JEFF PILSON On 'WILD' MICK BROWN: 'It's Time For Him To Enjoy Life For A Little Bit'

FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson recently spoke with the "Music Mania" podcast. The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On FOREIGNER's continued success:

Jeff: "It just never stops. Who would have thought that 15 years [after I joined], here we are, still touring and doing well, and people are loving it. It's just kind of an ideal situation. Nobody's taking anything for granted here. We're all very, very happy that things are going as well as they are, and we're just hoping for things to continue. The shows are getting better and better. The band is at its tightest point ever. What could ever go wrong?"

On FOREIGNER's return to headliner status:

Jeff: "We kind of did the impossible, and that's great. A lot of it is due to the fact that FOREIGNER's songs and its legacy are so powerful and strong with so many people. Those were amazing recordings. Everything about the band was really quality, except the name — the name FOREIGNER is not the best name in the world — but the songs have always been there; the music's always been there; and now the live band has been there for 15 years cranking it out. It's very rewarding to feel the progress that we've made and to see the tangible results, but man, who would have thought? It's a great thing."

On the group's upcoming Las Vegas residency:

Jeff: "We've been working on it for years, and it never really made sense until this year. We're very, very much looking forward to trying it out. The thing about a residency is that it is a little less wear and tear on the band, because you don't have to travel between shows, so that's great. The other thing too is, you get a certain amount of people that really wouldn't normally see you, but because they're in Vegas and they're going out to have fun, and they're thinking, 'Wait a minute — FOREIGNER. I know that name,' you get a different kind of person coming to the show. It exposes us a wider audience, which is always a good thing, and I think it makes for a really great show."

On THE END MACHINE, his band with WARRANT vocalist Robert Mason and his former DOKKEN bandmates George Lynch and "Wild" Mick Brown:

Jeff: "I'm very, very proud of that. [We had a] really, really strong reaction to that record. We even went out and did some shows. It was phenomenal. It really gave us a positive outlook. [It was] very, very exciting to have something like that come out and get such a wonderful acceptance. What a wonderful time... We all have our day jobs. We all have things we have to do that require a lot of our time. [THE] END MACHINE took a lot of work, but it's a labor of love, and we had a great time doing it. [We] definitely have some plans to do more with that in the future. Can't tell you when, but at some point, for sure."

On his chemistry with Lynch:

Jeff: "We call each other our musical soulmates. I just saw him a couple days ago, and we wrote another tune. He and I had done a record in 2003 called L/P, and the record was called 'Wicked Underground'. That record has now since fallen back for ownership, so we're going to re-release it again, and we wanted to put a bonus track on it, so we wrote a bonus track... That will be coming out probably early next year, I'm guessing. That's going to be really cool. Once again, it's George and I collaborating and just having fun and doing what we do and coming up with some great stuff. It's a really great song. The bonus track really came out great."

On Brown:

Jeff: "He hasn't officially retired. It may not be forever, but he's had some pain issues, and I think he just needs a break. He's been doing it for a long, long time, and I think he needed a break. I just saw Mick a few weeks ago, and he's fantastic. He looks more relaxed than he's been in a long time. I think it's going to good [for him] to take a nice break. He says he's fine with it forever, but we'll see... It's time for him to enjoy life for a little bit."

On his as-yet-unnamed project with Robin McAuley (MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP),Reb Beach (WINGER, WHITESNAKE) and Matt Starr (MR. BIG, ACE FREHLEY):

Jeff: "It's done recording, but it's being mixed right now... [It's] coming out early next year. It came out phenomenal. The songs are great. Robin is singing like a bird... He is tremendously underrated, which is why I'm excited for this record. I want people to hear it, because his writing is great, too. The songs and the singing on this, as well Reb's playing, are just out of this world. It's really, really strong. I'm excited for that to come out."

Pilson — one-fourth of the classic DOKKEN lineup — joined FOREIGNER in 2004. In recent years, he has also produced albums by LAST IN LINE, KILL DEVIL HILL, STARSHIP and WARRANT.

THE END MACHINE's self-titled, Pilson-produced debut album was released in March via Frontiers Music Srl.

LYNCH/PILSON's "Wicked Underground" was originally released in 2003 via Spitfire Records. The album featured Pilson on lead vocals and bass, Lynch on guitar and Michael Frowein (LYNCH MOB, WAR & PEACE) on drums.