Off the Record Transcript

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Huge thank you to Steve's Place, Cateyes, Pat, (who typed her fingers to the bone) and Uncle Joe for sharing.

Off the Record Nov. 13, 2005 (Used with Permission)

JB: On November 6th 1981, Journey played to a sell-out crowd at The Summit in Houston,Texas. A brand new music channel MTV aired the event; filmed it once that same month. The performance was then buried in a vault until now. 24 years later former Journey singer Steve Perry has dusted off that concert, remixed it and remastered it and added some bonus interview footage and is about to release it as a double DVD and Cd set called Lived in Houston Nov. 6, 1981: the Escape tour. Hey this is your Uncle Joe Benson and Journey was at the height of there popularity in the summer of 1981, in fact that very week the Houston concert was filed the Escape album hit #1 on the American charts. Audiences were getting their first introduction to Journey classics like Open Arms, Don't Stop Belivin'. Today Steve Perry is here to share that magical time. It's a trip to the Houston Summit with Journey, Off the Record.

Lights Plays.

JB: It's your Uncle Joe Benson and off the record speaking with Steve Perry who's been very busy of late. There a new CD and DVD out called Live in Houston Nov. 6, 1981: the Escape Tour. Not a short title but certainly wraps things up.

SP: Well trying to be specific of which it...from which it came from. You know it's...

JB: This is an astounding performance document.

SP: Very nice.

JB: Let's just set this up before we get into actually what happened here at this point in 1981. You've been working with Journey for 5 years.

SP: I would say that's close to years. Yeah

JB: 5 years something like that. Ahh you've gone through one personnel change at this point.

SP: Jonathan Cain came in that's right. Actually two, Steve Smith came in after Ansley left and then Jonathan Cain came in. And this was Jonathan's I believe first tour and first album Escape. The Escape Album, the Escape tour.

JB: When you did the Houston show how far into the tour was this? Was this at the beginning...was this half way through; was this 2 ½ years on the road?

SP: I believe the tour started July of 81'; is what I believe and this went ahhhh November and it ended the following (Steve chuckles) July. SO it went for a while year or longer. I think at least.

JB: Journey was the first band to really use what...videos on stage?

SP: Live switching with like 5 cameras. So that the people in the back had a good sense at what was going on too.

JB: You were...had state of the art, everything your doing is a little cutting edge.

SP: Yeah

JB: You're feeling good that way.

SP: Yeah.

JB: Not that you didn't have confidence in the material right off the bat.

SP: I think I had total confidence in the music and the ability in the band to perform it. You know which I got to tell you when I was working on this as I was mixing it. I was mixing it particular time...it's in stereo and 5.1 surround; so it had to be mixed twice. But the stereo mixes I was sitting there watching the video assist and cause I had to make sure things correlated visually too and when Open Arms came on...Oh my goodness you know...I had and emotional moment when I couldn't watch the screen. And it continued to hit me like that in a way that I can only explain like ahhhh I had no idea that the song did reach that spot in my heart; where I always thought it could be. By that I really gotta tell ya it's better than the original master. It's more emotional than the original master to me. It's performed by everyone. The vocals which were in my heart so demanding the way I wanted to do em'. Though the master recording got close, but the way I really wanted to do em' was the way they ended up on this particular project. And I....and I got emotional a couple of times and I kinda tucked it back and didn't let the engineers know cause I couldn't look at the screen. I had to keep my head down at the console because it...I was being mugged by a plethora of emotions. (Steve laughs) I mean like you know 24 years ago he's so young....you know.

JB and SP laugh

SP: Who's that guy with the nose and the hair? You know and the band and seeing Neal play so beautifully. Watching Steve Smith, I mean it just I got thrown back into; I had not idea it was that good. I guess I didn't, I was in it.

Open Arms Plays.

JB: At this point in time when Journey's performing live on the Escape Tour was the set list pretty much the same every night? So everybody knew kinda where there cue's were or..?

SP: Yeah the show was worked out. But we knew what the set list was and we did make a couple of changes for these 2 shows. It was actually 2 shows at the Summit sold out but we audioed both but MTV only showed up to tape one.

JB: When you look back at the video of this performance and you see the audience from 1981

SP: Hmmmmm

JB: Tell us what did you see if you certainly didn't remember much of that...not that anything is wrong with your memory but...but (Steve laughs) when you saw...so you I can't remember where that was no but no.....

