Cathy: Greg I just can't say how young and goodlooking you are enough. It's also nice to see the long hair back, you look better than ever!
Greg: Ya that's ironic isn't it? I'm youthfull in appearance but that's just superficial nonsense. My mind is that of a 70 year old.
Cathy: You never really talk about your illness, will you do so for a bit?
Greg: The reason I don't talk about it is because out of sight out of mind, you know what I mean? I just don't dwell on it, it's there, I know what it's doing to me and I simply refuse to let it rule my life. Huntington's Disease is in my mind the most appalling disease known to mankind. Now I'm sure that people with Parkinson's Disease will say their disease is worse or those with ALS, but the fact is is that HD not only kills your brain cells to put it simplisticly but it also has a host of associated problems that go along with it.
Cathy: Yes I can understand why you'd want it out of your mind, that would be a drag letting it rule you.
Greg: Well it actually did rule me for a while but now I just accept and live day by day. When it did rule my life my life was hell.
Cathy: Is that why you left the email list a couple of years ago?
Greg: I left the email list for that reason most certainly and it didn't help that there were people on that email list that rubbed me the wrong way. I mean we had what, over 300 people on that list, now sure not everyone is going to love every song I wrote but some of those people attacked any song I wrote. How does one cope with that?
Cathy: I know what your talking about, it was hard on many of us and there were so many fights that I don't even think you were aware of.
Greg: Well that doesn't surprise me, what I never could understand was why would these people even bother to be on the list in the first place?
Cathy: It did get very bad near the end but you have to agree that not everyone is there because they like your music, some were their because they loved Corey so much.
Greg: That's understandable and I accept that. Corey draws quite a crowd. It's too bad that some of them never had the chance to speak with my brother. If he'd been on the list it would have been a more reasonable place however there still were those that just wanted to wreak havock.
Cathy: Ya the imposters and so on were juvenile.
Greg: Ya that was the icing on the cake, geez, get a life already.
Cathy: I think the fact that every single female on the list would jump on anyone that made a negative comment about you made it all that much worse.
Greg: Ya, I love all my fans and I appreciate how quick you all are to defend me but I can handle myself.
Cathy: My presumption would be that the ones that were causing the problems were very jealous of you.
Greg: Hmm, that's not the first time somone has said that to me.
Cathy: Will you ever join the new email list, it's so much better and civilized than before?
Greg: Cathy, I appreciate the gesture but I'm not an email list guy, it becomes so overwhelming even when things are peaceful. It's like email overload and I can't reply with the same speed and clarity I did in the past.
Cathy: I understand that. Lets discuss your music shall we?
Greg: Sure, fire away.
Cathy: First off what's your favourite song of all the songs you've written?
Greg: Umm, I don't know. It's hard to say which one because most of them are about something special. I've always liked the song "I Went Wrong". It's a pop rock song with very dark undertones.
Cathy: Great song!
Greg: Thanks.
Cathy: How did that song come about?
Greg: Well that whole album, In The Arms Of Dionysus was an album that I wanted to capture the past of Frenzy and the present of Frenzy. That song I wrote some time ago actually and it was very rough. It was written in the days when I'd ad-lib my lyrics. That is I never wrote down lyrics, when the time came for the vocal section I'd ad-lib. For Dionysus I changed the lyrics quite drastically because I wanted this bouncy song that was about being on the edge of the knife. People listen to it and go man that sounds like Cheap Trick or whatever but they don't get the gist of the lyrics.
Cathy: Yes the song is truly worthy of high acclaim but I'll confess I had no idea that's the idea you were trying to convey.
Greg; Lyrics are sometimes difficult to discern, many bands do that. I wasn't trying to hide the undertones, they are right there but I can see how they can be misconstrued.
Cathy: I just love "I Love Only You", it's my favourite song, it flows beautifully and it is so warm, can you tell me more about that song?
Greg: I wrote that song in 1995. It was the first time I'd written a song since Frenzy had split up in 1991. After the split I just gave up on music, but then I met the true love of my life, and once we were enganged she said, I want you to write the wedding song. I said to my wife, what are you nut's? She laughed and said , no song, no wedding.
