Privacy:
The Warren Cuccurullo Newsletter
Founded
Vol.
2 # 6 Jul/Aug 1995 -- Issue 12
Special
Issue: Missing Persons
Member
of the National Association of Fan Clubs
President, Copy Editor, Research Compiler, Writer: Cyndi Glass * Art Editor, Artist: Amie Rodarmel * Artist/Cartoonist: Malinda McCall * Europe/UK Reporters: Mandy Jones, Manon Wortel
ISSN: 1072-284X "Privacy: The Warren Cuccurullo
Newsletter" is owned and published bimonthly by "Privacy: The Warren
Cuccurullo Fan Club." Copyright 1997+ All rights reserved. All requests for
reprints must be made in writing.
Disclaimer: This is the on-line edition of this issue. Addresses, phone
numbers, and URL's may have been changed since publication. Artwork and
photographs will not be included in the on-line edition, though some articles
may refer to them. The "Next Time" article may refer to things that
will not be in the next issue's on-line edition. Additionally, some article
reprints from other sources may not be included yet, or at all. To order the
original paper copy issues, go to the Back Issues List Page.
Note for the Online Edition: Updated and more complete info about Missing Persons is available at my Missing Persons Web Site.
Items Omitted from On-line-Edition and not mentioned elsewhere: Missing
Persons feature article in Rolling Stone, Apr. 14, 1983, Missing Persons photos
of the band and individual photos of the members, album and single cover photos
and special layout feature about the band's releases, complete Rhyme &
Reason lyrics (photocopy of the cassette liner)Warren's Carvin ad (1985),
Missing Persons feature article in Musician, April 1983,
Ads: Carnival, UMF, The Icon, The Groove, The International Frank Zappa
Society
DD/FZ/MP News
AHA! MORE
DURAN DURAN PLAYGIRL PICTORIAL: The Duran Duran 6 page feature will be in the Oct. 1995 issue, to be on sale Sept. 12. All members are said to be featured equally.
LIVE
AMANDA ARTICLE: There's a pretty nice size interview with Courtney Love interviewing Amanda DeCadenet in the August issue of Interview. There's a bit of info about John, including a funny story about him and "the two Beans" (Frances Bean & Atlanta).
Z ALBUM COMING SOON/DWEEZIL NEWS: Dweezil & Ahmet Zappa's band,
Z, has an album coming out very soon called "Music for Pets."
Dweezil's instrumental project, "What the Hell Was I Thinking" is
currently estimated to have a time frame of being finished in 3 months. It's an
instrumental epic song, on which many famous guitarists guest, including
JOHN'S ASSISTANT ONLINE: John's assistant is online and she wants to
hear from you! John has decided to release his solo album on a small
independent label called B-5, and he's putting together his tour schedule for
the fall. She wants to know where he should play! You can email her with
suggestions at topeen@aol.com. You can also write to her at B-5 c/o Bev Ravv,
REMEMBER THAT BAND AT THE HOUSE OF BLUES?? They were great, weren't
they? They were the Meridian Arts Ensemble, and they are releasing an album in
mid-August called "Prime Meridian" featuring their renditions of
Frank Zappa songs, including "Peaches En Regalia," which they
performed before
JOHN'S SOLO (SORT OF) SHOW AT THE VIPER ROOM -- John performed at a
benefit show at the Viper Room, accompanied by Steve Jones on guitar, and Matt
& Duff from Guns & Roses on drums and bass, respectively. They played
some Sex Pistols songs, a David Bowie song, and an Elvis Costello song. John
sang lead on the
GOOD
PERFECT DAY NEEDS YOUR HELP!! Remember those flyers I sent you with
the stations on them? CALL THEM AND FAX THEM and make them play Perfect Day!
The song has not even charted on the Hot 100 and is stuck on the Bubbling Under
chart. DO NOT CALL OR FAX STATIONS THAT ARE NOT IN YOUR AREA--many stations
have caller ID and if they figure out we're doing this, it's pretty pointless.
WARREN & MEATLOAF & MICHAEL:
BUY TRUST NOW: Patrick O'Hearn's new album "Trust" has been
released, so call your stores and radio stations to ask where you can find or
hear it. It was released on his new
MORE DETAILS ABOUT ANDY: On Rod Stewart's new "A Spanner in the
Works" album, Andy shares writing credit on "Delicious" and a
non-album b-side "Shock to the System." He also plays guitar on those
two songs, "You're the Star" and "
LAY LADY LAY IN ICELAND: according to someone on the Tiger list, Lay
Lady Lay has been released in
PERFECT DAY IN
SIMON IN DETAILS: The baby with Simon in his fashion spread in Details is NOT Tallulah, according to Katy at Left Bank Management.
SIMON L'OPERA: VH-1 reported July 21 that Simon would team up with
Luciano Pavarotti to perform Ordinary World at a charity event in
DALE IS TRULY MISSING NOW: Tried to follow up on a call I'd made to her management, Creative Sound of Boca Raton FL, and found their number to be disconnected...they seem to be out of business. Not sure how this will affect Dale, as she played Chicago just a month ago, but in my opinion they've been doing a really bad job promoting her, so ANY change would be good. They were sloppy in their promotion (using photos of the old band), spelled her name wrong in flyers, and were extremely unhelpful to me, when I think I was the only person who WANTED to help her out and promote her career.
POWER STATION ALBUM DELAYED AGAIN: According to the Icon fan club, the Power Station album is finished, but it has been delayed because all of them have different management and obligations that cause red tape.
EXTRA SONG IN
ROCK VIDEO MONTHLY: Just what we Duranies need...something else to buy. :) It is called "EPK" or "Duran Duran Presents Thank You" and is a promotional video about Thank You. Twenty minutes long, the humorous video has separate interviews with the band members, clips of some of the original artists talking about the album, and two videos--one for Perfect Day and a different White Lines video, put with a different mix than the one that was on MTV.
BOYS ARE WORKING HARD: According to Bev, John's assistant, Duran are
hard at work in
MORE MTV/VH-1 COVERAGE: On MTV's Week in Rock, the week of July 28, Nick was featured in a story about keyboards, along with other early 80's artists. Also, they ran a clip on VH-1's Naked Cafe featuring Warren and the rest of them, and they had an 80's weekend Aug 5-6. During the 80's weekend, they had a special about 80's bands, and both Duran Duran and Missing Persons were featured!
CD RE-RELEASES: Missing Persons' Spring Session M has just been
released on CD in the
ZTV NEWS: The Duran Duran public access show, ZTV, is now not only
shown in
August 5 at
August 11 at
August 18 at
Email ZTVDD@aol.com for more information. You can also buy videotapes of the episodes for $10 each.
SIMON'S T-SHIRT: Simon's donated t-shirt fetched $700 for the KIIS FM Pediatric AIDS auction in August.
BMG: Thank You is BMG's selection of the month for August.
Issue 12's
Cartoon/Drawing of Missing Persons, by Malinda McCall, © 1995
(from left, Chuck,
Warren, Dale, Terry, Patrick)
Members Speak Out
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE GUITAR SOLO IN
"Not one particular song; like his acoustic work
best"..."Save a Prayer Live and Liberty"..."Oh, he plays
guitar!"..."White Lines!"..."Big Thing"..."
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE VIDEO APPEARANCE OF
"No favorite"..."Violence of Summer"..."The one with the fish in it"..."Any appearance! They never show him enough!"..."Preferably one where he's wearing a shirt"..."He looks virtually the same in all the videos! He cracks me up in I Don't Want Your Love"..."Come Undone".
WHICH SONG FROM EACH OF THE FIVE DURAN ALBUMS
"White Lines, acoustic Ordinary World"..."Skin Trade, I Don't
Want Your Love, First Impression, Sin of the City. I think he did his best work
on the Wedding Album"..."Is this a trick question?"..."to
tell you the truth, I don't know which ones
DID YOU LIKE WARREN PRIOR TO HIS INVOLVEMENT WITH DURAN DURAN? IF SO, WHEN WAS YOUR FIRST INTEREST IN HIM? WHEN DID YOU FIRST BECOME AWARE OF HIS PRESENCE IN DURAN DURAN?
"Never heard of him before Duran Duran. Heard he was their new guitarist in the late 80's but didn't pay much attention"..."Five years ago was my first interest in Warren, when I saw him in Violence of Summer. I think he is good and a real hunk!"..."when he whipped out his XQJ-37 Nuclear-powered pan-sexual roto-plooker"..."I knew from the credits in Notorious that he was there. Didn't know he was in MP before then either, though I knew about MP"..."didn't know who the hell he was, kept staring at NYC Academy show, became aware in '87"..."I hated Warren when I first liked Duran and I'd never heard of him before. I thought he was arrogant and full of himself"..."Prior to his involvement with Duran, I didn't even know he existed. I knew he was in the band a long time ago, but I didn't really start paying attention to him until recently".
WHAT, IN YOUR OPINION, HAS BEEN WARREN'S CONTRIBUTION TO DURAN DURAN?
"Non-musically, he seems to be very popular with the fans because he is friendly, something Duran didn't always have a good reputation for"..."I think since Warren became a Duran member the music from Duran has become better and better!"..."Not being British"..."He has given them more musical credibility and stability"..."unlimited studio time"..."new ideas and influences, he helped them believe in themselves again"..."His dedication to music. Warren, it's well known, lives and breathes music and I think in a band that has been known to concentrate more on its clothes and hair than on its music that's a definite plus!".
WHAT IS THE THING THAT IMPRESSES YOU MOST ABOUT WARREN?
"How he can have such a nice body for his age; hope my husband can look like that in 15 years!"..."The thing that impresses me about Warren is that he plays so fantastically on the guitar, he is really nice, and he is always looking wonderful! He is a real hunk!"..."His information retrieval ability"..."He's a vegetarian AND an awesome guitarist! What a combo!"..."His ability to exist without light and to deny the food of his ancestors"..."his complete dedication to music, he'll never give up"..."His ability to just sit there and DO NOTHING whilst Simon fondles him!".
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST REASON THAT YOU HAVE JOINED WARREN'S FAN CLUB?
"Learn more about Warren because (as you can gather from all of my previous answers) I know NOTHING about him"..."I'd like to be a member of the Warren fan club because I'd love to know more about Warren and the things he does besides Duran Duran"..."The devil made me do it"..."I want to know more about him. I've really come to appreciate him since TWA"..."information retrieval"..."I was asked!!"..."I heard White Lines for the first time and realized Warren *is* the Guitar God everyone keeps telling me he is, and I realized I should probably join his fan club".
