Name; Stevie D. aka: Steve Davis
Age; 50
Bands; I have played bass in the Ties in 1979, the Veins/Shivers 80-85, POA 89-90,
Hellfire in 90-91 -- last line-up, and presently serving time in the Glass Heroes, founding
member -- since June of 91, with bass duty in The Voice 92-94....all's quiet on the desert
front..
Role in Band; Bassist for the Glass Heroes, backup vocals, co-writer, co-founder...
How did it all begin? It started in the summer of '76, as far as wanting to get a band
going. I had no direction in life at the time with no desire to do much of anything save get
loaded, girls, r-n-roll, the usual type stuff for a kid my age. I always loved music, my whole
life and the first stuff that I identified with was the glam bands of the early 70's – Dolls, T-
Rex, Mott the Hoople, Bowie. By '74 that scene was pretty much done – people dying,
changing styles, so I am definitely a glam refugee. Punk or the new music had just been
out for around a year or so, and here was something that lit my fuse again and it was
presented as something that anyone could do!!! Basically just show up, since most of my
friends were musicians and I thought someone could teach me to play the bass. I'm still
playing the '63 p-bass I've been playing since '77!!! I bought it for $100 plus a case at
Central Music in Phoenix, Az. Like my teacher says, it's a good piece of wood. My best
friend at the time since high school, Anthony Castillo, who went on to play in groups in L.
A., and I got a place together, a dusty bungalow right off Central Avenue downtown, and
we sat for hours trying to learn songs off our record collections. It was definitely a way to
release all the bullshit energy of being a kid with nothing to do and the bands that came
through town were amazing!!!. They all came, David Johansen and the Staten Island
Boys, Alleycats, Ramones, Runaways, Clash, X, Patti Smith, Red Rockers, Gun Club,
Joneses, Mink Deville, tons, one thing led to another and I have been fortunate to be
playing actively in one group or another since '77!!!
Who were your original influences? As far as bass goes, for my $$$ it was and
always will be Dee Dee Ramone (r.i.p.). It's Dee Dee's fault why I am this way, he was one
of the most important musicians of this day and age. He wrote all those songs that were
like for me the soundtrack of my life as i was growing up, and then there was Sid, I was so
sad when he od'd. Also there was John Entwhistle of The Who and John Watson of 999
were guys i stole licks from. Bands??? As I mentioned, the glam bands – Dolls, T-Rex,
Mott the Hoople, Bowie, Iggy, saw 'em all. Then came the Ramones, I used to play that
first (and at the time only) record they had out for my friends in high school in my
bedroom at my mom's. First time on, it cleared the room and I knew something special
and powerful was happening! I already dressed like them, so it really seemed to make
sense to me...the chant "we accept you one of us" you know, real simple, I got it. Of
course there was the Pistols, Germs, Dead Boys, 999, Buzzcocks, Wire's "Pink Flag",
Heartbreakers, and Dickies all got heavy rotation on my turntable. I was attracted to the
drug side of the music, the darker, heavy stuff. I lived that life to the fullest, and all that
comes along with it.
Who are your current influences? My current influences??? hmmm, I'd have to say
its some of the people who have been around since the first year or two, that are still
active...Cheetah Chrome, Rubber City Rebels, the stuff Marky Ramone does, Duane
Peters, Los Gattos, some of the New York music like Kitty and the Kowalskis, Michel Solis,
groups on Wanker records from Germany. I like False Alarm too...fucking r-n-roll.
What is your proudest moment as a musician? Playing at Paychecks in Detroit City,
Easter weekend '06 was my proudest moment because my 14 year old son came from two
hours south to see me play for the first time in his life!!! It was the best, a dream come
true.
What is your most embarrassing moment as a musician? Repeatedly pulling my
gear outta pawn or losing it altogether.
What do you think would have been your path through life if you had never
gotten involved with music? Can't say...I'd probably be locked up or dead. Playing
gave me some direction and punk rock has never let me down.
Tell us something about you that few people are aware of.
That I still get anxiety before I play every time and have to pee about 50 times!!!
When you look back on your musical path to this point. What are your deepest
regrets? No regrets to speak of at all, just that there have been many sacrifices
personally along the way – casualties, girlfriends, wives, family, friends, health, freedom,
gear...