Now this is what I call pressure (laughs)! Okay, I started doing my thing which basically consists of coming up with these songs in my head. The problem is, I come up with what could be an opus and by the time I go to write it, it's gone. Never fails, I could be in the shower, or just vegetating then, boom, an opus pops into my head, then I try to record it and it's gone. This is what happened here, I had a deadline to come up with My Wedding Song of all things and I only had a couple weeks to practice, the guitar is merciless, it's not like riding a bike, you must stay constantly on top of it or you lose your skill. I had pretty much lost 50% of my skill. So I had to get it back in a hurry. As things progressed I came up with an opus, it was an inspiring song that this time I wrote down. Now all I had to do was record that which I had come up with and voila, I'd have not just a wedding song but an opus! (laughs). As I went into the recording progress I realized that my opus was turning into a giant piece of cheese. Finally after pure frustration and many hours of recording I'd had enough. I thought to myself, this is pure crap and not only that but I can't write a decent song to save my sorry ass in time. I sat down with the acoustic guitar, the other song I wanted to write was to have been clean electric by the way, and I started strumming it like you would an electric guitar, not strumming but rhythmic downbeating. I thought, hmm this sounds cool. I don't know why, but I just started recording and singing in a completely ad-lib fashion as I've done many times before. Essentially it fell into place rather well. The vocal performance wasn't spectacular but the ending was what the whole song was about. That I embellished with an additional vocal track and some bass. That was it. When I listened to it I thought, it's not an opus but it's my song for my wife. When she heard it she was so happy and that made me happy. I didn't think it was anything special until on the email list everyone was saying how much they loved that song. To me that song was special because I focused on my wife while I sang out the lyrics. That is why she loves it too.
Cathy: You know that's the first time you ever tied that song to your wife. I always thought it was a song you wrote about love in general. You've got a lucky wife!
Greg: Actually I'm the lucky one, and you'd be surprised how many songs, even on The Tempest, revolve around her.
Cathy: Speaking of The Tempest, that album is special to you as well but in a different way am I right?
Greg: When I came up with the idea for writing that album I was, as mentioned, being ruled by Huntington's Disease. I had come up with the idea for The Tempest after having listened to Pink Floyd's "The Wall" for about the 1000th time. That was the only theme album that came close to capturing how I felt but it was off in some respects and rightfully so, it wasn't meant to be about Huntington's Disease. I wanted to capture Huntington's Disease and the way I felt exactly. I never meant for The Tempest to sound like Floyd and it certainly doesn't. I wasn't depressed when I went into the writing progress, but as songs started to be written and recorded I became very depressed. That album is so depressing. I wouldn't call it special in the sense that it's close to my heart but I would call it an arduous affair that I will never revisit.
Cathy: So no more songs like "No More Time", "Crucified", "Living Out Of A Coffin"?
Greg: It's funny you mention those because their not bad songs but just far too much of me has been exposed in them.
Cathy: Well you're pretty up front in your songs even prior to Tempest. For example, you wrote "I'm A Vampyre" and that was on Worship.
Greg: There was a period there before Worship was mastered when, I wrote a number of songs with my brothers keybords. "Never Before", "I Cry For You" and so on. That was 1997. I also wrote some electric songs in the same recording period such as "I'm A Vampyre", "Into The Night You Flew" and "Fell In Love In Your Arms". Worship came out in 1999 and it had the heavier songs I'd written. "I'm a Vampyre" is another one of those songs about HD but I wanted it to be couched in hyperbole. It was typical of my mindset at the time and let's face it, I am a vampyre!
Cathy: You've called yourself a vampire on that song, and on "Living Out Of A Coffin". In fact one of the lines on "I'm A Vampyre" goes "Transylvanian blood within me". Do you consider yourself a vampire?
Greg: I'd joke with my wife that I was the worlds one and only true vampyre. You see, I am half Hungarian and my fathers family is from Transylvania when it was still part of Hungary. The fact of the matter is though that no I don't consider myself a vampyre in the classic sense but I am vampyre in the genetic sense. Huntington's Disease unlike vampirism is a hereditary illness. I'm like a hereditary vampyre that can and will die but that same hereditary baggage gets heaped onto generation after generation.
Cathy: That's chilling, it must disturb you no?
Greg: Yes, very disconcerting and depressing if one wallows in it. I have faith and I believe a cure will be found. I'm not afraid to die, I just don't want anyone else I love to have to go through this.
Cathy: What about Corey, is he in the same mindset as you?
Greg: Corey is just like my father. My father died in an automobile accident in 1990. He wasn't very old at the time and it was thought by his siblings that he did not have HD. I never lived my life worrying about HD. I one day phoned my cousin, her father, my uncle was the last of the unlces to be alive at the time with HD and she told me I should get the genetic test done. I said why would I need to do that? She explained that there was a chance my father may have had it but that he had late onset. I went onto the web and found numerous data regarding the disease and was shocked to realized that I may very well be at risk. I told my wife and she said do what you think is best for you. Now I'm one of those types that must know what my situation is. I did the test and when I went in to get my results I was of the opinion that I didn't have it. In fact my wife and I were going to celebrate and go away for a while after I got my results. The day that I went in to see the geneticist is one that is imprinted upon my memory. Of course the results were not what I expected and the vampyre lived on in me. With respect to my brother, I can only imagine his mindset. He's expressed it well enough to me but it's difficult for someone that knows what's in store for him to fully realize how horrible it must be to not know. At least by not knowing he has hope. Hope is the most potent drug on the planet.
Cathy: This is so sad, you don't know how much I truly feel your pain and wish this never happened to you.
