Ann Boleyn Interview

Interview with Ann Boleyn of HELLION

OK, so not only that she is beautiful and very talented, she also knows how the world moves... Iwarrior managed to get a hold of Ann Boleyn and here is the result...

1. You’ve stated before that the deaths of your grandmother and various people in the metal scene drove you to make Will Not Go Quietly. Was there anything else that inspired you to make this record? Had you not experienced these tragedies, would we still have seen Will Not Go Quietly?

The events of 1998 inspired me to begin writing and ended my writers' block. There is a story behind every song. The theme behind the entire CD is about artistic rights and how the music industry and modern technology has silenced the bands and performers whose music or art is not the "flavour of the week." Right now, the music business seems to be based entirely on corporate decisions concerning little more than how to make the most money. Basically a group of people with family connections or educations from fancy schools develop a sales plan based on statistics. The statistics today show that young guys are the ones who like metal and that tis same groups of people are likely to download their music from the internet. So, instead of concentrating a company's marketing resources on products which have a male audience the record company execs are marketing products designed for girls, baby boomers and people who are not so likely to download. This is why the record companies have spend so much money developing boy bands and acts like Britney Spears. Also, a huge percentage of CDs which are sold in America are sold through conservative chains such as Walmart. Wallmart is not going to carry anything that might be considered offensive. That is one of the reason's why bands like Creed have been so successful. The result of all of this is that metal artists are being silenced. Had I not needed an outlet, I might not have begun sucha huge project as "Will Not Go Quietly."

2. What is the L.A. metal scene like today? How is it different from the way it was 10-15 years ago? Also, it has been said that L.A. metal back in the day was “poserEmetal. I remember Manowar saying once that they would never play west of the Mississippi. Is this fair,and why was there this perception with the L.A. metal scene?

Really? I can't imagine Manowar or any other band saying that they'd voluntarily chose not to play west of the Mississippi during the 1980s. Yes, there were a lot of hard rock / metal bands like Ratt, Van Halen, Poison, etc. who were not all that heavy. But there were plenty who were. What about the bands like Metallica, Slayer, Hellion , Amroured Saint, early Motley Crue, WASP, and bands like that? And what about the great cities for metal like Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, San Antonio, Pheonix, etc.? Hell! When Rob Halford started his solo tour, he picked a little club outside of Pheonix. The LA Metal scene is ripe for something to happen. There are a lot of people who are just waiting. At this moment, the scene is abysmal though. I really miss having two or three radio stations that played metal---and also which played what they wanted to play. Back in the day Hellion had airplay on a regular basis on KMET and KLOS---without paying bribes and without being one a major label. This would not happen today. However I do think the conditions are ripe for something to happen.

3.What current bands do you listen to?

It depends on what you call "current bands." I still listen to the music of people like Dio, Halford or King Diamond. They are still very current in my opinion. I saw Linkin Park and thought they were good. I also enjoyed th latest Eminem. I listen to a lot of black stations when I'm in the car because KLOS in LA has gotten so boring. Every time I turn on KLOS I hear the same songs. It has really become an "oldies station."

4. Which bands, albums, and musicians influenced you as a singer,songwriter,and keyboardist?

My favorite band of all times is Deep Purple. Alice Cooper, Uriah Heep, ELP, J. Geils, Johnny Winters and Pink Floyd was the kind of thing I grew up listening to. My favorite singers would include Ian Gillan, David Coverdale, Klaus Meine, Geddy Lee, Rob Halford, Glenn Hughes and people like that. My favorite female singers are Annie Lennox, Tina Turner, Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin. Jon Lord is my favorite peuyboard player. I also am a big fan of German art songs and of Wagner. I listend to a lot of thay stuff, too. For a while I was listening to Totenkindermusik, which is a group of songs which were writen to be sung at funerals for children who had been killed during the pleague. This is some very beautiful and heavy stuff. Dieter Fischer Diskau, Laurentz Melchoir and Lotte Lehmann are among my favorites.

5. If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

If I could change one thing about the music business would be to change some of the laws which allow big corporations to control the indestry and which make it almost impossible for the indys to gain meaningful distribution or media coverage. The ability of radio stations to have their own booking agencies or be able to book concerts is really wrong and should be illegal. If you have one rock station in a major city then the owner of the radio station controls the indestry in that city. That station will have a say in which shows come to town and which bands are successful. If your band is touring and the local rock radio station happens to be promoting a different concert that is on the same night as your band's gig--- you are probably screwed. Back in the 80s many of the cities had 3 or 4 rock stations. Now many of those stations are broadcasing music of a totally different format and you are lucky if one station still will play heavy music.

