Oregon Music News

Oregon Music News has a copy of Eddie Trunk’s Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal to give away. All you need to do is tell us your all-time favorite hard rock or heavy metal band and why you love them in the comment area at the bottom of the page.

The title says it all.

With 30 years in the music business working at A&R at Megaforce Records, in radio broadcasting (currently Sirius/XM and Q104 FM in New York), television (VH-1 Classic), and now as a best-selling author, Eddie Trunk has championed for hard rock and heavy metal music. Trunk, a self-professed ultimate fan of rock and metal, sat down with Oregon Music News to talk about his book, Eddie Trunk’s Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal and the 8th season of That Metal Show on VH-1 Classic, which launches its 8th season on August 20th.

In a press release, Eddie states, “Hard Rock and Heavy Metal are two different things yet they’re connected. I’ve always liked both worlds. People ask me how do you make a connection between Pantera, for instance, and Poison? To me, it’s obvious! If you grew up in the ‘80s, those were the two worlds. As a kid, I found that most people were on one side of the fence or the other. I never was. I liked both worlds. I walked both worlds. I still, to this day, support both worlds: on my radio shows, on my television shows and in my book. I like Billy Squier and I like Slayer and I’ve never been afraid to say it.”

How long has your book, Eddie Trunk’s Essential Hard Rock and Metal, been in the works?

It’s been something that I’ve wanted to do for a while. My initial thought was to do a biography of 30 years in the business. I went against this because I’m still working in the business and I’ve got a lot more going on than I ever have. It wouldn’t have made sense at this point; I see the biography more toward the end of my career or retirement. I don’t think I’m close to that right now.

I was approached by Abrams Books about doing a book on the genre and I felt that made more sense. I have to point out that Abrams isn’t known for doing this kind of book. Abrams specializes in photo-driven coffee table books. We came up with a hybrid a book that features some great photography, a chapter dedicated to each of the bands, and a personal story linking my interaction with the bands. It’s a mix of different things and people have responded well to the book; some like the photos, some like the stories, others love the playlist feature or they simply like learning more about these bands.

In retrospect, having lived with the book for a few months since its release, has there been a band that you felt should have made the cut but didn’t?

It was difficult to narrow it down to 35 bands. We cut back in a lot of areas simply for space and to keep the cost down. Picking the core 35 bands was extremely agonizing for me because there are many more bands that I love. If you look at the back of the book there’s a section that is titled “More Essentials.” There is mention of other bands and they got a paragraph each. What people don’t know is that those bands were full-chapter bands at one point. The publisher kept the list price at $20.00 — most outlets are selling it below list price. That’s a couple of magazines in this day and age. The quality is unbelievable and that’s not me tooting my own horn; that’s a tribute to the publisher. They wanted to keep the cost low so we had to limit it to a certain amount of pages. As a result those bands where cut back. Those bands will likely make their way into the second book as well as bands that weren’t mentioned at all.

The playlists that are listed in the book for each band were cut back for space too. I should mention that the playlists were not ranked in order of priority, so the number one song on the list isn’t my favorite song by the band. The 35 bands that are listed are bands that I personally love and or I felt are important to me and my evolution in the business. I list the reasons for each band and there’s naturally a lot of debate about it. I get asked, “Why did you put this band in and not this band?” As I have said, “You have to read the book.” I explain the importance of every band in the book. It should be noted that the book is called Eddie Trunk’s Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal; it’s my picks and it’s by no means meant to be the be all end all or the bible of rock by any stretch.

The photography in the book is by Ron Akiyama, who is a friend of yours and goes way back with you. How did he get involved and was he a professional photographer in the early days?

Ron’s attachment to this book is important to me and very interesting. He’s an old friend of mine who I talk to everyday. We virtually grew up together; we met while working at a record store back in the early ’80s. He did just about every photo in the book aside from a handful of the candid photographs. All the pro-shot stuff is Ron. He shot the cover of the book; that’s a photo of the crowd at L’Amour in Brooklyn before an Anthrax show. Originally we solicited Ron’s work and a couple of other people’s. When the publishers met with Ron they really liked the connection that he had to my personal story linked to these bands. So when I talk about a particular band and the personal story I have with them he has the photos from that show. The publisher decided to allow Ron to provide the photography for the entire book.

The photos from the ’70s, especially the Led Zeppelin photos, were taken covertly. He was not sanctioned to shoot these bands; he was simply a kid who had an interest in photography, who got great seats, and snuck his camera in. As the ’80s rolled in he had built relationships with these artists; he went on to legitimately shoot them. He would get credentials and shoot them from the pit. There’s a picture of Jon Bon Jovi that’s never been seen before; it’s Jon standing in a swamp. That was an authorized shoot that Ron did while he was working for Bon Jovi in the ’80s. He did that well into the ’90s; he still shoots bands today but not as aggressively as he did in the ’70s and the ’80s. What makes Ron’s contribution to the book important isn’t only the high quality of his work but his tie to me and the stories in the book. I can say that 99% of the photos in the book haven’t been seen before ever — these are not stock photos. One last thing on the book I get asked about is its availability in e-book format. It is available but I recommend that you get the physical thing. This book is meant to be flipped through, held; you don’t get the layout and the photos in the e-book. All of those things add to the reading experience and you lose that in a digital form.

