Billy Sheehan

From his early days in hard-charging Buffalo-based band Talas, through stadium tours with the likes of David Lee Roth and Mr. Big, to lower-profile gigs with his trio Niacin, Billy Sheehan has managed to combine jaw-dropping chops with an uncompromising musical integrity that has helped him emerge as one of the most influential and highly regarded bassists of his generation. It's no surprise, then, that Sheehan has won countless awards for his instrumental prowess, nabbing accolades such as Guitar Player Magazine's "Best Bassist" designation five times running, earning him a place in the hallowed "Gallery of the Greats" alongside the likes of Paul McCartney, Stanley Clarke and Geddy Lee, among others.

Despite all the glowing press, shout-outs from his peers and the various high-profile gigs he now enjoys, it should be remembered that Sheehan launched his career just like almost every musician we know -- by forming a band with hometown friends and playing a relentless schedule of gigs in bars and clubs. In fact, as a result of their energetic live shows, the Buffalo-based band Talas became something of a cult favorite, winning Sheehan numerous fans and a growing amount of attention within the industry.

In what was a difficult decision, Sheehan left Talas in 1985 after being handpicked by David Lee Roth to help form the nucleus (along with guitarist Steve Vai and drummer Gregg Bissonette) of the band he put together after leaving Van Halen. After two platinum albums, Sheehan left to form Mr. Big, whose song "To Be With You" became a worldwide number one hit -- despite the band's label, Atlantic, hating the album and not wanting to release it.

But while Sheehan wanted to tour constantly, other Mr. Big members weren't so fond of the road, and during a lull in Mr. Big's tour schedule Sheehan formed another band, Niacin, with two much-respected pros: drummer Dennis Chambers (Steely Dan, Stanley Clarke, Parliament/Funkadelic) and keyboardist John Novello (Chick Corea, Andy Summers, John Pattituci). Niacin just released its fifth CD on the Magna Carta label, home to other explosive instrumentalists such as Steve Morse and Andy West. In addition to being part of Niacin, Sheehan also released a solo album, called Compression, on Steve Vai's artist-friendly Favored Nations label, and has toured as part of Vai and Joe Satriani's G3 guitar extravaganza. Recording Compression gave Sheehan a chance to stretch out, writing, singing and playing all guitars -- baritone 12 string, 6 string and bass -- and programming drums on the entire record, except for two tracks that feature Terry Bozzio on drums and a typically amazing Steve Vai solo on the song "Chameleon."

As further evidence of his strong work ethic, in addition to his live and studio work Sheehan regularly conducts bass clinics around the county, has released a series of instructional videos, and works closely with equipment manufacturers such as Yamaha and Ampeg on his signature line of basses and amps. And despite his busy schedule, Sheehan is once again teaming up with Steve Vai for this year's G3 tour, featuring guitarists Vai, Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen.

Given his hectic schedule, it was a bit of a surprise that Sheehan gracefully agreed to sit down with StarPolish editorial director James K. Willcox prior to a Niacin gig at New York's Bottom Line to discuss his start, leapfrogging to the big leagues with Roth, and his experiences dealing with a major label.

To listen to the track "Elbow Grease" from Niacin's CD Time Crunch, click here. Real Player is required.

The Biz

STARPOLISH: To give you a bit of background, StarPolish was created to help educate and develop musical artists, with the idea that many artists are great at creating music, but could use some help learning about the various aspects of being in the music business.

SHEEHAN: That's cool. When I do my bass clinic, half the night turns out to be about "The Business..."

STARPOLISH:Is that a good or bad thing?

SHEEHAN: No, it's good, I like that. When I do my bass clinics, I say, "Any  question you have, not just bass playing -- the music biz,  making a record, and all the thing you got to do... (a waitress comes in) dating the waitresses, all those things that are important.

STARPOLISH:Being nice to the sound guy...

