“Kiss was the first [big] band for me. A couple of my friends had the Kiss Alive albums and I’d listen to the drum solos and think, ‘Oh, that’s untouchable! Oh my god, Peter Criss!’ So, yeah, that was huge.”
Who said it? Find out that and much more in my Top 19 Rock Quotes of 2005 up now on Ink19.com!
In this post-Lester Bangs, pre-Armageddon world of rock journalism, where only fast and easy money is held sacred, and Rock and Roll’s golden calf is sold for pennies on the pound from the chopping block, there is only one writer who can rise above the fetid morass to deliver the children from a certain and unholy existence: Worley. Gail, that is. Come to Mama, babies — it’s time.
Gail and Paul in NYC (2003)
As anyone involved in the arts knows, interviews are a drag/necessity. Why should you explain your art? Even if the interviewer thinks they know you, they don’t. So fuck off. Now consider hours of interviews over days, if on a press junket, or over months squeezed into tight schedules, if on tour. How many ways can you say the same thing? Get me a drink. There are a few interviewers I like talking with. Gail Worley is one of them. She knows how to get the interview to transform into interesting conversation — no mean feat considering the nature of interviews is to talk about yourself and whatever it is you’ve done… pretty boring stuff if you’re already working out the next challenge! She knows your history, has a pretty good grip on the effect of your work, and seems to have angles on why you create that even you haven’t thought of — all of which makes talking about your sorry ass easier. One last comment about Gail, who, by the way, has already slayed everyone — SHE IS INTERVIEWING THE ALICE COOPER BAND! They, with Sly and the Family Stone, were the most important American rock bands in the early ’70s!
Gail is Rock & Roll personified: sexy, edgy, inspired, unpredictable, radical, hot and moving with the beat of the new generation. When approaching a story, she is a true artist: a craftswoman weaving words, feelings and images which are creative, sexually charged, inspired and touching.
The integrity with which Gail conducted our interview assured me that she was genuinely interested in what made our band tick. She already understood that Alice Cooper was a band and had detailed knowledge of our history. She was familiar with album cuts and even knew what basses I played. Her pertinent questions and personable conduct made my answers flow freely and candidly. That level of professionalism surely rings true in all her interviews.