Eddie Trunk on the set of his TV show.

You just wrapped up taping the new season of That Metal Show. The roster for this season looks loaded. You finally got one of the guests that you’ve been after for a while; Sammy Hagar. He made it onto your radio show to talk about his book, Red, a few months back. How did you get him to come on the TV show?

Yeah, you heard how it happened then. Sammy came on my satellite show to promote his book and I’ve been of fan of his for a while. It was revealing to me that he watched the TV show and he liked it. I then asked him, “Why the hell aren’t you on it then?” As he was heading out of the studio that day he gave me a number so we could make it happen and we got it done. Sammy was great; we gave him the entire hour of the show. Sammy’s episode is in the middle of the season and the new episodes premier on August 20th. I’m very happy with the line-up we got together for this season, especially since we shot it in July when a lot of these musicians are on their summer tours and not easily accessible. In addition to Sammy we have an hour dedicated to Lars Ulrich (Metallica), an hour with Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell), we have Anthrax, we have Cheap Trick, and if you can believe this, Cory Taylor from Slipknot. We have a lot of diversity and we have great guests.

In your “What Ever Happened To” segment didn’t you have some of the Malice guys sitting in the audience?

Yeah we had Jay Reynolds and a couple of the guys from Malice in the audience. We get a lot of questions on artists’ whereabouts on a regular basis. There’s been occasions when the people have been local or happen to be in the area when we shoot, as was the case with Malice. That’s very cool when we’re able to have them sitting right there; we’ve done that a couple of times before with Rowan Robertson (Dio) and with Rob Affuso (Skid Row) and it’s been a lot of fun.

We were talking about Sammy Hagar earlier and he’s part of Chickenfoot, which is a supergroup. There’s also Black Country Communion featuring Glenn Hughes and Joe Bonamassa, and then there’s the newly formed Adrenaline Mob featuring Mike Portnoy (formerly of Dream Theater), Russell Allen (Symphony X) and Rich Ward (formerly of Stuck Mojo). I also just read that Mike Portnoy has formed a power trio with John Sykes (Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, Blue Murder) with an unnamed bassist. Do you think supergroups will be the next trend in hard rock?

I think so and this is due in part to the state of the music business. Records don’t sell like they used to and I think a lot of musicians are starting to find out that the way for them to make a living is getting on the road and tour. They will still write and record but they’ll do it in different ways so they can get on the road and make some money. You mentioned Mike Portnoy; he’s been doing this his whole career; he wants to play with everybody yesterday. Mike had several things going on when he was in Dream Theater, so for him to have two bands isn’t a lot for him to handle. I’d be willing to bet that he’ll announce a couple more soon. Another reason I think you’ll see this as a trend is that these guys are looking for more creative outlets and this is another opportunity to get out there and connect with fans.

In the case of Black Country Communion you have Glenn Hughes who is highly successful in Europe as a solo artist. Joe Bonamassa is more successful as a solo artist than Black Country Communion is. As a unit they come together very well; they play great heavy rock and they’ve been pretty successful. For me this is one of the best things Glenn has done in a while and it also introduced me to what Joe Bonamassa is about. The Mike Portnoy and John Sykes things are something that I’m personally close to because I’ve been trying to get John to do something for a while. The fact is that after 10 years John is doing something with a very good friend in Mike Portnoy is a dream come true for me. I can’t wait to hear that. I hosted the first ever Adrenaline Mob show in New York — that’s a phenomenal band. It’s a great time because I feel that a lot of veteran or classic artists are making some of the best new music in ages. I really think you’ll enjoy the new Anthrax album; it’s a great album. I’ll go as far as to say that it’s probably the best thing that they’ve ever done. If you listen to my radio show you know how much I love their Spreading The Disease album. This is better than that.

Eddie Trunk swaps books with The Red Rocker.

Eddie, what’s your take on bands bringing in replacement players? Mick Jones has done a wonderful job revamping Foreigner, Vinnie Moore has stepped in and done a great job in UFO, then there’s the KISS situation; where you have Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer playing the Ace Frehley and Peter Criss roles? They are great musicians no question, even better than the original guys, but it’s strange.

You’re dealing with very different circumstances with the KISS thing than the other scenarios. In the other examples you’re dealing with a situation where the other guys aren’t in the band and replacement guys are brought in to do what they do in the band. In the case of KISS they brought in replacement guys who do what others have done in the band; in the terms of how they act, behave, and play in the band. That, to me as a long-time KISS fan, bothers me– it was a line that was crossed. I don’t go to the shows anymore and I’m not a fan of what they have done. It’s deception to an extent and it tarnishes the legacy of what Ace and Peter did in the band. I have no issues with Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer — they are great musicians, they should be in the band — I just have a problem with them not being their own people. I love all eras of KISS with or without the make-up; I’m just not a fan of the impersonation.

