Popdose: PopDose Interview: Eric Bazilian of The Hooters
David_E
· 1 year ago
Ah, what a great interview! I had no idea The Hooters had a new disc coming out – it's on the list o' purchases now.
One thing I have always admired about this band (and Eric and Rob as songwriters, natch) is how you can really hear growth from album to album. Hits aside, I love how the arrangements got fuller and the production got tweaked and the lyrics matured and ... y'know, all the stuff you expect every band to do, but in reality only about 2% of them actually pull off.
I'm listening to "25 Hours a Day" right now, after just finishing "Karla With a K." Such happy, toe-tappy stuff ... thanks for the article!
Beau
· 1 year ago
Assuming he means the Birchmere here in Northern Virginia, they shouldn't have to take out the seats. It's actually two venues in one -- a dinner-and-music venue and a "roadhouse" side with a stage, bar and enough room for a couple hundred people to stand, mosh, dance, etc.
That said, the dinner-and-music side would be kind of fun without the seats, so perhaps they're doing a special order, so to speak.
These guys have fantastic resumes even without their main gig. Great to see they get another chance to play as a band.
WHarrisBullzEye
· 1 year ago
I suspect he's just not familiar with the set-up of the place, having never actually played there before.
DwDunphy
· 1 year ago
I dunno... There's something so sad about the dinner-and-music type of venue. We had one around here for years and I went to see Leslie West play. All the while, the audience was schlorpin' their diner dinners and clanging tableware as Leslie played.
This place doesn't exist anymore and the last show there was notorious: a drummer hit a cymbal too hard, it flipped off the stand, hit someone side-wise in the head and killed them.
Ahhh, Club Bene. What a dump.
WHarrisBullzEye
· 1 year ago
Oh, the Birchmere transcends the concept...or, at least, it always has for me. They get a lot of artists playing there who don't generally play club-sized venues, which means the ticket prices are higher and the diehard fans are the ones in the audience. As such, they treat the artists with respect. (Plus, if memory serves, you can't order food after a certain point in the proceedings...but it's been awhile since I was there last, so I might be wrong about that.)
mike
· 1 year ago
I was there and they were awesome. $28.00 and they played in the grandstand. I was intially disapointed when I heard that because I would be able to sit and watch the band. They got it right everyone was standing and they made us dance. They got it right. Long live rockn roll. God bless the hooters for bringing that back and they sounded great. $100 show for $28 You need to go back or guess what you are missing will leave a seat for me. great price and great artists
mcglinch
· 1 year ago
as a philly local, i have to respectfully disagree with Mr. Bazilian. the live Grendel's Lair version (released as a 45 in 79/80(?)) of All You Zombies IS the definitive version.
Joe
· 1 year ago
Agreed - as played constantly on WMMR throughout the early '80s.
Eric S.
· 1 year ago
3 comments on the Hooters catalog: 1) I initially disliked "One Way Home", as I was hoping more for "Nervous Night 2". However, over time I have come to appreciate songs like Satellite, Karla With A K and Johnny B as much as the songs on "Nervous Night". 2) Although I consider "Nervous Night" a near-perfect album, the Columbia compilation "Hooterization" is a great introduction to the band since it has most of the essential hits and album cuts, plus Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and Time After Time. 3) The Hooters were so big in Germany that MCA printed a live CD in Germany in 1994. I finally managed to get a copy and have been wanting to see them do a show ever since. Hopefully, they will tour on a bigger scale.
Nicole
· 1 year ago
Great article with Eric. I'm a younger Hooters fan, so I never got to see them live in the 80's but I'm making up for it now.
Great to see his perspective on their albums. I would to sit down with him and Rob and have a wonderful converstaion about music. I think that would be a very enlightening experience.
jeffro
· 1 year ago
Very cool post! I've already got tix to see them at the Birchmere....the show's in the Bandstand portion of the venue, so it's very possible that they could do "standing room only"
cabbagestew
· 1 year ago
Excellent interview!
I think Zig Zag was The Hooters' greatest record.
Brendan
· 1 year ago
Great piece. Good to hear what the Hooters are up to. Growing up in Philly during the 80s, they were home town boys done good.
Any Hooters fans here know how I can get a copy of some of the old songs that we all thought would have been on "One Way Home" i.e. "Trouble in Paradise", "She Like It With the Windows Down" and "End of My Rope". I had from a show that was on WMMR many moons ago, but don't have them on CD. Email me if you can help.
All Comments
One thing I have always admired about this band (and Eric and Rob as songwriters, natch) is how you can really hear growth from album to album. Hits aside, I love how the arrangements got fuller and the production got tweaked and the lyrics matured and ... y'know, all the stuff you expect every band to do, but in reality only about 2% of them actually pull off.
I'm listening to "25 Hours a Day" right now, after just finishing "Karla With a K." Such happy, toe-tappy stuff ... thanks for the article!
That said, the dinner-and-music side would be kind of fun without the seats, so perhaps they're doing a special order, so to speak.
These guys have fantastic resumes even without their main gig. Great to see they get another chance to play as a band.
This place doesn't exist anymore and the last show there was notorious: a drummer hit a cymbal too hard, it flipped off the stand, hit someone side-wise in the head and killed them.
Ahhh, Club Bene. What a dump.
1) I initially disliked "One Way Home", as I was hoping more for "Nervous Night 2". However, over time I have come to appreciate songs like Satellite, Karla With A K and Johnny B as much as the songs on "Nervous Night".
2) Although I consider "Nervous Night" a near-perfect album, the Columbia compilation "Hooterization" is a great introduction to the band since it has most of the essential hits and album cuts, plus Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and Time After Time.
3) The Hooters were so big in Germany that MCA printed a live CD in Germany in 1994. I finally managed to get a copy and have been wanting to see them do a show ever since. Hopefully, they will tour on a bigger scale.
Great to see his perspective on their albums. I would to sit down with him and Rob and have a wonderful converstaion about music. I think that would be a very enlightening experience.
I think Zig Zag was The Hooters' greatest record.
Any Hooters fans here know how I can get a copy of some of the old songs that we all thought would have been on "One Way Home" i.e. "Trouble in Paradise", "She Like It With the Windows Down" and "End of My Rope". I had from a show that was on WMMR many moons ago, but don't have them on CD. Email me if you can help.
Thanks,
B