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MSJ: This interview is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: The Early Years Volume 5 at lulu.com/strangesound.
The format to this interview is a bit different, as the circumstances of the interview are different than the ones that have run here before. This is a transcript of a mini-press conference that was held with Buck Dharma and Eric Bloom. In addition to Music Street Journal, RAM Magazine (represented by Melanie Marshall), and Wormwood Chronicles (Mike Korn) were also in attendance. Thanks go out to them for their help on this interview. |
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| MSJ: Wormwood Chronicles:Did you make any concessions to the `90`s (on Heaven Forbid)? |
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| Buck Dharma:We used a lot of digital technology. We`ve always done our best stuff when we were really true to ourselves. |
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| MSJ: Music Street Journal:How has the tour been going and what differences do you see between the crowds of today and the crowds of the `70`s? |
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Buck Dharma:A little more gray hair.
Eric Bloom:Although we get a lot of young kids coming to our shows, too, a little of both.
Buck Dharma:For whatever reason, rock of our era seems to have a real enduring appeal. We`re all for it, of course. |
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| MSJ: Music Street Journal:In many of the older BOC songs there is a reference to "Susie". Is that a real person or a recurring fictional character? |
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| Buck Dharma:Susie actually did exist. |
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| MSJ: Wormwood Chronicles:Is the material on the new album stuff that you`ve written relatively recently, or does it date back quite a while? |
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| Buck Dharma:Most of it was written right before the record was recorded. The oldest song was written about 1986. Some was done in the early `90`s, and the most recent one was done about 3 months before the record was made. |
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| MSJ: RAM:Are you doing a lot of the outdoor venues this summer? |
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| Buck Dharma:We`re finishing the most intense part of the tour right now. We`ve been going basically since May, all summer long. |
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| MSJ: Wormwood Chronicles:The lyrics to most of your new album are cowritten by John Shirley. How did that collaboration come about? |
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Eric Bloom:He was put together with us by our manager. He`s a big Blue Oyster Cult fan.
Buck Dharma:We met him and we had a lot in common. He`s pretty well known in his own right.
Eric Bloom:He`s a rocker. He has his own band, too.
Buck Dharma:We were actually looking for someone to fill the role traditionally taken by Sandy Pearlman and Richard Meltzerand people like that in our band`s history, and John, I think, is right in that pocket. His lyrics have a real point of view to them, a real consistency, and they fit what BOC has always gone after. Probably with John we have more cinematic and dramatic themes than ever. Traditionally, we did a lot of historical stuff. A lot of our tunes are sort of like docudramas of history. With John, we`re getting a little more Hollywood, I think. |
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| MSJ: RAM:Is Don`t Fear The Reaper about vampires? |
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| Buck Dharma: Reaper isn`t about vampires, although I have written songs about vampires. |
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| MSJ: RAM:You don`t seem like dark people. How did your music take on dark themes? |
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| Buck Dharma:Did you ever see Stephen King interviews? He`s like a regular guy. It`s similar to what we are. Obviously, were into all this stuff on an entertainment level, but we`re not living it. |
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| MSJ: Wormwood Chronicles:Where did you think up the cover to Heaven Forbid? |
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| Buck Dharma:We were going for something. Whether it came out quite the way we wanted it, that`s another story. |
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| MSJ: Music Street Journal:What`s been your biggest Spinal Tap moment? |
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Eric Bloom:All of them.
Buck Dharma:We love that movie. We watch it all the time, even still. It holds up. |
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