6. As someone who runs in marathons, do you wish more rock and metal performers would take care of themselves better and avoid the whole “sex,drugs,and rock ‘nErollEphenomenon?

Personally, I think drugs should be legalized. Generally, I am a very conservative person when it comes to politics. I am a pro-choice Republican. But, I think people should be able to do whatever drug they want as long as they have the same responsability as people who drink booze. I think that people should do whatever makes them happy as long as they are not putting another person in danger. I started running because I wanted to be in shape. I was inspired by seeing people like Rob Halford or Bruce Dickenson. They looked great and sang really well. You can not sing like that and be out of shape. As a singer part of my job is to be in good shape. You do not sing like I do without stamina. And one of the side-effects of being in shape is that you can still party. Personally, I am pretty strait these days. I get runners high and find a lot of enjoyment during and after a long run. I can not get up in the morning and run if I have been partying so I just don't party very much. But my main reasons for running is that it allows me to eat whatever I want without getting fat and because staying fit is part of my job as a singer.

7. About your record label, New Renaissance Records, will we be seeing more reissues? Will Faithbomb’s record see re-release?

New Renaissance Records is in a "holding pattern" at the moment. Our distribution within the USA is terrible. Export sales are keeping us alive. The purpose of the reissues is to keep the legacy of the label and the bands alive. People are less likely to name their band "Hellion" or "Blood Feast" if there are products that are available. They are also less likely to bootleg them. More reissues will come, that is for sure. However, I am not going to persue signing new bands until the distribution problem is solved.

8. Is the new Hellion record scheduled to be released in the States at some point?

I'd really like to see the new album come out in the USA on a record company other than New Renaissance Records. In the past I've taken care of everything when it comes to running the business. I've owned the record company, done the management, etc. In some ways I think this may have harmed the band in the past because people didn't seem to take the band as seriously as if we'd been on another label and had management. But on the other hand, it is "personal," so we one good thing about New Renaissance was that we could make sure that the promotion was done right. Right now I'd really like to have somebody like "Spitfire" or "Metal Is" or "Metal Blade" pick up the band. That would be the ideal situation. However, if they don't, there is a good chance that I may re-launch New Renaissance later this spring after my classes at the university are completed. I am just 2 quarters from graduating at UCLA. I am a foreign languages and linguistics major and some of the classes are very difficult. Graduating from college is a personal goal, just like running the marathon. It is almost over and now I just have to put one foot in front of the other. I can not take on the task of hiring a staff and releasing the album on New Renaissance until spring for that reason. If I do something, I want to do it right.

9. I noticed a post on the NRR message board where Hellion was looking for backup singers. What’s the story with that?

If you have heard the new album, there are a couple of songs that have a lot of backing vocals, especially the title track. When we went out and performed, we wanted to create a really good production and we borrowed some friends of ours to help sing the choir parts. I prefer that over having recordings. But sometimes recordings are necessary.

10. It has been stated several times that you were voted one of VH-1’s 100 Greatest Women In Rock. Why was it that you did not appear nor were mentioned on the show?

I don't know. However, I was not the only performer who was voted onto that list and who was not included in the actual TV show. After the VH-1 poll, I received a phone call from Dana, the manager of Lita Ford. Lita, too, had been voted onto the list of the Top 100 Women Of Rock. However, after the poll, neither herself nor myself heard from VH1. Lita's manager told me that prior to the poll, the producers of VH1 asked Lita and her manager to fly to New York to be video-taped because they had expected that Lita would be a winner. So Lita had done it. They'd spent several thousand dollars to make the trip. I think Lita and her manager were especially disappointed that Lita was not included in the final show. I know that I would have been really mad if I had been her. People don't realize that the artists generally have to pay for all of their travel and that going to New York for a magazine interview or TV interview can cost a lot of money. Unless you are someone like Monica Lewinski or have some kind of exclusive story you are not paid for TV appearances or magazine interviews. I know that Lita Ford's manager was really angry about the whole thing. I never got the phone call to come and be taped for the show, however, I was disappointed as well. It seemed like there was a period of time when there was real backlash against any female who had received suceess during the 1980s, especially if she played metal. Females who played pop, soul, or rap were included by VH-1, but the metal girls were all removed from the final show.

