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Peter Blast By: Christopher Duda Oct 24, 2005 Toronto, Canada SugarBuzz Magazine Page Three |
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| 20.”Tracks” was another ep you released. It particularly caught my attention as you cover “Pills” (Bo Diddley, New York Dolls). This cd is now hard to find. Why is it so obscure? Tracks was an EP with two live tracks and two studio demo's that were bootlegged and then sold out right by a guy that said he didn't know where the recordings came from! I was informed that the EP's were even being sold with the labels name on them. A friend of a friend found them being sold at an open air flea market. He cornered the guy and found he had around five hundred cd’s! All the ep's were collected from the dealer and sold. Tracks sold out fast. I think most of them went to Japan, China, and Korea. Those places really like rare recordings. As I said there were four cut's on Tracks, a live take of "State Trooper by Bruce Springsteen", a live take of "Pill's " and two studio tracks " Soldier Boy " (a tune I demoed years ago) and a song called " The Other Side". Soldier Boy I always thought was a smash hit but the recording was only a demo, so that was a bit of a drag. I'm thinking that guy got the recordings from someone very close to me. I talked about this EP when I did an Internet interview on "Old Rules, New School, Live 365.com " and they played " State Trooper" Live, along with seven other songs from three different cd's of mine. This interview with eight songs are like a Peter Blast history lesson. 21. You have quite a bit of material recorded over the years. The progression and growth of Peter Blast would make an interesting Box Set. What are your thoughts about releasing something of this calibre? A box set has been thought about but now is not the time. Later on, all of the past and future recordings I will and have done will make up the box set along with videos and Live footage. Maybe it will be "Peter Blast, “The best of the Worst"! 22. I am interested in what you initially listened to at a younger age. Do you remember the first album you actually owned? The first records I owned fell off the back of a truck in Chicago. They changed my life at that very moment forever. "Meet the Beatles” and The Rolling Stones –“Not Fade away" single. I had a guitar within a week and was banging on it writing melodies and Words .I used to write songs and send them to the Beatles, hoping they would use one. What a dumb ass! (Didn’t they cover “Stab Me Gently”? ha ha-ED) My influence's stem back to the British Invasion and Pirate FM Radio. The radio shows would come on after the real shows ended. You could hear The Jeff Beck Group with Ron Wood and Rod Stewart, Zep 1 all that stuff. I was in L.A. as a runaway in 1969 the same year flower power died. The early seventies had Stewart’s solo stuff and The Faces along with some of the Rolling Stones, best records to date. Humble Pie, Blue Cheer, Spooky Tooth an endless flow of some really great music and cool drugs to set a mood and don’t forget Hendrix! I think all this and more is still what makes me tick. What's old is new and what is new is mainstream .I don't listen to the radio anymore. I always liked original glam but glam was a look not a sound. Keith Richard is the first glam punk rocker as far as I am concerned. Wearing makeup, chopped up hair and some wild ass clothes but he plays fucking Rock n Roll and blues. The early to mid seventies also had The N.Y.Dolls, which were Glam and played Rock n Roll but it was more street gear. Later cats like Johnny Thunders made his raw, rock, punk and then came the Pistols and all that followed. As a kid, my dad liked Johnny Cash so between all the groups and artists mentioned I think a little of all of them make my foundation. Of course, T-Rex and a whole lot of others are still floating around up stairs in my gray matter! |
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23. Since you have been around Chicago and seen many changes in the music scene; I was wondering if you had any interesting stories you would like to share.
Back in the early seventies The Faces came to Chicago about five times a year. I was walking around downtown Chicago when I saw this guy walking around looking lost .I asked if he needed help. I was shocked to find it was Rod Stewart! I helped him find his hotel by a short cab ride. The Faces always rented the top floor of the Holiday Inn. A friend of mine would always go to the after show parties. She brought me along one night, where I had the opportunity to meet Stewart again along with Ronnie and the boys. |
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| They were great to everybody and I saw Ronnie a few times down the road after he became a Rolling Stone. Anyway, if you liked whiskey and cocaine you were going to have yourself a good time! This chick that first took me to the party use to wear this full-length fur coat that would have the lining of her coat filled with two foot long joints! These guys rocked, very foot loose and fancy free. Nobody partied like Rod and The Faces.
