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Rock n' Roll The Mitch Ryder Interview... Vancouver, July, 1970 By Al Sorensen and Rick McGrath Detroit, The Band: Mitch Ryder - vocals (second from right) Johnny "Bee" Badanjek - drums & vocals Dirty Ed - congas & tambourine Steve "Decator Gator" Hunter - lead guitar W.R. Cooke - bass & vocals Bret Tuggle - guitar Harry Phillips - keyboard In my June 17, 1970, music column in the Georgia Straight, I noted: "Mitch Ryder and his Detroit buddies were in town last Monday night. Mitch had just finished a gig in Kelowna and was staying at the Holiday Inn before departing to Oregon. He's looking great, and his new band, tentatively called Detroit, seems to get it on together. There's a slim chance that Mitch will make it for the second day of The Party [a benefit to create a park in downtown Vancouver], but nothing definite. Apparently his act is one which must be seen to be believed. Anyways, he's an articulate, concerned brother and we hope to get a conversation on tape for publication." This interview begins with the original published introduction... A short time ago our town was visited by Detroit, a high-energy rock 'n' roll band featuring Mitch Ryder, late of the Detroit Wheels. As you read this, the group will be on their way back to do their first album together at RCA Studios in Chicago. If the music and spirit they displayed here are any indication, it should be a great record. This tape was made one afternoon at the Holiday Inn in a smoky room on the 6th floor... Mitch Ryder: There's some more here. Rick McGrath: What do you wanna buy some more for? Mitch Ryder: Oh, people have been laying it on us. We really smoke a lot. We've been here four days and we haven't had to worry about it at all. Rick: Yeah, Mitch was saying that they almost got kicked outta here... five cops showed up. Mitch: Oh, it was just ridiculous. Worst that you can imagine, man. Here's some people going down the hall with their little kid and shit, just checking in early in the morning, looking forward to some sleep, and some fucking long-haired, red-headed motherfucker was walking down the hall with his prick hanging out... walks by and says "Hi", like nothing was going on, right? And 10 minutes later some chick's running down the end of the hall -- she's being raped by two guys -- and they forcibly drag her back in. There's all kinds of screams and noise, pot odours flooding the hall, you know, musical instruments playing, naked chicks out there (points to the balcony), one of the guys shit, pit it in a bag and threw it out into the street. The Bible's been tossed out already... every sacreligious move that could be made has been made. And the topper was last night. We were hungry, man, so Harry went down and made me a sandwich, and he picked himself a breakfast in the kitchen after it was closed. Went down the back way and cased it out.. figured out how... you almost didn't get caught, didja? Harry Phillips: Yeah, but when I was trucking I was getting a blueberry pie outta the ... you know, where the counters and shit are, and the, you know, the dude that walks around with the clock and shit? Rick: The watchman... Harry: Yeah, he come truckin up there, man, and we seen him and we split. It was pretty crazy. He got all uptight over four chicken salad sandwiches to be exact, and a couple of eggs, piece of toast... Mitch: I don't think it weas a matter of not being able to pay. There was just no food. He didn't understand. Al Sorenson: It said it the paper today that only 300 people have seen you in the last three days... Mitch: Yeah, but last night was a pretty choice crowd, so that kind of made up for it. Transient assholes. "Hi, man, what do you do... Oh, I'm with the... eh... Melancholy Float Fuck, you know, we're from Cuba"... or something. You know these people in off the boat. I got some honey, though, man. Al: It also said that your manager expects to lose something like $10,000... Mitch: It's possible, yeah. That would be the best in a long time. Al: What's he losing it on? The hall or the band? Mitch: Both. Rick: It wasn't advertised worth a shit. Mitch: All I can see is the potential of that fucking place, as far as it becoming a ballroom, you know? Do you have to be only 19 to drink there? Rick: Yeah. Mitch: Wow. That place would go nuts, man. Al: You're going to be recording an album soon. Mitch: In Chicago, at RCA. Al: What sort of material are you going to be doing? Mitch: A lot of it's original. We've been working on the album here... but... we've worked up three tunes so far and they're all original. And then there's the fourth one, that Lou Reed song, Rock N' Roll. Al: He said he's written a new one called Nobody Loves You When You're Old & Gay. Mitch: Old and gay... just wondering how long it would take for that song to get out of the mind. I'm sure it's contemplated many times. Al: Did you ever meet him? Mitch: Yeah, and he was very thrilled about me doing the song. Al: I've read he's living at home with his parents. Mitch: I don't know about that, but I know he's not working with the Velvet Underground and they're doing a tour. Al: Tell us about your recording of CC Rider and Little Latin Lupe Lu. Mitch: Well, cutting them was 1965, but the first hit was like in 1966, 1967 and early 1968. But after that we broke the chain and were no more. Al: Did you put out any other records? Mitch: All kinds of records, all the time. My own producer just managed this "right-together-some-more-bullshit-junk" out of this big catalogue and put out another album. That's like "the greatest of what we almost threw away, but kept just in case we needed it". Rick: Oh, shit... Al: Little Latin Lupe Lu was live, wasn't it? Mitch: Well, Jenny, Take a Ride was live, as live as it could be. Sang and played at the same time, recorded it in stereo and mixed it on a two-track. Little Latin Lupe Lu was... well, there were people there... they were live because of the energy that went into them at the time. Whoever was in the studio was always included and like that. They had a unique sound, yeah, and I think the band is responsible for that. Al: Is your new band in the same space? Mitch: No, they're not. But they carry the same spirit. Al: Who wrote them? Mitch: The songs? Mostly Johnny (the drummer) and me. Al: What about the album you recorded