This time that awesomeness is Gabe Jarret. I am pleased to have had the chance to interview one of the stars of the 1985 film Real Genius which just so happens to be one of my favorite teen comedies of all time. He played "Mitch Taylor" who was a boy genius going off to college at just the age of 15 to work on what ends up being a top secret military project. He is paired with another genius, senior "Chris Knight" played brilliantly by Val Kilmer, who teaches him that there is more to life than work. Here is the trailer for Real Genius (though this one does not show Jarret very much)...

It was directed by Martha Coolidge and produced by Brian Grazer. Val Kilmer was definitely the star, but the rest of the cast is outstanding too and this certainly goes for Jarret. After this success, it would be expected that Jarret would go on to star in other 80s teen films, but this would surprisingly not be the case. Jarret would go on to have some relatively minor television and film roles and has continued to work regularly ever since he was 11 years old. Even if he didn't, it would not change the fact that at least he starred in one of my favorite comedies of all time. With that said, let's get on to some selections from my interview with Gabe Jarret...

Q: 1985's Real Genius was your first big movie role. How did the opportunity to play "Mitch Taylor" come your way?

Gabe: They originally cast an actual genius, but he couldn't act. Then they did a bi-coastal search and saw over 4000 kids. I was screen tested after being sent in by my agent and won the part.

Q: So many "teen" movies use actors who are much older often in their late 20s or even early 30s. You were truly only 15 years old when Real Genius came out! You were playing a 15-year-old in the film. How did your age and/or experience affect your performance and experience on the film? Was the cast close during filming?

Gabe: I was the class clown, so a natural ham. The cast was not close. A lot of jockeying for power. Everyone was civil, but not close.

Q: Martha Coolidge directed the film (also directed 1983's Valley Girl). How was your experience working for her?

Gabe: She was very nice to me and obviously did a fantastic job.

Q: Val Kilmer co-starred with you as "Chris Knight" in just his second film role (after 1984's Top Secret) though he was 26 years old. How was your experience working with Kilmer?

Gabe: As far as working with Val goes, his star was rising and my experience with him was the same as others at the time. Val was very focused on Val. We got along fine, but I always got the feeling that he didn't want to share the screen with a 15-year-old punk. In my opinion, Val is a brilliant actor and should be a much bigger star than he is today. People tell me that he has mellowed out over his career, to his credit.

Q: Kilmer's delivery of that great dialogue was so hilarious; did you ever just lose it and crack up during filming scenes with him?

Gabe: I didn't really crack up all that much. Remember, it was my first film. I knew my job was to react in the moment.

Here is a scene which demonstrates well the spirit of Real Genius. This is also the scene where "Mitch" meets "Jordan" for the first time...

Q: I loved Michelle Meyrink in all of her 80s roles and "Jordan" is certainly no exception. Your nonverbals were always outstanding during your scenes with her when she was talking 100 mph and bouncing all over. Was it tough having a "love interest" at your age especially when she was about 8 years older than you?

Gabe: You have no idea. The kiss you saw on film with Michelle was just the second girl I had ever kissed (not counting my Mom). The first was earlier in the film with Patty D'Arbanville ["Sherry Nugil" in the film] who was Don Johnson's wife at the time. [Not bad for your first two kisses!]

Here is another funny scene with "Mitch" and "Jordan" interacting. She barges into the restroom while he is attempting to relieve himself. I love watching Jarret's reactions...

Q: There is so much great dialogue in Real Genius. I start laughing just thinking of some of the great lines. Was there any ad-libbing/improvisation during any scenes that you remember? With the subject matter, there was a lot of technical jargon in some scenes. Was that particularly difficult to deliver and were there technical advisors to help make that as realistic as possible?

Gabe: Yes, we had technical advisors. The jargon was easy for me. But everything not jargon was fair game for improv.

Q: Robert Prescott has played such a good "jerk" in both Bachelor Party and in Real Genius. William Atherton also has played outstanding "jerk" roles in Ghostbusters, Die Hard and Real Genius. Their roles respectively as "Kent" and "Professor Hathaway" are critical to the success of the film, don't you agree? They both play such outstanding tools onscreen, how were each of them off screen?

