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In August 1999, Classic Rock Revisited was launched by classic rock enthusiast Jeb Wright. Disappointed with the lack of quality reporting regarding the genre, and upon the insistence of his wife Patty. Since that time, Wright has built the site, and written articles for such print publications as UK's Classic Rock, Spain's This is Rock and the US' Goldmine. Soon, the website will celebrate its tenth anniversary. To mark this date, Wright has opted to launch a book series entitled "From The Vault". Due to bandwidth issues, Classic Rock Revisited takes down its interviews each year, and so the series aims to give such interviews a fresh lease of life in book format. The series inaugural installment, namely "Stadium Rock", features interviews with the following artists: Kansas, Paul Rodgers, Sammy Hagar, Ted Nugent, Steve Perry of Journey, Foghat, Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Foreigner, Steve Miller, Boston's Tom Scholz, REO Speedwagon and Dennis DeYoung of Styx. Goldmine editor Peter Lindblad wrote the book's foreword, whilst the artwork cover was designed by IOANNIS of Vivid Images Design, who has completed cover album artwork for the likes of Blue Öyster Cult, the Allman Brothers, Styx, Deep Purple and many others.
To discuss Classic Rock Revisited, "
From The Vault", online journalism and music in general, Classic Rock Revisited editor in chief
Jeb Wright spoke to Ultimate-Guitar.com interviewer
Robert Gray via email.
UG: First of all, could you provide background information on your journalistic career thus far, but more importantly, how Classic Rock Revisited came into existence, and how it has grown over the past decade?
Jeb Wright: Classic Rock Revisited began in 1999 at the suggestion of my wife, Patty, who was tired of hearing me complain about the state of music. I cancelled all my rock mag subscriptions because I was tired of reading about guitar players who could not play the guitar very well. The music I love was being called dinosaur music and I was angry about it. I had no journalistic background, although I won a creative writing award in second grade. Does that count? I am very creative so Classic Rock Revisited.com, once I decided to throw myself into it, was going to come natural for me. I think I knew that at the time as well.
Your day job is as a Customer Service Manager for a custom blowmolding company. What do you feel part time online journalists, such as yourself, contribute towards rock coverage? Do you feel that there's many unsung heroes out there making their contribution towards rock coverage?
I think most of what is online is not that good. Even so called "real" journalists that are online often miss the point as well as the importance of the music and artists we, at Classic Rock Revisited.com, promote. There are very few people who can do what I do. I don't mean to brag but I have a family, a full time job and run a very professional website that is well respected within the music community. I really think it is funny that you call me a part time journalist. I have two full time jobs. I write for several magazines and had several covers for Goldmine last year. I am the USA contributor for This is Rock in Spain as well. In addition, I have one book out, plus one on the way and am writing a book about a road trip to attend The Rock Honors with The Who last year. I am also the editor, sales department and marketing manager for Classic Rock Revisited. I would not call that part time. I have seen a lot of sites come and go but we are still here. I think that says something. The only websites, of entertainment music nature, that I ever visit are MelodicRock.Com, which is mostly a news site, Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles, which is the site for the magazine of the same name and Metal Sludge, which is what it is. Other than those, I don't really waste much time surfing the net. I really don't have time. I do think it is cute that you assumed I was part time. The site takes as much time a week as a normal job. To answer your last question of this bunch, no, I don't think there are many unsung heroes out there. Most of the internet journalists and rock sites are a hindrance and give legit, professional sites a harder time of getting respected. Online music journalism is still pretty much viewed as a bunch of uber fans who are not the "real deal".
In your opinion, what makes a rock group "classic"? Also, why do you think that decades such as the seventies and eighties arguably spawned such a wealth of great groups, as opposed to nineties and noughties?
Guitar oriented rock from 1966, or so, through 1990, or so - give or take a few years. That is the classic era. I think the seventies saw the music business become a business unlike anything that was ever dreamed of before. Arena and stadium rock was born. FM Radio was born. Music was the perfect mixture of art and business at that time. Also, kids had fewer distractions. Music was cool. You had to make a commitment to be a real music nerd. Today, there are video games, iTunes and a million channels on television. The passion is not there. The eighties had some of it but it is no wonder grunge took over in the nineties as rock had become a cartoon, for the most part. There are still good bands making classic rock around the world but they get no media or press. The record industry is also in shambles. I think when you look back, one can see the ingredients were perfect. We came out of the sixties with many new paradigms. Music was seen as a way to bring people together and people got better at their art and craft. It was an amazing time that will never happen again.
Are there any rock artists you feel that died before their time, and could have penned a few more great tracks?
That is a no brainer. The two perfect examples are Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Those two were just getting started. Luckily, their influence spawned many others who picked up the torch and have kept it alive. There are many examples of people dying too young in rock history.
Could you provide an introduction to your 'From the Vault' series, and what spawned the idea to begin such a series?
We celebrated ten years online. We were one of the first out there. If we kept all of our interviews online then my bandwidth would be so expensive that I would have to take a third job, so I take them off every year. I get a lot of emails with people asking for them. The idea of a look back at ten years seemed to make sense so I decided to do a mixed bag of interviews that I have conducted throughout the years. It came out amazing.
"The music I love was being called dinosaur music and I was angry about it."