DID YOU GO TO ANY SHOWS FROM THE 1987, 1988/89, OR 1993 TOURS? PLEASE DESCRIBE WHEN, WHERE, AND GIVE ANY DETAILS ABOUT WARREN'S PERFORMANCE
"Aug 12 (?) 1987-Denver Colorado-didn't even know he played guitar with them then!"..."I saw three concerts: May 8, 1987, Ahoy Rotterdam, Holland; November 22 1988, Ahoy Rotterdam, Holland, and Sept 4, 1993, Ahoy Rotterdam, Holland. Well, he played at all these concerts very fantastic, as ever of course! He looked great! But it was a long time ago"..."Yes. '87: Big hair. '89: Medium hair. '93: No hair"..."yes, 1987 (August) Poplar Creek Music Theatre, Hoffman Estates (Chicago) IL. He was great, but unfortunately I wasn't a Warren fan yet (still mourning Andy's departure!)"..."'87 Andy Taylor wanna-be, Hartford CT. '89 seats so bad, couldn't even see him, Worcester MA. '93 Thought it was audition for "Best Chest" NYC"..."I went to Manchester, Wembley and Bournemouth in 1994, and at that time I hated Warren. After hearing such great guitar playing at the concerts though, I began to warm to him and realise how good he was, and I also met him for the first time at Wembley. After that, I went to 3 of his solo shows and I've seen a couple of small four or five song sets promoting Thank You this year too. Warren is always extremely professional, very dedicated, and he never makes a mistake"..."I've been to three Duran shows -- one in '87 and two on the last tour (1993/94), but I was so, so, so absorbed by Simon...oh, God, was Warren there too?? I guess that means Nick and John were around somewhere else".
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD ANY OF WARREN'S WORK WITH FRANK ZAPPA? IF SO, DID YOU LIKE IT? WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE?
"Not heard"...No, I never heard any of Warren's work with Frank Zappa"..."Warren work for Yuda, sorry better try it again"..."I don't know. I'm not really into Zappa"..."Yes, yes, and Catholic Girls"..."I've heard one track but don't remember the name, and I've heard him play Zappa stuff on tour (with DD and solo). Generally, I liked it"..."NOT YET".
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD ANY MISSING PERSONS? DID YOU LIKE IT? WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MISSING PERSONS SONG AND WHY?
"Don't care for what I've heard of MP"..."No, I also never heard any Missing Persons work. I'm more of a Duran Duran fan"..."Yes, I liked it. I guess Words, because I like the lyrics mostly. Wasn't really paying attention cuz I was waiting to see DD on MTV! (every time they played a MP video)"..."yes, yes, Colour in Your Life. One of several favorites of limited MP material (at a deal of 3 records for 5 pounds - you can't beat it!)"..."I've heard a bit of I Can't Think About Dancing, and I didn't like it".
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO A MISSING PERSONS SHOW? PLEASE DESCRIBE WHERE, WHEN, AND GIVE ANY DETAILS THAT YOU CAN REMEMBER
"No"..."No, I've never been to a Missing Persons show"..."Yeah, I got lost"..."No, never saw MP"..."no"..."NO"..."nope".
WHAT IS YOUR BASIC OVERALL OPINION OF WARREN?
"Good solid guitarist who sticks with the guys through the rough times"..."Well, I think he is the best guitarist of the whole world. I never heard anyone play the guitar so good as he did it. He is also a great person, he is nice, is always looking fantastic"..."He should get out of his house more"..."He rules! Awesome guitarist!"..."jury's still out"..."He's a really nice guy, very friendly and approachable"..."He's very optimistic, he's funny, and he seems to be one of the friendliest guys in the band (toward fans). In a word, he's fantastic".
DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS THAT DO NOT FIT THE ABOVE?
"How do I get a date with brother Jerry?"..."He should try pastels in his home decorating scheme"..."He has a lot of time for people, and he's the only band member that doesn't give the impression that he looks down on fans. He seems to like talking to fans and is very friendly to them, he doesn't mind at all if people call round to see him sometimes. He also seems to be the most sensible member of the band"..."Need I say more?"..."you know he really is a cool guy. While staying at the Mirage in L.V. I got a chance to really get to know him. Cool guy, very intelligent and most of all very down to earth!!"
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF WHITE LINES?
"Like it, but doesn't seem like Duran's style"..."White Lines and Perfect Day are really different, but I like them very much. The end of White Lines is great! They are really perfect songs!"..."White Lines ROCKS! Perfect Day is cool, but sappy (don't like Lou Reed)"..."great video/great song"..."AAAH!! Yes, yes, yes yes yes!!! I love this song. This song is WHY I started looking at/listening to Warren in the first place. He rocks! I want an all-Warren, only Warren instrumental mix of this song".
(and my favorite quote of the month, from a new member...): "Say you've got a statistics class or any other that kicks your ass and say you've got a test in this class in T-8 hours and counting. So, you study (simultaneously sucking down *3* pots of coffee) and after about four hours you decide you need a serious study break My suggestions? Go into your room, grab Liberty, put it in the CD player and punch up track 7 (First Impression) and prepare yourself to appreciate Warren in ways you never before imagined POSSIBLE!! You'll need to listen to it 7 or 8 times to get the full effect (and when you suddenly collapse on your knees before your poster from the last tour and begin bowing to Warren --you'll know what I'm talking about!!) To feel the full circle of emotions (great joy, relief....) you may NEED to listen to the Global Groove Edit of WL a couple times. CYNDI!! HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO WRONG!!! YOU WERE RIGHT!! YOU WERE RIGHT ALL ALONG!! THE MAN IS A GOD, A f*ckING GOD!"
When No One Listens Anymore: The Missing
Persons Experience Today
by Cyndi Glass
How does a 15 year old diehard Benatar fan who isn't even aware that Destination Unknown is being played on the radio end up writing about all this 13 years later? Guitar, pure and simple. I always notice great guitar. Back then it was Neil Giraldo. Then it was Warren DeMartini. Now it's Warren Cuccurullo. All Italian by some coincidence, all American (from Cleveland, San Diego and Brooklyn respectively), and all very talented on the guitar. Something in me hears it and recognizes it...it reaches me somehow.
You'll read a great story later on in this issue by longtime MP fan Tracey Davenport, who still talks to Warren once in a while even today and is really the expert I'd like to be. She's liked them since 1982, and she was there when it all happened. My story is a little different.
I must admit, I heard Words and Destination Unknown on our vacations in St. Louis and on our local alternative rock station, back before "alternative" was a savvy marketing word. The station played Pat Benatar, which was why I liked it, and they also played Saga, Flock of Seagulls, Billy Idol, Pretenders, Tony Carey, Van Halen and the Scorpions...all the bands I liked. How Missing Persons escaped me I will never know...but I just was not aware of them. I even really liked Destination Unknown. I have always somehow become interested in bands past their initial rush of popularity...first with the Pat Benatar Band, then with Ratt, and then with Duran Duran. So, for Missing Persons, who had broken up in 1986, I knew it was almost too late.
Almost. That's the key word. Because now I was not the 15 year old who had no money and was practically not allowed to leave the house. I wasn't the high school girl who wasn't allowed to go to concerts and had to instead content myself with collecting scrapbook after scrapbook of photocopied library magazine articles, picking out her music by ear on the piano, translating her lyrics into French for class projects, writing my senior term paper about her career and taking every opportunity to mention her in the rock music column I wrote once a week. Nope, I was 23 years old, had been to a few Ratt shows, was completely burnt out on metal and was ready for something new.
And this 23 year old had a phone and knew how to use it. The rest was easy, especially after I got on the Internet. But in the beginning, all I had was a phone, and Left Bank Management on the other end of it, who were used to me calling for info and tour dates about Ratt. They weren't much help with Missing Persons, but when you work in a library and know how to use OCLC and the Library of Congress, not to mention an extremely helpful book listing which bands different musicians have played with (Rock Record, 1987), things eventually fall into place. Way before I ever considered starting Privacy or getting onto the Internet, I called around for information, not always successful, but successful enough to keep at it.
The only thing that I truly regret is that I will never be able to see a live show with the original members. I have a few tapes and even that 1986 video bootleg that I review later in the issue, but it's just not the same as a live show. But Dale's band does a damn fine job playing the songs, so twice in 1994, I got to see that. Even better, they've all gone beyond Missing Persons into their own successful music careers. Every one of them has continued on in music. When Details snottily said last year "Missing Persons? Indeed!" in their "whatever happened to" feature, all I could do was wonder who was in charge of their research.
But, back to guitar. I think that is what drew me, at 15, first to the Pat Benatar Band...Neil's (and Scott's, to be fair) guitar on the Precious Time album, not to mention Pat's incredibly strong voice, and all the passion and beauty in their music. Many Duranies have shared with me how much Duran Duran meant to them in their high school days, and how the music Duran Duran created, or maybe just having something out there that meant that much to them, literally saved their lives. The Pat Benatar Band was like that for me. I did all the same things, within my limitations, that so many Duranies have done...the fiction writing, the button collecting, the lyric analysis. But, as I grew older, my tastes stayed kind of the same, and her music changed, and it just wasn't the same anymore, and so I became a metalhead at 20.
Kind of late, you're probably thinking. Well, yeah, but then, I usually am. By the time my three year love affair with Ratt and their fellow fun-loving metal maniacs Motley Crue, Kix, LA Guns, Guns & Roses, and Faster Pussycat was over, I had at least learned how to play bass from it all, at least I thought I had, and I was disillusioned with the rock press who wanted my favorite bands to go away and make room for new ones, with Rikki Rachtman who took over Headbanger's Ball from Adam Curry and completely ruined it, and with Ratt themselves, who released Detonator and just didn't really seem to mean it anymore. I was 23, and ready for something new.
And then a friend of mine played Duran Duran in the car. She had just bought the first four albums on cassette, and was teasing me about how I had pretty much forbidden her to play them when we were younger. What was this?? I wondered, falling in love with the Chauffeur and Seventh Stranger. Hey, they rock! I discovered, falling in love with Hold Back the Rain and Friends of Mine. Who's this Andy guy, and why haven't I ever heard any Duran Duran songs that sound like this? I asked. I bought Decade and liked it pretty well, heard All She Wants Is and recognized it as a song I had really liked without knowing who had done it, and bought Big Thing, adding Notorious just to be complete. That was when I discovered Warren, as Big Thing didn't leave my stereo for three weeks. Here was another guitarist who could do it all. I had been looking for something that I could listen to, something with a bit of versatility, something with all that beauty and passion that I had loved so much in the Benatar music. His guitar was angry, gentle, sometimes within the same song. And when Liberty came out, he was all over it, and that was it. I was hooked.
