Author: Jack Starr
You may remember him and his band from the early 1980s. At that time he was part of “Virgin Steele”.
These days his band is “Burning Starr”.
On July 15, 2022 their album “Souls Of The Innocent” was released on Global Records.
Jack Starr spoke with us about that record, his background, and the state of Rock music in today’s world.
Q – Jack, your album “Souls Of The Innocent” was released on July 15, 2022. In another time, in another place these songs would be all over the radio. Radio these days doesn’t play much Rock or Rock ‘n Roll. It’s either Country or Rap. So, how do you get your music listened to?
A — Well, I think there’s still an audience for it. The TV show Stranger Things’ kind of gave it a little shot in the arm. So, that’s a good thing. It’s kind of back to the way it was in the early 80’s. I’m talking around ’81 or so when metal got no airplay, the tape traders sprung up, people who traded cassettes back and forth of their favorite bands. So, there was like an underground audience and an underground economy and in underground music scene for metal. It doesn’t bother me that it’s reverted back to that. I think it has.
Q – And the time that “Souls Of The Innocent” has been released, have you been out playing shows? I believe Covid has lessened to a degree.
A – Yeah, well the Covid19 thing was not helpful. Of course that’s kind of selfish to say it wasn’t helpful. For the people who died from it, it really wasn’t helpful. Yeah, it definitely put a damper on the touring aspect of the music. I think the music business is getting back on its feet. We’ll definitely be out touring again, probably within a year.
Q – Your music is very popular in Germany, Italy and Greece. Why do those countries so enjoy your music and American music? What’s going on over there?
A – Yeah, well, that’s a good question. I’ve often wondered why does it resonate with some countries and not others, particularly Greece. Greece was very ardent supporter of my first band Virgin Steele. Then, when I put together Burning Starr and they liked that as well and they still do and we played there. I think there’s just something about the kind of Metal we play. It’s not West Coast type Metal meaning it’s not like Motley Crue, “Girls, Girls, Girls” or Ratt, “Round and Round’. It’s really music that has a Classical side to it, a Celtic side to it, and a poetic side to it with the lyrics. I think Virgin Steele had a big influence on them. They were pioneers of that kind of music. I was really the main songwriter in the beginning. So, I’m continuing that particular sound. There is a name for it. They call it Epic Metal. I don’t know if you’ve heard that saying before.
Q – I have not. They assign so many different names to styles of music that it really should come under one heading, “Pop Music”, what’s popular at the time.
A – Yeah, I agree. But, were in the age of specialization. You just can’t go to a doctor who is a doctor anymore. You have to have a doctor who specializes in ear, nose, throat, stomach. Same thing in Heavy Metal were in the age of specialization which I find kind of funny but we play this really specialized kind of Metal which has roots in classical and so on and so forth. But you’re right. I mean it’s still Rock ‘n Roll to me.
Q – Does there ever come a time when maybe you want to sing a ballad, but, your audience would never forgive you. They want to hear the music your famous for.
A – Yeah. You know, I think you’re right. That’s always been a dilemma for some artists. They want to grow a little bit and try different things. Sometimes the audience gets pissed off at you. How dare they play a folksy ballad?! I want to hear blood and guts and thunder! But, sometimes the audience will actually take a ride with you which is kind of cool. I’m working on a ballad right now for the new album. I have a title for it. It’s called “Velvet Skies” I don’t see anything wrong ballads. I would really like to make sure we put a power ballad on the next album. I also think it’s a nice way of getting people who aren’t necessarily into hard-core metal to listen.
Q – In the whole history of Rock ‘n Roll I’ve only seen one band that was able to change their look and music and get away with that and that was the Beatles.
A – Yeah, it’s true. They totally reinvented themselves from 1962 where they were wearing matching suits and singing twist and shout. Within a short amount of time actually. I think the Beach Boys were also able to reinvent themselves. It’s really just miraculous what the Beatles were able to create musically.
Q – I don’t know how old of a guy you are, but I read you spent the first 10 years of your life in France.
A – Yes.
Q – Did you get “American Bandstand” over there?
A – No.
Q – Were you listening to the same Rock ‘n Roll songs that would be played on American radio?