Gabe: I agree. And both of them were the dead opposite of their characters off screen. Fantastic actors and people, both of them.

Q: Everybody always remembers the great scene at the end when the popcorn destroys Hathway's house. It is reported that for that final scene, popcorn was popped continuously for 3 months in order to fill that house. What do you remember from the popcorn scene?

Gabe: The first company hired to pop the popcorn burned down during the preparation due to overuse of the machines. From there on, all of the popcorn was fire-proofed and inedible.

Q: Do you keep in touch with Val Kilmer, Michelle Meyrink, Martha Coolidge or anybody else from the Real Genius cast and crew?

Gabe: No, sadly the family drifted apart.

Q: When I saw you in Apollo 13 (1995) and then again in Frost/Nixon (2008), I thought there must be some connection to Ron Howard, but then I realized that Brian Grazer actually produced Real Genius and that might be the real connection. Am I right about that or is it just a coincidence? How would you best describe working under the direction of Ron Howard?

Gabe: Believe it or not, it is just a coincidence that Brian produced all three movies. But it is no coincidence that Ron hired me again. Ron works with many actors repeatedly. If he feels you delivered on the performance he hired you for, he trusts you will do it again in another role you are right for.

Q: You had a small role in 1989's The Karate Kid Part III as "Rudy". If I am not mistaken, he is the "idiot" guy who gets punched in the face and his nose broken in the bar scene, correct? What memories do you have from working on that film? Were you a fan of the first two Karate Kid films?

Gabe: Yes, that was me. Good eye! During filming it was an 18 hour day and I had a 104 degree fever. I must have hit that wood floor 50 times. The next day the entire left side of my body was black and blue. Yes, I was a fan of the films and both Ralph and Pat made my life easier despite the fever and long work day.

Q: With your first hand experience (or the experience of those you've known/observed), what are the positives and negatives of being a child actor? How does being a successful child actor affect your ability to be a successful adult actor?

Gabe: That is a separate interview in itself. It is BOTH a blessing and a curse. When I say that the "bodies of the people I grew up with line the sides of the road I walk as an adult," I mean it literally. Andrew Koenig, Dana Plato, River Phoenix, Corey Haim, Brad Renfro. And those are just the dead ones.

Q: Are there any 80s roles that you auditioned for and did not get that would be surprising or interesting especially looking back now?

Gabe: License to Drive (1988) and Dead Poets Society (1989) [I could have definitely seen Gabe as one of the characters being taught by Robin Williams at the Welton Academy]

Q: Do you still get recognized as "Mitch" in public?

Gabe: Yes, I actually get recognized all the time.

Q: What has Gabe Jarret been up to lately?

Gabe: I just shot a TV pilot called The Fuzz and we are waiting to see if we get picked up.

I am so delighted that Gabe took the time to answer my questions so I could share them with you here. With his starring role in Real Genius, he not only helped make one of my favorite comedy films of all time, but also made a major contribution to 80s pop culture. If you haven't seen Real Genius in a while (or ever), I suggest you watch it again and enjoy the greatness. I want to wish Gabe all the best and thank him again for taking a walk down 80s memory lane with us. I hope he gets another big break because he definitely deserves it. I would go as far as to say, "it's a moral imperative."

That'll do it for another special issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading and hope you are enjoying the interviews as much as I am. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow @OldSchool80s on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Check this out: You sometimes see guys walking around with their pants hanging down so low that they have to kneel down to reach their wallet. I thought this possible explanation of why it looks that way to be humorous. This might finally solve the mystery of why somebody would walk around like that...

Quote of the day: "Success is the good fortune that comes from aspiration, desperation, perspiration and inspiration." -Evan Esar

This time that awesomeness is Billy Vera. I am honored to have had the chance to interview the man responsible for one of my favorite songs of all time. Vera has been in the music industry since 1962 as a singer and songwriter. He performed and wrote music through the 60s and 70s until Dolly Parton took his song "I Really Got The Feeling" to #1 on the country charts in January 1979. This brought a move to Los Angeles where he formed the band Billy & the Beaters to play the local club scene. In 1981, the band earned a recording contract and released the single "I Can Take Care of Myself" which would reach #39 on the Billboard Hot 100. The follow up single did not have as much success when it was first released, but would make it all the way to #1 several years later in January of 1987.

