Batttttty goes for a spin with
Kelly Keeling

Kelly Keeling wrote and sang the lyrics on the MSG album 'The Unforgiven'.
He has also worked with Barry Sparks, John Norum, Alice Cooper and others, as well as writing movie-soundtracks.

I hitched a ride in his jag and got him talking about life, the universe, and everything.

Kelly is a very interesting in-depth kinda fella - nice motor, too!

Read on....

Hi Kelly. Most of us in SITN will know you from your work with Michael Schenker. You have always said that contrary to many reports, he wasn't difficult to work with - and you do seem to understand him on a level that many of the people who've worked with him couldn't reach. Why do you think that is?

Your work with Baton Rouge and Heaven and Earth etc is well-documented on your website and in previous interviews, and I'll come to your solo album in a bit, but first of all I want to get a bit of background on the sort of music that makes you go 'ooooooooh!'. You were heavily influenced by the tunes of the Beatles. What is it about Beatles tunes that gets to you? First of all it was Beethoven, The Emperor Symphony # 5 moves me most. McCartney has a lot of the same sympathetic melodies that bring me solace. I'm pretty wound up at times, and songs like Golden Slumbers, Two Of Us, with those bea-u-u-u-utiful harmonies really soothe me - as do Dig A Pony and We Can Work It Out. Lennon was the Heavy in Beethoven I identified with, McCartney's sympathetic melodies reminded me of the softer songs I liked of Beethoven that spoke to my heart and lured me to rest. 'There will be an answer, Let It Be'. There is so much in all the songs that they did. I believe they were very special and served a purpose in history. I saw McCartney on this last tour. The billions of people for so many years that this man has made so happy is immeasurable. Can you explain why you love? You just do, or you don't. I understand love and I feel the same vibe from many melodies I hear. I think some very special songs are a transference of actual SPIRIT, spiritual energy actually brought into our physical tangible universe, done with melodies and words - when one can actually describe the emotion with melody. Not just any melodies will work. When one can transfer his/her exact emotion felt in a time of deep communion with God, I believe these are the songs that move me. Whether they realize it or not that this is what they are doing. I believe McCartney has that special gift to allow people to go there, where he was, and experience the timeless energy. Whether they believe or not. Shows us a glimpse of home. I know it's deep but, it's how I see it. Yes - I can relate to that, totally.

How does your love of jazz-style music (Al di Meola etc) tie in with your love of Beatles music - it seems such a different taste, in that Beatles tunes are basically so 'simple' and jazz is so damn busy, complicated, incomprehensible, and just plain weird, hahaha. Well.. when I was in bands when I was younger, this is what everyone was playing, and I embraced it because it was so new. I loved the solos di Meola did and I was a guitarist so I thought I could learn from him. I liked the idea of playing these songs with my band which we did, which inspired similar original songs. I also liked Holdsworth a lot. So many great bands and artists.

Have you listened to any of the Cosmosquad stuff that Barry Sparks and Shane Gaalaas play on, along with Jeff Kollman? As a connoisseur of jazz, how do you rate that? I love that band. I had hoped to work with them for my album. And I was actually thinking today about taking Shane up on his suggestion to do so. Amazing band, great ideas.

What was it like working with Barry and Shane on the MSG tour? All pro. Not much time for fun & games. They were doing the Vinnie Moore set as well...those guys are so amazing. They certainly are!

And you also worked with Barry on the Dokken sessions Yes - again, he came in, did his part, very quickly as a pro, Very nice guy. Easy to work with, plays all the right parts. No games. No games????? Are we talking about the same Barry? Barry SPARKS? Blimey...

When you were very young you had a keen interest in learning to play the piano. Is this your instrument of choice when you're composing?
I don't use any instrument when I'm composing usually. I don't wanna give the game too much away, but I usually hear the melody and lyric and just start writing. And If I remember it, I'll then sing it into a hand held tape deck, and then, start tuning the guitar until an open tuning of some sort works with the counter melody needed for vocal accompaniment. I think the music should be as interesting without the vocal. So once the melody is established, I record it so Idon't forget it while arranging a new melodic music track, adding new melodies, longer ones so as not to step on the main focus, the vocal. I did this on a song called Believe on my new album. Very similar is the song There Was A Time on the newest Dokken album.

