Mr. Ray Andersen interview 7/7/25

An indepth conversation and exchange with Mr. Ray Andersen about his musical career and spiritual journey through life. From his rock & roll origins at "Stone Pony University" jamming with Bruce Springsteen as a member of the legendary Cats On A Smooth Surface to becoming a UN ambassador via his achievements as a beloved children's recording artist and performer, to all points in between touring internationally with Meatl Loaf, Blue Van Gogh, and myriad other colorful highlights and insights dervived from a courageous artisitc life well lived.  This episiode is essential listening for discerning music fans.  For more information please visit: http://mrray.com

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
All right, you're listening to Open Mic with Coley Bryce.
I am honored and delighted this day of July eighth,
twenty and twenty five. How the heck did we get
to twenty twenty five? I'm here here in the Underground
Layer on Washington Road with mister Ray Anderson. Ray Anderson
also known as mister Ray.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Welcome to the podcast, buddy, how are the Coley? Thank
you for having me.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
I am so honored and delighted to have you here.
If you don't mind, I'm just gonna try and stumble
through a cliff Notes version of a fraction of your
career highlights because they're inspiring and impressive.

Speaker 3 (00:40):
Thank you, and please.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
Chime in here at will, because we could probably talk
a now about any one of these things you've done.
So I guess which I find very interesting.

Speaker 3 (00:53):
Is that you were I didn't realize that you.

Speaker 1 (00:56):
Were in kats on a smooth surface. That was Bobby
Bandy was in that cake too.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Yeah, that was? That was really my college. I never
attended college. I went right from high school pretty much
just a few shortly years later into the University of
the Stone Pony. I mean it, man, I mean I
just like, uh, I auditioned for them, and Glenn Burtnick
was in the room, Bob Bandiera drummer, the late Peter

(01:25):
Gagan and the great Peter Sholey and John Miko and
that was it. Me and Glenn I think same day.
I think we showed up audition or whatever, and uh yeah,
that was it. And uh that opened up so many times.

Speaker 1 (01:41):
So what was your role in that band?

Speaker 2 (01:43):
I was utility guy. I was keyboards and rhythm guitar.
I bounced off keyboards with Peter Sholey. He's he was
the main keyboard player. But uh yeah, I I you know,
I did like synth parts and stuff like that, and
uh and rhythm guitar and singing too, lead singing because
we had so many lead singers in the band.

Speaker 3 (02:04):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
And Glenn was what was he doing in the band?

Speaker 3 (02:07):
He was Uh wait was he playing bass at the time?

Speaker 2 (02:12):
Oh no, no, no, no, he was playing Uh yeah,
he was playing guitar too, I believe.

Speaker 3 (02:17):
And then wait, this is fuzzy for me. Oh my gosh. Wait.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
Yeah no, Glenn joined the same time with me. Yeah,
so I think was he bass not? There was another
Bassis before him.

Speaker 1 (02:28):
And Bandiera was in all this too.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
Oh it was his band. Yeah, okay, oh yeah, this
was his baby. Oh my gosh, I can't believe. I'm
so fuzzy on what Glenn and John Miko did forgive
me fellas if you're listening to this, But yeah, they
were both amazing though, So that's what it comes down to.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
Some really iconic Yeah. I mean, Glenn has had an
amazing career truly and bandiera. I think he's probably perhaps
the most respected Jersey Shore musician of all time. He's
been there and then on so many levels.

Speaker 3 (03:01):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
No, he was truly a mentor for me to me,
you know. And then we just started jamming with Bruce
on Sunday nights because we were the house band, and uh,
oh my gosh.

Speaker 3 (03:14):
Yeah, it truly was.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
So you're a kid, you're playing a stone pony.

Speaker 3 (03:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (03:19):
And then Bruce, who was emerging as the pre eminent
pop star of the day, right, that had to be
a surreal experience for you.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
No, you don't get it, man, he was, Yeah, I
have like at this, this pantheon. This is it's the Beatles, Stones, Bowie,
the Who, and Bruce pretty much, and I love zillion
other people, but those are and you know, I was
a Bruce fanatic. He's a cornerstone of your Oh my gosh, yeah, man,
all through this, you know, the seventies when he came up,
and seventy four or five, and you know, and and

(03:52):
and you know what he used to say, can I
use your guitar?

Speaker 3 (03:55):
I'm like, let me think about it. I didn't say that.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
It's like, yeah, you know, and the other the other,
and the band eventually had one of those fancy guitars,
not a Fender or Gibson, I forget what the name was.
And he always opted for mine because you know, he
like just you know, the old older guard stuff, you
know what I mean.

Speaker 3 (04:12):
And yeah, that was an honor to have him playing
my guitars. Yeah, that's amazing.

Speaker 1 (04:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (04:18):
And then we did duets together, which was I still
have video of he and I doing well. It was
the glory days. We were just going back and forth
on the microphone. Oh my gosh, I mean it man,
you know, just you know, sometimes people say, don't meet
your idols, but no, this was the one where he
didn't disappoint. Oh my gosh. He just inspired me so much. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (04:42):
So what did that do as far as fueling your
future aspirations.

Speaker 2 (04:48):
Yeah, I mean I grew up writing songs. You know,
I'm a drummer. Firstly, I grew up playing the drums,
and then literally within the first in one month or two,
it was guitar and keyboards. I just I never had
a lesson. I'm just one of these people, just like
my idols, you know, just you're born with it, and
what do you do with it? You just plow ahead,
you know. I grew up in West Orange and all

(05:11):
my friends went to day camps and sleep away in summers.
I was all alone in my basement, just just play
my instruments and writing songs, putting in the yeah man,
all by myself.

Speaker 3 (05:22):
You know, it was just meant to be.

Speaker 1 (05:25):
What was your first guitar?

Speaker 3 (05:28):
A Yamaha acoustic f G one.

Speaker 1 (05:31):
That's not a bad start.

Speaker 3 (05:32):
Not a bad start, right, What are they? F she
wants seventy five's or something like that.

Speaker 1 (05:36):
I don't know, but I know the Yamahas are always
a great bang for the boss, and they sound good,
they feel decent.

Speaker 3 (05:42):
I mean it's especially seventies ones. Yeah, they were great.

Speaker 1 (05:45):
You know.

Speaker 2 (05:45):
Although my friend's dad had a Nylon A Gibson classical guitar.
I think that was the first one I ever attempted
to play nylon strung, And to this day, I still
don't own a nylon strong guitar.

Speaker 3 (05:57):
Why.

Speaker 1 (05:59):
I do a lot of cover gigs, and I just
I got a nylon yeah, across hybrid and cause you
know the three sets.

Speaker 3 (06:07):
Wait, what does that mean? Cross high? What do you mean?

Speaker 1 (06:09):
Well, they're making them now with a more narrow neck,
so it feels more like an electric guitar.

Speaker 3 (06:15):
I did not know.

Speaker 1 (06:15):
So you can fucking wail on it and you're not
killing yourself. It's worth looking into you.

Speaker 3 (06:22):
Yeah, that's interesting.

Speaker 1 (06:23):
I got one for like five hundred bucks, and you know, yeah,
how it is. You're doing like a three set gig
with steel strengths, and by that third set it's like
I cause I when I first started doing this, I
was like, no, I'm gonna play you know, high quality
gage strings so I get the full sound out of
my tailor. And then like six years later, I'm like, yeah,
maybe I will use lighter strings. Maybe no one's noticing

(06:45):
between their bud lights, right, and maybe I'm And then
I was like all right, and then I guess there's
you know, sometimes in summer. You don't like do two
gigs in a day and you're like six hours to
steal strings. You're like, all right, And I was like,
why don't I try nylon? So I put folk nylons
on my old Martin because it needed work. And I
love the guitar, but I didn't want the tension and

(07:06):
the steel strings on it. So I'm like, let's let
this baby retire and it'll just be like a writing
coffee hour guitar kind of thing. Yeah, And then I
got on the nylon. I'm like, man, and you know,
there's just a nuance and texture to the nylon. It
kind of classes things up a little bit and you
can kind of get a.

Speaker 2 (07:22):
Little text MEXI in it and make pickued my interest.

Speaker 3 (07:26):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (07:27):
It's nice because then with the Looper, I can play
extended souls and just it's just creates a nice ambilos,
you know. So I don't know, yeah, man, old dogs,
New tricks, right.

Speaker 3 (07:38):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (07:39):
So all right, So I'm flabbergases with the Springsteen stories,
and I don't it's hard for me to my joy
if people could see right now.

Speaker 2 (07:47):
Dude, it's like me, it's even myself. I mean, it's like,
you know, I'm just did that really happen?

Speaker 1 (07:52):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (07:53):
I know.

Speaker 2 (07:53):
And look he played with a lot of folks down
in the Shore area, but I was in that house
band and that was just everything.

Speaker 1 (08:00):
Those shows with Cats are are part of the lexicon
of Jersey Shore mythology, and you're part of that history.

