Mark Farner, founder, guitarist, and lead vocalist of Grand Funk Railroad, opens up about his incredible musical journey spanning over five decades of rock history. His genuine passion for music and steadfast commitment to integrity shine through as he shares stories from his legendary career and discusses his newest musical offerings.
• The corporate music industry struggles that led to Mark losing rights to the Grand Funk Railroad name despite writing 94% of their original songs
• How a spontaneous shirtless performance at the 1969 Atlanta Pop Festival launched Grand Funk's meteoric rise to fame
• The story behind "American Band" and how Mark insisted on testing six different cowbells to find the perfect sound
• Creating "I'm Your Captain" after a heartfelt prayer for a meaningful song that would touch people's hearts
• Working with iconic producers including Terry Knight, Todd Rundgren, and Frank Zappa
• Recording his new album "Closer to Home" in the original 432 Hz tuning for a more harmonious sound
• Mark's philosophy of forgiveness toward former bandmates reflected in his new single "Anymore"
• Memories of playing for Vietnam veterans and witnessing how deeply music can heal emotional wounds
Check out Mark's new album "Closer to Home" available now in red vinyl, CD, and digital formats at markfarner.com, where you can also find tour dates and merchandise.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, welcome to the Pats Peeps podcast.
We are at number 285 podcasttoday, today's Thursday.
(00:24):
I'm looking out my studiowindow into the beautiful
foothills of Northern California.
It's cooled off today We've gota little breeze going.
It is delightful.
And I'm going to tell you whatI'm always excited to have a
great guest on my podcast here.
And today I'm super excitedbecause today, on this Thursday,
(00:46):
I'm bringing to you here onPat's Peeps 285, a rock and roll
legend and I am just sodelighted to do this.
Mark Farner is joining us.
Mark Farner, how are you, sir?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Joe Walt, I'm doing so good.
I can't.
I mean joe walt.
Yes, I'm talking to joe waltI'm a huge fan by the way of joe
walt.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
I was just watching a thing with him yesterday, mark,
and then we'll tell everyonewho somehow doesn't know who you
are who you are, becauseeveryone knows.
I was watching joe yesterdayand you know what he's saying on
stage.
He says um, he said you know, Ilove his voice and I love his
sense of humor.
He's like I'll tell you what Iloved it better when I was in my
20s in the 1970s versus beingin my 70s in the 20s, and
(01:37):
everyone got a good laugh out ofthat.
How do you feel about thatright about now, mark?
Speaker 2 (01:43):
I'm just proud to be sucking air, pat.
I'm telling you, brother, youknow, yeah, I'm proud to be
still singing the songs in thesame keys that I wrote them in.
There's another thing man.
You know, I'm born to rock androll.
You are.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Man, if I've ever seen anyone who's born to rock
and roll, it's you.
So all right, grand FunkRailroad.
Born to rock and roll, it's you.
So all right, grand funkrailroad.
This, we're talking about thefounder, we're talking about the
singer, we're talking about theguitarist.
We're talking about a keyboard,a harmonica player, uh, the,
the inspiration putting thisband together, which is, uh,
absolute.
Shame that it's not the rockand roll hall of fame, but I
(02:20):
don't find that legit sometimesanyhow, but I don't want to
start there.
What I want to start is but no,you know what I mean.
I, I have so many notes and soI'm just going to be all over
the map, if you don't mind, markyeah, man, let's jump around
first of all, you have a newrecord.
I'm starting off right there,all of these years later, before
we get into the uh, you knowthe, the stuff from the past.
(02:42):
Let's talk about your newrecord, because you know what I
love is I love your attitude,mark, and I do a lot of.
I watch a lot of your music, Ilisten to a lot of your music.
I love your attitude towardsyour former bandmates.
I love the fact you've tried toinitiate maybe a reunion here
and there, and your music.
You're patriotic, you'reChristian.
As I'm listening to your newalbum, which is called Closer to
(03:05):
my Home, please everyone checkit out and you've got a new song
called Anymore, I justappreciate what you're still
doing these days.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Thank you so much, man.
I appreciate the encouragement,brother, really do.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Yeah, so I'm listening to the song Anymore.
In the beginning.
In the beginning it was me andmy and my bad, it's sad to say.
We don't play together anymore.
That came from the heart rightthere, I could tell.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Yeah, absolutely man, because there's only three
people that can make that noise.
Anybody else, uh, trying towould be.
You know what do they callthose bands?
A tribute?
Tribute band, yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Yeah, what do you think when you see some of these
bands that are out there now?
I mean, I certainly don't meanto diss any band, I'm not
certainly trying to do that, butyou know, if you look at Lynyrd
Skynyrd I was a huge fanthere's no one left.
Artemis Pyle is still with us,but you know Foreigner and some
of these other bands that aretouring under those names, you
know, and they're really notthat lineup.
Do you have a thought on that?
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah, it's the same thing as the government.
You know, really it's a scam,it's a sham and it's legal.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
The biggest pain in the ass brother, it's legal.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
The biggest pain in the ass, brother, is that this
is legal.
It's legal to lie like thatbecause somebody has the
trademark.
It's a corporate-ownedtrademark and what corporations
are able to get away with isunbelievable.
I was talking with HunterNelson you know the Nelson twin,
or Gunner Gunner yeah, gunnerNelson and he was doing a guest
(04:50):
DJ thing in Cleveland.
And he says Farner, he said doyou know that there's 126 groups
called the Platters?
I said you kidding called theplatters.
I said you kidding me.
And he says he says no, dude,he says one guy owns the
(05:12):
trademark and he licenses theuse of that trademark and he's
taken a cut of every one of them, oh wow.
This has turned into a justhorsey poo poo brother.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Right, wow, that is uh.
I I never heard that.
I mean, I didn't realize thatwas going on like that.
Just to let everyone know thatyou are out on tour.
You're going to be I wish youwere coming to my neck of the
woods, I'll tell you to promoteyour new record here in Northern
California, but I see thatyou're going to be coming up
here.
What?
On the 28th you're going to beat the Arcata Theater in St
(05:44):
Charles, illinois.
You're going to be at theDePlaine Theater Hope, I said
that right there in Illinois andthen Penn's Peak.
You know, one of the thingsthat's really cool, mark, is
that you're playing Two peopleyou're playing with.
I'd like to ask you aboutYou're playing with Jeff Skunk
Baxter as an opening.
I guess he's going to open yourshow.
(06:05):
It's cool to see Jeff out thereand see what he's doing.
Jeff Skunk Baxter, who you knowhe's a great guitarist.
He's been in, you know, likeSteely Dan, he's been in the
Doobies.
Everyone knows him from the youknow, 70s and 80s.
But the thing that surprises meis that he's also worked as a
defense consultant and advisedus members of congress on
(06:28):
missile defense.
How ironic is that right now?
Speaker 2 (06:32):
yeah, he's a great guy and and he is a character
dude.
To be around him is a hoot.
It's wonderful.
I can't wait to see him again.
Man, he, he is a character.
I love a man because he'ssincere about what he does.
If he's rocking, he's sincere.
If he's a defense contractor,he's sincere.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
I would have never guessed he's a defense
contractor working with missiles.
And then the other band that isopening this is going to be at
least that I see here at Penn'sPeak is the band Sweet.
This is going to be at leastthat I see here at Penn's Peak
is the band Sweet.
Now, the band Sweet, of course,responsible for Ballroom Blitz
and Little Willie and Fox on theRun.
All of these great songs fromthe early 70s.
(07:14):
Love is Like Oxygen, one of myfavorites.
What's it like playing withSweet?
Are they pretty much anoriginal band at this point?
Speaker 2 (07:24):
I couldn't tell you at this point, brother Pat.
I don't know for sure, but Iknow when I get to hang with
people like go out with RandyBackman or Burton Cummings and
these guys, it's good to bump upagainst that armor on those
guys, because they're stillholding it up and they're still
(07:45):
the same people, even though, uh, in in light of what we were
talking about, how the the scambands are out there, people
don't know, they just love themusic, man, and that's, that's
the part I, I love the fansbecause they love the music.
They are not, uh, they're noteducated to who's in the band.
(08:06):
They don't want to know aboutthat.
They just want to know aboutthat song brother.
They want to boogie, they wantto shake their ass, they want to
tap their foot.
That's what it's about.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
That's interesting to me because, again, I go way
back as a rocker.
We're talking with Mark Farner,founder of Grand Funk Railroad,
and out on tour.
He's got a new record.
Close to my Home, he's got anew song called Anymore.
I do find that interestingbecause I'm such a music guy
that I know, you know, but maybebut you're right, I don't know
what the percentage of peoplewho know the band's history or
(08:41):
what have you, you know thatthey don't really care, they
just want to hear whatever theirhits are, which I do find
interesting.
Speaking of hits, we're talkingto you, you know, we're talking
about a band, you know, grandFunk Railroad, who sold over
what?
10 million albums, mark, 10million.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
It's over 40 million, it's over 40 million, over 40
million.
Oh, my God, man, I had thatnumber wrong.
40 million, wow.
What is it like to think aboutthat, the use of 40 million
albums?
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Well, it's great, because when I get out and play
my music to people with Markmark farner's american band,
that's that's the band I tourunder now, since, uh, the other
guys are two-thirds of thecorporation that controls that
trademark, even though I wrote94 of the music yes original
(09:37):
song.
You know I can't use the, thename I got.
I go on as mark farner'samerican band, but I, uh, I go
out and play my music and peoplelove it.
Man, I'm telling you they wantto hear my voice because I sang
those songs.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
They appreciate it that I'm still singing in the
same piece and that I still havethe same heart that you were
talking about, brother.
I never let myself get puffedup and think that I was somebody
.
I saw too many of those cats,brother pat, walking around with
their noses up in the air andlooking down the slope of their
nose at the roadies and thepeople on the stage, and you
(10:16):
know, giving commands instead ofasking people to do things, I I
don't ever want to turn intothat, so I have stayed right
down with my feet on the earthand I play my music with my feet
on the earth.
I mean, that's all where itcame from, man, right here on
this planet.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
By the way, great name Mark Farner's American Band
.
I love, love that name.
That is incredible.
You know you bring up yourformer bandmates.
It's pretty unusual to besomehow.
I guess.
I don't know, maybe you canexplain it better but how is it
that you are eliminated fromyour own band by so your
(10:57):
bandmates?
You guys are this power trio.
I guess some people call itpower trio.
I just think it's a rock androll trio.
You call it what you want, callit power trio.
I just think it's a rock androll trio.
You call it what you want.
You know um, but um with um.
You know with don and with.
You know um don and uh, melshocker.
Mel shocker right, I think Ijust blew his name, yeah and he
comes right and he comes fromquestion mark and the mysterians
(11:20):
which I do find fascinating,like how did that happen?
I'm curious about that.
And then how in the heck tellme about that?
And how the heck do you?
How are you the one that exitsyour own band?
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Well, one night, after we played a gig and after
the party because after theshows we would have a bit of a
party, you know, toss down a fewdrinks and what have you and
after a gig at Canock Dye HarborI don't know if you know where
that is Sure do.
(11:52):
Out there in California and Iwent back to my room it's got
like a little kitchenette andstuff and I reach in there and I
pull a beer out and I'm justsitting at the table and I hear
a knock at the door and it's thedrummer.
I hear out and I'm sitting atthe table, I hear a knock at the
door and it's the drummer, andso he comes in.
He says hey, partner, we allneed to sign the individual
(12:17):
ownership of the trademark intothe corporation where it will
have a protective umbrella.
Now he's talking to a guy thatdidn't finish high school and he
had gone to law school.
So I figure he knows what he'stalking about.
But I'm half in the bag.
You know, I don't know.
I said so, okay, well, ifthat's going to help the band,
if it's going to protect theband, you know I'll do it.
He says, okay, I'll go to myroom and get the papers.
And when he left I thought whythe hell didn't he just bring
(12:39):
the papers with him?
But it didn't dawn on me that,you know, he was testing the
wires.
And if I would have said, hell,no, I'm not going to do that,
you know, then he wouldn't havedone it, but I was under the
influence and my Cherokee bloodcan't take too much of that.
(13:00):
You that?
so uh, so, anyways, I signed itand that put, uh, my one-third
ownership of the trademark intothe corporation and so that
makes two-thirds, those two guysagainst one-third.
They could do whatever theywant to do, brother, and they do
, they do.
But that's, hey, that's the waylife is, that's the way, like I
(13:22):
said, referred to thegovernment All this corporate
crap is ruining.
You know, it's greed, is whatit is, and it's the love of
money, and it's ruining theworld, man, but we can't let it
ruin the rock community, brother, pat, right, you know.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
What we're talking about.
It's going into people's heartswho really respect rock and
roll, who love rock and roll andwho have lived through these
eras that we have come throughand they still have it in their
heart and the stuff the guys andthe gals that were Beatles fans
and the love that you take isequal to the love you make.
(14:05):
You remember those words.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Sure, do you better believe it?
Yeah, man.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Yeah, buddy, so we're still here and you, my friend,
are an instigator to keep ustogether.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Oh, that is an honor, that is a role that I cherish.
I promise you that I talk aboutit a lot on my radio show,
which I told you off air, we'retalking with Mark Farner,
founder of Grand Funk Railroad.
Now Mark Farner's American bandon tour new album, which is out
closer to my home, which I lovethe name, anymore, is their new
song.
You know, gosh, I've got somany things to talk to you about
(14:42):
.
