Last week, I conducted an interview with Phoenix, AZ’s Crash Street Kids. Being a part of the music business for much of my own life, I never quite know what to expect out of bands. This business can be very jading in more ways than one, to say the least. But I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised and entertained at what CSK drummer, A.D. had to say.

During our conversation, we discussed the band’s unique songwriting style that they like to call “Listening Sessions.” These creative bonding sessions comprised of copious amounts of alcohol and 70’s vinyl, are what A.D. calls “the life’s blood” of the band’s existence. As the interview went on, we covered many areas from glam in the mainstream media- to comparing America and the U.K.’s distinctive takes on the genre itself. It was refreshing to hear A.D. talk about Crash Street Kids’ inner-relationships, which I can only compare to that of a band of brothers. Through uneasy times of tribulations including drug abuse, the band can only seem to run like a well-oiled machine, if it’s also running on ALL cylinders. A.D. also gave us the scoop on the band’s association with shock/rock icon, Alice Cooper, as well as what the future holds for the band and the genre of glam rock, itself. Enjoy!


F.R.F.: Where did you guys get the name of the band from? I remember a power pop group from the 80’s that shared the same name.

A.D.: Yeah!! I guess there was some little local band from, I dunno…like Nebraska, or somewhere, that put out an E.P. on a small, local label in 1980-or-so! We had never even heard of them, but really, they were just a local group that went nowhere, which is not unusual. They apparently have heard of us, though!!! I guess some ex-members were a bit whiney about our name when we first came out, but they’ve pretty much got nothin’ to fuss about, since we legally own the name, and all applicable domain names, business references and web addresses. I mean, really…go to any major city in America, and you’ll find a band named Magnum…or Rag Doll….or Rocket 88…or whatever. I’ll bet there are at LEAST 30 bands called(.. .pick a name…how about…) “Triple Play”, in the U.S. right now!! But only one band can own the name!! The simple truth is, the name comes from a Mott The Hoople song of the same name (CRASH STREET KIDDS- from “The Hoople” album). Except we dropped a “D”…..and we own it!

F.R.F.: What is the songwriting process like? Is it completely collaborative, or is it mostly one or two guys’ duty.

A.D.: Our particular songwriting process involves copious amounts of “liquid” lubrication and piles of 1970′s vinyl !!! What we do when we’re gearing up to start writing for a new record really begins with our now infamous “listening sessions”. We’ll put on whatever records we’re in the mood for, have some drinks and just talk…for hours! These sessions can last over the course of a couple of weeks, sometimes longer. We’ll discuss where we want to go musically and topically. Quite often, we can be influenced by whatever mode we’re in that day! Sometimes we’ll listen to a couple of Sensational Alex Harvey Band records, then on to, maybe, “Pretties For You” or “Easy Action” (Alice Cooper’s first two records). Last night it was the classic double album “Mark, Don, and Mel” by Grand Funk Railroad, amongst others!! It could be ANYTHING, really…Suzi Quatro, Slade, The Move…Whatever we feel, elements of that particular vibe can tend to appear in a new song we might working on. If you listen carefully, you can hear shades of Queen, Cheap Trick, Mott The Hoople, Electric Light Orchestra- all of that- in our music. It’s in there because it’s in US!! Ryan is the main songwriter, but we all contribute. He really is good at capturing our vibe, whatever it may be on any given week, and getting chords and lyrics that push that vibe into a musical context. Then we just rip the song to shreds and put it back together. Those listening sessions are the life’s blood of our whole existence. It also reminds us that we are still fans!!! We love this music and it keeps us happy, inspired, and there’s nothing like discovering a lost gem with your best friends and a bottle of hooch. And trust me- we would NEVER, EVER pass up the opportunity to get hammered and listen to “Uriah Heep Live” in its entirety!!

F.R.F.: What are a couple of your favorite songs to perform live? Why?

A.D.: Wow…good question! That’s a tough one. It’s almost like asking a mother who her favorite baby is!! I really love the energy at the beginning of each show. The excitement and the sound of the crowd cheering as you’re walking onto the stage is something that I wish everybody in the world could experience! No drug has ever gotten me that high…and I’ve tried ‘em all!! So I guess, for that reason, and since we are currently opening the show with “C’MON, C’MON, C’MON”, that would have to qualify as one of my faves! It’s the one we’ve opened with since the beginning, and it still sits very nicely right there at the top of the set list today!! I mean, seriously, Kiss’ opener was “Deuce” for years! Me, being such a huge fan, began to look forward to it every Kiss show. If they didn’t open with “Deuce”…bummer!!!! Our fans are the same way. When they hear the opening chords to “C’MON…” it sort of says “Here we go…IT’S ON”!!!!!!!! I’m really having fun playing “BANG, BANG (YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL)”, too, because of the relentlessly gargantuan four-on-the-floor kick drum groove. That is DEFINITELY a crowd favorite, as well. There’s not any song on the set list where any of us think, “Oh God!! Do we really have to play THIS one??”. We love ‘em all, and hit each one like it’s the last song we’ll ever play. Isn’t that how it should be??

