I was absolutely thrilled to be invited by John Snow of 2Loud2Old Music to co-host this incredible interview with former Great White and Guns N’ Roses manager Alan Niven!
Mr. Niven needs no introduction, but it case you do need one, how about this: Appetite for Destruction! Once Bitten! Twice Shy! This is the guy who made Guns N’ Roses into superstars, and gave Great White their big second chance. You can read all about it in his forthcoming book Sound N’ Fury, out June 24 wherever fine books are sold.
In this hourlong interview, John and I take Mr. Niven on a trip through his past in America, Sweden, England and more. He regales us with stories of rock and roll, raw talent, and having Axl Rose thrown in the back of a police cruiser just to ensure he makes it to the gig. We also discuss writing and storytelling, of which he is the expert.
Do not miss this epic interview with Alan Niven, on The Collection, tonight at 7:00 PM EST!
Show Notes (not all questions were asked):
“Nobody died on my watch” is the most powerful quote.
First of all, you are a great storyteller and writer. I had to look a few words up to see what they meant! Why did you choose to open the book with a Shakespeare quote?
I like how you opened the book with a corker of a GNR story, and kind of ended the book with your younger days. You mentioned this book reads like an album plays, and that is accurate.
I’m currently doing a series on Iron Maiden. You talk about Rod Smallwood a bit in this book. He sounds like a great guy.
Brilliant story there about Michael Bay, but what was best about it was the way you told it. The reveal was great.
The fight to keep Appetite alive… you obviously believed in that record, but did you ever question yourself?
I gather this is a small batch of stories…will there be more books?
One thing that surprised me, in my own naivete, is how physical you have to be to be a manager of a rock band. You have to be willing to go toe to toe with Slash and tell him to behave. You had to pull Jack’s pants up more than once.
Who would you want playing you in the movie of your life?
RECORD STORE TALES #1191: Top Five Cool Things You May Not Know About Alan Niven
A couple weeks ago, I was asked by John Snow of 2Loud2OldMusic to co-host a big big interview he was offered.
“How would you like to interview Alan Niven with me?” he asked. John hadn’t done a solo interview before, and wouldn’t have minded a backup.
“Alan Niven? The Alan Niven? Yes!” How could I say no? The guy who managed Guns N’ Roses during their peak? The guy who co-wrote some amazing Great White songs, drawing out their best qualities? The guy who has a new book coming out called Sound N’ Fury? Of course!
While nervous, reading Alan’s book left us with loads and loads of questions to ask him. Without spoiling the interview, which will debut next week on The Collection on YouTube, here are the Top Five Cool Things You May Not Know About Alan Niven that I discovered in this interview process.
5. He had the “stones” to demand $1,000,000 from Mick Jagger, for Guns to open for the Rolling Stones on four dates at the Hollywood Bowl. Guns were originally offered half that.
4. He had to physically pull up Jack Russell’s pants, more than once, to keep him from being arrested.
3. He is well read and well spoken. He opens Sound N’ Fury with a quote from Macbeth.
2. There is an absolutely brilliant story about a music video director that later became a mega-smash-hit movie director, and the way Niven unfolded the story and dropped the name was pure epic storytelling. Read the book to get the name.
1. “Nobody died on my watch.” Indeed, of all the self-destructive personalities in the bands he managed, nobody died under his guidance. That is indeed an accomplishment, and to me, the most powerful quote in the book.
Pick up Sound N’ Fury by Alan Niven, wherever fine books are sold.
Guest review by Holen MaGroin – part 4 in his KIX series
KIX – Blow My Fuse (1988 Atlantic)
When Kix released their fourth album on Atlantic, the band would finally receive the recognition and popularity that they deserved. Blow My Fuse is one of the most fun hard rocking albums of the late ‘80s without the guilty feeling that you get listening to the other “hair bands” that were dominating MTV. You could blast this record in a way that you couldn’t with say, Warrant, and not care who heard you, because Kix aren’t a hair band. They’re a hard rock band. These glorious Maryland hicks with a collective explosion fetish crafted a glorious hard rock album in the mold of AC/DC, with the pop hooks necessary to get proper attention on the radio, without ever watering down the rock. Produced by Tom Werman (with help from Duane Baron and John Purdell), Kix finally teamed up with a production team that knew how to turn their material into charting hits without diluting it.