I sure appreciate your time.
One of the things is I'vealways wanted to ask you this
question when did the name GrandFunk Railroad come from?
And at some point Railroad waskind of like eh, maybe we don't
use that all the time.
Hey, have you listened to thenew Grand Funk?
(15:03):
Did you like, when they werekind of we because I'll admit to
that too Grand, I didn't alwayssay Railroad.
Hey, man, did you hear newGrand Funk?
Are you going to go see GrandFunk Versus?
Are you going to go see GrandFunk Railroad?
How did that name come about?
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Well, it came about.
Terry Knight, who was our firstmanager, had written a song and
he called grand funk railroad.
And he said why don't you guyscall the band what the name of
my song, grand funk railroad?
And he wrote that about uh, itwas a take off of grand trunk
and western, which is an actualrailway system.
(15:39):
It runs through ontario, canada, down through michigan and ohio
and uh, so it was a playoffthat name.
And in the overpass in Flint onFenton Road at 12th Street,
there is an overpass that saysGrand Trunk and Western.
Well, it used to say that yearsago, but every time they change
(16:02):
it back, the fans, the fans payovernight, man, it don't last.
It doesn't last 12 hours andit's back to Grand Funk, mark
Don and Mel.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
Oh, that is great, that is great.
She brought up Tyrion.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
Oh yeah, go ahead, go ahead as far as the shortening.
It was like Chicago TransitAuthority right.
Oh yeah right, you know.
And then they tried to shortenit to CTA.
Well, the fans shortened it.
They just say Chicago, I'mgoing to see Chicago.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Right Bang, right, you know who it is.
I'm going to see Grand.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Funk.
The fans do that for us.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
I felt guilty a few years ago.
I'll be honest with you, I'lladmit to this.
I felt guilty.
I went to a concert at theToyota Amphitheater in Wheatland
, here in Northern California.
I can't remember if it wasCheap Trick or Jason Bonham, led
Zeppelin Experience or whathave you and Grand Funk.
I was so excited to see you andthen I realized that it wasn't
(17:08):
you and I felt bad about that.
I gotta be honest.
I'm confessing to you right now, mark Varner.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Bless your heart.
Thank you, brother.
I appreciate your honesty.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
Yeah, I really did.
I thought, you know I wasthinking about the whole time,
even though I, like your, lovethe music.
It wasn't you.
Not that they weren't doing afine job, but my gosh, you know
it wasn't you, and you were theguy.
By the way, you were also theguy who not only was mostly
shirtless in most yearlyconcerts that's right but but no
(17:38):
wives or girlfriends really forthe band at the beginning,
isn't that right?
Speaker 2 (17:43):
that's right, absolutely right.
You are on the money, brotherwhy was that?
Speaker 1 (17:50):
because you just wanted to focus on the music.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
That all the other stuff was just too much to deal
with yeah, I guess you know, andat the first, uh, atlanta pop
festival when we went out thereit was, we didn't have a record.
We did not have a record, wedidn't even have anything
recorded at the time, but I hadwritten the first album.
(18:13):
By that time I had the musicdone to the first album.
And we went up because theattorneys that Terry Knight used
in New York City were also theattorneys that were doing the
legal work for this pop festivalin Atlanta, georgia.
So they pitched the promoterson putting this band, grand Funk
(18:35):
Railroad, on first.
Let us open this, we'll playfor free, but let us open the
festival and we will take areduction in our legal fee.
So that's so that worked.
And when we got up on that stage, dude, it was like, oh my God,
I was people, as far as I couldsee, 185.
(19:00):
That's, you know, that's a lotof folks, dude.
And I looked over at my guitartech.
I said, dude, I got a piss sobad you can't even imagine.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
You didn't take care of business before the show.
You didn't take care ofbusiness, oh no, how do you hold
it in?
Speaker 2 (19:17):
That's right.
That's right.
Oh man, that is.
You know we played and thepeople loved it.
But I had bought this back then.
You know 69.
$50 was a lot of money to spendon a shirt.
It was a paisley print,see-through kind of material.
(19:39):
But when I got sweating in 110degrees down there in Atlanta,
georgia, that stuff was stickingto me and holding me back.
And when I went into we used todo Land of a Thousand Dances
but we did it kind of likeWilson Pickett style.
And when I took my axe off andstarted dancing, this shirt was
(20:03):
bothering me, so bad dudestarted dancing, I this shirt
was bothering me, so bad dude.
I ripped that 50 shirt off ofmy back and the people jumped to
their feet and I said, oh mygod, that worked.
So I kept it in the show fromthat point on did you?
Speaker 1 (20:21):
did you keep ripping shirts off, or did you just come
out with no shirt on?
Speaker 2 (20:25):
I just come out with like a vest or no shirt, right
sure you know, by the secondsong my vest was off and it was
no shirt.
Anyway, there you go.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
It's just awesome, and that was your big break.
I mean, you walk up the steps,you see this incredibly huge
crowd Atlanta becomes your bigbreak.
You said you didn't even haveyour stuff really recorded.
If I may, I cleared this aheadof time.
By the way, if I may, can we goback for a moment to your first
(20:56):
record?
Can we do that?
Because I'm a fan.
I got to tell you, man, yeah,man, I am a fan, got this thing
on the move.
I dig the sound of this, allright.
And then I'm going to saysomething about your trio here.
Come along with a joyride.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
And let your mama see Ain't no way to deny it If it's
in your soul.
You don't know till you try it.
Baby, let the good times roll.
(21:38):
Oh Woo, let me taste your life.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
So here's what I'm going to say.
You, I don't know how you'llreact to this, I don't know how
others will react, but it's anhonest, genuine statement.
When I tell you let's go totrios, I am way, way more into
Grand Funk, grand Funk, railroadin this, this case, grand funk
is the album that I am into.
(22:09):
Cream, it's gonna be straightup honest.
Wow, not a big cream guy.
Wow, when I listen to yourpower trio, I'm like this music
here, that's my stuff, rightthere wow, thank you, brother
pat.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
I appreciate that brother yeah, it's absolutely
true.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
And this is all before you started.
You know, I want to go backreal quick.
You mentioned Terry Knight.
Now I know there's a fewstories there with Terry Knight,
who was your producer, correct,and he was getting you guys out
there, he was getting you tothe Atlanta Music Festival for
your big break and all of that,but then you guys had issues
with Terry, correct?
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Oh, yeah, yeah, oh, big issues, yeah yeah.
We played Europe and we hadlike a million and a half
dollars and he said we can'ttake this back to the United
States, man, because theInfernal Revenue Service is
going to take most of it.
They're going to get a lot ofyour money.
And he said let's leave it inthe most stable world currency,
(23:07):
which I think at the time wasdeutschmarks, and leave it in a
swiss bank account.
We said, okay, you know, we're20 year old kids.
Uh, we don't know, we don'tknow from nothing.
My mother had to sign acontract with him because I was
only 20 and in Michigan you gotto be 21 to be legal, you know,
I mean back then.
Uh, so, so we never saw thatmoney, we never saw one cent of
(23:31):
that money and so at that.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
That is just that is awful.
You hear these stories, whetherit's you know, credence with
fantasy records or bad companyor your story, it's uh story.
It's really sad to hear becauseat some point then we're
talking with Mark Farner, thefounder guitarist and just the
inspiration, the soul behindGrand Funk Railroad.
(23:55):
At some point you stoppedwriting songs because of this.
You ended up living off ofshows and songs that you'd
written in the past, correct?
Speaker 2 (24:04):
Well at some point, yeah I mean.
But I kept writing and went oninto a solo career, even after
Don Brewer quit the band in 1976, after we did the album with
Frank Zappa producing oh my gosh, yeah, that was kind of a
shocker when Brewer walked in anhour and a half late for
(24:28):
rehearsal and quit the band.
But I kept going, I keptwriting songs.
I'm still writing songs.
I did have a little low spotthere, you know, when things
went down, but my heart isdriven by love, man, and I won't
(24:50):
serve another master.
I mean, that's between you andme and the Fence Post brother.
Love is it and ain't nothingelse to look forward to.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Absolutely, and I certainly didn't mean to
insinuate that you stoppedwriting music, but there was
that period of time where it waskind of difficult because of
what you were going through.
Can I just tell you I love thatyou just brought up Frank Zappa
producing your record.
I'll tell you this you aretalking to the ultimate diehard
Frank Zappa fanatic right here.
That's great.
(25:19):
Oh, my brothers and I, mark, wetalk in Frank Zappa lyrics.
We literally will speak to eachother in Zappa lyrics and you
know, there is suchmisconceptions about this man
who died at 53 years old in 1993.
It's just awful.
A misdiagnosis for prostatecancer.
Anyhow.
(25:40):
A genius in my mind, just likeyou are, absolutely and he.
There's this misconceptionabout Frank like, oh man, he
must have been on drugs.
That is so wrong.
If you had a roach in his band,you were out of the band.
You were not Frank, to myrecollection.
Here's what Frank did he smokedcigarettes and he drank coffee.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Oh my God, did he drink coffee, brother?
He'd make a cup of coffeenervous, I'm not kidding.
He drank more than 10 people onto in the course of a day,
brother.
I'm not lying.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
I can just imagine, because of his creative flow and
his soul and his passion, whatsome of those sessions had to be
like, with just his creativedrive and drinking coffee at the
same time.
That had to be something.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Yeah, man, you know.
He had one of those air pots.
It's like a thermos that youpour the coffee down in there
and you push the button on thetop and the coffee comes out.
It's still hot.
He keeps it hot all the time.
He would constantly look inthat thermos and when he'd get
about halfway down he'd send theengineer to brew another pot.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Oh, that's amazing, so I love that you brought up
Frank.
One last note on Terry Knight.
It was a tragic ending, I think, for Terry.
He was stabbed to death by hisdaughter's boyfriend.
If I recall, that is whathappened with Terry, and then
(27:24):
you were being produced by ToddRungan, correct, correct?
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Yeah, man Todd Rundgren.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Is he one of the greatest ever, I mean one of the
most talented, not justproducers but artists ever.
Todd Rundgren oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Yeah, yeah, man.
And what a trip to be around,because he's always fooling
around with something, alwaysgot something in his you know,
you just wait long enough andit's going to pop out and you're
going to laugh your ass off.
He's working on it, man, allthe time.
He's a great guy, greatproducer and, in my estimation,
(28:05):
another genius as far as youknow.
Talking about Zappa and hisgenius, well, we had it, you
know, in Rundgren as well.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Absolutely, I agree, Todd, is I.
Those are two guys.
You.
We had it in Rundgren as well.
Absolutely, I agree, Todd,those are two guys.
You, these two guys I alwayshad much, much respect.
We move to 1974.
Now this is my little sweet spotfor Grand Funk.
All right, so I'm of an age.
We're talking with Mark Farner,the founder, the genius behind
(28:34):
Grand Funk.
I don't care what anyone says.
The other guy's great as well,by the way.
I love the way you treat themand that you even offered in
many times to try to get areunion together.
But here I am.
I'm 13 years old, I ride thebus to school, I'm listening to
music constantly, I have myPanasonic clock radio and I'm
(28:54):
listening to music constantly.
I have my Panasonic clock radioand I'm listening to everything
.
I could tell you any hit fromany year of the 1970s.
There's this skit out wherepeople say you know what's his
name?
Christopher Walken says I needmore cowbell.
I need more cowbell on SNL.
Well, when I think of cowbell,you know I love Blue Oyster Cult
(29:16):
.
It was what they play on theskit.
I think of this, my friend,guitar solo.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
Out on the road for 40 days.
Last night in Milwaukee Put mein a haze Sweet, sweet Connie
doing her act.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
She had the whole show and that's a natural fact,
boy, that is a great, great songthat takes me back to riding
the bus.
I'm listening to it.
I couldn't get enough of thatsong.
I can remember, like I say, allthe other hit songs that were
out of the time can I ask you acouple questions about?
I'd like to ask about thecowbell.
I'd love, yeah, man, I'd loveto hear about the four young
(30:22):
chiquitas in omaha.
I'd like to know about sweet,sweet connie and that and then
that was it, the little, was, alittle rock that you mentioned
in there.
What can you tell me about someof?
Speaker 2 (30:32):
this yeah, little Rock, arkansas.
Well, the cowbell.
When Brewer first of all LynnGoldsmith, who was our publicist
but really slash co-manager shesaid you guys need to write a
song about who you are, what youare You're an American band she
dropped that one day and brewerhad the lyrics written the next
(30:57):
day and then I wrote the musicthat you hear on that, that song
I.
I wrote that music and I saidthis song is begging for a
cowbell.
And brewer looks at me.
He says I don't have a cowbell.
I said, well, it's begging fora cop, it don't have a cowbell.
I said, well, it's begging fora cowbell, it has to have a
cowbell man.
(31:17):
He says all right, all right,I'll stop and get one on the way
to rehearsal tomorrow.
I said no, pick up six of themand we'll pick the best one out
of the six to go with this.
So that one that you're hearing,that's the one that we trialed.
You know all six of them.
You're hearing, that's the onethat we trialed.
You know all six of them.
That one with a little ducttape on it was the one dude.
(31:40):
And in the what was that?
Rolling Stone, the top tencowbell songs, we were number
two, with American Band, only tobe superseded by Honky Tonk
Women.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
Oh well, that's not so bad, that's pretty good.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
No, that's a pretty good one too.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
Yeah, See, that's going to give me a great idea
for my show the greatest cowbellsongs.