That song is "At This Moment" which gained national attention after it was used in an episode of the sitcom Family Ties during the Fall of 1985. The song became the backdrop for the romantic relationship between "Alex" (played by Michael J. Fox) and "Ellen" (played by his future wife Tracy Pollan). The television series was being seen by 25+ million households at the time and that exposure propelled the song, not only back on the charts, but all the way to the top. To be honest, that is the first time I heard of Billy Vera, but that song has stuck with me as one of my favorites all these years since. With that said, let's get on to some selections from my interview with Billy Vera...

These beginning questions all revolve around "At This Moment"...

Q: You wrote it in 1977 and it was originally released in 1981. What inspired the song and did it come from personal experience?

Billy: Most of my songs come from a combination of things: experience, mine or someone else's, a movie, book, a story I hear or simply my imagination. I mix them all together and come up with a new piece of fiction.

In the case of "At This Moment," I'd just begun dating this girl and she was telling me about breaking up with her previous boyfriend and his reaction. So, I started the song from what I perceived as his point of view, but got stuck about 2/3 through. I put the song away and, a year later when she dumped me, I knew how the song would end.

Q: Then in 1985, it appears in an episode of Family Ties. How did that match-made-in-heaven come about?

Billy: The song had only reached the lower end of the charts in 1981. By 1985, I was without a record deal and making a meager living from acting, old royalties and band gigs. One day, the phone rang. A guy introduced himself as Michael Weithorn, producer of Family Ties. He said he'd been to the club the previous weekend and heard me do a song he thought would be good for an upcoming episode. I told him to contact my publisher to work it out.

They didn't want to use the original recording [which was from a live performance] because of the audience noise, so they had us re-record it in pieces they could fit where they needed them.

I'd had songs in other shows before, but this time there was mail and phone calls to NBC, causing me to realize that people liked the song. So I contacted whatever contacts I still had in the record business, to see if anyone would let me rerecord the song. No one was interested.

One day, I was having lunch with Richard Foos, owner of Rhino Records and I told him the story. I asked how many albums he needed to sell to break even. He said about 2000. I said I'd guarantee that many, knowing I could sell them in the clubs, if necessary. He agreed to put out my old recordings.

By the time it was released, we'd missed the reruns, but as luck would have it, the show used it the next season too, when the girl breaks up with Alex. This time, the story of the episode--boy loses girl--matched the story of the song and America went wild, calling radio stations, asking for the song.

Q: I personally remember it best from the episode after "Alex" loses "Ellen" when he plays it on the jukebox and starts crying. Family Ties was being watched by about 1/3 of all the households in America at that time. This helped catapult the song to #1 in January of 1987. How quickly did you realize that your song was going to be a mega hit? How did the song end up being reissued on the Rhino label?

Billy: The night that show aired, I'd been on a date to see the Everly Brothers. The girl and I were lying in my bed and the phone kept ringing. I kept hearing on the machine people saying they'd heard the song on the show. As I said, I'd had songs on TV shows before, but never this kind of reaction, so I figured something unusual was happening.

The next day, NBC told Rhino they'd never had as many calls on a song in the history of the network and they were giving out the information: name of the song, the singer and the label.

Rhino, not being in the business of current records, knew nothing about promotion or payola, so I'd go into their office each day and call radio stations to talk on the air. The thing took off by itself, unheard of in the modern record business.

"At This Moment" reached #79 the first time it was released in 1981, but would re-enter the charts in late 1986 hitting #1 in late January of 1987 and remaining on the charts for 15 weeks. It was a true grass-roots effort as a result of the incredible exposure it received on one of the most watched television shows of the time. Family Ties also should be thankful for the song because they could not have asked for a better background song for those tender moments. The song is wonderfully heartbreaking and touching at the same time (in fact, it ranks on my Most Heartbreaking Songs of the 80s list). One of the best lines ever written is "If you'd stay, I'd subtract 20 years from my life." Here is a video performance of "At This Moment" by Billy Vera & the Beaters...

