GREAT WHITE Singer: If You Missed The '80s, You Missed One Hell Of A Time

Jeff Kerby of KNAC.COM recently conducted an interview with GREAT WHITE singer Jack Russell. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow.

KNAC.COM: GREAT WHITE has had more than it's share of turmoil, and I think it's important to note that when you went back on the road, you knew there was going to be opposition and people contending that you had no business on a stage after the tragedy.

Russell: Of course, absolutely. There were people who didn't like the band before, so they aren't going to like us now either. No matter what we do or where we go or what information comes out in the press about that night, there are always going to be people wanting to point the finger at us. At this point in my life, it is what it is. There's nothing I can do about it, and I'm not going to go around the rest of my life trying to explain it to people what my perspective is.

KNAC.COM: How would the world be a better place if GREAT WHITE didn't make music? Would that be enough for some people if you stayed locked up somewhere? I guess I just don't see how it helps at all.

Russell: Nor do I, but people are going to grieve in their own ways. If someone needs to point their finger and blame me to help themselves feel better or help their situation, then so be it — I've got strong shoulders. I can handle it. Don't get me wrong — it's not an easy thing to do. I'm the kind of person that wants people to like me, and when I hear someone saying something about me or writing something about me that's hurtful, it bums me out. I can't even go onto the KNAC.COM web site and read the reader comments because I read this one comment one time that just bummed me out for weeks. I thought later, "Why should I even care? Who is this person anyway? It doesn't seem like anyone has anything good to say about anything, so why should I let this upset me?" I am, I'm a very emotional person, and I've decided just not to read that stuff anymore. That goes for reviews too. My old manager once told me not to read them because you know if you've done a good show that night or not. It's hard not to let something like that affect you though. You want to say sometimes, "Look, I'm not that kind of person. If you knew me, you wouldn't be saying this kind of stuff about me." I understand though. Not everyone is going to like me, and I've got to be OK with that.

KNAC.COM: A lot of bands are really Internet-savvy and have used it to their advantage, but I always wondered if there wasn’t a part of you that yearned for the days of Circus or Hit Parader when and interview might not be in print for months.

Russell: I really do. The Internet has its benefits, but I see more negative aspects to it than I do positives. The whole downloading thing is just another part of that. How many bands have had to go out and get jobs because they had to eat and couldn't afford to make music because of all the people stealing music? My prediction for the music business is that there won't be any record stores and there won't be any major labels because there won’t be any need for them.

KNAC.COM: Well, there is no Tower Records anymore…

Russell: Yeah, no Tower Records…who would have thought? That's like someone saying years ago that there wouldn’t be any television. I even heard they were going to use the land to make condos. That kinda shows you the state of the union — it's kinda sad. I feel so blessed that we came along when we did during one of the funnest eras in music history. You can say what you want about the '80s, but if you missed them, you missed one hell of a time. There were great vocalists, great musicians playing during that time. Sure, there was crap, but you can say that about any decade. There was more good than bad though, I think.

Read the entire interview at KNAC.COM.