Speaker 3 (08:07):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (08:07):
And there was an amazing lineup before I got in,
Me and Glenn and you know, with Joel Krause. I
don't know if you know these cats, no pun intent
these you know, and Harry Filkin. Yeah, another great set
of musicians working together.

Speaker 1 (08:21):
And well it must have been cool Glenn, Like, hadn't Glenn
just gotten out of like Beatlemania?

Speaker 3 (08:26):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (08:27):
And I told him later I think I saw it,
and he said, yeah, it was probably me on it
on Broadway.

Speaker 3 (08:32):
I was like, wow, it's amazing, what a what a
cool gig. Yeah, you think that.

Speaker 1 (08:37):
Had to mess up? Has had a little bit. Yeah,
you're you're playing Paul McCartney and now this is back
in the late.

Speaker 2 (08:46):
Sell it could have been Mitch Weissman, you know him. No, Yeah,
another great you know, guitarist and singer who played McCartney
for a while.

Speaker 1 (08:54):
But think about that gig. It's nineteen seventy. Yeah, you're
less than ten years since the Beatle or about ten
years since the Beatles broke up. Oh yeah, those teenage
girls are now in their twenties and they're coming in
Broadway and you're the surrogate experience for Paul McCarty.

Speaker 3 (09:07):
Exactly.

Speaker 1 (09:08):
That's gonna mess Yut's five ye, I mean, it's gotta
be fun. But what a high that must be to
be on Broadway? You know. So after Cats on a
Smooth Surface, you went after pursuing your own solo and
group work as an original songwriter. That was with Blue

(09:30):
Van Goo.

Speaker 2 (09:31):
Well before that, I had a band called Ray Anderson
in the Fire, you know, and it was pretty much
all original.

Speaker 3 (09:36):
You know.

Speaker 2 (09:36):
We would play the same place as you know, what
a time. I tell me young musicians. Now, I'm not
trying to make them feel bad, but oh my god, dude.
You remember Monday through every day of the week there
were clubs to play, you know, and you could you know,
of course, mainly covers, you know, but you could still
make somewhat of a living man. And we were in

(09:57):
our twenties and every night I did the week there
was a rock club to play right in Jersey.

Speaker 1 (10:03):
Apartments were cheap in the shore.

Speaker 2 (10:04):
Oh yeah, man, it was just wild. I moved down
there when I was in cats.

Speaker 3 (10:08):
You know, I was in.

Speaker 2 (10:09):
Long Branch for maybe three or four years like that.
And you know, because at that time I was where
was I living. I can't remember.

Speaker 3 (10:20):
It's so long ago and so many experiences ago. But
uh yeah, So.

Speaker 1 (10:26):
That first original project, yeah, Ray Anderson in the fire Right.

Speaker 2 (10:30):
I had some great friends in that, like Lee Li
Scott Howard was in that with me, and man, it
was just so much fun and uh yeah, and then
right and then that dispended, and then I got married
and me and my ex wife we formed Blue Van Goo.

Speaker 3 (10:48):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (10:49):
That was a tremendous experience, both of us writing and singing.

Speaker 3 (10:53):
You know.

Speaker 2 (10:54):
We toured Germany with Matchbox twenty as their opener for
like a month. That was amazing and just oh my gosh,
you know, we.

Speaker 3 (11:02):
Did this one gig.

Speaker 2 (11:03):
I don't think maybe yeah, we were It's uh wounded me.
You know, that disgusting massacre happened with the Indians and
uh in South Dakota and we were playing it on
the bill. Was Chuck freaking Berry, you know, and uh,
there I am on stage in between sets and they
somehow the keyboard player didn't show up or whatever, and

(11:25):
he goes, does anybody play keyboards? And I literally thought
for a nanosecond should I raise my hand? I'm like,
what am I crazy?

Speaker 1 (11:31):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (11:31):
I play keyboards. And there I was backstage with Chuck Berry.
He's like, could you tune my guitar for me?

Speaker 1 (11:38):
Bro?

Speaker 2 (11:38):
You know, I'm like, I got goosebumps just talking about
it now, because there'd be no none of the people
that we love and worship, no beetles, no stones without
this this gentleman.

Speaker 1 (11:47):
We all stole from him. Oh my god, it's there's
no one who did not learn that.

Speaker 2 (11:50):
So so I'm tuning his big red gibson, you know.

Speaker 3 (11:54):
And then it was all in tune. And then he played,
and he's got these beautiful, big, long, bony fingers, and
as soon as he played it sounded attitude. He goes,
he tried again, man, tune it better. And then and
I go, I go, hey, bro, what are the keys
of some of these songs I'm gonna be playing? He goes,
no idea, you know what he said to me?

Speaker 2 (12:12):
And I'll never go key me he goes, oh, man,
you sound like my bitch Keith, you know, because you know,
they were like, did you ever see the movie?

Speaker 3 (12:20):
It was he hell rock and roll? Oh yeah, yeah,
you sound like my bitch Keith.

Speaker 2 (12:23):
And I could have died right there that he just
made that remark to me, like, oh my God, just
take me down.

Speaker 1 (12:29):
Lord.

Speaker 3 (12:30):
He was just so rock and roll and so freaking cool.
I got goosebumps the top of goosebumps just thinking about it.

Speaker 1 (12:35):
Man. Yeah. So and then they were, well, you want
to know, am I playing like yeah a? Or am
I playing in b fla?

Speaker 3 (12:41):
Yeah? Man?

Speaker 2 (12:42):
And there was a Casio keyboard that was not mine,
And there I am on stage, We're jamming away.

Speaker 3 (12:46):
Did Johnny be good? Dude?

Speaker 2 (12:48):
These are some of the first songs I ever attempted
to play on drums, keys and guitar, And here I
am doing it with the guy who wrote him the
Master and just you know, and had a manual key change,
you know, pitch thing on it, and I would just
immediately listen to the key he was doing it because
I had no indication when you and like some keys

(13:09):
were in E flat. So I made it and see
so I could solo because I can't solo any flat
right right.

Speaker 1 (13:16):
Sorry, now, most most of those guitar players who quote
unquote double on piano, I'll try to stay away from uh. Although,
although I got it, I gotta tell you a Black
Keys story on the side, because you had expressed an
interest in that interview I day with Graham Nash.

Speaker 3 (13:32):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (13:33):
Man, well, he told me one time he was performing
a concert with David Crosby and in the middle of
the concert, Crosby decided he needed to go smoke a
joint or maybe something even more exploratory.

Speaker 3 (13:47):
I'm sure it was more exploratory, and he's.

Speaker 1 (13:49):
Like, where are you going, David? What am I gonna do?
He's like, just play nothing but black Keys. Did you
ever notice that? Like you can just stay in the
Black Keys and you can do it kind of like
he said, he drived on that for like fifteen minutes
while I had his smoke break.

Speaker 3 (14:04):
So that's beautiful.

Speaker 1 (14:07):
That's about all I know about the black I love it.

Speaker 3 (14:08):
I love it. So So there I'm on stage with
Chuck right and like I'm soloing and he comes during
my solo, he just comes and he hovers over my keys,
and this classic, this classic sweat is dripping on my
fingers from him, from the master, and I'm like, just
take me now or and then he goes back to
the middle mic and goes to the crowd. He goes,

(14:30):
is he all right? Is he all right?

Speaker 2 (14:32):
And I was just and I'm not saying that any ego.
I'm just it's one of those pinch me moments of
my musical life that I will never ever forget.

Speaker 1 (14:40):
I'm like, no, that's the stuff that keeps you going.

Speaker 3 (14:43):
Yeah anyway, man, Wow, so cool.

Speaker 1 (14:47):
So it was so what key was it actually in?

Speaker 3 (14:51):
Yeah, No, it was E flat one because.

Speaker 1 (14:53):
I've known other people that have played with him, yep.
Because he tends to do that. Oh yeah, tends to
just like he goes to a market with his guitar
and then and then he's like.

Speaker 3 (15:03):
He has to get paid in cash upfront. Did you
know that? Yep? One hundred percent upfront cash.

Speaker 1 (15:09):
I did a show with Dick Dale one time, and
he was the same way.

Speaker 2 (15:12):
Really, I saw that at this old school when you're
just old school this guy.

Speaker 3 (15:17):
Hey, wow, if I.

Speaker 1 (15:19):
Was Chuck Berry, I want to be paid and cashed
and plenty of.

Speaker 3 (15:22):
It opened up a lot of nice doors and stuff.

Speaker 1 (15:24):
It was cool and one of those doors was the
evolution of mister rat.

Speaker 3 (15:29):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (15:30):
One day my ex was temping at a daycare North
Bruns Wild. Invite me in, she said, temping as a teacher.
She said, once you bring your guitar and the kids
are just jumping.

Speaker 3 (15:39):
Off the wall. So I did you know.

