Page 17 - Rocknation Issue 28_Neat

ROCKNATION ISSUE 28 PAGE 17

Cherry St. recorded a home video with many fans and celebrities and featured the first
video “The Walk’ with cameos like Bon Jovi, Sam Kinison, Tracci Guns, Jani Lane, Bret
Michaels, CC Deville, & Lemmy. What details do you remember capturing the cameos for
this video?
CHRIS: Wow, good question! That was a really significant period in the bands history because
we were working to break boundaries. We had already more or less conquered the Los Angeles
scene. Selling out all the known clubs. The Roxy, the Whiskey, Gazzari’s, and the Troubadour.
Still, the key to getting recognized by the industry, (Record Companies)was to maximize our
exposure. You have to remember there was a lot of competition and we needed to separate
ourselves. Also, we weren’t waiting around for anybody to hand us anything. So, we came up
with this video idea. It originally started when Tom came home one day, “The whole band live
together back then”. He told us that they had opened up a video kiosk in the mall. It was basically a place where people could go to
record a video lip-synching to their favorite song. You have to remember this is still the 80s early 90s and the technology was nothing like
it is today. Anyway, it sparked an idea and that’s with the initial band footage for the Walk video came from. I remember it pretty clearly
because I was sick as a dog that day. Still, it must’ve been quite a sight for the people shopping at that mall that day to see us tripping
through that place in our leather, eyeliner and 2 foot tall hair. Seems to me they were either amused or terrified. Not much in between. As
far as the cameos go. I could fill a lot of space talking about those, but here are some of the highlights. When I asked Bret Michaels to
do his cameo, he was in the best mood possible because he had just come from purchasing the red Jaguar we were sitting on when we
shot it. When we went to talk to the LA Guns guys it was actually at a record signing they were doing at the time. It was funny because
we showed up and our band got mobbed. They were great about it but good-naturedly they were also like. “Who the hell are you guys?”
Ironically, years later, I would end up singing for them and people would bring me Cherry Street stuff to sign on the tour bus when we
were on the road. Lemmy Kilmister and CC DeVille were pretty much best friends. Which I know would probably shock a lot of people,
but it’s true. They were both at a Cherry Street show at Gazzari‘s, and did the cameo on the spot. Pretty sure it was right after we walked
off the stage.Taz and I had first met the Warrant guys when we still lived in Michigan. They were on tour with the DMolls as both bands
had their debut records coming out. We want to see them at some weird little arcade. I can’t remember the name anymore but I’m betting
Taz would they were may be 50 people in the whole place and these guys still put on their whole show. I was extremely impressed so I
went up to talk with them after they had finished. Years later, we would run into them on the strip and other places, and we were always
friendly so the guys would introduce us at our shows and stuff like that. When we asked Jani to do the cameo, (RIP) he was totally cool
with it. Ironically years later, we ended up in the recording studio with Erik Turner coproducing and he wanted a different snare sound so
we drove to Steven Sweets place in Studio City to borrow one. After Steven got Erik the snare we got to talking, and he actually
remembered the first time we had met all those years before. We became good friends after that, and have been ever since. Sam
Kinison is the hardest of these. I’m not certain but I think it might even be the last thing Sam ever filmed. We shot his cameo on the
Sunset strip between Gazzari’s, and the Roxy. Days later he was killed in an auto accident driving back from Las Vegas to LA. Gone too
soon!

Early into the band’s career MTV featured Cherry St. on the “Pay To Play” segment with members of Gun’s n Roses, Bang
Tango & Warrant. What was the reaction from fans after the segment airing on MTV?
CHRIS: Those were pretty powerful days for MTV. The M not only stood for Music, it stood for metal and hard rock was pretty much king
of rotation. Bands like Poison, Whitesnake, LA, guns, G&R and Aerosmith dominated the airwaves. So for us to get dropped squarely
into the middle of some of the biggest bands of the day was a huge deal. We were already touring on a national level and we were
getting press in a lot of international magazines, but what that did for us was essentially give us mainstream credibility on a level we
hadn’t experienced before. It also made people very, very curious which I’m sure helped a lot with booking the band and bringing people
out to see us.
With a million bands on the sunset strip in Hollywood all promoting their band. How did you help Cherry St. stand out from all
of them?
CHRIS: You mean other then painting, life-size billboards that we mounted to the back of a pick up truck and driving up and down the
Sunset strip harassing people with a bull horn? Honestly, I can’t think of much of anything I wouldn’t have done for the band in those
days. I lived it. I mean, it was my entire life. I think maybe the most important thing that contributed to our success (As it was)we did as
a band and that was, we refused to allow record companies to determine our fate. We wrote, recorded, released and promoted our own
demos and records. We landed competitive space in national chain record stores and secured, distribution with major companies. We
booked our own tours and we advertised in the biggest magazines of the day. Eventually the record companies couldn’t ignore us
anymore. We were successfully competing and they weren’t making any money in the deal. They could never quite figure out how this
little rock band was able to pull all of this off without their help. Eventually we ended up signing with JRS/BMG records but unfortunately
by then it was just a little too late because grunge had arrived. I’ve often wondered what would’ve happened if I’d stuck it out a little bit
longer because the band was really coming into its own with our writing at that time. Songs like, No Doubt About It and Whiskey are
good examples. Still, I don’t think much would’ve changed the eventual outcome. We may have released more and even better material,
but the world wasn’t really interested in more hard rock at that moment. At least not in the way we were doing it. Regardless, I think after
I left the guys did a good job of keeping the band alive and out there.
Thank you for taking time for this interview and any last words to the fans?
TOM: A special thanks to the fans for the loyalty & support. Without you we
could have never did it.

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