This time that awesomeness is Curt Smith. He is a singer, songwriter and musician best known as half of the duo Tears for Fears. Along with Roland Orzabal, the duo is responsible for one of the most popular albums of the 80s with 1985's Songs from the Big Chair and several hit singles. After their third platinum-selling album in 1989, Smith and Orzabal decided to part ways, but the duo reformed in 2000 for a new studio album which was released in 2004. Smith has also maintained his own solo career and continues to collaborate with other artists. You'll get a little insight into his experiences with Tears for Fears in the 80s and what he has been up to since then as we get on to some selections from my interview with Curt Smith...

Q: How did you and Roland Orzabal form Tears for Fears in 1981? How was the band name chosen?

Curt: Roland and I had been in bands together since we were 13 at school in Bath [England]. The name was inspired by a book called Prisoners Of Pain by Arthur Janov [who is the creator of primal therapy].

The band's 1983 debut album, The Hurting, was a huge hit on the UK charts reaching #1 by the end of March that year. It was the third single they released, "Mad World", which yielded them a hit. The single was written by Orzabal, but sung by Smith who has been quoted describing it as "very much a voyeur's song looking out at a mad world from the eyes of a teenager." Here is the original video for "Mad World" by Tears for Fears...

Q: Your second album, Songs from the Big Chair, really established you in the U.S. and worldwide. When & how did you guys realize that you had made it big time?

Curt: There was no one occasion that comes to mind. Unfortunately, when a band becomes famous most of the time is taken up by touring, interviews and TV/Radio appearances. Between that and the people surrounding you pushing you to make more product, there's not really much time to take it in or enjoy it.

Songs from the Big Chair was released in February of 1985. The album peaked only at #2 in the UK (but it remained in the Top 10 for over six months and in the Top 40 for over a year). But more importantly, by the end of July, it reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Album charts and held that position for five weeks. The album's title was inspired by the 1976 television film Sybil about a woman with multiple personality disorder who only feels safe when she is sitting in her analyst's "big chair". The duo felt each of the album's songs had a distinctive personality of its own.

Q: Is it true that "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" was the final track to be recorded and added to the album? That being the case, could you have ever expected it to become one of your biggest hits?

Curt: It was the last song added to SFTBC and we had no idea it would be a hit. In fact, we never know what will be a hit. Going back to an earlier question - we just record what feels right.

In the U.S., the first single released from Songs from the Big Chair was the last recorded as Smith confirmed. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" would hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 by June and this would cause the world to take notice. As was the case on "Mad World", Curt Smith handles lead vocals again on this great song. The album's second single, "Shout" would reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in August giving them back-to-back #1 hits. They narrowly missed having three #1 singles in a row when the third release, "Head Over Heals" would peak at #3 on the chart. Can't say it any better than reviewer Stanton Swihart, "It is not only a commercial triumph, it is an artistic tour de force. And in the loping, percolating 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World,' Tears for Fears perfectly captured the zeitgeist of the mid-80s while impossibly managing to also create a dreamy, timeless pop classic. Songs from the Big Chair is one of the finest statements of the decade." Here is the video for "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears...

Q: "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" was used at the end of one of my favorite 80s movie comedies, Real Genius. Do you remember how it ended up in the movie? Are you a fan of the movie?

Curt: They just asked to use it. I actually hadn't seen the film until recently when the actor James Roday (Psych) convinced me to watch it as it's one of his favorites. I can see why. [Director Martha Coolidge (who directed Real Genius as well as an episode of Psych) also mentioned Roday's love of this movie in my interview with her.]

Q: What was the song writing process like for Tears for Fears? How was it decided who would sing lead on each song?

Curt: It's normally an organic process. Certain songs suit my voice, others suit Roland's. We normally know which is which.

Q: What is your personal favorite of your hit songs?

Curt: "Sowing the Seeds of Love" is probably the most complete song we've done as far as writing AND production working so well together.

In 1989, Tears for Fears followed up the multi-platinum Songs from the Big Chair with The Seeds of Love. The album did not approach the same success as its predecessor, but still was certified platinum and reached #8 on the Billboard Album Chart. The first single from that album was "Sowing the Seeds of Love" which was a top 5 hit in seven countries including peaking at #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Many listeners identify a Beatles influence on the sound of this song which Smith identified as their most complete song. Here is the video for "Sowing the Seeds of Love" by Tears for Fears...

"Sowing the Seeds of Love" would be the last big hit for Tears for Fears in the U.S. The second single from the album, "Woman in Chains" which featured Phil Collins on drums and Oleta Adams sharing vocals, would still make the top 40, but the momentum seemed to be lost. By 1991, Smith and Orzabal decided to go their separate ways, though Orzabal would retain the band name and released two studio albums which were essentially solo projects.

Q: After such huge success, how did it come to the point that Tears for Fears had to break up?

Curt: This has been well-documented elsewhere, but there were two main reasons. One, Roland and I were finding it increasingly difficult to agree with each other about anything. Two, and far more important, I really wasn't dealing well with being famous, especially the lack of a private life. I moved to New York, where I'd met my now-wife Frances and enjoyed the relative anonymity.

After nearly a decade apart, Smith and Orzabal decided to reform Tears for Fears in 2000 and begun work on a new studio album. They had written and recorded the entire album in less than six months, but record company contract issues delayed the release of the album titled Everybody Loves a Happy Ending until September of 2004.

Q: Why did it become the right time to reunite with Orzabal again?

Curt: When Roland and I reunited ten years later, at the suggestion of his manager, enough time had passed for us to work together without the acrimony and tension that had hampered us previously, and Everybody Loves a Happy Ending was the result.

Q: I am a big fan of the TV series Psych. How did your hilarious appearance on the show come about and how was that experience?

Curt: I met James Roday, Tim Omundson and Maggie Lawson [cast members of the show] backstage at a Tears for Fears show in Los Angeles. Roday invited me to guest on the show, and I thought "why not?" It was a ridiculous amount of fun, and I've worked with them again since - on a song for the holiday episode of the show - and they've said they'd like to have me back for an episode this coming season. That would be most amusing.

Back in September of 2010, Smith appeared in an episode of the USA Network television series Psych. To demonstrate how wealthy one of the characters is, he hires Curt Smith to play music at a party and decides to have him continue to play for him the following day when nobody else is even there. In addition, Smith performs a special version of the opening theme song and also appears in a closing sequence. Here is a scene from the episode of Psych titled "Shawn 2.0" where Smith exhibits some great comic timing in his cameo appearance...

Q: Tears for Fears will be celebrating 30 years in 2011. What legacy do you feel the band has left thus far? From your perspective, how has the industry changed over the past 30 years?

Curt: We've never considered "leaving a legacy", all we can do is record the best music we are capable of at a given time and then try to find ways of performing that live. The industry has changed in so many ways since we began it's hard to know where to begin. The most obvious and detrimental change is the "big business" take over of the industry. It was once run by music lovers but is now run by bean-counters. Unfortunately this tends to kill artistic development and originality. On the upside, the internet is now here and has begun to level the playing field somewhat. Hopefully this will result in the demise of major labels and the growth of small independent labels and artists.

Q: I really love the acoustic version of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" from your 2000 EP Aeroplane and you sort of performed that in the Psych episode. I have a soft spot for acoustic version of my favorite songs. That leads me to Stripped Down Live with Curt Smith. How did that webcast come about and what can you tell us about it?

Curt: I'd been wanting to do a live music show for some time, and the opportunity presented itself to do so. It was a great deal of fun and we were able, in the first season, to highlight a tremendous range of artists, from fantastic newcomers like The Daylights, Fitz & The Tantrums and Nightmare & The Cat to amazing (and, I think, underappreciated) journeymen like Peter Himmelman and Matthew Sweet. We were also genre-agnostic, which allowed us to feature a singer-songwriter like Carina Round followed by bluesman Chris Pierce. We've decided not to continue with Stripped Down Live, but I will hope to produce and present another live music show in the future.

Q: What leaded you to embrace social media as much as you have? Do you do it for the fans or are there more specific reasons?

Curt: I've never been a big believer in the "celebrities are special" thing, and social media lets me connect directly with fans, friends and fellow musicians in a way that layers of publicists, producers and the like often actively work to hinder. Twitter in particular is appealing because of its very nature: short bursts of information, made available immediately. I like blogging as well, but it's more challenging because I've got two young kids and don't often have uninterrupted time to compose lengthier missives. I've been encouraged to do some video blogging and more Twitter chats, so you can look for that in 2011.

Smith lives in Los Angeles now with his wife and two daughters. He became an officially naturalized American citizen in 2007. If you follow him at all, you know that, in addition to his love of his family and music, he is a huge fan of Manchester United soccer.

Q: What else is Curt Smith up to nowadays?

Curt: I plan to keep on doing what I've been doing: writing and recording music. I'll keep going with my "social media project" of collaborations with artists I meet online, and I'd like to do more writing for television and film, as I very much like the idea of crafting music to illuminate and enhance onscreen images.

I am very happy that Curt took some time to answer my questions so I could share them with you here. Special thanks to Arlene Wszalek for helping coordinate everything. To find out even more and keep up with everything he has going on, please be sure to visit his official website at www.curtsmithofficial.com as well as the Tears for Fears website at www.tearsforfears.net/ You can also follow him on Twitter as @curtsmith. I want to take this opportunity to again thank Curt Smith particularly for the incredible music he created with Tears for Fears and, even more, for going back to the 80s with us for a little while here as well.