Speaker 2 (15:40):
I went in and I started singing my beloved Beatles.
I did Yellow Submarine, and then I went to Twinkle
Twinkle a Little Star, and the director said, I will
pay you to start coming. She peered her head and
she goes, I'll start paying you if you want to
come in a part time basis. And I didn't even
think twice about it. I just looked at these little
human beings listening and looking at me, and I never
experienced that it was just different. It was just so

(16:04):
different and beautiful. And I just started writing songs like
A right off the bat ROUGIEBIV, The Close of the Rainbow,
Kallie and the Alien. Blue skinned alien comes to Earth.
Kids make fun of his skin color. He teaches them
to be kind to each other. They just poured right
out of me. And cassettes were big then, and I
just I sold so many cassettes. You know, I lined

(16:27):
up after my shows. You know, it was just and
something happened.

Speaker 3 (16:31):
You know.

Speaker 2 (16:31):
It's just like any age, whatever you are, however your audience.
There was my audience. But I never thought they would
be three, four.

Speaker 3 (16:39):
And five years old.

Speaker 2 (16:40):
And I don't care if they're three or eighty three.
If somebody is listening to you and they're getting something
from it, that's all that matters, man, That's all that matters.
And yes, my whole thing with kids is I try
to instill into these young beautiful hearts kindness, staying healthy
and active, be creative, starting creative. Those are my that's

(17:04):
my creative. Those things right there, you know, and have
good manners.

Speaker 1 (17:07):
So you just trying to put a little pixie dust
on them to keep them safe and whole.

Speaker 3 (17:11):
Exactly, man, I really am, you know, and I know
they grow up.

Speaker 1 (17:14):
When it's almost like a spiritual ministry too.

Speaker 3 (17:17):
It's so spiritual.

Speaker 1 (17:17):
Man.

Speaker 2 (17:18):
I hate to sound so I can't help it. It's
so spiritual, bro, you know. And before they pick up screens,
you should see how these kids listen to my words.
And I don't mean the great me. I don't I
don't know anyone other, you know, anyone else I could
speak for, but they're really listening to my words. And
my words are not like everybody get up, put your
hands on your heads. It's not just I write about

(17:38):
you know. It's and I write minor keys too, man.
You know, I don't write just all these sunshine stuff.
These are minor keys a lot of my songs. And
you know, because my kids get the blues too.

Speaker 3 (17:49):
Yeah, my favorite song of all time is Strawberry Fields
Forever of all Time. And think about that.

Speaker 2 (17:54):
That song is very blue, very you know, it's not sunshine,
and you.

Speaker 3 (17:59):
Know there's there's.

Speaker 2 (18:01):
There's just a mystery to it. You know, it's a
long there's a longing in that song, you know. And
I was just listening on the way. I was watching
the video of the Oasis shows that are happening in Cardiff,
and you know, Richard Ashcroft is doing Bittersweet Symphony with
another one of my favorite songs. Why another minor key song.
It's just, you know, it's just I don't know, man,

(18:23):
I'm always drawn to that.

Speaker 1 (18:26):
Speaking of the Beatles, yeah, I get the impression that
John Lennon had an indelible influence on.

Speaker 3 (18:31):
You he truly did, you know? But it really is
a duality though.

Speaker 2 (18:34):
I mean, you know, I never heard a voice like Paul,
you know, even though my voice is closer to Lenin's.
Of course it's lower and stuff. But I'm probably revealing
some of my age now, but I really don't care.
But I did watch Ed Sullivan when age is.

Speaker 1 (18:52):
A matter of mind. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

Speaker 2 (18:54):
I watched the Beatles in Ed Sullivan. I saw them
at my cousin's house and me and millions of other
young people. That was a portal to what I do now.
That was literally my first inspiration. And I tell kids
that now. I said, somebody's gonna inspire you. I said,
look around, you see these amazing teachers.

Speaker 1 (19:14):
Kids.

Speaker 2 (19:14):
Someone like a teacher is going to inspire you. Someone
in sports, somebody who does ballet or music, you know.
And that was it for me, man, that was that's.

Speaker 1 (19:25):
You seem to be very modest and humble about the
success of mister Ray, But I don't think a lot
of people realize how freaking big you are.

Speaker 3 (19:35):
Things.

Speaker 1 (19:35):
You've had literally millions of plays on Spotify, yeah, right,
like millions.

Speaker 2 (19:41):
Yeah, it's true, and a lot of those are not
all originals. I will, and I tell young musicians that
do some covers. First, let people know you, like that
girl who did wise, Men say that the female artist,
she brilliantly did that, and then people are like, wow,
she's got a great style, and then they sought out
her original stuff. And I tell young artists that you

(20:02):
maybe come out with a cover or two some of
your favorite songs in your style, you know, kind of
re imagine them a little bit and.

Speaker 1 (20:09):
Right, and don't necessarily cover them, interpret them exactly, find
find your place in that repertoire.

Speaker 2 (20:14):
And that's what I did with like all the wheels
on the Bus songs and all them, I reimagine them.
I have like two hundred of those public domain classic
children's songs out there, family classics, as well as my
eighty five or ninety or so originals out there. Yeah,
so yeah, it's I'm so grateful.

Speaker 1 (20:32):
It's interesting how we may start off a pursuit with
one particular ambition, but if we leave ourselves open to
God and the universe, sometimes the manifestation of that comes
out different than what we may have initially pursued. But
sometimes we don't get what we want, but we get
what's even better. So true, man, it seems like you

(20:53):
really were blessed with this, yeah, finding this niche.

Speaker 2 (20:57):
Right and you that I totally I'm aligned with that.
You know, sometimes you have to open up your senses,
your heart to a new situation, you know, and just
get give something a try, you know, whether it be
a gig, you know, just a style of music whatever,
just see what fits, you know. And and I don't

(21:20):
have to do that anymore, you know, because my mister
Ray thing is really it's really the central part of
my musical life. And beyond music, you know, yes, I
still do.

Speaker 3 (21:30):
Grown up gigs. It's growing up gigs. I have to differentiate,
you know.

Speaker 2 (21:33):
But we're all still kids, yeah, exactly.

Speaker 1 (21:37):
We're all still figuring out what we're gonna do when
we grow up.

Speaker 3 (21:39):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (21:40):
So that seems amazing to me though, because so you know,
you're in the Jersey Shore music scene. It's it's wonderful
and it's incredible, but it's also ferocious and competitive. How
did you keep that tender, soft, open hearted vibe as
time went on in your career? And because you know,

(22:02):
we live, we live through things, we endure trauma, we
endure setbacks, and you know, we're both old enough to
have friends who kind of have chips on their should Like,
how do you kind of maintain that cultivation of humility
and gratitude that keeps things lubricated so those new opportunities

(22:22):
do have an opportunity to manifest.

Speaker 2 (22:25):
Right, Well, that's easier to answer, you know, ever since
I started making music for children, you know, because it's
just it's just hand in glove.

Speaker 3 (22:34):
It was just sometimes we're.

Speaker 2 (22:37):
Sometimes we're just put in situations that just feel this
is where I should be, just like with relationships and stuff,
you know. But to answer your question before that, you know, listen,
we all kind of in the eighties and stuff. There
were so many temptations to do, and you know I
felt prey to some things too, you know, but my

(23:00):
music was really my god, you know, and it wasn't
it wasn't a relationship or anything like that. My music
was the purity in my life. And I just always
had an undeniable sense that not that I would be famous,
rich or anything like that, but that this was my
path and nothing was going to get in my way,

(23:22):
you know. And when other temptations started feeling like they
were knocking at my door too loudly. I just I
just kind of took note of it. And you know,
I either wrote more or I just I just dedicated
myself more to my music.

Speaker 1 (23:40):
You know, So you were able to metabolize some of
those temptations and challenges through your devotion to the muse.

Speaker 3 (23:50):
Yeah, I think so.

Speaker 1 (23:52):
You know, I got a brag here on your behalf
a little because I'm reading here on your bio and
we're not with this mystery, I don't. I mean, this
is a start. You were in the Wall Street Journal,
parenting magazine, the New York Times. You're invited to the
United Nations to sing, imagine and give piece a chance

(24:14):
as well as your original music.

Speaker 3 (24:19):
Can I say something about that?

Speaker 1 (24:20):
Yeah? No, no, I just found out.

Speaker 2 (24:23):
I just found out that when I did that's amazing,
thank you. I just found out that performance. A friend
of mine named George Anthony invited me to be a
part of that. I mean sorry, he's later in the story,
but Lee Morowiki oh yeah by DJ. Yeah, great guy,
friend of my book just coming out. I know, I know,
I gotta get that.

Speaker 1 (24:43):
He makes sure Sopey said nice things.

Speaker 2 (24:45):
About you know, he invited me to sing at this
and uh, I think his daughter was in my chorus
for that as well. This guy named George Anthony who
invited me to be a part of to be a
delegate of the United Nations through a non political organization
called Pathways to Peace. He told me that one of

(25:07):
the bee Gees was sitting in the audience. Oh my god, wait,
not not Barry, not Maurice.

Speaker 3 (25:13):
Who's the other one? Barry Maurice?

