Usually Scorpions interviews involve Klaus, Rudolph and Matthias. In October 1990, Dan Gallagher got to talk to Herman “Zee German” Harebell, Rudolph Schenker and Francis Bucholz. Topics discussed include replacing producer Dieter Dierks with Keith Olsen, and Canada! “You know how to rock and roll!” says Herman.
Roger Waters’ The Wall – Live in Berlin had just been released. The Scorpions were asked to open the show with the first song “In The Flesh?” Dan inquires about that gig and playing behind the Iron Curtain, and then asks them to say “apple strudel”!
Check out this cool interview with the Scorpions, another great example of the kind of quality television we got with the Pepsi Power Hour.
I’ve long maintained that MuchMusic’s Power Hour was the best hour of Canadian television in the late 80s. The music, the interviews, and the personalities made it a very special show. Far better than anything MTV had on offer. Much respected the Metal. The Power Hour was a fun show, but not a lightweight one.
David Lee Roth sat with Denise Donlon in January of 1991, to promote his new album A Little Ain’t Enough. She didn’t let him off easy. “I think David Lee Roth is smarter than the music you make,” she says bluntly. And she doesn’t let him wriggle out with rehearsed answers. “Sure, the world’s a stage and I want better lighting!” Roth has a tendency to just go off on his own little segues, but Donlon doesn’t buy it and presses further. Dave likes to go by rote, but she kept questioning. Her point being that David Lee Roth is a witty, well read, worldly individual, and she was disappointed to see his new video (“A Li’l Ain’t Enough”) was another showcase for hot girls. She also asks about the blackface, which was not nearly as front-page in 1991 as it is in 2019.
Gotta give Denise Donlon credit for this. Even if you think she’s attacking him (which she’s not), you have to give her credit for being one of the few who are able to get David Lee Roth off script.
Unfortunately I was forced to edit out the musical clips from this video.
A really revealing interview: MuchMusic didn’t have a chance to speak to Steve Vai before this, because David Lee Roth would not pass on any press requests. Hear that story and more.
Seven strings? It’s here. Walking onstage to a crowd chanting “Yngwie! Yngwie! Yngwie!”? It’s here. Astral projection? Right here!
On location in Hollywood, MuchMusic spoke to Tim Gaines and Oz Fox of Stryper about their new album Against the Law! Cast your memories back to 1990. Stryper told the bold step of dropping the Christian lyrics and yellow-and-black outfits. It was a move that they expressed regret about later, but check out the young Stryper’s perspective in this interesting Power Hour clip.
Two fantastic, historic clips for you today, featuring the “Metal God” himself, Rob Halford of Judas Priest!
First up, from MuchMusic’s news show called FAX, Steve Anthony talks to Rob about the Judas Priest suicide trial. They also talk Priest’s new album Painkiller. (The anchor of the FAX show is Monica Deol.)
Second, and most important: Dan Gallagher visits the Scarborough rehearsal hall where Priest were gearing up for their Painkiller tour! Rob is friendly and engaged for this top-notch interview. Halford co-hosts the Pepsi Power Hour with Dan, and talks about his passion for new heavy bands like Pantera (he’s wearing the shirt), Love/Hate, and Suicidal Tendencies. They also discuss the trial, the drummer change, education, and reading. “I consume books,” says Rob. You’ll be impressed with Rob’s answers especially where the trial is concerned.
Rob picked all the music for the show, and while I didn’t include the music in the VHS Archive, you can at least find out what bands and songs Rob picked! (Hint: heavy bands!)
Also look for a Painkiller tour ad during one of the commercial breaks — I kept that in.
This is a great example of what made the Power Hour special. It was an hour of live television. That means when Dan Gallagher (always) refers to Anthrax as “Anthrash”, then it goes out live like that.
Queensryche were in Toronto promoting their then-new Empire CD. Geoff was sick, so Michael and Chris visited the MuchMusic studios. They co-hosted the hour with Dan and did a damn fine job of it. Ladies and gentlemen, Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton: Queensryche!
GETTING MORE TALE #735: Quite Possibly the Worst Music Video I’ve Ever Seen Vigilants – “Run For Cover”
Recording music videos from the TV as a kid was a fine art. My method was to keep the machine on “record-pause” as videos were playing. Then all I had to do was un-pause and I’d be able to start recording almost immediately. I’d lose maybe a second of video. Then I’d pause again at the end, waiting for the next “good song”.
The Pepsi Power Hour was an amazing way to discover new (or old) bands. By recording the videos, I could hear the songs over and over. If there was a new band I was curious about, I’d take a chance and hit record. If I didn’t like the song or band, I’d just rewind and record over it. The Power Hour would play virtually any kind of metal. Their intro had Slayer’s “Angel of Death” as the theme music! From Poison to Cro-Mags, they would play it. Venom were regular favourites.
One afternoon in 1986, I was recording away when J.D. (John) Roberts announced a new band coming up, called Vigilant. (Over the years I’ve seen it spelled as Vigilants and Vigilante, but I will continue to use the spelling as it appeared on TV that day.) I recorded it — decent enough hard rock song — and I kept the video because their labelmate Lee Aaron had a cameo in it. Lee Aaron was and is Canada’s Metal Queen, so I thought the band must be OK. But dear God, what a video. What a horrendous video!
Let’s break it down.
We got the asshole record exec who won’t give a band a shot. We have Lee Aaron at reception, and a stripper entering the offices! What could this be about?
The stripper plays the record exec a tape, and then suddenly enters: more strippers! How many? Who knows, but you can play “count the strippers” with your friends if you like. The song is playing, but we still haven’t seen the band.
It’s well over two minutes before the band burst into the room, guitars in hand, to play along to their song. The fashion of the day: checkers, stripes, tassels, and tight tight pants. Pants so loud that Jon Bon Jovi himself wouldn’t have been seen in them. The bassist has one of those narrow body basses that were trendy at the time. The drummer? He doesn’t even show up until the 3:00 mark. Poor drummer! The point of course is that the strippers have far more screen time than the guys in the actual band, the hallmark of the stinkiest of the 1980s. Sulfer-stinky!
The one on the left is in roller skates.
The plot thickens when a roadie enters, with a flash bomb. He’s going to blow up the band! But then, Lee Aaron pulls the old switcheroo. And the roadie, though good at plugging in flash bombs, doesn’t seem to know how to unplug them. Guess who gets blowded up! Not the band or the strippers, I’ll tell you that!
Don’t worry, it’s a happy ending for everybody. Including the lead stripper, it’s heavily implied….
Please enjoy (?) the music video for “Run For Cover” by Vigilant (or Vigilante, or Vigilants) featuring Lee Aaron. The song actually wasn’t that bad. The verses were nothing to write home about, but the bridge and chorus are pretty good! Generic as hell, but it was the 80s. (Oh, and check out the funny MuchMusic bumper before the actual video, featuring Loudness singer Minoru Niihara!)
In this interview (estimated to be from 1986 based on the date of the tape), Blackie is confronted by MuchMusic’s Erica Ehm about W.A.S.P.’s stage show. Lawless is strangely awkward and makes very little eye contact with anyone. It’s the 1980s and so Satanism must be denied. Check it out!
Who would you like to see next in the VHS Archives? Vote in the comments from the artists below!
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