Exclusive interview - Tommy Asakawa
Hey Tommy, it's truly an honor to talk with you and I really appreciate you taking the time to share your remembrances.
Q: Your name came up many times in conversation the few years I knew Robbin. How did you two become friends?
A: I had recently been playing with Stephen Pearcy & was looking for a gig - Robbin's band Metropolis were regulars playing the La Jolla/Beach circuit & I'd heard they were looking to expand the lineup with another guitarist. The band was awesome & I wanted a shot, so I contacted Robb. Before we ever played together, Robb had bonded with my mother & there was an incredible chemistry between us. Something strange happened the evening I 1st met Robb: a longtime neighbor that lived across the street from me died of a heroin overdose- my mom, Robb & I watched the police & ambulance take away the body as we quietly cracked jokes to break the tension. From that 1st night, we would be linked eternally.
Q: You & Robbin were close? Did you guys hang out a lot?
A: EVERY DAY, if Robb's call didn't wake me, my first act was to call him, even prior to my morning constitutional. We plotted everyday, in the AM hours, then attacked the rest of the day with gusto.... My world & life is defined by this period.
Q: You were in some very early bands with Robbin in the late '70's. Can you tell me about some of those projects? Who else was involved?
A: My 1st band was Buster Cherry (Mickey Ratt) with Stephen Pearcy & Chris Hager (Rough Cutt), that band eventually evolved into Ratt. My second band was Metropolis with Robbin & Parramore McCarty. The groups that followed: Xcalibur, Phenomenon, Secret Service, Mac Meda, etc. were mostly permutations of the same core group of players. There’s many that don't know what they want in life, and our bands would often be a waypoint in that quest - most whom stayed with it, you know of. Here's a few Great SD players that rotated in & out of our world: Jason Scheff, Todd Howarth, Daryl Kinney, Randy Flores, Billy Lincoln, Corky, Clifford Schuchart, Steve Fernandes, Tommy Schlessinger, Lewis Goldsmith, Ronny & Rusty Jones, Tom Costa, Tom Beebe, Blooper, Andy Greenberg, Steve Senaci, Leroy Vega, Mike Suter, Mike Wright, Jon Gambino, Rob Klima, Paul Lasker, Wade Smith, Mike Lewis, Dave Thumb, Greg Gardiner-Smith, Rico, John Turner.
After we did all we thought possible in the SD Rock scene, me, Robbin, Stephen Pearcy & Chris Hager migrated to LA to seek our fortunes. Also in that group was Jake E. Lee, amongst others – Parramore McCarty & Craig Goldie would soon join us. Pearcy had lived in LA & had roots there, we didn’t go in blind. (there’s a screenplay here)
Q: What was the San Diego Music scene like back the late ‘70’s? Was there a rivalry among bands/players or did you guys all hang together?
A: There was vicious rivalry in SD back then, however, there was a very civil way we interacted with one other, not unlike old-school republicans & democrats. The only real conflicts that occurred at a gig would be between the audience members, unless an audience member assaulted one of the band members, or audibly complained of the quality of music, then all bets were off. Back then, Jake E. Lee was a serious rival from cross town – we never spoke then & there was pretty serious tension. After we got to LA, I discovered what a wonderful human Jake was and have loved him dearly since.
Q: Any Metropolis anecdotes to share?
A: Metropolis was the La Jolla High School official rock band – there was this cute little guy that would hang by the stage and watch us like a CIA agent: it was lil' Warren De Martini!
Q: I'm sure there were a few gigs that stand out as memorable or special...do tell!!
A: I'll never forget Robbin & I playing a full-house Uptown Hall gig in SD and a fight broke out that was directly out of the movies: fists & chairs flying, people being tossed down stairwells, screaming woman, blood everywhere, but the band played on-- Watching each other watch the chaos ensue, Robb & I never laughed so hard whilst strumming guitars! Another standout moment: Metropolis had this gig on the beach in La Jolla with multi kegs of free beer – it was out of control and one of the best days of my life.
Metropolis at Windansea Beach, La Jolla, California
Bill Lourden, then Robin Trower’s drummer, sat in and we played a medley of Trower tunes - it was INCREDIBLE! Robb played the holy shit out of Trower songs, as he was well known for. We were so busy then, that night we played the Catamaran in Pacific Beach! I still remember the acute pain in my brain from those two gigs…
Q: In the mid '70's Hard Rock music had kind of stagnated and not much was going on. You guys in San Diego and a lot of the LA rock players paved the way for the next big explosion in the ‘80's. How did you see it?
A: The atmosphere for Rock/Metal in those days tended to be rare, as it was pre-Van Halen (more on him later) - we were caught between the disco era and a strong punk movement which we had a very healthy respect for. At the pinnacle of my days playing with Secret Service (me, Robb & Parramore McCarty) - we'd pay the Del Mar Fairgrounds and regularly attract a crowd of 3000+. For a group of wayward knuckle-heads on acid, that wasn't too bad.
Q: Sounds interesting! Can you Describe a typical day for you guys back then?