SP: Are you Casey Kasem? No I'm sorry. (slight laugh from Steve)

JB: Coming up next we have a letter from little Stephen who list his memory (Steve laughs) and we have a song by Carol Kung Fu Evans (Steve laughs louder)

SP: Who writes from Deluth? (Steve laughing still)

JB: Who writes from?? You look at videos and you see an audience you haven't seen for oh let's see 24 years and audiences look different back then but the same time this was the 1st time you're being exposed to those people as well. There was a passion in the audience for the music. What did you see that you didn't remember?

SP: I saw first of all as a musician, I was just stunned at how the band really wanted to be one of the best. I could see that there was a mission between these 5 guys. I was stunned cause I'm a drummer that Steve Smith was playing in a manner that was absolutely hard to describe, with a true fervor and vengeance to his playing that I just don't recall and I can see that that kind of drive that he had made it possible for me as the singer to sit in the back seat of him driving in the front and just soar. So that was his contribution to the singing aspect and I got to hear me singing in a way that I don't remember myself singing either, and Neal ... Neal Schon was playing I think some of the best guitar I have ever heard, of anyone and he outdid himself, and Ross played beautifully, and so that as a musician stunned me first you know, and then the interaction of the audience. We play, they react, we stop, they react. We announce a song, they react, and it was just such a high, you know, and it was such a high you know and it was like being there again for me it was. It was as if there was some sort of digital memory in me that forgot what it was like to stand there in front of these people in Houston, and I slowly started to recall the feeling of being there because I watched the quick time video locked to audio for 14 hours a day, seven days a week for about three months.

continued....

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Part 2

JB: That's a lot of watching.

SP: It's a lot of watching (Uncle Joe laughs) you know, and you get a sense of...my goodness...you know, it's hard to run from that. (Steve laughs)

Lights Plays

JB: You've got any feedback from any of the other band members?

SP: Yeah. They actually got off their particular tour and ummm... Neal went into the office with Ross and got to watch the entire show with all the uhhhh special footage... bonus footage. We have interview's and the slide show I assembled and they liked it a lot. I understand Neal was moved.

Lights continues to play.

JB: It's a live version of Lights from the new Journey double DVD and CD set Live In Houston November 6th 1981 The Escape Tour. Get your copy this Tuesday November 15th. I'm Joe Benson and when Journey Off The Record returns former singer Steve Perry remembers the fight over a now classic Neal Schon guitar solo and sheds some insight on the state of his relationship with Journey today.


SP: Hi this is Steve Perry and welcome back to Off The Record with your Uncle Joe Benson.

JB: Let's open one up. You mentioned Neal's playing. Is there a song on here particular that Neal's playing was ... blew you away with how well it worked?

SP: Oh I mean, every single one of his solo's was the best I ever heard him play. They were as good as the record and then he would add and elongate and extend and just and peak em' in ways that you know, really don't have time to do back in those days on a long playing album, you don't have time you know, and so you would chop things down and you would do certain four minute, five minute, formats for songs sometimes, but in this live thing you really get to hear his virtuosity. Ummm, I mean, the solo on Who's Crying Now is a timeless piece of work it really is. And it's simple and it's heartfelt. It's the altro solo, and I will tell you a story that when this was the single and we started to record it...I'm sorry. Before it became a single Sony wanted us to cut it off and fade it, and then when we... I argued and said we're not cutting it off, it's the altro solo. They said nobody does that and I said well, we do and they said but radio will...they just won't play it because it's too long. I said I don't give a d**n because you're not cutting the solo, it's brilliant. They said we're just going to send radio a faded version and I said, If you do I'm going to kill you. (Uncle Joe and Steve laugh) You know I fought for that solo being exactly the way it ended up. Now it's a timeless piece of the song.

Who's Cryin Now plays

SP: Who's Cryin Now was a song that was originally started in my car, driving up the I-5 freeway, I had a mini cassette player in my hand and I was coming back from Los Angeles, when we were about to get together Jonathan Cain and I start writing, and uhhh, I don't know what happened. I was just listening to the radio at that time, and, and I just got inspired and I started singing this One love feeds the fire, One heart burns desire and that's all I had, I had da-da-da-da-da-da da da da da and that's it. And it was of course, slower, and I showed it to Jonathan and we started putting a feel ... I always liked sort of a Fleetwood Mac How Long Has This Been Going On by Ace ... you know that song? (Steve hums the beginning of that song)

JB: And again, good driving music, rhythm of the road.