Q: How did the success of "At This Moment" change the game for Billy Vera & the Beaters? Other than the obvious financial benefits, did you enjoy the sudden attention? Did you ever ask, "Hey, we have been here doing our thing all along, what took you so long to notice?"

Billy: We began doing all the TV shows that featured music, including nine times on Johnny Carson. We'd just appeared, by pure coincidence, in an ABC TV movie of the week, Tonight's The Night, in which we'd done six songs, including "At This Moment," so that network told the director to re-edit to feature us more. The movie helped too. We'd also been working on the movie Blind Date, so we had a number of things going on simultaneously.

Q: This seems to demonstrate the importance of being in the right place at the right time and the power of pop culture. The music industry is so difficult; I imagine you just take the opportunities when you get them no matter how they come. Any thoughts in those regards?

Billy: This was a fairly unique occurrence. At that time, I'd learned to answer the door whenever opportunity knocked. Actually, my hopes at that time were on the songs from Blind Date [which would be released in 1987].

Q: When you have a mega hit song like that, do you (or did you) ever get sick of playing it? You can really feel the emotion in the original recordings; do you tap into something that allows you to replicate that emotion in each live performance?

Billy: Back in the 60s, Jackie Wilson had told me, "If you ever get a hit, always do it. That's the only reason people are there to see you." I never get tired of singing it. When I hit those first few notes, and hear those gasps and screams, the feeling is so good.

As a trained actor, I know how to find the emotion needed to put the song across. It's like doing a play on Broadway for a year or two.

Q: Were you a fan of Family Ties before your song was used on the show? If not, did you become a fan after? Did you ever meet any of the cast or creators?

Billy: I'd seen the show a few times and liked it, but it wasn't on my "must see" list every week. I'd met Michael J. Fox briefly when we'd played the wrap party for Back To The Future [in April of 1985]. Weithorn later called me to write a theme song to another show he was producing called Roomies, which lasted only a few episodes [and then again in 1999 to do the theme song for King of Queens].

Q: You can be honest with me, do you ever get sick of people like me who are fixated on the one song and Family Ties when you have accomplished so much more during your long and impressive career?

Billy: No, I am grateful to have written a standard that will live long after I'm gone. As you may know, it's on Michael Buble's Crazy Love album, which reached #1 and is on his two new CDs as well.

Now, a few questions about other topics...

Before the second coming of "At This Moment," Vera tried his hand at acting. He was cast in 1984's The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai as "Pinky Carruthers" the bass player in the band led by Dr. Buckaroo Banzai played by Peter Weller. He would appear in other small roles on several TV shows over the years and in 1992-1993 had the recurring role of "Duke" on Beverly Hills, 90210. Here's a scene from Buckaroo Banzai and you can see Billy several times playing the bass on the left side of the screen...

Q: How did you end up becoming part of The Hong Kong Cavaliers (in 1984's Buckaroo Banzai)? The film has become sort of a cult classic, so do you ever get recognized as "Pinky"?

Billy: The director, Rick Richter, came to see us, because we were the hottest band in town at that time. He liked the way I improvised on stage and offered me an acting role in the movie. A local theater recently screened it and asked Peter Weller and me to speak. The theater manager told us it broke all attendance records there. It's been a cult film from the beginning, flopping in the theaters, but reaching #1 on video sales and rentals.


Q: Billy Vera & the Beaters had several songs on the soundtrack to 1987's Blind Date. How did that opportunity come about? Did you write any of those songs specifically for the film?

Billy: My drummer's brother was music supervisor and suggested us. Two of the songs were previously written and the third, "Anybody Seen Her," was written for the movie.

Blind Date starred Bruce Willis and Kim Basinger. The band was featured prominently and had three songs on the official soundtrack. Here is the video for one of them, which includes some footage from the film, "Let You Get Away" by Billy Vera & the Beaters...

Q: I certainly do not consider you an 80s artist despite having an outstanding hit song in that decade. What are your general thoughts on the music created during the 80s? What are your general thoughts on today's pop music?

Billy: There were a lot of good things in the 80s. Prince, for one. My teen years were the late 50s and early, pre-Beatles 60s, so naturally, that's where my heart is.
I find today's music a bit contrived and sterile, but that may be a function of my advanced age. I find myself listening to a lot of music from before I was born these days.

