April 17, 2024 • 9 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, our series with music legend Pat Boone goes off the rails into his Heavy Metal classics. It appeared to many, at first, that the Christian and American music stalwart was no longer straight-laced - though there were still laces. Lots of laces.
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
And we continue with our American stories. Up next, a
story from Pat Boone. While Pat is known mostly for
his ballads and classic pop music hits, he's here today
to talk about a musical one eighty he took late
in his life.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Take it away, Pat, listen. I'm so glad you brought
that up, because it's a great example of how I've
made my way through this entertainment morass. But I did
an album of heavy metal classics. It came about because
(00:49):
while I was in England with my musicians, you know,
doing all my hit records and the tour going very well.
But we're at an airport between airplanes and one of
my musicians said, we like doing your hit records, you
know people, why don't we go in the studio and
do something different, now new together? And I said, look,
(01:09):
I thought of it, but I can't think of anything
I haven't done ten times already. I've already done gospel
and pop and rock and roll and big band swing.
They said, well, you never did any heavy metal, and
we laughed about it. No, I never did any heavy metal. Well,
I didn't have any use for heavy metal either or
(01:30):
the performers who were doing it. But my conductor Dave Siebels,
who's still my musical conductor pianist, said you know, there
are a lot of good songs underneath all that noise
that we could do a different way. And I said,
like what He said, well, big band swing, And I said, oh, well,
now you're talking, what kind of songs do you mean?
(01:53):
And that's when I was introduced by them to the
songs we wound up recording like Smoke on the Water,
Long Way to the Top if you want to rock
and roll, and then of course Crazy Trains, which as
(02:14):
I listened to that lyric and him singing it, I
realized was really good social commentary about how hard it
was for young people coming up to cope with all
the hypocrisy and double standards. It was his take on
how hard it is for kids to grow up and
growing up on a crazy train. Millions of people live
(02:44):
in ass bhoos, and so we decided we got the
big Band vest arrangers and Big Band Swing each to
take one song, including Crazy Train, and do big band
swing versions.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Mantel Wounds not.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Lights of beIN shame, I'm going off the rails con
a crazy.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Train, I'm going off the rails.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
On a crazy train and we put out the album,
and the night before the album was coming out, Dick Clark,
who produced the American Music Awards, had heard it and
felt like it was going to be a hit because
it was all those big, big songs but done a
totally different way. No more mister nice Guy. Alice Cooper
(03:41):
was one of them, and that was a subtitle. It
was Pat Boone in a metal mood, No more mister
nice Guy. And Dick Clark had me and Alice Cooper
present the Award for hard Rock Hard Rock Heavy Metal,
which happened to be for Metallica, and I was doing
their song in the album, Enter Sandman, and to do that,
(04:03):
Dick Clark had the idea that I would come on
dressed like a heavy metal guy, and Alice Cooper would
come on like Pat Boone and the v neck sweater,
carrying a glass of milk, wearing white buckshoes, his long
hair pullback under a golf cap. And I would come
out in leather vest made by designed by Bill Blue,
who did Elvis's costumes, just opened all the way down
(04:27):
to my navel, bare chest, no sleeves, tattoos on my arms,
biceps and pectoral muscles and you know, choker and earrings
and boots and leather and uh and so Alice Cooper
introduced me. He's the master of shot rock ladies and gentlemen,
(04:49):
Alice Cooper, I know the history of heavy metal, but
now I'd like to introduce you to the future of
heavy metal, Pat Boone as the future of heavy metal.
And Dick Clark had smoke on the stage and had
me stomp out through the fog to confront Alice Cooper,
who was looking unlike Alice Cooper at that point, and
(05:14):
he was stunned because he hadn't seen me in the
outfit I was wearing. And the crowd went crazy in
the audience and it was so noisy. I we couldn't
talk yet, and I realized what was happening is the
young people are saying who is that? And the older
ones said, well, they said it's Pat Boone, but it
can't be Well, who's Pat Boone?
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Alice?
Speaker 2 (05:34):
They're laughing at you. You're looking good. Does this signify
the death of heavy metal? No, it's a whole new rebird.
You know, Alice, you are my role model.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
You know that.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
I mean all this was a cacophony in the audience.