SP: Yeah, it had a rhythm thing. It just had this mesmerizing rhythm that pocket so...so that became the pocket for this hook line, and then it was written with Jonathan Cain and myself.

JB: This is an extremely special moment in many people's lives...in the fan's lives but especially in the band members lives, and here you have this rare opportunity to see a moment in time

SP: Ummm

JB: Like you were saying

SP: Ummm Hmmm

JB: In your case to watch it for fourteen hours a day for four and a half months!

Steve laughs with Uncle Joe

JB: And you're seeing this interaction musicians live for everybody who ever picked up a guitar wants to have an interaction with someone, and there happens to be five people who did it...

SP: Ummmm

JB: better than anyone else...

SP: Yeah

JB: and it's captured right here, and yet you also see these things in the personal relationship. Was this like looking back at aaaah, pictures of girlfriend's or something?

SP: You get a lot of emotional ... what's the word I'm looking for ... ummm laser beams. (Steve and Joe laugh) You know it's absolutely aaah, the case. I saw the interaction between me and Neal and ahhh there were moments it was fantastic and there were moments it was sad. This is something only I would see. And when I say the word sad I think I mean that I could see some distance between us as people, and aaah, I could see those moments, and I can see moments where there was no distance between us. But you know it's a band.

JB: Yeah

SP: And some of the things that bring's bands together are the very things that bring them apart...you know. So in all relationships in fact, you look at any relationship and that's going to be the case. So it was like watching old girlfriends and I'm sure when they are watching they are looking at their old girlfriend too.

JB: Laughs

SP: Meaning me. And (Steve laughs) I don't remember him, or her...her. So, yeah I think it brings back memories of our interaction with each other. It can be good and it can be bittersweet.


Wheel In the Sky Plays

JB: You weren't concerned about the video because of having seen earlier videos of your self and Neal with the pajama like things....

SP: Laughs

JB: And the guys starring at him...look I had to say it.

SP: You're talking about the capes.

JB: Yeah.

SP: Hey, listen, there's some spandex that is not on this either, Okay (Uncle Joe laughs) alright but luckily this was our Levi and T-shirt phase. You know we were having just a good time being a rock band, this was the early time.

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Part 3

JB: Wheel In The Sky you can find that live version on the upcoming Journey DVD and CD set Live In Houston November 6th 1981: The Escape Tour. It'll be in stores this Tuesday, November 15th . I'm Joe Benson and coming up Off the Record, former Journey singer Steve Perry remembers the city that inspired Don't Stop Believin' and explains why he decided to attend Journey's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony last March. It's a little star talk and some more live Journey music, when Off the Record returns.

JB: It's your Uncle Joe Benson OTR here speaking with former Journey singer Steve Perry who has produced the new DVD and Cd combination.

SP: Right

JB: What the name of the ahhh new ahhhhh record?

SP: It's called Journey live in Houston Nov. 6, 1981: The Escape Tour.

JB: On this performance of Don't Stop Believin' what do you see is different than the original recording? Is there something extra coming through? Do you have reinterpretation of the lyrics after all these years? Seeing what you did with it?

SP: Well the song originally was sort of born out of a feeling I got after we had done some previous tour to Escape I...we had finished the show and I'm not sleepy because I'm jacked from the show and I'm looking down and I'm looking at the city streets are all quiet but there's all these people on the streets...man on the corner of every street light and I'm thinking man it's unbelievable. People just creeping late at night. It's 2 in the morning and they are still out creeping around and when we got back together in San Francisco to write what was going to be the next record...Escape, Jonathan and I got together; started working on this and when we started working on the lyrics that moment came to mind and I think I discussed it with Jonathan about...you know there were street light people; you know, what I mean people down there ahhhhh living under the street lights and we started throwing things back and forth...living just to find emotion, hiding somewhere in the night. It took off a life of it's own and to this day I think everybody lives in the evening...when things really start to happen. When the sun goes down and the later it gets the more it starts to happen where you really are looking to find emotion hiding somewhere in the night. Your looking for something...you know, to get over with.

JB: Did you have in your mind anything that; that song would be around in 20 years?

SP: No. No you don't know. You just follow your heart and you make the decisions along the way that you think are the best for the songs and ahhhh the band members were doing that and I was doing that and I was writing lyrics with Jonathan Cain and we were making the best decisions in those areas and we're trying to do the things musically that we love; and I'm trying sing the melodies that move me and that's it...and you try and mix it in a way that it satisfies what you think it's suppose to be at the time your doing it and that it you let it go!
Don't Stop Believin' Plays.

