Interviewed by Brian Rademacher
Date: October 18th, 2005

http://www.bigcockrocks.com/
http://www.myspace.com/bigcockrocks/

David you have had a long successful music career. What was your very first garage band you were in?
The very first band I was in was called Threshold. It was with my little brother, Dan and my friend Martin. We never did find a bass player and played only Kiss songs. I still have some cassette tapes from these sessions.

You recorded only one EP with The Schoolboys called "Singin', Shoutin'" is that right?
That’s right – and it has the first version of “Mean Street Machine” on it which is also on the Big Cock record. It was the first song I ever wrote back in high school. Incidentally, The Schoolboys later changed their name to Icon and had two albums on Capitol records. John Covington and I left to form our own band after The Schoolboys, and soon after, I moved to L.A. to join King Kobra.

These were some of the bands you work with Geronimo, Keel, King Kobra, Liquid Black, Lizzy Borden and Tomcats… did we miss anything?
I think that pretty much sums it up.

Not counting Big Cock what was your favorite band you worked with?
My favorite band, besides Big Cock, was Geronimo! That band was the precursor to Big Cock - fun, heavy and totally party-oriented. Tommy Dean, the singer, is one of my favorite musicians and singers along with being a great friend.

Your music career has been amazing. What was your favorite band that you opened for and why?
King Kobra opened for Kiss on their “Dynasty” tour and those guys were so nice and so professional, I don’t know who could top them. I was a huge Kiss fan growing up, and to share the same stage was like a dream come true. During one show I sang “Lick it Up” with Gene and he was making faces and trying to make me laugh the whole time.

Who was the person you miss working with from the past?
Ever since I moved to L.A. in the mid-eighties, I knew I always wanted to be in a band with John Covington again. He is a great drummer and a true friend and we’ve always shared the dream of doing an album like we just did. Big Cock “Year of the Cock” is the culmination of a lifelong dream and a work of true genius (or a cry for help). You be the judge.

What was your biggest memory from the past?
I remember I once witnessed John Covington eat five Big Macs in one sitting. That makes me nauseous just thinking about it.

The first time you picked up a guitar did you have a dream?
I remember I had two favorite bands when I first started playing guitar – Kiss and Deep Purple. I could play the Kiss songs easy enough, but the Deep Purple songs were always a little out of reach. But that has nothing to do with having a dream. My dream back then was to have two girls at one time.

How did you meet up with Robert Mason?
Robert and I have known each other for years, but were always posturing with each other – you know – the “too cool” guitar player and the “too cool” singer who were “too cool” to talk to each other? Finally, one day I gave in, called Robert and said, “Robert, how do feel about Big Cock?” The rest is history!

Who formed Big Cock?
I wish I could say I thought of Big Cock first, but if you do a search on the Internet, you’ll find millions who have come before me.

Is it true Big Cock was originally a cover band?
We did just two shows a few years ago with some other friends, a singer from L.A. named Bryson Jones and two other buddies Mark Lehman and Steve Smith. After that, Big Cock grew on its own.

Who named the band and how did you come up with the name Big Cock?
The point is this – if you got a CD from someone and the name of the band was Big Cock, would you listen to it? How about if the music on the CD actually lived up to the name? I have to say, the name fits the band and the name fits the music. ‘Nuff said.

What were some of the other names you were deciding on?
John wanted to name the band Speedbag. We also bandied around Stinkeye for about two seconds.

Do you have a hard time with venues putting the name Big Cock on the marquee?
Why would you ask such a question? Big Cock is always hard.

What is your favorite track on the CD “Year of the Cock”?
My favorite song is “Hard to Swallow”. It has such a beautiful melody but such vile, filthy lyrics… and it’s about teenage girls, which have always been very dear to my heart.

Do either you or Robert have other projects in the works?
I think Robert gets the medal for the “hardest working man in show business”. That dude is such a great singer, he is always doing sessions or gigging and he’s in very high demand. In fact, he is now known as Robert Mason, B.M.F.R. (Bad Motherfucker). We’re all pretty busy most of the time.

