share

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

MusicBizAdvice.com answers your questions about the music industry.

Q: A management company I want to work for wants me to sign a confidentiality agreement. Is that OK? Should I be worried?

A: As someone who’s signed quite a few confidentiality agreements over the years as both employee and employer, frankly I’m more concerned when a company or artist doesn’t have them! In my experience, employers who use confidentiality agreements tend to be more professional in other matters as well.

People who work behind-the scenes are privy to a variety of sensitive information—and I don’t just mean the gossipy kind. Depending on your job, during a normal business day you may handle documents containing a client’s home address and private phone numbers, and private financial and tax information (which are needed to facilitate artist payments for live performances). You may even know personal things about the artist, such as medical information, that even some of their own family members may not.

Given all that, as well as the invasive nature of the gossip media, most legitimate entertainment companies protect their clients’ sensitive information by requiring employees (including temps and interns) to sign confidentiality agreements. If you were a client, wouldn’t you want that reassurance? (To protect themselves, when considering working with a new company, artists should always inquire about that company’s employee confidentiality agreements.)

In case you’re wondering, a confidentiality agreement can not be used to hide or cover an employer’s illegal activity. Though laws vary from state to state, in most cases a legal document cannot be used to hide something illegal. In some states, illegal activity on the part of the employer may even void the confidentiality agreement altogether.

Incidentally, lack of an “official” confidentiality agreement and the idea of “free speech” doesn’t mean you’re entitled to tell, leak, post, or tweet whatever company information you wish. As in any business, discretion is an unspoken but fully expected part of the job.

Additionally, the indemnification clause in many employment documents and contracts is carefully worded to allow for broad  interpretation to include anything that could cause “potential harm” to the company’s reputation. More often than not, spilled company info fits into this broad interpretation, or at the very least will send the two parties into a fierce and expensive legal battle.

Finally, people who “tell all” become persona non grata and don’t last long in the business (or any other, for that matter). Someone always finds out who sprung the leak, then tells everyone they know, making it extremely difficult for that person to obtain future employment. I’ve seen it happen more than once, and it gets very ugly, very fast…not to mention expensive in legal fees for all involved!

For that reason, when you see a juicy tell-all book from someone who works behind the scenes, it’s usually because they’re either about to retire or because they need money so badly they think they have nothing to lose…and their attorney’s have been over the manuscript with a fine-toothed comb.

Got a question about the music business? Email your questions with “Q&A” in the subject line. Include your name or initials, city and state, and the name of your band, if applicable. Questions of a general nature will be answered as space allows. (Be sure your spam filter is set to accept email with hyperlinks from qa@musicbizadvice.com so we can let you know your question is answered and can direct you to additional information if necessary.)

Answers in the MBADC Q&A are to be taken as general advice only and are not intended as a substitute for legal advice from a competent entertainment or intellectual property rights attorney.

share

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

MusicBizAdvice.com answers your questions about the music industry.

Q. Can a new older female artist (I’m over 40) make it in the music biz? I’ve been singing for years but didn’t go for it before because I was raising a family.

A. It depends on your musical genre and how you define success. If by “making it” you mean a major label deal and becoming a pop or rock star, the answer is usually no. When it comes to new artists, major labels are interested in younger artists, because there’s potentially more money to be made – particularly with the advent of the 360 deal (in which the label gets a share of merchandise, fan club, and touring income). In the labels’ eyes, younger new artists present more opportunity to create a trend, and trends present more opportunities for selling merchandise. (I’m not saying I agree with this philosophy; I’m explaining the situation based on what’s in the heads of the major labels’ powers that be.)

(If you’re going the niche Indie / D.I.Y. route, possibly. More on that in a sec…)

Musical genre plays a big role; some musical genres focus more on trendy imaging than others. If an older artist’s musical genre has a main audience similar in age to the artist’s own age, the artist stands a better chance of success–particularly for female artists, who may develop a strong female fanbase that appreciates seeing one of their peers become successful. An older new artist’s best shot may be in Adult Contemporary (“AC”), classical, or gospel for example–bearing in mind that AC is a category that already- established artists tend to “age into” so the competition’s pretty stiff. (Hang with me here. There’s good news coming, I swear…)

Two potential game changers: shifting demographics in terms of economics, as well as splits of preferred forms of media among age lines. This means that older consumers, rather than the industry’s traditionally-preferred 18-24 year-olds, may spend more of their disposable incomes on music, making the music industry pay more attention to older age groups in the future. The industry moves slowly, however, and ageism and sexism are still factors in our culture and often override the numbers.

Meanwhile, there’s nothing stopping you from going D.I.Y. and doing it yourself! With extremely well-planned, non-traditional promotion avenues (think about where women your age hang out and sell your CD’s there, in addition to the usual iTunes and Amazon route), and a lot of hard work and hustle, you can define success for yourself, on your own terms.

