20 questions with Ricky Parent:  

1) Musical background:

WANTED TO PLAY AROUND 5 YEARS OLD, GOT A MICKEY MOUSE KIT (DESTROYED THE KIT IN A FEW DAYS).  PARENTS TOOK ME FOR LESSONS BUT ALL THE TEACHERS SAID I WAS WAY TO HYPER.  SO I STARTED TAKING GUITAR LESSONS FROM SOME LOCAL GUY, STILL BANGING AROUND ON POTS, PANS, AND THINGS.  I GOT MY FIRST REAL KIT AROUND 12 OR 13, STARTED TAKING LESSONS FROM EDDIE BANKS, GREAT DRUMMER, TAUGHT ME ALOT OF BASICS ABOUT PLAYING AND LIFE IN GENERAL.  THEN BASICALLY LEARNED ON MY OWN AND PLAYING ALONG WITH RECORDS, AND GOING TO EVERY DRUM CLINIC IN THE N.Y., N.J., PENN. AREA FOR MANY YEARS, AND GOT TO ABSORB ALOT OF INFO FROM SOME GREAT PLAYERS. 

2) List all instruments you play/have played. 

DRUMS, BEEN PLAYING GUITAR FOR 2 YEARS, ACCORDIAN 4 A WHILE AND HAVE MY BACHELORS DEGREE IN PLAYING THE FEMALE ORGAN. 

3) Your hidden/unknown/surprise "talent" (everyone has one!) 

I WAS ALWAYS REALLY GOOD AT ART, BUT JUST NEVER PURSUED IT.  NOT VERY GOOD NOW, BUT WAS REALLY GOOD AT ONE TIME.  ALSO HAVE A GREAT KNACK FOR GETTING MYSELF INTO TROUBLE!

4) First song you remember hearing. 

SO MANY I USE TO HAVE MY LITTLE AM RADIO AROUND 5 YEARS OLD, SONGS LIKE AQUARIOUS, WHITE RABBIT, ELTON JOHN, ETC.

5) Your *guilty pleasure*: 

I'M AN EXTREMIST ANYTHING I DO I DO IT TONS SO WHAT EVER I'M INTO @ THE MOMENT   

6) Your biggest pet peeve. 

BEING LATE (I’M ALWAYS LATE AND IT PISSES ME OFF WHEN PEOPLE GET MAD ABOUT IT).

7) Your proudest moment. 

WHEN MY KIDS WERE BORN.

8) Your best childhood memory.    

GOING TO YANKEE GAMES WITH MY DAD, RIDING DIRT BIKES, STARTING TO PLAY DRUMS AND PUTTING TOGETHER FIRST BANDS

9) Your worst childhood memory.   

 WHEN I LOST MY MOM

10) Name something you'd like to learn to do. 

ROB A BANK.

11) Your biggest 'real' fear. 

GETTING CAUGHT.

12) First professional recording experience: when? w/whom? Play or sing or both? 

PROFESSIONAL?  WHEN I WAS 16 THAT WAS MY FIRST REAL STUDIO RECORDING THEN AROUND 19 OR 20 I RECORDED AT THE RECORD PLANT IN N.Y., DID A BUNCH OF SESSION STUFF FOR KING CURTIS, JOAN JETT AND A BUNCH OF UNKNOWN ARTISTS.  FIRST MAJOR LABEL FULL RECORD ALBUM WENT GOLD IN SWITZERLAND.  I PLAYED A SANG BACKROUND VOCALS ON IT.

13) Who is the one person that you would like to meet, that you have not yet met?   

LIKE TO HAVE MET SALVADOR DALI AND JOHN LENNON. 

14) Who is/was your greatest influence in life? 

IN LIFE MY PARENTS, IN MUSIC ZEPPLIN, AEROSMITH, BLACK SABBATH ETC....   

15) Is there any specific thing that you like to do to get into a creative mindset?     

SOMETIMES IT JUST COMES ONTO ME; ALOT OF TIMES WHEN I JUST WAKE UP FROM A DREAM IT DEPENDS.  I'VE DREAMT OF FULL COMPLETE SONGS, CAN'T FORCE IT SOME THINGS HELP LIKE MIND ALTERING SUBSTANCES, ETC.  SOME THINGS ARE JUST INSPIRING, IT'S A FRAME OF MIND AND COULD BE JUST A GREAT OR JUST A SHITTY DAY IT DEPENDS.

16) What is a typical day for you?    

ON THE ROAD GET UP WHERE ARE WE?  CHECK OUT VENUE, EAT, GO SEE THE TOWN ETC.  COME BACK SOUND CHECK, HANG AROUND WATCH A MOVIE, CALL SOME FRIENDS, DO SHOW, PARTY GET IN THE BUNK WAKE UP IN NEXT TOWN AND DO IT AGAIN.  NOT AS GLAMOROUS AS EVERYBODY THINKS HUH!

17) Have you ever regretted following your dream?    

 NO, SOMETIMES I'LL LOOK @ PEOPLE THAT I GREW UP WITH ETC..AND THEY HAVE EVERYTHING THEY WANT BUT THEY STILL ARE NOT HAPPY, THEY DON'T HAVE ANYTHING THAT EXCITES THEM, OR MAYBE THEY ARE STUCK IN A JOB THEY CAN'T STAND DOING, I LOVE PLAYING MUSIC AND CAN'T IMAGINE DOING ANYTHING ELSE.SOMETIMES ITS A REAL BRUTAL BIZ, BUT THE PERKS ARE GREAT! GET 2 C THE WORLD MEET NEW PEOPLE EVERY DAY AND DO WHAT I LOVE 2 DO.   