A – We were listening to some of the American Rock that was coming over, also some of the Motown music that was coming over. But, we were also listening to French grown artists. We had our own Elvis Presley in France. It was a guy called Johnny Hallyday. He was very, very popular. He passed away recently. He was so popular they had a state funeral for him when he died. But, we also listened to a lot of classical music. I don’t mean on just a little classical radio station. They actually intervene classical music with the regular programming and mix it up with Rock and everything else. It was like a giant potpourri of music. So, I grew up listening to a lot of classical music and American music and a lot of like French variety music. If you listen to Charles Aznavour. You know the song “What Now My Love”?
Q – Yes.
A – That’s French variety music. French writing music was also influenced by American variety music but they also had their own thing with the accordion. You never hear accordion music in America. Maybe in the 50s it existed.
Q – If you did hear it, It might have been on The Ed Sullivan Show.
A – Right. Or maybe Lawrence Welk. So, when I came to America in the early 60s I was very young, but, I was aware of the Beatles. They were coming out. I love that whole English invasion thing that was going on with the Beatles, the Hollies, The Searchers, Gary and the Pacemakers. The Zombies I thought were really great. The Moody Blues with “Go Now Go Now” when they had Denny Lane in the band. Those are my roots also, that, and mix it with what I heard growing up the first 10 years of my life in France. I think it made me more a well-rounded player where I’m not just influenced by one kind of music.
Q – And most likely the people that come to see you and here you don’t share your taste for musical variety.
A – So, that’s true what you’re saying. But, I like to think that when we play for them, were kind of introducing a melodic side that maybe some of the other bands they like would not be giving it to them as much as we do. We’re very melodic. Even the real heavy stuff we do has a melodic side to it.
Q – Your first band or maybe one of your first band got to open for Blue Oyster Cult before they were known as Blue Oyster Cult. Now, how did you get that gig?
A – We just lived near the venue. We were 15, 16 years old. The age range of our band was like 15 to 18. So, we hung around this venue. It was called The Action House in Island Park, New York. They were getting “name” bands like the Byrds, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Black Sabbath, Alvin Lee with 10 Years After. So, we were there hanging around the place and we were harmless because we were young kids. The guys who owned the place were cool. They’d let us in. Then one day I told one of the guys, we had a band. If you guys would be cool with it, we don’t want any money we’d just be happy to open up for one of the big acts you have coming. So, they said we have this band they’re called the Soft White Underbelly and they’re going to be playing. They just signed a deal with Columbia, CBS. If you guys want to open up, just be there at such and such a time. Bring your equipment and don’t bother the guys. “Laughs”. Kind of like behave yourselves which was fine. We were just happy to play. And, we did. We went over pretty well. Don Roeser, the guitar player, invited us to come backstage and hang out with them. He was telling me they had just signed and they were changing their name to Blue Oyster Cult which I thought was a big improvement. I wasn’t going to say that. I thought the previous name wasn’t really that catchy, Soft White Underbelly. But, I know it had some literary connotation. I don’t know if it was William Burroughs. The thing I thought was interesting is they actually played some covers two including “Whole Lotta Love” and “Born to be Wild” which I think they still play. When you talk about stuff that sold, like stuff that happened 44 or 45 years ago your memory kind of gets very selective. But, I do remember and I’m sure Buck Dharma would remember; I remember him showing me how to play “Whole Lotta Love” we were backstage. I love the way you did the guitar solo in “Whole Lotta Love”. When you’re a kid you say anything. Not that I’m that much younger than him, maybe four or five years younger. That’s about it. But, that’s a big age gap for back then. So, I go, can you show me how to play that man? I like the way you did it. And, he took the time to show it to me and I thought it was really cool. Very nice guy. They did maybe four or five originals that night. They were all brilliant. I’m thinking that’s really amazing that they didn’t do all originals. But, maybe at that point they didn’t have the whole album worked out so they could play it live.
Q – Maybe they were testing it out to see how it would go over in front of an audience.
A – Yeah. That’s the impression I got. Of course I think “Metal” was coming into its own. Black Sabbath had played there may be six months earlier or eight months earlier. Black Sabbath were so pulverizing. I can’t even think of the right adjective. They were more menacing than Blue Oyster Cult.