Got a question about the music business? Email your questions with “Q&A” in the subject line. Include your name or initials, city and state, and the name of your band, if applicable. Questions of a general nature will be answered as space allows. (Be sure your spam filter is set to accept email with hyperlinks from qa@musicbizadvice.com so we can let you know your question is answered and can direct you to additional information if necessary.)

Answers in the MBADC Q&A are to be taken as general advice only and are not intended as a substitute for legal advice from a competent entertainment or intellectual property rights attorney.

From my MusicBizAdvice Blog:

Twitter and Facebook were aflutter yesterday with the (false) rumor that Jon Bon Jovi was dead. So rampant was this rumor, media types such as Piers Morgan, Showbiz Tonight, and TMZ took to social media to dispel it. Not long after, Jon Facebook posted this photo of himself in front of a Christmas tree, holding a handwritten sign that read,”Heaven looks a lot like New Jersey” with the date and time.

End of rumor, yes. End of media reports? Quite the contrary…with a pronounced twist: now, the angle was about Jon’s good-natured response.

By taking charge of the rumor in a way that was organically in line with his image and his band’s image, the story now had legs that worked to his advantage and reminded people what they like about Jon Bon Jovi. Nearly 24 hours after the rumor was put to rest, the national media and people who weren’t even Bon Jovi fans were still talking about it. (Person who started the rumor: 0. Bon Jovi: 10,000.)

I heard that…Some jaded person in the back of the room just accused Jon Bon Jovi of starting the whole thing as a publicity stunt. I’m jaded myself, and have smelled more than a few rats in my time, and this doesn’t stink. Starting rumors of his own death isn’t Jon’s style. What is Jon’s style, is taking control of a situation and turning it into a postive situation.

Here’s what you can learn from Jon Bon Jovi when adverting a potential media crisis:

1. Take hold of the situation, in a way that gives you control of the message.

2. Remember what your fans like about you, and make sure your message fits. Setting aside his music for a moment, as a celebrity Jon Bon Jovi is known for his charm, his looks, and being comfortable with who he is and where he came from. In the picture Jon tweeted in response to the rumor, he looks the way his fans and the media expect him to look, and the sign he’s holding up affirms his New Jersey roots and sense of humor.

3. If your image and previous campaigns have been consistent, find a subtle way to tie the message in to something you did in the past and make an inside joke of it for  fans in the know–without alienating potential new fans. For longtime fans, part of the humor in Jon’s picture is that the sign he holds up is slightly reminiscent of something a kidnap victim might hold up, harkening back to the imagery from the band’s New Jersey-era “Jersey Syndicate” tour. For anyone not familiar with that tour, subconsciously the message might be, “Jon’s day may have been partially kidnapped by social media reports, but he wasn’t about to be a victim of his success.”

4. To pull of #2, the message and your image have to be organic and believable. The reason people are still taking about the incident today is that people who’d been following Jon Bon Jovi’s career long enough to know anything about him smiled and said, “That’s so Jon…”  Jon’s been at this long enough that “Jon the person” and “Jon Bon Jovi the image” have grown organically together into something he’s comfortable with, so doing things that fit his image comes naturally. New artists should always ask themselves,when considering anything image or media related, “Is this an image I’m comfortable with? Can I live up to this image ten or fifteen years from now?”

5. Get in, state your message, and get out. After Jon’s Facebook post, he went back to preparing for that night’s charity show and let everyone else do the talking.

During a 2007 interview with MusicBizAdvice.com to promote her band’s album Shed the Skin, ZouZou Mansour of Soraia talked with me about her past drug addiction. She was incredibly open and shared powerful insight about what it’s like to descend into drug addiction, as well as how she got out of it. With Zouzou’s permission, here is a transcript of that section of the recorded interview, in its entirety and unedited, in hopes that it may help someone.

RR: Later, you had an addiction problem. Having grown up around a lot of that, one of the things I always wanted to know was, at what point does it go from one thing into, “Houston, we have a problem?” Meaning, are you aware of it in the back of your mind at the time but don’t care, or is it total denial and then hits you later?

ZM: I drank as a kid here and there, but I was so afraid of my father I barely drank. I never had a problem with drinking until my mother died. I was 17 years old, I had always been a straight-A student, very quiet…My dad was a very strict father. I’d already been to the studio [to intern and learn about recording], I’d met Obie [O’Brien, producer and recording engineer] and everything. I remember feeling like my whole world had crashed. Things just got weird at my house. I couldn’t take it and I just left. When I left I started wanting to do all the things I wasn’t supposed to do.

I remember the first time I did a line of coke I felt nothing. I remember clearly feeling nothing and then wanting to do more because I knew it wasn’t a problem. I was doing it pretty much every night with this guy I was hanging out with and I felt for sure I didn’t need it.