Using the Rock Record book, I found him listed under Missing Persons and Frank Zappa, and using OCLC, found the information on the albums I needed to find. Finding them was yet another problem, but at that point, all I needed to do was hear "Destination Unknown." I vaguely recalled it, not even sure it was the same song, but I miraculously found a radio station DJ in Olney, Illinois who dug through all the old 45's until he found it, and then the nice man was even nice enough to intro it and shut up, start it, let it play straight to the end without talking at all, so I could tape it. I loved it immediately, and then I found Rhyme and Reason on vinyl at the Salvation Army (Hey, I'm not proud, and it was 50 cents). That was a minor setback, as I just was not ready for it, but then I found it on cassette and gradually came to tolerate it.
Spring Session M and especially Color in Your Life were a lot more accessible to me, and one day I realized that I just might like Missing Persons more than I liked Duran Duran. I'm still not sure today which band I like best. Duran Duran has, of course, a much longer history and much more to choose from, with no album the same as the last one. But I find something in Missing Persons that is hard to explain. It's not just the music, it's the whole attitude, it's three people (and later five) who refused to conform to Top 40 standards and did what they wanted to do. It's lyrics that aren't sober and boringly significant, not beautiful meaningless phrases strung together, but really GOOD, combined with a bright clarity, a young fresh fearlessness, optimism and positivity, all backed up with absolutely flawless musicianship.
Something I have always admired about Warren is his talent, and how he can rely on it to back him up in what he wants to do musically. That's the same feeling I get from Missing Persons, as if anything is possible. Their music seems to scream, beautifully, "Why not??"
And Missing Persons survived, against all the reasons why not, to record 35 great songs and leave a mark in musical history that maybe isn't known by everyone, but is beloved by their fans, and believe me, I have come to find out that Tracey and I are not the only Missing Persons fans in existence. We both admire and respect a band that overcame so many obstacles to leave something great, and we recognize those obstacles.
Although none of them were from Southern California, they had all gravitated there to work with Frank Zappa, and they were thought of as a Los Angeles band. Each member had spent years perfecting what they contributed to the band, yet none of them are what would be called a "household name" even today. To the listening public, they were considered strange and eccentric, and to their built-in fans, Zappa fans who knew what they were capable of, the music that Missing Persons made probably seemed too conventional, being mostly in 4/4 time and all. Only a Zappa fan can watch Warren say in a 1984 interview "We're aiming for a conventional audience" and not think he was being sarcastic.
Most of all they were both ahead of their time and defined by it. Chuck gave everything a lush sound, making it all instantly recognizable as 80's music, but all of them seemed completely free to create, unable to be pigeonholed. Perhaps that was the trouble, as the music industry seems so narrow-mindedly driven to label everyone into a genre. The public and press focused on Dale's voice and wardrobe, seemingly forgetting about her lyric writing talent and the musical talent of the rest of the band. Missing Persons could write and perform music that was coldly brilliant, or raw and passionate, with lyrics that were beautiful poetry that really said something. Most of all, they work together. The songs are incredibly arranged so that you hear one person, another, then another, you hear the teamwork, the perfection of what goes where, you hear five great talents who were somehow joined together by fate for a few years to create all this.
Perhaps in time, they will be given the credit they truly deserve. I certainly can't speak for the general public, and I wouldn't want to, but if a person raised pretty much on conventional music can grow to love an album like Rhyme and Reason, I'd think anyone could change their mind. I'm listening to "The Closer That You Get" as I'm typing this line, and it is blowing my mind just as it did the moment I finally "got it." I hope you all enjoy it as much.
A Fun Little Letter From Circus Magazine,
1984
'Here's a list of the 10 "Best" compiled by the votes of 20 girls aged 16 to 19 in New Haven, CT. We hope you like it."
Best Body: 1. Simon LeBon 2. Roger
Daltrey 3. Warren Cuccurullo"
Meet The Band: Missing Persons
Biographies: Warren Cuccurullo
by Cyndi Glass
Fave MP Song: "Give" * Fave MP Video: "Destination
Unknown"
Born in Canarsie, Brooklyn (New York City), Warren Bruce Cuccurullo became interested in rock music very early and pursued this goal single-mindedly until he became a success. Born on Dec. 8, 1956, he grew up in New York and began going to any Zappa show within a radius of his home while still in his teens. He met Frank and went on stage at the New York City Halloween shows in 1978, and Frank hired him into the band in December 1978. Warren toured with the band on the Spring 1979 European tour and then recorded Joe's Garage with them during the rest of that year. In 1980, he formed Missing Persons with Terry and Dale Bozzio.
Warren remained at the forefront as far as songwriting went, co-writing most of the group's songs. But onstage, he seemed happy to be playing, giving Dale most of the spotlight even though he was up front with her and Terry. Dale introduced him at most shows as "Sophia Warren," continuing a tradition that Frank had started. After Missing Persons broke up, Warren noticed that Patrick and Terry had begun to work with Andy Taylor, and he found out that Andy was planning to quit the band (Duran Duran). He sent tapes and called persistently until Duran Duran found out about Andy and decided to give him a call, and he was hired to help with the recording of Notorious. After the 1987 tour, the recording of Big Thing, and the 1988/89 tour, Duran Duran made him a full and equal member in June 1989, and he remains so today, having largely been responsible for the massive comeback that Duran Duran enjoyed in 1993.
Besides Duran Duran, Warren has kept other irons in the fire. In 1987, he and his brother Jerry played on an Epidemics album, and he also began to lend guitar parts to Patrick O'Hearn's solo LP's. He has gotten even more busy as time has gone by, touring with Tetsuya Komuro in Japan, working with Dweezil Zappa and Meatloaf, and recording guitar tracks for the new Michael Jackson album (they were not used). Meanwhile, he has two solo albums...one is a harder rocking guitar album, Thanks 2 Frank, and the other is an ambient guitar album, Machine Language. Neither has been released.
Meet The Band: Missing Persons
Biographies: Terry Bozzio
by Cyndi Glass
Born Dec. 27, 1950, Terry John Bozzio has had quite a career, earning the respect of fans and critics alike. He added his talent to many groups (Azteca, Brecker Brothers, 10CC, to name three) prior to joining Frank Zappa's band in the mid-1970's. The only member to survive a band firing, Terry became a centerpiece of the new band Zappa put together, which included Patrick O'Hearn. Zappa composed the difficult "Black Page" especially for Terry, and Terry became well known, not only for his drumming skill but for his stage antics, which were captured on film in the Baby Snakes movie. Quitting Zappa's band in the 1978 over some lyrics that he disliked ("Stick It Out", Terry began work with Patrick in a new group (Group 87) and later joined UK, a group he quit due to not being treated as the full member he wished to be. At this point, he, Dale and Warren formed Missing Persons. Terry was a drummer and a front man, a spokesman and a creative genius. After Missing Persons broke up in 1986, Terry began working with Andy Taylor on the American Anthem songs and then joined up with Jeff Beck and Tony Hymas for "Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop," for which he won a Grammy in 1990. He's worked with Dweezil Zappa, Patrick O'Hearn, Duran Duran, Steve Vai (Sex and Religion), and I'm sure there are more I am not aware of. His most recent activities have been recording and touring with another "supergroup," Polytown, as well as giving drum instructional clinics all over North America. His fan club sells his instructional tapes, T-shirts, posters, bootlegs and more. Terry is from San Francisco and lives in Austin with his second wife, EV.
Terry has a fan club too, and you can get more information by sending a
SASE to Slam International, PO BOX 163005, Austin TX, 78716. His fan club costs
$15. You can also buy a t-shirt, a poster, some video bootlegs, some CD's, and
some instructional items as well.
Meet The Band: Missing Persons
Biographies: Patrick O'Hearn
by Cyndi Glass
Fave MP Song: "Windows and Million Years" * Fave MP Video:
"Destination Unknown"
Patrick O'Hearn, from Portland, Oregon, was born Sept. 6, 1954 and joined Frank Zappa's band in the mid-70's. He can be seen a lot in the Baby Snakes movie. He was in the short-lived Group 87 and then joined Missing Persons in about 1981 or 1982. While in Missing Persons, he switched from a "guitar" bass to playing bass on a synthesizer, and then switched back in 1984. He co-wrote "Give," "Surrender Your Heart" and "If Only For The Moment" on Rhyme and Reason and co-wrote many songs on Color In Your Life. After Missing persons broke up, he played on Andy Taylor's Thunder album and went on tour with him, also appearing in Andy's MTV New Year's Eve concert. But, even before Missing Persons broke up, Patrick was hard at work on his solo career, and he has been very prolific. His music can be found in the "new age" section of record stores, and both Terry and Warren have helped out on his albums. He also has had a busy career as a score composer for TV and movies, including A Current Affair, General Hospital (Holly/Bill/Lucy/Richard, 1992), Barbara Walters specials, a TV movie "A Case of Need" starring Crystal Bernard, and three theatrical releases, "White Sands," "Silent Tongue" and "Father of the Bride."
Patrick's new album, Trust, has been out since July, so buy it now! and if the stores don't have it, ask them to get it! According to Patrick, "Warren is playing on the first cut, 'Liberty,' due to technology. His part was taken from some work he did on White Sands that was not used in the film...the music is much the same as my past work." Patrick has also finished scoring a new movie, "Crying Freeman," that is out everywhere except the U.S. It's "a Gothic tale of the Asian underworld, taking place in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Vancouver and San Francisco."
Meet The Band: Missing Persons
Biographies: Chuck Wild
by Cyndi Glass
Fave MP Song: "U.S. Drag"
Well, as you can see, Chuck is no longer missing, we found him! He's been VERY busy too.
Chuck Wild was born Sept. 22, 1946 in Kansas City, Missouri, and attended the University of Kansas, from which he received a B.S. in Business Administration. Chuck began playing music "at age 4, when I was told I had to stay off my feet for 12 months because of a hip problem (which healed after 12 months)." He studied classical piano for 12 years, attended college, made 3 trips to Vietnam and then "went on the road, playing in blues and original bands until moving to Los Angeles in 1979."
Chuck auditioned for Missing Persons on his birthday in 1980 ("the band bought me a birthday dinner after my audition!") and left in the fall of 1984. He says he left because "I wanted to be in a situation where I was writing the songs. Since Terry, Warren, and Dale had that pretty much covered in MP, I decided to leave. It was really necessary to the growth of my career."
And what a career it has been! After leaving Missing Persons, he produced an album for a group called "Vector," and co-wrote 3 songs on their album. He has written songs that have been recorded by the Pointer Sisters, Philip Bailey, Jennifer Rush (her song, "You're My One And Only" went to #1 in Europe in 1989), Glen Medeiros, and a popular Japanese group, WINK, for which he wrote their latest single, "One Kiss At A Time," or in Japanese, "Heaven Ga Matteru."