Greg: Don't be sad for me, I'm well prepared menatally.
Cathy: How can you say that so matter of factly?
Greg: I've had my time wallowing in the mire. I have accepted my fate and from this point onwards I simply will not look back. I will not let it take control again. That's how one copes with this. The extent of knowledge I've forgotten is staggering, that really used to bother me, but I don't care now. HD may win in the end, but I will win till the end.
Cathy: Your entire family is in my prayers.
Greg: Thank you, that's very kind of you.
Cathy: I'd like to ask you if you've seen some of the posts Corey made a few weeks ago on the forum and some of the responses?
Greg: Yes as a matter of fact I did. He actually called me at that time and was doing this amazingly acurrate Derek Zoolander imitation. My brother is a funny guy and he can do imitations so well. I was howling in laughter then he asked if I'd seen any new posts on the board, I said no. He said check it out. I did and I was shocked to see the way that thread devolved. I stopped reading after a while as I couldn't believe the crap. I mean come on, he hasn't posted on a Frenzy board since I don't know when and it turns into a crap shoot. I can understand people not believing who he was but even after that some people still fought. It's a small example of why I hate email lists and forums.
Cathy: Can you describe your relationship with Corey?
Greg: Sure, what would you like to know?
Cathy: How do you and Corey get along?
Greg: Corey is my brother. He's younger than me so when we were young I made his life pretty miserable at times but I've always loved him and always watched out for him. Whenever I see him we laugh our heads off. He has a great sense of humour and appreciates mine as well. Musically we are both on the same wavelenth because he had to listen to all the music I liked when I was growing up. The only time he and I have had any conflict was when our own music was at stake. Corey and I both agree that when we are together musically we have a problem which is wierd because that wasn't always the case. With the Frenzy band everything became serious and tense. I was a highstrung buffoon and so was he. All he had to do to get on my nerves was change the way I wanted my songs played and all I had to do to get on his nerves was tell him he sounded like Vito Bratta. That would make him crazy! (laughs). It got to the point where the band became this political machine where he held sway over Vouli and Kevin and I had Andrew on my side. When a band becomes polarized it's no longer fun. I well remember feeling sick to my stomach at the thought of having to perform and or rehearse. We'd get into these huge fights, I never liked that. I knew the band had limitless potential so I stuck it out. It was Corey who actually finally caved in and couldn't take it anymore.
Cathy: You've said before that you think Corey is the best guitarist in the world, are you sure of this?
Greg: I guarantee that he is the best guitarist ever and still is. The thing is what you hear of him on a record isn't what he is fully capapble of. The people that influenced him and the competition we had as brothers and as guitarists is what made him so special. We'd jam alot before Frenzy, for the most part it was blues that we'd jam to. I was of the Jimmy Page school of sctructured blues and Corey was as well for a time. Now remember I'm 6 years older than him so for a few years I was the better player. When you're jamming to the blues every day, you always improve. Corey I know wanted to be a better player than me. What we'd do is, with what ever drummer was available, we played with a few, we'd trade solos, so I'd solo, then him, then me and so on. It got to the point one day when I realized he was taking the lead in this contest of guitars. Then he took giant leaps and bounds in his playing as he matured. It was so mind blowing to watch. Here we are doing blues and he just dropped all conventions and stepped out of the box and became a pure guitarist. He was doing anything and everything and still sounded cool. It was no longer blues, it was Corey. Then his speed shot through the roof and he became untouchable. For example he made great guitarists like Brian May, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Alex Lifeson, look simple to emulate. When he reached the pinnacle of his playing he was none of those guys and yet some of them did influence him.
Cathy: Wow, so he really is that good?
Greg: Yes. If you listen to him play or jam, you will see a person that is gifted playing. You will never think another guitarist could come close to him.
Cathy: Well he's got alot of fans that's for sure and so do you, what is the difference in your mind, why can't a fan of one be a fan of the other or are there some like that?
Greg: Frenzy has fan's of all stripes. There are fans that exclusively want Corey, fans that exclusively want me and fans that like everything. Guitar fans are naturally drawn to a player like Corey, he's got the right stuff. Other fans enjoy the music. I don't think that's a bad thing, a fan is a fan and that's fine by me.
Cathy: Why did you call your entire body of work both pre and post Frenzy, Frenzy?
Greg: It was easier that way. Originally I didn't wan't the name Frenzy, my brother and a couple of the guys wanted the name. It's a take-off of my last name and I thought it was a tacky rip-off of Van Halen however as time progressed I had to call my music something and the music Frenzy played was written by me except for "I'm Runnin" which was written by Corey. People identified me with that name and I therefore decided to keep it.
Cathy: You're so enthused when you talk about music, now I'm going to throw a big question at you, will there be another Frenzy CD and will Corey be on it?