I really believed I didn’t need it, and it got bad fast, because I got kicked out of the house—I was living with a friend at this time–and all of a sudden these things were being done to me. I was just the victim and really didn’t understand that I was just a kid and I needed love. But honestly I just rejected that at the time, because I was so hurt and you just start stuffing, and you find people that have…we were talking about energy. You find people with that same energy, the same hurt the same anger, and numbing it is such a release such a wonderful thing and it feels–You think it’s the greatest thing on earth, and before you know it you hang out with people whose behavior you never would have [tolerated] yourself and in your relationships.

Your good friends, I guess, stop talking to you. You have a problem, and you ignore them. It got worse and worse and I saw my life going…Work was all about drugs and alcohol. Whether I hung out with [people], and how long I hung out with them became about drugs & alcohol. How much they could give me, or if they could give me money enough to get it. I mean, I got really bad. I got into many other things. I got into heroin. I got into shooting up…I know I died twice, and I have no idea how I started breathing again.

It got bad fast. I mean fast. I wasn’t like a slow falling into, or once in awhile. It was fast. I liked it and I wanted to do it all the time. Anybody that didn’t want to, I didn’t want to be around them. It got to a point where I found people to put up with that behavior. Like co-dependent people that thought they could fix me, and I’d manipulate that. I’m not an unattractive girl so I’d use that. You know what I mean? You lose all kinds of senses. Right or wrong for you or anybody else. They’re all a way to get your thing.

And, um…I remember one day I was with a friend of mine she couldn’t stand people when they threw up–really weird thing. And I went to her house, and I just remember she finally kicked me out, I had drank so much alcohol and done so many drugs and snuck ‘em, you know what I mean? She didn’t know. I really believe she didn’t know.

But um, I ended up on her pavement outside thinking for sure–and it wasn’t the worst time, but I thought for sure I was gonna die. I was like, that’s it. When’s the big one? You know? (Laughs.) And I can laugh now, but it wasn’t so funny then. And finally her boyfriend came down and brought me [into my girlfriend’s house. She would hold my hair while I was throwing up. She helped me out all night and made sure I was OK. She told me she never wanted to see me again. Nobody else wanted to see me again. She was really my last friend, I guess. She said, “I never want to see you again. I’ve seen this with people before. I’ve had friends like this, you’re not good for me.” I thought, how selfish! I’m going through a hard time here! (Laughs) And I heard myself say those words, I’m just going through a hard time. And I knew…as soon as I said it I was like, Wow. It was really like the biggest epiphany ever in my life.

It really was the moment I heard my own words, and heard them from like truth. I was like “Wow I don’t ever want to not have some kind of drug or drink in my body ever.” Like, when I did it, I didn’t want to ever be without it. It was horrible. Every moment that I wasn’t with it was a moment of, how am I going to get it? That’s how I saw my life. As a slave. You know? And when you realize you’re a slave with things, you know that’s hurting…I didn’t even think about how much I was hurting other people. I can tell you stories that would just make your head spin.

There was this one night I remember I went out… My father was really sick so I was staying with him. I told him I wanted to go out to a club and I’d be back, I just needed to borrow $40. You know? He gave it to me--I’m sure with some trepidation because he wasn’t sure what I was doing. And I went out, and I never went back. I used that money and then I just kept getting more. I didn’t care. You know? And the next night he found me, and you know it was a bad day. It was really a bad night, and a bad day. A lot of bad things happened, and he was like, “That’s it.” But I didn’t think about people. I didn’t care.

RR: So what turned it around?

ZM: I knew I could live…I’d thought of suicide so many times and I tried it and it never worked! (Laughs) So I realized I was gonna live that way, in that hell, for the rest of my life, which would probably be a really long time. And the things and the people I was involved with were, let’s say, below, like, dirt. They were bad people.

What had happened was, I started going to college. I tried all the things that most addicts try, which is move away when you have a moment of sanity. You move away, you go back to school, or you start dating that guy that was safe and normal. You know what I mean? I had gone back to college and I had a brief period where I hadn’t used anything. I started using again, and that’s when I realized, “Well, I’m doing all these things to get better, and inside I still want to be dead. So, do I live life like this?” Or do I try it maybe in a way I’ve never tried before, ‘cause I don’t know what it’s like to be a sober adult. I had no idea. I’d never been one.

So I remember calling--her name was Fern, she’d been my friend-- thinking I was insane, you know? That would be easier than believing I couldn’t live without it. That I needed it. Know what I mean? I said, I don’t know what to do. But she was like, do this: don’t worry about anything today. Don’t worry about tests you have in school, don’t worry about if or when you’re going to stop. Just today don’t do anything. And I was hurting so bad I was like, I’ll try it. And I did and I’ve just never touched anything since.

RR: What advice do you have for someone who may be going through it, and for loved ones who have someone who’s not ready yet?

ZM: Well loved ones, you can tell them they can’t control anyone’s behavior. But boundaries…I mean, when my girlfriend said to me that was it, that really woke me up. I can’t tell you how many people said that to me and it didn’t mean anything. And this person didn’t mean more or less to me than some other people. I mean, my father told me forget it. I loved my father a lot. It didn’t make any difference. But people setting boundaries, people saying “I won’t accept unacceptable behavior, I’m not going to watch you die.”

