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 Billy Childs is back, and ready to rock again! Being a big fan of 80's Glam-Metal myself, and the fact that Britny Fox is one of my absolute favorite bands from that genre, you can imagine how stoked I was to hear the news that Britny Fox is touring this summer! Yeah, you heard it here, the Fox is loose again for a big 2007 Tour!
Most Britny fans know the history of the band, but let me refresh your memories if I may. Britny Fox hit the bigtime back in the day with their self-titled debut album, "Britny Fox," (1988) and then their second kick ass release, "Boy's In Heat." (1989) They were all over radio, plastered all over rock magazines, touring the world, and all over MTV. 80's Metal fans couldn't get enough of the heavy rhythm and blues driven rock songs such as, "Girlschool," "Long Way to Love," "In Motion," and "Plenty Of Love," which is guaranteed to vibrate your fucking ribs. Let's not forget the power ballads these guys wrote as well, like, "Dream On," and "Angel in my Heart." Aside from the whole glam image that we all loved back in the day, and still love today, these guys actually wrote great songs, which I believe was lacking in some of the bands from that era.
Britny Fox were undoubtedly on top of the world for a while, and enjoying life as rockstars until unfortunately founding member/frontman, "Dizzy" Dean Davidson decided to quit the band right in the middle of their rise to the top, thus living up to his nickname. Why Dizzy would leave such a successful band that he created is a very good question, and especially since the band had two very successful albums still riding the charts and still receiving tons of radio and video play at the time. Whatever the reason was for Dean's quick exit from the band, the remaining members of Britny Fox (Billy Childs, Michael Kelly Smith, and Johnny Dee) knew that they still had plenty of rock n' roll juice left in them, and disbanding wasn't even an option for them, so they decided to recruit a new singer and carry on. After listening to countless demo's from singer all over the world, Britny Fox finally found their guy, Tommy Paris!
Tommy Paris was like a breath of fresh air for the band, and proved that he could certainly hold his own, and that Britny Fox still had what it takes with the 1991 release of "Bite Down Hard." It's true, their third album wasn't as successful as the first two albums were, but it was still a success just the same, even with a new frontman, and given the fact that the music scene was shifting from glam to grunge. I truly believe that "Bite Down Hard" would have been a much bigger success had it not been for the grunge era rapidly closing in on the glam scene, and in reality, really didn't have much to do with Davidson's absence from the band. Sure, Britny Fox may have lost some of the "Dizzy" Dean Davidson fans, but what fans they may have lost, they quickly regained with Tommy Paris fans, and the release of "Bite Down Hard." In my opinion, "Bite Down Hard" is one of the bands strongest albums to date, and how could it not be with heavy tracks like, "Six Guns Loaded, "Louder," and "Closer to your Love?" The entire album kicks ass!
Britny Fox went on to release a couple more albums, "Long Way to LIVE," (2001) "The Best Of Britny Fox," (2001) Their fourth studio release, "Springhead Motorshark," (2003) and the most recent, which is another live album titled, "Extended Versions." (2006) Because of popular demand, the band has had several re-issues of just about every one of their albums as well. The big question is, will the band be releasing a new studio album in the near future? We'll just have to see what Mr. Childs has to say about that. One thing I do know for sure, is that Britny Fox is back, and planning a huge 2007 tour as we speak!
As I mentioned, Billy Childs is here, and he is just as out spoken and cool as he was the first time I interviewed him back in early 2005. Aside from him being one of the founding members of Britny Fox, as well as a respected bass guitarist/songwriter in the business, Billy also knows his way around an acoustic guitar quite well, and is also a great singer. Any of you Glam-Metal heads that didn't know that, now you do. So, kick back and smoke em' if you got em', because you can bet your sweet ass Billy will be. During this interview, Billy talks about the past, present and future of Britny Fox, the 2007 Tour line-up, and a bunch of other cool shit he has going on as well. GlamMetal.com is proud as hell to have Billy Childs back, so here he is, the very talented, well respected, funny, and quite stoned, Billy Fucking Childs! Enjoy!
Billy, welcome back to GlamMetal.com for the second time bro! How the fuck are you these days?
Good man, spring is here and I love that.