Another time Desi Rexx of D'Molls and I were at a James Brown concert, when this English guy kept following me around telling me how much he liked my shirt .I finally said I am not taking my shirt off my back for you but lets have a beer. Desi walks over and tells me that the guy is Glen Matlock! Later Glen put me plus two on the guest list because he was playing at the Exit Chicago the next night. I brought along Desi and Chip Z'nuff. Glen was all worried that the club wanted two sets and he only had material for one set .I sat backstage with him playing his one and only bass and telling him to switch the songs around or call it a second show. Years later when he was touring as a Sex Pistol, my body guard and I went to the meet and greet. Steve Jones came by and I asked If he remembered me from a meeting with Joan Jett .He said “no” and kept going, a true rude boy, and bit of a jerk off. When Glen came out we talked and he said where the band was going for cocktails. I blew them off and went for drinks with the road crew. I had no need for Johnny Rotten or Steve Jones bullshit. If it looks, like and sounds like bullshit it must be bullshit! Why the Jonesy attitude, he is just another Thunders thief. Another short story! I was outside behind a venue the Stones had just played and there was a limo sitting there. I don't remember who opened the door and said for me to get in but when I did Keith fucking Richards was in the Limo! I was out of my mind, I said hello introduced myself and layed a joint on him. Its weird isn’t it? 24. You are currently in the studio working on your next cd Peter Blast-Ex’s in Exile. How are the sessions going and when do you figure the cd will be finished? Who is in this current line up? On the new CD I'm Tracking for next year "PETER BLAST, EX’S in EXiLe" is still taking shape. There's so many new songs, some are very old school punk & others are very Rock n Roll, of course there's also a few magical, mystical tune's that I'd have to call "Americana, gypsy folk pop with that Peter Blast signature. It’s funny how some thing’s change but still remain the same. I think this cd has a lot of different texture and color's then some of my past releases. In the studio, I'm recording with "Desi Rexx" who toured with David lee Roth & was a part of the group D'Molls. I’ve also got "Chip Z'nuff playing Bass on a few tracks. I have been working with him for so many years now that it wouldn’t feel right if he wasn’t on it. Dan Curry is playing drums; he was with Hi-Fi, & The Roadburners. Dan is included in the live line up also. I’ve got two local guys playing on a few tracks, trying to help kick start some careers. One of the two had a group out in Arizona that ended up being one of Johnny Thunders many support groups; he will also be playing on a few studio tracks and in the live line up along with a local bassist. I'm always wanting to tour and it seems a lot of countries really want me to do dates .I'm praying to hook up with some promoters soon and do things the right way. Keep your fingers crossed. 25. On your new cd, you have a song about a character named Leddah. I understand it is an amusing story about how that song was written. Would you care to elaborate? One of my newer songs that I'm tracking is called” My right arm, Wrong Vain”. It is the story of a voodoo doll that is alive & well somewhere off in the countryside. I was sent some photos of Leddah that were on e-bay, so I contacted the owner about using an image for the new CD cover. Some fortune teller in England (weirder still she use to be married to some guy in Adam and the Ants!) contacted me saying the owner of the doll wouldn’t be happy, so I'm not going to use it. I don’t need a voodoo Doll pissed off because another song I'm tracking is called "I ain’t Cursed”. The story goes like this; the gypsies believe that you can put someone’s soul into a doll to extend the lifeline of that person. Now I believe that to live forever through the eyes of a doll would be a real drag. The guy never could sell the doll cause every time he tried he said the doll would put him into a trance until he got back home with the doll. Looks to me like the gypsy woman cursed everybody involved but personally "I aint Cursed". 26. You always seem to be 2 steps ahead of the game. Sometimes as you state earlier when you pave the way for others you don’t get the success or recognition. How do you feel about this statement applying it to yourself? Well being one or two steps ahead can hurt you, because they don't and won’t get it. If it doesn't sound like everybody else they won’t get it and by the time they do its somebody else that’s doing it. When I did "This Side of Shang-hi" I took it down South and they said “this isn’t country”, so I go to the city and the label says, “Well that’s not rock. What the fuck that sounds to me like a crossover. It hurts but you get over it. 27. I find it interesting that you have a religious side to yourself but also a dark side. Do you find that this is a natural balance? To understand the light you must understand the dark? Well it’s all about good versus evil. You have the Devil on one shoulder and your Angels on the other. I think it took a case of Angels to get me this far. Haunting and eerie doesn’t have anything to do with evil if you don’t want it to be. They are stories that make up songs. It’s all part of a great mystery! 28. What do you think history books will say about Peter Blast in 25 years? What will people say about me in twenty-five years? I would like to be remembered as an artist that could touch upon several styles of music and then make it his own. Ann Leighton in New York said I walk a fine line between "Elegance and Ball's". This could be true; I’d like to think so! I do what I do with no apologies even when it's the right arm, wrong Vain. Copyright: Christopher Duda Editor's Note: I want to thank Christopher and Peter for gacing the pages of SugarBuzz with this interview!!! Truly awesome!!!! You both ROCK! |
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