When you think of Canada, you may think of Mounties, Hockey, and Canadian beer. There is one thing that your missing… A great Canadian voice and a better person, Sass Jordan! We were lucky enough to sit down with this Canadian treasure before the show at Molson Canal Concert series in Tonawanda, NY on June 23rd. Sass invited me and my assistant Galen to dinner where we got to know a personal side of her. After, we where invited back to a yacht the band used for a “changing area.” This is where we were able to talk freely about her relationship with Richie Kotzen to her judging on Canadian Idol. Check this out eh!

GUS – Well, Sass, Thank you for taking the time to talk to us at GlamMetal and the first question I have for you is why such a long period between your last two studio releases, “Hot Gossip in 2000” and “Get What You Give in 2006?”
SASS – ‘Cause, like, I have to be true to form – I never put out records fast. If you look at the whole career (laughs) there’s been, like, endless spaces in between. But what happens is I get distracted. I get distracted by life. And I think that’s probably why I’m not, like, a huge act.
 
GUS – I wouldn’t say that, but you’ve got other stuff going on. You’re other projects…
SASS – Yeah, I got so much stuff going’ on, it’s hard for me to focus, but the fact of the matter is that I – love – singing. And I love music and I love performing, and that’s the God’s honest truth, so… (adopts English accent) I think I’ll be in that spot even when I’m 78 years old!
 
GUS – The second question I got is, “Get What You Give”, you co-wrote a couple of songs with Richie Kotzen. How’d you get involved with him?
SASS – “Get What You Give”, let’s see… Well, I first met Richie in Los Angeles in 1990 somethin’? When he was first with Poison. But because I recorded a record, called “Rats”, at Rikki Rockett’s studio in The Valley, unbelievable story, and I knew Richie from that, and then he subsequently sort of left Poison unceremoniously.
 
GUS – Yeah, him and Rikki don’t talk anymore.
SASS – No, I’m sure they do not. At any rate, but the thing is, and Richie Kotzen sang on my record and everything, see, the people didn’t know about Richie and perhaps they know now more… Actually he’s much better known outside the United States, of course, is that he’s one of the most soulful, funky, incredible songwriters and singers that I’ve ever met. It’s unfortunate that people aren’t more aware of what he can do, ‘because he’s unbelievable.
      
GUS – A lot of people are very aware of his guitar playing, like myself, but not his vocals.      
SASS – Oh, my God, he’s an unbelievably great singer and I don’t say that lightly.

GUS – Huh, wouldn’t have guessed that.      
SASS – You know… you have to be really good for me to like you! (laughs)
      
GUS – There ya go! Your last studio CD is totally different from, like, your earlier stuff.
SASS – But my earlier stuff is all different from each other too.
 
GUS – This one seems a lot more, like…melodic and bluesy.
SASS – Rootsy!  yeah.
      
GUS - …more laid back. Why the total different approach on this one?
SASS – Because, because, I, it depends who I’m working with. And I worked on this new record with a guy named Colin Linden; he’s like a legend in Canada for kinda rootsy stuff. He lives in Nashville, I mean, you know?
      
GUS – Everybody does.
SASS – Yeah. Although I should. Anyways, it was an opportunity for me to explore that kind of sound and that kind of music that is very close to my heart. I love that kind of roots music. I just love it. To me it’s kind of country, folk music as well. You know, music of the land almost, that’s what it is to me. But you see, the thing with me is that I love, I can rock, you know. This is very unusual for a female singer in my opinion, honestly...
      
GUS – Right, no, there’s a couple of, I’m a huge fan and I’m actually going to see them this week (Heart). I think the Wilson sisters are fantastic.
SASS – I don’t know a single other female singer who does that kind of bluesy rock that I know of. Wait a second, yes, there is one. First of all, Nikka Costa, if she did it, she could, she would totally pull it off. Then there’s another one, who’s not necessarily that well known, but you might know because you know about music, Bekka Bramlett, Bonnie Bramlett, Delaney and Bonnie?
      