SHEEHAN: All those things. Because when I grew up back in Buffalo, there was a band on every block -- there were 50 bands that played every weekend. And as horrible as it might have been -- and some people might not have dug it, and people were waiting for their break and pissing and moaning about having to play in a bar or play cover songs -- in actual fact it was an amazing training ground. Most everything I later used I learned then. Nowadays there isn't that same opportunity. But I do believe that bands can be resourceful and make their own opportunities. For example, a lot of a lot of times the places we played back then in Buffalo, like the Barrelhead in West Seneca, didn't have a band, and we'd say, "Hey look, we'll set up in the corner, charge a dollar at the door, you let your regular customers in they drink, you still get whatever you get at the bar, but we'll take the dollar at the door...

STARPOLISH: So you played outside the city of Buffalo?

SHEEHAN:  Yeah, we eventually became regional: New York, Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Detroit...

STARPOLISH: Musicians are funny with their definitions of regional -- if you can get there in 10 hours by car, it's regional (laughs)

SHEEHAN: (laughing) Yeah, it's within striking distance of a day. So NYC was considered regional.

STARPOLISH: I remember driving back and forth between Buffalo and New York -- anywhere from 8 to 10 hours, depending on the weather and traffic near New York.

SHEEHAN:  I played a gig in NYC at [legendary Brooklyn club] L'Amour, got out of there at  5:00 in the morning, drove to Boston -- no hotel -- set up, stayed in the club all day, did the show in Boston, got done, and then I drove back to Buffalo. Ten hours -- it was regional (laughs). My point was that we would create gigs, and bands can do that. But bands also have to realize that if you're going to be purely an artiste, selling that is tough -- that's a tough sell. And if you can, without compromising your integrity, play something that people are going to be drawn to, then your chances are much better, of course.

A Tough Business

STARPOLISH: You have a perspective that a lot of people starting out don't -- and you've touched on some of those things -- but it seems to me that the business is much tougher now. I don't know whether it's just that I'm closer to it now than I used to be, but it seems like there's no development, in the sense that you almost have to have a hit with your first album, and if it doesn't do well, you get dropped. Can you give some perspective on what it was like when you were starting out, and of some of the challenges for musicians starting out now?

SHEEHAN: I think the rule still holds true that if you're a good live band and you... if you live by the record deal you die by the record deal. So if you live to make a record and that happens and you don't sell 20 million for each of the next five releases -- which is pretty unlikely -- then you're doomed. But if you depend on your live show, your live performance and what you can do live and what people come to see you for, then you're generally going to be OK. I mean, I played live around the NYC area for a long time. I think a lot of the people who came to see me here tonight came to see me at L'Amour, or any of these little regional clubs around New York City that I used to play all the time. And [they] remember me performing -- not so much as a recording artist, but as a performing artist. So I like to urge players to really develop that aspect. I remember when Van Halen got signed in California -- as the story goes, Warner Bros couldn't not sign them because they were selling out 2,000- and 3,000-seat venues. So they were thinking, "If we don't sign them, someone else will."

STARPOLISH: It's too bad that the motivation for a lot of A&R people is that they don't want to be the guy that didn't sign a Van Halen...

SHEEHAN: (laughing) Exactly! The A&R guys' main job now is to keep their job. That's their job, to keep their job. It doesn't have anything to do with anything else, and they'll be as careful as they can, and tread as lightly as possible and they'll wait for as many other people as possible. And it will be reactive as opposed to proactive. I saw something on a website recently that said that Atlantic can't break a band, and a guy from Atlantic said, "What about P.O.D?" Now I don't know, but I'd be willing to guess that P.O.D. was already breaking out on their own, and Atlantic jumped on the bandwagon.

STARPOLISH: Or with Linkin Park -- they sold enough CDs and had enough people coming to live shows that the labels couldn't ignore them anymore. It's almost that bands -- or indie labels -- have to do the work that used to be done by label A&R guys.