If you had the opportunity to start over, what would you change?
Nothing at all, I would do it all over again and stand in the front of the line to get it started
tomorrow...I've had fun the whole way through. If I didn't, I sure wouldn't still be doing it. It's
never been about $$$, there isn't any. Girls, I just need one.
Who has been the most influential person in your life and why?
My Grandmother without a doubt. She bought me my first bass and always encouraged
me to play, even going as far to ask that I keep my bedroom door open when a friend and
I were in my room making a bunch of racket and writing new songs, or learning covers,
when I didn't even know how to play!!! Rest her soul, I still think of her to this day more
often than not when I am playing!!!
Please summarize the highlights & lowlights of your musical career. Lowlights,
lets start there. Probably being homeless and barely able to make it to band practice, or
too strung out to have any gear of my own or what I did have, not being trusted enough to
not sell it. Another real lowlight was being locked up when Mr. Johnny Thunders came to
town and my group The Shivers was the opener, a silver lining in that was that a friend
recorded it for me off the soundboard and one really cool thing was that The Shivers
renamed themselves the Skeleton Crew for one night only, outta respect to me since I
wasn't there.
Highlights??? Being the exclusive opener for the Sex Pistols tour when they rolled
through town for a surprise show in '03 with The Glass Heroes!!! Mr. Rotten gave us his
blessings by saying to us right before we went on stage "I hope you have a terrible show, I
know we will". How sweet. It's always special when my family has seen me perform. My 72
year old mother still comes out occasionally.
And then there's all the bands I've met along the way and all the cool people, and the
fans who make it all possible that come to our shows and think our CD is worthy to play,
the DJ's that give us air time...of course, I feel very fortunate to be here and still actively
participate on the level that I do!!!
What are your thoughts on the current "Punk" scene? It seems very healthy, there
are really a lot of good bands out there. One thing that is comforting is that it will never go
away. Right now there is a kid somewhere, slapping on the Ramones first album and their
life will be changed as it has been for me and a million others. I do see the punk as being
very sectionalized, more genre specific, whereas for us dinosaurs, we were all for one and
four for a buck. It was like every day I woke up I never knew what was gonna happen,
musically – what new sounds, colors and happenings were gonna go down, very
exciting!!! It was a very tight-knit community...and then again, to try to define it is useless,
like mercury, it slips thru ones fingers and is gone.
How much has it changed or stayed the same since you got into it? A lot has
remained the same, the part that disheartens me, is that to some its like you have to be a
card carrying member now to be a punk, or, how many spikes one has in their hair/belts,
etc. I never remember that that was what it is all about...and it saddens me to see people
jumping on stage and beating on their chests about how punk they are. No one needs to
tell me what it is to be punk, I am jaded to a degree, I'm certain, I don't recall it being
about all that...but it is the youngbloods that keep me going, and then again, last punk
standing wins. When the smoke clears...old school rules. For that brief moment of time
there was something really special going on, and for those that weren't there, they missed
the boat.
Welp, there are tons of bands out there that have the right gear, right look and even play
the "punk" r-n-roll, it just seems there is something missing to me in the majority. There is
a corporate smell to the whole thing. Having said that though, there are lots of groups that
are just going for it – backyard parties, basements, warehouses, speakeasies, and many,
many, that are holding the flag of the old school and true to all that it is. It is so wide open
today, what with the internet, that a person in Germany let's say, can find out about the
Glass Heroes and get the CD!!! So, that has really made each and every one of us
equals and we can grow from there. Being a first gen punk rocker it was anybody and
everybody who came, misfits and outcast we were. It's good to see that it's everywhere
today. Saturated comes to mind, to quote the Avengers if I may, "I wanna see a million
more of me" I love seeing the punk look, I've always been attracted to it, the music and all
that comes with it...and as we know, the world around us is a completely different place
today as well, punk is a mirror for us, like it always has been."
What are your plans musically in the future? As long as my health allows it, my
musical plans for the future are to keep touring, writing, recording and I hope I die with my
boots on, keep playing right 'til the end, it's all I know!!!
I appreciate the invite to this interview!!! Thanks for the support! Stevie D.