That brings us to the end of 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 want a summary of all of my Back to the 80s Interviews posted thus far, please click on that link. 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: I often share signs that I find ironic or humorous. Here are several that I thought were worth sharing. I haven't seen these around my neighborhood and hope you don't either. First, is a warning to watch out for buffalos. Second, is a warning to watch out for moose. Third, is a warning to watch out for falling rocks and... buffalos? Fourth, is a warning to... watch out for alligators if you are in a wheelchair?

Quote of the day: "Defining myself, as opposed to being defined by others, is one of the most difficult challenges I face." - Carol Moseley-Braun

This time that awesomeness is Jimi Jamison. He is best known as the lead singer of Survivor taking over that role in 1984. In my opinion, he has one of the most iconic voices of my lifetime. Jamison took over as lead singer for Survivor after Dave Bickler, who originally sang lead on the band's smash hit "Eye of the Tiger," suffered voice problems and was forced to leave. Survivor's first album with Jamison, Vital Signs, was a huge success including 3 hit singles returning the band to prominence. They followed that up with an even bigger hit with "Burning Heart" from the Rocky IV soundtrack. Many people do not know that Jamison would later co-write and perform the theme song for the popular television series Baywatch. You will find out more about his time with Survivor and since then as we get on to some selections from my interview with Jimi Jamison...

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a professional musician? How did that end up becoming a reality for you? I read that you actually spent 4 years working for a jingle company in Memphis. Is that true and, if so, how did that prepare you to be the frontman of a rock band?

Jimi: Actually I had already sung in many bands before I worked at the jingle company. I was supposed to sub for a singer for 4 days and ended up staying for 4 years, after which Cobra was formed and signed to Epic Records. But working there really taught me how to sing in a studio in any situation with any type of music. I learned how to really work a mic in many different ways. Nowadays, there is software that gives you these different sounds automatically.

It's strange how things worked out. Before I was ever in a band, I remember lying in bed at night at my Mom's and secretly listening to the top ten songs of the week and imagining it was me on stage singing all those great songs, with all my classmates standing around cheering. I never really thought it would happen and never planned music as a career. I would be riding in the car with my Mom and step-dad and concentrating on the jingle singers singing the radio station ID's and thinking, "Wow, how do people get to do that and even get paid for it?" Pretty wild when you think that it all happened just as I imagined it.

Q: You moved to Memphis at a very young age and I read that you had an encounter with Elvis as a young boy? Do you remember that encounter? Memphis in general is such a great music city, how did growing up in Memphis foster and inspire your musical style and passion?

Jimi: I first met Elvis at a place called Katz Drug Store. He was on his motorcycle with a chick on the back...of course.
Growing up in Memphis was a musical lesson for life. There was so much talent at that time, as there always has been. Even some of the music business shakers were based there. Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Otis Redding, Stax Records and many other music icons were there and really inspired many young bands including myself.

Q: Things really went to the next level for you when you joined Survivor in 1984. How did that opportunity come your way? Did you have any doubts when you accepted the invitation to join the band? Other than your amazing voice, what did you feel like you were bringing to the band?

Jimi: Around the time they lost their singer [Dave Bickler], my band Cobra on Epic Records broke up. One of the record execs who was Survivor's ex-manager suggested they try me out. I went to Chicago, met Rick [Weigand] and Marc [Droubay] and proceeded to get totally blitzed the night before I rehearsed with the band. Not being much of a drinker, I pretty much just wanted to get it over with and get home and nurse a hangover.

They continued to try other singers but about a month later their tour manager, Rick Weigand (responsible for getting the founding members together in the first place), called me and asked me to come join the band. I did have doubts about joining at first but it just took a little getting used to. The band had a great name but no recognizable face, except for Dave's beret and his great vocals. We did so many videos, I think I helped in that area and coming from a wild band [Cobra] helped create an exciting live show and added a little Memphis soul to the band and their music.

Q: Survivor had one huge hit before you joined the band, "Eye of the Tiger" from the Rocky III soundtrack. Did you ever feel strange (especially at first) singing this song since it was not originally recorded with your vocals?

Jimi: The only thing that I ever felt weird about was knowing I had to hit that high note every night. It never bothered me that I didn't sing that one originally.

Q: Your first album with the band was 1984's Vital Signs. Did you know you had something special when recording this album? Could you have ever anticipated the success it would have with 3 hit singles? How did things change for you personally and for Survivor after this album's success? Did the band attribute this success to your addition to the group and recognize your contributions?

Jimi: I really never thought it would do as well as it did. Personally, it changed the way people viewed my vocals. I was a Rock singer and became a Pop singer. As far as the band recognizing my contributions, I'm sure they realized what was going on especially after our first video (which hit #1 on MTV), but they were very full of themselves as songwriters so they would never admit it. Can't really blame them since they already had a #1 hit worldwide [before me] I guess. At least not back then.

The first hit single from the album was "I Can't Hold Back" which would peak at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December of 1984. It would also hold the top spot on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart for three straight weeks. Here is the video for "I Can't Hold Back" by Survivor...

Q: All those hit singles from Vital Signs were written by Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan. How much of the songs' success do you attribute to the songwriting? What are your feelings about Peterik and Sullivan as songwriters and performers?

Jimi: Oh yes, they were great songs and songwriters. A lot of people, including myself, previously thought it was just a studio band before I joined. But everyone, including myself, found out that they were seasoned live performers and could hold their own with just about anyone.

The second single from Vital Signs was "High On You" which would make it into the top 10 peaking at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April of 1985. According to Peterik, the song was created during a rehearsal jam. Here is what Peterik had to say about what inspired the title, "Lyrically, I've had that title ever since the CBS convention in 1977 when Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone - there were rumors about him being strung out on drugs - he bolts on stage all cleaned up and says, I want you to know, people, I am high on you. Everybody applauded. There's a title if I ever heard one, so I guess indirectly he inspired that song." Here is the video for "High On You" by Survivor...

Q: "The Search Is Over" is often referred to as a power ballad. What are your feelings about using the song description/term "power ballad"?

Jimi: I don't know if I would really label it a "power ballad." I think it's a little lighter than that which I believe actually gives it more legs and longevity. But as long as everyone likes it, they can call it whatever they would like. Ha!!

"The Search Is Over" was the third single from the album and second top 10 hit in a row when it peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July of 1985. The song remained in the top 40 for fourteen weeks and actually topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart for four straight weeks as well. According to Peterik, he did not write the song about personal experience, but about a friend of his who realized after searching all over that his dream girl was actually a friend of his from childhood. Jamison's vocals really convey all of that emotion. Here is the video for "The Search Is Over" by Survivor...

Q: When you have mega hit songs like those, do you (or did you) ever get sick of playing them?

Jimi: Ask anyone that question while it's happening and they will probably say yes. If they do, they are totally lying. When you look out at a huge crowd and they are singing along with you and appreciating your work... there is no way you can ever get sick of that.

Q: Who did Survivor tour with back in the 80s? Any good stories from being out on tour back then? How does it feel having thousands and thousands of adoring fans (women) screaming as you perform on stage?

Jimi: We toured with Bryan Adams, REO Speedwagon and a host of other big bands. We also did a headline tour with Jason and the Scorchers opening. It was a great feeling getting such a reaction every night and, with the release of all the videos we did, the band was finally getting recognized on the street.

Off the top of my head... the only funny thing I can remember is the night some girl threw her panties on stage when we picked them up they stretched almost all the way across the stage.
I also remember during one concert we were doing "I Can't Hold Back" and I just totally did not recognize the song at all. We had played it a hundred times and I just stood there looking at the crowd with the band playing the whole song, even singing the background vocals. I just did not remember a thing about the song. I looked over at the side of the stage and Kevin Cronin [from REO] was lying on his back kicking his feet in the air and laughing his butt off.

Q: "Burning Heart" was featured in 1985's Rocky IV. Did this opportunity come your way because of "Eye of the Tiger" in Rocky III? Have you ever met Sylvester Stallone and if so, how was that experience?

Jimi: Yes, I met him [Stallone] at the Rocky IV premiere and yes, the opportunity was directly related to EOTT. Sly was really a nice and cool guy. His brother Frank and I still perform together to this day. Both songs will always be remembered because of the movies.

After the success of "Eye of the Tiger" in Rocky III, Sylvester Stallone came calling to Survivor again when he needed a special song for his 1985 sequel Rocky IV. He got exactly what he needed with "Burning Heart" which would make it all the way to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February of 1986. Both songs rank on my Top Songs from 80s Movies list. Stallone had sent them the film's script for inspiration when writing the song. With the Cold War theme looming greatly within the film, Peterik has said that while reading the script he realized that this battle was about more than just two fighters in a ring, but about the whole struggle between the ideologies of two rival nations and that became his focus as the lyrics took shape. Again, Jamison's vocals really make this song special. Here is the video for "Burning Heart" by Survivor...

Q: Your 1986 follow-up album When Seconds Count had the hit single "Is This Love," but that was the only hit and it did not come close to the success of Vital Signs. Did this surprise you at the time? How do you explain the lesser reaction to this album?

Jimi: We were all surprised, but it still did fairly well, better than the Caught in the Game album (1983) did [the album previous to Vital Signs]. I wish I knew how to explain that one. Music started to change around that time.

The album did still get certified gold, but could not come close to the success of Vital Signs. "Is This Love" would reach #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1987 and this would be Survivor's fifth and final top 10 single. Here is the video for "Is This Love" by Survivor...