SHEEHAN: There are a lot of actors and actresses in L.A., and that's one reason that I don't have nearly as much respect for them and their business -- no offense -- as I do for musicians, because as a musicians you have to think it out, launch it, write it, arrange it, record it, do the lyrics, do the album cover art, do your PR, book it, sell it, perform it... (laughs) everything. You can't just stand in place and have people give you lines, and get 18 takes until you get it right. There's so much more a musician has to do. But I believe that, personally, it's so much more rewarding. For example, right now I'm doing these shows with Niacin -- not huge places, but generally great crowds everywhere we've gone. And I've done a lot of Internet marketing all on my own. I did a tour of Japan this summer with a Japanese band [B'z], and we only played one show a week. It was a huge band, a big stadium, so you only set the show up once a week -- it was 75 trucks and 300 crew -- so the rest of the time I'd sit in Starbucks with my charged up laptop and answer email. I'd answer a thousand emails, literally, and everybody got put in my address book, and everyone got sent a notice of where I was playing. And each show we've done, at least 15-20 people have come up to me and said they got my email. Initially, Internet marketing was looked at with way greater anticipation than the actual reality, of course and so it's not nearly what we hope it could be. But it is a good start, and anybody can do it, and be creative.

Billy Sheehan

DIY

STARPOLISH: Just think of how much it would cost to send out postcards from Japan. With the Internet, you can do it for almost  free, plus you have the viral nature of emails where a friend sends it to a friend who sends it to a friend. So while people may not have become millionaires using the web for their music, it is an incredible tool.

SHEEHAN: It's a good adjunct to the whole situation. And be sure to keep in mind that you shouldn't put out too little too late. About a month in advance I put my stuff out there to let people know what's going on, and then there's a reminder a week later. And I'm really cool with my newsletter that I send out --I only send it out every three or four months, if that, really only when there's something significant that I want to let people know about, rather than hit them every week. For some other bands it might be different, but I try to make it so that when people get it, it's something special.

STARPOLISH:It's funny, but there have been a couple of bands with way less experience and achievements than you have that have told me, "That's beneath me, that'd not what I do -- I'm a musician."  So they leave it to someone else...

SHEEHAN: I was typing them up myself. I answered 8,000 of them -- they weren't long answers, but I wrote back.

STARPOLISH:Bands don't always recognize how empowering that is.If you think back to when you were a fan, how it incredible would it have been for me, for example, to get an email from Pete Townsend when I was in high school?

SHEEHAN: I know -- and that's a very important point. I look at that point of view many, many times. We did a show last night at the Sedgwick Cultural Center in Philadelphia. We get there -- actually, it wasn't even a gig; there was a stage there, but no lights, no sound, no nothing, and the sound man had to basically create a sound system; it  was pieces in a pile. And there was no dressing room, and it was freezing cold -- there was nothing. And I walked out of the club just to take a walk down the street -- and my blood is LA-thin now, I can't stand the cold -- and this kid walks up and says, "Oh man, you were a huge influence," and I thought, "You know what? He's right, and he's here and he paid his $20, so we have to do a show tonight." So we get up there and it turns out the place was packed -- it was a great crowd, it was super quiet, and we had this little PA -- and the whole night that kid was sitting right in front of me, and I know -- not to be self-serving -- but I know it had to be something special for him. And the few times that I met guys who were important to me I was lucky, cause most of them were good encounters. But I do know sometimes you can get someone on a bad day, or they don't care or whatever, and sometimes you can't always be on, and can't always be Mister Happy, and pleasant and positive, you now, "Hey, how you doing?" Sometimes you have a toothache, or...

STARPOLISH:Or sometimes it's a matter of where you are -- like in a bathroom. You don't really want to be shaking hands with a fan leaving the urinal (laughs).

