May 2004 ARCHIVE: May Q&A With Debbi! March 2004 It's been almost two years since Return Posters had an opportunity to ask Debbi some questions, and it looks like they've been storing them up the whole time! From who's on her "celebs to make out with list" (Jude Law, Johnny Depp, Mel Gibson, Paul McCartney in "Help", Keanu Reeves...) to Bitchen Summer, being a Rock Mum, and everything in between, here's what Debbi had to say! Belljargurl: your drumming is wicked piss-ah. i really love the rim shots and the drums on 'stealing rosemary' and well pretty much everything ya play.. i was curious to know what does your full drum set up consist of ?? do you have a preference when recording?? i know that it's by gretsch but was just curious ... keep rocking debbi... thanks again for stopping by and take care Debbi: Thanks for your support! It's cool you have such a great interest in drums! Well, I've got a five-piece Gretsch drumset- black sparkle, I've got 2 rack toms, 1 floor tom and a 22" kick drum. I use a maple DW snare and have 3 Zildjian cymbals-two crashes and a ride. I also use Zildjian "rock" hi-hats. I prefer to use my drumset for recording, but like to experiment with different snares in the studio, depending on the song. NaNaGirl: What kind of snare is that?? It looks like a Craviotto, but I can't tell - Calacci doesn't even know, cause I asked him. LOVE the sound! - luv u girl! Debbi: Well, I play a DW maple snare that I'm quite fond of, but I'm always open to trying out different snares - especially in the studio. Righteousbabe47: I've noticed you play DW kits sometimes and Gretsch kits sometimes. Which do you prefer and why? Debbi: Yes, that's true, I do play both DW and Gretsch sets live (and on TV). I prefer to use my own Gretsch set as often as I can, but sometimes (depending on the circumstances) I can't, so I usually rent a DW or a Yamaha. Some venues may not have Gretsch to rent. publius1787: Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions! I was wondering what influence, if any, the Progressive Rock drummers of the 1970's had on you? Carl Palmer, Bill Bruford, and Neil Peart all come to mind of course. Thanks again and keep on rocking! Debbi: Actually, I have to admit I wasn't much influenced by progressive rock drummers. I suppose when I started out drumming in the '70's, I was in a bit of a '60's time warp and kinda missed out on '70's progressive rock. I can appreciate some of it now, though. Window: My question is about 'Bitchen Summer'. Did you play drums and bass on that track and what was the inspiration for it? Debbi: Wow! 'Bitchen Summer'! That really is a blast from the past. If memory serves, (and I checked with Vicki on this!) that one came about originally from a piece of music Susanna and David Roback had called 'Speedway'. Vicki and I heard it, thought it was groovy and revamped it into 'Bitchen Summer'. I played drums on it and Vicki played bass. We recorded it with our brother, Dave. Yes he was co-producer/engineer on that one! Window: Also I met a guy the other night named Spy who is a production manager and somehow the Bangles came up in the conversation. He spoke very fondly of having pints down at the pub with you and Steve. Rock on, and come to Australia one day! Debbi: I know Spy! Spy Matthews, right? How's that ol' geezer doing? Steve and I knew him when he lived in LA. If you see him again, send him our regards. I really want to go to Australia someday. Hopefully we will! mrLizard: I had the wonderful opportunity to see the Bangles several times in 2003 (and loved every minute of it!) and one thing with which I am consistently impressed is how easily you and Michael lock into the groove together. When you are working out new material, do you and Michael ever have to sit down and chart things out, or does the groove come instinctively? When you lay down tracks in the studio, do you and Michael record at the same time, or do you lay down the drums and have her record over that separately? Debbi: Well, actually, I never chart things out (on drums anyway)! Usually I come up with a feel depending on the song and the rhythm of the vocals and chord changes. When we learn the song acoustically, I'll come up with ideas in my head and I'll execute them either in rehearsal or the studio. We usually record the rhythm tracks together in the studio, then Michael will overdub the bass tracks sometimes. Eydugstr: Thanks very much for taking your time to answer our questions! Thanks for all the great music over the years! My question is this - When the 'Watching the Sky' drum track was being created, did you use some of John Bonham's stuff as an inspiration? Would love to hear any of your stories or thoughts when the song was being recorded in the studio. Debbi: Well, it's been SO long since we recorded the EVERYTHING album, that I'm afraid I'm a bit fuzzy about some of the recording process of