I understand you've got some cool new stuff going on. First, there seems to be quite a huge buzz going around about the "Britny Fox 2007 Tour" this summer. Is this true, and why do you think there is so much hype around this tour?
We're still booking dates as we speak, so yes, it is true, it's 100% a go at this point. As far as interest, I think it's because we're one of the the last to do this. I mean really, after us, who's left? There are bands reformed at this point that I barely remember, and I was there! Pretty drunk, I'll give ya that, but I was still there.
Will Britny Fox be headlining this tour, and if so, who are you bringing out with you?
Enuff Z'nuff is opening as I understand. Chip is a cool cat, so I'm looking forward to him going out with us.
How long do you plan to tour, and will you be going overseas as well with this?
We plan on going as long and as far as we can. U.S. so far is June to August, and we plan go to Europe after that. As long as they can book us, we'll play.
I hear you guys are playing the Rocklahoma Festival in July with just about every other 80's band on the planet, is this confirmed, and if so which day will Britny Fox be performing?
We'll be there on Sunday, June 15, but we'll probably hang out for the whole 3 days. Gonna see a lot of bands and people that we haven't seen for a long time, should be a great time and we're really looking forward to it.
I've also heard that there have been some member changes in Britny Fox. Who's currently in the band?
Tommy and myself are still here, Greg D'Angelo from White Lion is drumming, and this guy Krash who I've been working with for a couple years now, is on guitar. Let me explain, these are not just two guys to plug in. Johnny Dee is not with us right now, due to other commitments, and the guy is a powerhouse. Everybody always likes to say drummers fall out of trees, but not drummers like him. Then along comes Greg, one of the few guys who doesn't take a backseat to John, not to diss anyone else, just calling it how I see it. Britny always had a very powerful rhthym section, and a great drummer is essential. To put it bluntly, without Greg we're probably not even doing this interview. You can't expect just anyone to replace Johhny Dee, those are big shoes to fill, but Greg's feet are pretty fuckin big if you know what I mean. As far as Krash, that's a bit different. Michael Kelly Smith told us that he didn't want to tour right now, and to find a replacement. Once again, not the easiest task in the world. The band had it's sound before Johnny Dee joined, but Mike is one of the original four, and as such is very responsible for the band's sound. We always felt one of the major keys in the bands success was our sound, very thick and bluesy, gotta have your tone. Me and Krash had been fucking around with some acoustic shit in his studio for a while, and just developed a very good working relationship. Pretty rare for me in this business, maybe I'm an asshole, but at any rate he and I developed a very cool chemistry. There were a couple of, "bigger" names discussed initially, but it always kept coming back around to him, and what an asset he would be to this whole thing. After a bit it became obvious that this would be a nice, organic change. Krash plays great, has very cool ideas, and is really gonna surprise some people. I'm disappointed that Mike and John are not involved in this, but at the same time, I'm actually very excited about this band. I know, I know, they all say that, but these two will do a great job.
When was the last time Britny actually toured, and why has it taken so long man?
We did a few 2-3 week gigs from about 2000 to 2003, or around there, but to me we haven't really toured since the "Bite Down Hard Tour," which ended in 92. We got fucked pretty bad on a couple of those 2k tours, which left a bad taste in our mouths, and also, people develop different interests and commitments, so it's hard to all get on the same page. When you've got three guys in three different bands, it's hard to schedule things. Gotta pay the bills, you know?
There are rumors going around that Britny Fox is currently working on an acoustic cd, and are planning to record a brand new studio album, can you confirm any of this Billy?
We have a few things done, but will we ever get around to finishing what we've started? Who knows, but yes, we hope to finish an acoustic album sometime soon, and also a new heavier studio album to be recorded on the road at some point. As I say, we wanna stay out as long as we can this first time, so really, everything is secondary to getting this tour up and running, at this point.
Where do you see Britny Fox in the next five years?
Hopefully still working, touring, recording, etc. The things you do to become and remain a recording and touring musician. It's just what I like to do.
One of the biggest misconceptions about you Billy, is that you don't smoke pot. (Laughs) Seriously though, many people think that you only play bass guitar, but in reality, you're a great guitar player and singer as well. Will you be covering all of the acoustic guitars on this record?
