THE RETURN OF MISSING PERSONS: AN INTERVIEW WITH DALE BOZZIO

By Pat Sherman, Gay & Lesbian Times (San Diego Edition)
http://www.gaylesbiantimes.com/arts/arts2.asp

Perhaps one of the most technically proficient of the early '80s "new wave" acts was Los Angeles' Missing Persons.

Formed in 1980 and fronted by the squeaky, Bostonian-accented Dale Consalvi - a former Playboy bunny noted for her outrageous, see-thru outfits and blue and pink streaked hair, the band met while working for Frank Zappa.

Consalvi soon married former Zappa drummer Terry Bozzio (taking the name Bozzio); and the two of them formed Missing Persons with Zappa' session guitarist Warren Cuccurullo and bassist Patrick O'Hearn.

Their 1981 self-titled EP included the popular songs "I Like Boys" and "Mental Hopscotch," though it failed to garner mainstream attention.

It wasn't until the release of 1982's Spring Session M, with a slew of hits, including "Words," "Walking in LA" and "Destination Unknown" that the band became a household name.

Their success was great, albeit short-lived. 1984's follow up effort, Rhyme and Reason, with its lukewarmly-received single "Give" was a commercial dud; as was 1986's interesting, albeit unnoticeable dance-pop finale, Color in Your Life.

Both the band and the Bozzios' marriage ended in '86.

Though Dale Bozzio released one solo record and has performed in various amalgamations of Missing Persons over the past decade, most noteworthy since their breakup has been the "career trajectory" of the band's guitarist. Cuccurullo joined Duran Duran in 1988, where he was responsible for co-writing some of the band's strongest material, including the top 10 hit, "Ordinary World." Many may have also noticed Cuccurullo last year in all his bare, shaved-head splendor in a spread for G magazine (tamer shots of which have been seen in recent installments of Billy Masters' "Filth" column in the Times).

The hunky Cuccurullo, along with Dale Bozzio and ex-hubby, Terry Bozzio on drums will perform in San Diego at 4th and B this Tuesday evening, July 17, at 8:00 p.m.

The Times recently spoke with Dale Bozzio via cell phone, on her way to a performance in Phoenix.

Gay and Lesbian Times: You were all graduates of the Frank Zappa school - an impressive resume for the genre.

DB: That's true. Without Frank, of course, we would not have anything. And I think that myself, personally, I'm indebted to Frank Zappa for the rest of my life.... Frank introduced me to Terry Bozzio, and the first day that he did, I kind of fell in love with Terri. Then I went in the studio with Frank and there was Terry, and one thing led to another.

GLT: You're listed in the credits for Joe's Garage, probably Zappa's most famous recording.

DB: When I did Joe's Garage, I hung out a lot with Warren. Terry didn't play the drums on Joe's Garage.... Pretty much, Warren and I started hanging out at that time and going to this place right in Hollywood (Blvd.). We used to hang out at... oh sh*t, I think it was called "On the Rocks," down there next to the Roxy. We were hanging out in the parking lot and Warren said to me, "You've got to write a tune called 'I Like Boys,'" so I went home that night and wrote the tune.... We were listening to all these people on the radio, like, what were those people called? The psychedelic lizards?

GLT: The Flying Lizards - they covered The Beatle's "Money."

DB: Exactly. We were going 'Holy sh*t. Look what we do with Frank. We can do things like this. What's wrong with us?' Me, Terry and Warren, we always hung out together. It just seemed that was where we were going musically.

GLT: What did Frank Zappa think of Missing Persons?

DB: Frank thought we were outrageous. Frank gave us his studio to make the demo, because he would always look at us and say, "The three of you should start a rock band and you'll be a household word, because Dale's voice is very unique." He told me, "There's nobody with a voice and an accent like yours." I said, "Frank, I'm not a singer. It's not my thing," and he said, "Oh yeah you are."

GLT: The previously unreleased song "Action/ Reaction" - was that part of those first demos?

DB: Yeah, "Action/Reaction" was one of the first tunes we used to rehearse way back. We just had so many songs when we originally started that record that we had to leave probably 12 off. We didn't really know that we couldn't put 35 tunes on a record and make it sound professional.... When you were recording onto vinyl at that time, you had to put less tunes onto the album....

GLT: How did you feel about Warren being in Duran Duran while you were touring with a different lineup of Missing Persons?

DB: I love the fact that Warren did what he did. I had to make decisions myself, and when Warren made the decision to go to Duran Duran..., I made an album on Prince's label.... There were only 250,000 copies sold and then he cut the presses. I think he has one left in his vault.... He gave me carte blanche; he was very gracious....

GLT: Someone sent me your version of Madonna's "Get into the Groove" that you recorded a couple years ago.

DB: I did that in one take. I sang it and left. You know what? I can sing all those Madonna tunes, and I love them. My favorite one, of course, is "Celebrate." I love early, early Madonna tunes. She's got that tone of voice I can key right into.... It's undeniable.

GLT: What can the fans expect from this tour?

DB: I think an amazing explosion. The three of us are finally playing together 15 years later and I think we've learned a lot. We're happy to be together, and people will really reflect on our happiness.... Music is a very kind expression of curing things. If you can be the doctor of your music and make things better, then that's what you should do. That's always my advice to a musician, because that's my advice to myself. Expression is everything.

GLT: You and Terry are both remarried. How is it working with him again?

DB: We're totally cool and we understand what unconditional love is. It's taken a lifetime to learn that....

GLT: Warren's celebrity has risen considerably in the gay community since he did that nude layout in G last year. Do questions from the gay press seem to gravitate toward Warren's "talent" these days?

DB: "I think it's always been that way. We've had a following of different kinds of people from all walks of life, whether you want to call them gay, straight, individual colors or not. I mean, all kinds of people, Japanese people, there's foreigners... there's transvestites. There's anything you want to be.... Unique individuals have toured with Missing Persons, because we have answers in our lyrics and we are melodic in a way that's soothing to maybe somebody that hasn't quite got the answer yet.

GLT: Right. (Long pause.) How did you feel about his pictorial?

DB: I'm more than happy for him to do everything. He is a single guy.... He is an individual and it's very good for him to show these.... (Phone reception begins breaking up again - Bozzio eventually drops something about him dating a woman with kids - sorry. A car horn honks in the background.)

GLT: Is it kind of hard to answer that question. Is he right there in the car with you?

DB: Who's that?

GLT: Warren.

DB: Oh, no. He's not here. I'm sitting alone in the car. I'm in the middle of Arizona.