Q: I read that you said your 1988 album Too Hot to Sleep was "probably the best album that Survivor ever recorded and everyone in the band agrees." This album again did not have much commercial success. Again, any explanation for how you guys could feel that strongly about the album, yet the lesser reaction by the public? What led to the band going on hiatus at that point in 1989?

Jimi: The lesser success of that one was totally due to the record companies, CBS and Scotti Bros., who were really not getting along well at the time. Most cities didn't even have the records in their stores. That was also the reason we went our separate ways at the end of the 80s.

Q: After the band went on hiatus, you continued to tour billing as "Jimi Jamison's Survivor" and performing those great hits. Was this a difficult decision for you to do at that time? Did you have the rest of the band's "blessing" to go out and do this?

Jimi: I had an agent who (behind my back) would bill it that way while the contract would say Jimi Jamison with no mention of Survivor. There was no Survivor at that time so after a while I got used to it and just went with it. Jim and Frank and Mark would play with me once in a while until they decided to get back together. Things got a little strange for a while, but soon we all were back together... broke up again... got back together... broke up... got back together and broke up again.

Q: How is your relationship with Jim Peterik, Frank Sullivan and the other Survivor members now? Has there ever been any animosity or bitterness between you and Dave Bickler (who you replaced and took the band to new levels, but then who they asked back when the band came off hiatus in 1993)? They now have Robin McAuley on lead vocals since 2006. Any specific reasons why you are not with Survivor at this time? Does it ever bother you to hear another frontman singing lead vocals on your songs?

Jimi: No, Dave and I are good friends to this day. Jim and Frank and I still phone occasionally also. I don't feel I was treated fairly when it came to reaping the rewards, so I remain a solo artist. It doesn't bother me in the least that someone else is singing the songs I made popular. I wish them the best. The public knows what's going on.

Q: Do you ever anticipate rejoining Survivor again at some point down the road? Could you ever see Survivor making new music together again?

Jimi: I'm really not sure about what may or may not happen. I can't predict the future, sure wish I could. Music has changed so much, I'm not sure it would be accepted but then again it might be the spark that starts a flame.

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

Jimi: I'm proud of my 80s fans and will continue to play whatever the music is that makes them happy. I also don't like to label good music. If you take a song from the 80s, remix, re-sing or use a different instrument mix, you can make it sound like a new current recording. I really just do what I do and try not to read into the why's and how's of every musical move I make. I have fun and the crowd seems to have just as much fun so that's how I embrace it. I could never run away from something that feels so good and, believe it or not, new fans are born everyday.

Q: Baywatch premiered in 1989, but your theme song "I'm Always Here" did not start being used until 1991 when syndication began. How did the opportunity come your way to write and perform the theme song for what became one of the most popular television shows worldwide in the 90s? You have to be proud of that. I am not sure most people realize that is you singing that song. What is the crowd reaction when you perform that song in concerts?

Jimi: I'm very proud of the song which I wrote with Cory Lyrios and of the TV show for making it in the Guinness Book as the most watched show in history. We always get a huge reaction whenever we perform the song live. It's really a good feeling. I was offered the opportunity to write it while recording my first solo album for Scotti Bros. They had faith in me and they let me run with the ball, so I owe them a debt of gratitude.

When Baywatch debuted in September of 1989, it used Peter Cetera's "Save Me" as its theme song. Then beginning in 1991 when the series was revived in syndication, it began to use Jamison's song until the series ended in 2001. Baywatch was hugely successful, especially internationally and, as he mentioned, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, it is the most watched TV show in the world of all time, with over 1.1 billion viewers a week. Here are the opening credits of Baywatch and "I'm Always Here" by Jimi Jamison...

Q: I read that you worked extensively with ZZ Top in the 80s and that Billy Gibbons even refers to you as the fourth member of the band. On what projects did you work with ZZ Top?

Jimi: I sang background vocals on some of ZZ's biggest hits... "Gimme All Your Lovin" and "Legs" both on their biggest album ever- Eliminator [1983]. Also on Afterburner [1985] and Recycler [1990].

Q: After over three decades in the business, from your perspective, how has the music industry changed over that time? And how do you see the future?

Jimi: I think, if you want to make a living playing music you need to really learn to network. The internet changed the music industry forever. Self-promotion is more important now than ever before. It has changed the status quo which left so many unsigned musicians heartbroken and depressed knocking on the doors of record companies. In fact, the advent of MP3 music downloads, whether from iTunes or illegally from sharing sites, left the big record companies confused and panicked as they watched their sales from traditional CDs drop off the planet.

The music industry has changed and, although not perfect, a lot of people think it's an improvement and most musicians would never want to go back to the way things were before. I think the current situation still has its problems. The fact that it's so easy now for anyone to record and publish their music cheaply and from their bedrooms means that the web is flooded with a lot of mediocre crap. You kind of have to sift your way through it all in order to find good music. The mere fact that so many people are publishing their music has meant that although it may be easy getting your music out there, it's now difficult to get noticed above all the other noise. There will always be a role for traditional music companies but it has changed a lot. I think what we now find is that where before a large record company may have encouraged and developed start up talent they now sit back and wait for other, smaller independent record companies to do it for them.

I believe that if you want global success, a major label is still what's required to make it happen but musicians should see this in the same way as winning the lottery or getting struck by lightning. There's a chance it'll happen but it's really small. It's far better to concentrate on making the most sincere music you can, being intelligent enough to make a good living from it through intelligent marketing and self promotion.

Q: I see you released a solo album, Crossroads Moment, in 2008 (2009 in the U.S.). What else is Jimi Jamison up to now? Musically and otherwise?

Jimi: I am in the process of recording a duet CD with Bobby Kimball lead vocalist for the band Toto. I am also working on a new solo CD for Frontiers Records as well as planning a huge European and South American tour starting in February.

In addition, Jamison also continues to dedicate time to working with multiple charities including St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, Make-a-Wish Foundation, Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) among others. He has been recognized by the Governors of Tennessee, Ohio and Arkansas for his work on and off the stage.

I am honored that Jimi took the time to answer my questions so I could share them with you here. To find out more and keep up with everything he has going on, please be sure to visit his official website at www.jimijamison.com/ I want to take this opportunity to again thank Jimi Jamison for his contribution to 80s pop culture through his incredible voice on those Survivor hit songs and, even more, for taking a walk down memory lane with us here as well.

That brings us to the end of 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 want a summary of all of my Back to the 80s Interviews posted thus far, please click on that link. 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: I love this parody film preview for what The Legend of Zelda might be like if it were an 80s film. "Perfectly capturing the essence of what it means to be a teenager in the 80s, Nick Murphy, Mike Sadorf, and Dom Moschitti reimagine one of the most celebrated video game franchises of all time with the heart, charm, and wit that only they could. It's the legend of high school. It's the legend of love. It's The Legend of Zelda." Enjoy...

Quote of the day: "The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself--the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us-that's where it's at." -Jesse Owens

This time that awesomeness is Eric Bazilian. He is best known as co-founder along with Rob Hyman of rock band The Hooters. In 1985, The Hooters had a multi-platinum album, but even before that, Bazilian and Hyman had helped write, arrange and play on the debut album of Cyndi Lauper. You'll find out more about working on Cyndi Lauper's album, The Hooters' own hit album and more as we get on to some selections from my interview with Eric Bazilian...

Q: How did you and Rob [Hyman] originally meet? Did you just click right from the start?

Eric: We originally met in an electronic music class at the University of Pennsylvania [in 1971]. I was sitting on the floor playing an acoustic guitar. We went upstairs after the class to a piano and starting jamming. It clicked from the start.

Q: How and why was the band name The Hooters chosen? How often has the band name been confused to be in reference to the slang used to describe women's breasts?

Eric: The band name came from a friend who was engineering our first demo sessions. I had borrowed a melodica from some friends and the engineer started calling it a hooter. We liked it and decided to name the band after it. Unfortunately the band name has been confused more often than not with the anatomy. Had this usage already been in the vernacular in 1980 we probably would have kept looking.

Q: What were your goals/intentions when you were first starting out?

Eric: Our goals starting out were pretty common... to make some great music, entertain people, make a living, and, of course, world domination.

Q: How would you describe the musical influences on The Hooters sound?

Eric: Our influences are quite wide-ranging. Rob and I both grew up listening to British Invasion rock, blues, Motown, the popular music of the 60s and 70s. Rob turned me on to reggae and in the beginning we played a very heavily Ska and Reggae influenced form of rock music. The folk music influence came in later on, in the mid-80s.

Q: How did both you and Rob end up working with Cyndi Lauper on her 1983 debut album She's So Unusual? How was the experience of working with Lauper?

Eric: Rick Chertoff was the drummer in the band Rob had at Penn [Baby Grand] that I joined when I met them. He had gone on to work as a staff producer at Columbia records. He brought us in to work with Cyndi on her first album. It was both challenging and inspiring working with her... she is brilliantly talented and exceptionally demanding.

Q: I absolutely love the song "Time After Time" which Rob co-wrote with Lauper. Please take us back to when the song was written and recorded. How did it come to life? Did you feel like you had a potential pop hit and truly extraordinary song when you recorded it?

Eric: Rob and Cyndi started writing "Time After Time" during the latter phase of recording She's So Unusual. I know that Cyndi had come to Rob with the title and they had written the first draft of the song fairly quickly. I played the guitars and came up with the melodic introduction line. I knew from the first time they played me the chorus that the song was going to become a classic.

