The Torben Enevoldsen Interview

Eddie Van Halen long has been considered a guitar god by young musicians seeking to reach the first step on the ladder that leads to fame and fortune. To a youngster in Copenhagen, Denmark, Van Halen's work compared favorablywith other such winners as Tony Iommi and Richie Blackmore.

Torben Enevoldsen began working in earnest toward a music career ten years ago after listening to another hard rocker, Yngwie Malmsteen. Enevoldsen experimented with a four-track tape recorder, a drum machine, and a bass.

Gradually he was able to mold a style of his own.The magic fingers of Enevoldsen have brought about a second album, "Heavy Persuasion," released a few days ago on the Lion Music Co. label. The new set, recorded last May, also features bassist Flemming Hansen and drummer Mickey Hurricane, contains a solid array of ten tunes, all composed by Enevoldsen.

The result is a stinging salute to hard rock, without vocals (a plus, in my opinion) and bound to appeal to hard-core rockers the world over. EmployingÝe-mail, I recently asked Enevoldsen a number of questions.What follows are his answers, exactly as they showed up on my computer a few days ago.... More


AMERICAN DREAMS:

Billy Boy, Black & Blue

It's still small, but in 1978, the central Ohio town where Billy lived was even smaller. Then, as now, people in rural communities watch out for one another. All the regular cops liked Billy and were aware of his situation. When the weather turned nasty, the graveyard shiftguys would let him ride with them. He could stay warm and sleep through the night on the backseat of their cruiser.

However, just before midnight in early November, two rookies - new to the beat - arrested him for curfew violation. He was just hanging out - sitting on the same bench as in this picture taken the summer before.

Because he couldn't produce any ID or tell them where he lived, an observer said that one officer held him while the other cuffed him. They threw him in the squad car and then drove him to the County Jail where he was placed in general lock-up.

Note: Until the early 1980's, before changes were made to Ohio's juvenile justice code, youthful offenders were housed in the same facility as adult inmates - some think they should be still - supporters of this policy call it "Tough Love."

As soon as Billy was taken into custody, the on-duty officer told meÝlater, he asked that I be called. But, according to the dispatcher's log and my silent telephone, they didn't make that call until 4:27 a.m.

When I arrived at the jail it was 5:10 a.m. and Billy was already dead. ...More


MEMOIRS OF THE INFORMATION AGE:

Becoming in the Third Wave

The bodies are lying everywhere these days.Either that or lots of dot.com people are pitching their experience in the cyberverse to other companies looking for hungry talent.What I find saddest is that the Lowest Common Denominators are surviving the shake-out ---- for the time being anyway --- and pretending that they LIKE being known as the scumbags of the new environment.

But if you look at market valuations around the planet, it's becoming obvious that too many losers are still standing.So let's look at what the new "Next Phase" of the Information Economy will be about...ship with a pig's nose? I do not know.

Food is a funny thing.

Right up there in that rarefied area where the hautest of gourmet things reside,ÝI guess the test of the ultimate gourmunch is for it to come from the most dubious of backgrounds.

(Did you have a mental picture of a French guy with a big nose just there --- I did).

It was only when a moderator intervened and invited final two-minute statements that I recognised I had accidentally come across the second of the Presidential Candidate debates. Dawn brought news of local severe flooding and there were no trains to London. ..KEVIN CAREY, "RAIN" More

MY GLASS HOUSE:This might be considered a week without consequence in the larger scheme of things.I have been focusing on the Marketing & Promotions side of The World's Magazine.On changing servers, an administrative chore.

I leave Manhattan, suddenly there's a Subway (World) Series (of Baseball.) Go figure!

By Dumb-Luck I've been looking at a prospective sticker campaign in New York City, London and San Francisco, thanks to the volunteer efforts of my pal Chris at bla-bla.com.AND there will soon be G21 t-shirts, mousepads, coffee mugs.What did Frank Zappa say, "Strictly commercial?"Oy gevalt!

The Writer, meanwhile, has slipped onto the back-burner again as the Webslinger takes precedence.It's an on-going struggle...ROD AMIS "Trick or Treat!"More

POWERSSOUND:I love the way his publicity firm writes about him. "No, you've never heard of James Michael until now. And yet he's about to make your day."

Sure, I thought as I unwrapped the first release by Michael, a Michigan native who grew up in London before moving California.

In this album, "Inhale" (Beyond Music) Michael demonstrates that he's listened carefully to the icons of rock, then went into the studio and created some great music.

Today's music scene, pop/rock category especially, has been stagnant for years. Today's favorites aim their music straight at the middle and high school masses, the young people who for the most part wouldn't recognize good music if it ran over them.

James Michael, I'm happy to state, goes against the grain in coming up with a tasty and heartfelt group of tunes which proudly can be called rock. His voice, gravelly around the edges, can be categorized in the general area of Tom Petty, a breakthrough musician who influenced Michael years ago. ... BOB POWERS "Rock Me, James Michael!"More

RDR 10.25.00: REPRINT: RADIO RAHEEM wrote for us back in March, 1998, about the glories of "Dat Ass."

RDR 10.23.00: RON DIENER -- in serious rant mode --- looks at the United States Presidential election with despair."The Hardest Days"

RDR 10.20.00: KEVIN CAREY on how oil prices changed British Prime Minister Tony Blair's prospects."Perfidious Albion!"

LOOKING FOR A PREVIOUS "RDR" Essay? Visit our complete ARCHIVES.

VOX POPULI:From Tim L. (No City Provided,) WA, USA:

Greetings!

I just read the bios of your team. Very impressive and eclectic bunch of fine folk with great diversity. All this makes for excellent reading and background. I plan to send Rod an e-mail with some query ideas as I have international background and know how to type. Again, great site, very exciting to see & read intelligent material of value.