I haven't done that.
I cover any aspect I canpossibly find out there
regarding music.
That is great.
I never thought I'd never hear.
Hey, can I go?
Yeah, go ahead.
I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
As far as Sweet, sweet Connie, yeah, I have to
tell you, in her book she saidthat I was the only gentleman
that she met in rock and roll.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
You know, I did not accept the offer, brother, oh
wow, and so I don't know theoffer, brother, oh wow.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
And so I don't know what that was like.
Everybody else could probablytell you about it, but I don't
know what that was like becauseI went no, I'm married.
Are you kidding me?
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Good, for you, man, thank you.
And she makes it in the songbecause of that, I will never,
ever forget, ever forget.
That is you know what.
I already respected you.
I respect you even because youwere listen, you were what were
you in your 20s?
Speaker 2 (33:03):
at that time yeah, man, 20 years old when the band
started and uh, so, man, it wasfast and serious because you
could have.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
You could have lived that life and you chose not to.
You chose to be true man.
You are a good man.
What about the four youngChiquitas in Omaha?
Speaker 2 (33:20):
Now the four young Chiquitas in Omaha, those gals,
those are for real Chiquitas.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
Were they waiting for the band to return from the
show?
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Yeah, but that was at a time when I wasn't married.
Oh, okay, oh yeah, yeah, sothat was from our life as Grand
Funk Railroad.
He just pulled little episodesout of there here and there.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
That's right.
I won't forget that either.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
And then you want to touch on the Little Rock thing.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
What is the lyric in there about Little Rock?
I spaced that one off for asecond.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Yeah, Little Rock, Arkansas.
That's where Connie was from.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
Oh, that's where Connie was from.
Oh, I see, all right.
Yeah, dude, let me go way backand just ask you a very random
question.
This is so random, but listen,it's eating away at me.
I him, but listen, it's eatingaway at me.
I need to know.
Let's go back to your firstalbum one more time.
I'm going to play a song.
I'll listen a little bit.
I'm just going to play thebeginning of this incredibly
awesome listen.
He's got a new record.
I'd check out their firstrecord too, but a song called
(34:23):
paranoid.
Let's listen to the beginning.
As I'm listening to this, Ihear the story, the news clips
(34:48):
yeah, man, pan American.
You hear sirens, pan AmericanAirways.
What was the thinking behindthat?
What was going on?
Speaker 2 (35:01):
That was Terry Knight , because he said I love the
title to your song, I love whatyou're saying in your song, I
love the feeling I get from yoursong.
He said I think if we put alittle something up front just
to kind of prepare people forthat message, put their mind in
(35:25):
the news, put their mind intoplaces they've already been and
then when they hear your messagethey will digest it.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
It's very powerful, it's a good record, it's an
overlooked Grand Funk record and, again, I highly recommend that
to anyone who is listening tomy Pat's Peeps 285.
Now we jump forward to, as Isaid when I was a kid and I'm
listening to American band andall of a sudden, here come the
hits.
Jimmy Linners comes by andJimmy becomes your producer
(36:00):
correct, and he wants to takeyou in a more, let's say,
mainstream radio friendlydirection.
Would that be fair to say?
Speaker 2 (36:09):
Yeah, I would say that.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
And you guys have a love coming from Michigan for
Motown, for soul music, for thattype of music.
Speaker 2 (36:21):
Oh yeah, yeah, that's what we cut our teeth on man.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
And you're listening to this song and you're like hey
, what is this?
Little Eva, right?
Little Eva did the locomotion.
Little Eva, yeah yeah, littleEva.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
right, little Eva did the locomotion.
Little Eva, yeah, yeah.
And it was Rundgren that cameout the end of the studio door.
As I'm walking down thedriveway coming back from the
farm across the street where Iwent and had lunch, I'm singing.
Everybody's doing a brand newdance now and all the guys are
out having a cigarette in theparking lot.
I can't see them because of thetrees, but they start singing.
(36:55):
Come on, baby, do thelocomotion.
And so Rundgren comes walkingout the end of the building and
he goes what the hell is that?
I said what is that?
That's Little Eva, that's thelocomotion.
He says well, come on in hereright now.
He says because we're going torecord the locomotion.
(37:18):
And I'm not kidding you, that'show it happened.
Speaker 3 (37:23):
Damn Wow.
Everybody's doing a brand newdance now.
Come on baby.
Come on baby, the locomotion.
I know you'll get to like it ifyou give it a chance now.
Come on, baby.
I know you'll get to like it ifyou give it a chance now.
Come on, baby.
Do the locomotion.
My little ABC I took and do itwith ease.
(37:45):
It's easier than running yourABC, so come on come on and do
the locomotion.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
It's so powerful.
It is so powerful for a coverrecord.
A little Eva Jump up, jump up,jump back.
Oh man, I think you got thename Whoa, whoa, now it's you.
Oh geez, it's just so poundingand so good and so appealing in
(38:14):
my headphones, mark, what is itlike?
What is it like God?
I love this kind of stuff, mark.
What's it like to hear yoursongs being played on the radio
constantly back in those days?
It's everywhere.
All these songs are everywhere.
Speaker 2 (38:31):
Yeah, man.
It was, I mean, the first timethat we heard one of our songs.
It was like, oh my God and I'mtelling you about it right now,
dude, I'm getting goosebumps thesame ones that came up on me in
the same places the first timewe heard our music coming across
the airwaves.
(38:51):
Because back then, you know,dude, they were switching from
AM to FM and uh, and that wasthe only place, fm was the only
place I could get, uh, my songI'm your captain played Cause it
was a 10 minute song.
But, dude, I've had so many DJsover the years that I've spoken
with, say, man, thank you forthat song, mark Dude.
(39:13):
If I had to take a leak, if Ihad to smoke a cigarette, if I
had to eat a sandwich orsomething, I'd give it all up on
that song.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
You know that's funny .
I just did that on my showrecently that topic Because I
was a DJ at one point thegreatest DJ, you need to break
songs and that came up on thelist with several others that
were, you know, don mcclain andsome others that everyone would
remember.
That is pretty funny.
By the way, I'm your captain.
(39:45):
You record that on your newalbum.
Speaker 2 (39:47):
It's a re-recording of that song, correct, of this
classic yes, it's a re-recordingin the original american
standard for tuning back before1953 when rockefeller changed it
to 440.
Before it was 440 hertz, it was4-3-2.
(40:11):
Count backwards from 4.
It was 4-3-2.
And 4-3-2 just happens to be intune with natural things.
A guy sent me a link man, andit was this dude that had a
kiddie pool on his deck full ofwater, he had a speaker next to
the pool, he had a tonegenerator and amplifier and he
(40:33):
played a2 in the 440 scale, uh,and, and he played it at 125
decibels and there was waves andfoam and it was that little
kiddie pool was jumping up anddown like it had legs on it.
Brother, I'm talking, it was astorm on that thing.
So then he tunes it down, hetunes to the original American
(40:56):
standard 432.
He hits A2 at 125 decibels.
It's a piece of glass.
It is still there.
There ain't a quiver during aripple, there is nothing.
And I went oh, you got myattention and I had to know
about this because four, three,two, which this entire new album
(41:17):
is recorded in the old standard, the old us standard for tuning
.
Four, three, two is Hermione.
It's like you know, when Ilooked at that kiddie pool in my
mind.
I'm seeing somebody putting apair of boxing gloves on and
they're beating the crap out ofthis pool.
They're punching it, punchingit hard and it's you know it's
(41:38):
agitating this water.
Then I'm seeing four, three,two, the same note.
It's like somebody slippedtheir fingers in these velvet
gloves and wrapped them aroundyour heart.
It's just a nice, still calmingeffect.
And since our bodies are morethan 70% water, man, just think
(42:01):
about that.
With the sound pressure level,the SPL, hitting 125, that's
some pretty loud.
You know, the threshold of painis 90 decibels, so imagine 125.
So I went back and I love four,three, two.
I love playing my acousticguitar four, three, two man
tuning it up and and justletting it feed me because, uh,
(42:26):
you know, if there ain't nobodyelse around, if you can play in
it and it's feeding you, that'sgood wow, fascinating.
Speaker 1 (42:34):
I love learning about this.
I love talking about this stuffhe, this, you, I and in
listening to it, mark, and asyou're explaining that, and I
and I was and listening to thesong, you, you, you really did
it so incredibly well.
I'd like to play a little bitof this.
And also you mentioned this,you sort of alluded to this a
(42:57):
couple of times and you as aguitar player, as a keyboardist,
as I mentioned earlier,harmonica, everything that
you've done and as a singer Ising in a couple of bands and as
a singer, I try to explain toeveryone.
Not that everyone else in ourband, as you probably know,
believes this, but you know thevoice is a very temperamental
thing.
You know, a guitar will stillmake a sound.
(43:18):
It'll still sound today thesame way it sounded yesterday.
If it's tuned up, everything'sright, drum will still hit that.
Sometimes your voice istemperamental.
It's gone through things.
Sometimes your voice istemperamental.
It's gone through things.
It depends on your health, itdepends on how you've been
treating it and such.
Sometimes you get to peoplelike they can't hit those high
notes anymore.
Well, let me tell you something, mark you sound as good as you
(43:38):
have ever sounded your song, theredo of the song, the
re-recording of it talking about, in this case, I'm your captain
, is absolutely incredible.
Speaker 3 (44:26):
And I'd like to share everyone, share with everyone
the new mix here, the newrecording, guitar solo.
Everybody, listen to me andreturn me my ship.
I'm your captain.
I'm your captain, though I'mfeeling mighty sick.
Speaker 1 (44:49):
I've been lost now, wow, god, your voice sounds so
good and it's months since I'veseen home.
It sounds so good.
Mark, you're just.
I don't want to interrupt it,but, wow, can you?
Speaker 3 (45:03):
hear me.
Thank you, Mark.
Am I all alone?
Speaker 1 (45:12):
If you return me.
Thank you, brother.
It is still one of the greatestanthems ever.
I've heard stories of peoplecoming home like guys in the
Navy.
You know other people havelistened to this song for
inspiration.
You know, returning home fromwhatever they've been doing.
Mark, that is such a goodrecording of that.
(45:35):
I have to say it's beautiful.
Speaker 2 (45:38):
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I really appreciate that,Brother Pat.
And you're right, my song.
The Vietnam Veterans of Americacontacted me and they wanted me
to come to DC and play my songat the 25th anniversary of the
monument, the Vietnam VeteransMonument, the wall there.
(45:58):
And I said, well, you know,what do they want?
Do you want the acoustic, orwhat do you want?
And he says, well, you know, uh, we, we got a stage and lights.
And you know, pa, and I saidlisten, I won't cost you a cent,
but I will bring my band, I'llbring the bus in there, we'll
(46:19):
put the show on for you, we'llgive you a free show, all the
vietnam veterans that come youknow, it's a free show and we'll
put I'm your captain in there.
And, dude, it was 36 degrees inWashington DC that day and yeah,
but, dude, I'm not kidding youthe vets that showed up not just
(46:39):
the American Vietnam veterans,but the Canadian Vietnam
veterans that showed up therethe people don't really realize.
The Canadians were therefighting right along our side,
and when they finally got to theend of the show and we did, I'm
your Captain there was not adry eye anyplace.
And, dude, I'm trying to singYou're talking about, you know,
(47:00):
taking care of your voice.
I'm trying to sing with asoftball in my neck because I'm
so choked up, I'm so emotionalover looking out at this
audience and the crowd is justteared up.
Man, it was a very, veryemotional time and I will never
forget that time and I thank Godfor that song, because that
(47:22):
song, dude, I prayed for thatsong.
I always say my prayers, youknow Now I lay me down to say
prayers for that song.
I always say my prayers, youknow.
Now I lay me down to sleepfirst.
And I asked God that night,dude, I asked God, please give
me a song that would reach andtouch the hearts of those you
want to get to and I got up inthe middle of night and I wrote
those lyrics.
But I get up a lot of nightsand I write songs and I just
(47:46):
write just writings.
I just write, and not all ofthem are songs.
I mean, the majority of what Ihave written is just thoughts.
So I'm not really, you know,relating to this is the answer
to my song or to my prayer.
Until the morning when I got upand I grabbed my guitar and I'm
(48:07):
playing the you know playingthat little ditty on the front,
I went wow, that's pretty cool.
And then I hit an inversion ofa C chord that I'd never hit
before and as I'm trying to man,I got to memorize this.
This is really good stuff.
It's talking to me.
And the thought came to me goget those words, go get those
words, go get those words.
(48:27):
So I go and grab the words offthe nightstand by my bed, put
them on the kitchen table and Ihit the record button on my Sony
cassette recorder.
Yeah, and that that song cameout.
It just it came out.
Speaker 1 (48:45):
You knew you had something right there.
You knew your prayers wereanswered right there.
Speaker 2 (48:50):
Yeah, brother.
Speaker 1 (48:51):
You know, mark, that is a great story.
I am so with you.
I pray every day.
Now I lay me down to sleep, Ipray the Lord my soul to give me
If I should die.
Before I wake up, I say all ofmy prayers, my father.
I say them all.
I say them.
I say them before I say all ofmy prayers, my father.
I say them all.
I say them before I eat.
I'm always thankful to the Lordfor anything I have Good on you
(49:14):
.
I prayed before this interview,mark, I'm not kidding.