SHEEHAN: Very true. So anyway, we made it into a gig, and the people who were there dug it, and were happy and stayed after, and we signed everything we could. And that's very, very important. And I'm lucky enough to do what I absolutely love to do -- I really don't have any hobbies that get me really excited. All I do is play. I remember in the days the rock scene magazines would ask, "What are you hobbies?" And I didn't have any!  I play. So I love doing that, and I get paid for it, so what an amazing gig. So for me, there's nothing really below me. The crew guy wasn't here, so I set up my own amp. Or I'll carry it, or I'll always change my own strings. On the Roth tour, that was first time I really had someone change strings for me. And it was kind of cool (laughing), but I actually prefer doing it myself, because it gets me tuned into the bass, and I see what's up. Sometimes the wood changes from night to night, so it gets me into it.

Getting Prepared

STARPOLISH: Is it part of the psychology of the ritual of getting ready? For me, as a writer, I have these little rituals that get me into the head of writing...

SHEEHAN:  Before you actually sit down? Yeah, that's very true. I try and have an hour before the show where it's just me and my bass, and I tune it up and stretch the strings and warm up and I'm in my spot, and sometimes I'll bring some incense in, because it usually smells better than the dressing room than I'm in (laughs). It's pretty cool, because this summer tour I did in Japan, we lived like kings; we wanted for nothing. I mean we had a traveling masseuse, a wardrobe, our chef came with us, and that was amazing. Dennis is doing a tour with Santana, and they have everything; they want for nothing. But still, I go see Dennis play at the Catalina Club in L.A., it's this little place, there are 29 people there, and he pours his  heart and soul into that gig. I know he's not making the same bucks he makes with Santana, and I know there's no catering in the dressing room -- there's probably not even a towel or a bathroom -- but that was inspiring to me when I saw him do it. That's why I'm here.

STARPOLISH: You touched on this earlier -- you've played huge stadium shows with Steve Vai and David Lee Roth, and this is obviously a much smaller thing. Is it hard to shift gears? Do you get used to stadium tours, where that makes it difficult to back and play smaller clubs?

SHEEHAN: Actually, gigs like this are way more high intensity, because people are  right there -- they're an arm's length away. We did the FIFA show with Aerosmith in Yokohama Stadium in Japan, and the band I was with and Aerosmith were the headlining bands. There were 57,000 people and it was like walking out and doing a rehearsal.

STARPOLISH: Because there were so many people?

SHEEHAN: Because there were so many that you couldn't se anyone's face; it was a sea of heads. But gigs like this, or in L.A. or Buffalo, where we've played lately, people are sitting right there and they're watching every move. Last night it was dead quite in between the songs -- there was no music, no bar going on in the  background, and people are sitting eight feet from me and watching every move I make. So it was kind of a high-intensity thing. I like that, though. I know it's so cliché for musicians to say, "I love playing in clubs, oh, I could never play a stadium again" -- because the truth is, "Yes, he does want to play in a stadium again," because it's really a great experience, it's wonderful and the money is incredible. But honestly, I grew up a club player in Buffalo, and that's my most natural element.  It's easier to translate that to a stadium than it is to translate that stadium vibe to a club. I can go nuts onstage and have a riot in a stadium a lot easier than I could do my stadium shtick in a club. I can't do it without eight roadies and 50 racks of gear. So I think that's the difference between the two.

STARPOLISH: I remember doing an interview with Steve Morse, and he said that he knows the first eight rows will be guys who are guitar players who just stare at his hands the whole show. Is it like that for you?

SHEEHAN: Yeah, [there are] a lot of bass players, and drummers with good old Dennis up there. He's the greatest musician I've ever worked with, on any instrument, by far. He's an inspiration to me, and a great guy. So [we get] a lot of bass players and drummers. A lot of musicians come up, and there are a lot of people who are just fans. In L.A. it was packed with girls and stuff, and they were all coming up. I think it's a myth that only guys are into the music thing, and I know a lot of girls who can really tell the difference between what's good and what's bad, and what's right and what's wrong., what's tasteful and what isn't, and that's real refreshing to see. And it's great playing with Dennis and seeing a lot of brothers come out, because I've played for white audiences almost my whole life, and my biggest influences were black musicians. So for me to play in front of brothers, I love that because... it's just my opinion, but it's harder to get over on them, it's harder to fake them out in a lot of ways than it is for the more rock audiences, if you will. Because they're pretty tuned in to a lot of that ethnic background that created what I'm living in. So that's an interesting point.