18) If you weren't a singer/writer, what else would you be interested in doing?                                                                                                             

IF I WAS NOT A MUSICIAN, I WOULD BE A CARPENTER /CONSTRUCTION.EITHER THAT OR IN THE MAFIA.

19) Any projects on the side you are doing? 

THERE ARE A FEW IRONS IN THE FIRE, A LITTLE PREMATURE RIGHT NOW.  I’LL KEEP YOU POSTED.

20) Any one story from the Glam Slam Tour you'd like to share? 

THERE ARE SO MANY JUST HAD A GREAT TIME.ONE STORY FROM THE GLAM SLAM TOUR THAT COMES TO MIND (NO NOT A GROUPIE STORY) I IS RIKKI ROCKET WOULD CALL ME UP FOR ENCORE EVERYNIGHT 4 ROCK AND ROLL ALL NIGHT AND PARTY EVERYDAY BY KISS. IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE 20,000+PEOPLE HE WAS SO FUCKING COOL FOR DOING THAT.ANYWAY I WOULD STAND SIDE STAGE EVERY NIGHT AND THE PYRO GUY (HAMMER) WOULD GIVE THE O.K. WHEN IT WAS SAFE 2 GO UP, THINGS WERE BLOWING UP, 30 FOOT FLAMES ETC..SO IT WAS REAL IMPORTANT 2 WATCH HIM AS NOT TO GET BURNED OR BLOWN UP.ANYWAY 1 NIGHT RIKKI IS LOOKING @ME AND SAYING C'MON UP, C’MON, SO WITHOUT THINKING I RUN OUT, UP THE STAIRS TO THE DRUMS AND MADE HAMMER MISS A HUGE PYRO QUE, IF HE DID IT I WOULD HAVE BEEN BURNED.SO I LOOK AND HE IS FLIPPING ME OFF WITH A REAL PISSED OFF LOOK SCREAMING @ ME, AND I'M LIKE SORRY DUDE .IM SAYING 2 RIKKI DUDE U GOT ME IN SO MUCHTROUBLE, HE’S JUST LAUGHING AND I'M TRYING NOT 2.AFTER WARDS I WENT 2 APOLOGISE AND HAMMER WAS SO PISSED HE WOULDN'T TALK 2 ME 4 DAZE.BUT WE EVENTUALLY  TALKED AND BECAME GOOD FRIENDS.          

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                

 Along with the 20 questions with Donnie Vie next month there will be a contest pertaining to Donnie. There will be only (1) winner, which I will pick out of a hat and I will let you know the prize that will be given when the April issue comes out. It’s a simple contest so I am hoping to get lots of responses!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Your first introduction into the band, why and what makes them special:

  I had been reading a lot of great reviews of EZN albums in both domestic and foreign magazines. However it was not until 1994 that I first purchased a CD with the band. During a visit to the States I found "Strength" very cheap in a San Francisco CD store. To be honest - At first I could not see what the big buzz was about. For unexplainable reasons I kept hearing it and slowly it grew on me.

What first got my attention was the very moody sound on the album, which was strengthened by the use of Cello, Violin and Mellotron. After spinning "Strength" around 40 times I knew this was the band for me and that I had to buy all their records. Within a week I bought the first album and "Animals with Human Intelligence". Then I lost touch with the band and thought that they broke up.

Luckily I discovered "Tweaked" even though it was more than a year after its release. Since I have followed their career closely because of the Internet.

The unique voice of Donnie Vie is absolutely the main asset of Enuff Z’nuff along with the skilled song writing abilities of Chip and Donnie. On the first records Derek Frigo's guitar was a trademark with his screaming harmonics. The songwriting of Chip and Donnie has in the past years changed more towards the song itself and thereby you don't miss Frigo's playing. The music of Enuff Z’nuff is timeless and that's probably why I still listen to them all the time.

Because their music is so special to me I do everything to convince my friends that they are "All you need in Rock N´Roll" as David Letterman once proclaimed. I think that I succeeded quite well since most of my closest friends have Enuff Z’nuff CD's. When I play the music of Enuff Z’nuff to "outsiders" the most common comment is that their music is really good. However there seems to be a problem when they have to buy EZN CD's.  They don't want the trouble by ordering the CD's on the Internet. They want to buy it in a store but unfortunately distribution has been really awful here in Denmark and most of Europe I guess. Therefore it is important for us fans to do everything we can to promote the band we love so much.

Mike Bendixen

I put this in for Matt Kissane who has produced some of Enuff Z’nuff’s videos in the past and has his own show. The message below was forwarded to me by Matt…

Hey!!  We need some new meat!!!  Got any ideas?  How about some old ones!! 
Seriously we need to get some new talent on the show.  Musicians, comedians,
variety acts, etc...

Send a bio, resume, tape, CD, whatever to:
PO Box 2033
Lombard, IL  60148

Thanks,

See you all next month! 

Chris, Mike and Jeff at The Express. 

“What other people think of me is none of my business”.