Kane Roberts - Interview

Video of Wonderful from the new Kane's album, The New Normal

R'n'R : Did you live in a musical ambiance when you were a kid ?

KR : My Dad was a huge jazz lover. Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Frank Sinatra etc. I always heard music but I was the first musician I knew of in family and unfortunately for my parents I got into heavy metal as soon as I picked up the guitar.

R'n'R : Who are your influences ?

KR : Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Jeff Beck, Steve Vai later on and all the other new guitarists that I check out and try to pick up new things to play.

R'n'R : How and when did you begin to play guitar ?

KR : I saw an old photo of Elvis Presley holding a guitar and it looked so awesome. Jimi Hendrix was another reason. Dude was just so off the hook cool and his music would consistently bend my young mind.

R'n'R : Tell me about your work with Steve Vai on Sex & Religion and with Kiss on Revenge ?

KR : Steve Vai in my opinion has no parallel in todays gang of guitarists. Someone like Paul Gilbert, although can impress once in a while, he just sounds like a guy that practices a lot compared to Steve. When I got called to sing on Steve’s record it was such a gas. We became friends right away and although I don’t hang with him regularly we are always glad to see each other. Paul Stanley was great to write with (one of the best rock voices EVER) and reminded me of Desmond Child in that he’s all about the work. His modus operandi is getting a hot song done and using every minute we have together to reach that goal. People say Paul is not good to do business with and is a Diva. I don’t agree…Paul is a straight forward and clean business man….as far as the Diva thing goes…welllll…..

R'n'R : How did you meet Alice Cooper ?

KR : Well he had seen me play somewhere and a guy named Don Paccione sent my songs to Bob Ezrin. Suddenly I’m sitting with Ezrin, Shep Gordon and Alice Cooper in an office in Manhattan. Alice and I became instant friends. He always had me in tears laughing because hes brilliantly intelligent and devilishly funny. His record company at the time dropped off his recording contract and Alice was super polite and upbeat. When the guy left he pissed on the contract. Awesome.

Live video of The World Needs Guts and Give It Up (Alice Cooper) 1986

R'n'R : Why your partnership with Alice stopped ?

KR : I had the Geffen contract and he started working with other people as well. Still best friends to this day.

School's out live video in Milan in 1988 with Alice Cooper

R'n'R : Can you explain what is Rock’n’Roll Fantasy Camp ?

KR : People drop thousands of dollars to meet their rock idols and play with them onstage. Brilliant idea by David Fishoff!

R'n'R : How did you have the idea of the machine gun guitar ?

KR : Rick Johnson walked into my management company office and showed it to me. What shocked me more than anything was apart from the stunning design, the guitar played incredibly well! One f the best playing instruments Ive ever owned. Rick Johnson’s work is outstanding!

R'n'R : Alice Cooper’s shows had always been fantastic but with your muscles and your machine gun guitar you brought something new and more heavy metal. Who had this idea, you or Alice ?

KR : I explained above. It was Rick Johnson hearing about me and bringing in the gun guitar. The heavier sound stared when I said to Alice, we don’t want people to think you survived rehab…we want them to see a new NUCLEAR version of Alice has risen from the ashes. He and I were both pleased with the tours and albums we did together..

R'n'R : What bodybuilding changed in your life ? Did you stop or do you continue ?

KR : I became obsessed because my life was out of control when I was younger. Very hyper very adrenaline driven guy, Bodybuilding was a way for me to engage in a series of actions and see results. I was a quick gainer so I got pretty big pretty fast. When I moved to Hollywood Ca. I dabbled in steroids but nothing like what the pros were doing. I stopped a long time ago. Oh, and yes I still lift.

R'n'R : What memories do you keep of the Raise Your Fist and Yell Tour in 87/88 ? I was in Paris, i still have the t shirt and the ticket, it was awesome.

KR : I describe that show as living in a culture of violence. Alice’s bloodiest horror tour ever and he and I reveled in the madness. Sometimes I would look at Alice and we were on a different level of insanity…a realm I believe he was much more accustomed to.

R'n'R : Do you have an anecdote from this tour ?

KR : I remember we played in France and a few nights before we almost had a bad accident with the gun guitar shooting flame at the end of my solo. We weren’t allowed to bring explosive charges of any king overseas so my guitar tech, John Mayhew, found a flame charge somewhere in London. The problem was it shot flame, forty feet and it unexpectedly shot a roman candle fireball that HIT ALICE IN THE LEG! As our bus pulled up to the concert venue in France (Le Zénith de Paris), I saw sparks shooting all over the parking lot. It was one of my GUN GUITARS spinning and rocketing around while the crew alternated between chasing it and running away from it when it reversed direction! I was like “What the fuck?!”

R'n'R : In the beginning of the 80’s, Alice Cooper’s albums were not of good quality. It changed with Constrictor and Raise Your Fist and Yell. Honestly do you think it’s thanks to you and the new band around Alice ?

KR : I think it’s Alice and I collaborating. Granted I was the right guy at the right time, but writing with Alice is a trip. Whatever you feed him he creates something unexpected and wickedly correct. The lyrics to Prince of Darkness are genius. I played him some guitar parts and 20 minutes later he dropped the writing pad in front of me with the lyrics. “An angel fell, one stormy night, from heaven’s glory. Split the earth to reign in hell”. Scary fucking good!

R'n'R : What do you think 30 years later of your first solo album ? I like it overall songs like Triple X.

KR : I like it but mostly because it represents me finding my sound and losing my pre-conceived notions of what it means to be a musician.

Video of Triple X by Kane Roberts

R'n'R : Your second album Saints and Sinners is much better. How was the work with Desmond Child and how did you have on this album Does Anybody Really Fall in Love Anymore ?

KR : Desmond Child…here’s how I describe him – If you have 15 minutes to write you will leave with a song!. Prolific, gifted and a sweet guy with a truck ton of music in his soul.

Video of Does Anybody Really Fall In Love Anymore ? by Kane Roberts

R'n'R : What was the project Phoenix Down ?

KR : I was at a spot where I wanted to record again. Bruce Mee from Now and Then records contacted me and knocked the songs together. “Reckless” I think was my favorite heavy song and “In Another Life” was my favorite ballad.

Video of King of The World (ft Nita Strauss) from the new album The New Normal

R'n'R : Some words about The New Normal, your latest album.

KR : Check out The New Normal on Frontiers Records. It's available at Amazon, iTunes and all available outlets. Please watch my video “Beginning of The End” featuring Alice Cooper and Alissa White-Gluz from Arch Enemy.

Click and watch the video of Beginning of The End ft Alice Cooper and Alyssa White-Gluz