Jumping to Stardom

STARPOLISH:Let's talk about going from Talas to bigger bands -- and bigger egos. One of  the things that's tough for any band is personnel changes, so I was curious about how tough it was to leave people that you essentially musically grew up, and perhaps having your abilities develop beyond theirs. Was the decision to pursue the opportunities that existed for you  tough?

SHEEHAN: Yeah.  I always said there was no band I'd leave Talas for, except Van Halen. So when Dave called, I said, "Close enough!" (laughs)  Because it was really tough. We had slugged it out forever, and had these little independent record deals, and it was really tough, having known them for so long. It was a big break and it was the chance for me to go, but when I did it was sad. I went back in '97, after 14 years -- and we hadn't really spoken, the original Talas guys -- and we played together in Buffalo and did a reunion show. The mayor even declared a "Talas Reunion Day," and people were scalping tickets for $300 and it was out of control. It was great. And we still to this day -- like when I go back for Christmas and those guys are playing a club -- I'll go and sit in.

STARPOLISH: So Talas still exists?

SHEEHAN: Well, it's not actually Talas, it's two of the guys from the original version.

STARPOLISH:Were there hard feelings at all?

SHEEHAN: At first there were when we split up; there always is. The relationship within a band is very analogous to boyfriend-girlfriend or husband-wife relationships, almost the same thing. People get pissed off at each other, and get jealous and there are all these little things that happen that have nothing to do with your gender, but the relationship is very similar. Just like you know some girl and guy who got along great and then something happened and they've never spoken for 20 years, and never will, that's what happens all the time. It's a drag, but... [in a band,] what's way more important than your ability to play is your ability to get along with others. Every problem I've ever had in any band was because somebody was not conducting themselves in a way that was somehow respectful of someone else, or was not aware that the activities they were doing were harmful to the others. Even the whole drug thing, that's the basis of it, because if someone has a drug thing going on and he's still a reasonable person you can get along with, and he shows up on time and shows respect for you by doing what he needs to do, the band can function.

Manager interrupts so Billy can do a sound check before returning.

SHEEHAN:  I don't know why they do sound checks -- it always sounds completely different when you get back up there (laughs).

Label Lessons

STARPOLISH:Let's move on a popular topic: record labels. You've been on both indies and major labels...

SHEEHAN: I've been on Warner Bros. with David Lee Roth, and Atlantic with Mr. Big. And it's kind of sad because there were some really good people there, people that I like and that were generally my friends, but when it comes to business, it leaves a lot to be desired. At the time, Doug Morris was the president of Atlantic Records and he hated the [Mr. Big] Lean Into It album -- he despised it. There was a screaming, vein-popping yelling match between our management and him as to whether or not he was even going to release it. He hated the record, said there wasn't even on hit on it, that it was a piece of shit, a piece of trash. Finally he said, "OK, I'll release it, but I'll dog it completely. I'll make sure it goes nowhere." So we released it, and "To Be With You" hit. Cut to a year later, we're meeting with him and he says, "The first time I heard it I knew it was going to be a hit." Truth... fact of life.  I wish there was a court somewhere I could testify to the veracity of that.

STARPOLISH: It's cool to print that?

SHEEHAN: Yeah. It doesn't mean that Doug doesn't know anything, and he's not a good record man or doesn't do his job, but it's just typical of the record business. And Mr. Big's manager, Herbie [Herbert], summed it up: "Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan." And we actually had people in the radio department at Atlantic trying to get the record stopped, trying to get stations to stop playing it, because they were trying to get a Phil Collins record added, in direct opposition to us.

STARPOLISH:That's funny, because I don't even see Mr. Big and Phil Collins competing for the same market.

