ROSS THE BOSS

Last Sunday we had an extensive interview with Founder and former guitarist of Manowar RossTheBoss. He told us about his current project Brain Surgeons of NYC, his whereabouts since Manowar, about the reunion consert he did with the band last July, the possibility of recruiting with the band for a world tour and the chances of releasing a new album with Manowar. Ross told the metal scene in America is dead and the murder is the music industry and promises to visit Greece as soon as possible.
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\r\nMetalzone
: Hello Ross this is Metalzone calling. How are you?
\r\nRossTheBoss: Well I am fine in Queen’s New York Sunday, nice day, thank you for asking.
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\r\n Metalzone: How have you been doing nowadays?
\r\n RossTheBoss: Pretty good actually. I’ve been doing fine actually, I’ve been doing a lot of new projects, I just played with Manowar, in August, or July at the Europechake festival, did a whole giant tour with the Brain Surgeons at the United States, you know very busy…
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\r\n Metalzone: The Brain Surgeons of NYC is your new project.
\r\n RossTheBoss: Yeah Brain Surgeons it’s Albert from the Blue Oyster Cult plays drums, his wife base player and myself I joined the band like about 10 months ago, 11 moths ago, I wrote some songs with Albert, recorded them and we are mixing it right now, it’s almost done and we’ve been playing some shows. We’re actually CBGB’s on October 21st, and I am going to Pacific Northwest in November for about two weeks…
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\r\n Metalzone: Are you coming to Europe?
\r\nRossTheBoss: Ahm, we plan on it, we do plan on it, but we’ll wait until the record is finished.
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\r\n Metalzone: And when do you expect that to happen?
\r\n RossTheBoss: Ah, couple of months.
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\r\n Metalzone: So we’re expecting a January release?
\r\n RossTheBoss: Something like that, we gotta find we actually gotta find a righteous label first..
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\r\n Metalzone: So you’re in talks with different labels at the time..
\r\n RossTheBoss: Yeah, actually yes, I wrote nine out of the twelve songs on the records, with Albert and Debrah, so I wrote the music, so that’s exciting. Very Heavy!
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\r\n Metalzone: Heavy metal?
\r\n RossTheBoss: Yeah, but it’s not exactly the typical vocals, not like some you would think, Albert and Deborah don’t sing like the typical heavy metal thing, so it’s sort like the way I could put it would be sort like Fleetwood Mack meets Black Sabbath.
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\r\n Metalzone: That sounds interesting...
\r\n RossTheBoss: It is interesting; it’s very good I gotta tell you...
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\r\nMetalzone: I am really anxious to hearing that…
\r\n RossTheBoss: I think it’s quite good actually, but what’s my opinion, you know…
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\r\nMetalzone: We’ll listen to it and we’ll call you back on that.
\r\n RossTheBoss: ok
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\r\n Metalzone: Over the past years we’ve kind of lost track of you. We were excited when we saw your guest appearance in a Majesty record. So tell us what have you been up to since you left Manowar?
\r\n RossTheBoss: That’s very simple. Fact is that I haven’t been maybe in Europe but I’ve been quite busy. When I left Manowar I joined Man October’s Wild Kingdom that’s made out of members of The Dictators, my first group that I’ve made many many records with and we’re in the Hall Of Fame of Rock and Roll, we have memorabilia at the Hall Of Fame now, as a ground breaking punk rock, punk metal band Manotobers were rocking, it was right after Kings Of Metal and then man October’s Wild Kingdom I had a lot of different projects, I had a band called The Pack and then I had a band called Hey Day which is like a blues rock band, and then Hey Day kind of evolved into the Spenatres and the Spenatres I got a record deal at CMC here in America which later turned into Sanctuary, we put it out for a while and just, The Dictators were playing again, and starting in like 1988 the Dictators really started playing and we played in Spain, playing in Scandinavia doing really big concerts and festivals all over the place, I guess we haven’t come to Greece, or Germany but we have been quite busy, we made a record to put on a live record, with The Dictators, on Escapy Music from Sweden. So in a nutshell, I think the main reason maybe you haven’t see me is maybe because I haven’t been on the heavy metal circuit. So RossTheBoss just does not play heavy metal, RossTheBoss plays many styles of music and I always have played many styles of music from the Dictators and Shakenstreet were not Manowar style heavy metal, so I made four major label records before Manowar. So I play different styles of music and I always will. And I play what I wanna play and I don’t care what anyone thinks I just play what I want to make myself happy
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\r\n Metalzone: That’s the best way to look at things
\r\n RossTheBoss: I am working on my web site www.ross-the-boss.com and the girl that’s doing it says well you have done so much, you have 21 records, and I said to her that’s correct I have 21. And I am very proud of it and it’s not one type of music, and it never will be. You never know, I don’t envision myself playing in same band for the rest of my life.