I thank the Lord that I have anopportunity to talk with
someone who I respect, and itdoesn't matter who it is if I'm
talking to him.
I thank the Lord that I havethat opportunity.
I thank him that he puts me ina position where I can talk to
folks like you, who people careabout.
Sometimes people tell me thatmy show makes them feel better.
You know, whatever it is, Ipray about that, and so for you
(49:36):
to say that is so, I justrespect it so much.
So can we do because I want toplay, if we may, the entirety of
your new single coming up?
Tell people about your, yournew record.
But can we do like a littlelightning round, because I know,
I know you have, you're a busyguy.
You got things to do.
Heck, we've almost been an hourhere.
Can I, can we do a littlelightning round and get your
(49:58):
take on a few things?
yeah, let's do it brother myfriend, tony, last night tells
me and I said, tony, I'm gonnaask mark about this.
He says, patrick, you're,you're going to interview Mark
Foran.
I said yeah.
He says please ask him this,you tell him this.
I saw him at the OaklandColiseum BB King opened up for
you, apparently, if you recall.
(50:19):
And Tony says Pat and Tony andI go to a lot of concerts and
Tony was a longtime radio DJ.
He knows his stuff.
That was the loudest concert byfar that I have ever been to
thoughts.
Speaker 2 (50:32):
Yeah, yeah, that and and that kind of became a
trademark for us that it wasgoing to be loud and and so
actually front of house isresponsible as, as you know, for
the overall decibel level.
The sound pressure level is notadjustable by the band outside
(50:56):
of our own amplifiers and Iwould have to.
Sometimes, going over in frontof Melbourne's stack of bass
amps, I would have to like, ohmy God, I got to get out of here
because it was like knocking meoff my equilibrium, you know,
and but that was all that.
Front of house, you know,pushing it, pushing it, pushing
it.
And I think you know, becausewe were three piece, that they
(51:19):
were overcompensating for usjust being three guys up there
and there was some noises thatwere not even they weren't being
created by any band member butthe collision of sound waves and
and the harmonics and thereverberation coming off.
You know it got.
(51:40):
It got to a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (51:43):
Do you remember playing with BB King and at the
Coliseum?
That had to be tough.
I mean mean, it's great to be arock star, but, as we see,
brian johnson from acdc and someother people who are, uh, huey
lewis and some others who aredealing with some kind of
hearing issue, how was yourhearing?
You're hearing okay these days.
All right, here we go.
(52:04):
We'll continue with thelightning.
By the way, mark foreignercom,ladies and gentlemen, mark
foreignercom, check, ladies andgentlemen, markfarnercom, check
that out.
Please check out his new musicthat you're going to hear,
because it's so good.
I'm with you on one thing, andI looked this up.
I don't know how I found thisout about you, but you and I
agree on this too.
I never liked music videos.
(52:25):
Come on with the music videovideo thing.
I don't want to see your takeon a song.
I don't want to see your take I.
I want my.
I want the song to be in mymind.
I want, I'm your captain, Iwant you know, I want any more.
I want these songs to be in mymind.
I don't want them to be yourversion that you're presenting
to me right on.
Speaker 2 (52:44):
Yeah, a 150% dude.
I am there Because ourimaginations have been underused
.
They have been put on the lowshelf since all this BS music
videos come out and I have hatedthem from the first one I
(53:05):
looked at.
I mean, they depict onedefinition of that song and they
restrict your imagination tothat definition.
What you're viewing in thevideo where you know, without a
video, I'm your captain can beto a million different people.
(53:27):
It could be a million differentthings, brother yeah, I, yeah,
I've that's.
Speaker 1 (53:32):
I was never a big mtv fan, vh1 for those reasons.
Uh, talking with mark farner,grand funk railroad.
Rick derringer just passed,brian wilson just passed.
What a couple of talents rightthere oh my god.
Speaker 2 (53:46):
And and rick was my buddy, oh my god sorry for your
loss we were, yeah, man, uh, he,he was really instrumental in
my guitar playing early on.
You know, uh, rock and roll,hoochie coo and uh, you know the
stuff that him and edgar winterdid, uh, just mind-blowing
(54:06):
stuff.
And you know, with Brian Wilson, the harmonies, all that Beach
Boys stuff.
Back in the day, man, it waslike in my room.
You know it was great memoriesfor me and sorry to see them go,
but you know we all go.
Speaker 1 (54:23):
Yes, sir.
Speaker 2 (54:25):
So get your ass ready .
Speaker 1 (54:27):
Well, what I love about it when you watch them
work, you know you cared aboutthe music, you cared about what
you were doing, you cared abouthow it was produced and
certainly you know, if you lookat Brian Wilson, either one of
those two guys but you knowBrian, you watch him work, he
really, really cared about hiswork.
Rick Derringer geez, you knowgrowing up sitting by the pool.
(54:49):
You know Frankenstein, whichwas a huge hit, working with
Edgar and Johnny Winter.
Both the Derringer Live stuff.
I mean Teenage Love Affair.
I mean just an incredibleartist and an incredible guy as
(55:09):
well.
I'm in the gosh, I don't know.
This is kind of a controversial.
The Rock and Roll Hall of FameI'm not with it, man.
They put some people in therewho belong, obviously, but I
think they're going a differentdirection.
It's bogus if you aren't inthere, if Bad Company isn't in
there, certain other bands Doyou have a thought on that?
Speaker 2 (55:28):
Yeah, the whole thing is bad as far as some people.
They say Rock and Roll, hall ofFame, but then it's restricted
to those who own or are on theboard and the people are locked
out of that decision.
Brother, if it was for thepeople, if the Rock Hall was the
(55:53):
will of the people being playedout, we would see the acts you
just mentioned in the Rock Hall.
But that's not what it's about,man, it's about just a select
few characters who are pickingit.
And you know people say well,why ain't you in the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame?
I say it's because we don'thave that brown ring around our
(56:13):
lips.
Speaker 1 (56:13):
Oh, yeah, I'm sure you've been asked that many
times.
Oh, I'm sure you've been aroundthat and asked that many times.
You're talking about a band notin the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame.
By the way, that their firstseven albums went gold or
platinum probably platinum bynow You're talking about a band
people would regard the Beatlesas one of the you know, the top
(56:33):
echelon, the Stones, the Beatles, the who, whoever you would
throw up in there.
By the way, just to let youknow, grand Funk and you could
correct me if I'm wrong Marksold out Shea Stadium in 72
hours, which took the Beatlesseven weeks.
And you're not in the Rock andRoll.
Speaker 2 (56:48):
Hall of Fame.
That's right.
Right on, right on, brother,that's exactly right.
And you know, janice and I usedto talk about this all the time
.
God rest her soul.
But she says you know, wherethe hell are they getting this
British invasion thing?
You know, british invasion.
She says, mark, do you sing inthe King's English when you go
(57:12):
to play in London?
You play Hyde Park.
I go no, no, no.
And do all of the English bandssing in the American English?
Yes, in the dialect ofAmericans, yes.
So where is the invasion?
Well, the invasion happened in1913.
It's called the Federal ReserveAct and that's when income
taxes started.
(57:33):
So there's your Britishinvasion.
It's those who control theInfernal Revenue Service, the
European Central Bank and theBank of England.
There's the culprits rightthere.
Speaker 1 (57:45):
Talk about opening for Led Zeppelin in 1969.
Your first album?
I don't know, I guess it hadjust come out, maybe right about
that time.
What a perfect pairing forZeppelin.
Speaker 2 (57:55):
Oh yeah, we played in Cleveland at the Cleveland
Auditorium first.
The night before we played ourstomping ground in Detroit,
Olympia and when we played.
Olympia.
They didn't like I say they.
Zeppelin's manager did not likewhat was going on because the
(58:18):
people were out of their seats.
They were at the stage.
They came to the calling, theband was calling and the fans
were answering.
Man, we wanted to rock togetherand that's the way we rocked
every audience.
They came out of their seats,they came to the front and Peter
(58:39):
Grant, zeppelin's manager, toldTerry Knight he was going to
pull the plug on the show if theband didn't quit.
So what happened?
He pulled the plug on the showif the band didn't quit.
So so what happened?
He pulled the plug on the show.
Terry knight walks out, grabsmy microphone it's the only
microphone working in the househe says I'm sorry, but due to
contractual agreement, grandfunk has to leave the stage and
(59:04):
everybody went boom, boom boom.
And they started throwing winebottles and whiskey bottles.
All these bottles startedhitting the stage.
They wanted us to.
We were fixing to go intoinside, looking out, and they
would have brought the housedown.
Oh my God.
Speaker 1 (59:22):
Oh, wow, wow, that is incredible.
What a story.
Wow, mark Farner man, I know wecould sit and talk for hours
and hours, so I want to get toyour new record Closer to my
Home, which is obviously anexcellent choice.
There's a song on there.
(59:43):
We're going to talk about yoursong anymore, but you know what?
Listen to the song Real, real,which I love as well patriotic.
You discuss new world order, Ibelieve the common man, it's all
about that, you know, which Ifind to be really, really good
stuff.
Um, I highly recommend it.
Thank you, um, tell us aboutyour new single, uh, from your
(01:00:03):
new album.
Uh, this one is called anymore,tell, tell us about it.
Speaker 2 (01:00:09):
The song.
You know, when I was young Ilistened to the words of men,
but that was then and I won'tlisten to them anymore.
They told me things I shouldbelieve, but all it did was make
me grieve, so I won't listen tothem anymore.
That's kind of you know how itkicks off to set people up to
(01:00:29):
understand.
And who could not relate tothat right there?
What person couldn't relate tothat right there?
But then in the beginning itwas me and my band.
It's sad to say that we don'tplay together anymore.
It's not the quantity, it's thehonesty.
My friend, the story ends andI'm not angry with him anymore.
(01:00:52):
You know why, brother?
Because the Lord gave meforgiveness in my heart for them
guys misusing the trademark andmisusing this guy personally.
I give it up because we'resupposed to forgive with the
same measure that we expect tobe forgiven with.
And, dude, I have found thatdebt consciousness is the plague
(01:01:16):
of mankind and I will notaccept anybody's debt.
I will not get into anybody'sdebt and I encourage people to
set themselves free from anydebt that they have been
carelessly put into.
Speaker 1 (01:01:33):
Yep, this is the reason I respect you.
I this, none of this surprisesme.
I love your attitude.
I, um, I really do.
I love that you don't harborany ill feelings towards these
gentlemen, um, that you letbygones be bygones, that you,
you become a.
You even become a better man.
So, without further ado, withyour permission, Mark Farner,
(01:01:54):
can we play a new song anymorefrom your new album?
Speaker 2 (01:01:57):
Please, please, please, brother Patrick, do it
here we go.
Speaker 3 (01:02:00):
When I was young, I listened to the words of men,
but that was then, and I won'tlisten to them anymore.
They told me things I shouldbelieve, but all it did was make
me grieve.
So I won't listen to themanymore.
(01:02:22):
I won't listen anymore.
No, no, anymore.
Won't be sad Anymore.
Love, keep on shining, shiningon me, love, keep on looking,
(01:02:53):
far as you can see, keep onlooking, baby.
In the beginning it was me andmy band.
It's sad to say that we don'tplay together anymore.
It's not the quantity, it's thehonesty.
My friends, the story ends andI'm not angry with them anymore.
(01:03:17):
No, people, no, no.
Ain't it a shame, lord, love,keep on shining, shining on me.
Yeah, love, keep on looking,far as you can see, keep on
(01:03:49):
lookin', baby Eddie Vaughn,eddie Vaughn, eddie Vaughn, come
(01:04:25):
on and let the love, love, keepon shining.
Shine down, shine in on me.
Yeah, love, keep on looking,far as you can see.
(01:04:46):
Keep on looking, baby, eddieBoy.
Speaker 1 (01:05:07):
Mark, mark, mark, I love that.
I love it.
I love it.
The song is so well produced.
I love the clapping at the end.
I love your voice.
I'll let that break right abouttwo minutes into the song.
It sounds vintage grand funk.
(01:05:27):
It sounds vintage, mark Farner.
I think it's wonderful and,with your permission, thank you
for giving me permission to playit on my podcast.
I'd also like to be able toplay that on my show tonight
with your permission.
Yeah, man, please do Play thathit out of it.
That is so good.
(01:05:47):
I love the cover of the record.
You got a barn with theAmerican flag.
Jeez, check out this record.
Please.
Everyone.
Go to markfarnercom and seewhat he's got going on.
Check out his tour, the newrecord and all of this.
Mark man, I just can't thankyou enough for your time today.
It's been very nice talking toyou.
Speaker 2 (01:06:10):
It's been great talking with you, brother
Patrick.
I appreciate it.
And for all those vinyl fansout there, that thing comes in
red vinyl or a CD as well as thedownload.
So the CD has a bonus trackwritten by Jim Peterick from the
Ides of March and myself.
It's called Flins Forever.
Check it out.
(01:06:31):
God bless you, set yourselffree.
Speaker 1 (01:06:34):
Ides of March.
I'm your vehicle, baby RightVehicle.
Come on now, ides of MarchVehicle.
Now You're telling me.
You're telling me.
I'm so glad you said that I cancause I'm getting ready to hook
up my, my ProTech Ruby Redturntable.
I've got some.
(01:06:54):
I got a Zappa, I got some Floyd, I got some stuff that I just
bought.
I'm getting ready to hook it upso I can go and I can purchase
your new record on colored vinyl.
