TALE OF THE FOX
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1st off I'd like to thank everyone for all the letters last month the good & bad (only 2) It's refreshing to be corrected by my fellow ASYLUM readers. I felt as I hit the send button on my e-mail I was signing my death warrant for all the observations I made about the Argentina show. Much to my surprise 300+ letters rolled in and as I stated all of them but 2 were in full agreement with me. It seems KISS fans all over are tired of the same set list, outfits etc. You spoke in volumes some of which I'll share with you in the next Video Spotlight due to the fact this one belongs to someone very special and near & dear to my heart...Eric Carr He deserves the full Spotlight on him with no KISS shadow behind him.
This Spotlight is a review of the new home video documentary of his life entitled "Tale of the Fox." Make no mistake this is neither a KISS video, nor a music video but documentary of Eric's life. Something I feel and all Eric's fans felt should have been documented for the world to see. So one and all grab on to Eric's tail and lets take a journey with many of his friends through this incredible man's life.
Eric Carr as you all know was the driving force behind KISS for 11 years 1980-91 when he died sadly after a bout with cancer in a New York hospital. All of Eric's fans had thought he'd done the impossible and beat his cancer and unfortunately for the world we lost a wonderful human being, role model, and THE BEST KISS DRUMMER hands down!! For those of you who haven't ordered this video or Eric's "Rockology" CD, which I'll be doing a review of shortly what are you waiting for!!
You can get the CD at www.kissshop.com and order the "Tale of the Fox" video by calling 1-800-435-6185. Also there is a new commemorative plaque at the KISS Shop as well which is beautiful and a must have as well. Don't forget that like all Eric's projects recently a portion will be donated to Eric's charity as well so not only can you get these great things of Eric's but you can help a cause that was very near and dear to his heart KIDS!!
Now on to the video.....
This video is a touching tribute & long overdue to Eric. It's 80 minutes in length with a bunch of never before seen photos, video footage from The Carr family, Bruce Kulick's, & Carrie Stevens' archives.
The video itself opens up with the promo video seen here on KISS ASYLUM simply stating His Life, His Music, His Tale with massive cannon-like drumbeats and footage from Tokyo 88, personal home footage & lastly USA Nightflight from 1983 filling out the intro clip. This is a great teaser to whet the appetite of what the video encompasses.
"Tale of the Fox" opens it's story with tons of great photos from many different eras & sources. There are just so many things to talk about so I hope I don't miss anything so I'll give it my best.
1st up on the interview slate is Mr. & Mrs. Caravello telling us how Eric got his first drum set. I was lead to believe he bought his 1st set for $75.00 a Japanese brand called Zigmar. As the video rolls forward Eric's dad corrects me as well as all the fans that believed that story. The story is Mr. C. one day in Brooklyn noticed a music store was about to move locations so being the quick thinker and I'm sure also because of Eric's persistence to obtain a set of drums, asked the owner of the store if he & his son helped them move for no fee if he's give Eric a set of drums.The owner of course said yes and Eric now had taken the 1st step to seal his fate as one of rock & roll's greatest drummers. The great thing about this video is already from the first 5 minutes you feel like you are sitting in the living room with Eric's parents on a Sunday afternoon as they share all these stories of Eric's childhood along with an array of photos that are just simply amazing. As the story continues we're treated to a rare gemä Eric very first drum solo from 1967 from the Colony House in Brooklyn where the Cellerman used to play as the house band. Mr.C also shares a funny story about Eric being confronted by the bar owner about his age the picture shown as Mr. C. tells this story is very fitting kind like a squinting wise guy look and very characteristic of Eric. He was a fox even at a young age able to dodge the owner and play at the club by "stretching the truth a bit."
Most fans only know about the Dodge Dart Eric drove to his audition (the one with the oil splashing up on the windshield) but that wasn't his first car. His father once again stepped into a situation, which would be highly impossible in this day and age. Mr. C. had bumped into a guy who was selling 2 vans. He asked about the price since Eric was old enough to drive and needed a way to get around with his drums and his band and the van seemed logical enough. The guy had told him $350.00 and Mr. C. thought no way would Eric be able to afford that so he asked about the other van the guy was selling. He explained to Eric's dad that he wanted $350.00 for both of them and to quote the video Mr. C. said "It was an offer you can't refuse" and he didn't. A funny side not is Eric¼s dad didn't believe he could save up that kind of money to get the van and in all actuality Eric paid for both vans and told his father to keep one for his mom & himself. These early signs show how giving he really was and how appreciative he was of his father doing all the leg work to get him such a great deal on a van for the Cellerman to get around in.