In 1987 he composed music for eight episodes of ABC's "Max Headroom," and in 1989/90 he attended UCLA briefly to study film composing. After that, he composed "dramatic underscore" for the film "The Panama Deception," which won an Oscar for best feature length documentary, and in 1992-94 he mixed the music for the TV series "Bobby's World." From May 1994 to April 1995, he worked with Michael Jackson (sound programming, playing and a small amount of mixing for two songs on the HIStory album).
In the fall of 1994, he recorded an album under the name LIQUID MIND. "The name of the first album is Ambience Minimus, and it is very slow space music," Chuck says, adding, "It's chill-out music, no rhythm, nothing but slow liquidy sounds and pretty chords. Good music to sleep by or make love to." Chuck is working on a second LIQUID MIND album and lives in Los Angeles. We have lots more info about Chuck now and interviewed him in depth. Check out his feature article in Privacy #13!
Meet The Band: Missing Persons
Biographies: Dale Bozzio
by Cyndi Glass
Dale Bozzio, born Dale Frances Consalvi on March 2, 1955, came from Boston, where she was a Playboy Bunny at the Boston Playboy Club. A magazine article I have quotes her as saying she was a "billiards bunny," playing pool for 5 hours a night, 4 nights a week. She met Frank Zappa at an all-night deli and told him how much she enjoyed his music, garnering an invitation to stop by when she came to L.A. She did, and she and Terry began dating, leading the way for Missing Persons to begin. But that was in 1976, and until then, she helped out a bit on a few Zappa albums, immortalizing herself as "Mary" in Joe's Garage and also singing on "I Don't Wanna Get Drafted."
In 1979, she and Terry got married, and in 1980, they and Warren formed Missing Persons. Dale was mainly a lyricist for Missing Persons, but she was an atmosphere, a positive and outspoken presence that got them noticed. From all accounts I have heard it was she who made the decision to quit the band first, causing the split. She and Terry were divorced in 1985 or 1986.
In 1988, Dale recorded a solo album (under the name of "Dale") on Prince's Paisley Park label: Riot In English. It's very different from Missing Persons but unmistakably her. Her single, "Simon Simon," enjoyed moderate success on the Billboard dance charts and is performed by her today in her solo shows, in a harder-edged funkier version than what is on the album.
In 1991, Dale began touring as "Missing Persons," performing Missing Persons hit. Jerry Cuccurullo, Warren's brother, was her drummer for this tour. After that tour, she became a bit discouraged with the music business and turned to real estate in her native Boston, but soon she decided to get back into it again. In early 1994, she began touring again, with a new band and new management, and then she switched managers again. The shows are usually in tiny clubs, billed as either "Dale Bozzio" or "Missing Persons," and she sometimes goes on radio shows to promote them during the day of the show. She's married again, with two children, participated in Zappa's Universe and is very sweet.
SIMON SIMON VIDEO 1988
Dale has long blonde hair extensions in this one and seems to mainly sing the song and show herself off, and she looks absolutely fantastic, except for her face, which has so much makeup on it that it looks as if she has been beaten. Nice footage of a hunky built body builder in it too (sorry, it's not Warren).
Missing Persons: The Albums
by Cyndi Glass
Please see the Missing Persons Discography: http://cglass.vinu.edu/privacy/mpdisc.html
as detailed information has been omitted from the online edition.
Publishing: Terry Bozzio - Private Life Music, Dale Bozzio - Life After
Music, Warren Cuccurullo - Private Parts Music, Patrick O'Hearn - Gypsy Joker
Music.
MISSING PERSONS EP, KOMOS, 1980:
"I don't care where they're from or what they've done..." (I Like Boys)
1980 was a year of great transition from disco to the more diverse sounds of the early 80's, and Missing Persons fit right in. After they tried unsuccessfully to get a record deal, the band borrowed $3000 from Warren's father and released the 4 song 7 inch EP on their producer's label, KoMoS. It contains the two songs from Lunch Wagon (the rowdy Mental Hopscotch and I Like Boys), a loopy cover of the Doors' Hello I Love You, and a disco-tinged Destination Unknown. With only the promotion done by the band in the form of radio station visits, concerts, and Lunch Wagon, the EP sold (estimates vary) between 7000 and 11,000 copies, making the industry finally take notice.
MISSING PERSONS EP, CAPITOL, MARCH 1982
"I know I'll leave when it's my time to go, till then I'll carry on with what I know..." (Destination Unknown)
The first thing Capitol Records did, after signing them to the label, was to re-issue the EP as a 12 inch on its own imprint. Deleting Hello I Love You, they replaced it with another Missing Persons original, Words, which was released as a single in June. It peaked at #42, and the "mini-LP" became the best selling debut EP at that time, selling 250,000 copies and charting on the Billboard album chart.
SPRING SESSION M, CAPITOL, OCTOBER 1982
"I held thoughts of you inside me when I was the lonely one" (Tears)
"Spring Session M" is an anagram of "Missing Persons"
Album reached #17 and went gold. Also available on CD.
In October, Missing Persons released its first full length album, consisting of ten new original songs, plus, at Capitol's insistence, Destination Unknown and Words from the EP. The band got to keep all ten of their songs on there in a compromise. Also new to the band were bassist Patrick O'Hearn, who had turned to playing bass on a keyboard, and veteran keyboardist Chuck Wild. At the same time, Capitol released Destination Unknown with a lavish video, and it matched Words at the #42 chart position. The new songs were brash and energetic, perfect for a new era of music. It was evident that the five had formed a cohesive musical unit.
The fiery Noticeable One starts off the album with a bang, and it doesn't really let up. Although some of these early songs sound a little alike, they all have stand-out moments, such as the down and dirty guitar work on Here and Now, the beautiful lyrics of Tears, the demandingly languid U.S. Drag, the sheer fun of Rock & Roll Suspension (check out that bass!), and the driving complexity of No Way Out. The triumphant Bad Streets and the fantastic as always Destination Unknown also stand out, along with the plaintive Windows and Missing Persons' colossal signature anthem, Walking in L.A. The album went gold, peaking at #17 and was the band's most successful album, and two more singles were released: Windows, which reached #63 and Walking in L.A., which reached #70, even as it became their most recognized song.
As of August 1995, according to Capitol Records Soundscan data, the album has sold 2,693 copies since 1987. It has also been re-released on CD on the One Way label this summer.
RHYME AND REASON, CAPITOL, 1984
"Life holds no answers to the questions when we won't ask enough" (Now is the Time For Love)
Inner sleeve painting (vinyl only) : Terry Bozzio
Their most experimental album, Rhyme and Reason has something to astonish the listener at every turn. The music is clashing and hard-edged, while also being jazzy and subtle, and the repertoire has expanded to include powerful rock songs, ripping guitar solos, barely-there gently strummed acoustic guitar. The best thing about this album is how cohesively the arrangements manage to be seamless and yet show each member at their very best. The songs are stunningly well crafted and complex, and as if that is not enough, the beautiful black and white photography of Helmut Newton emphasizes the contrasts found on the album.
Warren and Terry both designed the instruments they played on this album--Terry's electronic drum kit and Warren's Missing Link guitar. Particular standouts include the mind-blowing The Closer that You Get, the jazz-rock Give, the strong Right Now and the simple and beautiful Surrender Your Heart. In Waiting for a Million Years the music captures the haunted longing that the lyrics touch upon. The political All Fall Down and the stately Clandestine People add a touch of something as well.
New fans take a while to get used to this album, and even Warren seemed somewhat disappointed in it in a 1987 interview, but it remains their most daring work. A single, Give, peaked at #67 in 1984. The last song, If Only For the Moment, written by Dale and Patrick, seems to foreshadow Patrick's later solo work. Patrick co-wrote for the first time on this album, co-writing Give, Surrender Your Heart and If Only for the Moment. Chuck left the band later in 1984.
COLOR IN YOUR LIFE, CAPITOL, 1986
"It's not my real nature, it's not what I want to own, but it always
brings me to my knees before I let it go..."
(We Don't Know Love At All)
2 versions of vinyl exist. First one had side 2 recorded at wrong speed
and was recalled and replaced with second one. All songs written by Missing
Persons.
Produced by Bernard Edwards and recorded at the Power Station studio in New York, this is Missing Persons' most conventional and therefore accessible album. It was also to be their last, and it was plagued by bad luck. The album was delayed in production due to Bernard Edwards' prior commitments and then, quite inexcusably, Capitol released it with side 2 recorded at a much faster speed than it should have been. All vinyl albums were recalled and replaced, and the band released a single and video for I Can't Think About Dancing, which failed to chart. A small haphazard and often cancelled tour followed, ending abruptly one day when the band broke up in the summer of 1986.
Some of it is straight-forward moody hard rock, which can get a bit repetitive in places, but there are some great songs here too. The lyrical beauty is still there, lifting the mood of even the most musically uninspired songs, such as Color in Your Life. Each member stands out again, but the equality seems to be gone, and it's very much dominated by Terry and Warren. Dale's vocals have been tamed quite a bit as well. Of course there are layers and LAYERS of guitar, which always pleases me, and I don't mean to gripe about this album, because it was my favorite for a long time, and it still has my favorite MP song on it, Face to Face.
The bass plods in parts and then Patrick does an incredible lick out of the blue, almost teasingly. The keyboards, handled by Patrick's younger brother, Robert O'Hearn, are pretty standard while still retaining the signature MP sound. Warren plays in several different styles within some songs, much as he now does with Duran Duran, and Terry seems to be in his element, trying out new techniques and hitting them dead on every time.
Stand-out songs include the repetitive but still interestingly versatile Go Against the Flow, the hypnotic I Can't Think About Dancing, the passionate Come Back for More with its (real) horn part by Mark Isham. Ever heard two trumpets and an unleashed guitar soloing together? It's pretty great. Boy I Say to You with its intriguing guitar parts and near-brashness, and No Secrets, in which you can hear Warren perfecting the guitar sound he did so well in Duran Duran's Serious and Sin of the City, show the album's most intricate arrangements. The best songs on the album though, are the savage Warren-dominated Face to Face, and the hauntingly sad We Don't Know Love At All, which closes out the album with Terry on lead vocals and Dale backing him up, all tied together by Warren's strong acoustic-sounding guitar. Making this song doubly sad is the real life fact that the Bozzio marriage broke up shortly thereafter, ending the band.
BEST OF MISSING PERSONS, CAPITOL, 1987
By far the better of the two compilations, Best of Missing Persons has 15 songs, including the hard to find EP tracks, and it's also currently available in the stores on CD and cassette. It also contains a remix from the 12 inch single of I Can't Think About Dancing. According to Capitol Records, as of August 1995, it has sold 73,824 copies.
