Wow.. what can I say about this interview.. they just keep getting better and more in depth.
This month is the Eric Martin of Mr.Big.. well (was), I wanted to interview
Eric because of his new solo album coming out, little did I know this interview
would be a lot of venting about the Mr.Big situation.. and what a "situation" it was..
He got a lot off his chest.. and is quiet a humorous guy at the same time..
So sit back and enjoy..

Eric has a lot to say...............
 

 

J - How did you hook up the guys from Mr. Big?

E - I was doing solo records in the late 80's and I got a phone call from Mike Varney who was the head hunter for guitar players and also ran a label called Shrapnel. Which is mainly a mail order record company the guy has made millions. His discovered people like Paul Gilbert, Yngwie, all these guys with big names. Billy Sheehan played on some of his albums and they were acquaintances and Mike and I were acquaintances from playing punk bands in the San Fran area, he gave me a call and says how is your record doing? I said all right. He says.. "Well you have been a leader of your own thing for the  last 10 years would you like to be a band member guy and be a singer for a new band that Billy Sheenan put together?" I go You mean that guy from the "Yankee Rose" video and all that and he goes hey look are you interested  and I go yeah. Then he goes you talk to him, Mike is notorious for 3 way calling and he had Billy on the other line. We talked. I had a couple songs and he had a couple songs,  we went shopping to labels and together we went to Warner Bros. Ted Templeman, because of Billy's affiliation with the Van Halen Brothers. That didn't work, blah blah blah. We had Paul Gilbert cause he was a big fan of Billy's said yeah he was interested in doing it. This was around 1988 and then we got our drummer Pat Torpey, we had a few songs I think, well yeah yeah we had like 8 songs in a week which was pretty the whole album and then we got signed to Atlantic Records.

 

J - How long were you together before you got signed?

E - Maybe 7 months I think, I don't think that long there was a lot of talk but I think we only rehearsed for about a month and then we did a show case. It was just kind of a fluke. We did it really fast and everybody had songs that they had been writing like Paul had been writing obviously for Racer X. Pat had some ideas and Billy had all these great ideas that he wanted to put out. I had a couple of songs so we were just really quick in the studio and we showcased. I remember all these labels came down to see us and Billy was sick so they had to go home cause we couldn't play in front of them so I had thought that was a big jinx.  "Oh no we aren't going make it". But Atlantic signed us without seeing us that was kind of fun that was our big break. Now your big break takes a really long time for your phone to ring and go "hey you got a tour"....great! I've been waiting for ya ..... back then things started coming like every week. 

 

J - How was important to the whole look back then with the hair bands and stuff?

E - We had long hair, we all had long hair, me and Billy and Pat were older we grew up in the late 70's and we had long hair in high school and never cut it, I mean I cut it in the 80's when I was making records tried to get the Bono look you know like everybody else I had a Bono look with a tail frightening. My wife now goes what were you thinking and I grew it back just to grow it back I've always had long hair. We weren't the pretty boys of rock and roll let me tell you. Granted I don't think I ever hair sprayed my hair I just kept cutting my bangs I look like such a geek everybody said that my hair looked so cool God I have long hair and bangs!
 

J - Hahahaha.. I have hundreds of pictures it wasn't that bad.

E - I mean I hate dwelling  on the hair but I think it is kind of funny the hair band thing. Everybody use to have long hair chicks dug it you know.

 

J - What is the biggest crowd you played for and where?

E - My biggest crowd that we played for was I think around 96' I played in Brazil we headlined for a hundred thousand people on the beach, we played with Henry Rollins, Lemmon Heads, and Sepulture and we were the headliner.

 

J - Wow.. What a mix...

E - A total mix but still, the Lemmon Heads I don't know how they got on there but they had a really big gigantic hit song at the time. and then that was the biggest gig. 100,000 is huge but we played to 50-70,000 people all the time when we were opening for Rush and Aerosmith but this was our gig.

 

J - What is the craziest thing a fan had done to meet you?

E - Ummm I get a lot, I don't' know if I want it to be true or not true but I get a lot of like I am going to commit suicide till I see you. ummmm   so I kind of fall for that I must be the suicide hotline. I don't' mean to laugh a lot about that.....I swallowed a bottle of Jargons because of you and I am like ooohh...  don't do that, ummmm lets meet, talk about a blind date but it still happens on the internet.

 

J - What was your favorite package tour.. I hate to say back in the 80's cause you guys weren't an 80's band, cause you almost came out in the 90's.. but what was your favorite tour?

E - I don't really care now.. I used to care..then I kinda went. I don't give a shit.. I'm glad I lasted this long..ya cause 89' is when our Mr. Big record came out..and we played clubs for years, and I think around 92' is when "To Be With You" hit..and "Green Tinted 60's Mind"..and the band started coming out.. and we had an underground crowd.. which its always cool to have an underground crowd, cause they come out without the help of MTV and radio..they just come out, because of word of mouth..but..ya.. Rush..was definitely the best package tour we did.. the whole Presto tour, which was about, 4 or 5 months.. then we did half a Rolling Stones tour, Primus did the west coast, and we did the east coast.That was the best time ever! I wasn't a real big Rush fan, Paul was such a Rush fan he had all there albums in his wardrobe case...and waited forever, till the end of the tour, to get them signed.and I was in the dressing room with them all the time, just bullshitting with them..and eating there catered food.. mine was terrible, and I would be chomping down on a chicken bone asking what does and "By Torthe Snow Dog" mean? hahaha.. but it was a really cool time, I mean they were calling me E..and I was like wow. Elvis... and I mean I didn't have a big head but I really liked the fact that I felt like they treated me like there little mascot..like hey come on the bus E..ya know..it was cool..for Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson ..who are really outgoing.. and to have Neal pert to get inside your head.. he always made me feel like an ignoramus when I talked to him anyway..hes so smart... I had a really good time, and the gigs were always great.. I mean there were times when it wasn't great..cause nobody cares about the opening act at a Rush concert..and they are mainly dudes, and ironically "To Be With You" hit..and more girls came to the gigs, then the guys dug it too. I mean come on.."To Be With You", that's a campfire song..haha.. but there were digging it..and also we had the song.. "Addicted to That Rush" so every night id say "Are you addicted to Rush" and they would all scream..and id turn around quick to Pat... and say..ok lets go.. hahaha..

What's next in Eric's World