If you’re a fan of local music, chances are you’ve met Frank Skalsky. He’s a regular at shows by groups including Remnants of Man, Bridger, Sean and Zander, and Sweat Act. We recently asked Skalsky to endure the Lucky 13; here’s what he had to say.
What was the first concert you attended?
The Cult with Dangerous Toys and Bonham on the Sonic Temple Tour, New Years Eve 1989, Long Beach Sports Arena.
What was the first album you owned?
Devo’s Freedom of Choice. I was in second- or third-grade at the time.
What bands are you listening to right now?
Today, I started by listening to The Wildhearts, Ritual, Vital Remains, Nunslaughter and Gorgoroth. Then tonight, I watched the documentary on the US ’83 concert, so I was digging on Triumph, Judas Priest, Stray Cats, Scorpions, Stevie Nicks, Men At Work, Missing Persons, Quarterflash, Berlin, and even Divinyls and English Beat.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
Genres: Reggae, rap and dance/techno. I also think U2 and Radiohead are the most overrated bands on Earth.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
Current: AC/DC, Aerosmith, P!nk. Defunct: Dismember, David Bowie, Queen, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, and Abba.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
I will sheepishly admit to liking “Bye Bye Bye” by *NSYNC and “Cry Me a River” by Justin Timberlake. But I listen to everything from Napalm Death to Etta James to Otis Redding to Johnny Cash to Abba anyway, so I don’t have a specific “guilty pleasure.” I either like it, or I don’t.
What’s your favorite music venue?
The Hood in Palm Desert, Schmidy’s Tavern in Palm Desert, M15 Concert Bar and Grill in Corona, Whiskey a Go Go in Hollywood, and The Mayan in Los Angeles.
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
“You can eat the corn out of my shit!” from Butt Trumpet’s masterpiece “I’ve Been So Mad Lately,” from Primitive Enema. R.I.P. Bianca “Butthole” Halstead.
What band or artist changed your life? How?
Alice Cooper is my all-time favorite artist, and has been in my life since seeing a preview for The Strange Case of Alice Cooper on The Movie Channel when I was 4 or 5 years old and still living in Montana. Seeing him lick the bottom of his boa constrictor onstage fascinated me, and scared my mother! Then there was his guest spot on The Muppet Show. He was in my conscious growing up, but I was still too young to put his name to the songs, until the 1986 The Nightmare Returns broadcast on Halloween on MTV! Then it all clicked. I credit him for my love of hard rock/heavy metal and horror movies, and his individuality. I’ve seen him 11 times since 1990, and I’ve never been disappointed in his shows.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
Uhhhh … I would ask Alice Cooper what some of his favorite horror movies are, so I can check them out.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
Probably “I Love the Dead” by Alice Cooper, but I don’t want a funeral. I just want to be cremated. If people want to remember me at a memorial, that’s awesome. I’ll be gone, so it doesn’t matter either way.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
That’s a tough one. I’ll go with Alice Cooper’s Love It to Death or Girlschool’s Demolition.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
I don’t know about a particular song, but some bands people should check out include: Girlschool, Galaxy Crusher, Mink Daggers, The Cornfed Project, Danko Jones, Skeletal Remains, Iron Reagan, Municipal Waste, Night Demon, All Hail The Yeti, JennaSyde and the Watchers, Anger as Art, Supersuckers, and The Wildhearts.
Great interview, notes were taken as usual… whenever Frank mentions a band I go look them up. He is our local Guru of all that rocks. He’s a great guy and lives life to its fullest like it’s nobodies business! Also I would mention Frank is the man to ask about local restaurants and cafes. He sure gets around!
His statue we must erect! …I mean, his statue must be erected! …A statue of Frank should be… yeah