Eric Singer - "I've always been a hired gun!"
Fra 'Kiss Army Norway Magazine' #7 - 1998. Før Kiss Convention i mai 1998.

Kiss Army Norway's Stig got a phone appointment with Eric Singer. So he called him at home to get some news about what's happening with him as well as the break-up with Kiss and his upcoming apperance at the European Kiss Expo tour. This is how the conversation went:

KAN: Hello, is it you Eric.
ERIC: It's me! KAN: It's great to talk to you again

ERIC: How are you doing?
KAN: I'm fine how are you?
ERIC: Not bad, I got up 45 minutes ago, cause it's 10 o'clock friday morning here. What time is it there?
KAN: It's 7 pm. ERIC: Is it still light out. I know sometime in the year you have a lot of light and?
sometimes not very much light. KAN: It's getting pretty dark now. In the summer we have a lot of light, but in the winter it's dark.

ERIC: So, what's up?
KAN: Well I got a lot of questions for you, and I hope you will answer them all.

ERIC: Are you recording this?
KAN: Yes, I hope it's okey for you?
ERIC: Yes that's okey, go ahead.

KAN: Tell us a little about your recent projects and future plans.
ERIC: I don't really have any future plans, I take one day at a time. All I have been doing lately is the same thing that I have been doing for the last year. I'm doing drum-clinics, sometimes I appear at Kiss Expos, I do some studio-work, in other words recording on some other peoples records.

KAN: Will there at some point be recorded an Eric Singer solo album?
ERIC: I don't know. I'm going to work on some material with my friend Carl Cochran. But that's not for an Eric Singer album, and it's not for a new band either. It's just going to be a project of working on some material with some friends.

KAN: Who are you working with right now?
ERIC: I just do freelance work. I do gigs and studioworks with different artists. Sometimes I do gigs with Gilby Clark, the guitarist that used to be in Guns'n Roses. I have done a couple of project already this year. I did a record by a band called 281F, they are from Portland - Oregon, I also did a couple of songs for a guy called John Fare (?), I did 3 songs for Gilby Clarks new record, that's going to come out in a few months. I also did the song School's Out for an Alice Cooper tribute album. I played on the Rod Stewart tribute album, I play drums on one song with Gilby Clark on that album, and I sang and played drums on another. Last year I played on the Queen tribute album.

KAN: You also played on the Ace Frehley tribute album, Return To The Comet. I thought that was very cool, but it's kind of strange.
ERIC: I don't think it's strange at all. Why would it be strange, I don't under-stand that?

KAN: Well, there's something about Ace and Peter being the original Kiss members and something about the reu­nion and everything.
ERIC: That doesn't bother me. Ace was always my favorite member.
I really like guitarplayers and when I first got into Kiss, Ace became my favorite. I like Ace's playing and his character. I thought it was very cool when I was asked to do that, and my favorite Ace solo was on the song Strange Ways, so that was one of the reasons why I chose that song.
I played drums and sang it. My friend Carl Cochran who played bass and gui­tar on that song, was asked to do his own song, so I played drums and sang the double leadvocal on Love Her All I Can with him as well. It was lots of fun and I got a chance to work with my friend Carl Cochran who is a really great musician. He used to play bass in Ace Frehley's last band. We also jammed with Ace at the Gibson party at NAMM, the big music show here in Los Angeles. We played Strange Ways and Parasite. Ace then jammed with Slash and then with Anton Fig, I believe they played Rip It Out and Cold Gin.
Ace is a nice guy, I only met him a couple of times through the years. I met him when we did MTV Unplugged, but it was a very difficult situa­tion to be able to become buddy-buddy or to get to know each other then, cause we were so bussy to try to learn the material or to rehearse it. Everybody got along fine, but I never got a chan­ce to get to know Peter or Ace. My friend Carl is a very good friend of Ace, so we started to hang out. Sometimes I hang out with Ace, we go to clubs and just hang out. Ace reminds me of the kids that I grew up with. I always liked Ace and I think he is a nice guy.

KAN: You are not just an excellent drummer but you are also a great singer. Will you sing more?
ERIC: We'll see, I would like to sing more and as much as I can. But don't get me wrong, I'm not going to be a lead singer. I would like to be a drummer that also sing. That's the way I look at myself.

KAN: You never wrote a song while being in Kiss, have you ever written a song or will you do that in the future?
ERIC: I have already been working on some songs with my friend Carl. I have worked on lyrics and melody with him, and sometimes I have helped with the music as well.