Oh hell yeah it's red vinylbrother absolutely awesome.
Speaker 2 (01:07:07):
I'm gonna buy it.
It's gonna be the first thingon my turntable.
Speaker 1 (01:07:09):
It's red vinyl brother.
Absolutely awesome.
I'm going to buy it.
Solid red I'm going to buy it.
It's going to be the firstthing on my turntable Mark.
Speaker 2 (01:07:14):
thank you and congratulations.
Speaker 1 (01:07:16):
God bless you, brother Mark markfarnercom.
Thanks for listening.
Pat's Peeps number 285.
All right, welcome to the Pats Peeps podcast.
We are at number 285 podcasttoday, today's Thursday.
(00:24):
I'm looking out my studiowindow into the beautiful
foothills of Northern California.
It's cooled off today We've gota little breeze going.
It is delightful.
And I'm going to tell you whatI'm always excited to have a
great guest on my podcast here.
And today I'm super excitedbecause today, on this Thursday,
(00:46):
I'm bringing to you here onPat's Peeps 285, a rock and roll
legend and I am just sodelighted to do this.
Mark Farner is joining us.
Mark Farner, how are you, sir?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Joe Walt, I'm doing so good.
I can't.
I mean joe walt.
Yes, I'm talking to joe waltI'm a huge fan by the way of joe
walt.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
I was just watching a thing with him yesterday, mark,
and then we'll tell everyonewho somehow doesn't know who you
are who you are, becauseeveryone knows.
I was watching joe yesterdayand you know what he's saying on
stage.
He says um, he said you know, Ilove his voice and I love his
sense of humor.
He's like I'll tell you what Iloved it better when I was in my
20s in the 1970s versus beingin my 70s in the 20s, and
(01:37):
everyone got a good laugh out ofthat.
How do you feel about thatright about now, mark?
Speaker 2 (01:43):
I'm just proud to be sucking air, pat.
I'm telling you, brother, youknow, yeah, I'm proud to be
still singing the songs in thesame keys that I wrote them in.
There's another thing man.
You know, I'm born to rock androll.
You are.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Man, if I've ever seen anyone who's born to rock
and roll, it's you.
So all right, grand FunkRailroad.
Born to rock and roll, it's you.
So all right, grand funkrailroad.
This, we're talking about thefounder, we're talking about the
singer, we're talking about theguitarist.
We're talking about a keyboard,a harmonica player, uh, the,
the inspiration putting thisband together, which is, uh,
absolute.
Shame that it's not the rockand roll hall of fame, but I
(02:20):
don't find that legit sometimesanyhow, but I don't want to
start there.
What I want to start is but no,you know what I mean.
I, I have so many notes and soI'm just going to be all over
the map, if you don't mind, markyeah, man, let's jump around
first of all, you have a newrecord.
I'm starting off right there,all of these years later, before
we get into the uh, you knowthe, the stuff from the past.
(02:42):
Let's talk about your newrecord, because you know what I
love is I love your attitude,mark, and I do a lot of.
I watch a lot of your music, Ilisten to a lot of your music.
I love your attitude towardsyour former bandmates.
I love the fact you've tried toinitiate maybe a reunion here
and there, and your music.
You're patriotic, you'reChristian.
As I'm listening to your newalbum, which is called Closer to
(03:05):
my Home, please everyone checkit out and you've got a new song
called Anymore, I justappreciate what you're still
doing these days.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Thank you so much, man.
I appreciate the encouragement,brother, really do.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Yeah, so I'm listening to the song Anymore.
In the beginning.
In the beginning it was me andmy and my bad, it's sad to say.
We don't play together anymore.
That came from the heart rightthere, I could tell.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Yeah, absolutely man, because there's only three
people that can make that noise.
Anybody else, uh, trying towould be.
You know what do they callthose bands?
A tribute?
Tribute band, yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Yeah, what do you think when you see some of these
bands that are out there now?
I mean, I certainly don't meanto diss any band, I'm not
certainly trying to do that, butyou know, if you look at Lynyrd
Skynyrd I was a huge fanthere's no one left.
Artemis Pyle is still with us,but you know Foreigner and some
of these other bands that aretouring under those names, you
know, and they're really notthat lineup.
Do you have a thought on that?
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah, it's the same thing as the government.
You know, really it's a scam,it's a sham and it's legal.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
The biggest pain in the ass brother, it's legal.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
The biggest pain in the ass, brother, is that this
is legal.
It's legal to lie like thatbecause somebody has the
trademark.
It's a corporate-ownedtrademark and what corporations
are able to get away with isunbelievable.
I was talking with HunterNelson you know the Nelson twin,
or Gunner Gunner yeah, gunnerNelson and he was doing a guest
(04:50):
DJ thing in Cleveland.
And he says Farner, he said doyou know that there's 126 groups
called the Platters?
I said you kidding called theplatters.
I said you kidding me.
And he says he says no, dude,he says one guy owns the
(05:12):
trademark and he licenses theuse of that trademark and he's
taken a cut of every one of them, oh wow.
This has turned into a justhorsey poo poo brother.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Right, wow, that is uh.
I I never heard that.
I mean, I didn't realize thatwas going on like that.
Just to let everyone know thatyou are out on tour.
You're going to be I wish youwere coming to my neck of the
woods, I'll tell you to promoteyour new record here in Northern
California, but I see thatyou're going to be coming up
here.
What?
On the 28th you're going to beat the Arcata Theater in St
(05:44):
Charles, illinois.
You're going to be at theDePlaine Theater Hope, I said
that right there in Illinois andthen Penn's Peak.
You know, one of the thingsthat's really cool, mark, is
that you're playing Two peopleyou're playing with.
I'd like to ask you aboutYou're playing with Jeff Skunk
Baxter as an opening.
I guess he's going to open yourshow.
(06:05):
It's cool to see Jeff out thereand see what he's doing.
Jeff Skunk Baxter, who you knowhe's a great guitarist.
He's been in, you know, likeSteely Dan, he's been in the
Doobies.
Everyone knows him from the youknow, 70s and 80s.
But the thing that surprises meis that he's also worked as a
defense consultant and advisedus members of congress on
(06:28):
missile defense.
How ironic is that right now?
Speaker 2 (06:32):
yeah, he's a great guy and and he is a character
dude.
To be around him is a hoot.
It's wonderful.
I can't wait to see him again.
Man, he, he is a character.
I love a man because he'ssincere about what he does.
If he's rocking, he's sincere.
If he's a defense contractor,he's sincere.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
I would have never guessed he's a defense
contractor working with missiles.
And then the other band that isopening this is going to be at
least that I see here at Penn'sPeak is the band Sweet.
This is going to be at leastthat I see here at Penn's Peak
is the band Sweet.
Now, the band Sweet, of course,responsible for Ballroom Blitz
and Little Willie and Fox on theRun.
All of these great songs fromthe early 70s.
(07:14):
Love is Like Oxygen, one of myfavorites.
What's it like playing withSweet?
Are they pretty much anoriginal band at this point?
Speaker 2 (07:24):
I couldn't tell you at this point, brother Pat.
I don't know for sure, but Iknow when I get to hang with
people like go out with RandyBackman or Burton Cummings and
these guys, it's good to bump upagainst that armor on those
guys, because they're stillholding it up and they're still
(07:45):
the same people, even though, uh, in in light of what we were
talking about, how the the scambands are out there, people
don't know, they just love themusic, man, and that's, that's
the part I, I love the fansbecause they love the music.
They are not, uh, they're noteducated to who's in the band.
(08:06):
They don't want to know aboutthat.
They just want to know aboutthat song brother.
They want to boogie, they wantto shake their ass, they want to
tap their foot.
That's what it's about.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
That's interesting to me because, again, I go way
back as a rocker.
We're talking with Mark Farner,founder of Grand Funk Railroad,
and out on tour.
He's got a new record.
Close to my Home, he's got anew song called Anymore.
I do find that interestingbecause I'm such a music guy
that I know, you know, but maybebut you're right, I don't know
what the percentage of peoplewho know the band's history or
(08:41):
what have you, you know thatthey don't really care, they
just want to hear whatever theirhits are, which I do find
interesting.
Speaking of hits, we're talkingto you, you know, we're talking
about a band, you know, grandFunk Railroad, who sold over
what?
10 million albums, mark, 10million.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
It's over 40 million, it's over 40 million, over 40
million.
Oh, my God, man, I had thatnumber wrong.
40 million, wow.
What is it like to think aboutthat, the use of 40 million
albums?
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Well, it's great, because when I get out and play
my music to people with Markmark farner's american band,
that's that's the band I tourunder now, since, uh, the other
guys are two-thirds of thecorporation that controls that
trademark, even though I wrote94 of the music yes original
(09:37):
song.
You know I can't use the, thename I got.
I go on as mark farner'samerican band, but I, uh, I go
out and play my music and peoplelove it.
Man, I'm telling you they wantto hear my voice because I sang
those songs.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
They appreciate it that I'm still singing in the
same piece and that I still havethe same heart that you were
talking about, brother.
I never let myself get puffedup and think that I was somebody
.
I saw too many of those cats,brother pat, walking around with
their noses up in the air andlooking down the slope of their
nose at the roadies and thepeople on the stage, and you
(10:16):
know, giving commands instead ofasking people to do things, I I
don't ever want to turn intothat, so I have stayed right
down with my feet on the earthand I play my music with my feet
on the earth.
I mean, that's all where itcame from, man, right here on
this planet.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
By the way, great name Mark Farner's American Band
.
I love, love that name.
That is incredible.
You know you bring up yourformer bandmates.
It's pretty unusual to besomehow.
I guess.
I don't know, maybe you canexplain it better but how is it
that you are eliminated fromyour own band by so your
(10:57):
bandmates?
You guys are this power trio.
I guess some people call itpower trio.
I just think it's a rock androll trio.
You call it what you want, callit power trio.
I just think it's a rock androll trio.
You call it what you want.
You know um, but um with um.
You know with don and with.
You know um don and uh, melshocker.
Mel shocker right, I think Ijust blew his name, yeah and he
comes right and he comes fromquestion mark and the mysterians
(11:20):
which I do find fascinating,like how did that happen?
I'm curious about that.
And then how in the heck tellme about that?
And how the heck do you?
How are you the one that exitsyour own band?
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Well, one night, after we played a gig and after
the party because after theshows we would have a bit of a
party, you know, toss down a fewdrinks and what have you and
after a gig at Canock Dye HarborI don't know if you know where
that is Sure do.
(11:52):
Out there in California and Iwent back to my room it's got
like a little kitchenette andstuff and I reach in there and I
pull a beer out and I'm justsitting at the table and I hear
a knock at the door and it's thedrummer.
I hear out and I'm sitting atthe table, I hear a knock at the
door and it's the drummer, andso he comes in.
He says hey, partner, we allneed to sign the individual
(12:17):
ownership of the trademark intothe corporation where it will
have a protective umbrella.
Now he's talking to a guy thatdidn't finish high school and he
had gone to law school.
So I figure he knows what he'stalking about.
But I'm half in the bag.
You know, I don't know.
I said so, okay, well, ifthat's going to help the band,
if it's going to protect theband, you know I'll do it.
He says, okay, I'll go to myroom and get the papers.
And when he left I thought whythe hell didn't he just bring
(12:39):
the papers with him?
But it didn't dawn on me that,you know, he was testing the
wires.
And if I would have said, hell,no, I'm not going to do that,
you know, then he wouldn't havedone it, but I was under the
influence and my Cherokee bloodcan't take too much of that.
(13:00):
You that?
so uh, so, anyways, I signed itand that put, uh, my one-third
ownership of the trademark intothe corporation and so that
makes two-thirds, those two guysagainst one-third.
They could do whatever theywant to do, brother, and they do
, they do.
But that's, hey, that's the waylife is, that's the way, like I
(13:22):
said, referred to thegovernment All this corporate
crap is ruining.
You know, it's greed, is whatit is, and it's the love of
money, and it's ruining theworld, man, but we can't let it
ruin the rock community, brother, pat, right, you know.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
What we're talking about.
It's going into people's heartswho really respect rock and
roll, who love rock and roll andwho have lived through these
eras that we have come throughand they still have it in their
heart and the stuff the guys andthe gals that were Beatles fans
and the love that you take isequal to the love you make.
(14:05):
You remember those words.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Sure, do you better believe it?
Yeah, man.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Yeah, buddy, so we're still here and you, my friend,
are an instigator to keep ustogether.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Oh, that is an honor, that is a role that I cherish.
I promise you that I talk aboutit a lot on my radio show,
which I told you off air, we'retalking with Mark Farner,
founder of Grand Funk Railroad.
Now Mark Farner's American bandon tour new album, which is out
closer to my home, which I lovethe name, anymore, is their new
song.
You know, gosh, I've got somany things to talk to you about
(14:42):
.
I sure appreciate your time.
One of the things is I'vealways wanted to ask you this
question when did the name GrandFunk Railroad come from?
And at some point Railroad waskind of like eh, maybe we don't
use that all the time.
Hey, have you listened to thenew Grand Funk?
(15:03):
Did you like, when they werekind of we because I'll admit to
that too Grand, I didn't alwayssay Railroad.
Hey, man, did you hear newGrand Funk?
Are you going to go see GrandFunk Versus?
Are you going to go see GrandFunk Railroad?
How did that name come about?
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Well, it came about.