Greg: Oh boy. Okay, here's where I stand and here's where my brother stands. Earlier I mentioned how no matter what time of day it was a new song would pop into my head. For my entire songwriting life that has been the case. That is not the case now. I don't know why, maybe HD, maybe the meds I have to take, I don't know, but all I can say is I am creatively jammed. I cannot conjure up new songs like I did in the past and I know that if I were to sit down and try to write a new record right now I'd be lost. To give you an example I wrote The Tempest in less than 2 months and had 20 songs down. In the summer of 2001 my brother and I decided we'd record together again. In a 1 month timespan he'd written one song and I'd written 2. This was bizarre and way out of character for me as I can usually write 10 -15 songs a month for a record. Then that fall I had some problems, not health problems but very serious problems nonetheless. Whilst amidst these problems there was no way I was in a frame of mind to write and record. Corey was saddened by this as he really wanted to put something out. My problems thankfully were gone by christmas but I still didn't have the hunger to write. I just don't have that drive anymore though. Corey was all into recording when we first agreed to do it but now I don't know if that's what he want's. I can't say if he would be on an new CD or not as nothing has been set up and he may very well be sick and tired of waiting.
Cathy: So are you saying you can't write music anymore?
Greg: To a degree yes. I could write music but it would be soulless.
Cathy: Many musicians enter into the state your in. It passes usually or they write something soulless as you put it and they are never heard from again. Can you see yourself writing in 6 months to a year from now?
Greg: I'd love to have the foresight to answer that. You are correct in saying that others have trudged the same path. Like I said I can't give you or anyone else a timeframe upon which you can build your hopes. Here's a question for you, if I were to write a new record and it sounded exactly like The Tempest would that make fans happy?
Cathy: Well I don't think so and I do see your dilemna. So where do you go from here?
Greg: I don't have the luxury of being able to sit around waiting for my creativity to kick in. It's a real pain but I haven't anything encouraging to say.
Cathy: Your fans are a patient lot. Don't worry I'm sure you'll get back into the swing of things. Let's move away from this topic and discuss some of the questions I have been requested to ask you shall we?
Greg: Sure.
Cathy: Alot of your fans want to know what your favourite Frenzy record is?
Greg: I'd have to say Shame. It's just very much what I sound like with Richie and it's got some great songs on it.
Cathy: I would have thought you'd say Tempest or Worship.
Greg: Well Tempest is so bloody depressing, I hardly listen to it. Worship is nice I prefer it to Dionysus.
Cathy: Why don't you have the albums, Worship, Shame, Suplicate and LIVE available anymore?
Greg: It's all legal nonsense. LIVE was something I gave away for free, but it had some cover songs on it that might anger the original artists. The other 3 records are out of print. It would be at a loss to my record label to reprint them and move only several hundred of each. I may release a special compilation CD consisting of songs that the fans want. I've been thinking about that to tide things over until I'm ready to record again.
Cathy: Sounds like a good idea to me, you'd be able to get rare songs to fans that really want them.
Greg: Ya, that's what I was thinking.
Cathy: Here's one from another fan, Animal Instincts, can you tell us the story behind that?
Greg: That song is all about women in bars. It's the animal instinct in both men and women that draw them together. When a man sees a woman he is strongly attracted to he wants to meet her. Many men just can't muster the courage to approach a beautiful woman in a bar. Thankfully I've never had that problem (laughs), but I'm serious it is a problem and the clock is ticking, she will not be there all night fella's.
Cathy: So I gather you must be quite the womainzer?
Greg: I don't like that term but I did well back when. I'm married now, I've commited myself to my wife, I'll never let that be ruined.
Cathy: That's nice to hear, I'm sure your wife must love you.
Greg: I do believe that and she knows I love her as well.
Cathy: In the past you stated you didn't like the sound of Animal Instincts, Beggin' On My Knees and I'm Runnin due to the poor recording of them. Tell me, what happened there?
Greg: Those were the only studio songs the Frenzy band recorded and they were supposed to be for our demo. Kevin knew this guy that had a studio and we arranged to meet with him. He seemed intelligent enough and seemed like he knew about recording properly and mixing. So, we went with him and recorded those songs there. We never were able to sit down with him and review what we'd recorded, he'd just play us snippets. Ultimately the day came when he was going to mix the songs and he asked me if I wanted to be there. I did not have the time and he was unwilling to change the date. When I got the final product I just couldn't believe what it sounded like. It was utterly muddy and the drums sounded like practice pads, the guitars sounded like mush and were not mixed they way we wanted them and the vocals sounded phased. My brother and I were so pissed off but there was nothing we could do as this guy told us he would not re-mix them. I guarantee you I could record and mix those same songs on a 4 track portastudio and it would sound better than that. He butchered our songs. I call that the satanic sessions because that's exactly what they were. That didn't do much for our morale either. (laughs).
Cathy: I'm sitting here with you and when you smile it lights up the room, you are a beautiful looking man, why do you have pictures on the Frenzy page that don't look as good as you do?