SHEEHAN: It was saddening. Because all the time we spent with all the people at Atlantic Records was always pleasant and nice and fun, and we enjoyed it, and Jason Flom's a great guy, and Doug Morris... when he was there he was there, you know? So it was saddening to see some of the behind-the-scenes things. And I certainly wish them no ill will, and I chalk it all up to experience, but for a young band... it's just like when a guy meets a girl or a girl meets a guy -- sometimes, you'll just say or do anything.

STARPOLISH: So how did it end? Did the band get dropped?

SHEEHAN: The band did get dropped -- finally. We were trying to get dropped in the end and they wouldn't do it. We made so much money for them and for foreign markets they wouldn't let us go. We could have been dropped and on a direct deal made twice as much money, but we were screwed -- they had us. So we finally managed to get dropped by the label, and as the champagne dried up from that party... they literally paid no attention at all. We were on the label, were there and never had a call from any A&R people...  all they did basically was siphon money off the band. That's all they cared about.

Billy Sheehan

STARPOLISH: We hear the same stories from a lot of bands that get signed, where there was one person who championed the band and for whatever reason they're gone and they become just another band signed to a label that doesn't care about them. And there's not much they can do because the label owns the album...and maybe the next two after that one.

SHEEHAN:  Fortunately, during Mr. Big's prime we had a great manager, a guy named. Herbie Herbert, who was Journey's manager, one of the icon founding fathers of the music business, an amazing guy, a really great guy -- I love him dearly. He's out of the business now; he basically retired when the band was coming toward its end years. And management got handed over to a guy who didn't know anything, and that was kind of half the problem too, so I can't blame...  I don't blame Atlantic, or anybody at Atlantic, for anything. In a way, the failure of Mr. Big in the end was due to Mr. Big, because the band wouldn't tour in the U.S.!.  We'd do cushy Japan dates, and then to try and get the lead singer off the couch to do anything else was impossible. Which is the weirdest thing, because now he's out playing in a band, playing all these little clubs for $4 admission, where if he did that when we were together, we'd still have a career. Cause all these bands that are from that era -- and we don't consider ourselves part of that, the Poisons, the Teslas.. Tesla was a good band  -- they're all playing again, and we could be, too. But at the time... I had promoters calling my house, "Please, we want to book your band, we have X amount of money, plus a bus, all your hotels..." you know? And I give him our manager's number, and the new manager calls and goes, "Oh, they're not interested."

So you get wound up in a lot of things like that. And having said all that, I want to qualify that by saying that's just my opinion. I'm sure everyone else I've named has another opinion. Ultimately, every musician has to know that it's all on your own shoulders. You're responsible for your own condition. Your manager screwed you? Well, you hired him. Your car gets hit in a parking lot? Well, you parked it there (laughing), didn't you? If you had parked it over there... but you didn't, and it got hit, didn't it?  So you sometimes have to take that kind of broad responsibility point of view, or otherwise you'll drive yourself crazy. Because otherwise it becomes it'shis fault and his fault and his fault, and I blame him and him and him, and I blame the label and I blame my lead singer... you can't do that. It's a very important thing for bands to understand. Ultimately it's got to be on your shoulders, and so therefore you have to take the bull by the horns and be responsible for what goes on in your life and your career. And know that the decisions that you make are the foundations that you pour, to build what you're going to build. Which is why I'm a big advocate of... I haven't even had an aspirin since 1971, no drugs. I'll have a few beers or a glass of wine, and I have fun -- I have a great time, I'm not a dud by any means -- but when it comes to making decisions about my life and career, I want to be as clear-headed as possible. So I think that's probably saved me hundreds of thousands of dollars...

STARPOLISH: Yeah, probably tons of money -- and a couple of years of your life...

SHEEHAN: Yeah, a couple of decades to my life. And just the general insanity that ensues around you when you when you're out of your mind. It's a hell of a trap. There are so many amazing talents, and we never learn the lesson. You'd think after Hendrix we all would have. I mean, it wasn't like Jimi partied himself into oblivion, it was really an accident, but again looking back to responsibility, who was high? Who took the downs? And it still goes on.

