You can’t get much more punk than Frank Meyer. His band The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs began playing covers, and later, their original compositions were heavily inspired by the punk giants they loved. Elements of MC5, The Runaways and, of course, the Stooges (whose song “Search and Destroy” features the lyric that inspired the band name) can be heard scattered throughout the bands’ discography, and are all embedded in the lively energy of frontman Meyer. His debut solo album, Living Between the Lines, features all-star collaborations from Cherie Currie (The Runaways), Lisa Kekaula (The Bellrays) and Eddie Spaghetti (The Supersuckers). Meyer, with his solo band, will perform at 8 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 4, at Mojave Gold. For tickets and more information, visit mojavegolddesert.com.
What was the first concert you attended?
My folks took me to see Jimmy Buffett when I was a kid. Apparently when we walked into the concert hall, I said to my mom, “It smells like dad’s office in here.” The next one I went to was the Blues Brothers with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd backed by Booker T. and the M.G.’s! My folks had great taste in music and took my brother and I everywhere.
What was the first album you owned?
The first album I recall owning was The Muppet Movie soundtrack. The first albums I remember buying with my own money were Joan Jett’s I Love Rock ’n Roll and the Go-Go’s Beauty and the Beat.
What bands are you listening to right now?
I’m loving the band I am on tour with, The Strains, out of Detroit. They are a great combination of the MC5 and KISS—really strong songs. I dig the new Tron: Ares soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails a lot, and there’s been a bunch of recent Black Crowes, Rolling Stones and KISS re-issues with tons of bonus tracks that I have been listening to.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
I love older country music, but most of the newer artists sound really cheesy to me. It’s like bad ’90s radio rock meets bad ’80s hair metal, but with pedal steel instead of electric guitar. This wave of hipster mountain music with man-bun dudes in flat cowboy hats with twisty thin moustaches is pretty annoying, too. I’ll take Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton over that stuff any day! But there are some good newer acts, too. I really like Sturgill Simpson, Jesse Dayton and Samantha Fish. They are doin’ it right.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
I would love to have seen the New York Dolls in the early ’70s. I would kill to have seen the MC5 or Stooges in the late ’60s, and I was just a little too young to see the original Van Halen with David Lee Roth in their heyday. I saw them with Hagar; I saw Roth solo, and saw them reunite with Wolfgang … but sadly, I never saw the original lineup.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
You wouldn’t think it based on my punk background, but I actually love a lot of ’80s metal. I am a huge fan of Armored Saint, KIX, Black ’n Blue, Ratt, Def Leppard, Cinderella, Poison and early Mötley Crüe. I think there are a lot of great songs in there, excellent guitar playing, and it was the era of showmanship. I was inspired by that stuff as much as I was by punk bands like Sex Pistols, Dead Boys and FEAR.
What’s your favorite music venue?
Probably the Forum in Los Angeles. I have seen sooooo many amazing shows there over the years. That’s where I saw the Harlem Globetrotters and Ringling Bros. Circus when I was a kid. I saw Prince there on the Purple Rain tour as a teen, Black Sabbath, Neil Young, AC/DC, KISS, WASP, LL Cool J, Heart, Public Enemy, The Roots, Patti Smith, Ice-T and so many more. I even saw Van Halen rehearse there in front of just 200 friends and family when they first reunited with Diamond Dave in 2007!
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
“Mommy’s alright, Daddy’s alright / They just seem a little weird / Surrender, surrender / But don’t give yourself away,” “Surrender,” Cheap Trick.
What band or artist changed your life? How?
Joan Jett changed my life, because she was the first rock ’n’ roll artist I got so passionate about that I went out with my allowance money and bought her album I Love Rock ’n Roll. I was obsessed with it. Then Van Halen changed my life, because Eddie Van Halen inspired me to pick up the guitar and learn to play. Soon enough, at age 12, I was practicing and writing songs. Then I heard Iggy Pop and the Stooges in my early 20s, and those albums gave me a whole new focus. I was blown away by the simplicity and intensity of the music, and Iggy’s performances onstage were so raw and combative. I just loved them, and that took me down a whole new road.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
I would ask Prince what it was like working with Miles Davis. I would love to have been a fly on the wall for those sessions.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
“Goodbye Goodbye” by Oingo Boingo.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Exile on Main St. by the Rolling Stones. It has every style of music I love all on one album: hard rock, rock ’n’ roll, blues, country, folk, gospel and soul. The songs are timeless; the production is very live-sounding; and the performances feel loose and off-the-cuff, yet precise and thought-out. The Stones are the greatest ever. I dig the Beatles, but I have always been a Stones guy.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
Hell, listen to MY latest single, “Blue Radio,” from my album Living Between the Lines. It’s a mix of Cheap Trick hard rock, Amy Winehouse retro pop, and Taylor Swift bounce. I really tried to write the perfect pop song, but in my very own punk rock ’n’ roll style. Come to a show, and tell me what ya think! If you love it, buy me a beer! If you hate it, I’ll buy YOU a beer!