WALKING IN L.A., CAPITOL, 1988
An eight song special market cassette, it's easily found in cutout bins. Sounds good and is inexpensive, but you should really get the other one instead if you can.
Missing Persons: The Videos
By Cyndi Glass
They wouldn't have been an early 80's band without them, and they made them of course. One thing you can tell from watching them is how hard they worked, how much they wanted to get their message across, and I hope they know that they did.
LONGFORM VIDEOS: see the Lunch Wagon review in this issue.
SHORTFORM VIDEOS: NOTE: some of these I am not sure actually ARE videos. They seem to be, but I'm not sure where some of them came from. If I know they are actually videos, I have put a star beside the title and date.
MENTAL HOPSCOTCH 1981? *
Filled with strange colors, shapes and effects, this is obviously a very early video, featuring the three founding members, Terry, Dale and Warren. Terry and Warren are dressed in tight leotard-looking outfits, and just giving it their all. There's a hopscotch grid drawn on the stage, and all of them are absolutely on top of their game, full of energy.
WORDS 1981 or 1982 *
This is the one most new fans have seen, as it is played on VH-1 whenever they decide to play Missing Persons. A blinding white background contrasts with the band's black outfits and Dale's stunning famous plastic outfit. Warren has his Vox Wah-wah pedal guitar here and puts it to great use. Terry is just wonderfully berzerk on the drums. The audio track is also different from the way the single sounds. This video mainly features just Terry, Dale and Warren.
NOTICEABLE ONE 1982 *
Another performance video, this one has new members Chuck and Patrick in it too. The audio track is jumping with energy, sounds *live* as opposed to the album version. Dale's in a tight silver suit, Terry's in a red sleeveless shirt, Warren's in a long tan & white striped jacket & leather pants, Patrick has a white shirt with red & black designs on it, and Chuck has a cream colored suit. Chuck in particular is very active in this one, the choreography looks natural, and it's absolutely a phenomenal experience to watch Warren play his guitar part in the chorus, not to mention watching him yell "Notice Me!' into the mike.
DESTINATION UNKNOWN 1982 *
The first really professionally done video by the band, this one has beauty, mystery and intrigue, perfectly fitting the lyrics. The viewer is taken into a surrealistic world of shadows and murky light. Dale sings into a mirror while she sprays her hair, goes to a cafe where Warren (with slicked back hair) is behind the counter and watches her. The band is shown in a car, and they stop driving, and Dale falls out of the car when the door is opened. She is carried to a chair and left there, and she wakes up and looks around. Then she gets up and goes to look for them, runs around down dark streets and through puddles, finally goes into a room with lots of broken glass and collapses on a bed. Terry puts some of the broken glass together and sees himself in it, descends the ladder and comes to sit on the bed next to Dale, touching her face gently as she sleeps.
L.A. IS MY LADY (FRANK SINATRA) 1984 *
A hilarious pastiche of L.A. scenes of strange places and strange people. How could Missing Persons be excluded? They wear white and dance, drive around in a jeep, play with toys, run around on a beach (Dale is carried by Terry and Warren on a surfboard), and stand in a line and kick. They are by no means the only L.A. people in this funny funny must-see video, which also includes footage of Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, and Frank Sinatra himself.
GIVE 1984 *
A futuristic hard-edged video. Its only flaw is the omission of the ripping second guitar solo by Warren, but that can be forgiven because we get to see the Missing Link guitar and what Warren can do with it. All of them are heavily made up, and Dale's hair is...well, something else. We also get to see Terry's compact electronic drum kit that he designed himself. Chuck's hair is very red in this one. Patrick's in a dark grey wool suit, and this is the first video in which he plays a "guitar" bass instead of a "keyboard: bass. Terry's in a grey suit and red crimped hair, Dale's in something very pointy, and Warren, well, it looks like Warren's the star of this video, 'cause he wears FOUR different outfits in it: a long white coat, a long black coat, a long sleeved black shirt, and a sleeveless vest with straps. All with leather pants of course. The video's dark moodiness captures the song perfectly.
RIGHT NOW 1984 *
Missing Persons goes to the beach...a brightly colored sandy beach with lots of toys, a funny little plane, and billowing black water made out of what looks like a huge trash bag. Wonder what they would have looked like in Sri Lanka? This one, for once, has all five of them pretty much featured equally. Chuck has thick streaked very straight multi-colored bangs and is dressed in white. Patrick and Warren are shown both dressed for the beach and also in bits fully dressed and playing bass and guitar respectively. Terry's hair is red and slicked back, and Dale is her beautiful, gregarious, and loud-looking self. She wears a long tan trench coat and then a black leather bikini outfit with fishnet hose & black heels, covered later with an immaculate white short jacket and Navy cap on her head. Warren wears a black bikini, gets to eat an ice cream cone, run around nearly nude, and then look through binoculars and be a lifeguard. Sounds like fun to me.
SURRENDER YOUR HEART 1984 *
Directed by Peter Max, this is mostly artistic effects and pretty colors that look like they were done by a Windows Paintbrush program, but we must remember this WAS eleven years ago and probably was state of the art at the time. The effects pulsate and change to somewhat match the rhythm of the song, but the only footage of the band is some Dale footage from Right Now, and the Helmut Newton black and white Rhyme and Reason album photos of all five, with an anonymous hand painting colors onto them. Could have been much better served with another Destination Unknown-like video, but that's just my opinion.
I CAN'T THINK ABOUT DANCING 1986 *
The last Missing Persons video, this is a performance video showing off the new look of the band. Chuck is gone, and so is the pink and blue from Dale's hair. Only, the camera does a never-ending pan right, and we see rows of Warren, rows of Terry, rows of Patrick, and rows of Dale, all performing, all slightly different, and very very cool...Patrick explained on MTV how it was done: there are 300 different edits in the 3 and 3/4 minute video, with the camera making several different passes, in 75 different sequences. Colored blobs are edited in to bounce around and be pretty. Look for Warren's guitar solo and the smile Terry gives Dale toward the end.
Warren's Favorite Lyric
Privacy: What do you feel is the
best lyric you have ever written?
Warren: "No Secrets"
(MP)
--taken from Privacy questionnaire
interview, Nov. 1993
No Secrets (Color In Your Life,
1986)
© 1985 Missing persons (Warren Cuccurullo: words & music, Terry
Bozzio, music, Patrick O'Hearn: music) (source: Library of Congress)
"This look is worth a thousand words, just one touch and
you'll always be there, It's so good to know the doors are open, and we're both
free to come and go,
We have no secrets
I see clearly through your eyes, I understand when I hear your voice.
The walls that stood have now been broken, you look at me and we both know
There are no secrets
We have no secrets, we are as one, What we have between us, is forever
on and on, No secrets, we are as one, what we have between us, is forever on
and on
One look is worth a thousand words, One touch, and you'll always be
there, So good to know the doors are open, We're free, free to come and go
No secrets, between us, no secrets, at all, no secrets, between us, no
secrets, at all
The walls that stood have now been broken, the walls that stood have
now been broken, the walls that stood have now been broken, you look at me and
we both know - no secrets, no secrets, no secrets, no secrets."
Singles/Chart
Peaks:
Words: 8/28/82, #42, Capitol 9773
Destination Unknown: 11/27/82,
#42, Capitol 5161
Windows: 1/12/83, #63, Capitol
5200
Walking In L.A.: 3/26/83, #70,
Capitol 5212
Give: 4/14/84, #67, Capitol
PB-5326
Words/American Pie (not by MP):
903615-5704-1 (re-release on oldies label
From Music Connection
"But enough of all that music-biz stuff. What I want to know is the real dirt. What's it like to be married and in the same band? 'Well,' explains Mrs. Bozzio, 'everybody has their ups and downs, whether they're married, in a band, or living together.' But Warren spills the beans. 'Put these guys in one bathroom, and they're in trouble. But now they have three bathrooms and everything is fine.'"
Kickin' Down Bad Streets: Dale On The Road
Dale in Minneapolis
by Pam Pruitt
Just thought to let you know that I recently went to see Missing Persons do a live show at Prince's nightclub, Glam Slam, in Minneapolis, MN on July 1, 1995. I thought the show was great! However, it seemed that there were some technical difficulties at the beginning - Dale looked like she was pissed. Everything must have been fixed because she looked like she was having a great time. They played all their hit songs ("Destination Unknown," "Words," "Walking in L.A.") as well as "Noticeable One," "US Drag," "Mental Hopscotch," and a few other MP songs. They also played a Zappa tune: "Watermelon in Easter Hay," as well as "Simon Simon" a song that Dale recorded in 1988. The group was small, but Dale was very appreciative to those who came to see her perform. She's a very sweet person - she even shook hands with some of the audience. Wish I had been standing closer to the stage so she could've shook my hand. I wish I had pictures of the show to send you, but the security guards at Glam Slam wouldn't allow me to take pictures. I was kind of pissed at that. Overall, I had a great time that night.
Dale in Kansas City
by Dana Detrick
I was lucky enough to win tickets off the radio (which I really should have paid for, being as how it was a charity event). The night of the show, there was severe weather and flash flooding everywhere (which is pretty normal in Kansas City) but making my fella Paul's night even more dreaded, since he was driving. You see, words cannot describe how much Paul did not want to go see Missing Persons. He cringed when I won the tickets. He HATES Dale's voice. Loathes it. But luckily his devotion to me is undying (ha), and he was putting his personal dislikes aside to fulfill a bit of a dream for me.
We finally get to the club/yuppie beer-guzzling ponytail fest that is known as Senor Phrogg's where the event took place. They stripped poor Paul of his cutlery (he just loves knives) making this more fun for him, and we were finally able to go in. The place looked pretty lame, being as how all the Gap shoppers got there first, but we quickly found some liquor and were able to loosen up. We stood right next to the stage (the place was pretty small) for the whole show. We also had the distinction of being the strangest looking people there. I couldn't believe it! I mean, it's Missing Persons! Where was this crowd in the 80's? Snubbing their noses at us! I must admit, I'm still a new wave nightmare. There was so much black velvet on me, it was as though I was waiting for an animated Elvis to jump on my back.
Anyhow, we felt a lot better after the opening act came on. They were really lame. Paul's the bassist in my band, and we've hardly rehearsed, and we could've kicked these guys' asses, no problem. They sounded sort of like Glass Tiger (ooh) and looked like, well, let's just say a-ha should watch out if these guys come to Norway! Anyhow, we met up with Leo, a 42 year old Terry fan who just couldn't believe Terry wasn't there, so he bought us all beer so we could cry together. We hung out with Leo's brother-in-law Frank, who was a little closer to our age but equally as upset about lack of original members. They were talking about how great a player Warren was (this conversation was started by me) and how he was making the "big bucks" in Duran-2. I must mention Leo was exceedingly happy to see Dale. He actually knew and could describe in detail the issues of certain "pictorially" inclined mags which had featured Dale in the 70's.