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\r\n Metalzone: You’re a restless spirit.
\r\n RossTheBoss: Yeah I don’t see it I mean I just did an instrumental record with the drummer from the Dictators. Thunder ball Paterson with RossTheBoss is on i-tunes right now you can download it
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\r\n Metalzone: That’s very nice
\r\n RossTheBoss: It’s very good I’m telling you. I have done a lot of stuff but maybe you haven’t seen me because I haven’t been in a metal magazine.
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\r\n Metalzone: Here in Greece we kind of have you connected to Manowar and many fans of the band consider you to be the most important part of the band’s success back in the 80s.
\r\n RossThsBoss: Well you know, I‘ve been hearing that a lot. I met a lot of people from Greece at the Earth Shaker Festival, and they were some of the most passionate fans on the whole week, people from Greece.
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\r\n Metalzone: Here we love Manowar, it is A to Z to metal
\r\n RossTheBoss: Right, I hear you, and you know I agree. Manowar was a ground breaking band to take credits for starting this genre of music, of heavy metal, to what it is now.
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\r\n Metalzone: Do you feel it’s unfair that you are not a part of the band anymore. Do you have any regrets? RossTheBoss: Not really. Listen I started the group with Joey, we did the first six records I have no regrets, when I left I said I did what I had to do, I thought that. When I played again with the band in July it was awesome, but I am not done playing with Manowar I could tell you that, there will be me playing with them some time in the future. I don’t know when but everybody was great, the band was great, who knows what’s gonna happen.
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\r\n Metalzone: Well there’s a reunion trend going around, many bands reunite and go on tours or release some new material.
\r\n RossTheBoss: Well I left the door open with the band, I said if you ever need me you call me if not, we played the reunion and everyone saw me but I am not really done with Manowar. In April I am going to play at Keep It True Festival in Germany, I’m going to play all my Manowar songs with this band I think they’re called Ivory Coast or something like that. They’re a young metal band; they do all this Manowar Music…
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\r\nMetalzone
: Are they a tribute band to Manowar?
\r\n RossTheBoss: I don’t know what they are but my friend Tarek from Majesty tells me they are great, they worship you, your music, they worship the old Manowar, and they seem to think that the old Manowar was better. I am going to go play in April 8th to be exact, I am gonna play all my Manowar songs and it continues
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\r\n Metalzone: Well I think that it wouldn’t be unfair to say that you were kind of the locomotive breath in Manowar. Looking back there were 6 years with 6 albums and since you left it was 13 years and only 4 albums. There must be something missing there
\r\n RossTheBoss: Yeah well I’ve heard that. I guess as you get older it gets harder to create more original music I guess. I don’t know what that is, I don’t know , it’s not hard for me, I write a lot of songs but, it’s hard, I don’t know what it is. All I know is between Joey and I when we were together we were very creative, a lot of good chemistry, like Lennon and McCartney in the beginning the songs just came out naturally and that was the case with Joey and I. How young we were, and how exited and motivated we were with what we were doing. I just thought that, you know in life there’s ying and yang and I think that’s what it was. Joey and I had this thing and it was that way…
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\r\nMetalzone: As if the one completed the other one’s thoughts.
\r\n RossTheBoss: I think so
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\r\nMetalzone: Do you still have this kind of relationship?
\r\n RossTheBoss: With Joey? I don’t think so. I think that’s when things kind of went south… When didn’t have that kind of relationship anymore.
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\r\n Metalzone: That’s why you decided to leave the band?
\r\n RossTheBoss: I think Joey just wanted the hole shows himself, which I had no problem with.