Album opener “Red Lite, Green Lite, TNT” displays Jimmy “Chocolate” Chalfant reclaiming his territory after an Anton Fig substitution due to a broken arm on the end of the last album. Pounding away with a simple but effective beat, he sets the stage for the duo of Brian Forsythe and Ronnie “10/10” Younkins to blanket the track with midrange guitar goodness. The production on this album is really outstanding. The power of Kix clearly shines through, but with a new sheen to polish some of the rough edges. Steve Whiteman builds anticipation with restraint in his singing at the beginning of the song. Kix are masters of both tension and dynamics. They know just how long to string the listener along before delivering the heavy payoff. The twin guitar duo comes in with the song’s main riff, and Steve Whiteman pumps on the gas taking his vocals full throttle with rasp and power. Note the background vocals before the chanted chorus, which add some killer harmonic melody to the blistering hard rock. A call and response section between the harmonica and the guitar build off each other to end the song leaving the listener with his ass bruised and sore from being kixed for four euphoric minutes.
After taking a minute to ice the destroyed rectum, “Get It While It’s Hot” starts with a synthesizer run and some backwards vocals that recall their new wave roots. However, this is a clever ruse. Soon the guitars come in and betray the intro. This is another full on rock tune with the drums really in the driver’s seat during the verses. The guitarists play a few chords, rest, and then play a few chords, then rest; each phrase expanding upon the last to complete the picture at the end of five measures. It’s a tension building technique Kix would use again. The chorus drastically changes things up, but the energy level doesn’t dip at all. At this point we’re greeted by the song’s hook. With some era appropriate multi-tracked backing vocals, it drives the point across well.
Even with all the fantastic tunes, the reason that this album went platinum was because of the ballad “Don’t Close Your Eyes”. A number eleven hit in America, the song put the band on map, and on MTV. However, it wasn’t originally released as a single. When Kix were on tour with Great White, their manager Alan Niven asked the band why the song hadn’t been released as a single. Niven, despite being the manager for Great White, called up Doug Morris (president of Atlantic Records at the time) and told him they were sitting on a massive hit. They released it, and the rest is history. As for the song, it’s not a typical fluffy power ballad of the late ‘80s. It has more in common with “Dream On” than it does “Home Sweet Home”. The song is an anti-suicide PSA, a reassuring topic that proved Kix had more on their mind than just sex and explosions. It’s a great song, haunting and emotional. The lyrics and the conviction with which Whiteman sings them makes the hairs on your arm stand up. “Don’t Close Your Eyes” is a powerful song that has probably saved more than one or two lives as well, and is one of the most respectable power ballads of the 1980s.
But who cares when they’re singing about sex when the music backing it is of such high caliber? “Cold Blood” was the first single, and it sold much better after “Don’t Close Your Eyes” became huge. This song deserved to be a huge hit. It’s a stone cold classic. Starting out with a riff sounding like Electric-era The Cult, and progressing to total pop harmony payoff, this one is definitely one of the band’s best tunes. It also received moderate MTV airplay, and became the band’s second most popular song, a place only challenged by the album’s title track. A very fun and electrifying number about singer Steve Whiteman getting his fuse blown, his tower shook, his wires crossed, his hair lit up, his senses overloaded, and his juice felt. The lyrics speak for themselves; this one is another genre classic.
The album is rounded out with several other dynamic hard rock tunes, and a supernatural ability to insert pop melodies into them without diminishing the power one iota. There is no filler on this album, every song is a keeper. A 30th anniversary edition remixed by Beau Hill was announced earlier this year. Start off with the original that has been serving the public well for three decades now. If you were only to buy one Kix album, this is the one.
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