JB: At some point in early 2005 there was deemed that the various members of Journey past and present might be in town at the same time and got themselves a tribute on the Hollywood Walk of Fame had been discussed for a long time; put together by fans. The fan drive was behind it and I don't think anyone in the band particular was pushing; but it was certainly an honor. I was surprised that some of the older members George Tickner was there...

SP: Yeah...Ansley Dunsbar was there

JB: A couple people weren't...Herbie Herbert

SP: Gregg Rollie wasn't there

JB: Gregg Rollie wasn't there

SP: I was really looking forward to seeing Gregg

JB: And ahhhhh

SP: And Herbie too. I thanked Herbie especially.

JB: If people listening to Off the Record been paying strict attention about a year or so previous to this advent actually taking place I asked you what would happed and you said you didn't know.

SP: Yeah bit I didn't

JB: You were inclined if you went. You would go specifically to thank the crew and the people you worked with, make sure they were mentioned in it. You detailed exactly what actually happened and it was supposition that point you really thought about doing until the last minute wasn't it?

SP: It really wasn't. It weighed on me heavy because as everyone knows I haven't been in the band since I think it's ummm May of 98' was the legal separation between myself and Journey, and so they've been on doing their own thing and I've been doing mine and so I didn't know if I wanted to go to the star Walk of Fame event and the thing that really really kept on eating at me was that I got quiet one day in Hawaii and I asked myself...what I should do and then my mind said if your mom was alive which would she tell you? And the answer immediately came and the answer was well if anyone deserves to be there, I think you do! And it wasn't that I was more deserved than anybody else. She was just simply saying that...the way she would say things that you deserve to be there as much as anyone else does I thought....yeah. You know so that wouldn't go away.

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Part 4

JB: Yeah

SP: And ahhhh months turned into months and the time got close and ummmm at the last minute showed up. Walked out there and nobody knew. Not a person knew. I had to lie to my attorney cause they had people getting him to front me you know...you think you wanna show up. And they call me well you think you might go? Cause if you are I might go...well I don't think I'm going. I had to lie to everybody just so I could have the choice to choose; and at the last minute I chose to go and I pulled behind it and I waited and ummmm they said the band was there and my particular assistants had radios and they said that the band is about to walk out and that's when they pulled up...zoomed up...walked up.
Mother Father Plays

JB: Steve Perry calls Mother Father Sister Brother his favorite performance on the upcoming live Journey DVD and Cd set live in Houston Nov. 6, 1981: The Escape Tour. The re-mastered, re-mixed collectors edition; will be out on Tuesday. It your Uncle Joe Benson and if your wondering whether you'll ever see Steve Perry on a concert stage again or maybe hear from him on a new studio record...wonder no more. The former Journey singer answers those tough questions plus a few others coming up next. Off the Record will be right back.

JB: Talking to Steve Perry former her formerly of Journey. You haven't performed on stage for a few years.

SP: In a few years.

JB: You spend much time reviewing this material for the dvd

SP: Ummm hmmm

JB: Not the first time you've looked at live performance material, but you were living and breathing this for several months as the producer

SP: Ummmmm

JB: Responsible for every minor micro edit that went into things that somebody in the band might like or might not like there was a little bit of pressure on you.

SP: There was a lot of pressure to be honest. I did it with Alan Sydes and....and sat there John Kalodner coming in occasionally and ahhh the band members weren't there they're out doing there own thing and I found the most amazing thing though. The longer I watched it the more of my original concerns for it to be great came up inside me; these voices would come up to me and say is there enough guitar I'd look around... Where's Neal? Is he here.?

Uncle Joe laughs

SP: You know and (Steve laughs slightly) you know I don't hear the piano there. Where's Jon? Is Jon here? I mean there's ghosts in my body. You know so they were there. They were there believe me. I walk with this stuff. Okay Joe. I'm in therapy but I'm okay. (Steve and Joe laugh).

JB: Did you at some point say I wouldn't mind being on stage to do that again?

SP: You're hurting me Joe. I would live to...you know I did my solo tour and that was really something I played all the Journey material that was the last time I toured. And then put the Journey back together for the Trial By Fire Cd and then my hip crashed and the rest is history. I sure would love to perform again but I have yet to....well....I have yet to do that and I've also keep writing ideas and I have yet to walk in a studio. I had a gut feeling you would ask me about some of this and I didn't know how I was going to answer it but I .....