GUS – It sounds very familiar.
SASS – Bekka is the daughter…

(Gus’ assistant Galen chimes in)– She sang with Fleetwood Mac.
SASS – She did! Exactly. Now Bekka can sing her ass off and she’s like, there are so few of us who can sing that style, though. To me the ultimate, one of the ultimate singers ever that I emulate, and always did is Paul Rodgers from Bad Company. So that’s like my guy, whereas with Queen, excuse me, not Queen, Heart, her guy’s definitely Robert Plant…
      
GUS – Right. Exactly!      
SASS - …in1969, 1970, she’s Robert Plant, she can sing better than I…
      
GUS – She’s the female Robert Plant, yeah, I hate to say that but she could, yeah.
SASS – But that’s her style. Like she’s not, and I love her, I mean she’s awesome, but it’s not that bluesy thing, I can’t even acknowledge what it is…
 
GUS – Right, it’s a little more on the rock.
SASS – It’s more melodically, streamy, high, like that, I shouldn’t say streamy.
      
GUS – No, it’s more of a rock style.
SASS – I can’t sing like that, you know? That’s awesome, but I can’t do it.
      
GUS – It’s more of a kick? A kick to the voice? More of a push?
SASS – No, it’s not. What I do is…
      
GUS – Well, I’m talking about what Ann does.
SASS – Evil, what I have to sing!
      
GUS – I actually did some research on you and couldn’t believe this, but you actually played bass for The Pin-ups in the late 1970’s?
SASS – The Pin-ups was my band. They fuckin’ played for me! (laughs)
      
GUS – (laughs) Do you still keep your.
SASS – Wait a second, you got the wrong Pin-ups. You’re thinking’ of the all girl band that was out of L.A. or something like that?
      
GUS – No, Pin-ups. The Pin Ups out of Canada.
SASS – Montreal. But I sold the name to an all girl band. We were based in Montreal and we were the only women in Montreal.
      
GUS – Were you the bass player?
SASS - Yeah, I was, for sure. But we were only really known in Montreal. There was an all girl band who had the name too but we had it first, we copy wrote it, it was copy written. So, we sold it to them. You never heard of them, though, really, and that was like, ’78, ’79, ’80, ’81, and ’82, that was the end of it.
      
GUS – Do you still keep your chops up as a bass player?       
SASS – No sir. I played on “Rats.” It’s too distractive, you know what I mean? Like, there’s just too much shit going on in my life. Like I love to play bass and if I sat down and actually did it….      

(Gus’ assistant Galen chimes in again) – What about Sweet Thunder (Sass’ high school band)? Do you still keep in contact with any of those guys?
SASS – Well, I still know… like (whispers) I just saw the bass player… (horrified) he’s an old man! (everybody laughs)
         
GUS – The next question I was actually involved in. I was lucky enough to attend the S.A.R.S. Festival.
SASS – Did you? I was there!
      
GUS – How was it? How was it participating in the biggest one day concert of all time?
SASS – It was…it was, it was cool. But it was like any other show in the end, you know. I mean, like, a show’s a show. But there was a lot more hoo-haw apparently…
      
GUS – The magnitude of it…
SASS – Yeah, yeah…
   
GUS – You have participated in the Winnipeg productions of “The Vagina Monologues.”
SASS – “The Va-Jay-Jay Monologues” and Toronto…
      
GUS – You also played Janis Joplin in “Love, Janis” on Broadway. Any future plans of doing any more shows?
SASS – Noooo…and you know, if it comes up and then I think, “Oh, that sounds cool”, then I’ll do it, but, like, it’s hard. That’s too hard for Sassy. I thought I was going to die. I was never so scared in my entire life as at that Janis show, oh my God, awful!
      
(Gus’ assistant Galen chimes in again)– Was Janis an influence on you?
SASS – No. Funnily enough, no. I liked Robert Palmer, Bad Company, The Stones, David Bowie, a tad black, what was called R&B then, which is certainly not R&B now at all, it was real R&B, like the fuckin’ real thing, you know what I mean? Like blues, and The Meters, and Bob Marley and that’s what I liked. ‘Cause where could you go for some, like… Although, you know what? I don’t understand why I didn’t like Janis, really. But she was kind of screechy. And I’m like, ooooohh I don’t like that.
      
GUS – She had that raspy, growly, I don’t know… you either liked her or you didn’t.
SASS – And yet I have a voice similar to that, but it doesn’t have that… whatever. But… it’s what it is, whatever. I didn’t love her! Yeah, I didn’t love it. I like her a lot more now. And you know what? Once I started doing this show and I really paid attention, and really listened, I got it much better, you know?      

GUS – Well, the next question I have, and this is the funny question that I was talking about with your husband (Derek Sharp, Sass’ husband and guitarist). How is it playing in a band with your husband.
SASS – Somebody else asked me that. How weird!
      
