Short question and answer session I had with Ric Olsen, Berlin's ex-guitarist around July 18th, 1996
[rja = me, ric = Ric Olsen]
rja> regarding the bunch of folx you hung out with recently (Vince Gill, etc),
yeah, definitely a wild mix of folx... did ya just hang out, party, or were
ya doing any music with them?
ric> Hanging out. I am now out in Nashville. This town is not as "country" as
one would think. There is such a positive temperament between artists
that it doesn't matter whether you're a has-been, wanna-be, or I'm-there.
A lot or rock artists and producers live here now including Peter
Frampton, Mutt Lange (Def Leopards producer), Nigel Olsson (Elton
John), Bob Welch ("Ebony Eyes", Fleetwood Mac), Luke Perry (is he a
musician now??), and the list goes on and on. I guarantee within one
hour of your arrival here you would meet someone you consider a "star"
rja> Since Berlin's style is rather varied from Larry's and Gill's, I take it you
have a wide variety of musical interests, huh?
ric> I really do. After Berlin I worked on a number of projects with a variety of
people. Mike Botts, (drummer from Bread), Waddy Wachtel (Linda
Ronstadt), Lee Sklar(Phil Collins), Bob Glaub, Nicolette Larson, Roger
O'Donnel (keyboardist from Thompson Twins that joined the Cure),
Baxter (vocalist from "Reflex" [Politics of Dancing]), Eddie Money, Donna
DeLory (Madonna's backup vocalist), Andy Gill (Gang of Four), Stanley
Clarke and Stuart Copeland (Animal Instinct), Bob Cat Goldthwaite (Bono
shtict), and loads more....
rja> do you have a list of the various members of Berlin (and when they
were in the band) besides the stuff listed on the "Best of" cover)?
I did see in the 1996 bio that they mention pre-Terri, but I don't
know much about that time.
ric> Berlin for a very short period had a male vocalist names Ty Cobb. They
had just changed their name from the Toys. Ty was not in very long.
Though John's groups rehearsed in my studio in Anaheim, CA for some
time, it was about this period that I lost track of just what the heck they
were doing. I believe Virginia and Toni were vocalists prior to Terri. Terri
actually answered an ad. As to how I became involved, John rang me
one day to ask if I would help him out with auditioning guitars players for
"Berlin". Terri would be the vocalist, and they were looking to put a
whole group together. As mentioned, John was renting space from me,
(ironically his earlier groups would open shows for the group I was in
around the Southern California area), he needed my help in running the
sound system for the guitar auditions. I have a distinct picture of meeting
Terri as she was sitting outside my studio looking over the pictorial she
had posed for in Penthouse - what a picture!!. Anyway, after about 7
guitarists had auditioned, John asked me what I thought. I told him I liked a
particular player. The next person did not arrive, so Terri and John asked
if I wanted to "jam" with them to make use of the time. Knowing that John
had no mind set to "audition" me since I was more rock n roll, I figured
what the heck. Having nothing to lose, I gave it a whirl. It's easy to give
ideas when you're not creatively confined, so I immediately gave ideas
on a particular song they wanted to "jam" on - "Tell Me Why". It was the
first time all day I saw Terri's eyes light with excitement. Anyway, we
jammed and the next guy showed, they packed up and went out for
dinner. I in turn was preparing to rehearse with my group. The next day I
received a call from John. Apparently they had all discussed ME joining
the group. He asked if I would do it. I said let's check it out, and over the
next few weeks worked to complete the EP for Enigma, (Pleasure
Victim). By that time I had accepted the position as 4th member. Soon
after, Matt Reid and Rod Learned were brought in to complete the group.
The artwork and narrative for the record were already completed so it
looked as though there were only 3 in the group. We did not have the
money to make the changes. Heck, if we new it was going to take off like
it did - it would have been worth it though. The confusion between 3
members and 6 members always created a lot of confusion. We knew
that the true fans and truly interested media people were aware of this.
If they weren't, they were shmucks and just wanted a free ride. Rod
Learned was with us until our first European tour. He was big enough to
admit that success scared the shit out of him. Rod was a dearly loved
member and we're still trying to locate him to say hi and give him his gold
and platinum awards. Rob Brill replaced him.
rja> do you have any list of 1) who Berlin toured with (opening act or
headlining) and about when those tours were ...
ric> I actually kept a log on all the shows we ever played, with whom,
amount of tickets sold, and money taken in. It is tucked away in my
personal vault but off the top of my head, we played with Flock of
Seagulls, Thompson Twins, THE Cars, THE Police, Riot, Huey Lewis and
the News, Roxy Music, Mr. Mister, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers,
Modern English, Real Life, David Bowie, Bob Cat Goldthwait, The
Romantics, etc etc.. Bob Cat opened for us in Boston and went on to be
pretty big. Thompson Twins opened for us one year, and the next we
opened for them, (don't ever burn bridges - this business is on a definite
sliding scale), Riot opened for us and got quite big, Dolly IS BIG in other
ways and I know right hand (got the photo to prove it), Mr. Mister opened
for us and stomped our sales the next season.
rja> someone mentioned that the lead on "Blowin Sky High" didn't quite
sound like Terri - was it her (I think so)?
roc> It is Terri. She has really developed into quite a powerful vocalist. Her
range and dynamics are amazing. She sang on an albums worth of
demos in a group project we were working on together. One song in
particular was simply awesome. I have half a mind to release it if the
new Berlin thing comes off.
rja> have you heard any of the "new" Berlin yet? I heard from someone
that (and I'm trying to remember what they said) people were moshing in
the aisles at Buzzardfest (Cleveland) to a wild version of "The Metro."
Does this mean Terri has gone headbanger on us then?
Also, is "Sin City" 1) the band she had prior to the Berlin name
again or 2) the album coming out?
ric> Have not heard the new stuff. Sin City is the band she had prior to
acquiring the Berlin name. I believe an album will be out in August.
rja> what was your impression of "Take My Breath Away" as it was Berlin's
biggest charting song?
ric> I think the song is a beautiful creation, but it is not Berlin. Georgio
Morodor, (the writer along with Tom Whitlock and producer), was writing
a number of songs for the Top Gun soundtrack. He and Terri were quite
close following the work with No More Words and Dancing in Berlin. He
asked Terri to sing on the song. It was not to be a Berlin song. This was
around the same period that 3 of us had left and the group was
crumbling quickly. (Heck look at all the people used on Count Three). As
record companies are, they talked Georgio into allowing Berlin to be listed
as the performer, (even though Terri was the only member on it). In
addition, he also agreed to allow it's release on Count Three and Pray.
rja> Why was the name "Berlin" chosen?
ric> Publicist and group answer from 1982 :".. Fascination with the decadent
1940 pre-war Germany".
Real answer: it's a real cool name!!!