Dealing with Success

STARPOLISH: Perhaps it's just my perception, but it seemed like you were virtually catapulted from a band like Talas into stardom...

SHEEHAN: It was quick!

STARPOLISH: Were you prepared for that? Do you have any words of advice for someone who might be thrust into a similar situation?

SHEEHAN: I went from driving a '77 Pinto that had -- you know that fake spare tire you get from the factory that's supposed to get you to a gas station of you get a flat? I drove on that for two years because I couldn't afford a new one. I went from that bang, right to Hollywood, with paparazzi taking pictures of us walking down the street. So it was a huge jump, and in an instant. But I was prepared for it because one, no drugs, plus I had already played a zillion gigs and I had already been through being a club player and dealing with fans and an audience and club owners and not getting paid, and all the shenanigans. So it was actually a pretty comfortable transition. Although having said that, I will say that I have seen success destroy more people than failure. That's really true. The biggest mistake everyone makes is they think when they do get success, that it's going to last forever, that it's going to keep on getting bigger and better and it's never going stop. And after a while you get surrounded by people who [agree with] everything you say, so after a while you think that everything you think and say is absolutely correct and right, and that it's wisdom. People think that now what you're speaking is wisdom. I know of a specific example of a guy who just got surrounded by too many yes people, and he'd come up with these stupid, idiotic ideas and people kept saying yes to him and his career just went down and down and down, and his career now is just a shadow of its former self.

STARPOLISH:I take it he's a well known guy (laughing)...

SHEEHAN: (Laughing) He's a very well known guy... So success can be a hellacious trap.

STARPOLISH: Was there someone who helped keep you grounded? I mean, is the advice that you try and find someone in your life who will be truthful and help keep you grounded?

SHEEHAN:  That can [work], but oddly enough, on achieving success... the lyrics from Joe Walsh's "Life's Been Good to Me," where he says, "Everybody's so different, I haven't changed?" That's so true!  I got back home to Buffalo after being in Roth and people in bars that I knew, that I went to grammar school with, were trying to pick fights with me. It was the weirdest thing -- and really heartbreaking. It broke my heart, I've got to say. I went back there thinking "Hey, I made it, and you're all my friends, we're all a gang and I'm buying drinks for everybody!" and there was all this hatred and resentment. So it's a tough thing and it can really be an awfully lonely thing, and it's hard to have anybody around you. Even family, people go nuts when they start to see fame. That's a weird little button to push on people. I've seen people snap...

STARPOLISH:And Buffalo's really a working class town, at least when I was there, and it was really hard hit economically -- the steel plant was shutting down, Ford and Chevy weren't hiring...

SHEEHAN: Back then, people were running from the town like crazy. I used to run into people all over the country, and they're from Buffalo but they didn't stay. But that does happen -- I come back, and I'm the same. For example, I'm in a restaurant eating a meal, and someone comes up for an autograph, and I'm like, "Sure -- can I just finish my meal, I'll be done in five minutes?" And they're like, "What an asshole, he's a prick, he's the biggest jerk." So sometimes you just cannot win, no matter what you say. If you sign your name and forget to sign who it's for, no matter what you're going to be an ego-trip jerk asshole... You can't win, so you just put a smile on your face and try and get through it the best you can. I've had to do that a lot, where you kind of just grin and bear it. But going off, or getting pissed off or trying to make an issue of it, is a no-win situation when you're confronted with something that's unfair to you as a person, or in your position if you do have some success. The best advice there is just to roll with it.

STARPOLISH: I think sympathy tends to run thin for people who are successful.

SHEEHAN: Yeah,

STARPOLISH: It's like, "Oh, I feel bad for you -- did someone disrupt your charmed life for an autograph?" And they'll never understand that maybe you just had fight with your girlfriend and need a few minutes over a meal to chill out...