Speaker 1 (25:16):
Oh no, I feel bad. I know, I feel horrible.
We're gonna have to edit this out.

Speaker 3 (25:23):
The other brother, Barry Maurice Gibb.

Speaker 1 (25:26):
Why is it not. I just saw his documentary on
them not to It'll come to me.

Speaker 3 (25:31):
He's the one who thinks, oh this, Oh he's one
of the higher voice.

Speaker 1 (25:36):
He was amazing anyway, here's all amazing.

Speaker 2 (25:38):
He was like in the audience with his eyes closed,
listening to me, and I was like, are you kidding me?

Speaker 3 (25:44):
Man?

Speaker 2 (25:44):
I'm like it was probably someone anyway. When he told
me that, I recently just found that out and that's
that that gig happened like twenty twelve, twenty ten or
something like that.

Speaker 3 (25:53):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (25:55):
But the guy I'm telling you about George Anthony. He
invited me to be a delegate to So I'm an
official delegate of this organization and i have a pass
to go in any time I want, and I'm going
to do some things on behalf of Children, you know,
around the world, some workshops about amazing. Thank you man.

(26:15):
I have to get out. I have to think of something. Yeah,
it's been a while.

Speaker 1 (26:19):
And Billboard magazine you're top ten best selling kids artists.
That's amazing.

Speaker 3 (26:24):
Yeah, thanks man, thank you.

Speaker 1 (26:26):
So how do you go from that? Yeah, next stop
on the on the Ray train. You're touring with Meatloaf.

Speaker 2 (26:34):
Well, no, Meatloaf happened in nineteen ninety eight. That's okay,
it's okay. Not I don't expect, you know, And mister
Ray started doing in ninety four. So I got a
call to join meat Loaf.

Speaker 1 (26:42):
Okay. So so for a while you're on tour and
touring musician with this rock icon. Yeah, while cultivating.

Speaker 2 (26:52):
Yeah, he was calling me mister Ray in the end,
he was calling me mister Ray. Meatloaf was he goes,
you know, And yes, Chasm Sultan, that phenomenal legendary bass
player you know, who was always with Todd Runggren playing bass,
you know, and he's he's he's on Bad Out of
Hell the age twenty one or two playing bass.

Speaker 3 (27:11):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (27:12):
I mean, so I took his place being utility guy
in meat Loaf keyboards, guitar, backing vocals, and he went
to MD musical director and back to bass.

Speaker 1 (27:21):
Right, So the guy that you know, this that had
to be somewhat intimidating. So this epic Yeah, this epic
guy who you're replacing is still in the band. I know,
he's just chilling on bass while he's scrutinizing over here.

Speaker 3 (27:37):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (27:38):
Man, it was, you know, and listen, it was just
like boot camp. It was just amazing. I mean I
felt I was the least equipped musician in that band.
Oh my gosh, are these with these cats amazing?

Speaker 3 (27:50):
You know? And Meatloaf's daughter was in it.

Speaker 1 (27:52):
And their repertoire jim stunning, and I mean.

Speaker 3 (27:54):
Forget about it. Yeah, it was like it was really uh, it's.

Speaker 1 (27:59):
Like taking a master class.

Speaker 2 (28:00):
Yeah, I had a woodshed the big time, man. You know,
it was tremendous. I learned so much. I got to
see so much, you know, mainly Europe, a lot of America.
But shows like David Letterman, I mean, dude, I'm the
biggest Beatles fanatic. And there we were on the Ed
Sullivan Theater.

Speaker 3 (28:16):
Wow, oh my gosh.

Speaker 1 (28:18):
And you're not just there, you're playing a freaking guitar
in your hands.

Speaker 2 (28:22):
Right, And then we went in the dressing room and
then all the staff is like everything you see all
these pictures, the walls are untouched since the Beatles days.

Speaker 3 (28:29):
And I was just like, oh my gosh, I was
like going to Mecca. It was just like sh just uh.

Speaker 2 (28:35):
Yeah, that was tremendous, Jay Leno, It was an amazing experience.

Speaker 3 (28:40):
Yeah, truly.

Speaker 1 (28:42):
What do you recall about meat loaf? Yeah, that you
could share with people.

Speaker 3 (28:47):
He was such a selfless person.

Speaker 2 (28:50):
Usually people like that megastars take a separate tour bus
than the band, but the backing band not him. Man,
his bunk was right across from mine. All all across Europe,
in America, you know, he was on the same bus
and he would not leave. People were lined up at
the bus for autographs. He would not leave until every

(29:11):
autograph was signed, you know. And one day he saw
me really nervous and he goes, he goes.

Speaker 3 (29:18):
Right, it's okay to be nervous, bros. He told me.

Speaker 2 (29:21):
He goes, right, it's okay, he goes. Once you stop
being nervous, you start mailing in your performance, you stop caring.
And I was like, wow, thank you for saying that.
You know what I mean, It's like, you know you
could be nervous. I don't scruw up, but you know
it's okay to be nervous before you go on, because
you know, I wasn't used to these huge I'm talking
Wembley Arena, all these big places.

Speaker 1 (29:44):
Right, and you're the utility guys. So when you have
to play something in particular, you have to play something
in particular.

Speaker 3 (29:53):
Yeah, there's no like embellishing the part.

Speaker 1 (29:56):
And when you're going back and forth between keys and guitar,
it's not like you're sitting there for the set and
the guitar warms up and you're just you gotta be
like all right, I gotta beyond this, gotta be on
the I mean, they're totally different experience interface, dude.

Speaker 2 (30:07):
There were songs where like there was a tech handing
me acoustic and electric within the same song, and and
playing keyboards too.

Speaker 3 (30:13):
You know, just it was like.

Speaker 2 (30:15):
Whoo I think back, how did I do that? But
you know, you just rise the occasion. You just have to,
you know, you got to hit it out of the
park or at least get a single, and you know
you're Yeah.

Speaker 1 (30:26):
Here's another question for you. So you say you started
off on drums. Yeah, you've been the Swiss army knife
for a major rock icon. But you're also a poignant
singer songwriter that's done the you know, singing solo with
an acoustic piano or a guitar. So you've you've done

(30:48):
every job in rock and roll? Which which one do you?
What's your sweet spot? What's what's pure fun?

Speaker 2 (30:57):
I mean just I just love writing, you know. I
don't care if it's for children or people our age,
you know, I mean just writing, creating. There's nothing like it.
Driving home late, coming home somewhere and I'm just blurting
out melodies and hooks and there's something sacred about that.

(31:20):
It's very spiritual, you know. And of course singing too,
when you're in front of an audience and something just clicks.
But just for me writing again, I don't care if
it's for a three year old, because I put that
much effort into I don't care how old the human is.

Speaker 1 (31:38):
Actually, I would argue that writing for children is more important. Yeah,
because you're going to be a primary influence on I mean,
I remember reading Hort and the Elephant as a kid.
I could quote it. You know, like, if you're the
first influence on a sentient being, that's a big important impact.

Speaker 3 (32:03):
Dude.

Speaker 2 (32:03):
Last week I played a Milltown am I l Milltown
or fourth of July, and this woman came up to me.
She goes, I was in the first group of kids
at this daycare, the first daycare I told you I
performed at. I was in that audience and here here
are my two kids now, and I just wanted to
say thank you. And it was just like, oh my gosh.
And I posted that on my Mister Ray music presence

(32:27):
on Facebook, and I cannot tell you the kids and
the outpouring that we're in that group and you know
that listened to me just what you're saying and parents
just reflecting on those times and yeah, for all intense purposes,
Like I don't even remember who my first musician was
that I listened to.

Speaker 3 (32:45):
Do you I can't even remember.

Speaker 1 (32:48):
Yeah, I remember the first thing. First thing, well, I
don't know. I can only remember one my earliest memory,
one of my earliest memories of like taking note of
music was at the ACME in Point Pleasant Beach as
a little kid. And you know, they had this old
school supermarket ceiling speakers. They they were mono, but they
had they had big magnets. They had like a really

(33:10):
good sound, like mono but thick. And it was the
first time I heard I Want to Hold your Hand
and the opening rift. There's something about the grit and
that opening rift that just a little bit of overamped
preamp compressed what. I don't know. I didn't know what
it was obviously as a child, but I was just like,

(33:31):
what is that like? And I mean, I can remember
when I was living in Point Pleasant Beaches cause I remember, uh,
I remember a guy coming up in like an old
El Camino and he had an eight track playing, uh,
some of the early Springsteen stuff. I remember that. I
remember riding my huffey up to the boardwalk and the

(33:53):
frosted door would open and the air conditioned smoke and
stale beer aroma would spill out onto the board walk
and you could hear that chiny fender twang and I
just was like, how do.

Speaker 3 (34:05):
I get Wow, dude, You've got a lot of cool memory's.

Speaker 1 (34:07):
Like, how do I get in there?

Speaker 3 (34:07):
How do I get in? How do I get in there?