Terry Knight, who was our firstmanager, had written a song and
he called grand funk railroad.
And he said why don't you guyscall the band what the name of
my song, grand funk railroad?
And he wrote that about uh, itwas a take off of grand trunk
and western, which is an actualrailway system.
(15:39):
It runs through ontario, canada, down through michigan and ohio
and uh, so it was a playoffthat name.
And in the overpass in Flint onFenton Road at 12th Street,
there is an overpass that saysGrand Trunk and Western.
Well, it used to say that yearsago, but every time they change
(16:02):
it back, the fans, the fans payovernight, man, it don't last.
It doesn't last 12 hours andit's back to Grand Funk, mark
Don and Mel.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
Oh, that is great, that is great.
She brought up Tyrion.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
Oh yeah, go ahead, go ahead as far as the shortening.
It was like Chicago TransitAuthority right.
Oh yeah right, you know.
And then they tried to shortenit to CTA.
Well, the fans shortened it.
They just say Chicago, I'mgoing to see Chicago.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Right Bang, right, you know who it is.
I'm going to see Grand.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Funk.
The fans do that for us.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
I felt guilty a few years ago.
I'll be honest with you, I'lladmit to this.
I felt guilty.
I went to a concert at theToyota Amphitheater in Wheatland
, here in Northern California.
I can't remember if it wasCheap Trick or Jason Bonham, led
Zeppelin Experience or whathave you and Grand Funk.
I was so excited to see you andthen I realized that it wasn't
(17:08):
you and I felt bad about that.
I gotta be honest.
I'm confessing to you right now, mark Varner.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Bless your heart.
Thank you, brother.
I appreciate your honesty.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
Yeah, I really did.
I thought, you know I wasthinking about the whole time,
even though I, like your, lovethe music.
It wasn't you.
Not that they weren't doing afine job, but my gosh, you know
it wasn't you, and you were theguy.
By the way, you were also theguy who not only was mostly
shirtless in most yearlyconcerts that's right but but no
(17:38):
wives or girlfriends really forthe band at the beginning,
isn't that right?
Speaker 2 (17:43):
that's right, absolutely right.
You are on the money, brotherwhy was that?
Speaker 1 (17:50):
because you just wanted to focus on the music.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
That all the other stuff was just too much to deal
with yeah, I guess you know, andat the first, uh, atlanta pop
festival when we went out thereit was, we didn't have a record.
We did not have a record, wedidn't even have anything
recorded at the time, but I hadwritten the first album.
(18:13):
By that time I had the musicdone to the first album.
And we went up because theattorneys that Terry Knight used
in New York City were also theattorneys that were doing the
legal work for this pop festivalin Atlanta, georgia.
So they pitched the promoterson putting this band, grand Funk
(18:35):
Railroad, on first.
Let us open this, we'll playfor free, but let us open the
festival and we will take areduction in our legal fee.
So that's so that worked.
And when we got up on that stage, dude, it was like, oh my God,
I was people, as far as I couldsee, 185.
(19:00):
That's, you know, that's a lotof folks, dude.
And I looked over at my guitartech.
I said, dude, I got a piss sobad you can't even imagine.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
You didn't take care of business before the show.
You didn't take care ofbusiness, oh no, how do you hold
it in?
Speaker 2 (19:17):
That's right.
That's right.
Oh man, that is.
You know we played and thepeople loved it.
But I had bought this back then.
You know 69.
$50 was a lot of money to spendon a shirt.
It was a paisley print,see-through kind of material.
(19:39):
But when I got sweating in 110degrees down there in Atlanta,
georgia, that stuff was stickingto me and holding me back.
And when I went into we used todo Land of a Thousand Dances
but we did it kind of likeWilson Pickett style.
And when I took my axe off andstarted dancing, this shirt was
(20:03):
bothering me, so bad dudestarted dancing, I this shirt
was bothering me, so bad dude.
I ripped that 50 shirt off ofmy back and the people jumped to
their feet and I said, oh mygod, that worked.
So I kept it in the show fromthat point on did you?
Speaker 1 (20:21):
did you keep ripping shirts off, or did you just come
out with no shirt on?
Speaker 2 (20:25):
I just come out with like a vest or no shirt, right
sure you know, by the secondsong my vest was off and it was
no shirt.
Anyway, there you go.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
It's just awesome, and that was your big break.
I mean, you walk up the steps,you see this incredibly huge
crowd Atlanta becomes your bigbreak.
You said you didn't even haveyour stuff really recorded.
If I may, I cleared this aheadof time.
By the way, if I may, can we goback for a moment to your first
(20:56):
record?
Can we do that?
Because I'm a fan.
I got to tell you, man, yeah,man, I am a fan, got this thing
on the move.
I dig the sound of this, allright.
And then I'm going to saysomething about your trio here.
Come along with a joyride.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
And let your mama see Ain't no way to deny it If it's
in your soul.
You don't know till you try it.
Baby, let the good times roll.
(21:38):
Oh Woo, let me taste your life.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
So here's what I'm going to say.
You, I don't know how you'llreact to this, I don't know how
others will react, but it's anhonest, genuine statement.
When I tell you let's go totrios, I am way, way more into
Grand Funk, grand Funk, railroadin this, this case, grand funk
is the album that I am into.
(22:09):
Cream, it's gonna be straightup honest.
Wow, not a big cream guy.
Wow, when I listen to yourpower trio, I'm like this music
here, that's my stuff, rightthere wow, thank you, brother
pat.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
I appreciate that brother yeah, it's absolutely
true.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
And this is all before you started.
You know, I want to go backreal quick.
You mentioned Terry Knight.
Now I know there's a fewstories there with Terry Knight,
who was your producer, correct,and he was getting you guys out
there, he was getting you tothe Atlanta Music Festival for
your big break and all of that,but then you guys had issues
with Terry, correct?
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Oh, yeah, yeah, oh, big issues, yeah yeah.
We played Europe and we hadlike a million and a half
dollars and he said we can'ttake this back to the United
States, man, because theInfernal Revenue Service is
going to take most of it.
They're going to get a lot ofyour money.
And he said let's leave it inthe most stable world currency,
(23:07):
which I think at the time wasdeutschmarks, and leave it in a
swiss bank account.
We said, okay, you know, we're20 year old kids.
Uh, we don't know, we don'tknow from nothing.
My mother had to sign acontract with him because I was
only 20 and in Michigan you gotto be 21 to be legal, you know,
I mean back then.
Uh, so, so we never saw thatmoney, we never saw one cent of
(23:31):
that money and so at that.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
That is just that is awful.
You hear these stories, whetherit's you know, credence with
fantasy records or bad companyor your story, it's uh story.
It's really sad to hear becauseat some point then we're
talking with Mark Farner, thefounder guitarist and just the
inspiration, the soul behindGrand Funk Railroad.
(23:55):
At some point you stoppedwriting songs because of this.
You ended up living off ofshows and songs that you'd
written in the past, correct?
Speaker 2 (24:04):
Well at some point, yeah I mean.
But I kept writing and went oninto a solo career, even after
Don Brewer quit the band in 1976, after we did the album with
Frank Zappa producing oh my gosh, yeah, that was kind of a
shocker when Brewer walked in anhour and a half late for
(24:28):
rehearsal and quit the band.
But I kept going, I keptwriting songs.
I'm still writing songs.
I did have a little low spotthere, you know, when things
went down, but my heart isdriven by love, man, and I won't
(24:50):
serve another master.
I mean, that's between you andme and the Fence Post brother.
Love is it and ain't nothingelse to look forward to.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Absolutely, and I certainly didn't mean to
insinuate that you stoppedwriting music, but there was
that period of time where it waskind of difficult because of
what you were going through.
Can I just tell you I love thatyou just brought up Frank Zappa
producing your record.
I'll tell you this you aretalking to the ultimate diehard
Frank Zappa fanatic right here.
That's great.
(25:19):
Oh, my brothers and I, mark, wetalk in Frank Zappa lyrics.
We literally will speak to eachother in Zappa lyrics and you
know, there is suchmisconceptions about this man
who died at 53 years old in 1993.
It's just awful.
A misdiagnosis for prostatecancer.
Anyhow.
(25:40):
A genius in my mind, just likeyou are, absolutely and he.
There's this misconceptionabout Frank like, oh man, he
must have been on drugs.
That is so wrong.
If you had a roach in his band,you were out of the band.
You were not Frank, to myrecollection.
Here's what Frank did he smokedcigarettes and he drank coffee.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Oh my God, did he drink coffee, brother?
He'd make a cup of coffeenervous, I'm not kidding.
He drank more than 10 people onto in the course of a day,
brother.
I'm not lying.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
I can just imagine, because of his creative flow and
his soul and his passion, whatsome of those sessions had to be
like, with just his creativedrive and drinking coffee at the
same time.
That had to be something.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Yeah, man, you know.
He had one of those air pots.
It's like a thermos that youpour the coffee down in there
and you push the button on thetop and the coffee comes out.
It's still hot.
He keeps it hot all the time.
He would constantly look inthat thermos and when he'd get
about halfway down he'd send theengineer to brew another pot.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Oh, that's amazing, so I love that you brought up
Frank.
One last note on Terry Knight.
It was a tragic ending, I think, for Terry.
He was stabbed to death by hisdaughter's boyfriend.
If I recall, that is whathappened with Terry, and then
(27:24):
you were being produced by ToddRungan, correct, correct?
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Yeah, man Todd Rundgren.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Is he one of the greatest ever, I mean one of the
most talented, not justproducers but artists ever.
Todd Rundgren oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Yeah, yeah, man.
And what a trip to be around,because he's always fooling
around with something, alwaysgot something in his you know,
you just wait long enough andit's going to pop out and you're
going to laugh your ass off.
He's working on it, man, allthe time.
He's a great guy, greatproducer and, in my estimation,
(28:05):
another genius as far as youknow.
Talking about Zappa and hisgenius, well, we had it, you
know, in Rundgren as well.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Absolutely, I agree, Todd, is I.
Those are two guys.
You.
We had it in Rundgren as well.
Absolutely, I agree, Todd,those are two guys.
You, these two guys I alwayshad much, much respect.
We move to 1974.
Now this is my little sweet spotfor Grand Funk.
All right, so I'm of an age.
We're talking with Mark Farner,the founder, the genius behind
(28:34):
Grand Funk.
I don't care what anyone says.
The other guy's great as well,by the way.
I love the way you treat themand that you even offered in
many times to try to get areunion together.
But here I am.
I'm 13 years old, I ride thebus to school, I'm listening to
music constantly, I have myPanasonic clock radio and I'm
(28:54):
listening to music constantly.
I have my Panasonic clock radioand I'm listening to everything
.
I could tell you any hit fromany year of the 1970s.
There's this skit out wherepeople say you know what's his
name?
Christopher Walken says I needmore cowbell.
I need more cowbell on SNL.
Well, when I think of cowbell,you know I love Blue Oyster Cult
(29:16):
.
It was what they play on theskit.
I think of this, my friend,guitar solo.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
Out on the road for 40 days.
Last night in Milwaukee Put mein a haze Sweet, sweet Connie
doing her act.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
She had the whole show and that's a natural fact,
boy, that is a great, great songthat takes me back to riding
the bus.
I'm listening to it.
I couldn't get enough of thatsong.
I can remember, like I say, allthe other hit songs that were
out of the time can I ask you acouple questions about?
I'd like to ask about thecowbell.
I'd love, yeah, man, I'd loveto hear about the four young
(30:22):
chiquitas in omaha.
I'd like to know about sweet,sweet connie and that and then
that was it, the little, was, alittle rock that you mentioned
in there.
What can you tell me about someof?
Speaker 2 (30:32):
this yeah, little Rock, arkansas.
Well, the cowbell.
When Brewer first of all LynnGoldsmith, who was our publicist
but really slash co-manager shesaid you guys need to write a
song about who you are, what youare You're an American band she
dropped that one day and brewerhad the lyrics written the next
(30:57):
day and then I wrote the musicthat you hear on that, that song
I.
I wrote that music and I saidthis song is begging for a
cowbell.
And brewer looks at me.
He says I don't have a cowbell.
I said, well, it's begging fora cop, it don't have a cowbell.
I said, well, it's begging fora cowbell, it has to have a
cowbell man.
(31:17):
He says all right, all right,I'll stop and get one on the way
to rehearsal tomorrow.
I said no, pick up six of themand we'll pick the best one out
of the six to go with this.
So that one that you're hearing,that's the one that we trialed.
You know all six of them.
You're hearing, that's the onethat we trialed.
You know all six of them.
That one with a little ducttape on it was the one dude.
(31:40):
And in the what was that?
Rolling Stone, the top tencowbell songs, we were number
two, with American Band, only tobe superseded by Honky Tonk
Women.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
Oh well, that's not so bad, that's pretty good.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
No, that's a pretty good one too.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
Yeah, See, that's going to give me a great idea
for my show the greatest cowbellsongs.
I haven't done that.
I cover any aspect I canpossibly find out there
regarding music.
That is great.
I never thought I'd never hear.
Hey, can I go?
Yeah, go ahead.
I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
As far as Sweet, sweet Connie, yeah, I have to
tell you, in her book she saidthat I was the only gentleman
that she met in rock and roll.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
You know, I did not accept the offer, brother, oh
wow, and so I don't know theoffer, brother, oh wow.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
And so I don't know what that was like.
Everybody else could probablytell you about it, but I don't
know what that was like becauseI went no, I'm married.
