What is your relationship with KISS and what does KISS mean to you personally?

I’ve known Gene and Paul for many years and consider them friends.  They are obviously a classic band and I have a lot of respect for them.  

I have been reading some older and current articles about Steve Perry, including your posts.   I know there are a lot of fans that want to see him tour with or without Journey, including myself.

I also am a BIG fan of Dennis DeYoung and Styx - which I won't go into at this writing.   As I'm writing to you it was just announced that Journey will be touring this summer with Styx and REO Speedwagon. I know there is no way that Steve Perry and Dennis DeYoung will be touring with their former bands.  You mentioned in one of your articles that Steve Perry just needs motivation to tour again.  What would you think of a tour with Steve Perry and Dennis DeYoung?  I would pay any price to see both of these talented singers tour together.   I would appreciate for a miracle and have you make this happen.  Please let me know your feelings on this and maybe present this idea to Mr. Perry and Mr. DeYoung.  Thank you in advance for your time.

I wish I could make this happen.  Everybody that is involved with Steve Perry or Styx or Dennis DeYoung would love to make this happen.  Unfortunately, Steve Perry does not want to tour as far as I know.

(updated Tuesday, March 11th, 2003)

Dear Mr. Kalodner, I'm an eighth grade student whose assignment for English is to research a career.  The career I have chosen is a recording artist/rock star.  I need to know the following things:  1.  What is the range of payment a record company issues to artists under contract?  2.  How does unknown artists get signed to a record deal?  3.  On an average how long would an artist be gone out on the road during a tour?  4.  On average how long does it take to do an album?  Any help you could give me on these questions would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you for your time and attention.

My best advice to you is to go to the library and check out Don Passman's book on the business of music.  (All You Need To Know About The Music Business by Donald S. Passman)  

I am a guitarist/songwriter.  We have recently signed with a production company.  We have recorded a cd with them and a video... everything is finished and they are supposedly sending off cds to record companies.  I have 2 questions. 1.  We are thinking about getting our cd manufactured through FYE/Tower Records, but we are not on a label yet.  Is this a good idea?  2. We have been playing out since late summer without a booking agent and are about to start playing out in March with a booking agent.  We really believe in our material and as many bands... want to make it in music really badly but my question is... Are we going about it the right way?  Thanks John Kalodner:  John Kalodner

1.  If you can sell any cds (i.e. via a website or at shows or through record stores), and as long as they are reported to Soundscan (i.e. they have a proper barcode), and you and your production company can make some money, then it’s a good idea.  Just make sure you have control so that you know how many are sold.

2.  It only matters that you are able to play out as many nights and to as many people as possible.  If a booking agent helps you do this, then it’s worth it.  But, it’s up to your band to sign up all your fans to a mailing list and compile and use this list to your benefit in selling cd’s and playing other dates.

I know you're no doubt, a really busy man.  I won't ask you about specifics because I know you like to address that stuff through other channels.  In getting songs written, I use a couple of guitarists.  Should I keep the business structure so that the "band" gets equal credit, or just the guitarist and I?  Or do you think I'd have a better shot getting the album picked up if there wasn't a "band" attached to the songs, just a singer and his co-writer.  What would you suggest?  You have been involved with a lot over the years, eh?  Thanks for your all your advice and time.

It doesn’t make a difference whether you are attached to a band or are just a singer with a co-writer.  Record companies don’t have a preference; the most important thing is just the quality of the songs and how good the singing is.

(updated Monday, March 10th, 2003)

1.  As I know that you were a Black n' Blue supporter and felt that they should have been huge. In hindsight, do you regret having Gene Simmons produce their Nasty Nasty and In Heat albums? Do you feel he was positive for the band or a negative?

2.  Is it true when Whitesnake delivered Slip Of The Tongue to Geffen Records...the label was unhappy with it and wanted Coverdale to scrap all the songs and start over. On top of that, is it true that you were unhappy with how "Still Of The Night" turned out? I can't see why you would be, but that is what I read somewhere.

3.  Do you feel that Geffen Records dropped the ball with Richie Kotzen? Many people including other rock stars feel that he a total genius and should be a rock star himself. He is like the white Lenny Kravitz with the whole plays all the instruments himself, writes all the songs and produces himself. His Japan released solo albums after the Geffen album are fantastic. Geffen gave no promotion to his Mother Head's Family Reunion album. However Mr. Big and Stanley Clarke saw what a brilliant talent he is...why didn't Geffen? Maybe you should sign Kotzen to Portrait...he does have a following and with the right push...he could become a star.

Thank you so much for your time and I so look forward to your answers. I have wondered about the answers to these questions for years now and only recently found out about your website. Please take care.

1.  I feel it was neither a positive nor a negative.  Even though I did everything I could think of for the band, they could never sell more than 200,000 records and never quite broke through as an important act.  Even when Bruce Fairbairn produced one of their records, it still only sold 200,000, and that’s the record Jon Bon Jovi heard that made him want to have Bruce Fairbairn produce Slippery When Wet.  In the end, no matter what I did, I just couldn’t get it exactly right.

