1980.

PCW-- are there any surviving recordings of your old bands? or the A&M demos?

RT--NO, all were taken by Barbara Beckman in 1971.

PCW--Did any concerts change your life?

RT--Yeah, one in particular. a Moody Blues concert in Detroit, Michigan 1969. I had never heard music like that ever before in my life. I had studied classical music all my childhood and ripped out rock n’ roll as a pastime in high school, but the mix of classical and rock/pop like these guys did really turned me on, and set the stage for my own versions, like with "Glass Voices".

PCW-- Did you ever find out what your dad did for the CIA?

RT--Some of it, not all...he is tight lipped about it. He helped in the overthrow of the government in Peru back in the mid 1960's, and was a courier of the Agency for 10 years. He spent time in Africa and Central America but will not talk about those experiences to this day.

PCW-- was Bisodol the best drug you ever tried?

RT--It was the first...but I don't think there is a BEST drug to take...I've experimented with so many that I don't even want to compare drugs with the best of anything...Say "NO" to drugs.

PCW-- did the conservatory influence your music much?

RT--Absolutely...it was the beginning of my musical experience. I love classical music and prefer it over any other. Rock n’ roll is just easy to play and to create whatever at the moment. I've written a couple of symphonic pieces over the last 30 years. I recorded portions of them by never the whole thing.

PCW--Did you ever get deeper into Nicolai Tesla?

RT--No...just the science fair project in high school

PCW--What do you think about Folk Music?

RT--Love it. When I was part of the Lonely Minstrels that all we did, and we were writing that kind of style during that time as well. But rock RULES!

PCW--Where/when did you record the LP?

RT--The LP was recorded exclusively at my studio (RyanSongs) in Newport Beach, Ca. and mixed 6 moths afterwards at my relocated Studio in Alta Loma, Ca.

PCW: What/how did WB pick it up? Did they re-release it or simply buy an option on it or something?

RT: Paul Freeman became my Manager in 1977 and I signed a contract with him as such with Freeman & Haws Corp. Paul was into a lot of things in the music business including A&R with WB and Capitol. Nevertheless, when in 1976 I started recording "Introducing Ryan Trevor", I hadn't yet signed with Paul and was going to release this LP through RyanSongs which I had newly started. I had done two songs with Barry Manilow, “Could it be Magic,” and a song called “Daybreak” as a ghost writer co-op under the name of Adrienne Anderson. Barry had this thing of protecting his stage name by not allowing co-op writers to use their names, so any co-op he allowed to co-write with him were always called Adrienne Anderson. When Paul McCartney was with the Beatles he did the same kind of thing with some of the writers he discovered and wrote for like Peter & Gordon--he used the ghost name of Bernard Webb. Anyway, I had written "Nights in the City" just for Manilow and had negotiated a deal with his talent management for him to record the song and get it onto his next LP release in 1977. So when I originally started “Introducing Ryan Trevor”, “Nights in the City” was not on the Master 1/2 Track. Just before I was going to print on the LP, I got word that Manilow was not going to include the song on his new LP and had no plans on ever recording it. He didn't like the idea of a former ghost writer being a solo writer on a song he'd do...You'll notice that there never was any song on any Barry Manilow album written solo by Adrienne Anderson. Paul Freeman had gotten me a contract with Warner Bros in 1978 to do what they called in those days a staff writer. I was signed for 6 years. I got paid $18,000 a year salary and royalities on anything I did that paid off. I did a 7-up commercial, 6 songs for Sesame Street, a bunch of ads for TV songs like the Clarrol shampoo commercials and other such things. In fact, the song on the LP, "Notion of Love", the hook line chorus part with the synth was the Ms. Clarrol hook line in the commercial. At this time I also did the Screen Gems demo for the "Old Time Comedians" which was negotiated through Paul Freeman and WB. Originally, I had 10,000 records pressed on the RyanSongs label and had them distributed through a company called Tab Rex Enterprises out of Hollywood, CA. They had a local and interstate distribution network that got them out. I got local L.A. airplay and some in other states, mostly bigger cities like Chicago, New York and Miami. What I found out later was that about 1,000 had made their way to France, England and Japan. I had a woman I knew find one in a record store in Paris, France and another in Tokyo, Japan. Unknowing to me, in 1984 Paul Freeman somehow got Warner Bros to do another distribution of 100,000 records under the name Nights in the City, and I was able to keep the copyright under RyanSongs from the original copyright I did on the first LP WB no longer has any ties to the LP or CD.

PCW--So Warner’s definitely pressed-up 100,000 of “Nights in the City?” I’ve never seen it..

RT--Yeah...100,000 copies of Night's in the City on vinyl were pressed and distributed and sold over a 10 year period...I received all together while working for WB ~$125,000. I got my last royalty check in 1989 and it was for $6,800 and that was it. I got divorced from my first wife who I was married to for 20 years on 1990 and I lost everything. I had an autographed picture from John Lennon, all of my master tapes, records, Sesame Street, the commercials, tons of stuff were all destroyed by my first wife out or revenge. I kept my Hofner which was one of Paul McCartney's road bass guitars from the Beatles Tour days in the 60s, the masters from the “Introducing Ryan Trevor” album, and the “Old Time Comedians” masters, but that was it.

PCW--What stuff did you do for Sesame Street?

RT-What I did with Sesame Street was in 1980. The UN declared 1980 the Year of the Child, Paul Freeman had contacts with Sesame Street Productions and wanted to know if I could do anything as far as a kids song skit. I came up with what I called the "Friends" tape, which was 6 songs about friends. They bought all 6 and I recorded them in Paul’s studio in New Port Beach, Ca. (Overland Record Studios). I know Burt, Cookie Monster and Kermit lip-synced three of them..