She's So Unusual, Cyndi Lauper's 1983 debut studio album, was a smashing success which went 9x platinum, included four hit singles and is considered an iconic album of the 80s decade. "Time After Time" was released as the second single from She's So Unusual in January of 1984 and would have immediate worldwide success. In the U.S., the song would reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June of that same year and receive a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year. It was the last song added to the album after producer Chertoff suggested they needed "one more song." Co-written by Rob Hyman, he also sings backing vocals on the single. Here is the music video for "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper...

Q: Could you have ever anticipated the immediate popularity of She's So Unusual and Cyndi Lauper? How did that album's success and popularity impact The Hooters?

Eric: Neither Rob nor I had any idea that the album would achieve the kind of success it did. Of course its popularity brought us a lot of attention that proved most beneficial to our career with The Hooters.

Q: Your 1985 album Nervous Night was a huge worldwide success. The album would go multi-platinum and include four singles which charted on the Billboard Hot 100. When did you feel like you finally really made it?

Eric: I'm still waiting.

Q: When writing and recording "And We Danced," did you know you had something special? How did this song originate? What inspired the lyrics?

Eric: We wrote the first draft of "And We Danced" in the Poconos during the summer of 1984. I think we knew immediately that we had the germ of something special though there were a lot of versions between that one and the one we now know. I honestly don't know where the lyrics came from... the verses were written last, when we were already mixing the rest of the album and were down to the wire. I think we just liked the way "she was a be bop baby" sounded. Once the record was mixed and mastered, I think we all knew we had something special. I was personally pretty confident that it would be heard.

The Nervous Night album included three top 40 singles, the first of which was "And We Danced." The song would only peak at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100, but helped get the band a lot of attention. That distinctive sound at the beginning of the song and that plays throughout is a melodica, a combination keyboard/harmonica instrument that they referred to as a "hooter" and, as Eric confirmed, is what inspired the band's name. Here's the video for "And We Danced" by The Hooters...

Q: Your highest charting song was "Day By Day" which I believe was the final single to be released from that album. I read where you said it was a song that started as an experiment with Rick Chertoff and that it took you "2 years whipping it into shape." Please take us back to the process you went through creating that great song. How did it evolve over those 2 years? Again, did you feel it had potential to become a pop hit when you finally recorded it for the album?

Eric: "Day By Day" was a bear... it fought us tooth and nail, day and night, day by day. Rick and I came up with the original chord structure and title one day in my basement. We brought it to Rob a few weeks later and wrote the chorus together. Like "And We Danced", we came up with numerous verse lyrics and melodies before landing on the one that felt right. I know that we were all very pleased with it once it was finished.

"Day By Day" would peak at #18 in 1986 and would help secure The Hooters being named Best New Band of the Year by Rolling Stone. Here is the music video for "Day By Day" by The Hooters...

Q: Speaking of producer Rick Chertoff, what can you tell us about working with him and his impact on the success of The Hooters?

Eric: Rick has been the unsung hero in all of this... he did and continues to push and inspire us. He's a tenacious guy, wants the best and will never settle for anything less.

On July 13, 1985, The Hooters were a part of one of the most iconic pop culture events of the decade. The Philadelphia natives were the opening band at the segment of Live Aid held in JFK Stadium. This internationally televised event introduced the band to a global audience for the first time and that exposure subsequently translated to increased commercial success.

Q: What was the experience like when you opened the Philadelphia portion of Live Aid in your hometown? Looking back now, what are your feelings about being involved in that iconic event?

Eric: Our performance at Live Aid felt like it was over before it began. Ten minutes that changed our world. I keep a picture from that show in my studio as a constant reminder.

Q: When you have mega hit songs like those, do you (or did you) ever get sick of playing them?

Eric: Actually, with one or two exceptions (which will absolutely remain unnamed), I love playing our hits.

Q: Your videos received frequent airplay on MTV at that time. This certainly helped to increase exposure and popularity. What are your thoughts on the impact that MTV had on music in the 80s?

Eric: I think that MTV was a mixed blessing. I'm grateful that it helped launch our career.

Q: As the 80s came to an end, The Hooters' success was on the decline in the United States, but was on the rise in Europe. Other than changing musical tastes, is there any explanation for the decreasing popularity in the U.S.?

Eric: I've come up with various theories over the years on this. The truth is I wish I knew.

Q: Please take us through the circumstances surrounding The Hooters' temporary break-up or hiatus in 1995.

Eric: I think that after 15 years of nonstop work with the Hooters we were ready to take a break. Rob and Rick had their concept for the Largo record and I was pursuing opportunities that presented themselves on the heels of the success of "One Of Us". It was a good time for a break, though I don't think that any of us thought it would last as long as it did.

Q: During the hiatus, you worked with Joan Osborne and wrote the hit song "One of Us." Though not an 80s song, it is certainly something I want to recognize. I am also curious about how the idea of the song originated. It was an interesting song topic, what inspired it? What was your intended message behind the song? Were you surprised at all by the overwhelming success the song had?

Eric: I wrote "One Of Us" in an hour one night during the sessions for Relish [Joan Osborne's debut album]. It's a cliche, but the song did write itself. In retrospect, I think that the lyric is a summation of my world view and I'm glad that my unconscious process was able to spell it out so clearly for me in the four minutes I spent actually writing it. The song has been interpreted and misinterpreted in many ways. Personally, I try to stay neutral.

The day after I wrote the song I played it for Joan, Rob and Rick. I knew that I had written something special, something that I was proud of, but it wasn't until after Rick suggested Joan try singing it and I heard the combination of song and voice that I knew that the song was going to be heard. I was delighted but, with all humility, not surprised by its success.

In 1995, Joan Osborne released the hit single "One of Us" which would reach the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 and receive Grammy nominations including Record and Song of the Year. The song was written by Eric Bazilian and produced by Rick Chertoff. Bazilian and Rob Hyman also accompany the song and sing backing vocals. In recent years, The Hooters have also performed "One of Us" in their live shows.

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

Eric: I personally have mixed feelings about the cultural impact of the 80s. What I do know is that it's probably the last crop of pop/rock music that will be played by cover bands into this century and the next. "And We Danced" and "Day By Day" included, hopefully.

Q: After well over three decades in the business, from your perspectives, how has the music industry changed over that time? And how do you see the future?

Eric: The music industry has gone beyond the point of no return. I have no idea what it will look like moving into the future. I'm just grateful to have been working during what will be looked back on as its Golden Age.

Q: 2007 saw the release of Time Stand Still, The Hooters' first album of new material since 1993. Any plans for a new album in the works? Do you plan on recording and releasing more new music with The Hooters?

Eric: The last Hooters studio recording was actually in 2010, the Five By Five EP. I think we'd all like to make another full length album and hopefully the Muse will visit us sooner rather than later.

Q: What else is Eric Bazilian up to now? Musically and otherwise?

Eric: Musically there's a whole lot going on. I co-wrote Ricky Martin's current single (which was just #1 on the Latin charts), "The Best Thing About Me Is You". I'm doing local shows with my band. I'm really excited about a collaboration I'm doing with Mats Wester in Sweden. He's a national treasure there, a personal hero of mine. We've been writing and recording for over ten years and we're finally going public with our project, Bazilian & Wester. Check out his band, Nordman. Check us out at www.bazilianwester.com. The website's in Swedish for now but there's some music up there for you to check out. Otherwise, I'm just looking for the next thing to come down the pike.

I am so happy that Eric took the time to answer my questions so I could share them with you here. Special thanks to Debbi Collard with The Hooters management for helping to coordinate the interview. If you want to find out more about him, you can visit his official website at www.ericbazilian.com or you can certainly visit The Hooters official website at www.hootersmusic.com to find out more about the band. I want to take this opportunity to again thank Eric Bazilian for his contribution to 80s pop culture with The Hooters and, even more, for taking some time to reminisce for a little while with us here as well.

That will 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 want a summary of all of my Back to the 80s Interviews posted thus far, please click on that link. 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: Take Me Home Tonight is a new film scheduled to open in theaters on March 4th. The film is set in 1988 and keeping in line with the 80s vibe, a promotional video was created for the "Don't You Want Me" cover by Atomic Tom. The video features the stars of the film including Topher Grace and Anna Farris as well as dozens of 80s film references including Say Anything, Dirty Dancing, Ghostbusters, Weird Science, Ghost, Sixteen Candles, The Karate Kid, E.T., Top Gun, Splash, Teen Wolf, Back to the Future, Risky Business, Flashdance, Nightmare on Elm Street, Can't Buy Me Love, Caddyshack, Terminator and many more. How many can you identify?

Quote of the day: "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed." -Booker T. Washington

This time that awesomeness is Michael Floreale and Clive Farrington. They are best known as founding members of the group When In Rome. Along with Andrew Mann, they created the 1988 hit single "The Promise". Farrington and Mann were on vocals with Floreale on keyboard. Unfortunately, the band would only release one album before Floreale was sent his separate way. While Farrington and Mann remained in England, Floreale moved to the U.S. in 1992 and remained in the industry composing for television and film. "The Promise" enjoyed a resurgence after being featured in the 2004 hit film Napoleon Dynamite which prompted both Floreale and Farrington to resurrect When In Rome, interestingly though, only not together. You will find out more about how they originally formed, produced a hit single and how they are moving forward separately now as we get on to some selections from my interviews with Michael Floreale and Clive Farrington...

Q: You both were in another band together before When In Rome. How did the two of you meet and end up forming Beau Leisure?