KAN: Do you play any other instruments than drums?
ERIC: No, but I sing. That's an other instrument. I play very little guitar or bass. I'm horrible on saxophone. (laughter)

KAN: If you could choose any musician for your own fantasy band. Who would be in it?
ERIC: Paul McCartney on bass, cause he also sing and write great songs. Jimi Hendrix on gui­tar. Myself on drums. Rod Stewart on lead vocal, cause I really like his voice, especially from when he was younger and were in the Jeff Beck group. I really like the old Rod Stewart style of vocal, but I still like what he does now.
I also like Steve Marriott and Paul Rodgers a lot, but I would choose Rod Stewart first.

KAN: I think you have the same kind of vocal quality as Rod Stewart!
ERIC: Really?

KAN: I like it when the voice is a little raspy.
ERIC: Yeah, when there's a little dirtiness.You know with Kiss. I always thought that Peter have the best sounding voice. I like the tone, the warmth and the raspiness that he has. I think he is a much better singer than drummer, and I think he should sing more. I especially like his vocal on songs like Getaway. Hard Luck Women, Strange Ways and Beth. I like each singer in the band. Even though Ace is not a strong vocalist, he has style and a character to his voice. Gene and Paul also has a certain character to their voice.

KAN: In the 80's you were like a hired gun for lots of famous artist like Lila Ford, Gary Moore, Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper
ERIC: I have always been a hired gun!

KAN: Except for Kiss?
ERIC: No, my whole career I have been like a hired gun!!

KAN: You felt that with Kiss as well?
ERIC: That's the way it was. I don't say this to be negative, so don't get the wrong idea. Kiss is Gene and Paul. I had a great time being in Kiss, I get along fine with Gene and Paul, but that's the way Kiss is. Everybody that comes into the band works for Gene and Paul. They are cool about letting everybody appear in pictures, and do things together as a band, so that it looks like a band on the surface, but when it come down to it. It's just Gene and Paul that are Kiss. I don't wanna talk down about it, I'm just honest about it.
I felt like I was available to be more involved with things in Kiss, but still at the end of the day, it was never a hand. And it never will. and it never was. At least not while Bruce and I was in the hand. Although Gene and Paul were very respectable of our opinions, they would let us give our opinion on things, they would listen to our ideas. They didn't just say shut up and play the drums, but the bottom line is that when it comes down to the business, it's just Gene and Paul.

KAN: Do Gene and Paul have an manager or an boss that can outvote them?
ERIC: Nobody outvote Gene and Paul, they run the show. That's the point I'm trying to make. All decisions made for business is done by Gene and Paul. I never had anything to do with any of the business, any of the direction of the band, nothing. Gene and Paul decided to make all choices and decisions. I understood this situation, and I did my best to make it work for me, and I had a good time and I enjoyed it. Everybody is an hired gun in Kiss, except for Gene and Paul.

KAN: You don't prefer the business part that much?
ERIC: I don't think that anybody does, cause the business part is the part that makes it difficult to be creative. The most important thing that everybody wants to do is to make and play music, enjoy themselves and just be creative. The business side makes it some-time very difficult, but it is a necessary part because its called the music business. That's the way Kiss look at it, it's purely business. The reunion tour was done cause it was the best business decision. You have to look at Kiss as a company, and the reunion was the best decision for the com­pany to survive, and be stronger. They made the right choice. Even I think they made the right choice.
I think that you would have done the same thing and I know that I would have done the same thing.

KAN: So you don't have any bitterness about it?
ERIC: No, of course not. As I said. I would have done the same thing, and you would too. Many people don't understand. People like to look at a band from the romantic side, they go; this is my favorite line-up, and so on. They don't realize that it's called the music business. Kiss is a business, and a company will do what's in the best interest of the company. People don't wanna see it that way.
Again, I don't say this to be negative, that's just the way it is. I don't have any problems with Ace, Peter, Paul or Gene. I am friends with Ace, I hang out with him and I met Gene at the NAMM show, I talked to him. I'm glad for everybody to have this success. I wish I would have that kind of success. I would love to have half the success, or just a quarter of the success that they have had. But sometimes it makes it difficult, people have to make choices, somebody always have to get hurt, and unfortunately in the situation with the reuni­on, Bruce and I got left on the outside. That's the choice Paul and Gene made, cause it's their com­pany. If it was my hand, I would have the choice to run it the way I want. That's fair.

