roadcrewlive

This issue's feature #1 is colorful drum tech Rod Gibson/Skynyrd 06/2003

RCL -Q- Where have you traveled in the last few months, and with who?

1. The last few months have been spent at home in Nashville. I have been remodeling my house, completely! I did a little vacationing in California but I refused to touch any drums! I have turned down road work as to finish the job I started last year on the house. In the spring I did some one offs w/ Lynyrd Skynyrd and a few days in the studio w/ Tantric. I am now on tour w/ LS for the summer. Last year I did about 100 shows w/ LS and the Butthole Surfers reunion tour Aus/US.

RCL -Q- Do you tech other instruments besides drums?

2. Yes, just about anything. I have done guitars, keys, etc. Worked for cartage companies, house productions, sound, lighting, security, merch, etc. Also my own production companies and have a small studio at home. I was a pro drummer for 16 years and so drums come easy. I also know what a pain in the ass everything else is so I stick to what I can do in my sleep, unless the money is right!

RCL -Q- You are a musician yourself; what bands have you been apart of?

3. In the 80's/early 90's I played in a lot of So Cal metal bands. I did everything I could as far as a drummer, stage, studio, you name it. I played mostly in San Diego based bands but spent plenty of time in Orange, Los Angeles counties and the Bay area too. Two months after graduating high school I was traveling to gigs around the south west w/ a SD band called Sabotage. We were a Black Sabbath cover band and did our own stuff too. We eventually burned out after a few years in Texas. I started Bible Black in 1984 w/ a few SD musicians. We opened for a ton of bands (including Dunks) and were at the time the biggest thing there since Iron Butterfly. We moved to LA and did all we could before destructing. I still get recognized in the strangest places for that band. I later played in PTM AKA Warrior (a lesson in how not to succeed in the music business) Danse Macabre for 2 years. We managed to become a successful cult band, opening for a ton of bands and getting a shitload of press and interest. People still recognize me from that band too(??) DFA, which was a Motorhead tribute band (the first) then mutated into a nu-metal original band 10 years before everyone else thought it was cool. We used to sell out gigs doing only the Motorhead stuff, it was hilarious to see all the people getting into it, little did they know about the music! I did a lot of studio work over the years and was always up for projects and playing. Hell, I even did 13 weeks in a C&W musical! Every once in a while someone will ask me about a CD or demo they have that I played on, I should have kept better notes.

RCL -Q- What is the last on-stage disaster that you witnessed for an artist?

4. Lord, where do I start. Let me just say that if you don't let the techs keep your shit together or hire competent people, you will look bad in front of 12000 of your best fans. Be it a financial decision, logistics, whatever. You hire a roadie to do a job. Let them do it. You will be happy later and so will we. You get what you pay for so cheap means something somewhere will be missing. Be it experience, pride or your gear at the end of the tour! I see it all the time. Also techs get into a tough situation and start getting a shit attitude. They should communicate the problem and try and solve it. If you don't like the gig, tough it out. It will be over in a few weeks. Stay home and let someone else deal w/ it. I bitch when I see people doing things wrong or not at all. That wastes someone's money and my time. Things will go wrong from time to time in the worst place. That is the road.

RCL -Q- Was it the fault of a tech?

5. Sometimes yes. People get tired, lazy, too busy, distracted, change their priorities. Sometimes a musician will have you going in the wrong direction. Techs always say "never let a musician touch their own gear." Some tours the wrong tech is hired for the tour, people say "roadies are a dime a dozen." Then why do I do tours that go through 4-6-8-10 guys a year? Or a guy that has never done this before is doing it now? To save a buck? The last train wreck I lived through was a bad decision on everyone's part and went from one band member to the next and next, etc. Management, band, production and crew were at fault, no one ever said "hey, there is a right way to do this." It is a team effort and we all must share our crayons.

I have seen guys so Gacked that they couldn't do their gig or talk. Seen them fall out of the truss and go boom because they were showing off, up for days or made a mistake. Shit fall on them or zapped so hard they couldn't fall out of the truss. Broken bones, backs, ankles, noses, teeth or dead. Crying in the back of trucks over a blown cue and apathetic from shit happening. It is a rough life. A lot of people dislike my attitude but I always deliver the goods. Never missed a gig. Ask any drummer that has seen me work. If you suck I will try and help. If there is no help I will let you know it. I am the first to say "I did it, it was me" so I work very hard to not let it be me, besides I like what I do and want people to at least be able to say I am a good tech. Might be a prick but a good tech.