SHEEHAN: And generally, I don't mind. My philosophy is once I leave my door I'm basically fair game. If I'm out and about... if I was bold enough to want my photo in a magazine, and want my picture on a record album to try and sell it, and want to go on radio and MTV to push it, and I go outside and get pissed off because someone comes up to me, then that's my fault. I understand what the game is. But sometimes, when you have a fork full of food halfway to your mouth, you may want to take a second. But most times I'll put the fork down, because I know you can't win in that situation. So if you really have a problem with it, pull a hat down over your head and over your face and put your sunglasses on and go where nobody knows you. That's why L.A. is kind of cool, because I see all these famous people all the time and no one bothers them. I went to a restaurant and sat next to Jimmy Stewart a few years ago, and I was dying to say, "Thank you!" but I decided not to bother the poor old guy -- and god bless him, he's amazing.

STARPOLISH: I think to outsiders, fame seems like a big club, and once you're in you get to hang out with other famous people. But it may go back to what you were saying earlier, that it's more that fame changes those around you, so there's a comfort level hanging with people in a similar position.  But to outsiders it just looks like,  "Oh, now look at him, he's hanging out in L.A. with TV and film stars...

SHEEHAN:  And all these big ego-trippers go clubbing together. And I've seen a lot of guys -- or girls -- that have a significant other that has nothing to do with the business and they're sort of an equal ground, and suddenly [the career of] one of the two goes up and they walk into a room and nobody pays any attention to the other one. Some people can handle it, but for other people it starts to wear on them.

STARPOLISH:I think that's why it's surprising when a star stays with someone who knew them before they made it. I remember reading that Jon Bon Jovi, for example, is married to his high school girlfriend.

SHEEHAN:  Fortunately for him, it was a long route, it didn't happen instantly. And there were a lot of times, like when the whole alternative scene came out, that it looked like we were never going to see those bands again. He survived, Aerosmith survived, a lot of bands did survive it, just like the first time it happened and all those bands -- U2, Sting -- survived the first wave. It's happened a million times before and it'll happen a million times again.

STARPOLISH: But a lot of those bands have had real staying power. Def Leppard played around the corner from our offices, at Irving Plaza, and we went to get tickets and they were sold out.

SHEEHAN: They were rehearsing right next to us in L.A. -- it was the same complex. Man-O-War, a New York band -- I've never actually ever seen them perform -- played in L.A. and the place was packed. Turns out in Europe they're huge, gigantic, still.

STARPOLISH: It's funny, a lot of times I've interviewed older bands and asked what they've been doing, and they're like, "We've been in Europe and Japan, making boatloads of money!"

SHEEHAN: Oh, yeah.  It's kept our unique American music alive.

STARPOLISH: Well, that's been true of blues and jazz for years. I used to spend a fair amount of time in Japan and they absolutely revere American blues and jazz.

SHEEHAN:  We were in Sapporo, way up north, in a little club, and the guys waiting the tables were the band. So they take a break from waiting the tables and go up and play, and started this Doobie Brothers song with a capella four-part harmonies -- they blew the roof off the place. I mean, they played perfectly, had vintage Les Pauls and Strats... amazing.

STARPOLISH: The best Beatles cover band I ever saw was in Japan, in the Roppongi district -- and one of them was a female!

SHEEHAN:  Well, one is at the Beatles bar, what is it called, some Beatle term like Mersey or Liverpool, and the John Lennon guy looks like John Lennon and sounds just like him, and the whole band, if you close your eyes, sounds just like the Beatles in a club. And they all use the original instruments -- Hofner bass, Gretsch guitars, old, old Ludwig drums... In Europe, too, they've kept a lot of things alive -- as America should.

STARPOLISH: That's the real American export: culture.

SHEEHAN: That's true -- both good and bad. There's McDonalds, too (laughs).

Billy Sheehan

For more information about Billy Sheehan, visit his website at www.billysheehan.com. His albums can be found and purchased at www.amazon.com.