Greg: I'm not that vain that I need to have nothing but pictures of me up. The ones I authorized are not the best in the world but there is a reason for that and that's because I don't want to be like some pretty boy type. Back in the Frenzy days I showed up for a rehearsal wearing a shirt and pants rather than my typical jeans and a tee shirt and Kevin made a funny comment which made me and everyone else laugh our heads off, he said I looked like Michael Damien (laughs). I couldn't believe it, he was essentialy calling me a pretty boy. From that day I made it my upmost business not to look like a pretty boy. I hate that label and the negative connotation it conveys. I recently saw my brother a few weeks ago and guess what he called me, a farging pretty boy (laughs). I don't know why but he did and it was funny but you can see the crap I have to put up with.
Cathy: Sounds to me like good old fashioned jealousy! What about Corey, why no pictures of him?
Greg: All the pictures I have of him with a guitar in his hands are from the Frenzy days, I have no recent pictures of him that he's authorized me to use. We were going to have to get a new set of pictures for "Ecstasy" but when that died the need for a picture of him did as well, besides he's "shy boy" (laughs).
Cathy: Has it never occured to you that big labels like good looking guys?
Greg: Have you seen most of these supposed good looking guys recently, their either in boy bands or god awful ugly, the industry has changed, looks don't matter anymore not that they ever did I might add.
Cathy: Yes that's quite true but looks did matter in the Frenzy era.
Greg: Well it was a superficial era anyway.
Cathy: Okay, another fan wants to know why you didn't have Richie Rocket in the band as opposed to Vouli?
Greg: This is a painful question because I feel like I've betrayed Richard. Rich and Vouli were both friends of Corey. They both played drums as well. I knew Vouli for quite some time prior to the band and I ultimatley met Rich through him. Richie and I would jam with Andrew, and Corey would jam with Vouli. Richie was and still is a good friend. He's a hell of a funny guy and when he gets behind those drums he can tear a stadium down. Vouli on the other hand had a lighter touch and was more suited to the style of playing that Corey enjoyed. I've recorded quite a few good songs with Richie on the drums and I was comfortable with his style which is really heavy and ballsy.
When it came down to it though I had to be realistic, I knew Corey would be in charge of the rhythm section and I knew he'd want Vouli. He refused to play without Vouli, so poor Richie got left behind because of it. It bothers me to this day and I know it bothers Corey too.
Cathy: Many Frenzy fans prefer Richie to Vouli, what did Corey see in Vouli?
Greg: Vouli was adaptable, he could play Rush, Van Halen, April Wine and Queen. Richie was king of AC-DC and The Doors. You know the argument was won by Corey, I feel bad that Richie got the shaft and I think his presence may have even alleviated some of the tension when we were in our foul moods.
Cathy: Another one of the fans want's to know the story and or meaning behind "She Likes To Rock"
Greg: At the time that I wrote that song, there were two types of females on the market, rock "chicks" and dance "chicks", please excuse the colloquialism but that's how I and everyone I knew referred to them as. For some reason I was meeting far more dance chicks than rock chicks until I met this striking lady that certainly rocked. She was also as it turned out to be a major pain in the ass. Thus I wrote the song, a sort of condemnation really of her and not all rock chicks. That song was about a real bad apple.
Cathy: Ya, "Sweet child lady of the evening, talks dirty even when she's sleeping", not exactly sweet as pie (laughs).
Greg: Ya, she never met my mother (laughs).
Cathy: One fan has asked about the song Dionysus, what's that all about and are you supposed to be Dionysus?
Greg: If your at all familiar with Greek Mythology you'll know that Dionysus had a certain effect upon women. This song is about that effect and it's use in trying to pick up a woman. No I'm not trying to say that I am Dionysus but in the chorus you hear "let dionysus in your arms". It's a mish mash of mythos and modern times.
Cathy: Party Every Day, great song, what was the motivation behind that?
Greg: First that song is not a party song. It's not supposed to be like "Dancing In The Streets" or any other party song. That song was written about a friend of mine who lives a life of great excess. He drinks like a fish and he parties like it's 1999 all the time. He's a big Stones fan so that's why you hear that "hey, hey, hey" bit in the chorus section. It was written as a humourous observation of him. I guess it's too bad that record didn't have the lyrics printed on them but even then I still think people would think it's supposed to be a party anthem.
Cathy: Interesting, as that's what I thought it was, a great party song, I feel so very small (laughs). Okay, the music industry is hurting big time right now, do you think if you released another CD right now it would do as well as Dionysus and Tempest?
Greg: I think everyone related to music is being hurt by this economy. I would be surprised if I were to release a CD today and get even half the response Dionysus got.
Cathy: Many times you've mentioned how much you disliked Audiogalaxy and Riffage and yet you liked MP3.com which most people don't. Has your view changed over time?