RCL -Q- Do you think it is essential for a tech to be a musician?

6. No. I have known many good techs who could only play at an instrument. It helps sometimes to be a guitar player if you are a guitar tech, etc. Learn to iron before doing wardrobe. More than once I have played a show when the drummer couldn't do it. Not many fans knew. Had I not been a drummer for so long it would have been a cancellation or worse, we would have all went home.

RCL -Q- You are known by many as a prankster. What shit have you caused with your pranks?

7. I am known as "That Guy". I have been fired for a prank or two. It is always just a joke. Nothing personal, if it was I would just take a swing at you or have words and we would be done. As I said the road is tough. You have to blow off your troubles. I love messing w/ people and winding them up. I get it too and appreciate a good one on me. Everything from TVs in swimming pools to setting up the drums left handed for the last show. Here are a few I have pulled over the years.

In the early eighties we used to stay in old hotels down town, before everywhere had a chain name near the mall. Every crew had a guy who would just trash himself on a day off. We would wait for him to go upstairs and pass out then break into his room and let the hot water blast all night. In the morning he would get his wake up call and shit as 50 years of wall paper had come down in the nights steam. A damp towel around the TV tubes choke would be a good one too. The next guest would get a surprise, nasty man! I also like to see a crew guy in the bar working on a girl. He is trying to get her up to his room for some tickets and passes. So I will leave quietly and go to the front desk, explaining I have locked myself out of my room, need my wallet for the bar tab I have incurred. I then let myself into his room for a quick trashing. No female wants to hang for long let alone provide sexual favors in a room that has no lights, upside down furniture and the bed in the shower.

I have worked w/ a lot of homophobes. I don't give a rats ass about sexual orientation, why should anyone? A few years back when the Teletubbies were the relegious rights rage I tortured a crew guy w/ them. Plastered his bunk w/ pictures, took Polaroid's of him sleeping w/ the dolls and put them up in the office. Stickers on his cases. Even put Teletubby sheets in his bunk. He came in after a shower and wanted to kill me, tore his bunk apart screaming. I also will hassle people right back if I have a beef with them. A greasy buttplug and love letter will do wonders when it is found by the wife doing her returned husbands laundry. The "After Hours Party" flyer is good too. Spend the day handing them out to freaks, the homeless, hookers, anyone you don't want in your room. Post them everywhere w/ the persons room number you despise. Be sure to include descriptions like Karaoke, Adult Beverages, Piñata's, video poker, etc. About midnight the door knocking will begin. In the morning you have to go for that Emmy!

A friend and I did a tour a few years back. We hated radio people. One night we put a sign on the local stations mascot's back before he walked on stage for a big radio intro. It read "I LOVE COCK!!". All the crew knew about it and we watched as row buy row people could read it. The animal is out on stage doing cartwheels and running from the other jocks. This is being broadcast on the video jumbotrons and everyone thinks it is part of the celebration. True keystone cops hilarity. We were dying. Eventually they catch him, the crowd is going crazy and it was all blamed on a rival station. We did a lot of things to radio people that year involving the word COCK. Rhymes w/ Rock so use your imagination. People get so wigged out over a little cock.

One of my favorites was on the "99 Z. Z. Top tour. I love the psychology of a mass prank. Billy Gibbons and I had become friends. We hung out a little away from the tour. He is a very generous man and a prankster himself. One night as a gift he gave me a slip on gold tooth. I explained the only way I would take it is if I could have some fun with it. A week later over dinner I gave him the plan. At the "end of the tour" party I went out w/ the production assistant, she was my cover. Gibbons went to see his mother. The next day I showed up with a gold tooth. Everyone knew BG and I were pals and he did some crazy things w/ people. I told everyone I had missed the party because we had went out, got drunk and as a gift, he took me to his dentist and bought me the gold tooth. It was a perfect fit, just beautiful. I let people touch it, stare, ask, everything they wanted. I have had enough dental work to know that facts. I had to wear and eat with that damn thing all day, it was a pain. Some people didn't believe it. Others were shocked, angry and horrified while some thought I was the coolest roadie ever. Billy showed up for dinner and ran off when he saw it. I went to his dressing room and described everyone's reaction as he asked questions and rolled on the floor laughing and howling. I had about 60 people convinced. The next day I even wore it to the airport because I knew I would see some of the tour personnel and would get grilled. It worked like a charm. I still run into people from the tour that ask me about my gold tooth.