F.R.F.: I hear shades of Jellyfish & Enuff Z’Nuff in the vocals, and musically, hints of bands like N.Y. Dolls, Slade, MC5, T-Rex, & Cheap Trick. Who are your main influences musically and songwriting-wise?

A.D.: You hear well, my friend, they’re all in there! I have already mentioned some others in previous answers, as well, but we could still add so many great bands to that list. Ziggy/Aladdin-era Bowie, early (pre-”Reaper”) Blue Oyster Cult, Crack The Sky, The Move, Nick Gilder, Velvet Underground, Idle Race, The Sweet, Captain Beyond, Emitt Rhodes’ self-titled album, Ramones, Deep Purple, and Roy Wood’s Wizzard should also be mentioned. But we can’t forget the obvious bands like the Beatles, Stones, Led Zep, and Sabbath. I, personally, would also include Sparks and Jethro Tull on that list, too, but the rest of the band would kick my ass…..so…ahhhh screw ‘em: go ahead and add Sparks and Tull!!!!. Sorry guys (not!). We’ll just have to work this one out at the next rehearsal!! LOL!!

F.R.F.: Musicians, as a whole, are inspired by the music they surround themselves with. Who are some of the artists of today that you find yourselves listening to? What are your all-time favorite bands to listen to?

A.D.: There is not much music out nowadays, that I find very appealing at all. Today’s “rock” thing is so cheesy and over-produced. Nickleback and Coldplay are prime examples of that rot. It all sounds the same. Then there’s the bands who have taken that godawful Korn/Limp Bizkit vibe from the 90′s and taken it to an even lower plane! Rap-rock, emo, NuMetal…it’s just all so vaccuuous and meaningless…just bloody terrible!!! Nothing to speak of in that bunch! There are also a lot of bands that are getting their influences from the ’80′s thing!! Ugggghhh! How horrendous! Really, people?? Weren’t the ’80′s bands bad enough the first time around? There are a couple of newer bands, however, that we’ve really been diggin’ during our listening sessions. Big Elf is heavy and TRULY badass! People should definitely check them out. Also Pugwash, Imperial Drag, and Pillbugs. Wolfmother’s first album was great, but that’s about it!! All-time favorite bands to listen to? Depends on my mood, so you can pick from any of the bands listed previously…and Sparks…and Tull!!!

F.R.F.: What are your thoughts on British glam vs. American glam?

A.D.: The British glam as a whole, really holds a bigger place in my heart. It is, no doubt, different from U.S. glam, however. If you took them head-to-head with the American bands of the day, you’d have Mott, Bowie, T. Rex, The Sweet, Slade, Hollywood Brats, and all that bunch, versus the Dolls, Iggy, Blondie, Velvet Underground, and all those guys. The British glam was much more about the fashion and the glittery, glamorous look. The U.S. bands tended to have more of a harder, punk element about them. These comparisons can be made in a musical sense, as well. The American bands of those days were mostly out of New York or Detroit, where the punk scenes were really starting to explode. Not your razor blade/safety pin punk like the Sex Pistols or The Damned, but more stripped down, like MC5 and Iggy Pop. But through all of it there was still an element of glamour, glitter, androgyny, and/or danger!! They all shared those basic elements, and that is what made it such a great era in musical history.

F.R.F.: With the sudden resurgence of glam in the media in the last few years, what are your thoughts on the current state of glam rock in independent music and pop culture? What does the future hold for the genre?

A.D.: There are a lot of people out there clinging so hard to the “glam” of the ’80′s, while being completely oblivious to the fact that this was a second-rate re-hash right from the start!!! I wish more people would go back and “discover” bands like Slade and Mott The Hoople. Then they’d be a bit closer to the core of the genre. They’re basing their “new sound” on a cheap imitation. What does the future hold for the genre? It’s hard to tell. We’re still wondering if people will even be buying music five years from now!!! But lately, there are lots more publications that are really doing their homework and getting to the root of the whole glam thing!! It’s a beautiful day when we can engage in conversation about the aspects of Zal Cleminson’s awesome guitar tone!!!

F.R.F.: Do you think it’s interesting to see a plethora of today’s young people dressing glam as a fashion statement, but not listening to bands like the Dolls or T-Rex?

A.D.: I’m not even gonna go there!!!! No doubt, Johnny Thunders and Marc Bolan are rolling over in their graves!!

