This was a cool interview.. I was going to
the show and also got set up to interview Jack..
It was one of the quickest interviews I've done yet..
The show was great, and Jack sounded better then ever.. Also got the new
solo c.d. and the review will be up soon. till then Here is Jack Russell..
The essence of Great White!
J- Ok first off we are going to go back to the Great White stuff...
Jack- hahaha... oh geez...
J- How long were you together before you guys got signed?..
Jack- Lets see I started playing with Mark in about 1978.. November of 1978,my
guitar player, Mark Kendall...we got signed in 84' but our first album came out
in 82'.. that was our own label.. but the original signing to a major label was
in 84'..
J- How important was the whole hair band.. look back in the hair band days..?
Jack- To me ya know.. you had long hair cause you liked long hair.. ya know..
I
never considered Great White a hair band, we just kinda got lumped into that..
guilt by association... ya know..if some one wants to call us a hairband.. I
don't
give a shit.. as long as they come to the shows..
J-
What was your favorite package tour back in the 80's..
Jack - umm.. probably Great white/ White snake.. or the thing we did w/Tesla.. the
double header tour.. that was fun..
J- What's the biggest crowd you have ever played for and where?
Jack -60,000 in Germany.. for Monsters of Rock.
J- What's your favorite Great White release?
Jack - "Can't Get There from Here".. the last album we did..
J- Least favorite..or just wasn't happy with how it came out..?
Jack - Least favorite would be... either "Hooked" or "Sail Away". I just wasn't happy
with the production..on either one..
J- Really?
Jack - Ya the songs were ok.. but I didn't think the production was ballsy enough..it
needed a little more punch..
J- What's the craziest thing a fan has ever done to meet you?
Jack -ran around the bus naked eating pizza..
J- haha.. were they told to? ..
Jack -ya.. we ran out of ideas.. like what can we do now.. lets try something
different besides a blow job..
J- Who writes most the songs?..
Jack- Myself.. and Mark, and my old keyboard player Michael..
J- Why did Mark leave a couple years ago?
Jack- He just got tired of it ya know.. same reason I did.. same people on the bus
complaining all the time, this is why I didn't reform Great White.. I just asked
Mark to join my solo band.. I mean I love the guys to death.. ya know but when
you've been on the road for 20yrs. some people are just out here for all the
wrong reasons.. pay check, pay check.. pay check.. I mean I'm out here to have
fun.. getting paid is just icing on the cake.. ya know.. I don't need to do this
for a living, I can go home and retire if I want.. I do it cause its fun.. but
when you have 4 guys on the bus going... this sucks.. when are we getting paid..
its like damn dude.. go home then..
J- So do you still talk to any of the ex members?
Jack- No not really. they are not really happy they are not out here.. but I have
my reasons..