Clive: Beau Leisure were already a fully fledged working band (lead by David Powell and myself) that imploded one night at a local place called Check Inn in Altrincham, Cheshire. We'd been in and out of each other's pockets for far too long and had been promised many things by our numerous managers, including that elusive recording contract. My parents were very close to the band and I think that, in the band's eyes, this was not very "rock and roll" so the inevitable happened just at a point that I think Beau Leisure could and should have made their mark on the music industry. Mike [Floreale] was in another band at the time and I'd seen them play a few times. The singer was called Andy O'Connell and when Beau Leisure1 imploded, I recruited O'Connell as the new Beau Leisure singer and Mike as the keyboardist. There are some really neat tunes recorded by Beau Leisure2. Andrew Mann supported Beau Leisure1 as a beat poet on many of their latter gigs. Beau Leisure2 just did not gel although we did loads of shows and I really enjoyed being part of both outfits.

Michael: Andrew O'Connell insisted I join [Beau Leisure] with him, as we had a bunch of good, original songs we wanted to perform. Clive and I got on really well; then he and I started to write songs together and so we eventually decided to go it alone.

Q: I read that Corinne Drewery was part of Beau Leisure before she left to form Swing Out Sister. Was Andrew Mann added to the band after she left? What were your expectations and goals when you started out?

Michael: This is where I get to re-write history. Andrew Mann was recruited before we met Corinne. Andrew was a stand up poet who was doing live shows at the time. We thought he looked good, he was confident in front of an audience and he wrote lyrics. Andrew moved to London and that is where he met Corinne, who was shopping for a record deal at the time. We recorded some demos and Corinne sang on them. We wanted to continue working with Corinne but she went and got her own record deal. Our own goals were to do the same, get a major label deal.

Clive: Corinne was not part of Beau Leisure. Andrew, being a friend of hers asked her to help out on backing vocals and we recorded demos of "There's a Ghost in My House" and "Kites" which were fine examples of pure pop. At the time, Andrew was sharing a flat with Jonathon Ross and his manager Alan Marke (who also would become the When In Rome manager). Andrew, at this point had a 4-track demo of "The Promise" which he took with him everywhere! One night he played the track to Simon Potts, Head of Elektra UK, and a few showcases later we were signed to Elektra. To Andrew, I think that this in itself was "mission accomplished" because we'd signed to the same label as The Doors!

Elektra decided to close their London offices. Unable to deal with the time difference between the UK and the U.S. when dealing with Elektra, the guys decided to change labels and were signed instantly to the Virgin UK subsidiary 10 Records who would ultimately release the band's self-titled album in 1988.

Q: The new band took the name When In Rome. What is the story behind choosing that name for the band?

Clive: When Mike and I first started going down to London to meet with Andrew and to work on the demos; being Northern lads [from Manchester] in a new land, we'd often do things that we would not normally do at home and our battle cry was always "When In Rome"! The name just organically popped into use as the band name.

Michael: The London lifestyle was different in a cool way to the one we were used to, so we were always saying it. At that time, we were no longer Beau Leisure and were actively seeking a name, so I suggested we go with When In Rome. It was a natural choice.

Q: That brings us to your 1988 big hit single "The Promise." What is the back story of how "The Promise" was conceived and written? Who wrote what parts? How long did it take to write? Was it personal at all, written about someone in particular?

Clive: We wrote "The Promise" in my Dad's garden shed. The space was so tight that we had keyboards attached vertically to the polystyrene clad walls. Mike provided the keyboard hook and I provided the vocal melody and lyrics for the first verse and chorus. Lyrics not being my strong point, I suggested that Andrew finish the song by applying lyrics for the second verse. I also programmed all of the drums and bass for the demo and the final studio version using the famous Linn Drum Machine and Roland SH101 for the bass. The song took about two days to complete because the way I write, I go to bed and a melody pops into my head and I sing it directly into a voice recorder. The next day, I apply lyrical ideas to the melody. This is the way it was for all of the songs on the album. I used a Roland 501 loop echo for my voice which added loads of warmth. I've got to say at this point that Andrew mimes my vocal in the official video to "The Promise". I have no idea why we both agreed to allow this and this caused confusion when we sang live.

Michael: One night I was working on the music to "The Promise" in the little [studio/shed]. Clive walked in and immediately started to sing along to it and we recorded the idea to a cassette. It took less than 20 minutes and I think we both knew then that it was pretty good. You will have to ask Clive if it was someone in particular, but I believe he had just split up with his girlfriend at the time.

"The Promise" is one of the more underrated songs of the 80s, in my opinion. It would reach #1 on the Billboard Dance Chart in June of 1988 and go on to peak at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 later that year. The song features an outstanding melody as well as some interesting switching off and harmony in the vocals. The song was featured as the end credits begin in the 2004 hit film Napoleon Dynamite exposing it to a whole new generation. Here is the original music video for "The Promise" by When In Rome...

Q: What role did producers Ben Rogan and Richard Burgess play in making the song a success?

Michael: Ben Rogan originally convinced us that the song would be improved if we recorded everything live. We recorded live drums, bass, guitar and a 16 piece orchestra. The magic was not there. We knew it wasn't the same song, so we took the original demo with drum machine and sequenced bass to Ben and told him that it had to be recorded the same way as the original. To his eternal credit, he agreed. We used the same drum machine and sequencer from the demo and we got our song back.

Clive: Both Ben and Richard played a massive part in making the song a success, although we must not forget Michael Brauer who mixed the album at Quad Studio in New York which I had the pleasure of overseeing. It was a real pleasure to spend 10 days in NYC watching my work being sculpted by a master producer / mix engineer! Having said all of this, I would most definitely give full credit to Mike's cousin who went out to live in San Francisco and took a copy of "The Promise" with him. He went to the nearest radio station he could find (which happened to be the biggest on the West Coast) and asked them to play the record. It just snowballed from there.

Q: I particularly enjoy the combination of the fast beat and the slower piano on top of it. Michael, how did you come up with that genius melody?

Michael: Thank you. I've always loved the sound of the piano and the way piano seems to work in all genres of music. I also love strings; there is an emotive quality about strings that sets them apart from any other instrument. The combination of strings and piano has always been a feature of my writing, but I wish I knew myself how I came up with that particular melody!

Q: Did you feel you had something special there back then when you recorded "The Promise"? Could you have ever anticipated the worldwide success it would have? What do you think made the song connect with the general listening public so strongly?

Clive: As soon as we had recorded the song, I knew that we had something special but unfortunately, there is no blue print for this otherwise we could have had loads of hits!

Michael: I did feel at the time that we had a very good song, but never imagined that it would still be playing today. What I think connects, are the words and there is also an emotional quality in the song that just gets to the listener.

Q: When you have a mega hit song like that, do you (or did you) ever get sick of playing it? What are your feelings about the song today?

Michael: I am fortunate in that I still enjoy playing the song but I can imagine Right Said Fred getting really sick of playing "I'm Too Sexy". "The Promise" has enabled me to perform live in the U.S. for the last five years, it has appeared in a cult classic movie and it is still played regularly all over the world. I remain proud of the fact that I wrote the song and grateful for the general public's continued appreciation of it.

Clive: I cannot play it very often because I am so close to it that I cannot see it. I of course got a little tired of it being the only song that the record company cared for. There is a much stronger song in "If Only" for instance. However, when I see footage of Kelly Clarkson covering the song and explaining that her Mom used to play it in the car when she was a kid, this is magical!

Q: How did things change for you personally and When In Rome, both good and bad, after this song's incredible success? Were you prepared for all of the attention?

Clive: We were totally prepared, although I think that Mike was the one who was most prepared and did the clever thing in moving out the U.S. to make more of the success of When In Rome.

Michael: Initially bad when the band broke up. I felt When In Rome had at least another album or two to offer, and those albums would have been better than the first. I had no say in the break up, so I had to pick myself up and start again. It was then that I decided to move to the U.S. The song was never a big hit in the UK and so attention was never really a problem.

Q: When In Rome was not able to follow up with another hit song and, in fact, only ended up releasing one album together before breaking up in 1990. Were you surprised that you were not able to have another major hit song (or another album for that matter) with When In Rome? Please describe the circumstances surrounding the break up of When In Rome in 1990. How can a group with a hit song that popular just disintegrate that quickly? Any regrets?

Clive: Not particularly; we had grown apart as a unit and both Andrew and I were so different musically to Mike that the inevitable happened and we asked Mike to leave. Andrew and I carried on with When In Rome and toured Brazil in that same year with Matt Rowe on keyboards. No regrets whatsoever. We were not getting along as a band so a cull had to ensue. I chose to stay with Andrew who I've always credited in capturing the two record deals that we have had. I have fired Andrew and I have fired Mike from the line-up and have stayed loyal in the end to Andrew.

Michael: The break up was a result of Clive and Andrew wanting to go in a new musical direction after one album. I had no say in the matter. We had already written a bunch of new songs for the second album but Clive and Andrew felt those songs were not the new direction they were seeking. The record company did not agree with the new direction either, so When In Rome never gave themselves an opportunity to write another hit.

Q: I often say that I don't look at the term "one-hit wonder" as a negative because it is one more hit than most artists ever get to have. What are your feelings about that moniker? Are you proud of your one big hit?

Michael: I wouldn't use the word "proud", but it's better to have had one hit than none at all, and what a hit!!

Clive: You would not believe how proud! I am writing a book as we speak entitled Confessions of a One Hit Wonder by Clive Farrington - When In Rome. There are many fascinating tales to tell.