F.R.F.: Rock & Roll is known for its road stories shaped by the musicians that make up the genre. What are a few of your favorite tales from the road?

A.D.: Due to a certain “Statute of Limitations” in most states, I am not at liberty to speak of such bobbery and debauchery!! Suffice to say this- I would be interested to see how many people could survive even one week on the road with THIS merry band of miscreants!!! Dude, I soooooo wanna mention our trip to “Sex World” in Minneapolis, but I won’t!!! Next question?!?!!?! LOL!

F.R.F.: What do you feel has been the band’s biggest highlight? Worst low point?

A.D.: Honestly, Frederick, it would sound so very cliche to say that there are too many highs to mention, but that is truly the case! This band loves each other, as musicians and as PEOPLE. We are all the best of friends, even after all these years of working side-by-side in oftentimes stressful situations. There has never been a fight (at least between any of US and another one of US!!!)… Surely, we have had disagreements, but they are always resolved quickly, and with the utmost respect and professionalism. Because of that, I’d say that the fact I get to do what I love more than anything else in the world, with the dudes that I love more than anyone else in the world: that is my high point. Every day spent with the other 3 monkeys in this zoo is a personal high! The low point would have to be when our bass player, Deuce, was…ummm… “sick ” for a few months and just disappeared. We were really worried about him, and we missed him every day, but still managed to get things done. But he’s gotten himself clean, healthy, and is back! I’ve never seen him so full of life, and is playing bass like a man possessed! We’re so proud of the steps he took to get himself well. We stood beside him the whole way. I’m not sure if I’m even supposed to be talking about this. This is the first time any of us has mentioned it in a public forum, so I guess you got the scoop on that one, Fred!!! Sure hope management isn’t gonna kill me for talking about it!! It’s been said, “Never leave a fellow soldier on the battlefield”, and we believe in that completely!!! It’s all four of us, or it’s NOTHING!

F.R.F.: From what I understand, you guys have an affiliation with shock rock icon, Alice Cooper? What is your relationship with him, and how did that come to be?

A.D.: Alice has been a very good friend to us, and we love him dearly! I had met him in Hawaii, while on tour, years ago (in a different band), and then subsequently moved to Phoenix, where he also makes home. Friends of friends, and being “in the business”, tends to create some relatively small social circles of in the rock and roll world. We would keep running into him or mutual friends, and there was always the “tell Alice hello for us”, or “Alice says ‘Hey’” thing!! One day he simply invited us to play at his club and we did. He even lent us his rehearsal studio to get ready for the first gig. He became a big fan after he saw us for the first time, and we still have a great relationship with him! He’s truly one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. And, believe me, there is NOTHING cooler than being onstage, rocking balls-out, and looking all the way to the back of the arena, and seeing the legendary Alice Cooper leaning over the rail of the balcony pumping his fist in the air, and singing along to our songs!!! WOW!!

F.R.F.: You guys are known for having quite an entertaining stage show. What gave you the idea to add production value to the live set?

A.D.: Our songs tend to convey a time in the history of rock and roll when things were brighter, louder, and more bombastic than they are today. The things Kiss and Alice Cooper were doing onstage had never been done before. It was new and it was exciting! We felt that, to truly represent the spirit of the early glam days, we would need to do more than simply put out our records and stare at our shoes during the shows!! That was just not acceptable! So, yes(!), we did look toward the “masters of the live show”!! It’s gotta be fun, and our stage show allows us to put all we’ve got, and more, into each performance. We want that kid all the way in the back row to feel like he’s a part of the show, too, so when we perform, we include the whole arena! There is 360 degrees of mayhem from the beginning of the show, right through to the end!!

F.R.F.: Was that inspiration from Alice, an innovator of adding theatrics to supplement his music?

A.D.: Ab-so-LUTE-ly!!! Who better to tip the cap to, than the best there ever was??!!! It’s funny, because after our first show, we were hanging with Alice and he’s just grinning ear-to-ear!!! After some chit-chat, he looks at all of us and, I’ll never forget the look on his face, says, “Your show is so amazing! How’d ya come up with some of that stuff?”!! Priceless!!!

F.R.F.: What are CSK’s plans for 2012?

A.D.: CRASH STREET KIDS are a very hard-working group. We hate downtime, so we’ll probably get back on the road, and start the process over again: more “listening sessions”, writing, recording, shooting videos, and playing shows. Sounds like there is a U.S. tour in the works for early summer 2012, and some talk of Europe and Scandinavia, soon to follow. Keep an eye out for us, Peeps!!! …and please buy a copy of “SWEET CREATURES”, ‘cuz the electric bill is past due at the studio!!!!!! Cheers, GlitterDolls!!