Speaker 1 (34:10):
Like you think as a child, I'd be repulsed by
the smell of nicotine and beer and sweat and suntan oil.
I was like, no, how do I get it on that?
Like what's going on?

Speaker 3 (34:22):
You know? That's so cool?

Speaker 1 (34:24):
But from a more practical perspective as a live stage musician, Yeah,
what do you enjoy? Like, You've clearly done all the jobs?
What do you find Uh? Because I've been a utility
guy too, and I've played drums and I've I've done
things for different what's the hardest job and what's the

(34:45):
funnest job?

Speaker 2 (34:46):
I mean, meat love was the toughest job. You know,
it was just really tough. I mean I would just uh.
I had a lot of self doubt, you know. And
when I left, I mean I told him, I said,
mean called to meet you know, I think I want
to go back to the kids music full time. You know,
I want to go back to that. I really miss that.

(35:07):
And you know, I wanted to start having a family too,
and I didn't want to be on the road, be
a dad on the road.

Speaker 3 (35:12):
I just didn't want to do that, you know. And
he's like, mister Ray, anytime you want to come back,
that's what we say. Anytime you want to come back,
the door is always open for you. I thought that
was so kind of him to say that, even if
it was Ablie guitar.

Speaker 2 (35:24):
It's just really kind. You didn't have to say that.
And I never had any desire to come back. And
I don't mean that in a mean way or anything,
but I so.

Speaker 3 (35:34):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (35:35):
But do you find keyboards hardest thing to play or
do you find it hard specific to be lead singer
leading a group like you do?

Speaker 2 (35:41):
I'd say maybe keyboards, you know. I mean, I'm more
like a studio guy with keyboards and lead guitar. I'm
more of a studio lead guitar player. I like to
work on parts, right, you know, definitive parts. Sorry, as
opposed to on stage. Oh my god, No, I don't
think I've ever done that. I'm a studio lead guitar guy,

(36:02):
you know, for my stuff. No one's ever hired me
to play lead guitar. Ay ay things any.

Speaker 3 (36:05):
Way, you know. But uh, and it's fine, But yeah.

Speaker 1 (36:10):
But you're like a composer approach for yeah, exactly, see
what You're more interested melaric themes.

Speaker 2 (36:16):
Yeah feel Yeah, it feels of course prevalent, but yeah, exactly, yes.

Speaker 1 (36:24):
So what what are your in addition to your ongoing
activities as mister Ray, You've got a Bowie tribute.

Speaker 2 (36:30):
Yeah, I mean it's more of a celebration because in
bookers won't, They've refrained, They've turned us down because I
don't dress like him. I don't wear the orange or
red wig whatever, and I don't want to do that.
We have, you know, amazing people, Regan Richards, lay One
Holmes in the band, and I spread the lead vocal love.
So it's more like a theatrical celebration, you know.

Speaker 3 (36:51):
And I love that.

Speaker 2 (36:51):
I love that we all Arna went, you know, Ralph Natara,
we all sing. There's five of us. I sing a
little bit more in everybody. But yeah, it's just so
much more fun that way for us, for us thrower
bands that just do that, you know, the tribute thing,
that's great, But yeah.

Speaker 1 (37:09):
You didn't want it to be a paint by numbers thing.
You wanted to be a heartfelt interpretation repertoire and pay
homage more than right exactly.

Speaker 2 (37:16):
And again, no, I'm not putting down anybody who does that,
but it's just just I'm.

Speaker 3 (37:21):
Not a real tribute guy for me. For me, I'm
just saying, you know.

Speaker 1 (37:26):
The Beatles listen any way, anybody can survive economically. Gotta
give them all the credit in the world. But it's
just not you. You're not paint by numbers aproach.

Speaker 3 (37:35):
Yeah, no, I'm not so.

Speaker 1 (37:38):
Clearly, the Beatles are tremendous influence. Clearly, Bowie is what
are some of your other influences?

Speaker 2 (37:45):
I mean crossing genres sing. My first concert my life
was a guy named Buddy Rich.

Speaker 1 (37:50):
Oh, the drummer. The drummer, the guy could do a
single stroke roll with his left.

Speaker 3 (37:55):
Ding ning ning ding, ding ding ding. You got it, bro.

Speaker 2 (37:57):
That was my first concert. It was at the o'd
brook and Cedar Grove. My mom and dad brought me
and because I was sew into drums and I just
blew my ears out and blew my brains out, and
that was it. That that really started me on, Like
you know, I saw the rapport he had with the
audience and and that that's to answer your question before

(38:19):
about you know, live playing and stuff.

Speaker 1 (38:21):
There was also a genuine freak of nature.

Speaker 3 (38:23):
Oh my god, totally.

Speaker 1 (38:25):
So you're a young drummer and you listen to Rush
and you he'll hear Neil Peert and you're like, that's amazing. Yeah,
but somewhere intellectually you can at least comprehend what he's doing.
Right with Buddy Rich, it was like god, it he
kind of like broke the space time like he did.
He just did things where you're like, how how is

(38:46):
this like middle aged guy smoking a cigarette? Yeah right,
it's doing all that with one hand.

Speaker 3 (38:51):
And he was a wise ass too. It's really great.
It's really great to be here. He goes where the
fuck am I?

Speaker 2 (38:55):
You know, I remember him saying that I was like
seven or something or eight years old, you know, and
he was just wise ass.

Speaker 3 (39:01):
But it just went. It just worked and h And.

Speaker 2 (39:04):
Then you know, I remember Johnny Carson he do you
ever watch that when he was doing a dueling drummer
with Edge Shaughnessy, the house Drummer, and that was great.
So yeah, you know, I mean I grew up in
Ringo and Charlie Watts of course, and then you know,
then Keith Moon.

Speaker 1 (39:18):
Now Charlie Watts. Yeah, probably uh, antithetical to Buddy Rich
pocket simple, but also who else could have done that
joke exactly?

Speaker 3 (39:30):
He played for the song, Yeah, as did Ringo. Yes,
you know so. Uh then, like Keith.

Speaker 1 (39:37):
By the way, I heard one of your covers of
Pete Townsend song earlier today. It was fantastic. It was
in one of your promo reels and you're covering a
Who tune. Do you have any thoughts to weigh in
on the current Zach Starkey controversy in his firing.

Speaker 2 (39:55):
I just think, you know, I just think Roger Daltrey
is the core of this, isn't he.

Speaker 3 (40:00):
I think it would seem so Yeah.

Speaker 2 (40:01):
I don't know what's going on in his mind these days,
you know, but it just seems cranky, and you know,
putting Zach through the mill and you know you're fired, No,
you're back your fire, and then Pete Townsend has to
voice his opinion, you know, sticking up for Roger and
then apologizing for Roger.

Speaker 3 (40:18):
And it's just such a mess. You know.

Speaker 1 (40:20):
Hopefully they can all kiss and make up and just
have one more really good show and let it go nice.

Speaker 2 (40:26):
Yeah, that's truly my first big concert is that they
performed Quadrophenia. Oh wow at Madison Square Garden. I'll never
forget that, you know. And yeah, Keith Moon had goldfish
in his floor, Tom Thomas, because I had binoculars.

Speaker 1 (40:39):
Goldfishing is for you actually saw Keith Moon.

Speaker 3 (40:42):
Oh yeah, bro. It was amazing. Yeah, wow, it was amazing.
They did almost all Quadrophenia. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (40:51):
There's something about young drummers, that something about teenage hormones
and youth and that rigorous, athletic fierceness to that type
of drumming which is so intrinsic to authentic rock and roll.

Speaker 3 (41:10):
Yeah, and it's like there was no like you know, it's.

Speaker 1 (41:13):
Almost like if a one year old Labory door retriever
could play drums, right, because there's this reckless abandon to it.

Speaker 3 (41:20):
Yeah, right.

Speaker 2 (41:21):
And the time signature was kind of like up and down,
and it was just so rogue and so rock and roll.
That's what rock and roll was about, you know. It
wasn't all auto tuned and and look we all use
it here and there. It's fine, you know, but it
wasn't overdone. Man, it was just of course that stuff
wasn't invented yet. But I mean it's I don't know,

(41:41):
the timing was just so.

Speaker 1 (41:43):
Do you think music might have been better back then
when we had to work harder for good?

Speaker 2 (41:46):
I think so one hundred percent. I have a home studio,
you know, and I find myself sometimes overly tweaking stuff.
I'm like, stop, ray stop, I talk to myself.

Speaker 3 (41:58):
Stop you you lose in the field, you know.

Speaker 1 (42:02):
Yeah, yeah, well you listen to contemporary stuff like I
just started. My fiance's friend had a suggestion for me,
because you know, I do cover gigs and you know
most of them were by dead guys at this point, right, Like, well,
tell me if you agree with this theory, because I
was discussing this with my fiance Moria the other day.

(42:22):
It's like when we were growing up, we all had
a collective music experience. Like whether we liked everything on
American Top forty or not, most of us were listening
to the same repertoire.

