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| The Band: Interviews: Chat with Lou Gramm | 06.13.01 |
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This is the chat with Lou Gramm by Prodigy, it was made in April 1997 while Lou was at the Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp in Miami, Florida. Index (Introduction) Moderator: Vocalist Lou Gramm teamed up with Mick Jones and Ian McDonald in 1977 to form the group Foreigner. The band's 1977 debut, which included the hits "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold As Ice", sold more than four million copies. The band would go one to record numerous other hit singles, including "Double Vision", "Urgent", "Dirty White Boy", "Head Games", "Hot Blooded" and "I Want To Know What Love Is"... OK, folks. Here's Lou Gramm!!! Lou Gramm: Hi, I'm Lou Gramm, at the Rock 'n Roll
Fantasy Camp in Miami, Florida, and I'm looking forward to answering any and all questions you
send my way. Moderator: Great to have you here, Lou. Aaron is up first tonight... I believe he's in Louisiana... (1) Aaron in LA: Hey Lou, how's it going? I was wondering what types of things you've been doing this week at the fantasy camp. Lou Gramm: Talking to very interested men and women about
songwriting and production technique. (2) Aaron in LA: What's been the most unusual part of the camp for you so far? Lou Gramm: I don't think any of it has been unusual. There has
been a lot of camaraderie, and genuine interest in the songwriting and recording process. (3) Brian Solter: Was "Waiting For A Girl Like You" some kind of message for the girl in "Cold as Ice"? Lou Gramm: (laughing) That's a good question! No is the answer...
not that I know of! (4) Boo Radley: I know you've known Leslie West for a long time and that he's appearing with you this week at the camp. Do you have a favorite story about Leslie? Lou Gramm: I haven't known Leslie that long. Mick
Jones has known him for 25-plus years. Since I've been here, which has been three days,
we've spent some time together and had some good laughs. He's a great guy and a fine, fine guitar
player. (5) BongX: When might we see a return of Foreigner to the West Coast, particularly San Francisco? Might I suggest the Fillmore West rather than the Concord Pavilion. Thank you. Lou Gramm: (laughs) I know for a fact that we're recording a new
album over the course of this summer, and have a bunch of shows in Europe and the Far East this
summer. I would think that any domestic shows would be after the new album is released,
probably late fall or early next year. (6) Brian Solter: Lou, I've always been impressed by the power of your voice. Do you take great strides to care for it and keep it strong, or is it just some kind of natural gift of nature that you've been blessed with? Lou Gramm: Well, I think the initial blessing has been and
continues to be there. But I do take pains to care for this gift. Proper warming before a show is
essential, and drinking non-carbonated, non-alcoholic, room temperature beverages, preferably
water. Moderator: In addition to the numerous hits Gramm has sung with Foreigner, he also has scored some success as a solo performer, including the 1987 hit "Midnight Blue". (7) Virgie45: I don't know much about the Rock 'n Roll Fantasy camp. What part do you take in this? Seminar, music lessons or do you just jam? Or maybe you just party? Lou Gramm: There are daily seminars, classes on how to develop
melodies or songwriting in terms of the lyrical story. These are all things I participate in.