Finally the guys and Dale came on. At first I thought the guys looked like an Alice Cooper cloning experiment gone very wrong. But they were great! I couldn't believe how many words I actually knew. More amazing was that Leo knew EVERY word. I mean it, this is the biggest Missing Persons fan in the world! He even saw Lunch Wagon! Anyway, the playing was fantastic! All the players were great, but the standout was definitely the bassist! He did a 5 minute solo alone, and my boyfriend lost it! He's now a freak over MP! He said it's one of the best shows he's ever seen! (And he's investing in leather pants).
Dale was hilarious. My god, those shoes! Her voice was in top shape, which shocked and impressed me a lot! Beaumont was cool, and as a guitarist I gotta hand it to him. I was afraid he would copy Warren's solos, and from a guitar player's standpoint that's really crappy to do. But he didn't copy one! I was so happy. He's no Warren, but he did pretty good.
Because of the crowd, they had to do a second show. I guess KC is just full of MP fans! We didn't get to stay though. It was really late, and I had an 8 AM class the next day. And we had spent all of our money on alcohol and couldn't afford to get back in!
SIDEBAR ON DANA: Dana writes in: "I also included in here a copy of a flyer for a concert I did yesterday...the combo I put together performed 2 of my compositions. "La Dona del Fuego" and the "Dark Tower" were both Latin jazz ditties, with the last being more fusion. (It's my answer to "Chunga's Revenge." I soloed over most of it."
Come & Get It: The Lunch Wagon Review
by Cyndi Glass
LUNCH WAGON: Media Home Entertainment M84 c. 1984 (VHS) Rated R, 88 minutes
A coworker of mine, when asked if he had heard of this movie, responded enthusiastically, and knowledgeably, about it, reeling off the actresses' names as if he had seen it many times, which, it turned out, he had...on late night cable. Seems that the USA Network runs it frequently. Those of you who aren't excited by the fact that it's a Playboy Playmate feature should probably do what I have done: copy all the Missing Persons part onto a separate videotape so that you don't wear out your fast forward button. Of course, there are probably a few of you out there right now saying "That was THEM?" and smiling happily at the realization that you now have a reason to watch it again. Haha, go ahead...
Easily rentable just about anywhere (and probably cheaply buyable as well), Lunch Wagon was released theatrically in 1980 and on video in 1984. The video box has a nice little blurb about how the music was done by Missing Persons too! The plot involves two girls and what happens when they start a lunch business out of a mobile home that is given to them. Jewels get inadvertently stashed in it by burglars, and everything generally goes to hell before it's all straightened out in the end. So where do Missing Persons fit into this?
Well, you just can't fill up a movie with the above plot and topless girls, so we must have a subplot. There's this band called "Teddy and the Ruff Riders," and they're in town, and they consist of six members: a singer named Teddy (Dale Bozzio), a guitarist (Warren Cuccurullo), a drummer (Terry Bozzio), and a bassist, keyboardist and manager played by actors. The latter three actually have parts interacting with the stars of the movie and have been placed there (in the band) to lipsync so that the actresses can date members of the band without involving the 3 only REAL band members (Warren, Terry and Dale). Warren and Terry have a couple of lines, and Dale has a slightly larger part: kissing the manager as Terry looks on and comments, a fight scene, and driving the van. Terry and Warren drive up in a little Chevette later and unload equipment. Warren's two lines are "Excuse me..." and "Musta been a long bus ride."
Beyond that, they sit and watch bad comedy, looking very irritated and bored (especially Warren). The most exciting thing about the movie is that "Mental Hopscotch" is used as the theme song and "Teddy and the Ruff Riders" do a soundcheck with it, and later perform it and "I Like Boys." It's all lipsynced, but it's really fun to watch, lots of close-ups, and none of them are as dressed up as they are in the later Missing Persons videos, so you can see them looking ordinary. Warren wears a red and white striped shirt and later a nicer shirt for the performance, striped in tiny, black stripes. Terry's in tight shirts and bouncing around as usual, and Dale is actually in a black T-shirt and jeans for the soundcheck. Later she performs in a black, leather outfit. Her hair is just normally wavy and poofy, platinum blonde with some dark roots showing.
It's definitely worth having, even if you just want the Missing Persons parts. This was so early in Missing Persons' career that in the credits they were listed not as Missing Persons but as "U.S. Drag," a former name they used before they decided on Missing Persons. According to the "Cinemania '94 CD-ROM, it was directed by Ernest Pintoff and was reissued at some point as "Lunch Wagon Girls" and "Come and Get It." Not all music in the movie was done by Missing Persons. The cast includes Pamela Bryant, Candy Moore, Rose Marie, Vic Dunlop, Dick Van Patten, Rosanne Katon, Rick Podell, Chuck McCann, Jimmy Van Patten, and George Memmoli.
Other videos you can rent to see Missing Persons members:
Baby Snakes (reviewed in Privacy Issue #9), Honker Home Video, 1987, color, VHS, 3 hr, 3 min, 47 sec, (MP 4000 1979): Frank Zappa documentary video from 1977 tour. Terry and Patrick featured heavily, Dale VERY briefly, and Warren twice, also very briefly.
Missing Persons: Surrender Your Heart. Sony/Capitol Records, 1984, color, VHS, 15 minutes: Contains the Missing Persons videos for Right Now, Give, Destination Unknown, and Surrender Your Heart.
American Anthem 1986: At the end of this movie, the Andy Taylor "Take it Easy" video is shown, featuring Terry Bozzio on drums.
Various Andy Taylor videos 1986-1987 - Both Patrick and Terry appear in several Andy Taylor short form videos from 1986 and 1987. If you come across any video concerts from Andy's 1987 tour, you can see Patrick on bass as well, as he joined Andy's band when Missing Persons broke up.
"Simon Simon" by Dale (see Dale's bio section for a review) 1988
"Throwaway" by Mick Jagger --I've been told Terry is in this, though I have not seen it myself.
Stuff That's Fun To Watch: MP on TV
by Cyndi Glass
If you do a lot of digging, you can find this stuff, and I would be very happy if you would share with me any additional stuff you have found. I have these things on three videotapes from three different people. Goldmine is a good source. If you don't see Missing Persons in an ad, call and ask anyway, because some people have things by them and don't put them in the ad. I can't promise that these people will still have them, but here are two dealers that used to have tapes with some of the following items on them:
Kevin Brown (604) 753-6327 (ad says "Girls on Film")
Rock-It Shippers (201) 478-9534 (also had DD board game)
You can order a Missing Persons Rhyme and Reason poster, featuring the Helmut Newton black and white photos (Dale in center, Terry, Chuck, Patrick and Warren in the four corners) from: Rich Richards Posters, 2050 Pacific Beach Dr #206, San Diego, CA 92109, (619) 581-6863, (613) 581-0031 (fax)
If you know of ANY other items that are not listed here, including t-shirts, buttons, press kits, tapes, videos, etc, please let me know. Thanks!
AUDIO ITEMS:
Dec 31 1982, Long Beach CA: This was a huge concert for Missing Persons; they played in front of 18,000 people. Set list: Noticeable One, Words, U.S. Drag, Windows, Here and Now, Walking in L.A., I Like Boys, Destination Unknown
1983, Magic Mountain, CA: Set list: Mental Hopscotch, Noticeable Ones, Words, Tears, It Ain't None of Your Business, Bad Streets, Windows, Here and Now, Walking in L.A., No Way Out, I Like Boys, Destination Unknown
June 1986, San Juan Capistrano, CA: Set list: Dark & Dangerous, Color in Your Life, Face to Face, Come Back for More, No Secrets, Destination Unknown, Noticeable Ones, Boy I Say to You, Words, Flash of Love, Go Against the Flow, Windows, I Can't Think About Dancing, Mental Hopscotch, Walking in L.A., It Ain't None of Your Business, No Way Out.
"Inner View" 1984: Long in-depth interview of Terry Bozzio, Dale Bozzio and Warren Cuccurullo by a radio host.
"I'm just being me, and if that's being a sex symbol, more power to me, I guess." (Dale Bozzio, 1983)
VIDEO ITEMS
INTERVIEWS:
"Rock on TV" (1983): interview of Terry, Dale and Warren, covering marketing, why Dale is the focus, natural energy, Dale talking about inability to keep a "normal" job and hoping to see a female president, over-enthusiastic fans, stage-diving, Dale's clothes that she makes herself from plexiglass, tubing and packing plastic, how Terry and Dale met, and Warren's Playgirl spread. Band is called "mobile, innovative and attractive. Clips of Mental Hopscotch and Destination Unknown videos, ends with entire Noticeable Ones video
"New Music" (date unknown): portions of Mental Hopscotch video, interview of Terry, Dale and Warren, covering Frank Zappa and what it was like to work for him, positive attitude, anti-drug stance, being a Playboy Bunny, their parents, fame.
"Thicke of the Night" (Alan Thicke) 1984: Interview of Dale, talking about where the band members are from, ages of Missing Persons fans, and her personal causes (endangered kangaroos, Greenpeace, and saving the earth), and why Missing Persons tries to stay non-political.
"Entertainment Tonight" 1983 (?): part of Words video, interview with Dale, Terry and Warren, about health food, health benefits of cats, Dale's flamboyance, and how in the beginning Terry and Warren wanted her to tone her voice down, and how she didn't and it became her trademark, responsibility to young people. Also includes a bit of what may be a video for Windows.
"MTV," 1984: Interview conducted by Nina Blackwood, of Terry, Dale and Warren, about Dale's voice, the level of musicianship within the band, history of Missing Persons so far, new album and video with inspirational message, effect of success on Terry & Dale's relationship, and Warren's spread in Playgirl. Clips of Words, Destination Unknown, and Give.
"MTV New Years Eve Ball 1985," (1985) Very brief clip of Warren in a gorgeous blue silky flowing shirt, with black leather pants and gloves, smiling, waving, blowing a kiss at someone, and talking with Martha Quinn and Nina Blackwood.
"MTV" 1986: Brief clip of Patrick in a ponytail and dressed in black, explaining the techniques used in the making of the "I Can't Think About Dancing" video. Looks like it was taken from a longer interview.
Missing Persons TV advertisement for Spring Session M and the Dec 31, 1982 Long Beach concert, by Capitol.