On the Butthole Surfers reunion tour I knew I was going to have a friend of mine show up in LA. She could pass as my sister so I told everyone my bitch sister was going to stop by. She was in on it. For about 10 days I let little tid bits of info out painting the picture. By the time everyone met her in a rental van they expected some tight ass bitch w/ a tude. I introduce my "sister" and give her a wet tongue kiss. One of the crew guys almost barfed right there. There are groans and squeals and one of the guys cheers me on and wishes for his camera. It was great, she died but loved it too. I have done tons and lots of people have a good Rod story.

RCL -Q- Who was the most difficult artist to work for. Who was a total sweetheart?

8. I cannot name the worst as I still see them from time to time. I have bills ya' know. They are a complete prick. A real "Rockstar" asshole. This person has the rep. You may know them. I have no problem speaking up for myself and will not tolerate much "Rockstar" bullshit. So if you are going to yell, call me names, destroy gear or not let me help you.... Send me home please. We all put on our leather chaps the same way so get over your shit smell. I worked on a record once with a producer who was a real arrogant ball jabber. He went so far as to gratify his ego by doing the drum sounds himself. Fine, pay me to sit and watch. He assumed I was just some hippy in a Motorhead shirt until I sat down and played for the drummer to hear his drums. From then on I got respect and the drummer let him know I wouldn't take any shit. Most people are cool. If you are in the biz long enough you know....what comes around... people have to blow off steam and I will let you vent. The sweetest guy was probably King Coffey. He wouldn't even let me clean or adjust his gear. He was a good pal and fun. Just a very nice, unpretentious person, I know once or twice I gave him grief but he was always cool no matter what. From a guy in a band with the word Butthole in the name I was surprised. Michael Cartellone is a great guy too. I have terrorized him and he still loves me. Sometimes my ability to play an instrument well has brought me respect or closer to the musician. Rarely has it caused anyone to worry. Keith Knudeson did tell me once I was making some people look bad as drummers, I loved it.

RCL -Q- Have you had any traveling mishaps lately(i.e. planes,buses,etc)?

9. No, I must say I have been very fortunate in my travels around this small planet so many times. I do work for a band who has survived a plane crash. It can be a little strange sometimes. I was part of the first chartered flight LS did since the plane crash. It was hairy city man. It was an old beat passenger jet. We were supposed to have a cargo plane but when we showed up that is what we got. We had to make all the gear fit. We pulled consoles out of cases and crammed them into the holds, strapped lighting gear to seats, cases lashed into a bathroom. There was more gear and luggage than people on the plane. This was the last show of 5 in a row, the end of a leg and of course it had to be a fly date. It was also the biggest gig on the US continent that year. I did the walk around w/ the pilot and there is a flat tire, fuel leaks, oil, shit everywhere and of course I am in full OSHA mode w/ him. He is worried about the gear in the holds, the weight. After lots of yelling on the tarmac, two guys quitting and staying behind, money exchanged, etc. we finally took off. We all made it obviously but it was a scary flight over the Rockies and after all the shit and trouble the show is cancelled halfway through. I have been scared, delayed, accosted, held, questioned, slightly injured, lost friends in road accidents, etc. but nothing too serious You get into the vibe after a while and roll. I must say I had a 31 hour flight last year. Man! Thank you Lord.

RCL -Q- Explain your cymbal shining technique, they're so shiny!