I am known as a bit of a manic person. Once I had the idea, I just opened up the list I keep of interviews I have done on my desktop and randomly picked them. I think they are all good, with some being great. I think it also shows the progression Classic Rock Revisited.com has gone through from 1999 to 2009. It just felt right to grab these particular interviews.
The inaugural installment covers stadium rock acts. Why was stadium rock chosen as the focus of the initial installment?
I knew I didn't want to mix genres in my books. This could have easily been called "classic rock" instead of "stadium rock" but I thought the title would sound a bit funny... "Classic Rock Revisited Presents Classic Rock..". It hit me that I had randomly selected artists who played stadium in the seventies like Steve Miller, Ted Nugent, Boston, Journey, Bad Company and the others. So, I called it that. A great stadium rock act is one who can sell enough tickets to fill a stadium.
The initial installment boasts interviews with the likes of Sammy Hagar, Aerosmith's Joe Perry and Foreigner, and so on. Why do you think the greater material these acts have written have such longevity? For you personally, what makes such records so timeless?
It is all about the songs. The music is tied to the generations that lived it. Music was our XBox. Music was our MTV. The record store was our mall shop. If you were into hard rock then you were in a gang and a family. You could like or dislike a person at the mall arcade just because of the band t-shirt they were wearing. I really believe that history will show that; the seventies and part of the eighties gave birth to a huge number of artists, the likes of which we will never see. Sometimes in history, things happen. There was baseball with Ruth and Gerhig. There was the industrial revolution. There was the hippie generation. And there was, what I think will be known as the music generation. I am partial to guitar driven hard rock but remember, jazz rock, folk rock, disco and even country music were all thriving then. Music was king.
In terms of your interviews with these stadium rock personnel, what great stories and personal experiences can you share surrounding the interviewees themselves?
I have become friends with some of these guys. It is strange to get an email or phone call from a musician that I admire but it happens. The stories we covered I will leave for people to read when they buy the book.
In this initial installment, what topics do the interviewees cover for example? Were there any deeply personal stories you felt you could relate to?
Phil Ehart of Kansas talks openly about how Kansas collapsed when the main songwriter, Kerry Livegrin, wanted the band to become Christian rock. Lou Gramm talks about his weight gain due to brain surgery. Every interview contains personal information about the music, as well as the life and times of these rock stars.
During any of the interviews, were there any instances which changed your perspective and / or personal opinion of the person being interviewed?
Not really. I knew almost everything about them before going into it. I never viewed these guys as larger than life. I always looked at them as normal people who have done extraordinary things. With that attitude I don't have to worry about having my heroes suddenly become human because, in my eyes, they already are.
Over the years, how has your approach towards interviewing been refined? Do you aim towards a friendly, laid back interview, or a comprehensive discussion upon a certain aspect of a person's career, for example?
I have become much better at the craft of interviewing people and gained some acclaim to my style. I don't write notes or research much for interviews. I go in and help the artist promote whatever new product they have out there for sale and then we just talk. I know the hot spots and then I go for them. I try to ask people questions with respect as I find you get good answers that way. I want to know more about their life experiences and their musical conquests rather than go the groupie / sex / drug route. I would say I am a mix of a laid back interview who is comprehensive. I interview these guys more than once usually so I will try to not rehash a topic we have spoke about previously. For the most part, I am there to pick their brain and learn about who they are as a person.
IOANNIS of Vivid Images Design designed the cover artwork in support of the first installment. Why was he specifically chosen, and how would you describe the artwork itself?
IOANNIS is a friend. In the music business, he is a good friend, which can be rare. I love the guy and he is an amazing artist. I hope he does the next one too.
The foreword was penned by Goldmine Editor Peter Lindblad. Why was he chosen to pen the foreword, and over your years having written for Classic Rock Revisited, Classic Rock, This is Rock in Spain and Goldmine, what valuable skills and lessons have you learnt from those you've worked with?
Pete is another journalist, who has become a friend. You won't find a better guy than Pete. I asked him because I respect him and I know he loves the music as much as I do. I try to always be professional with those I work with. When you deal with Classic Rock Magazine you are dealing with journalistic royalty in the likes of Geoff Barton, who coined the term New Wave Of British Heavy Metal and Malcolm Dome. I love that magazine and am honored they have had me in it a couple of times.
In terms of future installments in the series, what can you reveal? For example, what other rock subgenres will the series cover, and what other artist interviews will be published?
The only one for sure is 'Classic Rock Revisited From The Vault: Series II: Heavy Metal'. I would like to do Southern rock and hair bands but we will see. Look for 'Metal' to be out mid-summer. It will also include a few brand new, never before published interviews along with several archived. It is something I wanted to throw in there as a treat to our readers.
Should someone wish to buy books published in the 'From the Vault' series, how can they be purchased?
They can go to Amazon.com or they can go to www.classicrockrevisited.com and just click on the book. For a very limited time, if you buy the book I will throw in a free copy of Paul Rodgers' Live in Glasgow DVD. Plus, if you go through Classic Rock Revisited right now you can get both for only $14.95 plus shipping and handling. What a deal eh? And for those who buy direct from me, I will autograph the first edition, first print copy. It is a no brainer to buy this now. Imagine reading the book and jamming on some classic Free, Bad Company or The Firm tunes on the Paul Rodgers DVD? It doesn't get any better than that.
Interview by Robert Gray
Ultimate-Guitar.Com © 2009
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