Q: What else is Billy Vera up to now? Musically and otherwise?

Billy: For the past 20 years, I've been fortunate to have a voiceover career, which is very lucrative. With the death of the CD, the reissue business has dried up. The last things I did of any note were three box sets celebrating Atlantic Records' 60^th anniversary. I also did two 100^th Birthday sets for Count Basie, which I'm quite proud of.

The band still plays once or twice a month and I do a duo gig with one of my sax players once a month as well, which is fun, as I get to play piano on that one and tell my little stories.

I am so pleased that Billy took the time to answer my questions so I could share them with you here. Billy is a noted music historian, but he has made some music history of his own as well. Be sure to visit his official website www.billyvera.com to find out more about Billy and keep up with all of the things he is up to because there is a lot more that I did not even get into here. "At This Moment" will always be one of my favorite songs and it just so happens to come from the great decade of the 80s. I want to thank Billy again for that amazing song and for taking a walk down 80s memory lane with us, too.

That's all for another special issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading and hope you are enjoying the interviews. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow @OldSchool80s on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Check this out: Here is a fun video done by the extremely creative folks at PES. They recreated many of the classic 80s arcade games in a very interesting way. I love this and hope you will, too...

Quote of the day: "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." -Anais Nin

Today (November 15, 2010) is the 65^th birthday of Princess Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad Prinzessin Reuss von Plauen. She is probably better known as Frida, one of the members of the Swedish 70s super group ABBA. As part of ABBA, the band became one of the most commercially successful acts in the history of popular music selling over 375 million records and topping the charts worldwide from 1972 until 1983 when the band broke up. Frida went on to have some solo success.

In 1982, during ABBA's last year as a working band, Frida recorded and released her first post-Abba solo album which was also her first solo album in English. The Phil Collins-produced album was called Something's Going On and became a big success for her worldwide. A much rockier sound was found on many of the songs and Phil Collins' special drum sound contributed a lot, especially on the lead single. The album sold 1.5 million copies and spawned the successful single "I Know There's Something Going On", which topped the charts in four countries and reached the top five in many more. In the United States, the single reached a respectable #13 in March 1983 on the Billboard Hot 100, lasting an impressive seven months on the chart making it the 20th largest selling single that year. Many people do not realize that this song is sung by the same person who was a member of ABBA.

The song was written by Russ Ballard, who was the lead singer of the band Argent, and it is about a woman who is convinced her man is cheating on her. I am convinced that the involvement (and midas touch) of Phil Collins as producer, drummer and backing vocals really helped make this song the hit it became selling 3.5 million copies worldwide. This week's Flashback Video is "I Know There's Something Going On" by Frida...

That was her first and only solo hit in the U.S. She gained the Princess title in 1992 when she married a German prince of the former sovereign House of Reuss. Prince Heinrich Ruzzo Reuss of Plauen died in 1999. She currently lives in Switzerland. Don't hold your breath for the long-demanded ABBA reunion. Frida has stated that she has no interest in ever returning to a music career. As a solo artist, you can add her to the long list of one-hit wonders from the 80s and that is never a bad thing.

That'll wrap up this issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you want to see the past issues of Flashback Videos, just type that into the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column and it should give you a list of most of them. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use that Google Search Box to find any past issues or topics you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". Even though the blog only updates a couple times a week, I try to send out daily 80s tweets. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

This time that awesomeness is Alan Frew of Glass Tiger. I am lucky to have had the chance to interview one of my favorite voices from mid-80s pop music. Glass Tiger is a Canadian rock band which formed back in 1983, but tasted its first success with the release of their 1986 album The Thin Red Line. This album introduced us to the outstanding vocals of lead singer Alan Frew and includes three singles which charted in the U.S. and five that charted in Canada. The most prominent and one of my favorite 80s songs is "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" which reached #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in Canada.

After their third album, 1991's Simple Mission, and a brief Canadian tour in early 1993, the band went on a lengthy hiatus. Frew went on to release two solo albums before the band reformed and began touring again around 2003. Since then, Frew has focused on philanthropy, continued performing and songwriting as well as trying his hand at writing, public speaking and acting. He is still considered one of Canada's favorite entertainers and most recognized celebrities. So let's get on to some selections from my interview with Alan Frew...