11. As a female metal singer, do you see yourself as a pioneer in any way?

Absolutely. People have no clue what it was like to be a female in a band in the 1970s or 1980s. In the 1970s everybody viewed the female rockers as virtual prostitutes. If there were any laws to protect female performers from sexual harassment, they were not enforced. I remember hearing the manager of the Runaways brag about how two members of the band had been auctioned-off at a holiday party for Mercury Records. This was "normal" back then. Nobody batted an eye. It was "no big deal." People forget that the girls in the Runaways were underage. Joan Jett & Sandy West were 14 or 15. Lita and I were a couple of years older but we were still under 18. We were all basically and legally "children." If those things happened today, there would be huge lawsuits. Also, "back in the day" there were very few protections concerning artist performance rights. I remember going into the studio and playing accoustic piano when the first Runaways album was being recorded at a place called Fidelity Studios. This was my audition. I'd never even heard the song before. So I just jammed. After I was finished, I learned that they had been recording me on multi-track. I was told that they liked my keyboard playing but that they really wanted me to play bass guitar to replace Mikey Steel. I said that I really wasn't good at bass, but the manager said it didn't matter as long as I looked good. However, it wasn't all that simple. After refusing to "do" what and "whom" I was "supposed to," if you know what I mean, I left. It was my keyboard playing on that album, but I never got credit. I new other players who played on albums with major acts on major labels and who never received any compensation or sometimes credit. It was a very different world in the 1970s and early 80s. And there was another thing: In normal bands, most guys had problems with the idea having a girl in their band. Today it is considered "cool," but back then it was a totally different story. No matter how good I was, "the guys" were always trying to find a "guy" to replace me. They just thought that people wouldn't accept them as a "real band." I was actually very surprised when I got a call to do some keyboards on the Third Stage ALert Album which was being producted by Yngwie Malmsteen. That was a big step towards being accepted as a musician. As a singer, though, the same thing occured. Hellion was formed out of the remains of two bands and both of them had had David Reese (Accept, Bangaloire Choir) as their previous singer. If you have ever heard Dave, you will know that this guy is an excellent singer. So, in the early days of Hellion, I knew that the guys were really wanting to have someone more like Dave. There was a real stigma to having a girl singer, and it was not good. In LA during the 1980s, the only bands who were really successful and who had a girl singer played hard rock or pop music. Most all of the bands who were signed in LA during the 1980s had a simple formula, they were mostly all white guys with big hair. This reality made for problems. One very famous manager wanted to make me into "the next Pat Benetar" and he wanted me to fire Ray Schenck because he was too tall. I refused. We were a band. These guys had stood besides me and I could not do that to Ray. On the other hand, the guys were hearing another story: record company people were telling them to get a male singer if they wanted a record deal. It was a very difficult position to be in. This type of pressure forced me to improve and be the best I could be.

12. As a keyboardist, how do you think that keyboards enhance metal music?

It depends on how they are used. I am a huge fan of people like Jon Lord and Ken Hensley. These guys know how to play metal keyboards. Most keyboard players in metal bands over-play. Or on the other hand, a lot of them under-play and that is boring, too. My keyboards on "Will Not Go Quietly" arenot what I would play if I were the lead singer. I wrote the songs on the keyboard before they were even introduced to the band. The keyboards were achually the basic tracks and everything else was recorded over top of the keyboard tracks when we went into the studio. This is not a normal way to make a record. We pulled a lot of the keyboard parts out of the final mix because it is unlikely that I will play keyboards on stage when we tour. The keyboards play a special role on "Will Not Go Quietly" which is not the same role that they would play if I planned to be playing keyboards on live stage.

13. I’ve read once, that you once knew the late guitarist Tommy Bolin. How did you know him, and do you have any memories to share of him?