Do you listen to any of your songs and feel a very strong classical influence there which maybe you weren't aware of when you wrote them? As I just said, Believe has it, Dogs Of War has it. Morning Song from my new album - pretty much all the songs on my new album - Peace With The World has it. Sunlight Needs The day, Feel... Dramatic classical on the song SNAKE part 2. Listen to the Guitar Zeus albums, many classical movements, transfered to an odd deep tuning. The music in the intro and verses of Little Girl has that as well. We had to eventually add an orchestra to the track. That one couldn't be overlooked or done only on guitars. I'm glad Don sprung for that. He heard the vision as well.

Tell us some funny stories about those fellas - I'm sure you have plenty! Nahhh... we'll save that for the book - or the Enquirer. Hmmm.... ok....

What were your favourite songs to sing on the Unforgiven album? And which were your favourite to sing live? And why? I really enjoyed TOWER. It was magical. I had no idea what I would do with that song until the end of the recording session. Michael gave it to me as you hear it. Without melodies or lyrics. A lot of space to fill... It was in the morning where I would write the song and melodies to the music.

I have a bag of poetry, writings, diaries, etc in one bag. I call it my bag of tricks. I had writing from my time in Sweden. The Swedish people are very proud of their heritage and Viking history - and of how they actually discovered America first. This is where the story came from, from being exposed to the Vikings in Sweden. Yngwie used to talk about it as well. And Norum, although he's Norwegian. I always thought it was Christopher Columbus, as we were taught in school... Do some research... The song Tower says a lot of this history. I like the melodies etc... that is one that kind of threw itself on the page. I also like Rude Awakening. This was inspired from a letter I had actually written to someone that I was working with in Sweden during the tour I did there. I changed a bit to make it fit. Fat City is a good live song. I think the recording/mix is too dry though. Turning Off The Emotion is good. Hello Angel may be my favorite though.. another Sweden experience song, Gottenburg. Great memories, and some heavy ones as well. On & On was my favorite to sing live, and Fat City. Wish we had done Angels or Rude Awakening....

How did you put the songs together for The Unforgiven album? Were the songs pretty much recorded as written, or did they evolve a lot in the studio?I know studio time was short and the album was put together in record time! Sometimes we had to edit , but mostly I was given the music - as with Van Halen, many guitarists are educated enough to write formula style, where you have, intro, verse, pre chorus, chorus, repeat, bridge... solo, chorus.. this is pretty much how it happened.

Did Michael suggest 'themes' for the tunes he'd written or did he leave it up to you to decide the subject-matter of the tunes? Themes were my bag, diaries. moods, letters, experiences.

What about writing with Don, on the Long Way Home album? How straightforward was that? It took a little while to figure out what was really going on and what he needed from me. He came over and gave me some ideas. He had cds of ideas, and we jammed a bit with acoustic guitars and recorded some of it. I remember it was really inspiring. He left me a chorus which was of Little Girl, I demo-ed it that night after he left. That came pretty quickly. Don is another one who has a reputation for being difficult to work with - but again, you seem to have the right temperament for working with him. I think if people really know where I'm coming from, from the start, there are no games and no dishonesty. I try to cultivate the spark of God we all have by paying attention to it and nurturing it. It's very difficult with all the sensory distraction, But we found another common interest and that was God having much to do with the music switch turning on or off dependant on how close we were to Him. Did you and Don work as a team on the LWH lyrics? YES, He is a great lyricist at times. Much of his best stuff I feel is on paper, without song. If I have something unfinished he sometimes sees it clearly without any restriction - the obvious that had eluded me.

I know there was a lot of post-production that went on with LWH after the tracks were recorded. Was that frustrating for you, and how much input did you have into the final outcome? It was immmmensely frustrating. I had input until the mixer made it clear he didn't want any input. Then I left. I know how it sounded from the rough mixes and from being there when the tracks were being recorded. I listen to those mixes when I want to hear the album for my own enjoyment.