Q: How did Glass Tiger form? Why was the band name changed from Tokyo to Glass Tiger? And how were both names originally chosen?

Alan: Glass Tiger formed from the best of two local bands. ONYX (which had Wayne [Parker], Al [Connelly] and myself) and THE END (which had Michael [Hanson] and Sam [Reid]). We changed the name from Tokyo to Glass Tiger to signify the change from local bar band to recording band. Nothing complicated in how names were chosen. Just messing around with words until you find something you like and can all agree upon.

Q: How does a kid born in Scotland end up as the lead singer of a Canadian band?

Alan: Parents move to Canada and decide that for you. Got into some guitar playing in early 70s and found out that I had a knack for song-writing. Always knew I had a voice so that part was more understandable when some locals asked me to join their band.

Q: After forming the band back in 1983, from your perspective, how has the industry changed over the past 27 years? How do you keep your passion after all of these years?

Alan: The industry isn't an industry anymore. It is self ownership. Self employed. Self promoted. It is multi-directional where almost anyone can have a career as long as they have a laptop and an internet connection. It's a good thing and a bad thing all rolled into one for it allows greatness to be discovered that otherwise would have been overlooked but it allows also mountains of crap to surface disguised as talent.
I keep my passion because I love the craft of communicating. I adapt and re-adapt to change consistently and continuously which allows me a fresh approach to my career each and every day.

Q: "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" became a huge hit especially in the U.S. and Canada. Did you expect that song to have that kind of success? How did that success change things for Glass Tiger going forward?

Alan: I knew it was a great song with all the elements of a "hit" but you are never prepared for it to "go through the roof" as it did, so yes it was still a surprise. It changed the game. It put us in the "big leagues" brought us to the homes of millions all over the world.

We are certainly thankful for that. The song hit #1 on the Canadian charts in March of 1986, but would not even enter the U.S. charts until July. It peaked at #2 in October and spent an impressive 24 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was produced by Jim Vallance who was the songwriting partner of Bryan Adams. An interesting note on this song is that fellow Canadian Bryan Adams actually sings backing vocals on this track. As I mentioned earlier, it is truly one of my favorite songs of the entire decade, so here's the video for "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" by Glass Tiger...

Q: Fellow Canadian Bryan Adams sings backing vocals on "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)". Do you feel that had an impact on the success of the song? How was it working with Bryan? Do you still keep in touch with him?

Alan: It had an impact which was more of a novelty than anything else. The song was a great song with or without Bryan so I have no doubt it would have done exactly what it did. That said, it was a ton of fun to do it with him. We cross paths very seldom but when we do we always "catch up."

Q: Glass Tiger, Bryan Adams, Corey Hart and Loverboy were some of the Canadian bands having the biggest success in the U.S. during the 80s. Other than Adams, many of the Canadian bands were able to continue success in Canada but not as much in the U.S. How do you explain the differences between the U.S. and Canadian music markets? To me it would seem that they should not be all that different, yet history has shown they obviously are.

Alan: It's not that they are different. It is just that the industry, the companies, the "machines" behind them are different and were VERY different back then. So for obvious reasons the U.S. "machine" was all about promoting the U.S. bands and music for better or for worse. So many of the other bands fall by the wayside with time.

I am also a big fan of "Someday," their follow-up single to "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)," which would reach #7 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and get its fair share of radio play into 1987. As a reminder, here's the video for "Someday" by Glass Tiger...

Q: What are your personal favorites of the Glass Tiger songs? Are there any lesser known songs that you have always particularly enjoyed? How about from your solo work?

Alan: "Someday" is a great song, well written. I particularly like "My Town" and a song called "This Island Earth." From my solo work songs like "So Blind," "Falling at Your Feet," "That's Life" and "I Believe" stand out for me.

Q: Why did Glass Tiger (at least temporarily) break up? Any new Glass Tiger music planned for the near future?

Alan: Never really broke up. Just went on hiatus allowing me time for solo work. We never seem to be able to get it together on the new music front as a band. But you never know.

