Deep and ingenious turtles Professor Mark Volman lectures me

THE TURTLES with Flo (short for “The Phlorescent Leech” and who is really Mark Volman) and Eddie (Who is really the leader of the turtles Howard Kaylan) head the Happy Together Tour 2011. Surprisingly, the tour recently celebrated its 25th anniversary and One of the highest grossing tours still remains.

Turtles were one of the most unprecedented bands of the sixties psychedelics. Despite the usual musical entanglements with management and recording executives (White Whale records), the group’s ability to create idealistic music to feel good pacified millions in turbulent times. Turtles have sold more than 60 million records worldwide and remain a pillar in the radio of classic hits. They generated countless Top 40 radio classics. “I’m not my baby”, “happy together”, “she would rather be with me”, “your baby”, “Elenore”, “she is my girl” and “you showed me” are just a few of his continuous success stories at the top of the charts.

After The Turtles was dissolved in 1970, Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan became members of Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention. The stubborn duo went on tour as Flo and Eddie, then became radio stars and continued as session players for legendary artists such as John Lennon, Marc Bolan and T. Rex, Stephen Stills, Keith Moon, Alice Cooper, Bruce Springsteen , Blondie, Duran Duran and The Ramones to name just a few.

At the age of 44, Mark Volman decided to return to school. In 1997, Magna Cum Laude and Valedictorian graduated from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. While on tour and teaching at LMU, he finished his Masters in Fine Arts with an emphasis on film studies and screenwriting. Mark is now Professor Volman and coordinator of the Entertainment Industry Studies program at Belmont University at the Mike Curb School of Entertainment and Music.

The Happy Together Tour 2011 will be unpacking and preparing for an excellent show on July 19 at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. This year’s main tour is -The Turtles with Flo and Eddie. Other legendary artists on the tour are -The Association (“Windy” “Cherish” “Along Comes Mary”), The Grassroots, (“Let & # 39; s Live for Today” “Midnight Confessions”) The Buckinghams (“Kind of to Drag “” Don & # 39; t You Care “” Susan “) and Mark Lindsay, former lead singer of Paul Revere & the Raiders (” Kicks “,” Just Like Me “,” Good Thing “,” Indian Reserve ” “Arizona”).

I was able to speak with Mark Volman and Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere & the Raiders courtesy of Jeff Albright of the Albright Entertainment Group. Here is my interview with Professor Mark Volman of The Turtles / Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention.

Professor Volman, thanks for spending some time with me today. I think it was admirable that you went back to school after a brilliant career in the entertainment world.

“I never imagined that it would end the way he did it. I didn’t have a plan to do it, I think that once I entered the school everyone pointed me in that direction. The University pointed me that direction in terms of realizing the chances of being able to do it because the school was open for that. That really opened the door with that opportunity and at that time, I finished my degree and was contacted by the dean of one of the universities in Los Angeles who said they would really like to I would teach there, but I would have to have a Master. I was really excited to teach there, so I promised to continue with my Masters and with that commitment they allowed me to teach while I went for my Masters. ”

You went back to school when you were around 45 years old, right?

“I think so, because I graduated with my degree in 1997 and I was 50 years old. It took me about four and a half years to finish my degree. And then I did two years of masters.”

You were also Valedictorian class, right?

“That was totally shocking. I was valedictorian in 1997; I graduated on the dean’s list for four years and it was actually Magna Cum Laude, then it was Alpha Sigma Nu, which is the Jesuit equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa, there is only 4% from a class of graduates that does that, so I think we were two in our graduate class, and all of that was a shock to me because I had gone so bad in high school.

Yes, my first years of high school were not a picnic for me either. I was with the long-haired boys, I skipped school and all I cared about was going to rock concerts.

“I was very involved in the surfing part; the boys who were the surfers were the most modern and worried about the school. That’s where I got all my momentum to be a failure.”

It was much better to go back to university because I think I reached maturity in education and it really helped me achieve a lot. And I had a reason, the final result in front of me was significant, and that was a great thing instead of saying that I was going to college to get a degree, I was getting a university degree to be able to teach.

I really didn’t understand the politics of the academy, but once I got into it, it definitely opened my eyes and helped me in the music business because it made me realize that politics in the music business was not really so different. then the policy that was developed in the university. And now that I am in college and the work I have now, I am part of the problem. I am a full president and I run a department instead of being one of the professors who can enter, what I really love to do, which was to come to work, teach and leave. I have many more administrative responsibilities regarding the hiring of teachers and the creation of courses for the specialty for which they have given me this responsibility and that has opened my eyes and has really made me yearn for the days when I can only return to teaching . ”

Many teachers can teach the theory behind the subject or specialty they are teaching, but you actually lived it.