Greg: Audiogalaxy were the epitome of scam artists and my view of them hasn't changed. Riffage was the next place in line really. At first I thought it was a fine place but ultimately I just got so sick and tired of all the fighting. Looking back I'd say Riffage did try to make things better but they really were caught in a catch twenty two. MP3 was something I used as a secondary site to put up songs that were new and get feedback. George and a few others did not like that at all. What can I say, I saw nothing wrong with it.
Cathy: One of our email members has noted that if you type in riffage.com you'll get a Riffage screen saying "coming soon". It looks like their trying to make a comeback, how does this make you feel?
Greg: I really don't care either way. If they come back fine, if not, fine.
Cathy: Do you still visit music sites and if so which do you like best?
Greg: I never visit music sites. Ever since Jezz took over I lost interest in the various sites. Jezz handles everything, she decides what goes up where and what comes down.
Cathy: What do you or did you think of the quality of artists that were out there when you were running the show?
Greg: I think it's probably the same now as it was then. You'll always have a preponderance of bad music but there are always some really great artists to be found at most any site. It's the law of averages. If a site has nothing but bad music it won't last.
Cathy: Which bands music did you like the best of all the sites you were involved with?
Greg: At Riffage there was Immortal Alice. That was a great band that didn't have a bad song up there. Great band, fantastic songwriting, energy abounding, they were truly great.
Cathy: I remember that band, they were alternternative and yet you liked them so much.
Greg: I don't care for labels, alternative whatever. They rocked, that's all that mattered to me.
Cathy: They weren't my cup of tea but a few of the Frenzy fans liked them.
Greg: That's the nature of music, it crosses all boundries and fans of one style can be fans of another.
Cathy: What music that's out there today do you like?
Greg: I don't like any of it and sometimes I wonder which member of this band is related to the A&R guy at the label?
Cathy: Historiclaly, being related to and or knowing somebody is and was a very big plus in your favour.
Greg: That's my opinion as well.
Cathy: Why doesn't Corey ever take part in forums or email lists as you did to an extent?
Greg: Corey is a much more soft spoken fellow than I am but he does have the same temper I do, I think he likes to avoid fighting whenever he can. I know that when I was involved on the email list he wasn't part of what I was doing. He and I had had some problems around that time period and he just didn't care or maybe he just didn't know of it's existance.
Cathy: On the Frenzy forum a guy called Sid posted claiming to be Kevin, George agrees that it is the real Kevin as he seems to have provided inside information. Have you seen the posts he made?
Greg: I read his post's and I believe it was Kevin. He's a great guy, we didn't see eye to eye as he stated but we didn't hate eachother. He's a cool guy and I appreciate his effort.
Cathy: Yes, after seeing the thread and George's claim I had to agree he was the real thing. What was your relationship like with Kevin?
Greg: We had auditioned alot of bassists and frankly I was getting a little sick of it. Kevin showed up and he was a damn good player and Corey liked him so that was it. Corey and Kevin became pretty good friends, I was never on a personal level with anyone except Corey for a few reasons. One I lived on the other side of Toronto at the time and two I had my own friends outside the band. Not every band is friends with each and every bandmate. I'm like that, I'm distant in that respect. I thought Kevin was a good bassist but when he says we didn't see eye to eye that's because he's referring to the point where there band bacame a political piece of rubbish. The ground rules we layed out at the conception of the band was Corey was in charge of the rhythm section and I was in charge of the vocal section. That dissolved when the band became political. I'd often voice my opinion on the music and Corey would often voice his on the vocals which often led to brutal conflicts. The only two that never got involved were Vouli and Andrew but that's not to say Andrew didn't voice his problems to me. I think now in retrospect that the band would have survived if everyone left their ego at the door and just talked things out. The ego problem I and my brother had was very real. It was like two giant ego's trying to control eachother. Nowadays it's different, with my life and my music my ego is very different if in fact it still exists at all, which I doubt and the same goes for my brother. He and I are so much alike. We were very tempermental bastards at the time but now we're incredibly free of ego. I attribute that to our youth at the time and now it's because we've grown out of it altogether. I would like to add that the ego problems my brother and I had were in large part due to the fact that we both wanted things done a certain way. In hindsight I see it as asinine and worthless and that's why we had problems.
Cathy: Why don't you take emails anymore and why did you take mine?
Greg: I feel bad but what is there that I can say that hasn't been said 100 times before? I'm not being elusive I'm just being my typical self and that's a guy that likes to be private. When I was forwarded your email I said Cathy is great, she's never compromised her integrity and she is a kind friend.
Cathy: Ahh, thank you so much!
Greg: George is another that I should stay in touch with but I don't. If I were to only respond to a few emails from select people that would seem rather skewed wouldn't it? I know it would create resentment so I prefer to remain silent on all fronts.
Cathy: George is amongst your best of friends.