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\r\nMetalzone: It’s kind of strange
\r\n RossTheBoss: That’s just the way things happen, I was in the band for 8 years. It wasn’t like a short period of time.
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\r\nMetalzone: So you feel that the circle is closed?
\r\n RossTheBoss: Sort of closed. It took a while for it to come around again. And it was great to play again. And when you ask him why Ross is out of the band, no one can actually say. I can’t say either. I guess it just comes to a point where…it’s kind of a strange thing.
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\r\n Metalzone: Do you see your self doing something similar other bands are doing nowadays, recruiting to do a world tour with the band or new material?
\r\n RossTheBoss: We did talk about that before doing the show in the beginning. So that is not impossible. Be sure that’s not impossible.
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\r\nMetalzone: How about an album?
\r\n RossTheBoss: An album, wow, that’s a whole other fact. Joey is a very bury guy. He has his record label, he’s got Holly Hell, he’s got a lot of stuff in his plate, many things to do and, for me to come up and write songs like we used to in the past, and it takes a lot. It takes a lot of time and money and effort now. Things were a lot simpler back then. We were all living together, we were younger, and I didn’t have my family, bla bla bla bla…. You know it’s the not the same thing
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\r\nMetalzone: It’s different now you have different priorities.
\r\n RossTheBoss: Sure but I would love to write songs with them again. I would love to write songs with Manowar. You know what this is my philosophy in life. At this part of my life I am so lucky, to be able to write to be able to play with my friends. Now I don’t care who they are. The Dictators, Shakenstreet I played a show in Paris last year at the Olympian Theater. I played with my buddies from Spenatres, I played with JP, I played with Manowar, and I play with the Brain Surgeons. As long as I can play with my friends and make some money, and be happy, I am very grateful for that. That’s the way I feel. I consider Manowar all my brothers, they are all my brothers and I am sure they think of me in the same way, I would just love to play with them.
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\r\nMetalzone: It’s a beautiful way of looking at it
\r\n RossTheBoss: Yeah because you know what, there are musicians now that they get to a point they’re very down you know just depressed, especially American musicians. Because you know the music business is a lot more different in America than it is in Europe. But I don’t feel that. I feel lucky, I keep busy and I keep playing.
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\r\n Metalzone: You are a restless mind and that’s what keeps you going
\r\n RossTheBoss: You know what. As long as there’s a guitar in my hand I am very happy.
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\r\n Metalzone: How do you see the metal scene nowadays?
\r\n RossTheBoss: I gotta tell you something; the scene in America for Heavy Metal, the kind of heavy metal that I like is totally dead. It doesn’t exist. To me it doesn’t exist. When you can’t go out to a club and hear it the metal like that anymore. There’s a band playing, there’s this nu metal in America…
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\r\n Metalzone: Evanescence and so?
\r\n RossTheBoss: There’s this nu metal that is there, that I don’t see it’s not guitar based but I do like some of the new bands
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\r\n Metalzone: Such as
\r\n RossTheBoss: Well, I don’t really remember their name, they’re very big…ahmmm the Armenians. What’s them?
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\r\nMetalzone: Ah you mean System Of A down?
\r\n RossTheBoss: System Of A Down exactly, they are fantastic.
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\r\n Metalzone: I like them too. And I appreciate the fact they promote goals other than their pocket they have this foundation about the Armenians.
\r\n RossTheBoss: I agree. There’s System of a Down there’s a few bands that really get my attention butt you can’t really… Back in the 80s there was always the heavy metal scene everywhere and there is no heavy metal scene now.
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\r\n Metalzone: So you don’t see it going anywhere anytime soon.
\r\n RossTheBoss: No not the way it used to. The music business is just totally fixated on hip hop and r’n’b here in America.
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\r\n Metalzone: I think it’s more in America and less here in Europe cause here hip hop isn’t a rising genre of music, it’s out of our lifestyle. It’s sad that America isn’t a music scene for metal anymore cause it used to be an important one.
\r\n RossTheBoss: It was. There was San Francisco, there was New York, and it was everywhere, Los Angeles… There is just no scene now. And I don’t see it coming around. When old bands come to play they play, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, my recruits play they sold two million tickets. But I don’t see it. The young kinds just don’t listen to it.