Periodically throughout the day there are jams, which I'm also a part of. It's just a very loose,
and very fun, educational week. Moderator: In order to make tonight's chat as informative and entertaining as possible, we ask that you submit questions that are original (and perhaps a little thought provoking). Your interesting questions make the chat sessions a success. And don't worry, contrary to rumors, we do not take off points for spelling[g]. Thanks for joining us tonight. And keep sending your questions in! (8) Brian Solter: Has touring taken a major toll on you over the years, or do you actually enjoy the traveling? Lou Gramm: I think in the late 70's and early to mid 80's, the
touring was very taxing. Physically and emotionally. Most of us had young families, and it was
difficult to be away for long periods of time. Now we can schedule the tours and the recording at
a more civilized pace. (9) Alexia13: How much money do you make? Lou Gramm: Time and a half, minimum wage. Considering that I'm
working about 18 hours a day, that's what it boils down to! :) (10) Boo Radley: With all of the accomplishments and accolades you've enjoyed over so many years, I was wondering if there were one or two things for which you're proudest or most grateful? Lou Gramm: In terms of Foreigner, I don't think there's
anything particularly that I'm the proudest of. But I am proud that I continue to grow as a
songwriter and vocalist, and that my enthusiasm for my profession continues to grow as
well. (11) BongX: If a composer wanted to submit a song for you to consider, how would you suggest proceeding? (p.s. It's a hit)! Thank you. Lou Gramm: As a songwriter, I really don't consider doing other
people's songs so much. There are artists who would probably welcome someone else's material to
critique. I think it's a good question, but I'm not sure how to help. Moderator: Upcoming Prodigy chat guests include new age piano man Jim Brickman, actress Daryl Hannah, actor Eric Stoltz, comedian Howie Mandel and many others. For information on all chat guests, simply JUMP: spotlight. (12) Jenny in NJ: My friend and I have a bet over whether Foreigner ever did a concert at a nudist park (with an entirely nude audience). I believe it was about two years. Did it happen, and what was that show like Lou??? We want details! : ) Lou Gramm: (laughing) It was a little over a year ago. It wasn't
a totally nude park, but there were some nudist colonists as part of the audience. The show was
fun, but it was weird playing in front of nude people! Moderator: Wow! I wonder where they kept their beer money (with no pockets)? (13) FINFAN64: What plans does Foreigner have in the future, as far as tours and new releases? Foreigner was the 1st concert I ever saw in 1978 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Lou Gramm: Cool. Foreigner will be releasing a brand new
album before the end of this year, doing a European and Far East tour this year, and probably
begin touring North America by the end of the year. (14) Alexia13: Do you ever feel under a lot of pressure on the stage? Lou Gramm: No, because really by the time I take the stage, I'm
in a relaxed performance mode, and we feel the power of a group when we hit the stage. So I don't
particularly feel that it's all on me. (15) Alexia13: What do you like to do for fun? Lou Gramm: I drag race. I have a 1967 Chevelle, 2-door sedan,
with a 454 Chevy big block. When I'm home and the weather permits, I go the 1/4-mile racetrack,
with my car on a trailer, towing it with my pickup truck. At this point, I'm turning low
11s. (16) cpt j t kirk: Why did Foreigner break up? You are very good and I am a big fan but there was magic there. I saw you in Montgomery, Alabama as a backup band and Foreigner stole the show. Lou Gramm: Well, there was a point in the mid, to late, 80's
where Mick and I didn't see quite eye-to-eye about the direction of the band and the
musical content. It was better that we went separate ways. Two years later we resolved our
differences and made peace. (17) BongX: Have you ever performed "Big Dog" (from the new album) or "Soul Doctor" in concert? Lou Gramm: We have performed both of them, and they're a lot of
fun to do. Time permitting, both of those songs would be in our live set. Moderator: Here's a great comment for you Lou... xdavid32: Lou, Foreigner was the 1st band I ever saw in concert. My friend and I walked 6 miles in snow to buy ticks when I was 14. My father took us, we had to buy him a ticket. The guy behind us puked on my dad. He's a good father... we had a great time, I'll never forget Foreigner. Moderator: Sounds like a pretty cool dad... (18) MIKE IRISH 1: Lou I just want to say that I am a huge fan of Foreigner... My question to you is what were your thoughts when you heard that "I Want To Know What Love Is" crossed over to the gospel charts? Lou Gramm: Thrilled. I think it's a universal song. The message