Greg: Yep, he is and he understands, he's not a sucky baby, he understands I can't always be there anymore.
Cathy: Was there alot of drugs being taken by band members of Frenzy?
Greg: You'd think there was but none that I know of. Most of us would drink a few beers to get into the groove but maybe that wasn't such a bright idea after all.
Cathy: Why?
Greg: Alcohol and egos don't mix (laughs).
Cathy: What about Andrew, do you still keep in touch with him?
Greg: I met Andrew at work. One day we started talking about music and he told me he played guitar and I told him I did too. So we said why not jam? He was one funny guy, he could defuse alot of tension with his hysterical comments. He and Richie were a hilarious combination and they really made me laugh. After Frenzy went down the acrimony that existed for the other members spilled over onto every member for me. I just look at a band breaking up like a divorce. It's never painless and it's generally always devastating. When the band went down I severed all ties with all members including Corey. I've no idea what Andrew is up to these days.
Cathy: How about Vouli?
Greg: As I mentioned he was a friend of Corey's, he and I got along fine but he was always Corey's yes man. I thought he was a talented drummer, he too was another funnny son of a bitch. When Frenzy went down I lost contact with him altogether. Corey too lost contact with him a few years later. The only real musician from that period that I keep in contact with is Richie and that's only occasionally and Corey stays in touch with both Rich and Kevin.
Cathy: Who's this Joey guy that is mentioned on the band bio page?
Greg: He's the guy I wrote "Party Every Day" about. Another on the list of hilarious people I hung out with. He was my friend first, we'd jam way back when, in his parents garage, he was a drummer and I played guitar. He later learned guitar and bass. Bass is simple to learn if you know the guitar. We played in bands together for short periods of time and when Corey and I thought of forming a solid band I thought he'd be a great asset with his humour and so on. Corey agreed and we rehearsed alot with him until he started not showing up at rehearsal. That got everyone angry but I felt it the most as he was my friend. After about the second time he didn't show up I said to Corey we need to dump him and Corey agreed. So we asked the other guys and they said yep, dump him and that was it. Sometimes you have to be a cold person when you're in a band and I was that very much so when that happened. He understood, I think, but I know it must have bothered him.
Cathy: It sounds like being in a band isn't like what a person like me would think it to be. I never thought of why bands broke up, they usually say something like "musical differences". It's starting to sound more like being in a relationship.
Greg: Yes, you hit the nail bang on the head. It is a relationship and sometimes some people you've had relationships with were just not meant for you.
Cathy: What stands out in your mind as your most profound memory of the band?
Greg: This is going to sound idiotic, so be forwarned (laughs). We used to rehearse at Kevin's work after hours in the warehouse. It was a musicians dream come true, fabulous acoustics and you could turn the amps up to eleven. Kevin had arranged for us the use of one of his friends PA systems which was very powerfurl. One time I was standing there in front of the PA and thought that it was off. We were just talking about the usual things and joking about and I was holding the microphone in my hand. It so happens that I was standing in front of one of these really bloody big speakers at the time and while I was talking I was nonchalantly flicking the switch, not on and off but just with my thumbnail in a neurotic manner I'm so renowned for. Everybody was laughing about something, I forget really, but all of a sudden my thumb flcked the microphone to the on position. What followed was a cacaphony of feedback the likes of which I'd never heard and the strangest thing was my eardrums were pounding like a bass drum. In the seconds that it was on I was in a state of shock, then I shut the mic off and proceeded to realize I'd lost my hearing. It's still buggered to this day. I never told them, I just said damn, but holy moses did that hurt. I remember going home and everything was in low volume to me. Profound, no, idiotic, yes.
Cathy: Yikes, so is it still bad, your hearing that is?
Greg: Yes, it's still bad. Not to the point where I need a hearing aid but certainly to the point where I'm always asking the annoying question, "What?".
Cathy: How many songs have you written and how old were you when you started writing?
Greg: Oh, it's so hard to give you a concrete number but let's just say more that alot to coin a Bono line. I never counted my songs, I don't know who does so it's tough to hazard a guess there. I started playing guitar at the late age of 16 but I picked up the basics quickly. I was writing songs from around the 17 year old mark I guess. I started recording at around the 20 year old mark I think.
Cathy: You have on many occasions said you don't consider yourself a singer and yet here you are singing, why?
Greg: Freddie Mercury is a singer, Dennis DeYoung is a singer, Steve Perry is a singer. I'm not of that calibre. I would never pretend to be. The reason I sang on the songs I recorded was because I wanted to capture the melody I wanted for the song and not let another singer change it to suit them. I always thought I'd be a lead guitarist but then people started saying, man that voice is good, don't stop. So I didn't. I'd sing but grudgingly.
Cathy: I think you have a beautiful voice, I think you might just be playing things down.
Greg: Listen to an early Queen album, any one will do. Just listen to Freddie sing then listen to my voice, you'll throw-up!