PCW--How did you raise $50,000 to start your own RyanSongs label?

RT--All I'll say about the money to get the studio started is that I have some friends on the East Coast who give loans and break legs if you don't pay them back on time. Don't get too far into my background, there's some things you don't need to know about. Nevertheless, RyanSongs has been around for 31 years and I am in the middle of another songwriting binge. I'm starting another CD's worth of music...hope to have it done by March 08...

PCW--There's a lot of cool sounds on the record--fuzz guitar, phase/flange, perhaps a moog type synthesizer--etc--what inspired you to do this?

RT--I played all of the instruments, did all of the arrangements and sang all of the vocals, including background vocals. As I got started with the LP in 1976, I had met Peter Frampton. He did a concert which was recorded and an LP made called "Frampton Comes Alive". All of the equipment he used on that concert came from the Guitar Center in Hollywood, CA. The day after the concert ended I went and bought all of the special effects boxes. That was some of the sounds I used on the LP. I didn't want to use all of them because I didn't want to copy his style, just wanted to spice up my recording a little. The song "I'm Getting Closer" has a couple of the sound effects from that concert. Most of the other arrangements were just my own ideas not really inspired by anyone in particular.

PCW--How and where did you meet Peter Frampton?

RT--It was an introduction from Paul back stage at a concert where I met Peter Frampton, just a few minutes, we didn't talk about anything. Paul and I hung out at the "Whiskey" on Hollywood Blvd, and the Sunset Club in LA a lot of times and he'd introduce me to all kinds of people.

PCW--Who is the Jessie Gunn credited on the LP?

RT--He was Dennis Romero, my best friend from the book, "Down on backwards Trail". The one who flipped out on acid…

PCW-- Who is lead guitar man on "Nights..", Rocky Sanchez?

RT--Rocky was an engineer from Warner Bros who help me do the lead part on "Nights".

PCW-- Would you consider the LP psychedelic?

RT--No...just rock n’ roll.

PCW--who drew the cover?

RT--I did...front and back covers

PCW--do you like ELO?

RT--Loved ELO from day one... big fan to this day.

PCW--How was it roadie-ing for Robin Trower?

RT-- Fun but weird...Robin is really germ-phobic. Before each concert we had to spray Lysol on all of the mics and anything he may touch. He didn't like to party after the show, kept to himself, and was a very reserved individual. Now James Dewar the bass player was another issue...He was a massive partier and drug addict. He ended up having a massive stroke back in 1987 and passed away in May of 2002, very sad! He was really a fab bass player and great vocalist. All of the shows I did with Robin were in 1976 in the USA and it lasted about six months. At first it was FAB, with woman and drink and just lots of fucking, passing out and waking up in some hotel suite with the biggest bloody headache and no recall of the night before...it was non-stop...but after about three or four months of that, it got to where you wanted to kill yourself and never see another pussy again...it was non-stop back stage every show....I never wanted to do that again.

PCW--What brought on yer love for Paul:

RT--My attraction to Paul McCartney was strictly because I sounded so much like him and I could sing the Beatles so well. Nevertheless, I actually fell into a friendship with him totally by accident. Can't really say I have a love for Paul, just a huge respect for the guy. The way it happened was that I first met John Lennon during a demo rehearsal at A&M Records in Hollywood, California in 1970. It was the most uneventful introduction I could every have had. The guy was a complete PRICK! He had handouts of photographs he was promoting from a new album not yet released which was him standing in a pig pen holding a pigs head in the slop, he was in a totally white suit. It was a spoof against Paul McCartney's Ram Album, where Paul was holding a ram’s head down in a pit of mud. To say the least, I was not impressed with Lennon. I first met Paul McCartney by accident on the beach in Malibu, California. He and his wife Linda and their daughter Heather were staying, or I should say holidaying, at a residence located on the beach in Malibu. I had a seven year old daughter named Nichoel who was playing with another little girl in the sand. I had my guitar and was working on some new material I was writing, so these two kids were a ways off down in the sand by the water. All of a sudden I hear someone shouting "Yeah, Heather, come on". I looked down the beach and could see this guy waving his arms back and forth yelling. I noticed that he had started running toward the two girls (my daughter and the other girl), so I stood up and started walking towards them. As he got closer I noticed that he looked very familiar, until he got within a few feet and I noticed it was Paul McCartney. We started talking, he invited myself and Nichoel back to his place for some lunch. He said, "looks like they're having a time of it, why interrupt their fun." So we had some sandwiches and a great time talking about all kinds of stuff, but we did not play music or talk about the Beatles. I acted like he was just another guy, and he loved that. We stayed there almost all afternoon. His wife Linda got my phone number and said they'd keep in touch, and they did...sometimes out of the blue they'd call early in the morning, like 3:00am just to say hello. I made it a point to send him new songs I'd write for his review, and a few times he did just that. I had many occasions to photograph him at various places and we have kept in touch for almost 28 years now.

PCW-- do you at least dig Lennon's music?

RT--Really only with the Beatles from 1963-1968 and the Abbey Road album. The only album I liked that he did solo was “Walls and Bridges”. Hated Yoko!

PCW--Ah Yoko rules!! Have you heard of Emitt Rhodes? Some might compare him to you.

RT--Funny enough I had. I remember a thing he did called "Merry-go-round". I wasn't a big fan of his.

Plastic Crimewave 2007

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