Did you feel you were under-credited on LWH? Did you feel you could/should have been part of the touring band? I didn't want to be part of the touring band. I came in to help make Dokken happen again. We got on radio and they headlined arenas. Whether I had something to do with that may be in question but, when I hear "Little Girl" or "Sunless Days" on radio, or have people call or mail that they hear them, I sort of feel like, 'mission accomplished'. And as for me being credited for playing guitar on a few songs and singing on almost all the songs would have made the band look unstable. So I think it's fine. It was my suggestion to not have me as background vocalist. Barry did a fine job on what he did. Don will get credit on my album though. It's a solo album. It's different to expose good guests. It's not the band. Don is the singer in Dokken. It's hard for me to accompany without sounding too identifiable. I do think the harmonies should have been louder in the mix though. As in There Was A time, the low harmony is the loudest vocal in the chorus. The melody should lead or be almost the same volume, as with Lennon & McCartney, or the Stones or Aerosmith. The melody is the notes I was singing, almost inaudible on the album. There is no such thing as right and wrong in music and delivery in balance. Clearly.

What lyricists do you admire most? Bono, my Dad, Bernie Taupin, McCartney, Phil Lynott, Lennon, Harrison, Dokken. Sykes can be pretty good as well, Kerry Livgren is a genius. Jeff Buckley, Scott Weiland, Dylan. What singers? Jeff Buckley, Darren Hayes, Terence Trent d'Arby, Doug Pinnick, Steve Walsh, Lennon, McCartney, Gillan, Hughes, Zander, David Clayton-Thomas, Plant, Bono, Edgar Winter, Jerry LAcroix, my Dad, the guy from Radiohead is really good, also I like the singer for Coldplay, don't know his name. Tyler is amazing - there's so many.

Is there anyone you'd like to work with, both as a singer, musician and songwriter? McCartney, Elton John, David Foster, Trevor Horn.

You worked with Alice Cooper - tell us all about that! There has got to be some good tales from working with that crazy fella - give us all the dirt. No dirt. Hmm... I think I'm losing my technique, hahaha. OK then, you've worked with some amazing guitarists - as well as John Norum and Michael Schenker, you've also worked with John Sykes etc. Who has been your favourite to work with - on a musical level, and also on a personal/social level - and is there anyone else would you really like to work with? I think it must be John Sykes. We were great friends while I was in the band, when I left it got sour but while I was there for nearly two years it was really good. Great songwriter. Inspiring. I'm happy with my band now.

Tell us *ALL* about your new solo album. How did it come together, and what was your inspiration for the songs? Tell us everything about it in such a way that we can't possibly resist clicking onto your website and each buying 10 copies of it! Oh, ok then - make that 20 copies each! When I was offered a solo album deal or whatever I wanted it to be, my commitment to myself was that I had to like it. That was incredibly difficult.
And still is. I am remixing some of the songs now. Way past due date. But it is getting close. I worked with some great players. Kerry Livgren from Kansas participated, Don Dokken, Carmine Appice, Vinnie Appice, Shane Gaalaas, John Perrine, Mitch Perry. I really like these songs. I chose from around 100 and had my friends, bandmates, family, associations choose these songs along with me. So I may be on to something. It's a good album. I am already looking towards the next one though. My new band has raised the bar. Jimmy Lewis from a band called Superunloader has joined for the touring band, and is really inspiring. Great voice, guitarist, songwriter. It helps to have someone around whose music you really enjoy. It helps to trust their opinion towards your own. Oh - and it was recorded in a hen house and you can hear hens clucking throughout the whole album. Ok .... so I derailed for a second.... No.... no hens .... Hahahahah. How dare you forgettink your notes! Ziss is gonna cost you your fingker! (For anyone who doesn't know what we're on about - watch 'The Making Of The Unforgiven' video!)