Q: It seems that Michael has moved forward with his own version of When In Rome here in the U.S. At the same time, it appears Clive and Andrew are now continuing with When In Rome in the UK. How can there be two When In Rome's? Are there tensions between the two versions? What are each of your goals/intentions with When In Rome going forward?

Michael: In my opinion, there really aren't two When In Rome's. I was approached in 2005 by a west coast agent to reform the band for some shows in the USA. I was back in contact with Clive and Andrew who had both moved on to other careers. Neither had sung in any capacity for over 15 years, and they both lived in the UK. I had remained in the music business as a film and TV composer and welcomed the opportunity to get out of my studio. I had to find a new singer. At the time, this wasn't a problem for Clive and Andrew. The new When In Rome then toured with Devo, Psychedelic Furs, A Flock Of Seagulls and many other bands. When In Rome have continued to tour for the last 5 years and have played all over the U.S. and South America and also toured the Philippines. The shows went well and we integrated new songs into the set which received tremendous support, so I set about writing and recording songs with my new singer, John Ceravolo, for another When In Rome album. This was, in my opinion, unfinished business. In 2008, I heard that Clive and Andrew were reforming the band and they decided that I should no longer represent myself as When In Rome. Obviously, I disagreed. At the time of writing, the UK version has never performed live, nor has it released any new material. The goals for my new When In Rome are simple, to release a new album of material for the first time since 1990. We are at present mixing 10 songs that have been recorded.

Clive: Yes, both Andrew and I are still writing together. We have been threatened by Mike in the U.S. that if we tour there, we will be deported, so of course there is tension. We believe that Mike is a little miffed that we may just steal the wind from his sails if the original vocalists tour in the U.S.

Q: Can you ever see reuniting the original When In Rome line-up for touring and/or even creating new music?

Clive: We have offered Mike this option and have been ignored.

Michael: No, I have worked with some extremely talented people over the last 15 years and the present singer/writer of When In Rome has worked with me to create the best When In Rome songs ever. I doubt we could ever write another "The Promise", just as Sting will never write another "Every Breath You Take". However, the new material is far stronger than the songs off the first album but the emotion is still there (as well as the piano and strings).

Q: "The Promise" was used in the very popular 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite. I am sure this exposure gave a new life to the song and many people heard it for the first time. First, are you aware of how or why the song was chosen to be part of the film? Second, what effect did you see from this new prominent exposure 14 years after its original release?

Clive: I received a call from Mike in the U.S. about six months prior to release of the movie with the news that they wanted to use the song and of course was absolutely thrilled! I believe that it was Jared Hess (co-writer / director) who asked to use the song because it was part of his growing up.

Michael: I believe he was a big fan of the song and wanted it in the movie. The movie finally got the song recognized in the UK and I was very aware of a lot of teenagers at our shows. I guess the movie was the catalyst for my reforming When In Rome.

Q: After nearly three decades in the business, from your perspective, how has the music industry changed over that time?

Clive: Not at all! There is something missing though... Theatre!

Michael: Drastically. Major label deals are a thing of the past. MP3s have changed the entire face of the music industry and I think that it's ultimately a good thing. There is more reliance on bands to develop their talents and performing live has much more relevance. In the 80s there were so many recording bands that could never recreate their songs live, it was all done in the studio. There will always be the boy bands, the Pussycat Dolls, etc. but the music buying public has more choices than it ever had and that has to be a good thing. If you are dedicated and talented, you still have a great opportunity to get your music heard.

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

Michael: As a commercial composer I have to continue to follow the musical trends of the day. There is definitely some great new music out there, but nowadays I'm hearing an awful lot of music that has been done before and I can name the original bands that the ideas came from! What the 80s had was a uniqueness that can never be repeated. Great songs, great melodies and ground breaking synth sounds that had never been used before. I'm nostalgic about the 80s but as a musician, you can't stand still.

Clive: The 80s was obviously a massively important musical period and I was reminded of how important when I went to see Human League, ABC and Heaven 17 in the summer. All still totally brilliant!

Q: Michael, you have participated in some of the tours with other great 80s pop bands. Is this an enjoyable experience performing songs that bring so much joy to the audience?

Michael: Yes, it is very enjoyable and I have made some great friends. The common thing with all of the bands is our love of the music. The loyalty and enthusiasm of the fans is something I'll never forget.

Q: What else are Clive Farrington and Andrew Mann each up to now?

Clive: I've just returned from a fabulous Christmas trip to New York with my daughter Saskia and have started creating the tracks for the projected U.S. tour. Andrew is organizing musicians for the tour.

Q: What else is Michael Floreale up to now?

Michael: Well I'm trying to get all the songs for the next When In Rome album mixed and finished. When In Rome will start rehearsing for shows in 2011. I'm also writing with, and producing, a Dallas based singer called Neill Skylar. It is a project I'm very excited about. After all these years, music is still my main focus but away from music I still play soccer (yikes) and still follow my team, Manchester City, who WILL win the premier league very soon. I PROMISE. Also, I'd sincerely like to thank everybody who has been to see When In Rome and wish health, love and happiness to all.

I am very pleased that both Michael and Clive took the time to answer my questions so I could share them with you here. You can see from some of the answers they gave, that the two still have some differing views, but that does not detract from the outstanding song they created together. If you want to find out more about Michael's When In Rome, you can visit that official website at www.wheninromemusic.com/ If you want to find out more about Clive and Andrew's When In Rome, you can visit their website at www.wheninromeofficial.com/ I want to take this opportunity to again thank both Michael Floreale and Clive Farrington for their contribution to 80s pop culture with "The Promise" and, even more, for taking a walk down memory lane with us here as well.

That wraps up 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 want a summary of all of my Back to the 80s Interviews posted thus far, please click on that link. 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: I want to thank both Pop Candy (Whitney) and Culture Brats for bringing this gem to my attention. It is the video for the 1984 song "Yo, Little Brother" by Nolan Thomas. I have to admit that I do not remember this song, but it did make it to #57 on the Billboard Hot 100. While the Latin freestyle artist did appear in the music video, and sang all of the other tracks on the Nolan Thomas album, oddly he did not actually perform the vocals on this particular track (Elan Lanier sang them). The video just drips with 80s goodness, so I wanted to share it here...

Quote of the day: "The past is a ghost, the future a dream. All we ever have is now." -Bill Cosby

This time that awesomeness is Conrad Dunn. He is probably best known to 80s fans as Pvt. Francis "Psycho" Soyer from the 1981 comedy Stripes. He also played the major recurring role of "Nick Corelli" between 1981 and 1990 on the soap opera Days of Our Lives. He's appeared in over 60 roles on either television or film over the years. You'll find out a little about his experiences as "Psycho" in Stripes and much more as we get on to some selections from my interview with Conrad Dunn...

Q: When did you realize you wanted to be an actor? Then how did you go about pursuing that career?

Conrad: I've been interested in performing since childhood; reenacting things I'd seen for as long as can remember. I lived in the theater arts department in college. I attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts as well as studying with Stella Adler. I also had my own theater company, which led directly to Stripes.

Q: Your first big screen role was as "Psycho" in 1981's Stripes. How did that opportunity come your way? Do you remember the audition process at all? What were your expectations going in?

Conrad: Karen Rea [casting director] saw me in a production with my company and had me in for role of "Psycho." I auditioned in New York after they didn't find anyone they liked in L.A. I really had no expectations, but was thrilled to have gotten the part.

Q: What was your experience of being directed by Ivan Reitman?

Conrad: Actually, Reitman and I had very little interaction.

Q: I read that the excellent scene when the characters are introducing themselves to each other and telling their back stories was mostly improvised. Is that true? This is one of my favorite scenes in the film. Your character has the following hilarious introduction...
"The name's Francis Soyer.
But everybody calls me Psycho.
Any of you guys call me Francis, and I'll kill you.
And I don't like nobody touching my stuff!
So just keep your meat hooks off.
If I catch any of you guys in my stuff, I'll kill you.
Also, I don't like nobody touching me.
Now, any of you homos... touch me, and I'll kill you."
Sgt. Hulka responds, "Lighten up, Francis."
Was any of that improvised? Did you have experience previously with improv and do you personally enjoy improv when acting?

Conrad: My dialogue from intro scene was exactly as written and was also the same scene from when I auditioned for the part. I heard the character was based on someone real, but not sure who. I have no background in improv, so consequently I am uncomfortable with it.

The "Psycho" character is a homophobic tough guy. Those traits are belittled rather than glorified by the others in his platoon. As Sgt. Hulka tells him, "Lighten up, Francis. One of these men may save your life one of these days, do you understand that?" Then Bill Murray's character replies, "Then again, maybe one of us won't." Here is the part in the scene where "Psycho" introduces himself to the rest of the platoon...

Released in the summer of 1981, Stripes was one of the most successful films of that year and I do recall it to be the first R-rated film that I ever knowingly saw when it came out on HBO the following year. It combines the genius of Bill Murray and Harold Ramis as two slackers who join the Army, get into trouble, but in the end prove they have more of what it takes inside than expected. The film also stars John Candy, John Larroquette and many others making film debuts including Conrad Dunn.

Q: This film's cast was filled with greatness. Please tell us about the experience of working with Bill Murray.

Conrad: I believe Murray may have felt the pressure of carrying the film. He seemed always "on" but perhaps that was just his nature. I don't really know, as I never worked with him again. For the guys in the platoon, Murray arranged a screening of film the film The Bofors Gun. It was sort of a bonding effort, which was appreciated, but an odd choice in that it was a very dark military film.