"I'm Still Searching" from their 1988 album Diamond Sun was Glass Tiger's last charting song in the U.S. The band still continued to have success through the early 90s in Canada, but would go on hiatus after only three studio albums. To me, Glass Tiger will always remain an important part of 80s pop music.

Q: Some 80s pop superstars "run away" from the 80s and some embrace the success and fans from that decade. How do you personally keep the 80s alive and in perspective?

Alan: It stays alive simply through our music but that's it. The 80s were then, this is now. Looking back is no different than looking at old photographs or yearbooks. You look. You cringe, you laugh.....you move on.

Q: Tell us about your book The Action Sandwich - A Six Step Recipe to Success By Doing What You're Already Doing.

Alan: It's my take on life, passion, abundance, intention etc. It falls under the term self-help or motivational genre but that's a label that book stores use not me. I do know however that the principles I speak of are the same ones I have been using since my negotiating days in the streets and play yards of Scotland and they have carried me to all of my successes in this life of mine. I make the book fun and interesting to say the least. Very "un-typical" of anything on the shelves next to me.

Q: What else is Alan Frew up to now? Musically and otherwise?

Alan: With the success of my Olympic song "I Believe" recorded by teen sensation Nikki Yanofsky, I received offers to sign publishing deals. I accepted one from Ole Publishing and plan to enter another serious writing phase in Nashville and L.A. come 2011. I continue to tour in Canada as a solo performer and public speaker and also with Glass Tiger. I work closely with charities benefiting breast cancer research and survivors and work closely with the men and women of our armed forces and our allies. I've been in Bosnia, Egypt, Israel, the Arctic and Afghanistan twice with them . I have the framework of a new book laid out and still dabble in acting. All is well. Busy as always but "Loving Every Minute of It"...oh, wait! That's Loverboy....

I am so honored that Alan took the time to answer my questions so I could share them with you here. I want to thank Sharon Field-Brennan for helping to coordinate this opportunity for me. Be sure to visit his official website www.alanfrew.com to find out more about Alan and keep up with all of the things he is up to. I remember back in 1986 and 1987 playing my copy of The Thin Red Line album as much as any, so those songs will always mean a lot to me. Alan, I want to express my gratitude for all of the awesome music and especially for revisiting the 80s with us for a little while, too. I certainly won't forget it.

That's all for this special issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading and hope you are enjoying the interviews. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Check this out: Here's a fun song called "The 1980s Rocked" which is written, performed and directed by Kevin Sage. The song features over 100 references from the 80s and is a parody of "Bedrock" by Young Money & Lloyd. For more details you can visit Kevin's website, but for now enjoy the video...

Quote of the day: "The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you." -John E. Southard

The soulful and passionate "Into The Night" became a radio classic across the country since the 80s and is one of the most frequently played tunes in radio history. It is estimated that the song has been played more than 4.5 million times in the U.S. alone. The song is special because it is one of only ten singles to make it to the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart twice. Chubby Checker was the first to do this with his cover of "The Twist" which went to #1 in both 1960 and 1962. Another was "Do You Love Me" by the Contours which first did it in 1962 and then again in 1988 after being featured in 1987's Dirty Dancing.

Benny Mardones originally released "Into the Night" in June 1980 as part of his Never Run, Never Hide album. The song peaked at #11 for two weeks in September 1980, logging 20 weeks on the chart before falling off in late October. Then in 1989, a Where Are They Now? Arizona radio segment spurred an L.A. DJ to add the song to his playlist, with that exposure ultimately getting the song back onto the national charts in May of that year. This time the song peaked at #20 in the first week in July, adding 17 weeks to its previous run of 20, to add up to a total of 37 (nonconsecutive) weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, breaking the record set by Laura Branigan with her single "Gloria" (which had charted for 36 consecutive weeks from July 1982 to March 1983) for the longest-charting single of the 1980s by a solo artist.

