DOWNBOYS.COM INTERVIEWS
Interview with Erik Turner

Bruce Interviews Erik Turner 7/03

Mention the band Warrant, and you will probably get one of two reactions-one of disdain, and the sarcastic mention of "hair band," or one of pure exhiliration for a group of musicians that have worked hard for their success, and crafted some of the finest music of any era. It's a shame the former can't open their ears, and accept the latter. The Down Boys hit the Sunset Strip in 1989, and, along with an onslaught of bands, were signed, and hit it big-very big. Unfortunately, times changed, and most of the bands fell by the wayside, as faceless and manic-depressive, supposed "anti-image" bands, such as Pearl Jam and Nirvana, rolled in like a sewer leak, and overtook the rock scene. Those who don't know better would think Warrant is a nostalgic act, but bottom line, these guys, who have sold in excess of ten million albums, are still showing the world what a true rock and roll band is capable of doing-putting on a visually stunning show, soundtracked with some of the catchiest, and most memorable songs heard in quite some time. Currently, the band is on a cross-country trek with headliners Whitesnake, Kip Winger, and Slaughter. Judging by the packed venues, this genre of rock is still very much alive, and kicking. Guitarist and founding member Erik Turner took some time out, from his busy schedule on the road, to let me in on what is going on with Warrant.

Q: How is the tour going so far?
ERIK: Everything is going really great. We're playing some big 10,000 seat venues, and they've been filled every night so far. There is definitely still a demand for this music.

Q: The tour is dubbed, "Rock Never Stops." Isn't there some point, the music has to stop, so everyone can move onto the next city?
ERIK (laughs): You know. that's very witty. Seriously, though, this is real rock and roll. It's in your face, the crowd is on their feet, the entire show, fists in the air. It may not be the latest MTV craze, or fashion, but there's plenty of people that appreciate this music, and are having a really good time at the show.

Q: Personally, I'm tired of how bands like Warrant, and others of that genre, get so disrespected nowadays, meanwhile todays bands are so contrived, and manipulated by the music industry, yet ARE treated with respect, like they really are going to change the face of music.
ERIK: It's funny, because someone can look at Warrant, and say, "Oh, they're so 80's," but noone looks at the grunge scene, and says, "Oh, they're so 90's." You know what, go ahead, give us a bad rap, I don't really care. We're having fun doing what we're doing, the fans are loving it, and having fun. At the end of the day, it's all entertaining, and that's all that really matters to us, and the fans.

Q: MTV originally embraced Warrant, and then almost overnight, basically said, "Fuck you" to you guys.
ERIK: Yeah, well, maybe someone who was in charge of MTV, and liked bands like us, got a better job offer, and moved onto better and bigger things. Looks like someone else came along, with a chip on their shoulder, and just didn't like "good time music." But, you know, if I could go back, I wouldn't change a thing. It doesn't matter if some people think this music is gone, because, hey, we are still playing the same big sized arenas that we did before. It's funny, to see some big, burly biker guy, singing all the words to "Heaven." This music has a very wide appeal, to a broad age bracket. I see lots of parents at our shows, with their little kids, and everyone is singing along. There's still plenty of people who grew up with this music, and who can relate to us, that we can keep going. Today's music will not have that longevity, no band today has a thing to say, or a sound that will endure the test of time.

Q: Yeah, today's bands, like Blink-182, Sum-41, or Good Charlotte, are a bunch of kids, who had their three guitar lessons, now think they have the talent to be rock stars.
ERIK: Exactly. Tune everything down to B, have your guitar hung low, strum away, and it's good enough for todays audiences.

Q: How do you decide what will be played in your set-list, with so much material to choose from?
ERIK: Well, there's always the songs we have to play, the big hits. When we headline, and have a longer set, it's a combination of the big hits and other songs we have fun playing live. Right now, we're cut down to a 45-minute set, so it is more of a greatest hits-style show. Keep in mind, too, not everyone in attendance may be a die-hard Warrant fan, and are familiar only with the big, radio hits, and doing obscure material is giving them songs they may not recognize, so we like to keep it safe. Jani [Lane, lead vocalist] really knows what songs will flow, in the set, so he pretty much makes up the set list. He's the quarterback, that leads the troops.

Q: Any of the big hits you have gotten a little tired of playing?
ERIK: No. When we start off with a signature riff, like "Cherry Pie," the crowd goes nuts, they instantly recognize the song, and they respond, and we can feed off of that.

Q: You've worked with producers Beau Hill, and Michael Waggener. Which one did you enjoy working with most?
ERIK: Beau's a great producer, but we had to fight a little with him to bring up the guitars. Wheras Michael, well, you just know you're going to get that big wall of guitar sound.

Q: How much freedom does a producer allow a band to have in the studio? Will you come in, and they end up changing your sound from how it was originally written?
ERIK: No, they may suggest a few different arrangments, or whatever, but Jani is such a great song writer, very little gets changed.

Q: Does Jani come in with the lyrics, and the rest of the band write the music, or does he have it all mapped out?
ERIK: Jani writes about 90% of the lyrics, and has most of the song structured out already, on guitar. The rest of us will throw in our two cents worth, but mostly the writing credit goes entirely to Jani.

Q: Are you plans to return to the studio soon?
ERIK: We have lots of songs demoed, and tracked, but for right now, we're focusing on the current tour. We may be headed out to Europe afterwards, and then do some headlining in the States in October. We will definitely be going in by the end of the year, and have our next album out early next year.

Q: Thanks for your time, Erik.
ERIK: Thank you, and hope to see everyone coming out to see us.