for Stax? Mitch: It was interesting. I'll always like it and I'll always appreciate having done it. And I'll always wish it could be done again under better circumstances some day. I don't get to pick my producer -- they assign one to me. That's the only one I found acceptable. They had all kings of weird people... they wanted Jeff Berry to do me, and Steed, you know? I was down there basically because I had faith in Booker T, not because I was there to make an album or because I was supposed to make an album, and I should have treated it like that. Al: How did the album do? Mitch: It didn't do well for a number of reasons. I thought it wasn't mixed properly, and I thought Steve Cropper and myself didn't take the time for the album that we should have taken. Every time I listen to it I'd find out what was wrong with it in my mind. You see, we sat down with all their writers and that's the way we would do the songs. They were written at the moment, most of them. The whole thing was just incredible and I got to see The Stax, you know, Machine. We visualized the album as being like... I wanted it to come off more like an Otis Redding kind of thing, you know, with those tunes, and they wanted it to come off... God knows how, because they had respect for me as a musician, as an artist, so they were willing to work with me. It's just... the album itself is just out there somewhere. I don't think you can really tell what went wrong with it... can't describe it. I've tried and it doesn't mean anything. I'll always treasure it, OK? Al: OK. So, how are things in Detroit? Mitch: Pretty funky, probably. We sure wish we were back there. This is the longest we've been out in a long time, or will be. Rick: How long is that? Mitch: Another month. Al: Your manager has to put up with your wives. Mitch: With our wives? Oh yeah. I guess in his mind its not even putting up. It's just, you know, allowing it to happen and try not to get too involved. W.R. Cooke: Fuck! I wish he would tell me where mine was. Mitch: I think there's a message for you to call her at my place. WR: Oh yeah? Mitch: Yeah. Steve Hunter: Hey, you got a smoke, Billy? Mitch: Yeah. I don't have any american cigarettes. Are you burning hash on my american cigarettes? Rick: You can buy Kool filters in Vancouver. (Toke, toke) Harry: Get in there! (cough, cough) Mitch: Maybe we should get Bee's pipe, man. WR: Oh, fuck... I dropped that piece. Al: Is this a switchblade? WR: No. Al: Chopsticks? Portable chopsticks? WR: No, it's a knife. Here, I'll show you. (Click, click) Here, I'm a little high... I can't do it right now. Al: Wow, just what I need. A blade. WR: I'll tell you why, man... I had a guy pull a fucking straight razor on me and my old lady once... Mitch: Would you hand me that jacket right there? Billy, you just dropped the hash, right? Al: He dropped everything. Rick: Most groups that come to Vancouver usually... well, remark how much of a good time they had. Mitch: It's got a nice image, you know. Like even in the States no matter where we go they say when we're going to Vancouver, "Oh man, it's so beautiful up there". Bret Tuggle: People here are really strange. Only because they seem a little bit more inward than outward... even the freaks. Maybe that's just the way things are here. Kinda quiet and like... but when they get down to some music... they're not cold or anything. Maybe just suspicious. Maybe it's because we're Americans or maybe it's our group image. Like, I've gotten harassed least of all here than anywheres else, man. Like you can go down any major city, well, especially a small city, but like a major city where most of the people have already been through this trip. It seems that they would get used to it... that there's freaks in the world, man, and that they're gonna be there and that they got their own culture... they're gonna be there for a long time, and that they're gonna build it into a lasting culture... so like when you walk down the street there's still people freaking out... "Oh, look at that longhair...ugh... animal". Mitch: They're probably thinking about their own children. WR: Yeah, they probably are. Probably paranoid. Al: What about John Sinclair. You know him? Mitch: I met John. I know his family more than I know him. Al: Skip Taube? Mitch: Yeah, I know Skip and I know Pun (Plamondon, fugitive) and I know Pun's old lady, Jean. Al: He's the guy that took off... Mitch: All of them took off. Skip's in jail now... WR: You guys from the city? Rick: Yeah... we're from the Georgia Straight. WR: Oh, right. How long has that paper been in effect? Rick: Three years now. WR: It's really doin good from what I've heard. Got a couple of issues a week. Rick: Yeah, right. WR: Fuck, that's bomber, man... couldn't ask for... that's killer, man... ain't no magazines in the world... Mitch: What's this fixation you have with John Sinclair? Al: I met him once in Seattle, and I saw MC5 play... Mitch: Had you corresponded with him? (Fuzz Wuzz) Rick: Jesus, this is not going to be picking up at all... Harry: Shoot away. Whatever you wanna know, man, about Billy or what... I'll tell you about him. Mitch: You don't need to spill no beans like that. Let's find out if these guys are commie perverts first. Al: We did a benefit for John Sinclair. Mitch: Oh, you did. We've done four or five. The published interview ends here, but I remember we babbled on for some time... I finally got bored and went home, leaving Al to fend for himself. I was amused when this arrived: On 4 May, 2004, at 2:42 PM, Mike Sheridan wrote: Hello Rick, Well, believe it or not, I actually attended this show and the band came over to our communal living quarters on Alberni Street in Vancouver. Mitch was extremely quiet and never said a word the entire time. As a guitar player I was natuarly drawn to Steve Hunter and spent most of the evening jamming with him and getting high. Incidently, that Squalor know as 'People's Park' was not worth saving except for that concert that day.   Mike Sheridan This interview was found in the vaults by Harold Colson, an ace Librarian at the University of California at San Diego. Harold is researching the Stones 1972 North American tour, and he's found a bunch of my lost stuff in some special collections of underground newspapers. Thank you, Harold!
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