Cathy: Freddie's voice is different than yours but does that make it better?
Greg: Yes very much so regardless of the difference. He can go from his natural range to falsetto without anyone even noticing. He can sing falsetto and make it sound proper and not cheesy. He is the best male singer that ever graced the rock world.
Cathy: Everyones opinion is different, I and many others happen to love your voice. It's not like your trying to sound like Queen either, so why let it bother you?
Greg: Thank you, I'm not trying to sound like Queen, my writing style is very different from that of the various Queen members as well. It doesn't bother me per se but I know my limitations.
Cathy: A few of your songs sound very much like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, the heavier ones at least, did they influence you as well?
Greg: Oh ya, those guys were huge influences, the list of artists that influenced me is quite long. Everything from early Rush to The Beatles. I have absorbed so very much in terms of music it's unbelievable.
Cathy: I'm glad you mentioned The Beatles, as in many of your fans opinion you sound like John Lennon and I must say I agree 100% on quite a few songs. Are you aware of this and do you try to sound like him?
Greg: I can only say I love John's voice, I love his songwriting and that must have rubbed off on me. I don't try to sound like anyone when I sing but I always get the obligatory comment oh this sounds like John Lennon. No, I'm not trying to evoke that sound, it's how my voice adapts to certain ranges in songs I presume. You'd be surprised the different artists I've been compared to. I get John Lennon the most and Pink Floyd, I'm assuming Roger Waters, the second most. I've heard it all though as I said and I think the reason people feel they must label me is because my voice isn't really any of those but that's sort of what they gleaned from it. People like to compartmentalize music and that's what is happening there. I don't think my voice sounds like anybody else's and that's good because if I did there would be nothing new to offer.
Cathy: You forgot to mention the numerous Jim Morrison comparison's.
Greg: That's true and it's probably because we used to play The Door's back in the band days.
Cathy: What female artists do you like?
Greg: Pat Benatar and Bonnie Tyler stand out in my mind as outstanding female vocalists with incredible range.
Cathy: Pat Benatar is great indeed. Bonnie Tyler, that surprises me, she had a rather rough voice.
Greg: I think you're trying to say she had a raspy voice. It was nevertheless to me an outstanding voice.
Cathy: Do you like any present day female artists?
Greg: In the rock field I'd have to say no. In fact I think they all sound alike. They sound atonal as do alot of male vocalists, that's not to say they could sound proper if they wanted to. Robbie Williams is the only guy I've heard that actually sings a melody and is using his voice properly.
Cathy: What do you suppose it is that sets you apart from other songwriters?
Greg: I used to write songs in a very proper structured fashion but I decided I didn't like those constraints. I like simple songs. That may sound odd from a Queen fan but I do prefer simplicity wherever I can place it. I don't like bridges in songs, they always sound contrived and rarely help the song. Many have railed against my sentiments but listen to a song with a bridge and ask yourself, does this help the song or is it there because the conventions say it must be? Sure some songs have great bridges but to me for the most part they ruin the fluidity of the song. So I guess I'm the bridgeless wonder (laughs).
Cathy: What inspires you to write when you are in a creative mindset?
Greg: I'm a very passionate person, when I'm not feeling passionate about something I'm generally bored. I enjoy extremes, passion is very extreme and it evokes great creativity. I think that to stifle passion is not a good thing for a creative person. I get inspired from many things but the most powerful is certainly pain and love, happiness and anger.
Cathy: Are you not in a passionate mindset right now, maybe that's why you feel you can't create?
Greg: My life is always passionate don't get me wrong. I'm sorry I just can't answer that question because I don't know why I feel blocked.
Cathy: Like I said I feel this phase will pass and when it does you'll be right back in top creative form.
Greg: That's what I hope.
Cathy: You said you were half Hungarian, that surpises me, what's the other half?
Greg: Well my father was born in Hamilton, Canada, but his father was born in at that time Hungary. It's now part of Romania, Transylvania that is. My mother is French Canadian.
Cathy: What a combination, that's so interesting.
Greg: Ya, now you can see from my heritage where the passion and temper comes from (laughs).
Cathy: That is funny, it's sweet though!
Greg: Ask my wife if it's all that sweet (laughs).
Cathy: I'm sure she loves it!
Greg: She's great, she puts up with alot and I really have to say, she is the greatest.
Cathy: I notice that our time is up, I wanted to ask you if you had anything you wanted to convey to your fans?
Greg: Yes, I'd like to say thank you all for sticking with me and thank you all for your patience. I love all of you and I hopefully will be in a frame of mind that allows me to write new songs once again soon. I think Frenzy fans are the best in the world, that may sound cliche but that's the facts!
Cathy: Thank you Greg, your open and frank nature has been a true blessing!
Greg: Thank you Cathy, it was my pleasure indeed.
(c) 2009 Greg Frenzy