So I just walked to the front of the stage
and stood there, flexing my pecks and looking like a
De Niro and taxi driver. Hey, you got a problem
with me? You want a piece of me? Hey? But
I had no mic. I was able to do it
with attitude. So I walked back to Alice Cooper and
he's standing there with his jaw hanging open, and he
(06:15):
had to say, does this mean I have to sing
love Letters in the sand? And I had the sound
man ready and I said that would be nice, and
we just made the most of this humorous take on
the songs that I'd done very seriously. Well. I was
kicked off Christian TV and that night, I mean it
(06:38):
looked like I had gone off to the dark side,
and it was raising a furor. I had a regular
show on Christian television, but it was canceled and that
was in the news. And then Ozzie moved in next
door to me and took up residence and we hadn't
even met yet. But when he had moved in and
(06:59):
I already done his song and he was walking out,
I went out to get the mail and here comes
oz He's shuffling along the sidewalk to get into an
escalade and he said, hello, Pat, nice to meet you. Said,
I got to go to an AA meeting right now,
but when I get back out, we'll got to gunther
and have to tell you, okay, And I said, well sure,
(07:22):
so we did. We got to be friends and neighbors
for three years. Two years, and then he began the
Osbourne television show and lo and behold. I tune in
to see the show and the first thing I hear
is hit my version of crazy Train as his theme song,
(07:42):
not his version. He used my version of crazy Train
crazy Hey, that's how we go? Whose big band Swing?
As his theme song? And so we, as I say,
we were friends and neighbors, he and Sharon and the kids.
So you know, I was able to be friends with
and have the respect of, and actually the friendship with
(08:06):
a guy with whom I had very little in common,
but we were good neighbors. And that was when Sheriff
sat on the show don't you miss Pat Boone? Oh
he was a best blanketed blank neighbor we ever had.
I mean, I won't fill in the blankety blank, but
that was just the way he talked. And I took.
(08:26):
I didn't mind it as that's the way he talked.
I knew he grew up, you know, as a hard
luck kid in England, and he had said it was
either crime or music for him, and he chose music. Well,
I'm glad he didn't choose crime.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Had a terrific job on the production, editing and storytelling
by our own Monte Montgomery, and a special thanks to
Pat Boone. And we've told several stories with him about
his life. One just a broad soup and nuts beginning
to end. One just about the two loves of his life,
and that would be his music and his bride. And
my goodness, it'll bring you to tears. It is absolutely beautiful.
(09:06):
And last, but not least, Pat Boone of Metal Fame
in a Metal Mood was the record the subtitle no
More Mister Nice Guy. Of course, that scene with he
and Alice Cooper friends by the way, golfing buddies and
two Christian guys. Pat Boone a Christian and Alice Cooper
are born again Christian later in his life. And imagine
(09:29):
the scene when Ozzy Osbourne moves in next to Pat Boon.
Everybody would have thought, wow, these guys would have nothing
in common, and they didn't, but they did because they
had music and they were neighbors. We need more of
that in this country. We don't have to agree on
everything or live the same lives to love on another
and be good neighbors. Pat Boone in a metal mood,
(09:49):
his story his brief dalliance with metal. Here on our
American Story
And we continue with our American stories. Up next, a
story from Pat Boone. While Pat is known mostly for
his ballads and classic pop music hits, he's here today
to talk about a musical one eighty he took late
in his life.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Take it away, Pat, listen. I'm so glad you brought
that up, because it's a great example of how I've
made my way through this entertainment morass. But I did
an album of heavy metal classics. It came about because
(00:49):
while I was in England with my musicians, you know,
doing all my hit records and the tour going very well.
But we're at an airport between airplanes and one of
my musicians said, we like doing your hit records, you
know people, why don't we go in the studio and
do something different, now new together? And I said, look,
(01:09):
I thought of it, but I can't think of anything
I haven't done ten times already. I've already done gospel
and pop and rock and roll and big band swing.
They said, well, you never did any heavy metal, and
we laughed about it. No, I never did any heavy metal. Well,
I didn't have any use for heavy metal either or
(01:30):
the performers who were doing it. But my conductor Dave Siebels,
who's still my musical conductor pianist, said you know, there
are a lot of good songs underneath all that noise
that we could do a different way. And I said,
like what He said, well, big band swing, And I said, oh, well,
now you're talking, what kind of songs do you mean?
(01:53):
And that's when I was introduced by them to the
songs we wound up recording like Smoke on the Water,
Long Way to the Top if you want to rock
and roll, and then of course Crazy Trains, which as
(02:14):
I listened to that lyric and him singing it, I
realized was really good social commentary about how hard it
was for young people coming up to cope with all
the hypocrisy and double standards. It was his take on
how hard it is for kids to grow up and
growing up on a crazy train. Millions of people live
(02:44):
in ass bhoos, and so we decided we got the
big Band vest arrangers and Big Band Swing each to
take one song, including Crazy Train, and do big band
swing versions.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Mantel Wounds not.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Lights of beIN shame, I'm going off the rails con
a crazy.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Train, I'm going off the rails.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
On a crazy train and we put out the album,
and the night before the album was coming out, Dick Clark,
who produced the American Music Awards, had heard it and
felt like it was going to be a hit because
it was all those big, big songs but done a
totally different way. No more mister nice Guy. Alice Cooper
(03:41):
was one of them, and that was a subtitle. It
was Pat Boone in a metal mood, No more mister
nice Guy. And Dick Clark had me and Alice Cooper
present the Award for hard Rock Hard Rock Heavy Metal,
which happened to be for Metallica, and I was doing
their song in the album, Enter Sandman, and to do that,
(04:03):
Dick Clark had the idea that I would come on
dressed like a heavy metal guy, and Alice Cooper would
come on like Pat Boone and the v neck sweater,
carrying a glass of milk, wearing white buckshoes, his long
hair pullback under a golf cap. And I would come
out in leather vest made by designed by Bill Blue,
who did Elvis's costumes, just opened all the way down
(04:27):
to my navel, bare chest, no sleeves, tattoos on my arms,
biceps and pectoral muscles and you know, choker and earrings
and boots and leather and uh and so Alice Cooper
introduced me. He's the master of shot rock ladies and gentlemen,
(04:49):
Alice Cooper, I know the history of heavy metal, but
now I'd like to introduce you to the future of
heavy metal, Pat Boone as the future of heavy metal.