Do you have material for a follow up CD?
I already have 16 songs written and we’ll be recording our follow up as soon as our schedules allow. I hate to say it, but the second album will probably be better than the first. And I am my own worst critic.

“Year Of The Cock” is truly a great CD that has the music and sound of the 80’s brought up to the modern day. Do you feel that this genre of music is missing in music today and is it making a coming back?
I don’t think it has ever gone away. There are so many new fans along with all the older ones who never left. There are tons of places you can go now to hear all kinds of music that you didn’t have back in the 80’s – the internet has created a whole new medium. And it’s so easy to connect, one-on-one with the fans now, the true music listeners. That’s what playing in a band and writing music is all about anyway - communication.

What is your feeling about the music scene today?
I’ve got my looks, my health, and my guitar-playing fingers – what else does one need? There’s a lot of great music out there, but Big Cock music is the best, of course.

There really are so many great songs on the new CD such as “Take It Off”. Every song has good hooks and melody. Who writes the lyrics?
I wrote most of the songs including the lyrics. Some of the songs are older tunes that have been re-worked and the arrangements tightened and/or new lyrics added. “Mean Street Machine” is an example – that song is 25 years old and from my high school days. I guess you might say I’ve never truly grown up.

How long did the CD take to record?
About a week and a half.

I have read a lot of reviews after our review which you received 4 stars. Just about every review I’ve read says this CD should be platinum. Why didn’t you go with a major label?
The only way any CD goes platinum is if the fans make it so, major label or not. That’s a dare, by the way.

Can you give us some insight on the recording of the CD? What song was the most difficult to record? Did you have any special guests? What was the song that was the most fun to record? Any funny stories? Where was it recorded?
Most of the record was done live in just a few days with minimum takes. We set up in a motorcycle repair warehouse and turned everything up to 11. There were almost no overdubs, so the material practically mixed itself. I subscribe to the David Lee Roth School of Recording – if you can’t do it in two takes, you can’t do it. So, obviously, we couldn’t do anything too difficult.

Will Big Cock play any shows soon on the East Coast?
If the fans want us on the East Coast, that’s where we’ll go.

Are there plans for a video?
I have storyboards for amazing videos for almost all the songs. We’ll see…

Big Cock's official site really does not give any information on the band. Do you consider Myspace your fan base site and how has Myspace helped the band?
The MySpace site was set up first as a portal to introduce the band to the world and has been enormously successful at being able to quickly interact with people. The main site will have more content soon, but MySpace has helped us meet fans from all over the world and we’ll continue our presence there.

Off the subject how do you feel about the current state of the USA?
I am honored and proud to be an American. What other place on Earth could you live where you could start a band called “Big Cock”? And I believe there are millions of people from many other countries and all walks of life who like Big Cock. We just have to bring Big Cock to them.

What do you think of George W. Bush?
I voted for him, he’s our President. Anybody who doesn’t like it can vote for someone else or wait 3 more years.

What are the future plans for Big Cock?
Big Cock isn’t just a band; it’s a way of life. It’s a way of standing up proudly and proclaiming to the whole world – “I like Big Cock”. C’mon everybody, stand up and be heard - you all like Big Cock – it’s time to admit it. Don’t be left out - become a member! Big Cock only wants to make you satisfied.

Well David. Rockeyez would like to thank you for the in-depth interview on your music and career? Would you like to say anything in conclusion?
Brian - thank you for this opportunity. If it wasn’t for people like you – the music listener and music fan, there would be no need for people like me. It is such a privilege to be able to make music and have people listen and make them happy. That’s why we did this record. It’s been a long time since band’s made music for people to roll down their car windows, blare the stereo way too loud and sing the words out loud to songs like “Bad Motherfucker”. Keep listening and we’ll keep playing.

Rock Eyez Review of 'Year of the Cock' by Big Cock.