it! However, I do remember enjoying playing 'Watching the Sky'. I remember that the drums sounded so huge and Bonham-esque in my headphones! I suppose the spirit of John was with me the day I laid that track down. His drumming was so awesome that he truly was an inspiration. florence m: I'd like to know if you ever had an unexpected and rare moment on stage. Like you and the other girls felt that there was something special during a show or just even during the way one song was performed. And has it ever happened that the band improvised more than usual? Thanks a lot and looking forward too seeing you again on stage soon in France or in Europe. Take care, Florence from Provence. Debbi: I think we all at one time or another feel something special on stage, especially when we're really playing well and the audience is really into it and connecting with us. It's so exciting! It really is the best high.. I've never really improvised much on stage (although it sounds like it sometimes!). I like to know exactly what I'm doing and I like to be well rehearsed. That pretty much goes for the other girls too. We feel more comfortable that way. Sometimes we'll throw out an old song that we haven't rehearsed much and I guess you can consider that improvising! Jem: Hello and thank you for this opportunity. I liked to hear some sort of behind the scenes information, like any funny or special moment what has happened in studio or in concert. Debbi: There was a fun background vocal episode we had (actually there are quite a few, but here's one) when we were recording 'Mixed Messages' off of the DOLL REVOLUTION album. It was the last song we were putting backing vocals on. It was late, we were tired, but couldn't stop giggling. We came up with these hilarious Carpenters-style vocals! We could barely sing them, we were laughing so hard! Higheraims: My question for you is: When you play live, and audience members dance out of time or sing out of tune, does it ever throw YOU off? Debbi: Well, sometimes when I look out in the audience and see someone dancing or clapping out of time, I have to look away! But most times it doesn't get to me. Chickibabe: I just wanted to say I love you and all the Bangles. My question for u is what made you want to be in a band and why your sister's band? I am not saying you made a bad choice being in her band because you two are the most amazing pair of sisters I have ever seen or heard and I love you both I have one other question do you and Vicki ever fight? Debbi: Well, actually, there was a great opportunity for me with Vicki's "band" of friends in high school. They needed a female drummer and I needed to be in a band! I didn't necessarily want to play drums (I wanted to play guitar or bass, actually), but their bass player, Amanda, suggested auditioning me. I'd never played before and faked it well enough to get in! It definitely wasn't a bad choice and I'm glad I had the opportunity when I did. Yes, Vicki and I fight like any other siblings, but we respect each other and give each other space when we need it. The Usual Suspect: I would love to know about the genesis of 'Let It Go'. It's very dear to me, and partly because it's the only Bangles song that you all co-wrote. Who started it? How did it snowball into becoming a joint composition? And do you know that you had a potential #1 hit single with that one? Debbi: You know what? That one's dear to me too. It was the only song we all wrote and it was the only one at that time that felt truly Bangle to me. I think we all just got in a room together and played guitars and sang out melodies and threw out lyrical ideas. It was unusual to get us all together at the same time to write, so it's pretty special. Man, I WISH it had gone #1!!!! I am very impressed by your compositions on DOLL REVOLUTION. They show a lot of growth from you as a songwriter, and also as a vocalist. Of all your own compositions on the album, which one is your favorite, and why? I'm glad you liked the songs I wrote on DOLL REVOLUTION! I'm proud of them all, but 'Ask Me No Questions' is pretty dear to me. I did the song with Kindred Spirit and to do it again with the Bangles was thrilling. I love the Beatle-esque chord changes and harmonies on that one. My 4 year-old daughter keeps repeating that she wants to learn to play the drum - and believe me, you're partly responsible for that, because she's a huge Bangles fan and talks all the time about "the blonde girl who plays the drums". How old do you actually have to be in order to learn to play the drums? Do you have to change your drumset very often (given the fact that children grow so fast)? That's SO cute your 4 year-old wants to play drums! You can be any age to start. I started at 15. I suppose you can change your drumset according to size (although a lot of grown-up drummers play kid's sets now!), but also to taste. Good luck to her! Thanks a lot, and one final thought: MONTREAL WANTS YOU !!!!! Thanks and I hope we'll come back to Montreal soon! It's been a while. fait99: Do you think you might work up any new covers for shows in the future? Or even resurrect oldies, i.e. '7&7 is', 'Where Were You When I Needed You'... Debbie: We've been talking about reviving some oldies like '7&7 is' and 'Where Were You'. We might even play some of our really old stuff! Who would your dream songwriting collaborator be (if you could choose anyone living/dead)? I'd love to write with any Beatle, of course! Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, oh there's so many! Any memories/thoughts/insights on your contributions to the Alisa single 'I Wanna Be a Prostitute'? I've heard this & think it's wicked punky fun and wonder what you recall or think about it now? Maybe I'm losing my marbles (Alzheimer's...), but I can't even remember anything about the Alisa single.. Perhaps you can refresh my memory! Dee Dee Datsun: Many of the songs on EVERYTHING were somewhat down-beat, e.g. 'Crash And Burn', and 'Bell Jar'. Do you think that was a reflection in some way of how you all felt about your situation as a band at that time - that you needed a break, for example -or was it entirely a coincidence? Debbi: I think it was both a coincidence and a reflection of the times. A lot of people have said that the live Bangles experience is far harder and better than on record, or that the Bangles' records after AOTP don't really reflect the fact that you are a rock band. Would you agree? Yes, I always thought we rocked more live than on record. I think DIFFERENT LIGHT, for the most part, had a weaker sound than our live performances. For some reason we could never quite catch the raw energy we have live on record. Would you [the band] ever consider doing a concept album of any sort, and what do you think of "progressive rock" as a genre? We might consider some sort of "concept album" in the future, you never know! Meny: My question is pretty simple: which new artists/albums have you been listening to lately? Debbi: I like the recent Coldplay record, David Bowie's newest, some of Outcast's stuff, and Norah Jones. I still go back and listen to XTC and Beatles and REM. And there are some fans who are DYING to see the Bangles live in Quebec, Canada. Gerrygerry:Is Brian following in his mother's footsteps as a mega-Beatles fan? My son is the only one in his circle of friends who LOVES The Fab Four! SGT. PEPPER is in permanent heavy rotation in his boombox, and he's watched YELLOW SUBMARINE even more times than me! It's reassuring that some of the younger folk know just how much The Beatles mean to a lot of us! Debbi: Brian LOVES the Beatles! In fact he loves all kinds of music! He really likes YELLOW SUBMARINE too. I'm glad our sons have such great taste in music.. franca284: Ok my question for the lovely Ms. Peterson is: do you still have time to watch TV ? If so, what kind of movies do you like ? *scary voice* What's your favorite scary movie? Debbie: Well actually, I don't have a lot of time for TV! (It's busy work being a rock Mum!!) When I do, I like BBC America (comedy, drama), The Discovery Channel, and of course Nickelodeon!! (thanks, Brian!) As far as scary movies go, I like Jaws and Alien. I'm not too keen on the old "Friday the 13th Part 2 Million" movies! Tampiyoko: I noticed you wore a necklace in the shape of Buddha when you played in the video 'Something That You Said' and at Japan tour. I was so surprised!! What kind (how shape) do you like an accessory? Debbi: Yes I did wear a little Buddha necklace in the video and on tour! It's one of my favourite pieces. I like all shape accessories, but not too big. Sylnia: I have seen on several interviews that often Susanna and Vicki answer a lot to the speaker, and you stay (with Michael) more "quiet" than them. Is it because A) You are a bit more shy than them? B) You have decided together who will answer to the questions? C) You all play the game "The first one who answer first get more points, and won't pay for the next drink"? D) You need more time to find the answer and your mind is bug before get it? E) The speaker has a polecat breath?... Sophie from France Debbi: Hi Sophie! Well, I tend to be a bit more quiet than the others, 'coz I am a bit shy. But when I have something to say, I'll say it! The other girls are quite articulate and can express many of the same thoughts I have in a much shorter time. Muppetprince: Hey Debbi, I was just wondering...Which musician/s, living or dead would you like to work with if you had the chance? Debbie: I'd love to work with Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, George Harrison, Sheryl Crow, Gwen Stefani, Jimi Hendrix, the list goes on!! If you were stuck on a desert island, which bangle would you choose to keep you company? Probably my sister (what a surprise!). Thanks Everyone!! See You Soon