And Dick Clark had smoke on the stage and had
me stomp out through the fog to confront Alice Cooper,
who was looking unlike Alice Cooper at that point, and
(05:14):
he was stunned because he hadn't seen me in the
outfit I was wearing. And the crowd went crazy in
the audience and it was so noisy. I we couldn't
talk yet, and I realized what was happening is the
young people are saying who is that? And the older
ones said, well, they said it's Pat Boone, but it
can't be Well, who's Pat Boone?
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Alice?
Speaker 2 (05:34):
They're laughing at you. You're looking good. Does this signify
the death of heavy metal? No, it's a whole new rebird.
You know, Alice, you are my role model.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
You know that.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
I mean all this was a cacophony in the audience.
So I just walked to the front of the stage
and stood there, flexing my pecks and looking like a
De Niro and taxi driver. Hey, you got a problem
with me? You want a piece of me? Hey? But
I had no mic. I was able to do it
with attitude. So I walked back to Alice Cooper and
he's standing there with his jaw hanging open, and he
(06:15):
had to say, does this mean I have to sing
love Letters in the sand? And I had the sound
man ready and I said that would be nice, and
we just made the most of this humorous take on
the songs that I'd done very seriously. Well. I was
kicked off Christian TV and that night, I mean it
(06:38):
looked like I had gone off to the dark side,
and it was raising a furor. I had a regular
show on Christian television, but it was canceled and that
was in the news. And then Ozzie moved in next
door to me and took up residence and we hadn't
even met yet. But when he had moved in and
(06:59):
I already done his song and he was walking out,
I went out to get the mail and here comes
oz He's shuffling along the sidewalk to get into an
escalade and he said, hello, Pat, nice to meet you. Said,
I got to go to an AA meeting right now,
but when I get back out, we'll got to gunther
and have to tell you, okay, And I said, well sure,
(07:22):
so we did. We got to be friends and neighbors
for three years. Two years, and then he began the
Osbourne television show and lo and behold. I tune in
to see the show and the first thing I hear
is hit my version of crazy Train as his theme song,
(07:42):
not his version. He used my version of crazy Train
crazy Hey, that's how we go? Whose big band Swing?
As his theme song? And so we, as I say,
we were friends and neighbors, he and Sharon and the kids.
So you know, I was able to be friends with
and have the respect of, and actually the friendship with
(08:06):
a guy with whom I had very little in common,
but we were good neighbors. And that was when Sheriff
sat on the show don't you miss Pat Boone? Oh
he was a best blanketed blank neighbor we ever had.
I mean, I won't fill in the blankety blank, but
that was just the way he talked. And I took.
(08:26):
I didn't mind it as that's the way he talked.
I knew he grew up, you know, as a hard
luck kid in England, and he had said it was
either crime or music for him, and he chose music. Well,
I'm glad he didn't choose crime.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Had a terrific job on the production, editing and storytelling
by our own Monte Montgomery, and a special thanks to
Pat Boone. And we've told several stories with him about
his life. One just a broad soup and nuts beginning
to end. One just about the two loves of his life,
and that would be his music and his bride. And
my goodness, it'll bring you to tears. It is absolutely beautiful.
(09:06):
And last, but not least, Pat Boone of Metal Fame
in a Metal Mood was the record the subtitle no
More Mister Nice Guy. Of course, that scene with he
and Alice Cooper friends by the way, golfing buddies and
two Christian guys. Pat Boone a Christian and Alice Cooper
are born again Christian later in his life. And imagine
(09:29):
the scene when Ozzy Osbourne moves in next to Pat Boon.
Everybody would have thought, wow, these guys would have nothing
in common, and they didn't, but they did because they
had music and they were neighbors. We need more of
that in this country. We don't have to agree on
everything or live the same lives to love on another
and be good neighbors. Pat Boone in a metal mood,
(09:49):
his story his brief dalliance with metal. Here on our
American Story
Host
Lee Habeeb
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.