EDDIE TRUNK of That Metal Show and Sirius/XM radio sits down with LRI for a chat
Q: Now that you’ve wrapped taping for the show this season you’re diving headfirst into an INSANE promo spree for the book. Will your family ever see you again and how can you begin to describe or adequately plug the book for those of us who haven’t seen it?
A: My fanily is well aware of the crazy hours I keep after years in radio, so they get it! The book is a collection of personal stories about my experience with these bands and some amazing photos, most never published. If you grew up on rock and metal of the 70’s or 80’s you will love i!
Q: Was Ace your favorite guest on this latest season and do you expect to weather a storm regarding his and your KISS comments from the legion of Kurrent Kiss fans?
A: Ace got great response on his show, but there are still many new ones to come and he was one of many great guests. I am not worried about what people think. Everyone should have the right to be a fan and say how they feel honestly. God knows I take my shots every day from people! There has been no bigger Kiss fan than me or supporter for decades. But what I have always done on TV and Radio for decades is speak how I feel as a fan. I have supported and loved every era of Kiss, but this was a line crossed for me. I still love the band and NEVER said Tommy or Eric should not be in it! But I can’t watch them impersonate Ace and Peter, and its more offensive when it’s positioned that “nobody cares who’s behind the makeup”.
Really? Wow. I know there is an element that will accept anything they do and great, but that’s not me. Its amazing that 99% of all the great things you say and do for a band gets wiped for one thing you don’t like, but so be it. The door is always open for Gene or Paul to come sit down on any of my shows and discuss. Up to them.
Q: You may find this hilarious…… but as popular as you are there are still a lot of people super jealous of you. Reading your Twitter, there are as many people bashing you as praising you. With this new season and stars bringing you gifts on the show all the time what do you say to the average fan who finds it hard to relate to you and your super awesome “job”?
A: Can’t help with that. Most people completely see me just as the fan I am. I put in almost 30 years to get here. Can’t help if I made a connection or mark and won’t apologize for it. Most of what I see and read is positive but of course there will be people that feel the need to make stuff up and take shots from jealousy or whatever. What’s funny is THEY are the most hardcore fans, just a weird way of showing it! I love Howard Stern and he has a posting board called the “Stern FAN Network” and people just hated him on it, but it was a FAN page!
I never understood why you just don’t stop listening? Imagine having that much free time? In the end its a by product of getting more popular. I roll it off my back. People who know me and get it know what I’m about and thankfully its a huge majority of my audience on whatever platform.
Q: I selfishly made up my mind once and for all to give you permanent awesome status after I read your live tweets during the recent Cheap Trick “Dream Police” shows. How far back do you go in loving the band and what did you take away from your latest encounter with our beloved hometown heroes?
A: Budokan was probably my first album. As a Kiss fan any band that threw out a Kiss album at every show was good by me back then. I love power pop also and Cheap Trick are one of the all time greats. I flew to Milwaukee just for that show and it blew me away. To see a band together that long still sound so GREAT was awesome. One of the best times I ever saw them and they used the orchestra brilliantly. Nice people too, had Rick on my radio shows many times. Another R&R Hall JOKE snub!
Q: Would you consider Cheap Trick’s tour back in the day with Kiss to be one of the ultimate concert pairings of all time? Did you get a chance to see that?
A: I did not see that particular tour but it was a cool bill for sure!!!
Q: I imagine you get asked this in every interview but its not something you ever get around to saying point blank on That Metal Show. Who is the absolute biggest holdout out as far as never, ever even getting close to booking on the show and why are they so reluctant to do it?
A: Kiss (Gene & Paul) and Ozzy (Sharon)!!!!
And you would have to ask them why because we really don’t know. All 3 of us are fans of both and all 3 of us have said things we didn’t like as a fan they have done. But that is the spirit of the show. We are not phoney. We encourage opinion and debate and I guess some are too sensitive and would rather not have the conversation?
I do not know. But I give huge props to bands like Metallica and Def Leppard who we did say critical things about, didn’t hold it against us, did the show, and know what it STILL is to be a fan. Our show actually reaches these artists true fan bases, so in the end their fans lose and we have plenty of artists that want on, so it’s all good. But the door is always wide open to them.
Q: I brought it up during Don’s interview and immediately got a response from our readers AND Don (Jamieson, Co-host, That Metal Show).
Vinnie Vincent has a new signature guitar, can you lure him on and do you realize how huge that would be?
A: Huge to a certain element John, but honestly for just as many (non-KISS freaks) probably a non event to be honest. I love Vinnie, super talent. Don’t know him well personally but of course we’d love to have him on. He and Jake E Lee are the two super recluses!
Q: You said on your Sirius show that many of the photos in your book have never been seen before. How on earth did they remain unpublished and how did they end up being such a HUGE part of your book?
A: Well, the photos were not taken by me. They were shot by a lifelong friend Ron Akiyama who went with me to many shows. Ron shot for a few bands but kept his massive archive fairly private until now for the most part. Amazing classic images of the bands we’re talking about!
Q: You have said that the book offers a lot of your own insight into many of the best hard rock metal bands and from what I’ve read it looks like a great primer for a new fan.
In your opinion what does it offer to metalheads who already have an exhaustive knowledge?
A: Personal, new stories and insights….. and those photos for sure. Its not a bio course on the bands. Every chapter has some overview of the artist but it’s more my stories dealing with them, and it only scratches the surface! My radio shows are a hybrid of talk and music because I found people love hearing about this stuff, so lots of it is in there.
Q: metal sludge riff time, word association
A:
Enuff Z Nuff:
Underated
Kim Fowley:
Strange but talented
Chicago industrial scene:
Not a fan
Nikki Sixx:
Great songwriter
Megaforce Records:
Should have been bigger
Bun E Carlos:
Where IS he?
Beavis and Butthead:
Awesome
Andrew Wood:
Tragic
Metal Blade Records:
Dedication
Japanese Metal:
Loudness, EZO (editor’s note: YESSSS, that’s a Loudness reference and a Vinnie reference in the SAME interview)
Q: timeline word association, Ed Trunk Style:
1979:
Dynasty
1984:
Van Halen
1988:
Working at Megaforce years
1994:
Bad time for hard rock
2007:
My son was born, TMS was born!!!
2012:
Hope I see it and keep doing what I love!
Q: Lucky question 13, your last question til the next 600. Is there anything else to plug and would you have Cheap Trick on your show even though they’re not “metal”?
A: The book is doing great guys so thanks to all who have purchased it or will!!!
I’ll be in Illinois for the UFO shows in May at HOB in Chicago and in St Charles!
Maybe a book signing in the area too so also so keep an eye on my online. Regardless of the book, site, radio, TV, whatever, thanks to you all for all the support. Without it I am nothing.
And for Cheap Trick, YES! They will be on this season.
Eddie Trunk
Q104.3 NYC/and syndicated
Eddie Trunk Live XM 53, Sirius 19 every Monday 6-10PM EST
THAT METAL SHOW on VH1 Classic!
Twitter: @eddietrunk
CHECK OUT “EDDIE TRUNK’S ESSENTIAL HARD ROCK & HEAVY METAL” AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD APRIL 1, 2011.
Category: Interviews
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