Rob Stawinski interview by Tom Brennan, October- November 2. Rob Stawinski interviewby Tom Brennan. October- November, 2. Rob Stawinski was the fill- in drummer for Badfinger (replacing Mike Gibbins) in the. American tour . Rob now plays drums for Bobby Lewis and the Cracker. Jack Bandin the Michigan area. In this exclusive interview, Rob dug deep (more than 3. Did you join late in the. What happened? Rob: I was contacted by the band about a week or so after they finished . They didn't want any confusion over who was in the band. I think Alan. White got a credit because he played some percussion on that first record. TB: Were Doug Fieger and John Coury English or American? Rob: John and Doug were both from the suburban Detroit area. TB: Why were Sky's LPs recorded in England? Rob: We were signed to Jimmy Miller's production company and he was producing. 2004 Blue October Concert Performance AssessmentRolling Stones, and a few other groups. On the first album, he had a scheduling. Gary Wright produced most of the sessions. Gary had other things going. England, so Sky went to London to record. On the second album, Jimmy had a. L. A., because that's where we. Andy &. Glyn Johns, then we met up with Jimmy at Mick Jagger's castle in Stargroves, England. I was also a huge Beatles and Led Zeppelin. TB: Why is there a note on the . Today. no one would care. Sunday, October 02, 2016 . Knitting Factory Concert House - Boise. Email newsletter signup. TB: I noticed some session players on the Sky albums (Jim Price, Bobby Keys, Doris. Troy and Gary Wright) also played with George Harrison. Did you ever meet any of. 2004 Blue October Concert Performance PolyvoreBlue October is an American alternative rock. The Who: The Concert For New York City 2001. In 2004 Rolling Stone magazine selected this concert. The Concert For NYC, October 20. Advertising Programmes Business Solutions +Google About Google Google.com . Search; Images; Maps; Play; YouTube; News; Gmail; Drive; More. The international popularity of the New Year's Concert may create the impression that the orchestra's performance. October 10, Grammy Award. Actress Jeri Ryan Attends Blue Man Group at. Roseville Big Band Concert in Edinborough Park, October 24, 2004. Blue Skies by Irving Berlin. The Beatles or work with them? Rob: I think George Harrison was at one of Badfinger's shows in England in the. I met John & Yoko at a benefit concert in Ann Arbor, Michigan. There are quite a few songs I like off of . There are quite a few that I really like. TB: Did Sky only record 2 LPs for RCA? Rob: Yeah, that was it. TB: When, how and why did Sky break- up? Rob: It was the summer of 1. Sales for the first record weren't going that well and Doug &. John weren't getting along that well. Plus, we were all very young; I was just 1. Doug was 1. 8 and John was 1. We couldn't handle the pressure and we needed a break. There was still some interest in the. I think if we could have held it together for another one or two records. We tried a to reform a few years. Badfinger: TB: When you were asked to play drums for Badfinger, was Sky still together? Rob: No. Sky broke up in the summer of '7. I did the Badfinger audition in. How was the situation explained. Rob: I'd met Bob Adcock (Jack Bruce's road manager) in London when I was there. Sky. Bob found out that Badfinger was auditioning drummers. He called me in. Detroit and said if I flew over there he could get me in, so I did. They were holding. London . I went up there and played with them for about two hours. The next. day, they called and said I had the gig. TB: How much time were you given to rehearse with them before performing onstage? Rob: As I recall, very little. I spent a lot of time listening to their records. TB: How did your drumming style differ from Mike Gibbins'? Rob: I liked the way Mike played on those songs. I might have approached them. I tried to do was learn the parts Mike had played. On the covers we were doing, I played. I wanted to. TB: Was June 1. Saturday) in Whitchurch, England the first concert you played. Was Mike Gibbins playing with them the day before in Birmingham on June. Rob: I think Mike played on both of those dates and I went along as an observer. I remember seeing him backstage at those concerts. England, but I'm not sure if we were ever actually introduced and I remember thinking. Mike and the rest of the guys because of the. A weird thing is, during the late '8. Mike moved to Michigan. TB: What are your memories of the first U. S. Somebody said the crowd wasn't that big because of the weather. I'd ever played for. We had a lot of energy that night. I remember it being one of. TB: Did Badfinger fans know that you weren't Mike Gibbins? How was fans' reaction. Rob: The fans I met I'm sure knew I wasn't Mike, because I was obviously not English. A few people also noticed that Mike plays left- handed. I play right- handed. TB: How did the press explain the line- up change (of Badfinger drummer)? Rob: I don't know. Stan Poses and Bill Collins handled it and I never read anything. TB: Any memories of touring with Rod Stewart & The Faces? Rob: I've never read about the fact that that tour was known as the circus tour. Between bands, as the roadies were. You can imagine the insanity this caused backstage. Everyone realized after a few shows that it wasn't a great idea, so. I also remember the first time we checked into a hotel. The Faces, the hotel wanted a damage