Because I think sometimes addicts don’t really know how bad they are. They just think, I gotta get through the day. They’re really daily thinkers, like, “How can I get my thing?”

So I think for those people, yeah, find support, and if you believe in God, pray. If you believe in the power of the Universe, talk to somebody. Talk to somebody who is not the addict [about] how you feel, cry about it. But set your boundaries with that person, because you’re not helping them by giving them money, and you’re not helping them by giving them a place to stay. It was only when my options were gone and I had to live with the worst of the worst that I knew where I was. Still took me a little time after that to get out of it, but I knew where I was. And that’s part of the process.

If you’re an addict and you really want to get better, you would admit that you have that problem. And [that] no you really can’t go without it. You know? And you go to somebody. Anybody. Whether they’re a sober person that’s been through it, or just somebody you know. But it has to be somebody that you’re safe crying to. Because a lot of addicts have a hard time trusting people with their feelings, so if somebody’s going to turn on you …Go to somebody who hasn’t heard it a million times. Definitely try a meeting then. Whatever it takes for you to be able to say how you feel about it…Your important thing is talking about it. Not feeding into the fear of how am I going to live my life without it. You know?

Articles and tips in Body and Soul are not to be taken as medical advice, and consulting with a qualified physician is always recommended. We know you knew that, but we have to say it.

Soraia, a band out of Philadelphia, had some musical heavy hitters helping out on its 2008 debut CD, Shed the Skin. Lead singer ZouZou Mansour sat down with MusicBizAdvice.com to talk music, growth (both artistic and personal) and what it’s like to go from studio intern to working with Bon Jovi producer Obie O’Brien. Since our interview Soraia landed an opening slot for Bon Jovi, and their single “Not The Woman” received airplay on Sirius Radio’s Alt Nation Channel 21, and made the Top 10 in Rock videos on Ourstage. Soraia was also a Featured Artist on TuneCrypt. As we update this intro in August 2011, They’re currently hard at work on their next album.

Philadelphia based Soraia is fronted by ZouZou Mansour. Their single, “Not The Woman” received airplay  on Sirius Radio Alt Nation Channel 21.

RR: Let’s start with the basics. How did you come up with the name Soraia?

ZM: Soraia is my first name but I’ve always used a nickname. I wanted to associate the whole band as a unit–instead of just me as a solo artist–and keep “ZouZou” as the lead singer. I want them to see us as a unit, because the energy that we have is really as a unit, you know?

RR: What do you want people to know about your music?

ZM: I think it’s very powerful, and it’s new. It’s not like anyone that I’ve ever heard. There were some women that I used to hear that I really respected and admired, like Annie Lennox, Janis Joplin, those kinds of singers I don’t hear a lot of today…That kind of innocent but raw rock and roll. I think what we have is a really strong energy on stage and a very unique sound. It’s familiar but it’s pretty unique at the same time. I think Obie’s captured that really well on the record. He really gets that sound, and what we’re about, and [he] wants to bring out that strength about our music.

RR: How long have you been together, and who are the current band members?

ZM: There are 3 of us that have been in the band since 2003. I started the band with the rhythm guitarist [Joe Francia], who was actually just going to be helping out until I found a band, but he ended up writing songs with me and I really dug the songs we wrote. Joe Francia and [bass player] Travis Smith have been in the band the longest. They’re the core songwriting members along with me. And then we have Joe Armstrong on drums. He actually joined less than a year ago. He’s just so amazing, and his personality is so great. And our lead guitarist, Dave Justo, has been with us for about a year or two.

RR: Where can people get the album?

ZM: We had it for pre-orders which did pretty well…We’re not going to put it in stores yet. The record is available through our website Soraia.com. [You can also follow the band on Twitter @SoraiaRocks and on Facebook--Ed]

RR: Now let’s get in the Wayback machine. Who are some of your musical influences?

ZM: I’ve always loved commercial radio, but I also love the rebellious thing. Soundgarden, Nirvana. Chris Cornell has an amazing voice, he was definitely one of my influences growing up. I think Nirvana for their personality, their rawness and their…(Pondering for a moment) rebelliousness.

Female singer-wise, definitely Janis Joplin. I’ve never heard anybody since then like her. That raw, emotional, just let go. Like, really feeling every word…I can feel it even when she sings something like “Summertime.” The way she chooses to sing it in the beginning. Like, (Imitates Janis) all the way up there, you know what I mean? And she wasn’t afraid of the boundaries of her voice ‘cause her voice is jagged and rough. Grace Slick. I love Grace Slick. She’s got that power & authority. If you mix those two women together, that’s my ideal influence right there.

Musically…(thinking for a moment)…Currently I’m a big Foo Fighters fan influence-wise… Everything from like Prince to Chrissie Hynde, the Pretenders, all that stuff. But really, the ‘90s period when I was growing up and those bands turned me on to be really involved in music. Even Mudhoney and Sonic Youth. I’ve always been attracted to that really raw sound. And I love Led Zeppelin. But I didn’t love Led Zeppelin until I was an adult. I actually hated them. I thought they sucked.