Speaker 3 (42:32):
Yeah, most of us.

Speaker 1 (42:34):
We'd go to social events, we'd go to sweet sixteens,
we'd go to weddings receptions, and we'd hear shout and
we'd hear twist and shout. There was the standards, and
then I think with the emergence of the iPod into
two thousands. Like what was great about it is that

(42:56):
everyone could go into their own esoteric, eclectic musical journey
of self discovery. And that's wonderful, but it almost but
it did come to at the expense of because I
don't think kids now are listening to the same It's
like we all listened to the top forty radio and
whether you didn't, you might have hated what you were hearing,

(43:19):
but everybody like knew what. We were all kind of
on the same page with what was hot and what
was like we we all kind of I don't feel
like that's it. It's harder now.

Speaker 3 (43:28):
To more categorized and just like, yeah, like people's tastes
are so far across the map. Yeah, back then, we
all loved motown and British music. We all listened to this,
you know that in American music. And yeah, that's a
good point.

Speaker 1 (43:44):
Like it doesn't seem to be like a new generation
of standards, right, And also when you're when you go
out there as a solo acoustic performance like a until.

Speaker 2 (43:54):
Cold Play and Oasis though, right, it's kind of pass
that you know the Dave Matthews, right, but beyond that, well, like.

Speaker 1 (44:01):
I just had someone request Watermelon Sugar High. Right, So
I'm fifty seven years old, and I'm thinking, how the
hell do I convincingly take an acoustic guitar into a
version of this, you know pop? And I did, thankfully,
and I think it's it's a pretty cool version. But
how do you take something that's been auto tuned, looped, crisp,

(44:24):
state of the art digital production. Well, the thing is
it is catchy, and it is a good melody, and
it is clever, and there's so actually you can break
The song does stand on its own. When we were
young songs, yeah, they were recording studios, but it was
real guitars and it was real keyboards and and you
could replicate that.

Speaker 3 (44:45):
Sure, And it's I.

Speaker 1 (44:46):
Find with a lot of music now if you take
away the digital magic.

Speaker 3 (44:52):
Yeah, like, to me, a good.

Speaker 1 (44:54):
Song the lyrics, the melody, and the harmonic structure on
an acoustic a piano, like it has to pass that test. Yeah,
you can do all the cool fun stuff, get right,
do whatever you want. But if it doesn't, if if
someone can't sing it alone on a regular guitar or piano,
I'm not interested. Yeah, you know, and I've noticed when

(45:15):
I've tried to deconstruct some of the hits, like when
you take away all the digital gimmick ry, it's like,
there's not a song here.

Speaker 3 (45:23):
Yeah, it's all part of the production.

Speaker 2 (45:25):
And yeah, you know, and like listen, people of our
age and stuff, all music sucks today, and like, look,
we live through such an amazing time of music and
we should just be lucky and nothing stays the same, man,
you know, you.

Speaker 3 (45:40):
Know, but but I will tell you that I am.

Speaker 2 (45:43):
Just so pissed at just how these mega corporations like Spotify,
Amazon Music, and Apple just do not pay we writers
and artists. It's just that is that that's inexcusable and
that that has to change. I don't know how it's
going to or when it's going to change, but you know,
well I.

Speaker 1 (45:59):
Think it's some like you who's had over a million
plays on Spotify, like money should not be an issue
for you ever, Right. It's like back in the early
nineteen hundreds, we had these things called nickelodeons. Yeah, and
even back in over one hundred years, over one hundred
and eleven years ago, it cost you a nickel to
engage in state of the art, media entertainment.

Speaker 3 (46:20):
Right, right?

Speaker 1 (46:21):
How come over one hundred years later, we don't even
get whatever the financial equivalent of that is now because
I don't I don't know about you, but I remember
in the early two thousands when iTunes first came out,
before the streaming models came in, I get like fifty
nine cents from my CD baby downloads.

Speaker 2 (46:40):
Okay, but it's a subscription basis. Now that's what kills
its subscription. You don't even like, you know MP three
dot com. You know, it was like what buck ninety
nine a song?

Speaker 1 (46:48):
Yeah, it wasn't bad. Yeah, you know, it's like every
once in a while, you'd like hit like a ten
thousand and one and you get a little bump, you
get the car fixed, you know, Like I remember, I remember,
you know, I could. I wasn't making huge money, but
I you know, it's like, oh yeah, we can afford
to buy the kids this or that or whatever. You
you were getting something for your effort, I know. And
that was twenty years ago, and now it's worse for

(47:11):
the guys that have done all the heavy link.

Speaker 2 (47:14):
Again, I'm not trying to sound like I'm not in
this for the money, you know, I mean, I won't know.

Speaker 1 (47:19):
You have a right to survive as much as my
mister racds.

Speaker 2 (47:23):
I sold them for fifteen dollars a pop after my shows, just.

Speaker 3 (47:27):
Like and sign them.

Speaker 2 (47:29):
And there was just something cool about that too, just
autographing a physical piece of media just and the kids
can take it and it's tangible. Yeah, it's tangible. I
just do I miss the money, of course, but just
like you say, there's something tangible there, you'd hold it
and don't even get me started with just like posters
and stuff and albums and vinyl and ah, that was

(47:51):
so such a nice time, you know, the Beatles, like
White Album with that huge poster and oh my gosh,
that was you just.

Speaker 1 (47:58):
Like Sergeant Pepper with the cutout mask and the mustache.

Speaker 3 (48:02):
So much fun. But oh well, that's okay.

Speaker 2 (48:05):
We lived through it and we had great times with
that experience.

Speaker 3 (48:09):
You know.

Speaker 1 (48:09):
Well, in the way, it seems like we've gone full
circle because we're back to the era of the troubadour, right.
You know, if you carry that guitar and that gear
into that bar or that restaurant or that park or wherever,
it still comes down to. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (48:22):
Yeah, it's another thing to tell you know, new musicians,
you have to gig. You have to gig.

Speaker 2 (48:25):
You know, you're not going to make money right off
the bat on these streaming services.

Speaker 3 (48:31):
You have to gig, you know. And I don't know,
it's so weird though.

Speaker 2 (48:36):
You see like these clubs in Manhattan, like Arlene Grocery
and all these plays and they're filled tribute bands.

Speaker 3 (48:42):
It's so weird.

Speaker 2 (48:42):
I'm not putting them down because I have a Bowie celebration, man,
but right.

Speaker 3 (48:46):
It's just like so strange to see that.

Speaker 1 (48:48):
It's disheartening, Yeah, because I don't think, uh, this generation
has fertile ground to plant themselves, Like, yeah, there is
no ecosystem for original music the way they will know
Asbury Park at its worst, it was at its best

(49:08):
for original music in a way, you know, you seven
nights a week, there's if nothing else was going on,
there was an open mic going on somewhere, you know,
and it was a long journey from the Tuesday open
mic to headline in the Stone Pony. But there was
an ecosystem where if you did the work and you
did the hustle, and I mean, I think talent is

(49:34):
you know, you have to have be at a certain
level of talent, and please correct me if I'm wrong,
but I think the persistence, the resilience that when you
keep going through you know, it's not all peaks. There's
valleys you got to walk through too, and to keep
going when things are not at a high. You know,

(49:55):
it's because you know, like get these pendulum swings. But
if you really, like, I don't know, like does School
of Rock showcase event really give kids the same character
development as unloading at two o'clock in the morning and
splitting a fifty dollars bill and like, you know, like

(50:17):
like we had more opportunity, but we had to do
physical work to get whatever we got. There was no uh,
there wasn't any cheat There was no cheat codes. Right,
there wasn't a YouTube viral video. They're like, you know,
you you had if you were playing somewhere, you had
to promote it. You know, you had to do flyers.

Speaker 3 (50:37):
Yeah, it's just a different time.

Speaker 2 (50:39):
It just really is, you know, And there are more
pop stars now than bands, you know, and it's just
the reality. I don't know why or if that'll change,
but it just seems right. They're more like just solo
pop stars than like when's the great latest band. I mean, yeah,
it's just been a while.

Speaker 3 (50:58):
And look they're out there. Don't get me wrong.

Speaker 2 (51:00):
If I see more and more tiktoks now of just
young bands, and you know.

Speaker 3 (51:05):
They mark into the past. And to be fair, yeah.

Speaker 1 (51:07):
These social media platforms do level the playing field, right
and that and there's something great about that, sure, you know,
but yeah, the game has certainly changed.

Speaker 2 (51:18):
Like I'm starting a songwriting class for first and second graders.
It's it's going to be up in short Hills in
the in the fall. And look, these kids, I don't
expect them to come up with melodies and you know,
I'll do all that, or we may even do like
public domain stuff and they can just say, let's write
about your favorite pet or your favorite family members something

(51:39):
like that. But I just want to start that seed
of creativity with these kids. And at the end of
the sixth seven eight week session, you know, we'll do
a show for their families, you see. But but I'm
gonna introduce instruments to them. And but it is going
to be like a songwriting thing with mister Ray type
of thing, you know, and I'm really excited about it.