Are you kidding me?
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Good, for you, man, thank you.
And she makes it in the songbecause of that, I will never,
ever forget, ever forget.
That is you know what.
I already respected you.
I respect you even because youwere listen, you were what were
you in your 20s?
Speaker 2 (33:03):
at that time yeah, man, 20 years old when the band
started and uh, so, man, it wasfast and serious because you
could have.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
You could have lived that life and you chose not to.
You chose to be true man.
You are a good man.
What about the four youngChiquitas in Omaha?
Speaker 2 (33:20):
Now the four young Chiquitas in Omaha, those gals,
those are for real Chiquitas.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
Were they waiting for the band to return from the
show?
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Yeah, but that was at a time when I wasn't married.
Oh, okay, oh yeah, yeah, sothat was from our life as Grand
Funk Railroad.
He just pulled little episodesout of there here and there.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
That's right.
I won't forget that either.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
And then you want to touch on the Little Rock thing.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
What is the lyric in there about Little Rock?
I spaced that one off for asecond.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Yeah, Little Rock, Arkansas.
That's where Connie was from.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
Oh, that's where Connie was from.
Oh, I see, all right.
Yeah, dude, let me go way backand just ask you a very random
question.
This is so random, but listen,it's eating away at me.
I him, but listen, it's eatingaway at me.
I need to know.
Let's go back to your firstalbum one more time.
I'm going to play a song.
I'll listen a little bit.
I'm just going to play thebeginning of this incredibly
awesome listen.
He's got a new record.
I'd check out their firstrecord too, but a song called
(34:23):
paranoid.
Let's listen to the beginning.
As I'm listening to this, Ihear the story, the news clips
(34:48):
yeah, man, pan American.
You hear sirens, pan AmericanAirways.
What was the thinking behindthat?
What was going on?
Speaker 2 (35:01):
That was Terry Knight , because he said I love the
title to your song, I love whatyou're saying in your song, I
love the feeling I get from yoursong.
He said I think if we put alittle something up front just
to kind of prepare people forthat message, put their mind in
(35:25):
the news, put their mind intoplaces they've already been and
then when they hear your messagethey will digest it.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
It's very powerful, it's a good record, it's an
overlooked Grand Funk record and, again, I highly recommend that
to anyone who is listening tomy Pat's Peeps 285.
Now we jump forward to, as Isaid when I was a kid and I'm
listening to American band andall of a sudden, here come the
hits.
Jimmy Linners comes by andJimmy becomes your producer
(36:00):
correct, and he wants to takeyou in a more, let's say,
mainstream radio friendlydirection.
Would that be fair to say?
Speaker 2 (36:09):
Yeah, I would say that.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
And you guys have a love coming from Michigan for
Motown, for soul music, for thattype of music.
Speaker 2 (36:21):
Oh yeah, yeah, that's what we cut our teeth on man.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
And you're listening to this song and you're like hey
, what is this?
Little Eva, right?
Little Eva did the locomotion.
Little Eva, yeah yeah, littleEva.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
right, little Eva did the locomotion.
Little Eva, yeah, yeah.
And it was Rundgren that cameout the end of the studio door.
As I'm walking down thedriveway coming back from the
farm across the street where Iwent and had lunch, I'm singing.
Everybody's doing a brand newdance now and all the guys are
out having a cigarette in theparking lot.
I can't see them because of thetrees, but they start singing.
(36:55):
Come on, baby, do thelocomotion.
And so Rundgren comes walkingout the end of the building and
he goes what the hell is that?
I said what is that?
That's Little Eva, that's thelocomotion.
He says well, come on in hereright now.
He says because we're going torecord the locomotion.
(37:18):
And I'm not kidding you, that'show it happened.
Speaker 3 (37:23):
Damn Wow.
Everybody's doing a brand newdance now.
Come on baby.
Come on baby, the locomotion.
I know you'll get to like it ifyou give it a chance now.
Come on, baby.
I know you'll get to like it ifyou give it a chance now.
Come on, baby.
Do the locomotion.
My little ABC I took and do itwith ease.
(37:45):
It's easier than running yourABC, so come on come on and do
the locomotion.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
It's so powerful.
It is so powerful for a coverrecord.
A little Eva Jump up, jump up,jump back.
Oh man, I think you got thename Whoa, whoa, now it's you.
Oh geez, it's just so poundingand so good and so appealing in
(38:14):
my headphones, mark, what is itlike?
What is it like God?
I love this kind of stuff, mark.
What's it like to hear yoursongs being played on the radio
constantly back in those days?
It's everywhere.
All these songs are everywhere.
Speaker 2 (38:31):
Yeah, man.
It was, I mean, the first timethat we heard one of our songs.
It was like, oh my God and I'mtelling you about it right now,
dude, I'm getting goosebumps thesame ones that came up on me in
the same places the first timewe heard our music coming across
the airwaves.
(38:51):
Because back then, you know,dude, they were switching from
AM to FM and uh, and that wasthe only place, fm was the only
place I could get, uh, my songI'm your captain played Cause it
was a 10 minute song.
But, dude, I've had so many DJsover the years that I've spoken
with, say, man, thank you forthat song, mark Dude.
(39:13):
If I had to take a leak, if Ihad to smoke a cigarette, if I
had to eat a sandwich orsomething, I'd give it all up on
that song.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
You know that's funny .
I just did that on my showrecently that topic Because I
was a DJ at one point thegreatest DJ, you need to break
songs and that came up on thelist with several others that
were, you know, don mcclain andsome others that everyone would
remember.
That is pretty funny.
By the way, I'm your captain.
(39:45):
You record that on your newalbum.
Speaker 2 (39:47):
It's a re-recording of that song, correct, of this
classic yes, it's a re-recordingin the original american
standard for tuning back before1953 when rockefeller changed it
to 440.
Before it was 440 hertz, it was4-3-2.
(40:11):
Count backwards from 4.
It was 4-3-2.
And 4-3-2 just happens to be intune with natural things.
A guy sent me a link man, andit was this dude that had a
kiddie pool on his deck full ofwater, he had a speaker next to
the pool, he had a tonegenerator and amplifier and he
(40:33):
played a2 in the 440 scale, uh,and, and he played it at 125
decibels and there was waves andfoam and it was that little
kiddie pool was jumping up anddown like it had legs on it.
Brother, I'm talking, it was astorm on that thing.
So then he tunes it down, hetunes to the original American
(40:56):
standard 432.
He hits A2 at 125 decibels.
It's a piece of glass.
It is still there.
There ain't a quiver during aripple, there is nothing.
And I went oh, you got myattention and I had to know
about this because four, three,two, which this entire new album
(41:17):
is recorded in the old standard, the old us standard for tuning
.
Four, three, two is Hermione.
It's like you know, when Ilooked at that kiddie pool in my
mind.
I'm seeing somebody putting apair of boxing gloves on and
they're beating the crap out ofthis pool.
They're punching it, punchingit hard and it's you know it's
(41:38):
agitating this water.
Then I'm seeing four, three,two, the same note.
It's like somebody slippedtheir fingers in these velvet
gloves and wrapped them aroundyour heart.
It's just a nice, still calmingeffect.
And since our bodies are morethan 70% water, man, just think
(42:01):
about that.
With the sound pressure level,the SPL, hitting 125, that's
some pretty loud.
You know, the threshold of painis 90 decibels, so imagine 125.
So I went back and I love four,three, two.
I love playing my acousticguitar four, three, two man
tuning it up and and justletting it feed me because, uh,
(42:26):
you know, if there ain't nobodyelse around, if you can play in
it and it's feeding you, that'sgood wow, fascinating.
Speaker 1 (42:34):
I love learning about this.
I love talking about this stuffhe, this, you, I and in
listening to it, mark, and asyou're explaining that, and I
and I was and listening to thesong, you, you, you really did
it so incredibly well.
I'd like to play a little bitof this.
And also you mentioned this,you sort of alluded to this a
(42:57):
couple of times and you as aguitar player, as a keyboardist,
as I mentioned earlier,harmonica, everything that
you've done and as a singer Ising in a couple of bands and as
a singer, I try to explain toeveryone.
Not that everyone else in ourband, as you probably know,
believes this, but you know thevoice is a very temperamental
thing.
You know, a guitar will stillmake a sound.
(43:18):
It'll still sound today thesame way it sounded yesterday.
If it's tuned up, everything'sright, drum will still hit that.
Sometimes your voice istemperamental.
It's gone through things.
Sometimes your voice istemperamental.
It's gone through things.
It depends on your health, itdepends on how you've been
treating it and such.
Sometimes you get to peoplelike they can't hit those high
notes anymore.
Well, let me tell you something, mark you sound as good as you
(43:38):
have ever sounded your song, theredo of the song, the
re-recording of it talking about, in this case, I'm your captain
, is absolutely incredible.
Speaker 3 (44:26):
And I'd like to share everyone, share with everyone
the new mix here, the newrecording, guitar solo.
Everybody, listen to me andreturn me my ship.
I'm your captain.
I'm your captain, though I'mfeeling mighty sick.
Speaker 1 (44:49):
I've been lost now, wow, god, your voice sounds so
good and it's months since I'veseen home.
It sounds so good.
Mark, you're just.
I don't want to interrupt it,but, wow, can you?
Speaker 3 (45:03):
hear me.
Thank you, Mark.
Am I all alone?
Speaker 1 (45:12):
If you return me.
Thank you, brother.
It is still one of the greatestanthems ever.
I've heard stories of peoplecoming home like guys in the
Navy.
You know other people havelistened to this song for
inspiration.
You know, returning home fromwhatever they've been doing.
Mark, that is such a goodrecording of that.
(45:35):
I have to say it's beautiful.
Speaker 2 (45:38):
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I really appreciate that,Brother Pat.
And you're right, my song.
The Vietnam Veterans of Americacontacted me and they wanted me
to come to DC and play my songat the 25th anniversary of the
monument, the Vietnam VeteransMonument, the wall there.
(45:58):
And I said, well, you know,what do they want?
Do you want the acoustic, orwhat do you want?
And he says, well, you know, uh, we, we got a stage and lights.
And you know, pa, and I saidlisten, I won't cost you a cent,
but I will bring my band, I'llbring the bus in there, we'll
(46:19):
put the show on for you, we'llgive you a free show, all the
vietnam veterans that come youknow, it's a free show and we'll
put I'm your captain in there.
And, dude, it was 36 degrees inWashington DC that day and yeah,
but, dude, I'm not kidding youthe vets that showed up not just
(46:39):
the American Vietnam veterans,but the Canadian Vietnam
veterans that showed up therethe people don't really realize.
The Canadians were therefighting right along our side,
and when they finally got to theend of the show and we did, I'm
your Captain there was not adry eye anyplace.
And, dude, I'm trying to singYou're talking about, you know,
(47:00):
taking care of your voice.
I'm trying to sing with asoftball in my neck because I'm
so choked up, I'm so emotionalover looking out at this
audience and the crowd is justteared up.
Man, it was a very, veryemotional time and I will never
forget that time and I thank Godfor that song, because that
(47:22):
song, dude, I prayed for thatsong.
I always say my prayers, youknow Now I lay me down to say
prayers for that song.
I always say my prayers, youknow.
Now I lay me down to sleepfirst.
And I asked God that night,dude, I asked God, please give
me a song that would reach andtouch the hearts of those you
want to get to and I got up inthe middle of night and I wrote
those lyrics.
But I get up a lot of nightsand I write songs and I just
(47:46):
write just writings.
I just write, and not all ofthem are songs.
I mean, the majority of what Ihave written is just thoughts.
So I'm not really, you know,relating to this is the answer
to my song or to my prayer.
Until the morning when I got upand I grabbed my guitar and I'm
(48:07):
playing the you know playingthat little ditty on the front,
I went wow, that's pretty cool.
And then I hit an inversion ofa C chord that I'd never hit
before and as I'm trying to man,I got to memorize this.
This is really good stuff.
It's talking to me.
And the thought came to me goget those words, go get those
words, go get those words.
(48:27):
So I go and grab the words offthe nightstand by my bed, put
them on the kitchen table and Ihit the record button on my Sony
cassette recorder.
Yeah, and that that song cameout.
It just it came out.
Speaker 1 (48:45):
You knew you had something right there.
You knew your prayers wereanswered right there.
Speaker 2 (48:50):
Yeah, brother.
Speaker 1 (48:51):
You know, mark, that is a great story.
I am so with you.
I pray every day.
Now I lay me down to sleep, Ipray the Lord my soul to give me
If I should die.
Before I wake up, I say all ofmy prayers, my father.
I say them all.
I say them.
I say them before I say all ofmy prayers, my father.
I say them all.
I say them before I eat.
I'm always thankful to the Lordfor anything I have Good on you
(49:14):
.
I prayed before this interview,mark, I'm not kidding.
I thank the Lord that I have anopportunity to talk with
someone who I respect, and itdoesn't matter who it is if I'm
talking to him.
I thank the Lord that I havethat opportunity.
I thank him that he puts me ina position where I can talk to
folks like you, who people careabout.
Sometimes people tell me thatmy show makes them feel better.
You know, whatever it is, Ipray about that, and so for you
(49:36):
to say that is so, I justrespect it so much.
So can we do because I want toplay, if we may, the entirety of
your new single coming up?
Tell people about your, yournew record.
But can we do like a littlelightning round, because I know,
I know you have, you're a busyguy.
You got things to do.