GUS - Can fans expect to see a name change on the marquee in the future, and when I say that is like now when people used to go see Pat Benatar, it was Pat Benatar. Now if you see her it’s Pat Benatar with Neil Geraldo.
SASS – No. I doubt it! (Derek enters)
 DEREK – Sass Jordan with, Derek Sharp (laughs)? Featuring Derek Sharp?
SASS – To me it’s like not something I …I just like…what’s that got to do with my music? You know what I mean, like, fuckin’ no, whatever!
      
GUS – I don’t see why after she’s been playing for twenty or thirty years…
SASS – She needs a change, maybe she’s so… who knows what their thing is. That isn’t going to happen with me.
      
GUS – O.K.
SASS – Or it will. But I doubt it. I’d rather call it a band. You know what I mean? I mean Derek and I play together but we don’t always play together, like I could play in another band or whatever.
      
GUS – Well, compare the music business today to the time you started when you put out your first release “Tell Somebody” in ’88.
SASS – Compare it?
      
GUS – I mean today it’s obviously a lot tougher to get into the business.
SASS – I don’t know, I’m not trying to get into it now.
      
GUS – Well, being on the other side, especially being a judge on “Canadian Idol”, knowing that how hard it is for these people to break through and they’re doing shows like this to try to get any type of start. The music business is so different now.
SASS – That’s a long story for me. It’s completely different. But it used to be you know when I was working in the ‘80’s it was all about huge record deals and huge publishing deals. ‘Course, I wasn’t really doing much in the ‘80’s, I was more in the ‘90’s part of it when I was doing my stuff, but it was the same thing. It was big, big, big time business and now it’s like, well, the CD's are practically extinct and apparently they’re not even going to make them anymore after a year. So what is the format going to be? What kind of media are they going to use? I don’t see that it’s any harder now than it ever was. I really don’t. I do not think it was easier before. The difference is people become famous for not being able to do fuck at all. So it’s easier to be famous now but not easier to be fuckin’ good cause it’s always the same amount of work, and people don’t get it when they see TV shows like the one I do. They think, “Oh,” its like (snaps fingers) “Fuckin” I can do that, anybody could do that.” You just gotta stand there and like…(strikes a pose) No, you don’t, actually, it’s a lot of incredibly hard work and it’s not at all like that. Those TV shows are misleading in a lot of ways. You know what I mean? It’s like a dream show, it’s like “The Price Is Right” but instead it’s like suddenly you’re a rock star, but you’re not.
      
GUS – Right. You’re a cog in their machine.
SASS – You’re a cog in the machine or you are…you’re offered an opportunity, but there are certain limitations and boxes that you need to fit into. You know what? You could probably do something pretty amazing with that kind of kick-off. But most people are bathroom singers or whatever…(Galen raises hand; Sass laughs) But are you trying to be a rock star? No. I mean you’d be happy to do it if you’d try You know what I mean? It takes an amazing amount of dedication, hard work, and knowledge that these people were pulled out of the bathroom and thrust into the world. It’s like; you can’t fuckin’ deal with that!
      

GUS – Right, right.
SASS – Now you may say, "Why am I on a show like that?" Because I get paid a lot of money to do it and I have a lot of fun, that’s why I’m on a show like that. But I can’t tell you it’s the right way to do anything. I can’t tell you it’s the wrong way, either. It’s not a way I would particularly pick but that’s because I’m me, and I’ve lived through all I’ve lived through, you know?
      
GUS – Well, the next question actually ties in to your “Canadian Idol”, sort of. Unfortunately, I, like I said previously, I have never seen “Canadian Idol” and can you tell me if more of your personality on the show is more like Paula, Randy, or Simon?
SASS – It’s like Sass. Sorry! (laughs) That’s like saying are you like The Queen Of England or The fuckin’ Queen Of Sweden, I don’t know, man, I’m like me, I’m like Gus!
      
GUS – Are you more honest and tell it like it is or more polite to the contestants?
SASS – No. I pretty much say what I think, I do say what I think, But I’ll say it with a smile so it doesn’t seem as rough and I won’t necessarily say (adopt English accent) “Oh, you’re really awful”, you know what I mean? It depends on the moment. Is it going to be funny? What’s the person like? Can they deal with this kind of stuff? I really base it on the individual. If the individual does not seem like they can deal with it being a joke or for me being truthful or anything like that, then I’ll tell them a lie, I don’t give a fuck. I’ll lie. Even when I tell the truth!
      