PERFORMANCES:
"Merv Griffin" (1982): Joe Smith from Capitol (remember him from Three to Get Ready??) chats with Merv about the Missing Persons EP and what a big hit it is. The stage is draped in white with pink and blue neon lights, and they lipsync to Words. They, as always in their TV appearances, look immaculate and energetic. Dale's in clear plastic, looking relaxed and comfortable, while Terry's in a red leather sleeveless shirt, and Warren's in a black shirt which is slightly open, with the Vox and a pair of bright blue boots. The other two are not shown very clearly. At the end, Merv introduces only Dale, Terry, and Warren.
"The Tube" (1983): Rowdy and fast live versions (not lipsynced) of Mental Hopscotch, Words, and Walking in L.A. The guitar is muted and it's heavy on the keyboards, but they rip through the songs with ease. Warren's wearing a (Marilyn Monroe?) T-shirt under a white and black jacket, Terry's in a shiny orchid suit, and Dale's hair has all KINDS of things going on--braids, clippies, crimps, bows, you name it. Again, Patrick and Chuck are hardly shown. Terry absolutely beats the crap out of the drum kit.
"Solid Gold" (lipsynced) DESTINATION UNKNOWN (1982): everyone looks perfect, Dale's in her packing plastic suit, Terry's in a suit and drumming very carefully, Warren's in a long jacket with boots, Patrick's in dark red, and Chuck's in black.
"Solid Gold" (lipsynced) WORDS (1982): a cut version without the "time will be my friend" part. Dale's in a white cloth jacket, Chuck in creamy looking silk, Patrick in white, Terry in white, and Warren in black.
"Solid Gold" (lipsynced) WINDOWS (1982): Dale's in the see through plastic jacket, Terry's in the red short sleeve shirt, Warren's in a black jacket with dragons on it, Chuck, having a GREAT hair day, is in a grey shirt with white sleeves, and Patrick is in something that is dark red and looks mysteriously like either a BBQ apron or a Star Trek uniform
"Solid Gold" (lipsynced) RIGHT NOW (1984): Remember when Solid Gold audiences started clapping along? Yikes. Really great performance though, with their slightly new 1984 look. Dale's in shiny silver chrome, Terry's in silver with red hair and has his tiny drumset (check out the cymbal!). Patrick's in a black suit, Chuck is dressed in black on his raised platform, and Warren looks stunning in black, with his Missing Link guitar.
"US '83 Festival" (May 1983): This, quite simply, is probably the most impressive and transcendent piece of Missing Persons footage in existence. Of particular interest is the Missing Persons logo on the sign, in which there are little people instead of each "i" and they flash and disappear and reappear. Terry's in black pants and a foil bandanna and belt (shirtless). He drums wildly, in such a way that he seems to become one with the songs. Dale is very very thin here, makes me want to bake her something, but she's right on target and gets the crowd into the show. Warren's hair is long and the lightest brown I've seen it, and he's in a long tan and white striped jacket with matching pants, putting on a perfect performance. Chuck is surrounded by keyboards and dressed all in white; he seems completely in his element here, showing true mastery. Patrick is in black and white striped pants and has his keyboard bass, and he hops around in his spot hitting his notes with a passion. They perform only two songs, Words and Walking in L.A., but they OWN that crowd. Walking in L.A. in particular is a great performance. Crowd shots interrupt the show only infrequently, and between the songs, Dale talks to the crowd and takes two Polaroid photos (one of which Warren helpfully tucks into the strap of her top with a grin). After the show, there's a short interview with Dale, and another short one with Terry, who has Warren sitting next to him.
1986 BOOTLEG, California: What seems like a pretty good show is marred by a big man in the audience who stands and blocks the camera for much of the show. This was one of Missing Persons' last concerts, and it seems to be a pretty wild one. Their name is printed with Magic Marker on a piece of posterboard, which Dale decides to take down and keep in the middle of the show. For the first half of the show, Dale and Patrick are pretty much all that can be seen, and then some people moved, I guess, because suddenly Warren can be seen too. He even gets some semi-close-ups. Terry, unfortunately, is hardly visible at all in this show, nor is the keyboard player who helped them out in Chuck's absence. Dale's got LONG blonde hair, and is in a tight white outfit with long fringe on the arms. Patrick's in black pants and a black vest over a white shirt, and Warren's in black pants and a tight little black top that shows his tummy, and a long purple jacket over that. Warren's performance is great, and the band holds it together really really well, considering that the audience was evidently pretty wild and pushy up front, and some of the songs evidently had to be stopped in the middle so that the crowd would calm down. Set list: Mental Hopscotch, Color in Your Life, Face to Face, Words, part of Destination Unknown, a very brief part of I Can't Think about Dancing, Go Against the Flow, and Walking in L.A.
A Missing Persons Fan Reminisces...
by T.A. Davenport
Sitting here and dusting off the cobwebs of my memory, it's difficult to recall the exact moment I first became aware of Missing Persons, though I imagine it most likely had something to do with L.A.'s KROQ and their heavy rotation of the band's music from practically day one (when Dale and Warren went to the station and personally handed one of the DJ's their first, independently produced EP). What I can tell you, however, is that initially, I could not stand them. A budding feminist even in my high school days, I found my sensibilities offended by Dale and her barely-there plastic/plexiglass/coconut-shell/whatever else outfits, not to mention the fact that the gimmicky, high-pitched squeakiness of her voice seemed, to me, to reflect a lack of talent. Basically I dismissed them as a fad soon to pass whenever the next-band-with-a-pretty-girl-in-it came along.
Enter my good friend Tom, progressive rock fanatic extraordinaire. Tom was a guitar player and devoted to the music of such "virtuoso"-type musicians as Yes, Rush, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Frank Zappa, etc. (I hope I'm not losing too many of you here! ([grin]). Tom had managed to open my mind to a number of bands such as these which, as a budding musician myself, I really learned to appreciate for their innovativeness and skill, ranking some of them along with my other, more "pop" favorites at the time (the Beatles, Duran Duran, the Police to name a few). However, one day he happened to mention how great this band Missing Persons was, and I just stared at him
"You mean that bimbo band?!" I exclaimed. "Seriously? You must be out of your mind. Or you're just too busy staring at that singer!" (Tom did have this annoying habit, like many men, of being blinded to all common sense if an attractive female was involved in a situation in any way). He assured me that while, yes, he did find Dale to be a "babe," the band was full of these great players who used to play with frank Zappa and were extraordinarily talented - - I should really play attention to them. I could even borrow his MP record, if I wanted to. Also, he said, I would probably find a couple of the guys really "cute" myself (("Guys? There are guys in the band?" I thought -- I quite honestly hadn't noticed them, what with all the Dale hype going on about the band).
I wasn't immediately swayed -- I told him Dale's voice gave me a headache and I didn't think I could possibly deal with more than one of their songs at time! This argument went on ad nauseum for a number of months, but little by little I must admit I started paying more attention to the band's song when they would come on the radio. I begrudgingly began to notice that, when I did hear them, they would stick in my head all day, particularly "Walking in L.A." and "Noticeable One." (I also managed to check out a photo of the band, and Tom was right -- the drummer, Terry Bozzio, was extremely cute, and I excitedly realized he had also been a member of one of Tom's and my prog-rock passions, U,.K. But it was this Warren-whatever-his-name-was and his incredible brown eyes who really caught my attention). Little by little, I began to notice the intricacies of the songs -- the innovative rhythms going on, the complex time signatures, and , most of all, the incredibly cool guitar work (at the time, I was really, really into Andy summers of The Police, and the way he could, in his playing, do so much far-out stuff yet manage to remain within the boundaries of a three-minute pop song -- and Warren seemed to be a master of the same thing). Gradually, what I thought to be inconceivable happened: I really began to appreciate the band's music, and when I listened to them, I barely noticed Dale at all! The band really seemed to combine the two split sides of my musical tastes at the time: they were incredibly proficient and innovative instrumentally, yet they wrote concise pop songs. So I told Tom he had won the battle - I was a fan. Thus began my Missing Persons/Warren journey.
Over the years I was lucky to be able to see the band play live a number of times; my first experience seeing them was at the humongous US Festival in Devore, California on Memorial Day, 1983. Even though I managed to get right up in the front of the 300,00-person general-admission melee (I was daring in those days!), It wasn't exactly the most intimate of settings in which to see the band. However, it was a lot of fun (plus it was terrific to see other great acts such as David Bowie, whom I had never seen, and U2 just before they hit it really big. I remember being intrigued by the way in which the band set up their equipment onstage: Terry's drum kit wasn't placed in the back, as is seen 99.9% of the time, but, rather, along the front line on the right side (if comparing it to a current Duran Duran live setup, the kit would be where Warren now stands onstage with DD; in those days, Warren stood on the "John side."). Terry was a really vital part of the show, playing with a ferocity I had never, in my admittedly limited concert-going, seen before. The audience went wild over him -- plenty of people screamed out "ZAPPA!" and other such comments. (This, I found once I went to additional MP shows, never seemed to let up. The audience always seemed to be divided between the hardcore musician-types -- almost always male -- who stood in front of Terry and screamed out "Drum Solo!," "Punky's Whips!" and other obligatory Zappa references...and, of course, the hormone-driven males screaming at Dale, I, who, whenever possible, stood up front studiously watching Warren, and who was also probably the only female up front who wasn't reluctantly dragged to the concert by one of the afore-mentioned males, was sort of an anomaly, I suppose...)
Needless to say, I guess, as time went on my MP fandom grew. While I didn't see them in concert again for a while for various reasons, I gradually began collecting what little I could find on the band (I was pretty picky about what I collected, though, for two reasons: a) most of the promotional stuff, i.e. single sleeves and the like, had only Dale on them, and I wasn't into owning things that had solely pictures of Dale -- I wanted stuff on the GUYS in the band and b) most of my money went into collecting Duran Duran at the time, as they had much more stuff out there on the market.)./ When Warren was in Guitar Player in 1985, I even stole Tom's issue (he had a subscription so he got it sooner) and I never did give it back (heh heh). Warren evolved into my favorite guitarist, superseding Andy Summers, Steve Howe and all the other prog-rock guitar gods I was enamored with at the time. (Plus, I've gotta admit, my crush on him grew too --like so many teenage girls at the time, I had a room packed full of Nick Rhodes and John Taylor posters. If I could have found an individual poster of Warren, he would have been right up on the wall too -- however, I had to make do with his full-page Carvin amplifier ad I got out of Creem magazine, which I did display proudly!).