10. I could tell you but then......... OK, cymbals are made from bronze, not brass. Bronze is a soft brittle metal at times. I have seen guys putting a lot of muscle and weight into "buffing" a cymbal on the floor. This is not recommended because you are bending it and generating heat which can change the molecular structure, AKA bad. I have used a machine for 20 years. I do not recommend this and I have the scars to show you why. Imagine buffing a working saw blade. I got the idea as a kid. I was in the back of an old drum shop and saw this guy using an old drill press to turn the cymbal as he cleaned it. That is how they are made so it makes good sense. I have an old electric motor that turns the cymbal really fast. This is good as it lets the cleaner oxidize a little and then I gently wipe off the haze. No heat or pressure. It is turning so I get in the grooves. I also use something wet like Windex to lift out the hidden crap when I am almost done. Lots of people stare and say things like "Dude"! "Genius"! Or "Patent it"! I am just a guy with enough common sense to know that most of the time in life, there is a better way. Be smarter than the thing you are working with.

I love a clean, neat kit. It is easier to work on and maintain if you put a little extra into it. Besides it shows and drummers dig a "new" looking rig. Here is my suggestion to any drummers or techs. Forget the machine idea as you will be maimed if not killed when your device rips the towel and you into it. Use WD-40, best thing I have ever seen clean a cymbal. Start w/ a clean cymbal and keep them wiped down with it before and after playing. You only have to clean them about once a month. If you like to go for the Tommy Lee grabs and chokes then try this. Take your cymbals into the shower w/ a "wet" manufacturer's polish. Clean them as directed on the product and let them sit a minute or two. Wash them off with your hands and warm water, pat dry. They will look great and again, no pressure or heat. Shine on!

RCL -Q- Do you have any "Hot Babes on the Road" stories to tell us?

11. Single Scorpio roadie w/ drumsticks and backstage passes seeks sexy females w/ high heels and a taste for champagne/Fun/light bondage........ HA! Please. I was a musician for years and played in several regionally successful bands. Women were everywhere. There is always a girl who will have sex w/ you because you are a musician, fire man, lawyer or taxidermist. When I was in my early twenties and did my first "real" tours I was like a kid in a candy store. I couldn't believe the things you could get people to do for just a piece of sticky cloth. Some of the girls wouldn't give you the time of day on the street but on the bus they would and did ANYTHING you could imagine. Not all of them were playmates but they certainly weren't cows. Of course this is when the worst thing you could catch was cured by a shot. Herpes and AIDS were just around the corner. I sometimes wonder how I survived unscathed. Girls would show up at 8 in the morning with girlfriends and what ever else you wanted. It was a different time and world. They would follow you around and call you to find the action. Metal and big hair ruled as did a sloppy blow job and sexy underwear. I did it all and then did it all over again. All over someone else usually.

Girls that squealed, puked, drove you around, passed out, were insatiable, cried, video taped it, shit themselves, rode hard, begged, bought groceries, left 2 states later or brought their Mom. Secretaries, strippers, students, professionals, homeless, they worked at banks, 7/11's, restaurants, DR. s offices, gift shops, government agencies, etc. Hell, what RockNRoller hadn't?!!? I invented nothing new here. It did not take long before I hated sex, people, me, etc. Things have changed but it is still out there if you want it. People like to have sex, sometimes w/ complete strangers. Just to stare at cases and be herded around cramped dark places like cattle in hopes of getting to glimpse a star or do some drugs. They might be bored or want to tell all on a talk show too. I grew up when you could still say "Yes" to most things.

Someday my tell all tome will come out and you can rumple and fetish it under the covers at night with a flashlight. I have lost many friends to sex, drugs and idiocy. I still love a good greasy hand job but now when girls say they will do anything to come backstage I usually tell them to paint my house. Do that and I will give you the grand tour of road cases, porta johns and bad catering. Oh, the glamour of showbiz.

RCL -Q- Are you going out with Skynyrd & Kid Rock or did you commit to another artist?

12. I am out w/ Skynyrd dude. Unfortunately for all, the Kid Rock dates fell through. I usually work 6-10 months a year. I love to work and stay busy. I prefer long tours but am up for almost anything provided it pays well. I still do a lot of studio work in Nashville and CA when I can. If you need a good crew guy email me babe.

RCL -Q- What do you like to do when you're not on tour?

13. Sleep slowly. I have raised a son and am now single so I stay busy if I can. I love to work with my hands so I do construction, cars, etc. I collect music and books. Read all of the time, 2-3 books at the same time. Love to browse and shop. Watch DVD's or educational channels if I sit still. I love animals (cats and dogs) and find cooking very therapeutic. I cook like a Moe, I have had several men propose to me over my culinary skills. I love the girls too much though. I travel all over the world on my time off too. Love to see new places and faces. I still play music when I can. My dream day is a comfy chair, my backyard, some nice ankles in heels and a gallon of margaritas.