(Gus’ assistant Galen chimes in) – Ever have anybody just kind of break down or anything?
SASS – Oh, all the time! Yeah, but look, I’m a little hard- hearted from it because I’ve seen it so many times. However, once in a blue moon there is somebody who cuts though the hard-heartedness because they’re real. You know? But there’s a lot of bullshit too. They will say “Oh, my God, what do you fuckin’ know, you’re a has-been, you’re this, you’re that”, and I’m like, “Yeah, anyway, kiss my fuckin’ ass, Jack. I’m still here and who the fuck are you?”
      
GUS – Hey, you are going to be playing to a couple of thousand people.
SASS – Whatever, yeah, I don’t care if it’s 550. I play!
      
GUS – But you’re still playing to people who care and are here to see you play.
SASS – That’s awesome!
      
GUS – And that’s what it means.
SASS – Yeah, I never think of it like that, I just think of it as like I’m the entertainment, I’m going to sign in…
      
GUS – No, people are here to see you and they’re happy to see you.
SASS – That’s awesome. That is awesome.
      
GUS – You got to look at it from the outside.
SASS – I can’t.
      
GUS - Which is me and him (Gus’ assistant Galen)      
SASS – Take no more than a regular person. Actually, you people are just sort of walking’ around, “Hey, hey!” and there you are, “Oh, this is kind of cool!”
      
GUS – Well, one more question, and then we are going to wrap it up.
SASS – No worries!
      
GUS – How did the duet with legendary Mad Dog and Englishman Joe Cocker (on the song, “Trust In Me” from “The Bodyguard” soundtrack) come about?
SASS – There’s another fantastic singer, that guy is the shit! But we weren’t in the studio at the same time and in fact I toured with him after that duet. Hmmm…How did it come about? Kevin Costner, the actor heard me on the radio when he was driving around in L.A. He loves Joe Cocker and he thought, “Oh, that’s the voice, that girl’s voice would sound great with him, so let’s see if she can do it”, and that’s how it came about. But, the truth of the matter is, he had already recorded that song, his track. It was old, it was like a three or four year old song being recorded with an Australian singer, this woman, right? Chris Lord Alge who was like one of the big, and still is, mixers and producers. He was the guy that was producing it. So, I go into the studio and I sing to this track and it’s already recorded, everything’s good. Then, a month later, I’m on tour with Joe Cocker, just by fucking fluke.
      
GUS – Wow!
SASS – I’m opening for Joe Cocker. But see, it’s because we’re all over the country, the States, I have to leave right after my opening act, so, to get to the next venue or whatever and we don’t really hang out, ever. Last show of the whole fuckin’ tour is in Las Vegas (laughs) and I know his manager (Lindsay) for years. And Lindsay says (adopting English accent), “Sass, you’ve got to come and meet Joe, you’ve got to meet him now!” And I’m like, “Alright, fine, cool.” So he introduces us, “Sass, this is Joe, Joe, this is Sass.” I said, “Joe, it’s so great to meet you, it was so amazing singing that song with you, I cannot tell you, it was one of the biggest thrills of my life!” And he looks at me like this (dumbfounded) and he goes, “Umm…what song are you talking about?” (everybody laughs) He had no fuckin’ idea! None! He had no idea! He had no clue that I had sung on this song and he had no clue.
      

GUS – He had to feel like the biggest jerk-off ever! (laughs)
SASS – I know! But you know what? I can easily see how that would happen. Somebody might have said, “Oh, we just replaced so-and-so on the song.” and he’s doing his shit (laughs). Who’d fucking notice? Why would you notice? If it was me I’d have been like, “What?” I’d have done the same thing; you know what I’m saying? And that fucker sold 30 million…. 30 million copies. And it was all to me! No, we didn’t have anything to do with it. Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. Isn’t that wild? He had no clue. I don’t think he even figured it out. And Lindsay’s like (English accent), “Well, do you remember that song?” (laughs) He’s like, “Oh, right, oh, nice, lovely!” (everybody laughs). I guarantee he never fuckin heard it. Guarantee it. Isn’t that funny? So true…
      
GUS – We just want to say thank you for taking the time to talk to us at GlamMetal and have a great show.
SASS – Thanks for fuckin' askin’! I’m all about that. I can yak!
      
GUS – That’s a wrap! You can check out Sass on tour this summer. Go here www.sassjordan.com for more info