KAN: Was it Paul and Gene that informed you and Bruce about the reunion'?
ERIC: I was never informed by any lawers or manager. It was told to my face by Gene and Paul, which I respect them very much for, doing it that way. Cause many people I know have been let go from situations, and were told by a manager or a lawyer or got a letter in the mail. I tip my hat to them for at least being decent and honourable about telling us man to man, face to face. That's the right way to do it. I do appreciate that.

KAN: Tell me about when you met Paul and how you got into Kiss?
ERIC: I met Paul in 1989, somebody told me that he was looking for a drummer to do a solo-tour, and somebody recommended me to Paul. I was invited to the Kiss office and I met him. We talked for a few minutes and then he ended up asking me if I would do the tour. Doing the solo-tour was a lot of fun. I got along very well with Paul, he was nice to me and he let me play the way I play, which was very cool. Once I got involved with Kiss I had to approach things a little different 'cause I had to try to play in style with what Kiss was about. They have a certain sound, and everytime you join a certain band, they have a sound that it's already established, and you have to he respectable of that. You can still put some new personality in there. Any song that Peter Criss or Eric Carr played before me, I had to listen to and be respectable, keep that in mind, but still add some of your own personality there too.

KAN: Do you still feel like a member of the Kiss family'?
ERIC: Of course, you guys make me feel that way. The fans that still care about when I was in the band. makes me feel welcome and make me feel a part of the family. It's all about the fans. The fans are what made Kiss what they are today. If you guys don't buy the records, the merchandise and concerts tickets, there's not going to be a hand. The fans should realize the power within' the fans. You guys vote for what you like through your participation. If you don't like something, don't buy it. If you like it, then buy it and be supportive. That's how you can have some control over what a band choose to do.
One thing that I don't understand that many fans do, is that they complain about the things that the hand does, but they yet buy everything that the band put out and support it. If you don't like something, don't buy it, then the band will see that people don't buy it and they will realize that they maybe shouldn't do it that way. Bingo!! The fans do have some saying what the band choose to do. Music is a luxury and not a necessety! Although many of us feel that music is a very necessary part of our life. Music is a very spiritual thing, it does a lot of good for a lot of people. It brings much happiness to many people. That's why music and instruments was put on this earth.
KAN: What's your thoughts about the Carnival Of Souls and the way it was released?

ERIC: I think Carnival Of Souls was a good record. I don't think it is the best Kiss record. But as a record on it's own I think it is a very good record. The record came out for business and poli­tical reasons. There was no marketing, no promo­tions, there was hardly anything inside the record sleeve. They just wanted to put it out to be done with it. The band is in make-up now and they don't want to promote a record with a line-up that doesn't exist anymore, and just confuse the issue.

KAN: Was the whole album recorded in one periode?
ERIC: It was all recorded in one periode. From the fall and into the winter of '95.

KAN: Do you have any other hobbies beside music?
ERIC: Yes, I collect old wrist watches.

KAN: Cool, do they have conventions etc. for stuff like that.
ERIC: Yes they do, there was one in L.A. recently, but I couldn't go `cause I was at a Kiss convention in Indy. That was actually the greatest Kiss convention ever arranged by fans. It was awesome.

KAN: I know that you are little scared of flying aeroplanes and you travel a lot. How do you deal with it?
ERIC: I just do it! Sometimes you have to do things, even if you don't like it. I don't like to fly, but the bottom line is that the best, easiest and fas­test way for me to get from here to Europe is by aeroplane. So I have to fly.

KAN: That's cool cause we are looking forward to see you here !
ERIC: I think this Conventions tour in Europe is going to be an interesting experience. I hope it will be a success. I don't know how they went before. I have the attitude that I'm going to try to have the best time I can. I will see as many fans as possible, try to see some sights in some of the countries if I have any time. I look at it as vacation with friends. Many days will be hard work `cause of all the traveling. But I think it will be fun.

KAN: GREAT!! Okey, well talk more later. Have a nice day!!!
ERIC: The same to you. See ya!!

Don't miss Eric Singer and all the other happenings at the Kiss Expo at Cosmopolite in Oslo on the 16th of May.
PS! If you or some of your friends have old wrist watches that you don't need or that don't have any value to you bring them to Eric. I know he will be thrilled. I know he especially look for a Jagger Heuter watch.

To all girls, Eric is at the time single, and he is on the look out for a girl in his size. 1.60 or so. :-)
Eric might stay here for our national day 17th of May and celebrate it with us.

Av Stig Karlsen