I don't know about you, but I think this is pretty impressive. I have always really liked this song, but if you listen to the lyrics it may, at first, make you question the subject matter. The song begins, "She's just sixteen years old, leave her alone, they say. Separated by fools who don't know what love is yet. But I want you to know, if I could fly I'd pick you up, I'd take you into the night and show you a love like you've never seen - ever seen." One may jump to the conclusion that this song is perverted and Mardones should be ashamed for professing his love for a minor, but that would be wrong. Here is what Mardones has explained, "There was a girl in my building in Spanish Harlem whose father ran out on her and her family. I felt so bad for her that I hired her to walk my dog. She came into my apartment early one morning and [his friend] Bobby Tepper and I had been up all night writing songs. She was all dressed up and was one of the most beautiful sixteen-year-old girls you've ever seen. When she left with the dog Bobby said, 'Oh my word' and I replied, 'She's Just 16 years old, leave her alone.' And thus a classic was born. It was originally called 'She's Just 16 years Old' until someone at the record company said don't you think you should call it 'Into The Night'?" You can relax because it's not really about Benny wanting to get it on with an under-age girl.

You can just enjoy this great 80s classic for what it is... an outstanding song. Here is a video of Benny Mardones performing "Into the Night"...

Since the self-titled album in 1989 which included the re-release of "Into the Night," Mardones has released four more studio albums unfortunately to little acclaim outside of his strong fan base. The 2002 album, Journey Through Time, includes an incredible acoustic version of "Into the Night" that I like even better than the original. Mardones has battled drug addiction, depression and now suffers from Parkinson's disease. He is the subject of a documentary movie titled Into the Night: The Benny Mardones Story which you can see the preview for it here...

Mardones is admittedly a "one-hit wonder" but, as I have said many times before, that is one more hit than most get. Plus he enjoyed two bites of the same apple when his one hit rose up the charts to begin and again to end the great decade of the 80s. Happy Birthday, Benny, and thank you very much for "Into the Night."

That will wrap up another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading and hope you are enjoying the interviews. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Check this out: Would you let your children play at this playground? I appreciate them taking the time to put a warning sign and all, but how about actually removing the poison plants and snakes?

Quote of the day: "A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him." -David Brinkley

Today (November 3, 2010) is the 56^th birthday of Stuart Leslie Goddard who is better known as singer Adam Ant. Between 1977 and 1982, he gained popularity as the lead singer of new wave/punk band Adam and the Ants, but would have even more success especially in the U.S. as a solo artist.

His first solo album was 1982's Friend or Foe which included his most successful single of his career, "Goody Two-Shoes." The single would reach #1 on the UK charts in June of 1982 and would be his first U.S. hit peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. It has more of a rockabilly swing sound than the new wave Adam Ant had been known for. This song would allow him to crossover into mainstream pop music and he would get regular airplay on U.S. radio as well as MTV. In fact, (kind of surprisingly) Adam Ant was once voted sexiest man in America by the viewers of MTV. This week's first Flashback Video is "Goody Two-Shoes" by Adam Ant...

The Adam Ant song I remember best is from his 1983 second solo album of the same name, "Strip." The song did not chart as well as "Goody Two-Shoes" surprisingly only reaching #42 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984. The subject matter was more risque (especially for an 11 year old like I was at the time to be running around singing), but was very catchy. There are a couple familiar sounds in the song that probably helped its appeal. First, the drums were played by none other than Phil Collins who also co-produced the album. Second, former ABBA singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad is the voice performing the female spoken part. This week's second Flashback Video is "Strip" by Adam Ant...

Adam Ant's 1985 follow up album Vive Le Rock would not be very well received and this resulted in his decision to end his career in music (at least temporarily) and focus on acting. He would continue his interest in acting, but would return to recording music and touring in 1989 with some minor success. His last studio album was released in 1995. He had some arrests in the early 2000's, but this was later explained due to his struggles with mental illness in the form of bipolar disorder. He speaks openly about this and still struggles with it being hospitalized as recently as earlier this summer. Adam Ant seems on the verge of making a comeback in the UK and I am personally hoping he makes it. You can find out more about what he is up to at the official Adam Ant website www.adam-ant.net.

That's all for another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you want to see the past issues of Flashback Videos, just type that into the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column and it should give you a list of most of them. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use that Google Search Box to find any past issues or topics you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". Even though the blog only updates a couple times a week, I try to send out daily 80s tweets. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.