Sebastian Bach
How
often do you hear the cliché "That person has done
it all" and thought to yourself, "No, really, they haven't"? That might be
hard to argue when the man you are talking about is Sebastian Bach. Music.
Broadway shows. TV shows. His son is in a band. His brother is a former
NHL goalie. His sister is an actress. Literally, this man or a family
member that he knows has done it all!
Last week I had the pleasure to talk on the phone with Sebastian for a while. Someone as legendary as Sebastian Bach could have quite easily been the biggest ass to me if he wanted to. But what I honestly found so refreshing about talking with him – from the very moment he greeted me on the phone – was that I could hear "it" in his voice. That "it" that a lot of young artists these days even lack. What is "it"? Fun and coolness. And not just being cool and having fun, but genuine fun and genuinely being cool.
Sebastian: Yo!
Asif: Hey man, how's it goin'?
Sebastian: It's goin'! Where are you calling from?
Asif: I am in Vegas.
Sebastian: Wow! It's kinda early for you. I guess you're just an hour behind. Yeah, that's cool dude!
Asif: Yeah - where you at?
Sebastian: I'm in Jersey!
Asif: Ahh. Well you got three hours on me then!
Sebastian: That's right! (laughs)
Asif: (laughs) Speaking of Jersey, your son Paris is in the band Severed Hand. They are right out of Jersey, right?
Sebastian: Yes sir!
Asif: When was the last time you caught one of your son's shows?
Sebastian: Umm…..I don't go out to clubs too much because I just get fuckin' mobbed the whole time.
Asif: (laughs)
Sebastian: (laughs) So that's not very fun for me. But he opened up for me the last time I saw him.
Asif: Alright, right on.
Sebastian: But he actually just opened up about a month ago for Hellyeah in Connecticut and I was like "Fuck man, I want to open up for Hellyeah!"
Asif: (laughs)
Sebastian: (laughs) I asked my kid "Dude, can I open up for you and then you can open up for Hellyeah?"
Asif: So you want to open up for your son?
Sebastian: Yeah dude! (laughs)
Asif: Dude, that would be flippin' amazing!
Sebastian: (laughs)
Asif: No, seriously! You know how like majority of the people show up late at a show and don't care for the opening acts? You'd have like 10 people in the crowd watchin' you rock the stage only! But they'd be like "Holy shit, his dad is on before him!"
Sebastian: (laughs) You're funny dude!
Asif: (laughs) Alright…anyways… (laughs)
Sebastian: (laughs)
Asif:
Okay, okay! I'm good now!
Sebastian: That's pretty funny dude!
Asif: Alright. I know you have done a lot of work on TV and in theater. Broadway shows, Gilmore Girls and other stuff. Of all the roles you've played, which one was your favorite?
Sebastian: Of all the roles I've played, my favorite would be Jekyll & Hyde on Broadway. That was the most fun role to play because it was just like being in a comic book and I loved the music of the show and I loved the staging and the costumes and the effects and the cast and the theater. I loved everything about it. My second favorite would be Trailer Park Boys, a TV show in Canada. It was a huge show up there and I did a couple episodes on that show. That would be my favorite TV show. I also loved doing Gilmore Girls, but Jekyll & Hyde and Trailer Park Boys were very very rock n' roll.
Asif: Yeah – I know Jekyll & Hyde definitely is. Do you think you might ever return to do TV or theater?
Sebastian: Oh 100%, yeah. Definitely. I'm one of those guys (laughs) – one of those celeb-reality guys. I turn down TV things all the time.
Asif: Well what are you holding out for? You say you want to do it and you turn stuff down. What is it exactly you want to do?
Sebastian: I don't want to do anything on TV. They just call me all the time to do these cooky shows. Like I saw an advertisement for I Know My Kid's Got Talent. I turned that down and I was one of the first people to be asked. They wanted to have my son on there as a singer and I am on the panel to judge all the kids of the other parents and we cut up each others kids. And I'm like "You know what? I think I'm going to pass on this one actually."
Asif: (laughs)
Sebastian: (laughs) I'm not really going to do a show where I'm cutting up people's kids that are on the panel next to me and they cut up my kid. That's just one I'm not going to do. I'm very lucky that for years now – for all my career pretty much – that I get to pick and choose what I want to do. That one I chose not to do.
Asif: Props to ya for that man. You know, speaking of your career…going all the way back bro…back to day one…as far as you can remember – tell me the most outlandish rated-R or unrated story you have from being out on the road or just being in this crazy music business.
Sebastian: That's too vague a question. I don't know what you mean really. I don't know how to answer that dude! I don't know what you want me to say.
Asif: What is the craziest town that you've partied in where the girls…
Sebastian: When you're in a rock band your job is to make every town the craziest town that's ever been. We bring the party! (laughs)
Asif: So you're saying that every town and every night was just as memorable as every other town?
Sebastian: Well, you see, you don't get to really experience the town when you're in the band. You live in an insolated venue.
Asif: True. But, what about the girls and the bars in the town?
Sebastian: Umm…Australia. If those are the criteria, I would say Australia is fuckin' crazy and ready to party at all times. They're just nuts. There was humungous crowds every time I played there. Canada is pretty fuckin' crazy too. When I was a kid, I grew up in Canada. I always thought that America would rock harder than Canada, and it does in a lot of ways, but I guess playing the Guns N' Roses tour in 2006 in Canada was some of the craziest rock crowds I've ever played to. It was totally a successful and wild tour.