Q – And that was the first concert you attended?
A – Yeah.
Q – What’s so impressed you about Black Sabbath? Was it Ozzy Osborne? Was it Tony Iommi? Was it the songs? Was it the look of the band?
A – God, every single one you mentioned. (Laughs). It was kind of like a bad accident that you’re self-compelled to look at. It was weird. They were pushing the limits of Rock and somehow it worked. I was impressed but at the same time I was kind of frightened because there were people passing out in the audience. There were a couple of people that got carried out on stretchers. The show was totally overfilled, the venue. I think the venue could have held 800 people and they probably had maybe double that. So, it was just like hot because I don’t think they had the air conditioner on. It was summertime. The whole thing was just like a scene out of hell. And here are these guys with these big crosses singing what is this that stands before me? Oh, God help me! I’m thinking what the hell is all this crazy stuff? But, I kind of like this. But, at the same time I didn’t love it. I thought they were accomplished. I was torn between melodic music. I really like that Zeppelin one. For me as a young, fledgling guitar player, you couldn’t compare Jimmy Page to Tony Iommi. Jimmy Page was just so much more accomplished. His playing was stellar and it was Blues rooted and they had all these really great song. Even if they had stolen 90% of them, I didn’t even care because they were plagiarizing but they were making it better. So, I was okay with that and even then I know these songs were coming from other songs, like “You Shook Me”, “Can’t Quit You Baby”. Most of these songs were borrowed.
Q – When you were starting out, how long did you think you would be a musician? Is this something you settled on early in life? Did you think you’d try it out for three years or five years and see how that went?
A – I never really stopped to think about that. I did kind of hope that I would make like a really big success of myself and I would kind of like be able to pick and choose. I was kind of hoping that I could afford a really big nice house in Malibu on the beach, have a recording studio, and go out with supermodels, and have a collection of Italian sports cars. That would’ve been nice but then as I got older it was just like the music became more important. It was just like if I can just make music that’s competitive with the bands that I like. If I can just put out a Burning Starr album or at Jack Starr album and not have to apologize for it and not have to say our budget ran out or we only had three weeks to do it that’s why it doesn’t sound as good as the latest Black Sabbath or the latest Iron Maiden or what have you. I would say that became the goal, to make stuff that was as good, competitive with bands that were spending a lot more money and have a lot more of a team where they had roadie’s, gofers and all that stuff. So, that became more important to me. I would say for the last five albums that we have done we’ve achieved that in terms of quality, production values. All that stuff. It’s really as good as anything out there. Prior to that in the 80s what was getting us by and creating fans was we had to play really, really good even better because our production values were quite as developed. So, if somebody bought one of the albums it wasn’t going to be as well produced as Iron Maiden. It was close but it wasn’t there.
Q – Did you ever have to work a non-musical job to keep your head above water and if so what? Or, did music always pay the bills for you?
A – Music really most of the time paid the bills. There was a couple of times in my life where I did have a non-musical job. One time for about a year I was actually a pharmaceutical rep. For a pharmaceutical company. I took the job really because my son needed braces and I wanted to do that for him. I wasn’t really making enough where I could just give the Dentist $12,000 or $15,000 or whatever it was. But, if I do this job I’ll get a company car. I’ll have this incredible medical plan. So, I did it and I just did it long enough to do what I needed to do. It wasn’t a good fit. I wasn’t good at it. I think I didn’t really want to be good at it. It was like you’re visiting doctors, 20 times a week to present and give them a pitch for whatever pharmaceutical product you’re representing.
Q – Couldn’t you have carried some of that salesmanship over to your brand?
A – I could. It’s easier to pitch something that you’re not so involved with. I don’t think anybody is really a profit in their own country. I found it really difficult to hide myself. Even now, I’ve done maybe 50 interviews in the last three months. I find it really difficult to stay on track and just talk about my album. Sometimes I have to remind myself, oh, by the way we have a video that just came out. I would find it difficult because it’s not really in my nature. I’m not really a good salesman. I’m happier just picking up a guitar and playing. Even to this day and I’ve been playing for 50 years now. I’ve been playing since I was 12 years old. I’ve been playing a while. (Laughs).
© Gary James