deposit, in cash. I think it was around. Well, by the end of the night, that room was trashed! A lot of the stories you hear about bands in the '7. TB: Any other interesting Badfinger tour stories you can recall? Rob: A couple of things come to mind right away. We were doing a show in Ann Arbor. Michigan . This was the first home- cooked meal we'd had in months and the only time. I remember. that Pete was especially touched by that dinner and he was very charming, and I remember. Bill flirting with my mom. It's one of my best memories of the tour. Now, the other thing that stands out in my mind happened in New Mexico. We were in. Taos; we weren't playing there. I think we were driving to a gig . We started talking to a. Native American who was living on a reservation outside of Taos and he asked us if. I think he was intrigued by the. Dannyand me. were English. He had us follow him down some back roads to get to his place, which. We should have gone through the main entrance and signed in with a. This guy and his family lived in a one- room hut, about the size of a small. The hut also. had electricity, but the only things hooked up to it were a lamp and a black &. TV, which I thought was pretty ironic. We were all shocked by the situation. I mean, this was the early '7. United States of America. I think everybody. TB: What do you remember about Badfinger roadie Nicky Bell injuring Joey Molland's. Did you witness it happening in the hotel room? Do you recall what town that. Rob: I missed that one. I just remember seeing Joey the morning after it happened. I'm not even sure what city we were in. I know it was an accident, but. I can't recall the circumstances. Joey had to spend the rest of the tour sitting. TB: How did you get along with Pete, Tom and Joey? Who did you get on with the best? Rob: Pete was the first guy in the band that I felt comfortable with. A week or. so after I started working with them, he asked me if I wanted to go shopping with. That was the day he bought that black satin suit that. We had lunch that day and he made me feel like I. As the tour went on, Tommy and I became good friends and we. We ended up getting along really well; maybe it's a. I really liked Tommy and I thought Marianne was great. He spent a lot of time with Kathie. TB: What memories do you have of playing on the Steel Pier (Boardwalk) in Atlantic. City, NJ for a whole week? Rob: Probably the same memory everyone else does - the diving horse. We were doing. two half- hour shows a day, a matinee and an early evening show, and the horse went. I can't remember which. From backstage, we. Atlantic Ocean. Believe. It was surreal, sad, and hilarious all at the. Robbie on drums during the ? During our encore, Nicky, Fergie. Kindred thought it would be a good idea to douse us with beer and then cover. That happened a lot back then; it was kind of like. On the way, I got lost. I smelled like beer and looked. I was covered in flour. The cop took one look at me and said. Three blocks later. Once they realized I wasn't drunk and. I explained who I was, they weren't sure what to do. There were other cops coming. But because I was leaving the country the next day, to go. Toronto, and there was the stop sign problem, they had to call the local magistrate. By the time I got back to the hotel, Danny. I think it was the next day that we got to the studio. Toronto to shoot the TV show. I was just relieved to be there. TB: After the last concert in Toronto on August 9, 1. Badfinger? Rob: We flew back to New York City and I was there for about two or three days. Bill, Stan Poses. I believe, Stan Polley. This was the first time I began to get a feel for how. It became apparent. The guys came out of those meetings in a bad. They felt they were getting. Stan Polley and they didn't trust anyone anymore. They told me that they. I could tell that things were going downhill for them. I flew back. to Detroit and that was the last time I heard from them until Stan Poses called me. TB: Are you a Badfinger fan? Rob: Yes, I've always liked their music. TB: What is your favorite Badfinger song? Rob: I have a few, but I'd have to say . The first time. I heard that song on the radio I loved it. It was when it came. If yes, what is your favorite album? Rob: I still have a few of their records on vinyl, but I don't own a turntable. They still get a lot of airplay in Detroit, so I hear their music quite. TB: Have you seen or read the Badfinger biography, . As I said, I knew at time I left the band that things were. Pete was very upset with the situation. But in my wildest dreams. I never would have guessed that it would affect him to the point that he would commit. I only knew Pete for a short time, but during that period, I was with him. I never felt the kind of depression from him that he must have. The fact Tommy's suicide was so many years. I saw the . I also remember thinking how sad the whole thing was. I hadn't known. the specifics surrounding Tommy's and Pete's suicides and I felt so bad for Marianne. TB: Have you seen the only Badfinger DVD release (so far) that was produced by Gary. Katz? The DVD has the TV performance of . I'd never heard of it and then a friend of mine, Robert. Brucewho I have done a lot of recording. DVD. TB: Do you have any interesting items that you've saved from your time with Badfinger? Rob: Only a few pictures and one carousel of slides.
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