_____________________________________________________________
As I mentioned in Pt. 1 of this series, I recently discovered an old, dusty
file in my office. The manila folder contained Xerox copies of several
arena rock star interviews that I had conducted a decade ago and
appeared in old school print publications. I look forward to finally
sharing them all with blog readers in the upcoming days, but I was
excited to post these particular excerpts from my 2002 interview with
Cinderella's Tom Keifer ASAP.
_____________________________________________________________
As I mentioned in Pt. 1 of this series, I recently discovered an old, dusty
file in my office. The manila folder contained Xerox copies of several
arena rock star interviews that I had conducted a decade ago and
appeared in old school print publications. I look forward to finally
sharing them all with blog readers in the upcoming days, but I was
excited to post these particular excerpts from my 2002 interview with
Cinderella's Tom Keifer ASAP.
_____________________________________________________________
 |
| Cinderella's Tom Keifer |
CINDERELLA'S TOM KEIFER
Drawing immediate comparisons to such iconic heavyweights as AC/DC, Nazareth and Aerosmith, the blues-based rock band Cinderella became an overnight sensation on the international music scene with the release of their 1986 platinum-selling debut album, Night Songs. Defying the dreaded sophomore jinx, the Pennsylvania band's 1988 album Long Cold Winter also reached platinum status. Achieving an impressive hat-trick, their third album, 1990's Heartbreak Station hit the million mark as well. Then came the grunge movement and Cinderella was forced on hiatus. But after experiencing a series of setbacks, the band returned to the road in the late '90s. And in the 2000s they are once again filling arenas and amphitheaters, coast-to-coast.
There is no doubt that people still want to be served rock and roll. It just hasn't been on the menu for the last ten years.
– Tom Keifer (2002)
In 2002, Cinderella is preparing to embark on another major U.S. summer concert tour. But I was becoming a bit frustrated recently as I put together this story to promote their upcoming date in West Palm Beach.
Communication with Cinderella’s organization was proving to be a
challenge. Numerous messages left with the band's handlers went unanswered and I
was getting nowhere fast. Then,
just two days before my deadline, the call finally
came through. An interview with founding frontman/guitarist Tom Keifer was
scheduled for the following day at 4PM. Unfortunately, the next day came and
went with no call from Keifer. I had learned early in my writing career that when
it comes to interviewing rock stars, Monday usually means Tuesday, 4PM means
6PM and so on. This time, however, I was really getting stressed
because my deadline now was only twenty-four hours away and I needed to
get this story.
I was sleeping-in late on the morning of my deadline after having been out ‘til the wee hours DJ-ing at a club the night
before. Suddenly the phone rang. I couldn’t imagine who on earth would be
so rude as to disturb me at the crack of noon on a Saturday. As I fumbled for
the phone, I glanced down at the Caller ID and to my surprise (and relief), Tom
Keifer was on the line!
Rock and roll is
like primal instincts.
It appeals to everybody.
– Tom Keifer (2002)
For an hour or more, we discussed various phases of Keifer’s amazing career, going all the way back to his teenage years when he made what was to be a life-changing discovery — rock and roll.
“What is this music?” Keifer asked himself upon seeing his first live rock band performing at a school dance. “This is just amazing!”
"I listened to everything growing up," Keifer continued. "I grew up listening to all of the American rock and roll and all of the music that influenced it — from blues to country to gospel."
While discussing his own records released over
the years, Keifer chuckled in agreement when I confessed that I thought
Cinderella’s third record, 1990’s Heartbreak Station was the best of their
career. “There was a magic going on when we recorded that record,” Keifer
recalled. “It’s my favorite of the ones we’ve made. We really had a good time
making that record.”
“What is this music?” Keifer asked himself upon seeing his first live rock band performing at a school dance. “This is just amazing!”
"I listened to everything growing up," Keifer continued. "I grew up listening to all of the American rock and roll and all of the music that influenced it — from blues to country to gospel."
Plagued by throat problems while in the
studio, Keifer described Cinderella’s fourth album, Still Climbing, as a “torturous” album to make. However, he
still considers “Bad Attitude Shuffle” and “Through the Rain” to be a
couple of their all-time best songs.
Of course at some point, I had to ask
him about the short-lived, yet lethal Seattle grunge movement of the early
‘90s that exterminated the arena rock scene seemingly overnight.
“What happened in the ‘90s was not as much of a musical change as it was a fashion change. A lot of people listen to music with their eyes. Soundgarden and Nirvana — it’s loud guitars cranked up through Marshalls with screaming vocals. It all sounded like rock and roll to me. I never got what the difference really was other than the look.”
“What happened in the ‘90s was not as much of a musical change as it was a fashion change. A lot of people listen to music with their eyes. Soundgarden and Nirvana — it’s loud guitars cranked up through Marshalls with screaming vocals. It all sounded like rock and roll to me. I never got what the difference really was other than the look.”
I loved Nirvana.
I thought they were a great rock and roll band.
– Tom Keifer (2002)
*I found Keifer's easy-going openness to be quite refreshing and he proved to be as engaging throughout our one-on-one conversion as he's appeared to be over the years performing onstage in front of thousands. I appreciated his time, and the experience remains one of my all-time favorite writing ops. I just wish that after all these years I could relocate the cassette tape with the entire interview!
-Christopher Long
(April 2002)
Author Christopher Long's latest book,
is available NOW on Amazon.
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