JB: Let me provide you with a little thing here. Now of course you made mention before

SP: Of course your going to leave all this in so we can let this run so that you know the people get a continuity of the emotional struggle at this moment that I am going through so they can get a sense of when I do answer it that...

JB: Okay you have an instrument your vocal chords and you've said and I quote you directly that they have to be in shape in order to last in concerts in order to hit the notes and all that stuff...

SP: To sing period.

JB: To sing period.

SP: Ummm hmmm

JB: But I you know, old body Dave Navaro has offered you a chance to come up and

SP: (Steve laughs) He told you that did he? Dave...your spankin' me. I can't believe this it is like a back door spank. He did he offered me to come up and sing with his ahhhh Camp Freddie thing and I told him I would do that but I'm a little out of shape but if I warmed it up I'd give him a call. I went and watched him play a few times and...

Stone in Love Plays

JB: Could you get on stage? You thinking?

SP: I'm thinkin' I'm thinkin' about the stage. I mean there's nothing more I would rather do but ummmm it's tough. It's tough and it's hard to even discuss it I mean I have a certain requirement within myself to be myself or not to be myself.

JB: Ummmm

SP: And so I am the most demanding person and I?ve had this conversation with a very close friend of mine. I'm the most demanding person I have to deal with . It isn't what the people would think. He told me one time that good friend of mine he said ahhh more than likely you at your half best would probably be plenty and ahhhh and I...and I don't see it that way thanks for saying that but I doubt it! And he said okay whatever. You know okay. You know he was trying to be honest with me. So you know I am struggling with that all the time I mean when I had to sit and watch this DVD it absolutely ahhhhh what is the words...there's just no words to put in...no words to cover the feelings. Would I go back to 1981, Nov. 6th? In a minute. Would I do it all again? In a minute. Would I do it differently? Not a God d**n thing. You know I would be the same guy. I want them to be who they were I want us at that point just like we were to not agree and to agree to disagree if necessary...I mean everything I mean that's...that's what it was. I don't think it can be recreated nothing can be recreated. But do I enjoy singing? Man I love singing but now it's confined to my car and my shower and ummm sorry Joe but you can't be there.

Steve laughs.

JB: However to win the grand prize being a Steve Perry shower

SP: If you call right now. You can be...

JB: Send $20 to

SP: That's right we're going to give away two...one for the car and one for the shower. (Steve laughs)

JB: So what would ahhh Steve Perry sing in the shower?

SP: Oh my goodness.

JB: You're thinking a long time about this!

SP: I am. I am. Because it depends...you know, it depends on my mood really where I'm going and what I'm doing or you know is it a morning shower...is it a night shower. You know. A night shower is a different kind it's probably more Marvin Gaye a little Sam Cooke. You know morning shower might be ummmm I don't know I just ummmm a morning shower is just a little yodelish you know (Steve yodels a little bit)

JB: I was afraid you were saying yodaish. That would
not work.

SP: Not Yoda no no Yodelish. I don't know.
J
B: And in the car it is something to do with the anger frustration the blues pouring out of you....

SP: No it's.....

JB: $3 a gallon gasoline...

SP: I do what you guys do. I sing with the radio and I hope they...I don't want to be on that show ever. You know (Steve laughs) Cause it's not pretty.

Anyway You Want It Plays

JB: Steve Perry and Journey live Anyway You Want it closing out the show at the Summit in Houston. That live performance is coming out on the two disc DVD and Cd collectors set this Tuesday Nov. 15th it's called Live in Houston 1981: The Escape Tour and was produced by former Journey singer Steve Perry. Re-mixed and re-mastered the original audio. Journey Off the Record was written and produced by Stacey Peara . And a big THANK YOU goes out to Steve Perry for taking the time to chat. I'm Joe Benson.

end

[barbara]

Thanks arden,cateyes & pat for working hard to get it here for us.

[barbara]

Sorry i forgot to say the interview was great what a wonderful man he is.I wonder when he did the interview with Uncle Joe?Dose anyone know when it was done???

[sherbear]

ty you to all those involved for doing this

s

[mci1968]

Thanks for the transcript. Very good interview

[gwenied]

Thanks you guys!! for the transcript I was so glad to see it up this morning!!!

[properry]

I listen to the interview last night, and it was a REAL FUN interview to listen to by Steve & Uncle Joe. It is nice to be able to read it here. Thank you pat for typing up the interview.

Lori

[icubud]

ditto - thanks for the transcript