RR: (laughs) So did I!

ZM: People would talk about how great Led Zeppelin was: “Why? The songs suck!” (Laughs.) Now I have such a respect for their riffs.

RR: Now I love it…That guttural howling.

ZM: (joins in with raucous laughter) Yeah! And we’re so trained to hear that set place where the chorus is, that set place where the verse is. (Laughs.) And that doesn’t happen in their songs at all…You can tune in to that emotional part, and that’s the part that you have to get. And if you don’t get that, you’re not gonna dig them.

Obie’s always loved the Beatles, and for whatever reason, just lately I’ve really started listening to them. Right now it’s “And Your Bird Can Sing” and “Blackbird”… It’s funny how music is. You really dig some band, then you don’t. It’s so weird if you really think about like, who are your favorite bands, and who they were, and why do some last forever–like you’re a fan forever– and other times you go through phases.

RR: Music’s an energy.

ZM: Yeah, and I think that time in your life, and whatever your experience, and all that stuff together makes you attracted to a certain type of energy at a certain time. There might be a singer or type of band that’s always a part of whatever your energy is all the time. Gotta do a paper on that! (Laughs)

RR: A while back you were an intern at Obie O’Brien’s studio in Philly.  Describe Obie O’Brien as a boss in the studio, and as your engineer/producer in the studio.

ZM: As a boss he was really cool. I remember calling him up and [saying], “I want to work there. I will work there for free. Tell me what to do.” Finally he says “Come down.” And I went down there, and he’s like “You’re going to be cleaning toilets…But in between, I’ll show you some engineering stuff.” I thought that was cool because I did want to learn engineering at the time. I just wanted to be around music, I wanted to be around that energy, because I knew I wanted to do music. From the time I was 8 years old I remember I was writing songs.

So I was cleaning stuff up, I was helping out, but after a few weeks he didn’t make me do that as much. He kinda just let me watch sessions all the time and showed me stuff here and there. But he probably perceived that I wasn’t picking up on it. (Laughs.) The first thing he did was take me next door to this place and bought me this book that was huge. It had [highly technical stuff] and I was just like “Wow, maybe I don’t really want to know this. I’m not that good at math!” (Laughs.) He was pretty easy going…He always looked out for me.

And then working with him as a producer–Mostly I have to look at it from a producer standpoint, because even as the engineer he’d throw in ideas, and we’d come up with stuff. He’d usually deal with me after the initial pre-production part of it was done.

And I think because I always wanted to do this–this is my dream, this is what I want and nothing can stop me from having this–when I went in the studio, I thought, ”Wait until he hears my voice, how great it is.” Working with him, I don’t think he felt that way right away…But I think what he loved was the raw emotion and– “reckless abandonment” is how he puts it.

RR: What about your process as an artist? What was that like?

ZM: Working with Obie has been such a growth–like a leap–in every way. That’s why we called this record Shed the Skin. It’s all about letting go of what I think I know, what I think I believe, what I think is the right answer. Like I told you, I’m a really rebellious person. So any time he would tell me things it was just in my nature to be like, ”Why is he trying to change me?” And he wasn’t trying to change me. And when I finally realized that and that lightbulb went off, I just grew as a songwriter and a singer so immensely. A great process…

It’s been a weird kind of emotional growing process since January since we started the project…Because there was so much of me letting go of some of the thoughts that I had. I think when he was realizing that I was doing that, he was putting more and more of his energy into it. You know? I think working with him as a producer has been one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had. He’s always been a friend, but at the same time he didn’t let that stand in the way. He knew what I wanted, and he was gonna give it to me whether I wanted it or not, whether my emotions could handle it or not. He’s like, this is the way it is and either you can handle it or you can’t. And I appreciate that. I don’t want to be treated with kid gloves; I don’t want to be treated like a girl. I want tough love kind of stuff. I need that, and that’s definitely been the case. It’s good. He’s not a yes-man. I don’t want that.

I really want to be growing as an artist always. I don’t want to stagnate. Say I reach the hugest level that I want to reach, like success [at] the market level. That’s great, but I always want to grow as an artist. It’s like a high but in a good way…like falling in love over and over and over again. Learning new things that you want to learn. Know what I’m saying?

I’ve always learned the most things from people in the arts. Like my singing teacher. I learned a lot from her you know? Life changing things. I remember one of the first things she told me to do was read The Ugly Duckling. I read it and I wondered why she had me read that. Not the brightest I was. But she was like, “Because as an artist that’s what you are. You don’t know you’re a swan.” I remember that day I talked to her about feeling like an odd person my whole life. I’m like, “How about that? I’m normal! How refreshing.” I learn from people. And I grow so much around those types of people.

RR: Later, you had an addiction problem. How did you turn it around?