In 1986, MP played a lot of local shows prior to what would be their final album release, Color In Your Life. As the prior album, Rhyme and Reason, saw the band decline in popularity a bit (though I personally love the album and it does contain what is my all-time favorite MP song, "Give.), for these shows they decided to go the small-club route, which I found to be quite exciting. At these shows they, sadly, omitted R&R entirely from the set list, concentrating on stuff from their first album, Spring Session M, and the new release; it was amazing, though, to be able to see so many shows and to be so close to the stage for them. However, it soon became evident that all was, possibly, not happy within the band: Dale's onstage behavior seemed to be getting more and more erratic (she and Terry, once married, had divorced by this point, which certainly must have increased tensions within the band), and my friends and I found ourselves, on more than one occasion, having to return MP tickets to their point-of-purchase due to shows being cancelled. Finally, when we arrived early one afternoon at a scheduled show in Long Beach, CA, we were told by someone at the club that the band would not be performing that night because they had "broken up." We were stunned and, needless to say, completely bummed. Thus spelled the end of Missing Persons, a mere few weeks after the release of their latest album (as would be expected, any promotion Capitol had set up for the album immediately ceased, and Color In Your Life, sadly, died a quick death in the stores.
Of course, things took a strange turn in a few short months when Andy Taylor asked Terry and MP's bassist, Patrick O'Hearn, to play with him, and Warren, sensing that Duran Duran might soon have a guitar vacancy, sent the band his resume and tapes...my favorite guitarist then ended up in what was probably my favorite band! (cue Twilight Zone theme here). But that's another long, long story... (grin).
A tip to anyone who is in the slightest bit interested in Missing Persons (and I truly hope there are some of you out there!): Check out their stuff, if you can (I know most of it is out of print in the U.S., save for a couple of "best-of" compilations on CD and cassette - - but it can often be found in used bins if you are persistent). I'd start with Spring Session M, as it contains most of the band's known "hits" and is the most accessible of the three albums. From there, I'd move ahead to Color In Your Life – it's the most "basic rock" of all three albums, though it has its experimental moments (and Bernard Edwards of Power Station fame produced this one, so it has that amazing, "big" drum sound a la PS). Rhyme and Reason is probably the most experimental record musically, so I'd recommend saving it for last (unless you're really into that kind of stuff like I am...) As Privacy members you all, obviously, have some interest in Warren; hearing MP is, in my opinion, pretty much a necessity in order to obtain a fuller sonic picture of his musical evolution. Some of his most impressive stuff can be heard on tracks such as "Give," "No Way Out," U.S. Drag"...geez, I could go on all day (as if I haven't already!). Hope you check 'em out – happy listening!
Lithuania Builds Tribute To American
Rocker
(From the ***** (location removed for privacy reasons)Sun-Commercial, Aug 8, 1995, AP News): VILNIUS< Lithuania (AP) -- This Baltic nation is planning to express its appreciation of Frank Zappa with a different kind of hard rock -- a 6 foot monument to the late musician. City officials said today they've approved the construction of a stone statue of the former American rocker in a downtown park, an honor which until recently was strictly reserved for Communists. Zappa, known for his zany, satirical music as well as for his outspokenness on social issues, died two years ago of prostate cancer at the age of 52. Before the Iron Curtain fell, Zappa achieved cult status in much of Communist eastern Europe, including the Baltics, where his anti-establishment themes found particular appeal among students.
From Billboard Magazine
Gold Albums:
Duran Duran, "Thank You," Capitol, its ninth
Various Artists, "Encomium: A Tribute To Led Zeppelin,"
Atlantic
From Circus Magazine, undated
"Some performers who push a sexy stage presence talk about feeling like they're making love to their audiences. 'I don't feel that way,' insisted Dale. 'You know how tired we'd be after a show?' added Warren. 'I just love to perform,' said Bozzio. 'It's an art for me. It has nothing to do with making love."
Q & A
Yes, that's right, a SPECIAL Q & A all about Missing Persons. I've
tried to answer lots of questions in the article about the individual members,
but here are the answers to the questions I get most often. (Note for the
Online Edition - see the FAQ at http://cglass.vinu.edu/privacy/mpfaq.html)
Q: Is Terry's real name Terry Ted like in that song?
A: No, it is Terry John.
Q: Are Terry and Dale married?
A. No. They were divorced in 1986 and both have remarried.
Q: Which one is Terry and which one is Dale? They are both unisex names!
A: Terry is the male, Dale is the female. Check your liner notes!
Q: Who sings the vocals on "We Don't Know Love at All"?
A: According to Warren, that is Terry.
Q: Will there ever be a REAL Missing Persons reunion?
A: I sure wish there would be, but I don't think so. However, Terry and Warren both help Patrick on his albums a lot, and Terry helped on Thank You. There was a semi-reunion planned in 1994, to include Terry, Patrick, and Warren, with Ahmet Zappa possibly on vocals, but it did not take place.
Q: I know Warren is the oldest in Duran Duran, but was he the oldest in Missing Persons? What are their astrological signs?
A: Warren was actually the baby of the group that time around. Here are their birthdates and signs:
Terry: Dec 27, 1950 (Capricorn), Patrick: Sep. 6, 1954 (Virgo), Dale: Mar 2, 1955 (Pisces), Warren: Dec 8, 1956 (Sagittarius), Chuck: unknown
Q: How did Warren meet Dale and Terry?
A: Warren was a fan when Terry and Patrick were in the band in the mid 1970's. When Warren joined the band onstage to perform Ms. X in Oct. 1978, Patrick was the bassist, but Terry had been replaced by Vinnie Colaiuta (remember him from Breath after Breath?). When Warren joined the band a few months later, Patrick had been replaced by Arthur Barrow. Tracks by Patrick and Terry were used on Joe's Garage, but Dale and Warren actually got into things a little later than the other two. I've included lots of info about all this in other articles in this issue.
Q: How long were they in Frank Zappa's band?
A: All these dates are approximate, but I think Terry was in the band from about 1975-1978, Patrick from 1976-1978, and Warren from Dec 1978 until sometime in 1980. Dale never toured as a performer with Zappa (to my knowledge) but she was definitely a part of things.
Q: Do any of the Missing Persons members play on "Valley Girl?"
A: No. This song was on the 1982 album "Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch." Terry, Dale and Warren were long gone, and Patrick has some tracks on the album (taken from performances years before) but did not play on that particular track (I checked).
Q: How many albums did Missing Persons release, and what are they? Where can I find them?
A: See the discography elsewhere in this issue for full details. A brief answer: Missing Persons EP, Spring Session M, Rhyme and Reason, Color in Your Life, Best of Missing Persons. You can probably find Best of Missing Persons on CD or cassette at your local record store. Spring Session M can be ordered as an import CD from Japan. The rest were never released on CD (to my knowledge) and can be located in used record/tape stores. The EP is kind of rare, you may have to do some real digging for it (my 7 inch EP, the original KoMoS release from 1980, cost $30 with sleeve). The Duranie dealers have discovered Missing Persons now, and several of them sell the Spring Session M CD, but plan to spend big bucks on it. You would be better off to locate it yourself.
(Note to Online Edition: see the discography at http://cglass.vinu.edu/privacy/mpdisc.html)
Q: Do you know of any Missing Persons bootlegs? What about video bootlegs?
A: There have been at least three Missing Persons concerts released on radio, and tapes of these float around pretty freely. They are from 1982, 1983 and 1986. Dale's current tour is also being booted pretty frequently (and she told fans in Cincinnati that she did not mind). As far as videos go, several of the dealers in Goldmine have Missing Persons compilations of assorted videos, TV appearances, and concert footage...write or call and ask, because they might not be listed in ads.
Q: What are the members of Missing Persons up to now?
A: This is the most common question I get asked. Please see the articles about the individual members elsewhere in this issue.(Note to Online Edition: see http://cglass.vinu.edu/privacy/mpnow.html)
Q: What is on the Surrender Your Heart video and where can I get it?
A: I was told by someone at Sony in 1992 that it was no longer available and I could copy it if I found it, so I interlibrary loaned it from the only library in the country that had it and did so. Check your local video rental shops--you might even be able to buy it cheaply if they still have it. It is only about 15 minutes long, and it has the videos for Right Now, Give, Destination Unknown, and Surrender Your Heart.
From Circus Magazine
Interview by John Mendelssohn, March 1983 (yet another reason to be grateful to Warren's parents): But back to our story. Having been told by every record company they went to that their songs would get no radio airplay, and than having said, "f*ck you. You're all wet," the Persons borrowed $3000 from Warren's father, who, "as a typical Italian, believes in and lives for his kids," and pressed their own EP. Thanks to the fact that they were able to persuade no fewer than 22 stations around the country to play it, it sold 10,000 copies --more than enough to inspire Capitol Records to say, "Gosh," and re-release it bearing the logo that had earlier adorned Beatles and Knack product. Perhaps their biggest break was getting it placed in heavy rotation at KOREA, the much imitated FM station to which one listens in Los Angeles if he has an implacable longing to hear the likes of "Teenage Enema Nurse" and not-particularly-notable Iggy Pop album tracks nine times a day, and can't receive the infinitely superior KXLU, the superb but feeble-signaled station of a nearby Catholic university.
Next Time
"you never know what's next..." (and in case you never knew, that is what one of the MP men whispers (I think it may be Warren) in "The Closer That You Get," from Rhyme & Reason)
Well, things have really died down as far as Duran Duran is concerned. But never fear, we have a lot of things planned. Next issue, look for a feature on Duran Duran in cyberspace, a funny Frank Zappa FAQ for critics, an interview with UMF editor Tina Lawson, a feature on the least publicized member of Missing Persons, and an exclusive interview about Warren with John Taylor! Don't miss it.
Birthdays
July: Mayko Bueno, Linda Theado, George Bettencourt, Richard John, Tracy Sandoe, Veronika Stevens
August: Coneathea Smith K.C.M., Justin Scott
Thank You
First off: thanks to Warren, Dale, Terry, Patrick, and Chuck for being such great musicians and creating such wonderful music. Thanks to Tracey Davenport, Dana Detrick, Pam Pruitt, John McMahon, Patrick O'Hearn, Evie Bozzio, Dave Datta at ftp.uwp.edu, John Scialli, and Katy at Left Bank. A special thanks to Tracey Davenport, without which this issue would not have been NEARLY as full.
Overheard
"Warren can threaten my masculinity ANY time..." --a male Tiger defending Warren's right to go shirtless.
"I was in Chicago May 21-23 and I got to go to the Hard Rock! I stood inches away from Frank's signature! It was wonderful." ---another fan.
"The hotel staff is incredibly courteous to him, asking him if he needs a drink/anything to eat/a telephone. I find it sort of amusing that this incredibly stuffy, five-star establishment is bending over backward for a guy wearing jeans with two rips in the rear and one in the crotch area and a black vest with his chest hanging out." --a fan who talked to Warren at a hotel on the 1995 tour.
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