Interview w/ Doro / The Electric Boa Drummer Johnny Dee

We recently conducted an interview with Doro Pesch / The Electric Boa drummer Jonny Dee. We caught up with Johnny at the Sellersville Theater in Sellersville PA 1/31 after The Electric Boa’s set opening for Anvil. CHECK IT OUT

RN: I just wanted to clear up any Britny Fox rumors that may be out there. Is there going to be a reunion?

Johnny Dee: For me it’s been sort of a failed opportunity for us. It’s very obvious that there is some place out there for us as a band in a nostalgic sense. Everybody else from that time, if they are able to play and work they are out there doing things. For me it’s a no brainer. But to be honest I have not spoken to those guys about it in a while.

RN: Is it something you would want to do?

Johnny Dee: I’m just waiting. I wish we all could get together and just talk. The reality of it is we are not going to get together and do two hundred shows a year. It’s not going to be a band that is going to be current. It’s going to be a festival type thing. Get together, do about twenty five or thirty shows during the summer, play the songs that everyone loves and shake hands and go our own way and get back together if something comes up.

RN: How about getting back with Tommy Paris?

Johnny Dee: I don’t think so. We tried that but everyone seems to want the original lineup. Tommy was great. Vocally the guy can sing his way to Mars. He can hit the highs and the lows. Bite Down Hard was one of my favorite records to make.

RN: The live CD was great. We were at the tapings for that record. Those shows were killer.

Johnny Dee: We were hungry. He had something to prove. And I think we made a great fucking record. Then at that time a lot of the bands that came from that era just started to crumble at no fault of there own but that’s just the way the industry went. The 80’s style bands started to take a back seat again so we all just kind of said we can’t take this any further. And we took a break and now here we are. All this time has past. We don’t have forever. If we are going to do something let’s do it. And for me, there is no reason why it can’t be done unless you absolutely don’t want to do it or if someone does not want to see another person ever again in their life time. I try to be a better person than that. I can forgive and be professional. And really it’s about the fans that grew up on that. I am a fan of bands and I don’t want to see them bullshitting and fighting and talking shit about each other or whatever. It takes the fun out of it. I want to see them play the songs that I like, the songs I grew up on and the songs that mean something to me. And that’s what Britny Fox is to a lot of people. I would love to see a reunion happen and I am up for it. But we would have to get in a room and iron some things out first.

RN: What’s going on with Doro?

Johnny Dee: We just finished up a tour of Europe. Pretty much the last dates for the “Fear No Evil” album and promoting the “25 Years In Rock” DVD. Now the new CD is being finished up. I think they are looking at a single around the summer and have a fall release. So there is not a lot of touring at the beginning of this year. There will be some shows in Norway in April and nothing again until festival season. I am sure we will do some festivals in Europe. We have some down time waiting for the record to be finished up. She is still working on it. It’s coming together.

RN: Doro really is the Queen Of Metal. She still has pipes.

Johnny Dee: She is amazing. I have never seen anyone work so hard and not have to work hard at singing. She will do interviews for eight hours straight and walk on stage and sing for two and a half hours. She never complains and never takes a day off.

RN: Let’s talk about your down time. Right now you are here with The Electric Boa in Sellersville PA opening for Anvil. How did you hook up with these guys?

Johnny Dee: I hooked up with these guys sometime in 2011. I liked the songs and I liked the guys and I wanted to help out. They needed a drummer and I had some time off so I said let’s do it. It’s cool to be opening for a national act because playing around Philly these days, it’s hard to get people out to the shows.

RN: What do you think of the scene in Philadelphia now opposed to what it was back when you were out with Britny Fox?

Johnny Dee: I am much older now than I was back then. And I sit back and think is it because I’m older. I’m in my 40s and I just don’t know what’s going on, on the scene or is it just that fucking dead.

Mistress Katie: It’s that dead. When you have to drive three states away to see a good show. It’s that dead.

Johnny Dee: Yeah to me is like a microcosm of the whole industry. There is not one place to go and have a good time. Back then you could go to the Empire ( Rock Club) and I don’t give a shit who was playing you were going to see a great show and see a shit load of people that were exactly like you having fun. And see people you knew. It was like a gathering place. I’m talking about the clubs that support original music that gives bands a place to play. Philadelphia is lacking that. There are a lot of places that just don’t care. It’s all numbers. Who does all ages shows anymore? No one wants to take a chance because they want a bottom line number at the end of the night. They want cover bands and people to drink. They want mindless music because some people don’t give a shit what they listen to. Some of it has to do with people’s music taste as well. People are spoon feed bullshit and they start to think it taste good. They don’t know any better. People should go out and see some local original music. There are some people and places that support local original music but unfortunately the numbers are smaller than when we were hanging at places like the Galaxy and the Empire.

The cool thing about The Electric Boa is that I see a little bit of a resurgence. The band has a vibe that people want to see. People do come out and they come up front and they want to be part of the show. And that’s what this band is all about. It’s about the fans, it’s about showing people a good time with good songs. Come see the band have a good time and get in on the energy. It’s pretty cool. It’s about as good as it can be at this point until that wave catches on again.