Q: How about working with Harold Ramis? How about John Candy in one of his first film roles? Judge Reinhold and John Diehl in their first film roles? John Larroquette as "Capt. Stillman"? Was the cast close during filming? Was it a fun and enjoyable experience making Stripes?

Conrad: Ramis was the opposite of Murray, reserved and seemingly glad not to have focus on him. Candy did a nice thing inviting the guys from platoon to his house to see the "No Mas" Roberto Duran vs. Sugar Ray Leonard fight [June 20, 1980] and eat a spaghetti dinner that his wife made. I did not have that much interaction with Diehl or Reinhold. I do remember John Larroquette being especially dismayed because of John Lennon's murder, which occurred during our shoot [December 8, 1980]. I really enjoyed playing "Psycho".

Q: Warren Oates was fantastic as Sgt. Hulka. Was he as intimidating in person as he seemed on the screen? Did he stay in character all the time; how was he when the cameras weren't rolling?

Conrad: Warren Oates stayed at same hotel and rode to set in same car as I did. He was soft spoken and quite reserved. He did not stay in character on set. He was very professional.

It is reported that during filming one of the obstacle courses scenes, director Ivan Reitman told the actors to grab Oates and drag him into the mud without telling the veteran actor about it to see what would happen and get a genuine reaction. Oates' front tooth got chipped in the process and he let Reitman know his displeasure for what he did. When I asked Dunn about this, he said he did not know about it nor did "Psycho" have anything to do with chipped tooth incident. Oates played the perfect Drill Sergeant. Sadly, he would pass away from a heart attack less than a year after the release of Stripes. The army base scenes were really filmed on location at Fort Knox in Kentucky. Reitman has been quoted as saying he was amazed that the Defense Department cooperated and gave permission to film there.

Q: Did you have to go through any real form of Army Basic Training to prepare for the role? What about the scenes filmed at Fort Knox with the obstacle course?

Conrad: We didn't really go through any basic training. We just shot a lot of coverage on an obstacle course, as I recall.

Q: Any memories about the filming of the "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" marching scene?

Conrad: I remember John Candy and me as being the only ones who knew the lyrics to the song. We had to teach it to rest of company.

Q: What are your memories of filming the iconic Graduation performance scene? How long and hard did you guys have to practice to get that choreography down?

Conrad: I remember working on that graduation scene for several days. The crowd consisted of local Kentuckians and their response was genuine and spontaneous.

Here is that memorable scene...

Q: "Psycho" is not included in the post script at the end of the film. What do you think that Francis Soyer went on to do after the events shown in the film?

Conrad: I felt there was opportunity for more character development after the troops saved the day in Czechoslovakia. Psycho could have been appreciative to the point of being mushy about it, perhaps hugging guys. Consequently, he could have been a monk in the "what have they all become" montage. Even without a character change, he could have been at the forefront of the survivalist movement.

Q: What do you think old "Psycho" would say about the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in the military now?

Conrad: I actually did a YouTube video of Francis "Psycho" Soyer supporting the repeal of DADT.

Here is that video of Conrad Dunn reprising his "Psycho" character but with a more positive outlook. There is a little tongue-in-cheek humor, but he also relays a serious message (you have to turn up the volume a little to hear it)...

Q: What are your feelings regarding Stripes now that it is nearly 30 years later? The movie, the cast, your performance? Do you (or did you) keep in touch with any of the cast or crew from Stripes?

Conrad: I thought there was an opportunity to have Cruiser (Diehl), Elmo (Reinhold) and Psycho characters more involved in the second half of the film. They pretty much disappeared after the first half. There was an inner circle consisting of the Second City crowd that shaped the film. It makes sense to go with what you know, but could have been richer with everyone's input. I had kept in touch with Diehl and Larroquette a bit. I saw them in an excellent production of Endgame. I am not in touch with any of them anymore.

Q: With the success of Stripes, how did things change for you personally? Did it open up more doors for you in the industry?

Conrad: It would have been great had it led to more work, but it didn't. I had great agent at the time, but he soon left the business and I never had as good of an agent as Richard Dickens thereafter.

Q: You would change your stage name from Conrad Dunn to George Jenesky for many years. What was the reason for the name change and why did you eventually change it back again?

Conrad: The name change was about trying to honor some family members who had passed on. Unfortunately, others in the family didn't appreciate it, so I eventually changed it back.

Q: I will admit that I have never been a Soap Opera follower, but I have to ask you about your time on Days of Our Lives. How did the opportunity to play the role of pimp "Nick Corelli" come your way? The role began back in 1981, but would recur often especially between 1986 and 1990. Did you expect this to be a recurring role when you first got it? Please tell us about how it is working on a Soap Opera.

Conrad: It was the usual audition process. The character was a recurring role where I popped up every year or so to complicate some character's life. The last time it was to kick off Eve's storyline as a prostitute. The new Executive Producer, Shelly Curtis, saw and developed chemistry between Eve and Nick. Soap Operas are a very demanding medium. It is like making two and a half films a week.

Days of Our Lives is one of the longest running and most popular soap operas on television. It has aired every weekday on NBC in the U.S. since November 8, 1965. Under the stage name George Jenesky, Dunn played the role for nearly a decade of "Nick Corelli" described as a misogynistic pimp who evolved from a despicable guy to part of one of the more popular couples of that time.

Q: With your relationship with "Eve" (played by Charlotte Ross), your character evolved from a bad guy to sort of a romantic lead. The odd pairing of a pimp and a prostitute would end up being one of the most loved couples in the show's history. Were you surprised when the writers took this turn with your story? Did you enjoy that storyline? Tell us about working with Charlotte Ross. Were you disappointed when the decision was made to kill off your character on the show? A character dying has never stopped a Soap Opera from bringing that character back in some loop hole, so do you ever think (or hope) "Nick Corelli" will return to Salem?

Conrad: Charlotte was so talented, so focused and so professional, and so young to be all those things. I thought being a prostitute/pimp plus the age difference and a love story was different and intriguing. I loved playing it. It was all Shelly Curtis' doing to see the potential and run with it. To have it end so abruptly was disappointing. Curtis was replaced as Executive Producer and, as so often happens, the new Executive Producer dismantles what was developed by last one to put their own stamp on the show. Nick's demise was part of that process. Over 20 years later, I think Nick is good and dead.

Q: You seem to play an excellent villain on screen. You seem to channel the proper characteristics for those roles. What do you do that you think makes you a believable villain on screen?

Conrad: I think the key to playing a villain is to see things from his perspective. He doesn't see himself as evil and often feels his actions are justified. It also doesn't hurt to have the right look.

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

Conrad: I was up for Mickey Rourke's role in Body Heat [1981]. I was also up for Mandy Patinkin's role in Ragtime [1981].

Q: After three decades in the industry, from your perspective, how has it changed over that time?

Conrad: Oddly, even with all of the new mediums, I find there is actually less work to be had. Part of the problem is that there are too many reality shows now. Plus, there seems to be competition that didn't exist before, so many film stars are doing TV work which was never the case before.

Q: Do you ever still get recognized in public as "Psycho" from Stripes or "Nick" from Days of Our Lives?

Conrad: No, never. It is too long ago for both.

Q: You have remained relatively busy working over the years. What is Conrad Dunn up to nowadays? Both acting and otherwise?

Conrad: The last film I did was Animal 2 [2007] with Ving Rhames. He was a really classy guy. The last TV I did was an episode of the Canadian mini-series XIII: The Conspiracy [2008]. I also teach tennis when I can.

I am so pleased that Conrad was able to take the time to answer my questions so I could share them with you here. Please be sure to visit his official website www.conraddunn.com to find out more and stay up to date on everything he is up to. I want to take this opportunity to again thank Conrad Dunn for his contributions to 80s pop culture especially as "Psycho" and, even more, for reminiscing here with us here for a little while as well. Even though his character didn't want to be touched, his characters touched many people.

That's all 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 want a summary of all of my Back to the 80s Interviews posted thus far, please click on that link. 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 photo of U2's Bono with his hand down his pants. A friend of mine told me about it and the funny caption he saw used for it. That caption was something to the effect of "Bono still hasn't found what he's looking for!" That cracked me up, so I thought I would share with you in the hopes you get a chuckle out of it, too...

Quote of the day: "Greatness occurs when your children love you, when your critics respect you and when you have peace of mind." -Quincy Jones

This time that awesomeness is pat mAcdonald. He is best known as the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for Timbuk3. He formed the duo with his then wife, Barbara, and they became an overnight success with their 1986 hit single "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades." Unfortunately, a follow-up pop hit proved elusive for Timbuk3. In 1995, the band (as well as pat and Barbara) went their separate ways which spurred a solo career for pat which continues steadily today. You will find out a little more about the hit single and the man behind the "shades" as we get on to some selections from my interview with pat mAcdonald...

Q: I see you spell your name now as "pat mAcdonald" with all lower case letters except for the first A in your last name. When and why did you begin doing that and what significance does it have?

pat: It was a few years ago. I got tired of seeing it spelled wrong in print, without the "a" in "Mac" and so I hit upon the idea of the capitalization, to distinguish my name from McDonald's, the hamburger chain.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a professional musician? How did that end up becoming a reality for you?

pat: I started playing semi-professionally when I was 13, just out of 8th grade, and music has been my main livelihood all my adult life, playing in bands, playing solo, whatever I could do to sustain myself.