ZM: I knew I could live…I’d thought of suicide so many times, and I tried it and it never worked! (Laughs.) So I realized I was gonna live that way, in that hell, for the rest of my life, which would probably be a really long time. And the things and the people I was involved with were, let’s say, below dirt. They were bad people.

What had happened was…I tried all the things that most addicts try when you have a moment of sanity. You move away, you go back to school, or you start dating that guy that was safe and normal. You know what I mean? I had gone back to college and I had a brief period where I hadn’t used anything. I started using again, and that’s when I realized, “Well, I’m doing all these things to get better, and inside I still want to be dead. So, do I live life like this?” Or do I try it maybe in a way I’ve never tried before, ‘cause I don’t know what it’s like to be a sober adult. I had no idea. I’d never been one.

[Editor’s note: During our interview, ZouZou was incredibly open and shared powerful insight about what it was like to descend into drug addiction, as well as how she got out of it. With ZouZou’s permission, we’ve posted that portion of the interview, unedited, in our Body and Soul section.]

RR: Later you were a teacher. Tell us about that.

ZM: Yeah for a short time. It was a very good experience. You know what’s funny is, I realized my very first few months student teaching…I watched the other teachers, and then when I got up in front of the Sophomore class of high school, I looked at them and inside my stomach was flipping out. And I said, ”Open your books and read—“It was a poem by Robert Frost. I said, ”Go ahead and read that, and I’ll be right back.” I went up to the other teacher that was my mentor and said, ”I’m going to cry!” You go into the bathroom and don’t let the kids see, right? And I cried my eyes out. I looked in the mirror and said, “Why are you doing this? You can’t stand being in front of people.”

And it’s so funny because now I realize–I’m a big believer in energy, and that you are put in situations to make you grow. When I finally embraced singing and stopped hiding behind other things, that was part of my process, you know? I loved working with high school students. But it wasn’t my heart. I enjoyed what I did there, and I loved the students. I loved the kids and loved that some of them could trust me and talk to me. You forget that 13, 14, 15 year olds have a lot going on emotionally. You forget until you’re in that situation. And you’re like wow, I don’t remember being 13. I remember a lot about it but I don’t remember being in that skin. So, yeah, I loved it. It definitely was a great experience. But I wouldn’t trade it for what I have now.

RR: Teachers see a lot of things about kids that sometimes even their own parents don’t see. What should parents—or anyone, for that matter—know about kids?

ZM: Well, that they’re human beings and just because they’re young doesn’t mean that they don’t have as much, if not more, emotional stuff going on as adults. There are periods in life, and I think adults settle into that idea of like, they’ve been through stuff and they’ve survived it. Kids haven’t.

Little things seem huge to them…When you’re like 13, 14, everything is a big deal. That means if you get your heart broken, it’s not puppy love. They have real emotions….I think parents should speak to their kids like human beings and give them the respect that they’re not stupid, they are intelligent.

I think the worst damage I’ve seen is people blowing off their kids or their kids’ experiences. That stuff stays with them. They turn it into whatever they think: they don’t feel love, they don’t feel appreciated, they don’t feel respect. They act out on that. They act out more than anybody, because they don’t think they’re going to die…I taught in an all-girls school and I saw a lot of eating disorders. And a lot of alcohol, very young.

RR: What’s your pet peeve?

ZM: Here’s the thing about what music’s done for me: A lot of the beliefs I had about what’s right and wrong are gone. It’s not a bad thing. It’s not like I’ve become immoral or anything. It’s just I know that with everything, there are no rules. I’ve become very free. And I love a lot more. We have these things that keep us safe. If I don’t hang out with this person, and I don’t do this…You realize it’s all you, man, it’s not everybody else doing it to you, you’re not the victim. You’re not the victim of your life. You’re the power holder, and whoever you choose to give that power to–whether it be somebody who gets you angry, or somebody that takes something from you—it’s all reflected back on you. All those things that make you angry, make you angry because there’s something in you…

I had this horrible habit of needing to please people for a long time as a teenager, and I don’t have that [now]. That’s gone. Half the time I don’t think too much about if I should do it, or don’t do it, where before I’d go back and forth. Music’s done that for me. The more I’ve let myself be the artist I am, and not be afraid, the more I’ve been free.

RR: What the strangest thing in your music collection, that you actually play? Mine is Desi Arnaz Greatest Hits, for example.

ZM: Mine is…I don’t know…I still listen a lot to “Moon River” by Andy Williams…I have some weird things in there. I found Winger. (Laughs). Don’t know where that came from…Somewhere along the way I was in a record store and thought, Hmm…Winger. But uh, yeah, I’d still say “Moon River”. I’m not ashamed of that, by the way. But, Winger? (Laughs.)

RR: (laughs) It’s OK, I have Winger too. Now for the question we ask everyone…God wants you to make the ultimate album, and guarantees it will be successful. You can use any musicians, living or dead, and they’ll be at their peak, but you can’t use any members of your own band (or anyone who worked on the album). God wants all the publishing, so you’ll have to get someone to write your songs–anyone living or dead, same rules. So: who’s in the band, and who do you get to write the songs?