RCL -Q- What do you think of the TAMA Iron Cobra pedal? What line of drums do you favor for tone, tuning etc?

14. Tama? Christ! Maybe they should send me one to explore and review. I have not worked w/ a Tama guy in years.
I love what Slingerland tried to do in the mid nineties. Great gear. Beautiful. You just cannot go wrong w/ a Gretsch or Sonor kit. The independent American kits are good too. Tuning is subjective and usually up to the drummer or producer, not the drum. I will make it do what ever you want so have at it w/ the adjectives. I find Pearl to be the most reliable mid line kits on the road for a working guy. Their stuff is everywhere, affordable. Same w/ Gibraltar. It is very interchangeable, easy to work with, find parts, etc. They make a consistent product and are great to deal with. Most endorsers are great to me. Of course it helps to have a history and if you work w/ a name act. Everyone though has what they like and why, I am not saying brand A is better than B. I have just found my way of going. It all works and some things stand out, find what works for YOU. Not because Lars plays it. Most people do not know just the names are different. I prefer a kit that has been well maintained and in good condition. It makes my job easier and saves time and money. I don't care if its vintage or out of the box. Any color you choose. I have a great set of magic wands.

At home I have a real old Pearl fibreglass/wood kit ala KISS 1975. I have retro'd it and it rocks. I also have two Tempus kits. They came out of Canada in the 1980s, never caught on but are the best drums I have ever played, for me. I love them and am always looking for another kit. I play Paiste, Remo, DW and Pro Mark. Play what you love. That is my first rule of getting an endorsement for a guy. Not because its free. You could be stuck with it so be true. I also have about a dozen snares for studio work, each one does its own thing and makes gold records. Tons of toys and goodies. I do custom work, hot rodding and consulting too. Did I mention cleaning them?

RCL -Q- Why did you put a "We Brake For Men" sticker on the back of Laidlaw's tour vehicle?

15. Because I found the idea of a bunch of long haired LA guys driving into a bumfuck truck stop with a gay bait sticker on their motor home funny. Some guy might proposition them at the gas pump or a trucker would call them a name and they would freak as they would be ignorant of the sticker. These things make for great stories over the dinner table at the next gig. There was no malice, they are a great bunch of guys and we had a great tour. We all had a good laugh over it. I find humor in most sexuality, especially porn and homophobia. I am a strange one. All that Zappa music as a kid. I worked for about a year at a gay bar/rock club in San Antonio about 20 years ago as well as tons of theatre/TV/Street fairs, etc. I don't care what you do as long as you enjoy it. Send the pictures to Fallwell not me. People are so hung up on orientation and sex. We all do it, get over it. Its Noneya. Beside sex is noisy, messy, smelly, contorted and we think animals look funny doing it. Shit.

I am a consummate graffitti-ist. I try and respect peoples property so I rely on stickers and signs. I find the word cock hilarious, especially when people freak because it was on their back. One tour I was known as "The King Of Cock" as I put a sign on just about everyone on the tour. I torture poor Boxcar every year. I have made laminates of naked men and replaced his luggage tags. Postered the bottom of his piano w/ centerfolds. Put a nude man over his passport photo before going through immigration. Rainbow stickers on his hat while he is asleep. Motor oil and sex toys in his luggage before we hit Germany. Spent hours on the CB talking like a lonely gay trucker in a Ryder truck only to set up the poor merch guys at the next truck stop. Hell, I put one on the back of Dwight Yokums bus, Ted Nugent's guitar and King Diamonds props. At truck stops people run up and ask who's bus is that? I always say "we're a professional gay bowling team" People freak and that is why. It works or I wouldn't be sitting on a bus in the middle of nowhere at half past one in the morning answering this question. I am laughing now. My gay friends love these stories and have been a part of some of my best pranks. Next time you want to wind someone up put a rainbow sticker on something of theirs and wait.

Right on Rod..You ROCK!!! Thanks for the great interview. Visit Rod's site at www.justritetech.com

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