Moving forward we enter the 70's and discover Eric had a very scary portion of his life. He was a drummer in disco bands. (I'll wait till all of you are revived after passing out in shock). He joined up with a group Mrs. C. explains; went through various names. Some of their names were Creation, Mother Nature, Father Time & Salt & Pepper (Which I feel best fit the band since there it was made up of both African American's and Caucasian's) We are given an opportunity to hear another unreleased track called "Stranger" and to my surprise being a die-hard heavy metal fan actually enjoyed the clip mainly since it showed Eric's ability to play all types of music. As some of the photos are shown accompanying the music I found myself laughing like a hyena at the different hair styles and looks Eric took on in those days. Eric's hair was always a big discussion through his tenure in KISS and this will definitely spark up more talk between fans. I personally think in one of the pictures he could've played with The Commodores due to the Afro he had. He would¼ve easily fit in perfectly with them.
Next up is a truly scary story about the fire at a club called Gulliver's, which Eric was lucky to survive He was playing there when smoke started to filter in from an establishment from next door. Luckily the sound advice Mr. C. gave Eric & being a drummer myself I will use from this day on. He told Eric always have a wet towel by your drums and make sure you scout out and know where all the exits are in the places you play. That advice saved Eric's and Serita's life. She was the female singer in the band for those who didn't know. Tragically some of Eric's bandmates lost their lives in this fire. Obviously Eric was devastated as one would figure. Eric appeared on a talk show on CBS called "Sunday's" and here's the kicker Eric's dad taped it on 8mm off the TV and we are giving a treat of seeing the earliest known footage of Eric. The only unfortunate thing is the footage is a little warped due to a flood Eric's parents had at the home but still you can see clearly what he was going thru as he tried to relate the story to the reporter on the show. (The is no audio track on this footage but his face speaks volumes of how he was feeling) Bruce Kulick makes his first appearance in the video and tells how he had a disco band himself and being from New York had heard about the fire that coincidentally enough had one of his future bandmates in the club. Eric's mom continues the story of how he picked up the pieces and moved on joining other bands one being a 3-piece rock cover band called "Flasher" It was in this band as the video says "fate stepped in" and an acquaintance of Eric's told him KISS was looking for a new drummer and auditions were being held. Eric at first thought the person was full of it and told him so but this person stated it was true and the next day brought Eric the clipping from the paper. Eric not one to miss an opportunity called KISS's office listed on the back of the Unmasked album and found out what to do to audition.
Bill Aucoin steps in to fill us in on how the meetings & auditions went with Eric. Bill explained that you just couldn't help but like Eric immediately from his character & spunk he showed.
Bob Kulick also appears here for the first time and tell how the band would kid around when they got pictures of applicants that wanted to join the band and remembers Paul asking him what he thought to which Bob said sarcastically "He's got long hair! Can he play drums?" Bill further states that the autograph story we all know and his personality was a huge decision maker in Eric getting the job besides the obvious fact he could bash the drums and sing with the best of them.
Bob also recalls how Paul had told him "that they actually were going to give it a shot with this guy and see what happens." Bob also makes a mention that only on records never in photos or in concert were any members replaced so this was truly a first and Eric showed KISS that a member could be replaced and in this case replaced and accepted with open arms all over the world.