Heck, we've almost been an hourhere.
Can I, can we do a littlelightning round and get your
(49:58):
take on a few things?
yeah, let's do it brother myfriend, tony, last night tells
me and I said, tony, I'm gonnaask mark about this.
He says, patrick, you're,you're going to interview Mark
Foran.
I said yeah.
He says please ask him this,you tell him this.
I saw him at the OaklandColiseum BB King opened up for
you, apparently, if you recall.
(50:19):
And Tony says Pat and Tony andI go to a lot of concerts and
Tony was a longtime radio DJ.
He knows his stuff.
That was the loudest concert byfar that I have ever been to
thoughts.
Speaker 2 (50:32):
Yeah, yeah, that and and that kind of became a
trademark for us that it wasgoing to be loud and and so
actually front of house isresponsible as, as you know, for
the overall decibel level.
The sound pressure level is notadjustable by the band outside
(50:56):
of our own amplifiers and Iwould have to.
Sometimes, going over in frontof Melbourne's stack of bass
amps, I would have to like, ohmy God, I got to get out of here
because it was like knocking meoff my equilibrium, you know,
and but that was all that.
Front of house, you know,pushing it, pushing it, pushing
it.
And I think you know, becausewe were three piece, that they
(51:19):
were overcompensating for usjust being three guys up there
and there was some noises thatwere not even they weren't being
created by any band member butthe collision of sound waves and
and the harmonics and thereverberation coming off.
You know it got.
(51:40):
It got to a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (51:43):
Do you remember playing with BB King and at the
Coliseum?
That had to be tough.
I mean mean, it's great to be arock star, but, as we see,
brian johnson from acdc and someother people who are, uh, huey
lewis and some others who aredealing with some kind of
hearing issue, how was yourhearing?
You're hearing okay these days.
All right, here we go.
(52:04):
We'll continue with thelightning.
By the way, mark foreignercom,ladies and gentlemen, mark
foreignercom, check, ladies andgentlemen, markfarnercom, check
that out.
Please check out his new musicthat you're going to hear,
because it's so good.
I'm with you on one thing, andI looked this up.
I don't know how I found thisout about you, but you and I
agree on this too.
I never liked music videos.
(52:25):
Come on with the music videovideo thing.
I don't want to see your takeon a song.
I don't want to see your take I.
I want my.
I want the song to be in mymind.
I want, I'm your captain, Iwant you know, I want any more.
I want these songs to be in mymind.
I don't want them to be yourversion that you're presenting
to me right on.
Speaker 2 (52:44):
Yeah, a 150% dude.
I am there Because ourimaginations have been underused
.
They have been put on the lowshelf since all this BS music
videos come out and I have hatedthem from the first one I
(53:05):
looked at.
I mean, they depict onedefinition of that song and they
restrict your imagination tothat definition.
What you're viewing in thevideo where you know, without a
video, I'm your captain can beto a million different people.
(53:27):
It could be a million differentthings, brother yeah, I, yeah,
I've that's.
Speaker 1 (53:32):
I was never a big mtv fan, vh1 for those reasons.
Uh, talking with mark farner,grand funk railroad.
Rick derringer just passed,brian wilson just passed.
What a couple of talents rightthere oh my god.
Speaker 2 (53:46):
And and rick was my buddy, oh my god sorry for your
loss we were, yeah, man, uh, he,he was really instrumental in
my guitar playing early on.
You know, uh, rock and roll,hoochie coo and uh, you know the
stuff that him and edgar winterdid, uh, just mind-blowing
(54:06):
stuff.
And you know, with Brian Wilson, the harmonies, all that Beach
Boys stuff.
Back in the day, man, it waslike in my room.
You know it was great memoriesfor me and sorry to see them go,
but you know we all go.
Speaker 1 (54:23):
Yes, sir.
Speaker 2 (54:25):
So get your ass ready .
Speaker 1 (54:27):
Well, what I love about it when you watch them
work, you know you cared aboutthe music, you cared about what
you were doing, you cared abouthow it was produced and
certainly you know, if you lookat Brian Wilson, either one of
those two guys but you knowBrian, you watch him work, he
really, really cared about hiswork.
Rick Derringer geez, you knowgrowing up sitting by the pool.
(54:49):
You know Frankenstein, whichwas a huge hit, working with
Edgar and Johnny Winter.
Both the Derringer Live stuff.
I mean Teenage Love Affair.
I mean just an incredibleartist and an incredible guy as
(55:09):
well.
I'm in the gosh, I don't know.
This is kind of a controversial.
The Rock and Roll Hall of FameI'm not with it, man.
They put some people in therewho belong, obviously, but I
think they're going a differentdirection.
It's bogus if you aren't inthere, if Bad Company isn't in
there, certain other bands Doyou have a thought on that?
Speaker 2 (55:28):
Yeah, the whole thing is bad as far as some people.
They say Rock and Roll, hall ofFame, but then it's restricted
to those who own or are on theboard and the people are locked
out of that decision.
Brother, if it was for thepeople, if the Rock Hall was the
(55:53):
will of the people being playedout, we would see the acts you
just mentioned in the Rock Hall.
But that's not what it's about,man, it's about just a select
few characters who are pickingit.
And you know people say well,why ain't you in the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame?
I say it's because we don'thave that brown ring around our
(56:13):
lips.
Speaker 1 (56:13):
Oh, yeah, I'm sure you've been asked that many
times.
Oh, I'm sure you've been aroundthat and asked that many times.
You're talking about a band notin the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame.
By the way, that their firstseven albums went gold or
platinum probably platinum bynow You're talking about a band
people would regard the Beatlesas one of the you know, the top
(56:33):
echelon, the Stones, the Beatles, the who, whoever you would
throw up in there.
By the way, just to let youknow, grand Funk and you could
correct me if I'm wrong Marksold out Shea Stadium in 72
hours, which took the Beatlesseven weeks.
And you're not in the Rock andRoll.
Speaker 2 (56:48):
Hall of Fame.
That's right.
Right on, right on, brother,that's exactly right.
And you know, janice and I usedto talk about this all the time
.
God rest her soul.
But she says you know, wherethe hell are they getting this
British invasion thing?
You know, british invasion.
She says, mark, do you sing inthe King's English when you go
(57:12):
to play in London?
You play Hyde Park.
I go no, no, no.
And do all of the English bandssing in the American English?
Yes, in the dialect ofAmericans, yes.
So where is the invasion?
Well, the invasion happened in1913.
It's called the Federal ReserveAct and that's when income
taxes started.
(57:33):
So there's your Britishinvasion.
It's those who control theInfernal Revenue Service, the
European Central Bank and theBank of England.
There's the culprits rightthere.
Speaker 1 (57:45):
Talk about opening for Led Zeppelin in 1969.
Your first album?
I don't know, I guess it hadjust come out, maybe right about
that time.
What a perfect pairing forZeppelin.
Speaker 2 (57:55):
Oh yeah, we played in Cleveland at the Cleveland
Auditorium first.
The night before we played ourstomping ground in Detroit,
Olympia and when we played.
Olympia.
They didn't like I say they.
Zeppelin's manager did not likewhat was going on because the
(58:18):
people were out of their seats.
They were at the stage.
They came to the calling, theband was calling and the fans
were answering.
Man, we wanted to rock togetherand that's the way we rocked
every audience.
They came out of their seats,they came to the front and Peter
(58:39):
Grant, zeppelin's manager, toldTerry Knight he was going to
pull the plug on the show if theband didn't quit.
So what happened?
He pulled the plug on the showif the band didn't quit.
So so what happened?
He pulled the plug on the show.
Terry knight walks out, grabsmy microphone it's the only
microphone working in the househe says I'm sorry, but due to
contractual agreement, grandfunk has to leave the stage and
(59:04):
everybody went boom, boom boom.
And they started throwing winebottles and whiskey bottles.
All these bottles startedhitting the stage.
They wanted us to.
We were fixing to go intoinside, looking out, and they
would have brought the housedown.
Oh my God.
Speaker 1 (59:22):
Oh, wow, wow, that is incredible.
What a story.
Wow, mark Farner man, I know wecould sit and talk for hours
and hours, so I want to get toyour new record Closer to my
Home, which is obviously anexcellent choice.
There's a song on there.
(59:43):
We're going to talk about yoursong anymore, but you know what?
Listen to the song Real, real,which I love as well patriotic.
You discuss new world order, Ibelieve the common man, it's all
about that, you know, which Ifind to be really, really good
stuff.
Um, I highly recommend it.
Thank you, um, tell us aboutyour new single, uh, from your
(01:00:03):
new album.
Uh, this one is called anymore,tell, tell us about it.
Speaker 2 (01:00:09):
The song.
You know, when I was young Ilistened to the words of men,
but that was then and I won'tlisten to them anymore.
They told me things I shouldbelieve, but all it did was make
me grieve, so I won't listen tothem anymore.
That's kind of you know how itkicks off to set people up to
(01:00:29):
understand.
And who could not relate tothat right there?
What person couldn't relate tothat right there?
But then in the beginning itwas me and my band.
It's sad to say that we don'tplay together anymore.
It's not the quantity, it's thehonesty.
My friend, the story ends andI'm not angry with him anymore.
(01:00:52):
You know why, brother?
Because the Lord gave meforgiveness in my heart for them
guys misusing the trademark andmisusing this guy personally.
I give it up because we'resupposed to forgive with the
same measure that we expect tobe forgiven with.
And, dude, I have found thatdebt consciousness is the plague
(01:01:16):
of mankind and I will notaccept anybody's debt.
I will not get into anybody'sdebt and I encourage people to
set themselves free from anydebt that they have been
carelessly put into.
Speaker 1 (01:01:33):
Yep, this is the reason I respect you.
I this, none of this surprisesme.
I love your attitude.
I, um, I really do.
I love that you don't harborany ill feelings towards these
gentlemen, um, that you letbygones be bygones, that you,
you become a.
You even become a better man.
So, without further ado, withyour permission, Mark Farner,
(01:01:54):
can we play a new song anymorefrom your new album?
Speaker 2 (01:01:57):
Please, please, please, brother Patrick, do it
here we go.
Speaker 3 (01:02:00):
When I was young, I listened to the words of men,
but that was then, and I won'tlisten to them anymore.
They told me things I shouldbelieve, but all it did was make
me grieve.
So I won't listen to themanymore.
(01:02:22):
I won't listen anymore.
No, no, anymore.
Won't be sad Anymore.
Love, keep on shining, shiningon me, love, keep on looking,
(01:02:53):
far as you can see, keep onlooking, baby.
In the beginning it was me andmy band.
It's sad to say that we don'tplay together anymore.
It's not the quantity, it's thehonesty.
My friends, the story ends andI'm not angry with them anymore.
(01:03:17):
No, people, no, no.
Ain't it a shame, lord, love,keep on shining, shining on me.
Yeah, love, keep on looking,far as you can see, keep on
(01:03:49):
lookin', baby Eddie Vaughn,eddie Vaughn, eddie Vaughn, come
(01:04:25):
on and let the love, love, keepon shining.
Shine down, shine in on me.
Yeah, love, keep on looking,far as you can see.
(01:04:46):
Keep on looking, baby, eddieBoy.
Speaker 1 (01:05:07):
Mark, mark, mark, I love that.
I love it.
I love it.
The song is so well produced.
I love the clapping at the end.
I love your voice.
I'll let that break right abouttwo minutes into the song.
It sounds vintage grand funk.
(01:05:27):
It sounds vintage, mark Farner.
I think it's wonderful and,with your permission, thank you
for giving me permission to playit on my podcast.
I'd also like to be able toplay that on my show tonight
with your permission.
Yeah, man, please do Play thathit out of it.
That is so good.
(01:05:47):
I love the cover of the record.
You got a barn with theAmerican flag.
Jeez, check out this record.
Please.
Everyone.
Go to markfarnercom and seewhat he's got going on.
Check out his tour, the newrecord and all of this.
Mark man, I just can't thankyou enough for your time today.
It's been very nice talking toyou.
Speaker 2 (01:06:10):
It's been great talking with you, brother
Patrick.
I appreciate it.
And for all those vinyl fansout there, that thing comes in
red vinyl or a CD as well as thedownload.
So the CD has a bonus trackwritten by Jim Peterick from the
Ides of March and myself.
It's called Flins Forever.
Check it out.
(01:06:31):
God bless you, set yourselffree.
Speaker 1 (01:06:34):
Ides of March.
I'm your vehicle, baby RightVehicle.
Come on now, ides of MarchVehicle.
Now You're telling me.
You're telling me.
I'm so glad you said that I cancause I'm getting ready to hook
up my, my ProTech Ruby Redturntable.
I've got some.
(01:06:54):
I got a Zappa, I got some Floyd, I got some stuff that I just
bought.
I'm getting ready to hook it upso I can go and I can purchase
your new record on colored vinyl.
Oh hell yeah it's red vinylbrother absolutely awesome.
Speaker 2 (01:07:07):
I'm gonna buy it.
It's gonna be the first thingon my turntable.
Speaker 1 (01:07:09):
It's red vinyl brother.
Absolutely awesome.
I'm going to buy it.
Solid red I'm going to buy it.
It's going to be the firstthing on my turntable Mark.
Speaker 2 (01:07:14):
thank you and congratulations.
Speaker 1 (01:07:16):
God bless you, brother Mark markfarnercom.
Thanks for listening.
Pat's Peeps number 285.
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