2.  When Whitesnake delivered Slip Of The Tongue, I thought it was a good album but not a great album.  But at the time, given all the circumstances of his life, I thought it was the best David Coverdale could do.  You just can’t get everything exactly right all the time and during that period I had been working on Aerosmith’s Pump album, which I knew would be a classic recording and enduring piece of art, and also at the time I had recorded Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time” and done the video with Marty Callner on the USS New Jersey, which I knew would be a huge record as well.  And it’s funny, because I spent as much or more time working with Coverdale on Slip Of The Tongue, with Mike Clink and Keith Olsen, but the lack of John Sykes’ co-writing on the songs was sorely missed.  I knew the lack of chemistry between Coverdale and Sykes would be an issue, but it turned out to be a much larger issue and made Slip Of The Tongue good but not great.  It just goes to show you, there’s only so much an A&R person can do, because it’s the songwriting that always comes first.  I was ecstatic with how “Still of the Night” turned out.  After two years of trying to make that damn album, that is a track that turned out the best and prompted me to re-record “Here I Go Again” for the third time, even after the record was being manufactured. 

3.  I don’t think Geffen necessarily dropped the ball with Richie Kotzen, I just don’t think the company or myself understood that record.  I signed him as one thing and he evolved into being another thing , i.e. the white Lenny Kravitz, so it was hard to get a handle on how to promote and market him.  I knew he was a genius then and still think he is now, in fact, I saw him last week in Neiman Marcus in Los Angeles and we talked for a few minutes.  He still looks great, but should probably become a producer for new acts, which he would be great at.

I was going through a tape of an interview with a former Uriah Heep Member who recalled that you had gone to check out the band in 1980 on behalf of Geffen Records.  This was after Ken Hensley had left the band and John Sloman was the frontman.  The band at the time had recorded stuff for a new album and were looking for a US record deal, I would assume.  This line-up however soon split up and the band re-emerged in 1982 with Abominog.  Does any of this ring a bell?

Sorry, none of this rings a bell.  The truth is, this would have been at the beginning of Geffen Records and I was doing so much, I can’t remember a lot of particulars of the time.

(updated Wednesday, January 23rd, 2003)

I just found out today that Jack Douglass would in fact be working on the next Aerosmith record. Does this mean that Marti Frederikson and Mark Hudson will not be helping with the songwriting? Is there any truth to the rumored Aerofest ala Ozzfest? If so...when?

As far as I know, no plans are set yet for the blues album and Jack Douglass may produce some or all of it.  I don’t think Marti Frederikson or Mark Hudson will be helping with the writing on the songwriting for the blues album.  Aerosmith is going on tour starting next summer, possibly with Kiss and other acts on a certain amount of festival type shows.  That’s all I know as of this date.

I just have a quick question for you, why doesn't Aerosmith work with Desmond Child and Jim Vallance anymore.

There is no particular reason why Aerosmith hasn’t worked with Jim Vallance or Desmond Child recently.  Jim Vallance is usually in Vancouver, and they don’t go there anymore.  Desmond Child is always busy with many projects, but I’m sure they would work together if the opportunity presented itself.  

Do you know if, or have you heard, if Van Halen is accepting submissions for the singer job, or will they primarily be going for a "marquee" name?

I’m not sure, but I still think they’re looking for a singer.

John.... your site is BOOMING.  Much going on!  Congrats on what appears to have been a successful and gratifying year for you!  Looking back though... You had posted a very positive response to the possibility of having a DVD/Video(s) made of some Classic (with Perry) Journey Concert (etc) footage that Sony owns.  Many fans out there would love to own that, especially since it seems we will never see Perry perform with Journey again.  Want those memories to play everyday.  Please John... is anything happening?

So far, Sony and Journey’s management have not come to an agreement about releasing the DVD’s, but I’m sure it will continue to be discussed in 2003 for I know that many people would love to see those concerts and footage of the band as they were in the 1980’s.

First of all, I wanted to comment on all your wonderful contributions to the music industry. As I am a huge David Coverdale fan and I know that you are good friends with him, I always wondered why you didn't immediately sign Whitesnake or solo David Coverdale to your Sony label. I mean you signed second-rate bands like Great White and Ratt to new deals...but not Whitesnake. Yes, I know that Slip of The Tongue was not the hit that Geffen expected after Whitesnake 1987...but I think that Geffen totally dropped the ball on Coverdale/Page with the lack of support. I just feel that out of all those 80's bands that you resurrected...Coverdale should have been the first one you signed. I hope that if Coverdale does do a new Whitesnake album that you will be first to sign him to Sony. I believe his deal with EMI is over now. I believe that Coverdale is one of the very few artists from the 80's, that can have a successful career today...but he needs your help. He did well for you before...he will again. Give him a call and get him a deal at Sony.

At the time Portrait was signing bands, I wanted to sign Whitesnake and David Coverdale didn’t want to do Whitesnake.  He wanted to do solo records, which I didn’t think were strong enough for release in the U.S. only.  I begged him to work with John Sykes and I just couldn’t persuade him.  I hope his Whitesnake tour of 2003 is successful, but it’s just too late for Whitesnake and Portrait Records.