Speaker 1 (51:58):
We know that it's really interesting because if you think
about it, a lot of some of the great songwriters,
some of that stuff unfortunately got inspired and in reaction
to some type of core wound trauma. So it'd be
interesting to see what a generation of music would be
from children where the music resulted from positive, nurturing experience

(52:22):
rather than a reactionary ego wound. Because if you think
about some of the biggest rock stars in the world,
I mean, like, is it their musical talent or is
it is that they're a codependent spectacle with the world,
right because they've got this wound and they just got
ever you.

Speaker 3 (52:36):
Know, Yeah, that's a whole other. Yeah, truly, I'm with
you there. Yeah, sure, So I find that interesting. It'd
be interesting to see music is therapy.

Speaker 2 (52:45):
Yeah, it's catharsis and right, it's a window you know,
into hopefully healing. You know, it has been for me
different aspects of my life.

Speaker 1 (52:54):
Oh, I wouldn't be alive if I didn't have fine
man be able to metabolize my pain with music.

Speaker 3 (53:00):
And writing about it.

Speaker 2 (53:01):
That's like, Wow, what catharsis is that it's not the
cure all but it's oh my gosh, it's it's your
own private sonic therapy session, you know, and it's it's
I have this thing with kids. I said, let's clap
from music. It's magic, you know, don't clap from me, clap.
Let's clasp from music, kids, you know, and it truly

(53:22):
is magic.

Speaker 1 (53:23):
You know, live music, I think, in particular, when it's
really flowing and it's and it's people are telling it
is the closest thing to well record of music to yeah,
music is the closest thing to magic that we really have.

Speaker 2 (53:39):
Right Like, sometimes I walk into these rooms and the
kids are they're afraid of me. You know, this guy's
got black hair, he's dressed in black.

Speaker 1 (53:46):
You're like a wizard.

Speaker 3 (53:47):
Yeah, who's you know?

Speaker 2 (53:49):
And within two three songs, not me, something about the
language of music, you know, they're like, there's clap in
their hands, they're smiling, and at the end they're hugging me.
Know's it's such a oh my gosh.

Speaker 1 (54:03):
So you think of yourself as as a portal and
a conduit for a higher thing working through you. I
like that you don't think of yourself as that thing.
You think of yourself as being no way, you're taking
your human vessel and you're bringing something through you that's
coming from a higher level.

Speaker 2 (54:20):
So very succinct. You're a good way with the words. Yes, yes,
you should do some writing. I know you do like it.

Speaker 3 (54:26):
Yeah, man, yeah, totally. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (54:30):
So you have the writing class coming in the fall. Well, yeah,
You've had an amazing journey as a musician and a
writer and an artist. What are some of your remaining dreams.

Speaker 2 (54:42):
I'm working on. This is the first time I put
this out there. I'm working on a theatrical vehicle, a
project I can't talk about yet too much, but yeah,
I'm really excited about that. You know, in one of
my songs when it was called like I Think, I
mentioned Kelly in the Alien is a touring musical now

(55:03):
and small theaters and schools with pushcart players out of Verona,
New Jersey.

Speaker 3 (55:07):
It's amaze, thank you. It's a cast of millennials that.

Speaker 1 (55:10):
Has to be such an incredibly rewarding extents.

Speaker 2 (55:12):
Oh my gosh, dude, I cannot tell you what it
is to sit in the audience and watch them in
literally every five seconds, I want to go no, no, wait, wait,
the notes should be like or let's try something else,
But I have to sit there and it's so different
to have you ever experienced anyone else doing one of
your songs?

Speaker 3 (55:27):
Yes? Really tell me.

Speaker 1 (55:29):
Well, I was in mean one night and I was
I was looking for one of my own songs, and
I found a kid in Columbia, in Central America covering
an old I was in a band called Phantom's Opera
that had a little bit of success.

Speaker 3 (55:46):
Wait, the Phantom's Opera.

Speaker 1 (55:49):
There was the band, not the play the band.

Speaker 3 (55:51):
Oh no, Phantom's Opera.

Speaker 1 (55:53):
Yeah, played like the Fountain Casina and not all that,
that whole scene and all they played.

Speaker 3 (55:57):
The other guy who passed away.

Speaker 1 (56:00):
Well, Jack Young died too, Jackie Jack.

Speaker 2 (56:02):
So you were in that an incarnation of that? Or yes,
Oh my gosh, dude, I never knew that.

Speaker 1 (56:08):
Yeah we Uh so that band actually started in nineteen
sixty nine. Yes, Jack Young was the founder, who was
the keyboard player, writer him and Alec John Sutch from
Bon Jovistar to that band.

Speaker 3 (56:21):
Yes, Tico was.

Speaker 1 (56:22):
In that band and as you probably were playing the
Pony at the same time. In fact, I could see
old Aquarian ads in my head of Phantom's Opera and
cats on Smooth so and back then the like you
know those guys are making like a thousand bucks a
week cash as musicians like you know. Anyway, long story short,

(56:44):
I'm a kid in Sarahville grow graduated from Cevil High
School in eighty six the fall of When Slippery When
Wet came out, and obviously that was a slightly big album.
In fact, we're only a few doors down from Century.
What was Century where they did the demo for all that.
Oh yeah, and tracks East is on the other side
of the bridge.

Speaker 3 (57:05):
I recorded there, great people.

Speaker 1 (57:06):
Stab with Plinky Giglio and yeah, well Steve Evitts, Eric Rachel,
those guys.

Speaker 3 (57:12):
Yeah, that's it, Eric Rich I remember.

Speaker 1 (57:13):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (57:14):
So anyway, by the way, Plinky co produced my first
three Mister Ray records and you know that.

Speaker 3 (57:20):
Yeah, No, Plinky Julia. Yeah he was.

Speaker 1 (57:23):
Glenn's brother in law Att, Yes.

Speaker 3 (57:25):
Wonderful talent.

Speaker 1 (57:27):
Yeah. He he worked on the first Fanta's Opera record.

Speaker 3 (57:30):
I didn't know that. Yeah wow.

Speaker 1 (57:33):
So anyway, uh, phantom Z Opera. They lost alcon Tico
toa bon Jovi and they're like, hey, maybe we should
start getting into this original thing. At the time, Gemini
was recording at the Guitar Players Studio in Ford's and
they liked my voice and they're like, hey, I would
you like to do this long story short kind of
We took members of that band and the and Gemini

(57:54):
and we created a new version of Phantom's Opera. We
recorded a record at TRACKXIS. We opened up for South
Johnny at the Art Center and played Burchill and Stone
Pony and all the you know, the the pit stops
of the era.

Speaker 3 (58:07):
Played the Garden Side Art Center when it was called
Garden's Art Center. Yes, oh I never played there. Good
for you man.

Speaker 1 (58:12):
Yeah, opening up for Southside Nice he hazed me that night.
What he hazed me?

Speaker 3 (58:17):
What do you mean?

Speaker 1 (58:18):
So I'm backstage and he walks into the dressing room
with the fifth of Jack Daniels. He's like, so, you're
gonna open up for Southside Johnny tonight and I'm like, yes, sir.
It's like we're gonna have a drink Southside Johnny. He's like, yes, sir,
And he took that fifth of JD with two red
solo cops and he poured half and half. So what

(58:39):
am I gonna do? I know I didn't want to
drink it. You know, I'm like twenty something years old.
Southside Johnny gives you a glass of fucking Jack Daniels
and you're opening for him at the Art Center, you're
gonna drink it. So I did. I think I still
managed to perform, okay, but I was like, damn. It
was like I like, as part of a hazing ritual,

(59:04):
I get it. So yeah, anyway, I forgot what we
got sidetrack.

Speaker 3 (59:09):
Know, somebody singing when of these songs that oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 (59:13):
Yeah he was singing this, and it was just like, yeah,
that's amazing. Like it's not always the big things, right,
It's like when it's just as rewarding when you I
don't know about you, but every time I record something,
sometimes I listen back now and stuff I thought was
great and I'm like, oh my god, it's so cringey.
But but the thing is that are all their own
little life forms, these these little creations, and you don't

(59:36):
know who they're really made for, and we can only
hope that they fly to the ear drums that they're
going to be of highest benefit to.

Speaker 3 (59:44):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (59:44):
Man, So when you see something kind of eclectic or
esoteric and and see something some little nugget of your
soul reaching someone somewhere else in a tangible, positive way.
I find that to be the most fulfilling.

Speaker 3 (59:58):
Experience truly, that truly is.

Speaker 1 (01:00:01):
And in a way when you haven't had like the
success of a Springsteen or a bon Jovi, I'll like,
I don't even know how how do you even handle that? Yeah,
because it's enough to like kind of like have a
couple hundred people in your life and be ethical and
kind and their and supportives. Like, I can't even comprehend
what it must be like to have a level of

(01:00:22):
success where you just kind of have to I don't know. Yeah,
I mean, I mean you've seen it up close.