You're pretty internet-savvy, and get involved by being active on messageboards etc., and your own website is kept up-to-date. Antoinette Avalon and my Manager Sandy Serge are responsible for that. They are on the ball and don't let me rest. Do you feel the internet is being used as efficiently as it could be for promoting music? I think it's great. I love KAZAA. What are your views on all this 'free downloading' etc?.. Haha! I did't see that coming -I love it! Everyone should have DSL.

If money were no object what would you really like to do with your life? What I am doing now, just about a few miles closer to the beach, farm, a few kids running around, a nice girl I could relate to, some animals, touring with my band, spreading a message of hope, peace , love, happiness, faith, rock & roll, fun, offering an example of a better way to be once I find how to express it and find it. I'd like to help a few organizations that I know need help, less fortunate people here in AMERICA for a change, help save the children here as well, support music organizations in neighborhoods, outside of school, offer another way of schooling the masses besides exposure to so many corrupt offensive behaviors, opinions and disfunction which is spreading like wildfire. Better get yourself into that Superman costume darlin!

OK then - where would you like to live? Where I live now, but closer to the beach. I live about 10 minutes from the beach now ... or HAWAII.

Do your religious beliefs and spiritual values play a big part in making choices as to what steps you take? Yes they do.

Are you 'content'? YES. Are you 'happy'? Not right now, But generally yes. It seems I have too much to do today. What's the difference between 'content' and 'happy'? (I've asked a couple of other spiritually-focussed people that question and didn't get the answer I expected - I'd love to hear your explanation!). They are just words that have many many deep meanings. Some people don't understand what happiness is. Many experiences and company, and associations make me happy. Innocent very young children understand happiness, before they learn fear, separation, anger, bad animalistic behavior. We are meant to overcome and not embrace so many behaviors that are encouraged... Unfortunately some children are not allowed to play or experience happiness when they are young, which makes it hard to explain to them, if they haven't experienced true happiness. We need to be able to connect with those memories to compare present states of mind. Or elevate our conciousness,... knowing we are spirits having human experiences. Immediate sense-gratification although pleasurable is not deep true happiness. We are balancing and combatting animal and spirit within ourselves. We can be more like spirits and less animalistic which clearly when experienced causes immeasurable happiness. True happiness can happen when one is connected with the inner self, who can overcome pain or anything, because true self is not the physical body or even the name you were given as a child. Closeness with God brings me happiness. Seperation from God eventually brings me unbearable misery. Having been both places, I understand it as a supernatural state and experience that can only be understood if experienced. Solitude sometimes can be the place to find happiness, because it's there one can be still enough and not distracted enough to listen to one's heart and get in touch with emotions.
I am content when I know I am connected to the supernatural supreme overseer creator of the heavens, earth, me, you, the air we breathe. God is my guide. When I let him steer I am content. I don't worry. When I am separated from him I worry and get confused and seek happiness in immediate sense-gratification which will in most cases lead to misery.
If anybody cares to know how I found my answer, breathe the air, meditate, have a talk with our lawyer, Jesus Christ. You'll find contentment and happiness and then be able to connect with God. He will listen and respond in ways you understand. You will then be able to surrender all worries and troubles. Experience wonders and miracles that were non-existent before. I know many people who haven't experienced what I'm talking about will think it's all a crock - as I doubted as well. I'm not ashamed to expose how it worked for me. I tried talking with our lawyer, and it worked.. After that I feel I have a direct line with God, a communication. I focus on staying close to inner self. Look for God and you will find lasting happiness. Blimey, I bet you and Michael Schenker had some interesting conversations! Would love to have been a fly on the wall at those!

After the solo album, what are your plans career-wise? To do many more albums, tour, improve, play music, have fun, surf, paint. I would like to produce a few albums with some really good engineers with no budget restrictions. Do a few more movie soundtracks, write a few scores for screenplays, theater, orchestral themes. Life-wise? To be happy, and shine the light.

I'll second that! Thanks very much for all your wisdom, and for taking the time to share it with us. Good luck with the solo album and also with the gigs you have coming up soon. Love ya!

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