At this point we venture into into the KISS years it again is sprinkled with more photos of him in a candid nature as well as shots taken with and by you the fans. Adam Mitchell, one of the co-writers of the Rockheads & many KISS songs over the years appears throughout this video as well. Some highlights of Adam's are hearing Adam recalling his first meeting with Eric. Eric asked him while the recording of Creatures of the Night was progressing what he thought he should do. Being that Adam also was an established musician with many hits & bands under his belt, Eric felt he should ask a fellow musician's opinion to which Adam simply said, "Just be amazing" something he said Eric never let him forget as long as he lived. Adam also had another funny story, one you can almost visualize. One day Paul, Adam & Eric went ice-skating and since Eric didn't skate he simply watched Paul & Adam skate but as other notables passed by started doing a running commentary as people passed by. It got to the point where Adam & Paul just stopped skating and went and sat with Eric and laughed as he did this commentary. Another high note here is some never before seen backstage footage from the Hot in the Shade era. It truly show Eric how we all remember him a goofball with the biggest fucking hair in rock & roll & I mean that with all the kindness & love in the world. The standouts here are him shoeing his chicken dinner and showing the "cool things" you find backstage at a KISS concert. I don't know about you but I always wondered what went on & was all was backstage and low and behold Eric reveals us the BIG surprise of BRUCE KULICK'S WATER WHOA!!
That in my opinion has got to be one of the funniest things I've seen ever. Eric also shows us his headband, sneakers and the difference of hair dryers & their different wattages. Mr. Science at work here folks.
We also get to see the potty mouth rock star side of Eric as he applies some lip gloss to his lips he asks Mary the backstage makeup/ hairdresser if he could suck her nipples to prove how well the lip gloss protect the delicate skin of the boobs. He also at this point show us other things used backstage and in rock and roll like clips to hold hair extensions. Now I don't have proof at all why Eric did this but if one believes the "rumor" which I fully believe is true, those clips were used for Gene & Paul's wigs and or extensions a major and entertaining point to behold here. Again don't read into this there is no fact behind why this was pointed out by Eric this is my thought process and take all responsibility for what I said. Although a bunch of you all agree with me and have said so in posts on all the newsgroups & Bulletin Boards.
Eric's longtime girlfriend the incredibly gorgeous Playboy Playmate and actress Carrie Stevens makes several appearances throughout this documentary telling stories of all the fun moments Eric and her shared while they were dating. You can tell how much she really loved Eric (yeah I know who didn't love him) but easily how much she felt for him is noticed due to the fact that several times in the video while reminiscing she starts to cry and quickly wipes the tears away. Through the tears though we the viewers get some funny stories like when they first met in a hotel in Memphis; the trashing of a hotel lobby bar when they got bored while on tour in lieu of some KISS shows being cancelled. Different trips they took and just all other sorts of thing a boyfriend and girlfriend do together but this for some reason seemed sweeter and much more special than your average relationship. We also get a rare sneak peak of some of Carrie's footage & pictures. The funniest of the footage is the hair care commercials Eric did on the spur of the moment.
You know with the mop he had on his head you'd think that he'd be a shoe in for a real hair care commercial but I guess we can't have it all. There is one part that is hard to understand so I'll help you all out. Eric starts talking to someone else on the screen and she's holding freezing spray and she asks Eric if he ever tried it and being the witty quick thinker he was he said yeah but he was cold so he had to put on a coat...GET IT LOL Carrie then calls him a dork to which all he says is thanks, great comeback huh? LOL! Carrie also calls Eric a Muppet as well during the first commercial for the styling gel. This is what I meant by you could see how much more special of a couple they were just the sincere kidding they shared but you can still hear the love in their voices as they kidded with each other. Some other cool footage is at Eric's parent's house in the backyard this is where Stinky Dog comes in.. Skippy the smelliest dog in the world. Make you think of a possible superhero or kids show the Adventures of Stinky Dog. Don't laugh it could work, you'd be surprised in this day & age what goes on TV. Moving on another friend of Eric's makes his first appearance in the video, Fred Coury of Cinderella. Fred has some very cool stories to share about Eric but the thing that grabbed me the most is when Fred talked about Eric's solo. The quote was something like this, "Eric felt hey my solo is my part of the show & I'll entertain you as much as the band did before me and will after I'm done." The drum solo wasn't just a drummer playing rudiments trying to impress the crowd who at most points couldn't care less about solos especially from a drummer. Eric was the exception; everyone talked about the solos he did and how innovative he was with the electronic pads. Fred Coury said it best, "It was the Eric Carr show." DAMN STRAIGHT FRED!!