(Laughs) Actually I'm great at smoking pot, pretty average at most else. Really though, you don't stick around as long as I have without being half decent at a few things. I've always played guitar as well as bass, but only to write. I really don't enjoy playing anything but bass onstage, it's a very powerful instrument. Don't mind doing acoustic gigs, but that's it. As far as the guitars with us, I've always done the acoustics. I have an odd style, and sometimes it's tough for other players to get it just right, so it's just easier that way.
What can Britny Fox fans expect when they come out to a show?
A real good time, and a lot of energy! That hasn't changed. We will be doing more older stuff this time around, and a lot of songs that we've never played live before. Expect some of the heavier stuff from our "Boys In Heat" album.
Will you guys record a live DVD with footage from this years tour?
We may, it has been talked about, but nothing is in stone yet. As I said, we just gotta take it one step at a time, and getting back out there again is first and foremost at this point.
In other news Billy, you've been working on a side project as well called Blind Like Faith. (BLF) Please tell us more about this, like who else is involved, your vision, and what inspired you to do this?
It's a long story, but this 80's guy whom I won't mention had a few good tunes, we built a band around it, then the guy wigged out for no aparent reason, and we just don't have time for that bullshit. So, we ended up with a great band, and a great business plan in place, but no frontman. We are now working with a singer/songwriter from LA named Ariel Belont, who brings a much better vibe to the table. We are writing and keeping that in place for now, but the plan is to release a Blind Like Faith record at some point. Greg D'Angelo is also involved with this project as well.
Obviously Blind Like Faith is secondary to Britny Fox, but when do you expect to have some music out for the world to hear?
Everything is secondary to the Britny Fox tour right now. There is no time frame on BLF, which is a working title. When it gets done is the best I can give you, but it is something we look forward to doing.
Again, you seem very busy with Britny Fox at the moment, but will there be a Blind Like Faith tour sometime in the future?
That's a little way's off at the moment, but yeah, sure. We'd love to take Blind Like Faith out on the road at some point.
You've written some kick ass songs in Britny Fox, what inspires you to write Billy?
In Philly the winters get pretty cold, and not cool either, skiing cold, more like gray, boring cold. I smoke a lot of pot and get very bored, so what else does a guy like me do? Yeah, I know, phone sex is great too, but there's still a lot of time left in the day.
What's a couple of your all-time favorite Britny tunes?
I like "Long Way From Home" off the "Boys In Heat" album. A lot off of the "Bite Down Hard" cd as well. I also really dig "Long Way To Love."
Of all the tours that you've been on over the years Billy, which by the way is a shitload, was there a particular tour that you really dug the most?
The first Poison tour was great, but they were all good in their own way.
What's the best advice you'd give to aspiring musicians trying to get into the music business today?
Keep your friends close, and your enemy's even closer! Watch your back, cuz the guy that's your best friend right now, may be the guy that sues you in 5 years. But really, just watch Behind The Music on VH1, you'll learn a lot.
What makes Billy Childs the most happy, and what pisses you off to no end?
I just like to do what I do and be successful enough not to have to get a job, that makes me happy. I guess I hate it when anything gets in the way of those fairly simple goals.
What's a couple of your favorite Glam-Metal bands from back in the day Billy?
I always liked Kix a lot, same goes for King's X, and The Cult. I really dug a lot of 90's stuff. I know this seems odd, but I was never a huge fan of the genre. Loved being a part of it, but never really thought Britny was your typical hair band. We never went for the big ballad radio hits. Even though we had the look, we were more of a bluesy metal style. I always thought of us as AC/DC on steroids. Half the talent, twice the volume!
AC/DC on Steroids, I like that! In closing, is there anything you'd like to say to all of your fans out there Billy?
Just glad to have fans, fuck! Thanks for giving a shit, ya know?
Thanks so much for talking with GlamMetal.com again Billy. We wish you the best of luck with the Britny Fox 2007 Tour!ROCK ON!
Thanks for having me Doobie, I really appreciate the support.
Anyone interested in dropping by to say hello to Billy, and hear what he's been up to, go to www.myspace.com/billychildsbritnyfox
For the official Britny Fox website, go to www.britnyfox.com AND be sure to check out www.myspace.com/britnyfoxband for tour dates and news.
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