ZM: Well, I can tell you the person who gets to write the songs is Jack White of the White Stripes, because he’s written such diverse stuff. And I know he’d embrace anything because he’s open minded. I mean, to go from the Cold Mountain soundtrack to the White Stripes to The Raconteurs? So I definitely think he would be the writer. Plus I like the way he writes. In my band…Now I’m singing still, right? (Laughs) I’m not putting together a superband or anything right?

RR: Yes. You’re singing.

ZM: I would want Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page to split. Wouldn’t want them together, I’d want them with guitar duties on different songs. And on bass? Maybe Flea, but I don’t know if he’d fit. But I just think he’s cool. (Laughs.) Otherwise I’m not too sure about the bass player. Um, drummer? I would say Taylor Hawkins from Foo Fighters, definitely. That energy he brings. And then that’s everybody, right? I would probably throw some organ on there, and some trumpet, things like that on some different songs. Maybe Prince could write half the songs.

RR: Last question. What do you have to say to anyone who says girls can’t rock?

ZM: They’re so wrong. They have no idea. No idea.

Although Big-haired bands were staking their claim on and subsequently getting signed from the Sunset Strip metal scene since circa 1979-’80, Penelope Spheris’ 1988 rockumentary The Decline of Western Civilization Part ll, The Metal Years too showed the world at large exactly what that fabled scene looked like. We wondered what became of the people and bands  featured in the film and first published this article in the mid-2000′s, then updated it 2008. Being that it’s Sunset Strip Music Festival time again, we thought it was time to check in with everyone again. So, here’s what we know as of August 2011:

Lizzy Borden
Just finished their Summer Of Blood tour 2011. Now working on their winter tour of Europe.
December 1st, 2011 London England: Camden Underworld
December 2nd, 2011 Prestatyn, North Wales: Hard Rock Hell Festival

Current lineup:

• Lizzy Borden
• Joey Scott
• Marten Andersson
  Facebook: martenbass
  Twitter: anderssonmarten
  YouTube: themartenandersson
• Dario Lorina
• AC Alexander- Guitars

Previous Members:

• J. Holmes (Joe) – Went on to play with David Lee Roth & then Ozzy until 1998 when he became a born again Christian. J. rejoined Ozzy in 2000 for the Ozzfest Tour but hasn’t been heard from lately. The two popular rumors are that he either died or is working on new projects in San Francisco. Joe, we hope you’re alive and well and will give us an update.
• Gene Allen Worked with Alice Cooper guitarist, Kane Roberts, on some projects and also worked at Guitar Center on the Sunset Strip.
• Mike Davis Plays for two bands, Dramarama and Halford. Also a sous chef at Frontrunner at Santa Anita Park. Lives in Temple City.
• Alex Nelson was killed in a head-on car collision – May 17, 2004
• Corey James died in a car accident – Jan 24, 2009

Website: www.lizzyborden.com
FB: lizzybordenband
Twitter: OfficialLizzy

Faster Pussycat
Dropped by their label in 1992; Broke up & reformed in 2001.
Released their first ever live cd: Front Row at the Donkey Show

• Taime Downe – Reformed Faster Pussycat with new members. He also had a side band, The Newlydeads with Kyle Kyle of Bang Tango. Owns a leatherworks company.
  Twitter: fasttaime
• Brent Muscat – Currently lives in Las Vegas and formed the band Sin City Sinners.
• Eric Stacy – Played in bands Champagne, the Liberators, and Supercool.
• Mark Michals – Played drums on the first two Faster Pussycat albums before being fired after an arrest for heroin possession.
• Greg Steele – Anyone know what he’s doing? Drop us a line.

Website: fasterpussycat.com

Seduce

• David Black – Currently in the band Crud.
• Chuck Burns – Currently in the bands Speedball & Skeemin NoGoods and Beer Whores.
• Mark Andrews – Currently in Seduce.

Odin
Performing Saturday, Aug 27, 2011
Whisky A Go Go , West Hollywood, CA

• Randy O. – Formed The Lost Boys in 1988; still with Odin.
• Jeff Duncan – Joined Randy O. in Lost Boys; appeared with Armored Saint & Birds of Prey; Currently in DC4 and still with Odin.
• Shawn Duncan – Appeared with Armored Saint & Birds of Prey; Currently in DC4 and still with Odin.
• Aaron Samson – Still in Odin.

London
(In 1981 London’s Nikki Sixx co-founded Motley Crue.)
Playing Sunset Strip Music Festival Aug 20, 2011

• Nadir D’Priest – Has since recorded as a Latin artist under the name Antonio Nadir; has also been in other bands, including Steel Prophet. Was Project Director for the Rolling Stones Voodoo Lounge CD Rom.
• Lizzie Grey – Left the band in 1988 to form Ultra Pop and Spiders & Snakes. Wrote and published a Sci-Fi novel, The Digital Church.
• Brian West, Shea Darek & Frankie Jones – Anybody know what they’re doing? Drop us a line.