Tommy Bolin was in a band called "Zyphr," which used to play at our local skating rink and at our local high school every few months. They had a female singer. I used to go and watch them do soundchecks. This was when I was very young and just startng to play. Tommy was interested in having me play keyboards in Zyphr. He thought it would be cool to have 2 females in the band and was sure that we'd all earn more money. But my parents would not let me go on the road because I was too young. I was barely a teenager. Tommy was pretty young then too. Things happened really fast for Tommy. I think he was making 1 or 2 albums a year. He went on later to play with Billy Cobham and in Deep Purple. When I came to Hollywood in 1976, Tommy's solo career was already doing well. Tommy didn't drive, so I used to drive him around Hollywood. He was like my big brother and would tell me who to avoid. He kept me out of trouble. I never knew about his drug problem. I remember taking him to be interviewed at KROQ FM. Because of that connection, I ended up becoming a CD at KROQ. The last time I heard from Tommy was in December of 1976. My band "Shock" had an important show coming up and we were having extra rehearsals. Tommy asked me if I wanted to come and see his band at The Whiskey, which was their last LA show before the tour. But since we were rehearsing, I didn't want to be absent. That was the last time I ever heard from him. It was also the last time I missed a close friends' show when they were in town.

14.You said once that you got out of the metal scene and tried to fit into “mainstream societyEfor a time? Can you explain this further? Had you lost interest in metal at all during these years?

In 1990 nobody was interested in metal. I couldn't get a agent. People did not want anything to do with anybody who'd been around during the 1980s. I remember people soing things like, "Oh yeah. I remember that chick from Headbangers' Ball. That was 80s stuff." I am from Seattle and Ihad the chance to play in a couple all-girl bands from that area. But, I didn't like the msuic and didn't feel like I fit in.

15. How do you your interests in geneology and Norse culture serve as musical inspiration?

I love reading history. It provides a lot to think about. I would like to eventually write about some of the Norse Sagas or maybe sing a chorus in Old Norse. That would be cool. Ray Schenck is into Norse magic. I think he is interested in writing some music for workings. I'm sure I'll writs eome lyrics in Old Norse.

16. What are you currently studying at UCLA, and how are your studies going?

I am doing three things at UCLA at the moment: (1.) Old Norse, (2.) German and (3.) research in the anthropology department. UCLA's linguistics department are second to MIT. It is one of the most difficult programs you can take. I have to study. But this is a personal goal. Nothing worthwhile is easy.

17. It has been said that you are a perfectionist. Is this accurate?

I am a gemini. Sometimes I am picky and sometimes not. I try to pick and chose my battles.

18. We know that you wrote a book back in 1990 to coincide with The Black Book album. Are there any more books from you on the horizon?

Yes. I do plan to write more. Several people have suggested that I should write about my experiences in Hollywood during the 1970s and 80s. I am sure that I will write more books.

19.Can you tell us about your current band line-up?
Ray Schenck and Chris Kessler are playing guitar, Glenn Cannon is on Bass and Seann Scott is on drums. We are playing both as a 4 piece and a 5 piece. Ray Schenck is doing a solo CD and is getting involved in a lot of projects as a oroducer.

20. New Renaissance Records has had a number of bands who have written controversial lyrics. As a matter of fact,you guys got into hot water once with the PMRC. Where do you draw the line when it comes to lyrical content?

Generally I don't censor lyrics. I can deal with most lyrics as long as there is an element of humor there. For example, I know the guys in At War and I know that they were not serious with the content of the song "Rape Chase." The same goes with Blood Feast's "Kill For Pleasure." Neither of those bands were condoning violence. The only lyrics that made me feel uncomfortable were those of the band "Machine," which is now called "8mm Overdose." I didn't think much of their S & M theme, until after I met them and realised that they were really into some very sick things. It turned me off.

21. Are there more opportunities for women today in metal as opposed to 10 or 20 years ago?

I don't know. My experience is so different that that of a beginning artist. I no longer have to go out and establish myself. With me it is like, you like me or you don't. Some people love my voice and others hate it. More and more doors are opening for myself and Helliona ll the time. But, I think that just has to do with being around a long time.

22.Do you think that the internet has hindered or helped the metal scene at all?

It has made the scene different. I used to really like the (paper) fan-zines. The problem is that they were very costly and time-consuming to produce. But, it was a good way to find out about new bands. Today there are very few of the paper 'zines. They seem to have been replaced by web zines. Both have their advantages. I really like having the ability to communicate via web pages and e-mail. I like the idea that fans can communicate with one another. In that way, I think the internet has helped.

23. Explain the album cover to Hellion’s new album and sell us on the new record. Why should people buy it?

The cover is a protest against censorship and the exclusion of metal and other non-mainstream performers from distribution and the marketplace.

24. Any final words?

I just wanted to thank everybody who'se supported Hellion over the years and to say hi to those people who are just discovering the band. I hope everybody will check out our website at: http://www.annboleyn.com