I felt that said it all and couldn't have been said any better than that! The members of Slaughter had brief cameos here as well and made mention that Eric was the main reason they opened for KISS on their 1st tour for Hot in the Shade. Dana Strum said "It was Eric who played "Up All Night" to Gene & Paul and got them the slot on the tour. Basically the main feel you get besides that his friends all loved & miss him dearly as we the fans do as well; you also get a drift of how funny and just down to earth he really was. I've heard stories over the years and read many things but this video just confirms it. Like I stated before about Eric's dad, you also get a feel like this was a guy you could also invite over for dinner & just hang out even though he was the drummer in KISS.
Now on to some more priceless footage this time we are taken to Bruce Kulick's wedding reception. There are a few clips of this occasion documented here for the first time anywhere. First we see Paul Stanley & Eric outside before the wedding leaving a message for the soon to be bride & groom. We also see Gene & Eric doing the Tango towards the camera but the funniest clips of the reception easily is Bob & Bruce interviewing Eric (separately of course) Just the back & forth bantering they do is just hysterical to say the least.
As everyone knows Eric had a special place in his heart for kids and he wanted to keep kids on the right path so he one day decided with the help of a police station to cut an anti-drug commercial for Drug Free School Zones. Eric quickly turns very serious while doing this. Gene and Paul both did their Rock Against Drugs commercials. Eric's however meant more since it was to help kids out and unlike the aforementioned ad's by the 2 KISS leaders ego & good PR wasn't a driving force in him doing this, he just simply cared enough to do it and that also shows through here.
Bruce pops up again to tell a story about KISS getting ready for the '84 Detroit show where the godlike "Animalized Live & Uncensored" was done. Bruce goes on to tell that Diana Ross had stopped backstage to see Gene; and Eric while stretching before the show accidentally elbow Diana in the groin area, OUCH!
We then go to footage in a house (I'll assume a family members home) as Eric tells his side on how the story took place. It was funny to see Eric telling the story and you could tell he was really embarrassed that he elbowed her there.
Some other private footage also never seen before is Eric playing tour guide and showing you his room and all the KISS paintings that fans had given him over the years. We also get a glimpse of Stinky Dog again and to quote Eric "speaking of stink" his Porsche that KISS gave him when he joined the band in 1980.
A very touching thing I felt very privileged to see is footage Eric took while in the hospital. Now I don't mean to sound like a sick person but just seeing Eric goofing around the way he did made me feel better knowing even though he had gone through something like open heart surgery his spirits were high and his sense of humor were intact. You can't also help but laugh at the boat and drunken bear story.
I used to have things like those sponge toys as a kid and here's a grown man playing in front of the camera like he was a goofy teenager, a great quality of his that thank God he never lost even during these times.
Now sadly as we expected we have to touch on his passing which was done with class, dignity & great taste by Jack Sawyers, the video's producer. It doesn't dwell on his passing and manages to keep you up instead of dragging your mood down as you relive that tragic period in time.
Quickly rebounding we are now taken to the 1995 RockWalk ceremony at the Guitar Center oddly enough where Jack Sawyers first met Eric. We see Ace Frehley & Eric's parents accepting the award for Eric as Eric's parents recall how happy they were to see Ace at the ceremony. We also see a clip of Ace, as he talks about how thrilled he was to be inducted to the Rock Walk but most importantly to accept the award in Eric's honor. The video comes to a close and brings us up to the present where KISS, after regrouping with the original line up, is going forward but not without mentioning of course the major impact Eric had on keeping the band going throughout the 80's.
The video closes with some more footage of Eric and his niece playing and more pictures but what would a video about Eric be without what he was best known forä. His massive drum solo from the Crazy Nights tour in Japan 1988. You just can't help but tap you feet after watching this and reliving every beat, every stick thrust and of course every fist you threw in the air as he kicked ass for his part of the show.
The credit roll up and I want to publicly thank the Caravello's and Jack Sawyers for including my name in the credits in the list of thank yous. Something I was honored to see especially with the fact of how much Eric inspired me to keep playing drums and just to stay positive in everything you do. One message none of Eric's fans will ever forget nor will we ever forget this "Tale of the Fox."
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