Website: londontheband.net

Vixen
Reformed; Still touring & recording. Latest studio album is Live & Learn.

Website: Vixenrock.com

Current lineup:

• Jan Kuehnemund
• Jenna Sanz-Agero
• Has a cooking website: sugarsugarrecipes.com; Co-author of cookbook titled Sugar Sugar
• Lynn Louise Lowrey
  Joined forces with the highest quality guitar/bass stand company Iconic Metal
• Kat Kraft

Former Members:

• Roxy Petrucci – Currently in the band Roktopuss with Lorraine Lewis of Femme Fatale.
• Share Pederson – Now goes by the name Share Ross and is a Life Coach; married Bam of Dogs D’Amour & plays bass with them; formed the band Bubble with Bam and sings lead; wrote & published a knitting book, Punk Knits; had a blog, Knit Addictions Blog, (last updated 2008), raw foods website, and an art website; she and Bam build websites for others and created Rock N Roll TV.

Aerosmith – Joe Perry & Steven Tyler
Still recording and touring.

Joe has his own line of hot sauce, Rock Your World
Twitter: admiralperry

Steven is a judge on American Idol, wrote a book, Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Memoir, and launched a mobile app, AppSoLewdly.
Twitter: iamstevent

KISS
Gene & Paul writing a memoir Nothin’ To Lose

• Gene Simmons – Has also been acting & producing films; currently starring in his 3rd reality show, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, As of 2011 – Season 6 – longest running celebrity family-based series on television.
  Twitter: genesimmons
• Paul Stanley
• Ace Frehley wrote a book No Regrets: A Rock ‘N’ Roll Memoir–Release date is November 1, 2011

Megadeth
Disbanded in 2002; reformed in 2004.
Latest album Endgame (2009)

• Dave Mustaine – Recovered from an arm injury & rehab; reformed Megadeth; wrote a book: Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir
  Dave Ellefson – Formed his own band, F5, which recently released an album called The Reckoning. Also works with other bands including Temple of Brutality and Killing Machine. As of 2011 he’s back in Megadeth!!!!
• Chuck Behler – Was replaced as the drummer by his drum tech, Nick Menza. Anyone know what Chuck’s doing now? Drop us a line.
• Jeff Young – Became a solo artist & overcame testicular cancer. released album called Equilibrium; current project Souls on 11, featuring renowned soul singer, Schascle “Twinkle” Yochim.

Lemmy
Latest Motörhead album The World is Yours (2010)
Lemmy has a rockumentary on DVD
Released 2nd album Walk the Walk…Talk the Talk with rockabilly side band Head Cat.

Ozzy Osbourne
Still recording and touring. Starred with his family in the popular MTV reality show, The Osbournes.
God Bless Ozzy Osbourne Documentary produced by son Jack in theatres Aug 24 and Aug 29, 2011

Poison
Just completed tour with Motley & New York Dolls

• Bret Michaels
• Bobby Dall
• C.C. Deville
• Rikki Rockett

Website: Poison

W.A.S.P.
Touring. Latest album – Babylon (2009)

• Blackie Lawless is the only original member.
• Chris Holmes – Left the band in 1990 and formed the band Psycho Squad; briefly married to Lita Ford; rejoined W.A.S.P. 1996-2001; toured with L.A. Guns; joined Randy Piper’s band, Animal; left & now resides in L.A. where he produces and contributes guitar work for his band GhettoBlaster. Currently in band Where Angels Suffer.
  Facebook: Where-Angels-Suffer-Official-Site
• Rik Fox - continues to work in the music & film industries and works to raise Polish historic awareness and works with rescued horses. Meanwhile, debate continues over whether or not Rik was ever officially in W.A.S.P.

Alice Cooper
Currently on No More Mr. Nice Guy 2011 Tour
New album Welcome 2 My Nightmare (Sept 13, 2011)
Alice Cooper themed maze to debut in 2011 at Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights; Got a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; Had his own radio show;  Owner of rock club/restaurant Alice Cooperstown in Phoenix, AZ.

Riki Rachtman
Host of MTVs Headbanger’s Ball. Works in radio and has a skateboarding company Pool School
Twitter: RikiRachtman

Bill Gazzari
Died in 1991. The site of Gazzari’s is now the Key Club.

The Cathouse
Opened in Hollywood in October 1996 at Osko’s on La Cienega (below 3rd Street, near The Beverly Center; building has been demolished). Moved to Probe at 836 N. Highland; reopened in 2006 at the Key Club on the Sunset Strip.

The Director, Penelope Spheeris
Made Decline of Western Civilization III about “crust punks” and has directed various other TV shows and movies, including Wayne’s World. and Balls to the Walls.

Fans of the Decline of Western Civilization series are still waiting for those films to be released on DVD.

Got feedback on this article? Drop us a line.