A: I would head up Mt. Soledad (La Jolla) to Robb's pad, pick him up & over Muirlands to Rob Klima's, where we'd ritually smoke a joint then make our way to Paul Laskers; there we rehearsed. Paul's pad is up the mountain with this panoramic view of La Jolla, beyond downtown San Diego. We'd walk through Paul's foyer to his bedroom but not before crossing the Rubicon: Paul's mom, Carolyn- she's a gifted pianist and has her string ensemble rehearsing in the living-room we pass daily...stoned. There I learned my social graces. We'd quietly rehearse our parts in Paul's bedroom, then move to the garage where we'd proceed to tear the place an asshole with pure volume. Parramore would come later in rehearsals as he lived further away. Concerto in C minor adjacent to Judas Priest Jr. on LSD – go figure….
Q: So it sounds like you were really soaking up all kinds of influences !
A: I cannot say enough about the deep cultural exposure I received during this period - it would shape the rest of my life.
Q: When you learned that Robbin had passed...what were your feelings? Did you talk about it with others from the old SD gang that knew him?
A: I didn't do enough, I let him down, I could've made a difference, I let myself down. I did speak with many of our close friends including Harry & Joanne Crosby. It seemed so out of our hands, we were all swept up in a storm of pain and emotion, so far beyond any natural grieving process.
Q: In retrospect what are your thoughts? Did anything positive come from it?
A: I didn't know it until after Robb died, how much love there was between us all. His death changed
us & it served as a vehicle to bring old friends back together, and bring new friends together...like you & me.
Q: When RATT exploded in 1983-84 I bet the old San Diego gang were proud that finally someone had broken through.RATT kind of blazed the trail for a virtual flood of San Diego musicians that were soon after to make their mark in the music biz. Would you agree?
A: Absolutely, Curt – we were floating with anticipation as there were at least 3 bands comprised of mostly SD players that did the migration to LA together, in record contract contention simultaneously. We were excited for the Ratt guys as well as Rough Cutt that went on to Warner Bros. & Warrior’s MCA & Virgin Records deals. This was all in the shadow of Jake getting the Ozzy gig. It was all happening…
Q: When RATT would roll through Los Angeles or San Diego on tour, I’d lay odds that there were some massive parties & lots of good memories!! Anything stand out in your mind?
A: Laughing at my childhood pals holding court with throngs of beautiful women. I was overwhelmed with emotion seeing Robbin & Stephen so happy & content with their hard-earned success.
Q: You went on to some success yourself in the music industry with Parramore McCarty and the rest of Warrior. What was that like and do you feel you accomplished what you set out to do in the early days?
A: Regarding success & music, I felt successful back in the day with Secret Service. However, if musical success is measured by monetary gain, I'm still running in the red...but I'm not finished, either.
Q: Did anything change for you after you left San Diego to pursue your music career?
A: Everything changed, but my solid foundation built in San Diego with the likes of Robbinson Crosby and all my incredible friends, is my continual inspiration....
Q: The music biz is a tough business and it's hard sometimes for bands to juggle the creative and commercial commitment sides. How was it from your perspective?
A: I was disappointed with the business side of music from the moment I was engaged contractually; greed backed by the law, sprinkled with a dash of ignorance, is a potent combo.
Q: Warrior was an amazing band and speaking from my own point of view as a teenager back then, you guys had an extremely bright future…you had the hooks, the looks and the talent to break big. What happened after your debut album? You guys seemed to disappear.
A: The Warrior experience was incredible, however there were many factors to its demise; somewhere somehow Joe Floyd decided Warrior was all about him, at that point I decided he can have it. We lost the band vision early on and didn’t retain the stay-with-it attitude when Metal went away in the 90’s. Warrior was just not to be, as told in our song "Only the Strong Survive".
Q: You have gone on to a very successful career in the entertainment business. Did experiences in the early days back in San Diego help you on your career path?
A: To be sure, my music background has served well as I never left, simply adjusted. I moved into the television & film world, integrating my musicality to enhance my visual skills- I've edited & produced for MTV, VH1, NBC, Fox & more. Check out the following links for a list of my works: imdb and myspace
Q: Tommy, Again thank you. Is there anything we didn’t cover that you’d like to add?
A: Soon after I started playing in Metropolis. Robb would often say to me "Your Pearcy friend is too fuckin’ cool!" Stephen & Robbin soon became the tightest of friends. Stephen had lived in LA prior to his SD days & was very aware of the LA Rock scene. One night Stephen, Robb & I went to LA to scout our future. I remember hanging out in a trailer in the back of Decker's house (Robb's brother-in-law) in Santa Monica reading local Rock rags to find a band to hear. Some band named Van Halen was playing the Whiskey - off we went into the night. Do I have to tell you that Edward & company ripped our faces off? We were so fucking star-struck it was nauseating - we hung out after the gig & met Edward. This guy was a prince!
We went on trading gear & hanging with Ed, supporting Van Halen in anyway we could - the boys must have thought we had some kind of cool style; Dave & Ed came to SD one day and Robb & I took them shopping for shoes & threads. The shoes Dave & Ed wore on the cover of the 1st Van Halen album were the ones we bought shopping that day.
Van Halen set a standard for us, a model for us to build our own structure upon - we watched closely, hung tight and took copious notes.
The VH Bonus Track was that in SD we became Rock prophets: nobody, but nobody knew Van Halen, and here was Steve, Robb & I, swearing on our lives that VH would rule the planet to anyone in SD who would listen.
When VH took the planet over - our SD reputations went triple-platinum -- people thought we had a direct line to God....
We did.....