is obviously for everyone. Moderator: Lou Gramm is currently taking part in the inaugural Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp, which is happening in Miami Beach, Florida through Sunday... Other participants include Leslie West of Mountain, Nils Lofgren, Dave Mason, Mark Farner, Felix Cavaliere, Liberty DeVitto, Rick Derringer, Mark Rivera and many others... A high-decibel version of the popular baseball fantasy camps (which has baseball fans playing with legendary players), the Rock 'n Roll Fantasy camp features five days and four nights of seminars, music classes, dinner parties and jam sessions with legendary rockers. The next camp is set for July in New York City. For further info on the Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp, call 1-888-CAMPROCK or check out http://www.camprock.com on the World Wide Web. (19) WlLD ANGEL2: Hi Lou... I work for Handleman company... Were you expecting your last CD to do as well as it did? I had trouble keeping it in stock in the stores. Lou Gramm: We weren't sure what our last CD would do in this
country because it got limited airplay. But we were all pleased when we heard how well it was
selling. (20) BARNONE69: Your best song was "Cold As Ice". What was your favorite? Lou Gramm: I think over the years, my favorite continues to
change. Certainly I love "Urgent" and "Juke Box Hero", but
I also love "Head Games", and any number of the other songs, whether they were
hits or not. So it's a question that has a very nebulous answer. (21) bws001: What do you think about today's music, ie. rap, alternative? Lou Gramm: I like both of it. I like some rap. I like the rap
that's mixed with music. And there's a lot of the alternative music I like, that reminds me of
the rock 'n roll that I grew up with. Unpretentious and full of honest energy. Moderator: If you missed any part of tonight's chat, you can Jump: CHAT TRANSCRIPTS in a few days for a complete transcript of this and many other Prodigy Chat events. You can read a transcript online, or print it out, or save it to a file for later use. (22) xSamIamx: I would like to know if you write any of your own songs. I'd like to comment that "I Want To Know What Love Is" is my all time favorite rock song!!! Lou Gramm: Thanks. Foreigner writes all of its own
songs. We don't cover anyone else's material. We are a group that primarily writes more than
anything else. So every Foreigner song on our albums I believe has been from our own
pen. I've covered a song or so written by other people, but my priority is being a rock writer.
That's something I really enjoy doing. (23) MIKE IRISH 1: Lou... How true is the rumor that you and Meat Loaf are going to team up and do a song together? What are your thoughts on Meat Loaf? Lou Gramm: I've never heard that rumor, so I think we can put it
to rest. Meat Loaf is a cool guy, I've met him, and I think he's got a very expressive
voice. (24) xSamIamx: How did you come up with the group name Foreigner? Lou Gramm: As the band was rehearsing, before we went in to
record our first album, we would each come in with lists and lists of names. We waited until
something appealed to all of us, until Foreigner came up. Mick came up with the
name. Three English and three Americans. (25) satnite: Lou, when I hear your hits it really takes me back to the time and places I was when you recorded them. How does it make you feel when you impact so many people this way? Lou Gramm: You can't help but feel good about it, and it serves
as inspiration to continue doing it. But it's nothing that I'd dwell on. (26) BRAIN08: Mr. Gramm, when you were a young lad, what rock star influenced you? Lou Gramm: I think there were a number that influenced me.
Certainly The Beatles and The Stones, Steve Marriot, Paul
Rogers, Steve Winwood and Marvin Gaye were among our favorite
singers. Moderator: Time for one or two more questions folks... Lou has to get on stage for a jam at the fantasy camp in Miami Beach... (27) BRAIN08: Mr. Gramm how many songs that you've written became singles for motion pictures? Lou Gramm: I think there have been a number of songs that I've
either written or co-written that have been in movies, but the one that has been a signature
single for a movie was the film "The Lost Boys", "Lost In The
Shadows" was the song. (28) Lyedecker: What do you think fueled the success of Foreigner? Lou Gramm: Real rock radio, a strong and committed record
company, a band that could write and play unpretentious rock 'n roll. Moderator: Our thanks to Lou Gramm for taking some time to join us tonight. This has been great fun. Enjoy the rest of your week at the camp, Lou! Lou Gramm: Thank you. Stay tuned for a new Foreigner album in the fall, to be followed immediately by a tour. We acknowledge and thank our fans for the support over the years, and if the good Lord is willing, we will continue for as long as we feel the support. Moderator: Thanks again, Lou... And thanks to everyone
for their great questions. Don't forget, for more info on the upcoming July Rock Fantasy Camp in
New York City, call 1-888-CAMPROCK. Until next time folks, good night from New York and
Florida. |
| Chat Credits | |
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| The Band: Interviews: Chat with Lou Gramm | 06.13.01 |
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