Asif: The GNR tour? I bet!
Sebastian: (laughs) But it always changes though. It always changes. Japan used to be insane for rock n' roll, but now I'd say America is just as crazy for rock as Japan is. So, I don't know how to answer that. I go everywhere in the world. There's a lot of cities to think about really. (laughs)
Asif: (laughs) Fair enough dude! Your brother Zac was a goalie in the NHL. Have you ever laced up a pair of skates and taken the ice with him?
Sebastian: Not with him, he's too good.
Asif: (laughs)
Sebastian: (laughs) The last time I had a pair of skates on…I was very young. I have not worn skates in at least – I'd say 20 years.
Asif: Oh man! So, when you guys are just sitting around after dinner on Christmas, he never nudges ya and says "Come on bro, let's go outside and let's see if you can get one by me."?
Sebastian: (laughs) Not really.
Asif: Oh well. It's probably a good thing because, him being a pro goalie and all, he'd probably just shut you down.
Sebastian: He would definitely shut me down! Without a doubt! (laughs)
Asif: (laughs)
Sebastian: One of my favorite memories of my whole family was… I don't know how long ago. When my brother played for the Tampa Bay Lightning he played against the New York Rangers when Wayne Gretzky was on the team and we all went to Madison Square Garden and sat right behind the net. I spent the whole evening watching Wayne Gretzky trying to score on my brother and my brother shut him out! The Great One!
Asif: That's awesome!
Sebastian: That was an incredible night! And then my brother won the MVP of the game against Wayne-fuckin'-Gretzky! (laughs)
Asif: (laughs)
Sebastian: We were very very proud that night. (laughs) I can see it right now! Wayne skating as hard as he can towards my little brother and winding up and blasting the puck and my brother saying "Sorry! Nice try Wayne!"
Asif: (laughs) I was never a Wayne Gretzky fan, so I'm glad your brother could stone him.
Sebastian: (laughs) Dude, that was an incredible memory. Something I will never forget.
Asif: Sweet dude. Well, one of the things we try to do here at our website, Rockin' Music Reviews, is get the fans involved.
Sebastian: Cool!
Asif: We did a contest where the fans could submit some questions and we would pick a few to ask you. So, are you ready for some questions from the fans?
Sebastian: Sure!
Asif: The first one is from Cheryl and Cheryl is from Chicopee, MA. She asks, "Do you still get along with all of your old peeps from Skid Row?"
Sebastian: No. No I don't.
Asif: Haha. Do you care to elaborate anymore, or no?
Sebastian: Not really!
Asif: Alright, fair enough. She got her answer! (laughs)
Sebastian: (laughs)
Asif: Jim from Inver Grove Heights, MN asks, "Who are you singing about in 'I Remember You'?"
Sebastian: My wife Maria. She's who I was singing to in that song. I was away from home and when I was singing it, I had just had my son Paris in 1988. I remember he was just a couple months old when I recorded that song. I had pictures of Maria and my baby boy in…Wisconsin – yeah, that's where we recorded it – I had pictures of them up in the studio that I could see when I was singing it. So that's who that was to.
Asif: Very nice man. Alright, last one. Wendy from Cornelius, NC asks, "You collaborated with Axl Rose on three tracks on the new album. Is there anyone else you would like to collaborate with that you haven't worked with yet or someone you have worked with in the past that you'd like to work with again?"
Sebastian: Yeah! There is a lot. I would love to collaborate with the guys from Aerosmith or maybe Michael Anthony from Van Halen or maybe Slash. I was actually just supposed to record some music with Sly Stone from Sly & the Family Stone – which I know is out of left field.
Asif: Yeah it is!
Sebastian: We were going to record some music together, but right now it looks like it's not happening because of financial reasons. But that would be a cool collaboration. Really, right now, I am actually collaborating with Jamie Jasta of Hatebreed.
Asif: Ooh! Very sweet dude!
Sebastian: I'm a huge Hatebreed fan and that got back to Jamie. So, right now we are definitely collaborating together.
Asif: Did your cover of "Back in the Saddle" spark anything with Aerosmith, as far as your end or on their end, as far as working with each other?
Sebastian: Umm…
Asif: Have any of them heard your version?
Sebastian: They heard it. I got a call from [Aerosmith drummer] Joey Kramer at my house and he told me he heard "Back in the Saddle" and – in his words – said it was "Excellent. Amazing version."
Asif: Man, what a compliment!
Sebastian: Yeah! To hear that from one of the boys from Boston is a great great compliment.
Asif: I know personally, as a fan? Shit dude - Aerosmith and Sebastian Bach together? That would shred!
Sebastian: That would be wild! (laughs) That would be great!
Asif: You know dude, do you have a U.S. tour coming at all? I've seen some overseas dates and stuff, but do you have anything in the U.S. coming up?
Sebastian: Yes! I have a full U.S. tour that starts in July and goes thru September!
Asif: Rock on man!
Sebastian: I can't tell you who it's with yet, but it's happening! I'm going to be all over the world, then in your backyard in Las Vegas.
Asif: I will be there for sure in Vegas
dude!
Sebastian: Right on! That's fuckin' great! I hope it's not too hot.
Asif: Vegas in the summer?
Sebastian: (laughs) I'm sure it will be!
Asif: (laughs) Yeah! It will be!
Sebastian: (laughs)
Asif: Alright man, it was great talking to you.
Sebastian: Alright buddy, good talking to you!
PHOTOS: By Ron Boudreau and George Chin