“I have been the turtle manager since the last three decades and the fact that we are on a tour of 30 cities with all these artists, and the fact that we are dating Dweezil Zappa, the fact that we are repacking our music and, year after year, I am living exactly what I am teaching. ”

Do most students know about your story with The Turtles and Frank Zappa?

“Well, the university plays when promoting the university for parents who are considering spending their money. I think part of the base they use is that we are a university that prides us in having people in the place who really are in the business of music, so I’m one of the things they use as part of propaganda, there’s no doubt about that. In fact, they pay me to go to other universities to teach because now people are realizing financially that there is a reason why which Belmont had been so successful We have 1500 students studying a part of the music industry Respect its composition, entertainment or technical industry, the technical aspect with engineering, I think many universities are beginning to realize that they can do it from where they are. ”

Among all his duties as a university professor and management and touring with the turtles, he doesn’t seem to have much free time.

“I think my wife said the other night, that it was the first time in our eleven years of marriage that I had a month off and it really bothered her. It’s much better when I’m on tour. Or at school because I can do the things she does. In these months it’s like I woke up and it went well, what are we doing? ”

What is your opinion about the music business today compared to the 60s?

“He has advanced a lot. I think you and I grew up at a time that is now an outdated system. I don’t think the systems are worse, they are different. I think the phase in which it is much faster, the entertainment system reaches the immediacy and that is what they have today that we did not have, a film that will be released now and in almost three weeks will be available on DVD, then a CD will be available in the film and then in a video game and everything else. I want to say that this is the fantastic part of what the music business is today. I think we have to stop referring to it as the music business and open the scope for the entertainment industry business concept. we can take the semantics of the language of what the music business is doing well. It really is. Music sales are for artists today, the live concert business is booming, I mean Eagles, Lady Gag a … I mean, the biggest tour in the world is still out there attracting people, I mean McCartney is packing houses, U2 is making more than half a billion dollars by the end of this year. So I think the music business has just changed.

All genres are now a very healthy part of television, commercials, movies and video games, I think today is probably bigger and more successful than it has ever been. I think it’s an exciting time for a young entrepreneur as long as he doesn’t just make a record and go out to 14 concerts and see if the album starts doing something good. I think it’s more than … I’m going to enter the entertainment industry as an entrepreneur; Now I have to think about myself in that respect because I can’t count on the big companies to pick me up and make me big. I think that’s the only thing we are seeing is that the demand now is for a young musician, singer or songwriter, performer, tour, show, all those things have to have much more of a plan for it. And I think that is what I am basing my class study on. I want my students to think well beyond the recording art form.

I think a music star is only successful because he lets the people around him succeed and it will become a byproduct of that. ”

The Happy Together Tour was held 25 years ago.

“Song by song, value in dollars of entertainment, is probably one of the best tours to see. They are about three hours of recognizable hit songs performed by the voices that recorded them. And the key is that # 39; s by people who they still enjoy doing it. And it’s a low-priced ticket compared to everything else. And if you’re a music fan of that particular era, this is where you get your money’s worth. And there are many memories that come loose. ” .

Ringo Starr and his band All Starr are only in their eleventh year; Do you think Ringo had the idea of ​​his tour of you?

“Of course he did. That was not his idea, it was not even our idea. I mean, that was the idea of ​​Dick Clark. Those tour packages, the reason they are great is that they hit you a lot. For your money And even then you take the tour we have and compare it with Ringo … I think our price tour is a better tour.

Howard and I, when we put Happy Together, we wanted to have a show that had an artist that just appeared, came and acted with energy and vitality because they cared to be there. ”

The Turtles was one of my favorite bands, you were Americans and dressed like us, but they were much more great. And so many top hits from the top 40 on my favorite station: the WPGC Good Guys radio. My favorite Turtles song was “She’s My Girl.”