UFO with Vinnie Moore sound phenomenal. Vinnie was brought in do a job and he has surprised a lot of people. You’re right, Foreigner sounds amazing; Kelly Hansen can sing the songs better than Lou Graham. I’ll throw out another example in Journey. Arnel Pineda can probably sing those songs better than Steve Perry can these days. Do you want the original guys whenever possible? Absolutely, but time stops for no one and unfortunately some of these guys just can’t do what they once did. Sometimes the issues are business, ego, or politics that keep some of the original members out of the band. I have no problem with any replacement players coming into a band as long as it’s done in a respectful manner to the legacy of the band and it’s not impersonation. Take Guns N’ Roses for instance; they’re down to one original member. Say what you will about that band but there’s no one in that band acting like Duff McKagan; Bumblefoot isn’t wearing a top hat acting like Slash. Those guys are their own people hired to do a job and most of them are great players. It’s up to the people to decide if they like it or not. Again, if I had my druthers at the end of the day I’d want the original guys, but if it sounds good and done respectfully I have no problem with it. In the case if Foreigner — I don’t mean this disrespectfully — they were a faceless band. Certainly everyone knew Lou but there was no upfront guy. Having guitarist Mick Jones as the only original member in the band works for them. People can’t say that they miss seeing a particular guy in the band because they were anonymous in a way. They were never a pin-up band.

If Gene and Paul took the paint off they wouldn’t be an arena band anymore. As much I loved what they did on the Revenge album, they won’t settle for less than an arena and this is what it’s come down to.

What KISS have done, and I think they’ll say this too, they’ve created a brand and an image. I never felt that way. I love KISS because of the records and the people who made the records. In a previous interview I said this and there has been further discussion about it — the band themselves have said it. There will come a day when they will attempt to market a version of KISS where there are no original members. I imagine Gene and Paul will do some stuff behind the scenes because they can’t do it forever. We’ve already seen the various aliments that Paul and Gene have. These guys do a high energy show and they are in their sixties now; they’re not going to do it forever. I don’t put it past them that they’ll try to continue in some way. I’ve checked out after two — I certainly won’t be interested with four impersonators. There will be people that will buy it. I think the reason KISS can do this is because there are many casual KISS fans; they know fire, bombs, make-up, big stage show, and “Rock and Roll All Nite.” Those casual fans aren’t as passionate and as attached as the rest of us are. For those that just want to know about the aura, identity, and show of KISS it doesn’t matter who is behind the make-up. All they want to see is someone who breathes fire, tons of lights, confetti, and this anthem that they’ve heard on the radio. For them that’s enough and they go home happy. The people that truly love KISS and that can name all the songs on the records, what’s going on with the band is hard to swallow. I’m certainly in the latter category.

Check out this promotional interview for Eddie Trunk’s Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal:

On your shows you talk about traditional metal, classic hard rock, thrash, and what is now termed ‘hair bands.’ Do you go beyond that scope in your taste? By that I mean do you listen to any European power metal, death metal, black metal or any of their associated sub-genres?

Personally? No. What I talk about on my radio shows, on the TV show, is not only stuff that I’m personally into, it’s stuff that we in the show are into. More importantly it spans what the entire channel signs off on. VH-1 Classic, just by nature of the name, it’s entirely based on classic ’70s and ’80s rock and metal. That is what they’ve always been about, that is the demographic that they are going after. VH-1 Classic is the MTV for the people who grew with MTV. That’s who they cater to; I’m fully aware that there are several genres and styles of this music out there. Some of it I’m a fan of, some of it I’m not. I do what the majority of the audience wants and I also do what the platforms that I work for dictate. VH-1 Classic, again the name of the channel mandates classic MTV-era rock and heavy metal music videos. If you watch VH-1 Classic’s Metal Mania they play Bon Jovi on there! I have nothing to do with that programming; that’s something that a die-hard metal fan would consider sacrilege! To the mainstream world there’s a connection between Bon Jovi and that scene. It’s all a matter of perspective. I’m not going to sit here and lie to people by pretending to be some sort of death metal aficionado. I’m not. I don’t like it and I’ve never been a fan of it. Charlie Benante of Anthrax, who you’ll see in an upcoming show, said, “Rap is more music than death metal.” So it’s not just me. You’re always going to get people who are going to squawk when they aren’t getting something that they want. We cater to what most people want because if you don’t do that on radio and TV you’re going to be off the air in no time. So do you want to give 100 people what they want or do you want to cater to the 10 who are a little bit louder about it? Since I’ve been in radio for 30 years, and That Metal Show is entering it’s 8th season, I think we’re hitting the button for what everybody wants. If you think that VH-1 Classic is a mainstream channel and is going to feature a European power metal band that hasn‘t had a bona fide hit in the United States as guest on That Metal Show?, it’s just not going to happen. TV is big business and if viewers tune in and they see some Euro power metal musician who hasn‘t had a hit single in the U.S., they’ll go right past it

Don’t forget the 8th season of That Metal Show premiers on August 20th on VH-1 Classic at 8pm. Check with your cable or satellite provider for channel listing and leave a comment below to win a copy of Eddie’s new book, Eddie Trunk’s Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal.