Nice
job on Great Whites new album, Elation.
TI-
Oh, thank you.
How
long were you guys in the studio?
TI-
Not long at all Denise. What happened is
that we were told we had to be in the studio ASAP. From the moment we started to write the songs
to the moment we actually delivered the album, it was 31 days. That includes writing, recording, mixing and
mastering.
That
is insane!
TI-
Yes it was! We would get together in the
morning and have coffee and just start with the ideas. Between Mark Kendall, Michael Lardie and
myself, we are 3 songwriters and we did a lot of writing. Everyone in the band was involved in the
process though. We wrote a song
literally within 5 minutes and went and recorded it. I have never done that in my life ever.
I
was going to ask if it is always that easy, surely not.
TI-
No Denise, never! It is usually a very
long process. We didn’t have that option
this time. It was sink or swim.
Literally
huh?
TI-
Yeah, literally.
Well
it sounds great. Especially the first
song on the album. You guys sound like
you are having a blast.
TI-
We all have things in common, we love to play and it shows in the music. Great white is a very clean band these
days. We don’t do drugs, we are very
clean. We have been doing music for
many years and we want to keep doing it.
Life is too short.
I
agree. What is different touring now
versus touring back in the 80’s, early 90’s, other than the not doing drugs
part?
TI-
Well the women that throw underwear at me on stage, the panties are bigger than
before.
Dying
with laughter. Wow Terry.
TI-
I’m just joking. But really. I’m getting
granny panties now, used to be G strings, now its granny panties. I actually have a collection of
underwear. I’m like Tom Jones. All along my career women have thrown panties
and bras at me. I seriously have kept
them all, hundreds of them. You know the
styles have quite evolved.
That
might make a cool photo book. (Still
dying with laughter)
TI-
Seriously the difference is now days when we tour. I am personally more careful when I’m
performing. I perform and I go back to
my room. I don’t party anymore. Used to I could do the show and party all night
and feel I would be alright, even if my voice was a little off it was ok. There was no YouTube, no instant
playback. You have to be very careful these
days and professional.
So
the M3 Fest is coming up and XYZ and Great White are both scheduled to
play. I suppose you are going to perform
with both bands?
TI-
Oh yeah, I’m the lead singer. XYZ booked
the dates last year so I have to honor that.
I was not sure that I would have a gig with Great White this year so…it’s
not that I’m trying to be in 2 bands at all.
I don’t like to do that, it’s not right.
I know that XYZ and Great White have a lot of the same fans but I want
to concentrate on Great White right now.
I’m not saying that I will never do another show with XYZ later on but
all of my focus is on Great White right now.
Terry
does it feel more permanent that you are the lead singer of Great White now
with a new album out that you have written on?
I know there has been a lot of controversy with Jack Russell lately. Do you think people will finally accept you
as the new lead singer?
TI-Well
here’s the thing with changing singers.
You will never forget the old singer and we shouldn’t ever forget Jack. I have the utmost respect for Jack. He has done some wonderful things. As a singer I like him. He will always be with me on stage in a way
because I’m singing some of his songs.
But the thing is changing a singer sometimes is good, sometimes it’s
bad. The band had some issues with him,
which I’m not going to talk about because I was not there when it
happened. Sometimes you can replace a
singer. Ronnie James Dio replaced Ozzy Osbourne,
David Coverdale who was a totally unknown singer replaced Ian Gillan and Deep Purple
was a very big band back then. Sammy Hagar
whether you like it or not did a wonderful job with Van Halen, actually the
band sold more albums with Sammy. Anyway
my point is, it bothers me that people compare me to Jack. It will always happen. I don’t care if he is a better singer or not,
Jack is Jack and I am Terry. I’m not
trying to be Jack and he is not trying to be me. God bless him. I wish him the best, I wish him health. If
the fans want to see Jack Russell he is out there touring and doing great
things. But, more and more though, the
fans are realizing I’m here to stay and they like the new album. The album is getting great reviews
worldwide. Put it this way, it’s not
like we completely changed the sound, the sound is still Great White. You still have Mark Kendall and Mark was and
still is the main songwriter for Great White, let’s not forget about that, he
wrote the big ones.
Who
do you like and listen to Terry?
TI-
As far as new singers, the only singer that is worth listening to (for me)
these days is Adam Lambert. I think he
is a wonderful singer, one of the best out there. He’s got that sound; he is not trying to be
someone other than himself so good for him.
As
far as older singers, I grew up listening to R & B, Motown. Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and all those singers.
Then I moved to Paul Rogers, David Coverdale and Small Faces. Steve Marriott is
one of my favorite singers. Female
singers, there are so many great singers.
Nancy Wilson, Tina Turner. There
are so many great singers these days. As
long as they are real. The thing is Denise,
most singers now days they don’t convince me.
Doesn’t matter that they have the greatest chops in the world, that
doesn’t impress me. Take for example
Tom Waite; he has no voice, let’s face it.
But he convinces me when he sings and that to me is everything. Mick Jagger is another example. When I listen to him I am convinced. I listen to some singers these days and I am
not convinced. I can tell they have
taken a lot of lessons but it is just scale after scale, the emotion is not
there. I want to hear something simple;
I want you to touch me. The emotion
these days is lost.
I
saw that you are an actor as well. You
used to have parts in one of my old favorite soaps. Which character did you play?
T-I
played many parts on Passions. [An American soap opera that had some pretty
insane storylines ] I started as a
mailman, then I was a waiter, I was a bad guy called Frankie.
I
was doing acting because I was no longer doing music in the 90’s. I was no
longer into rock and roll; I wanted to forget my past. I even changed my name. For me music was no longer an outlet. I was very disappointed with a few things,
and myself. I was very depressed. I went through a period of depression for
many, many years. I was extremely dark
and suicidal all the time. I gave up
music for many years, so I did acting instead.
I remember doing an episode with Chuck Norris in Walker Texas
Ranger. I am into martial arts so I was
doing a fighting scene, actually getting beat up.
Yeah,
no one can beat Chuck Norris. *laughing*
TI-
Yeah you can’t beat him. He is really a
nice guy.
My
acting career was really taking off and one day I saw a producer friend and he
told me. “Man you have got to sing again”.
So I thought well, I will give it another shot. I did a demo and realized that is where my
heart is, so I gave up acting.
Have
you ever thought about doing Broadway?
TI-
Oh my gosh are you kidding me? I would
kill to do Broadway. I was up for many
shows but it never happened. I would
love to do Broadway because it is acting and singing.
So,
are you a sports fan and do you follow anyone?
TI-
Ha ha, sports huh? Denise I am a loner,
I’m like a lone wolf. I don’t support
any kind of team, I’m not into it. I do
martial arts. I’ve been doing it for 27
years, I practice it heavily. I was
never allowed to be a part of a team.
All the guys in my neighborhood were playing soccer but they were always
beating me up so I learned martial arts instead.
Do
you maybe want to talk a bit on bullying?
TI-
Yes, it is an important subject. Let’s talk about bullying. I know it is not rock and roll but it
concerns a lot of parents, a lot of rock and roll people as well. You know they are outlaws, have long hair and
tattoos so they get bullied a lot. When
I was a kid I used to get bullied all the time.
I mean all the time. I was bullied for having long hair and listening to
Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. I knew I was different, I wanted to play in a
band not play football. I was very lucky
to find a great martial arts teacher that helped me. It raised my confidence. You have to have
that self-confidence. I didn’t become a
bully myself but I knew how to defend myself.
It is also very important for parent involvement. Talk to your kids,
talk to other parents. There is nothing
worse than being the “outlaw” when you are a kid. So I really think with martial arts, you can
learn how to defend yourself and raise your confidence at the same time. You
don’t have to win the fight; you’ve already won when you stand up for
yourself.
Is
there anything else you would like to tell your fans?
TI-
It is a tremendous privilege for me to be a part of the Great White
family. I have been a fan of Great White
since the beginning. Back in my 20’s I
was a construction worker and I remember listening to a radio station while I
was working in LA and thinking man those guys rock, I hope one day I can rock
like those guys. (Great White) and now
here I am singing those same songs. I am
the lead singer for the band Great White and I will make sure the legacy of
Great White goes on.
Terry,
thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me. It has been a true pleasure. You are a true
gentleman.
TI-
You are very welcome. It was very nice to talk with you. God Bless you and God Bless
everyone!
Interview by Denise Britt