“We were like any other high school band. We didn’t look like a superstar; we didn’t have a cover of 16 magazines, I think what we had at the bottom of it was that we were on such a small label that had positive elements and Negative elements The negative elements were that we did not have the promotions and financial power to compete against the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.The Buckingham were in CBS, Mark Lindsay was in Columbia and CBS, The Grass Roots were in ABC Dunhill. they were in White Whale. I think the benefit of the little record was that our records were not made by studio musicians. So the positive was because we had no money that the record company couldn’t ‘# 39; We didn’t allow ourselves to do anything more than record our own record. So we played on all the albums that came to the radio. There is no Hal Blaine, there is no Larry Knechtel, there is none of that. “Tommy Tedesco, to You give those famous people who have books written about him because they played on all records. I mean, The Grassroots is the same band that made Byrds records and those records were made by the same guys that made Beach Boys records. We didn’t have that luxury, I think because of that there is an endearing quality for The Turtles. Probably like The Beatles, that endearing quality is that we play the music that became our signature.

Entrepreneurship was not taught in universities when we emerged. We had to understand that entrepreneurship with The Turtles separated and became singers with Frank (Frank Zappa), then came out and became Flo & Eddie, and worked with music for children like Strawberry Shortcake and wrote commercials for record companies and He became a disc jockey. # 39; s. Howard and I became exactly what you and I were talking about. We write comedy on NBC, we create music for Strawberry Shortcake, we work for Miss Universe productions and we write for the radio. It was a unique experience, but without that experience in the recording business we might not have had the career we had. ”

Have you written your memories, plans to write a book?

“Howard and I are doing exactly what you imagine and that is that each of us is writing a book. I think Howard’s book will be a little more traditional, since it will be something revealing about the history of turtles. I think my Philosophy in the book I am working on is about a former middle-aged rock and roll star who decides to go to college at age 44 and why, from a high school grade point average of 1.9 to the best student class at the age of 50. I think it’s a very unique story that I want to tell. ”

And your parents have to see you do that, right?

“My parents saw me graduate in May 1997 and then my mother died in July and my father died in November. So they saw their dream of seeing at least one child in college.”

I am fascinated by the relationship that you and Howard have maintained all these years. It is surprising that they have stayed together, that they have worked as a company, as a team, and that is really hard to do.

“And I think the third part of that is that I really think we are still very good friends. But I think it has a lot to do with putting our lives in a place where our tour, our ownership of our recordings, our reissue of our songs, and the success we had online and the fact that we own our music has given us a perspective that many artists don’t get. We can license a song and actually benefit from the reissue and the fact that it is online when someone downloads our music, in fact we get it, we are the record company. ”

You really demanded some hip hop acts for playing your music, right? (De La Soul)

“I think there is a difference of opinion when it comes to property, but I don’t think that is limited to hip hop artists. I think there are many people who have no education about what illegal downloading and intellectual property is. My opinion in this regard, we, as an educational system, do not teach that and because young people download and do not understand who is undermining, I think it is improved but I think the problems have worsened, the problems are not just with music now; the problem is now with books, movies, television and the reproduction of many things. I think the problem is that there are many threats about illegal downloads, but we don’t really do anything about it. ”

How was the transformation of the successful commercially commercial Top40 airplay turtles to the experimental progressive / jazz rock fusion of Frank Zappa Mothers of Invention?

“I think there is a kind of two answers there. All the success factors we had with The Turtles, I think that didn’t make a change as big as you can imagine. Frank was so big; I mean he was such an enigmatic individual and He was a genius in good faith. I think there are probably three geniuses of our life in rock and roll and I must say that Frank because of his unique genre, there has never been anyone like him, before him or after him.

As for the creative part, I think we probably grew more as singers and performers than we knew we were capable. In The Turtles we were always a good pop band, we sang great music on stage, we had a great show, but I think when it came to the era of Frank Zappa, the part of the show – we learned more about the theater parts of our abilities in terms of improvisation on stage, the elements that took place on stage combining the visual and auditory parts of our show. We did some music that we sang in other languages, there was a tremendous test in terms of integrity and how much we could contribute to this. Frank really gave us a lot of space, it was just Frank Zappa, it was something like Frank said to join me to do this and we all really contributed what we did and that was a really interesting band. I mean there were George Duke and Ian Underwood, Aynsley Dunbar; Donnie Preston I mean it was a very unique group of individuals gathered. ”

Professor Volman, I could talk to you all day, you are a fascinating man and I am amazed at all your incredible achievements in life so far. Thank you very much for spending the afternoon with me today and I hope to meet with you personally on July 19 at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater for the Happy Together 2011 tour.

“Ray, it’s been a pleasure, I’ll see you at the show.”

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Contact Ray Shasho at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com

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