Q: This brings us to 1984 when you and your then wife Barbara formed Timbuk3. How did the decision to form this duo come about? Why did you then move to Austin, Texas?

pat: Barbara was playing in my band, "Pat MacDonald and the Essentials." She was way more committed than the other band members so we decided to break off and do our own thing. We also decided we wanted to play on the street, and winter in Wisconsin was too cold for that, so we looked at New Orleans and Austin. Obviously, we decided on Austin.

Q: What is the meaning and/or story behind the band name, Timbuk3?

pat: We were really into a kind of interlocking guitar style that artists like King Sunny Ade were doing, and Timbuk3 sounded vaguely African, so we liked it. It also was a kind of tribute to my friend and mentor, Jim Spencer, who had died recently. He was into that kind of wordplay.

Q: You became almost an overnight success after "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" became a Top 20 single. Could you have ever anticipated the success it would have? Did you feel it was a special song when you recorded it? Did you enjoy all of the attention?

pat: Yeah, we enjoyed the validation more than the attention. It was exciting, but wasn't all fun - suddenly we had to work harder than ever, and we were pretty hard-working before that. The song felt like a radio song from the moment I wrote the lines, "I study nuclear science, I love my classes, I got a crazy teacher, he wears dark glasses..." Something about the rhythm of the words and the imagery sounded very current and listener friendly. I did have a feeling that song would be popular. Plus, the title hook hit home. Barbara inspired that.

"The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" was released as a single in 1986 and became a huge hit receiving heavy radio rotation. It surprisingly only peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100. Also surprising to many is that the song is not intended as an optimistic outlook though often is mistaken as such. While many saw it as a graduation theme song, pat's grim outlook may have been more a result of fearing a nuclear holocaust. Nonetheless, the song helped earn Timbuk3 a 1987 Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. Here is the music video for "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" by Timbuk3...

Q: What inspired you to write "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades"? Many people misinterpreted this song as a positive perspective when it really comes from more of a pessimistic view point

pat: Barbara, in reference to an Essentials record we had just finished, said "Our future's so bright, we'll have to wear sunglasses" [in a positive context] and I just immediately heard that nuclear angle, the shades protecting the eyes from grim realities, like blinders. Yeah, the misinterpretations were frustrating and embarrassing sometimes.

Q: The music video helps clarify the song's intent with some references to nuclear holocaust. Who came up with the video's concept?

pat: The video idea was a collaboration between us and the creative director at IRS Records, Carlos Grasso. We wanted a little trailer in there and a kind of post-apocalyptic landscape. Carlos helped flesh it out and added some amusing touches. The donkey with the TV on its back came from the album cover art, which had already been done before we conceived the video.

Q: The harmonica definitely helps add to the misleadingly fun vibe of the song. Do you play it the exact same way during live performances or do you improvise a little? What is your take on the value or character that the harmonica can add to a song? Do you cringe when you hear another performer try to add harmonica to a song where it does not belong or just poorly played?

pat: Ha, ha. I do kinda hate harmonica playing in general, because most of it is so cliche, and harmonica players don't usually know when to stop. Maybe it's like, when it's in their mouth, they feel they have to keep sucking and blowing. If I could sing and play harp at the same time, I might overplay too. Anyway, yeah, I never played that part the same way twice. I like improvising on the harp more than playing fixed parts.

Q: When you have a mega hit song like that, do you (or did you) ever get sick of playing it?

pat: I've always given it a rest, sometimes for years at a time, but it always comes back in a new form. Right now, a shortened version is in the middle of a newer song called "Seeing Things" (from [2007's] Troubadour of Stomp) and it works pretty well in there.

Q: Were you ever approached by any sunglasses companies to promote their product specifically? Like the official sunglasses of Timbuk3 or using your music for advertising or agreeing to wear a certain brand?

pat: The answer was in a 1998 article on USNews.com by John Marks titled "Shake, Rattle and Please Buy My Product": In 1986, Bausch & Lomb offered MacDonald $150,000 for the rights to use his Top 40 hit "The Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades" to advertise its Ray-Ban line of sunglasses. But the singer-songwriter, then fronting a band called Timbuk3, said no deal. A few years later, Clairol upped the ante to $450,000 for another of his songs, "Hairstyles and Attitudes." MacDonald turned that down, too. And last year, the artist rejected a $500,000 offer from fast-food giant McDonald's, once again for "The Future's So Bright." The company hinted that it might go as high as a million, but MacDonald still wouldn't budge--even though his only permanent address is a rented motel room in Austin, Texas. "I'm constantly feeling like somehow I have to justify my choice to people," says the scruffy, soft-spoken MacDonald. But the songwriter won't compromise because he feels that his own songs would be ruined for him, as Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" was for MacDonald, by its use in a Honda commercial.

Q: From 1987 to 1995, Timbuk3 would record five more critically acclaimed albums, but could never follow up that first hit. Are you surprised that Timbuk3 never had another hit single?

pat: I'm not really surprised, though it was frustrating at the time, being told it was expected of us because we had entered the mainstream. But I felt we were an "alternative"" band and that's where I felt more at home.

Q: I read that you said the following regarding songwriting, "But I wasn't trying to write hits. And I wasn't trying to write a hit when I wrote a hit. I was just trying to write songs." Can you explain this thought process on your art a little more?

pat: I think most artists that do it obsessively don't like constraints. We might acknowledge our own limitations, but we don't like to do what's expected of us. Hearing certain great songs that were hits, you can feel the sense of freedom, and if that freedom hadn't been there, the songs wouldn't have been so great.

Q: Please describe the circumstances surrounding the band's break up in 1995.

pat: Barbara and I had been growing apart in our relationship, both musical and personal. It's the typical story. We never drank when we played gigs before that, but we were taking turns being the problem drinker. Sometimes we were two problem drinkers trying to work together. I was writing darker stuff than she was into, so for the first time ever, I was having to fight for my voice in the band. We did the right thing by splitting up.

Q: Do you keep in touch with Barbara? Looking back, how did working together impact your personal relationship? How did that change from the beginnings to the conclusion?

pat: We were a great team for about fifteen years. When it fell apart, it happened really fast. I was the catalyst. I got stir crazy. I don't think she's ever forgiven me for that, so no, we don't keep in touch I'm sorry to say.

Q: Are you proud of what you created as Timbuk3? Can you ever imagine recording new music as Timbuk3 again?

pat: In retrospect, I'm more proud of the songs than the performances - I wasn't much of a singer back then and a lot of the production is pretty dated. I feel like I've only recently figured out how to get a sound I'm happy with. As far as future work with Timbuk3, it will be limited to remixing, remastering, and correcting misconceptions about what we were about. Getting everyone to remove the space between the "k" and the "3" is another huge project I've undertaken. I never wanted that space.

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

pat: I'm working on a book called "A Decade Through Dark Glasses" that will hopefully do both. It examines 80s music, fashion, and politics through the prism of three songs about sunglasses by ZZ Top, Cory Hart, and Timbuk3, respectively. Billy Gibbons has agreed to write a piece for it. I haven't been able to get in contact with Cory Hart yet.

Q: After over three decades in the business, from your perspective, how has the music industry changed over that time? And how do you see the future?

pat: It hasn't changed nearly as much as I once thought it would. People are still playing real instruments, and the guitar still seems to hold dominion over rock. I'm amazed that people still pay for music at all, and that people still come to shows. I thought robots would have taken over completely by now. The future looks fascinating, if not exactly "bright."

Q: You have co-written songs and collaborated with many other great artists. In what way did you collaborate with Stewart Copeland [of the Police] and how was that experience?

pat: Stewart and I wrote a few songs together. He was trying to come up with material for a Police reunion. One song was also written with Sting's son. We also met with a playwright in New York City about co-writing the music for a play about Eleanor of Aquitaine. Stewart is great to work with, a real gent, and of course he's also an icon to me.

Q: Tell us a little about the Steel Bridge Songfest. How and why did it get started and what is your involvement?

pat: Originally, it was to help my sister win the fight to save this old bridge from demolition [in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin]. Jackson Browne, an old friend, offered to help, and Steel Bridge Songfest was born. Out of that, sprang the Holiday Music Motel, a restored fifties motel where we bring musicians together to make collaborative works. It's also a real motel, open to the public. An ambitious project, for sure, but it's actually doing really well. The bridge has also been saved.

Q: Your most recent work was a self-released album, Purgatory Hill, in 2009. What else is pat mAcdonald up to now?

pat: Purgatory Hill is my main focus. I play a cigar box guitar/bass made by Johnny Lowebow from Memphis, TN. It's the most amazing instrument I've ever played - sounds like a slide guitar and bass jamming together. It changed my life musically. My partner melaniejane adds everything else I wanna hear. She also books music for Steel Bridge Songfest and helps run the motel. We recorded the next Purgatory Hill release live in the motel. It's called Purgatory Hilton.

I am so glad that pat took the time to answer my questions so I could share them with you here. Please be sure to visit his official website PurgatoryHill.com to stay up to date on everything he is up to now. I want to take this opportunity to again thank pat mAcdonald for his contributions to 80s pop culture through Timbuk3 and, even more, for sharing his memories with us here as well. "Things are going great, and they're only getting better."

That'll wrap up 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 want a summary of all of my Back to the 80s Interviews posted thus far, please click on that link. 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's a video by a group called Jonka for a song called "Better" which includes tributes to sitcoms from the 80s (plus the 70s and 90s, too). Some are subtle and some not so much. Some are done better than others. It was creative enough that I thought it deserved mention here. Hope you enjoy...

Quote of the day: "You'll find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view." -"Ben Kenobi" played by Sir Alec Guinness in Return of the Jedi (1983)