Speaker 3 (01:00:28):
Yeah, you just get I guess you get used to
the territory.

Speaker 2 (01:00:30):
But yeah, for sure, man, I would never want to
be that famous, honest, I really wouldn't, you know.

Speaker 3 (01:00:36):
But God bless them, you know.

Speaker 2 (01:00:37):
It's yeah, I guess over time you just acclimate yourself.

Speaker 3 (01:00:41):
But it must be a pain in the butt.

Speaker 2 (01:00:42):
Sometimes, oh my gosh, Yeah, people following you and.

Speaker 3 (01:00:46):
Just I mean I see it sometimes I'm in a story.
I go, mister Ray, right, No, it's adorable.

Speaker 1 (01:00:53):
Yeah, but you're not always you don't always feel like
you missed it. Ray you're like, you might not have
the best day and you just want to get what
you need.

Speaker 3 (01:01:00):
I know. But just when a kid says it's yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:01:02):
I'm sure, it's immediately disarming. You got it.

Speaker 3 (01:01:04):
It's beautiful.

Speaker 2 (01:01:05):
No, it's beautiful now, but yeah, but I'm just joking.
But yeah, I mean just to be photographed on on vacation,
I see now if you oh my gosh, I just yuck.

Speaker 1 (01:01:14):
But so we got the theatrical yeah going on.

Speaker 3 (01:01:18):
Yeah, no, that's.

Speaker 1 (01:01:21):
And there any upcoming gigs for your adult fans.

Speaker 2 (01:01:26):
I mean we have oh, we have the Wonderbar on
August eighth on a Friday night with the Bowie and celebration.

Speaker 3 (01:01:33):
Yeah. It's it's a fun place. It's really a good
place to play. You know.

Speaker 2 (01:01:38):
It's just very conducive to a higher energy performance summertime too,
so it's going to be fun. Yeah. Yeah, that's about it,
you know, as far as you know. And I'm working
on something for mister Ray thing for a TV thing.
We'll see what happens.

Speaker 1 (01:01:54):
Yeah, I didn't really highlight that, but you've had a
success in that arena and wells right, like licensing and
for a film and TV.

Speaker 2 (01:02:01):
Yeah, Reagan and I from the Bowie thing we did, yeah,
Reagan Richards from her Williams Honor thing with Gordon Brown
and my Bowie thing. We did a different different drum
by Mike Nesmith from The Monkeys, that song Linda Ronstadt did. Yeah,
we did it for a Netflix movie. Was a top
ten movie last year. I think it was called The

(01:02:22):
Tutor to U t O R. Starring one of the
actress from Stranger Things, Noah Schnapp. He was in it,
and uh, yeah you could. We redid the song in
my home studio. She did a great job singing it
and I played all the instruments stuff like that. And
so that's actually leaving Netflix on July eighteenth, folks, so
you can catch it still. No, I'm not making a

(01:02:44):
royalties from it that I'm not mentioning it now. I'm
not one of those pick a car, any car, I'll
tell used cars hous I'm just saying it's a really
cool movie.

Speaker 3 (01:02:52):
It's a thriller. The Tutor to U t O R.

Speaker 1 (01:02:56):
Yeah, that's a cool song. I didn't realize that, yeah,
that he wrote it, or I didn't know. I didn't
know the background.

Speaker 3 (01:03:02):
Yeah, he wrote that.

Speaker 1 (01:03:03):
I know her the original hit version of it. I
had no idea the origins.

Speaker 3 (01:03:07):
Yeah, he wrote that, Mike Nestsmith. Yeah, it's so pretty crazy,
you know.

Speaker 1 (01:03:12):
Wow, man, But I grew where'd you grow up? Well,
some argue I haven't grown up yet. But as born
in Point Pleasant, I my parents split up young, so
I spent a lot of time down in Lavalette, but
I went to I moved around a lot as a kid.
But when I got to Serahville where we are now

(01:03:34):
in fifth grade. I stayed through high school and so
I had my my teen years here in the ville
and an amazing place to be an aspiring young musician, because,
like you know, I just was a couple of months
out of high school when like Slippery, when Wet was
the biggest album in the world, and like this, this

(01:03:58):
nondescript industrial factory town had legions of international bon Jovi
fans like just looking for him, you know.

Speaker 3 (01:04:08):
And there's a lot of Union Jack. Right. Wasn't that
a nightclub here?

Speaker 1 (01:04:11):
South River? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (01:04:12):
Oh South Through? Sorry, Yeah, so you're less than a
mile awaf Yeah yeah, we played there a lot. Cats.

Speaker 1 (01:04:17):
Yeah, the Union Jack was cool, yeah, right right, And
then it was cocktails okay, but yeah, the Union Jack
that that was its glory days. Yeah, they had a
lot of a lot of touring X go through there. Well, yeah,
that's what I was talking about. Like, remember when the
Aquarian was like as thick as a telephone book and
there was like all these clubs. Now, you probably weren't

(01:04:38):
going to get paid. You might have to like play
for a case of bud on a Tuesday night, but
eventually you're gonna get somewhere where you're getting paid on
a Friday night. Like if you know, like the ecosystem existed, Yeah,
you know, it's like I don't I don't know if
I noticed now a lot of my gigs. There's which
one good thing, one shift in society that I'm noticing

(01:05:00):
as a person who does a lot of that kind
of stuff. There's not a lot of young drinkers. Kids
are not coming out to bars the way they used to.
It's it's mostly older folks still.

Speaker 3 (01:05:11):
Yeah, that's a good point.

Speaker 1 (01:05:12):
Yeah, And I mean that's as a old alley cat
singing for a living, it's not so great. But it's
I'm glad to see that there's a reduced I'm glad
younger people are finding other things to do besides getting wasted.
It's kind of yeah, I think that's good. Maybe. You know,
like our generation tends to be very critical of the
younger generations, but I got to give them credit. They're

(01:05:34):
not out doing stupid shit the way my generation.

Speaker 3 (01:05:38):
I don't know what you mean.

Speaker 1 (01:05:39):
Yeah, no, not at all.

Speaker 2 (01:05:41):
I girt West Arne, you know that is yeah. Yeah,
it was a good town to grow up in.

Speaker 3 (01:05:45):
You know.

Speaker 2 (01:05:46):
We had South Mountain Arena right there, right next to
Turtleback Zoo, and I remember just walking in there and
slying the family stone.

Speaker 3 (01:05:52):
We're setting up for a gig there.

Speaker 2 (01:05:54):
Oh my god, just like they had amazing people there.
If you're out there, folks, just google some of the art.
I played there and little old West Orange in South
Mountain Arena, I forget what's cool.

Speaker 1 (01:06:04):
You got to hear sliding the family stone at though.

Speaker 3 (01:06:06):
No, I didn't get to hear them. I was just
like I did play there. I played.

Speaker 2 (01:06:10):
We were at the end of the ice, me and
a teenage band I was in. Every these people were
like just like plowing into us or like you know,
they turned to the right or left and like all
the ice shavings would go in on our instruments would
be like get out of here, you know. But we
were like fourteen. But those are one of my first gigs.
I was drummer, lead singer. I was like Don Henley

(01:06:31):
type of guy.

Speaker 1 (01:06:32):
Or oh those the you know, the those those initial catalyst,
those catalyst gigs as yeah, they had higher highs than
some of the more accomplished professional things. Right, there's something
about those early gateway uh. I remember at my prom,
we took the band took a break, and they let

(01:06:53):
us borrow the instruments and we did an impromptu sett
at the prom, you know. And it's like there's something
about early rock and roll experiences as a teenager that
it's almost like you chase it the rest of it's
not almost you chase it the rest.

Speaker 3 (01:07:06):
Yeah, yeah, you're so right.

Speaker 1 (01:07:09):
Yeah, well yeah, well this feels like a pretty good
place to conclude this sinking this interview, and I'd love
to have you back some time when you're ready to
talk about some your latest projects. I can't thank you
enough for your time rate. It's so been wonderful getting
to know you better. Likewise, you're a person who's always
been kind on the periphery of my musical radar. Like

(01:07:31):
you know, it's interesting, and we all kind of like
we're all caught in our own game, trying to survive
and do our hustle to keep things going. But there's
people you notice over the years, like, all right, that
guy's still going, so I'm going to keep going. So
thank you for inspiring me to to keep maintaining my
own efforts. I think we all strengthen each other when
we see these names we've seen for a while. It

(01:07:52):
was like, all right, that guy's still going on. Yeah,
I'm gonna keep going too.

Speaker 2 (01:07:55):
Yeah man, No, thanks. You're really easy to talk with
and you made it really fun and nice.

Speaker 3 (01:08:01):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (01:08:02):
I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.
And I thank you for all your service to humanity
through your gift of music.

Speaker 2 (01:08:08):
Ah, you're sweet. That's kind of you say thank you
you too coldly.

Speaker 1 (01:08:12):
All Right, folks, there you have it. Take care,