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\r\n Metalzone: What do you think are the reasons for the death of the scene?
\r\n RossTheBoss: I think that, it is that they don’t want to listen to the music that their parents like.
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\r\nMetalzone: Interesting point of view. I thought you were going to tell me about the internet.
\r\n RossTheBoss: I could tell you growing up my parents; I would never listen to their music. And I think that has something to do with it. Kids want their own identity. And heavy metal is not appealing to them on a street level. Hip hop, appeals to all these young kids on a street level. That’s the problem. I don’t see I, you pockets of young kids into heavy metal of course but it’s not the mainstream. It was the mainstream in the 80s, and it went along, it went along … Curt Cobain and Nirvana just completely smashed it. I was waiting for someone to do it. Because, things just got out of control. The record labels just got out of control. They kept signing the worst piece of shit and these bands just kept getting more blowded and ridiculous looking, the true metal was good but the labels just kept signing all these shit and…
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\r\nMetalzone: That is common practice for record labels. They see something selling and they exaggerate onto signing more and more and more, focusing on the quantity and the quality just extends.
\r\n RossTheBoss: I totally agree with that. That’s the problem. And that’s the problem in a nutshell.
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\r\nMetalzone: In Europe we have a different point of view because we see other extents of metal rising such as black metal, doom metal, death…
\r\n RossTheBoss: That’s amazing.
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\r\nMetalzone: How do you feel about the mp3 swapping over the internet?
\r\n RossTheBoss: About downloading music? It’s good on one way, but on the other way it takes the control away from the artist.
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\r\nMetalzone: Do you feel it advertises your work?
\r\n RossTheBoss: It is advertisement in a way, but I really liked it better when people were buying records- cds.
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\r\n Metalzone: Yes true but what about the high prices of the cds, especially for young people who don’t have a salary?
\r\n RossTheBoss: I don’t think artist work should be free. I work too hard. It’s too much time and blood into what I do not to get paid for it.
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\r\n Metalzone: What about distributing it through your web site without having the record label in the middle to get the biggest part of the profits?
\r\n RossTheBoss: I have no problem with that. I don’t know it’s just hard to keep control of this. One guy downloads a song and just shares it with 15 other friends.
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\r\n Metalzone: Kind of getting it out of your pocket?
\r\n RossThe Boss: Why don’t I just get a job and work for you? Why don’t I just do that? Why don’t I just take money out of my pocket and give it to you right now? Why don’t I let you rape me right now? Just do it. Turn around just rape me right now! There’s gotta be a better way of doing it. So that the bands could actually make a living out of it. If the band doesn’t make a living out of it the band cannot be a band. And that’s just the way it is. And then we loose our bands. I know a lot of guys that have just given up. A lot of good musicians.
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\r\nMetalzone: What about your plans for the future?
\r\n RossTheBoss: RossTheBoss will be playing until RossTheBoss is dead. I will play until I can’t play anymore. I am playing, making records, with the Brain Surgeons record, the Dictators live record, my instrumental record, I have three records now. Three cds out.
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\r\n Metalzone: Are they out in Europe?
\r\n RossTheBoss: The instrumental is on i-tunes, The Dictators are on Escapy records, and the Brain Surgeons will be out soon. So that’s three cds out.
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\r\n Metalzone: So we’ll be hearing more from you in the near future
\r\n RossTheBoss: I will be in Germany in April
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\r\n Metalzone: Will we be seeing you live in Greece?
\r\n RossTheBoss: Helen, I hope so I really hope so. I’ve never been to Greece.
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\r\n Metalzone: Never?
\r\n RossTheBoss: The Dictators were supposed to go to Greece but it never happened. We went to Italy, went to everywhere else. But I will be there I promise you, I will make my way to Greece one way or another...
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\r\nMetalzone: That will be the best.
\r\n RossTheBoss: Seeing me live is the best way to do it cause let me tell you no one comes close to RossTheBoss!
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\r\nMetalzone: I know you’re the Boss of Metal! Do you want to send a message to your Greek fans?
\r\n RossTheBoss: Keep the faith everybody! Don’t let the media tell you what to do. Do what your heart tells you. Ok? Be strong and keep the faith! \r\n

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\r\nHelen "Blackie" Michailidou
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