Ross the Boss Interview

by Brian D. Holland.

... rock and roll will always have its audience. And as long as a band kicks ass live, like we do, and like many bands that enjoy playing do, people will still want to come out to the show and get their heads taken off. - Ross the Boss

NYC's proto-punk band, The Dictators, came on the music scene at just about the same time as The Ramones and have been playing in your face house rockin' music ever since. Though they had more of an arena sound than their counterparts, the Bronx-based Dix and the Queens-based Ramones were actually pretty good friends back in the day. Lead guitarist Ross the Boss (though his real last name is Friedman, he was renamed 'Funicello' for the band's first CD by then manager, Sandy Pearlman), as well as the other members of the band, have become punk icons. While some might say that this is owed more to longevity and reputation than anything else, fans familiar with Ross realize that his electrifying and precise guitar playing is a comparable reason for praise.

Though punk has had its share of articulate and innovative rock guitar players over the years, lead playing, by and large, has never been a priority. Ross the Boss, however, is a quintessential player, deserving of the title 'lead guitarist'. Following the release of their new live CD, Viva! Dictators!, I interviewed Ross 'the Boss'.

Listen to Ross the Boss:

"The Box, Parts I and II" from Thunderbolt
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How's the tour going?

Ross: It's going great. I love playing live. It seems the band's legend just keeps growing. The more we go around the world, the more people come up to me saying things like, "You changed my life. You influenced me. I was the only kid in my car who had this record." It's amazing. We're well received everywhere we go.

I like the new live CD. The song 'New York, New York' is a punk classic.

Ross: It is. I think the whole CD really captures the energy of the band, how 'in your face' we are, with severe attitude. You know, the whole deal.

I think it's amazing that after all these years you guys are still able to keep it together, original lineup and all.

Ross: Yeah. Some bands are in it just to make some money, tour around, and do whatever they can do. I myself don't care about getting into an oldies show kind of thing. We feel as though the band never broke up; we just keep going. We don't feel as though we got into the 'coming around again' thing, or reunion bullshit, you know.

It was actually about 1991 when you guys got into it full force again. Is that right?

Ross: Yeah.

And you've been touring ever since?

Ross: Pretty much.

Though The Dictators are considered proto-punk, and are definitive punk anyway, your style of guitar playing is more sophisticated than most in punk rock. I don't mean that in a bad way toward the genre of punk; it's just that you're a genuine power lead player, a shredder sometimes.

Ross: Right. I'm a lead guitarist. You don't hear a lot of that in any rock these days. I think with many of today's guitarists it's just not in their makeup to play solos. The more time goes by I seem to get more prolific at it, basically because I'm constantly playing and practicing, and playing in different bands as well. I push myself.

Manowar was quite a diversion from The Dictators, wasn't it?

Ross: Yes. It was still me on guitar, though.

You've got some other projects going now?

Ross: Yes. I just finished an instrumental CD with Dictators drummer, JP 'Thunderbolt' Patterson. It's called Thunderbolt. It's on iTunes right now. It's being heavily downloaded, especially in Europe.

I've heard it. There's some scorching lead work going on in that, too.

Ross: That's what I do.

You've also got something going with The Brain Surgeons.

Ross: Yes, with Blue Oyster Cult founder, Albert Bouchard.

[As The Dictators website states, contrary to the hilarious SNL skit, Albert was the guy who really put the cowbell in 'Don't Fear The Reaper'.]

The album is being mixed right now, and it's very heavy. I wrote eight of the compositions on it. I'm very proud of that, and I'm very happy to be able to just keep playing, and playing hard. I'm a humble person and playing guitar is the most important thing to me. It always has been in my life.

Were the Dictators the world's first punk band?

Ross: Absolutely. In the inside of Go Girl Crazy I looked and dressed like the Ramones. I wore the leather jacket and all, and it was a year before them. And, I don't know, I was just a kid from the Bronx, looking the way I looked. But you can hear where a lot of it came from. I mean, 'California Sun' and all that stuff. You know, it's very haunting if you kind of listen to it. But either way, the Ramones were a great band.

Were the Dix and the Ramones friends?

Ross: Yes. We were very good friends. Actually, in New York City, we were from the Bronx and they were from Queens. So we were real New Yorkers, unlike many of the bands that came to CBGBs. Over the years we became very good friends. In fact, Andy wrote songs for them, and he played in Joey's solo band and on his record.

Dictators' lyrics tend to be blatantly humorous and playful.

Ross: Yes. That was the thing with our band. We had a sense of humor.

You didn't take it too seriously.

Ross: We took ourselves seriously as a band. But you've got to laugh at yourself a little bit. And we still do, too; the lyrics are just lyrics, you know.

Still going girl crazy?

Ross: I'm, still going girl crazy! [Laughs] Let me tell you, I haven't stopped. If I stop that I'm stopping rock and roll.

You and Scott Kempner have been playing together for many years. You must have a good rapport. Is there a secret to that?

Ross: The secret is that we learned together. When the band first started I was the most accomplished player. Scott came along with me. I taught him a lot, and then he later became a great guitar player, with the Del Lords as well. We had our influences, all of us. He was into The Beach Boys and The Who, and I was into heavier bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Jimi Hendrix.

You just described the way it is. He's the rhythm player and you're the lead player.

Ross: Right. Scott and I, by the time of Bloodbrothers, became a dynamic duo together, very tight.

You were a big fan of the Stooges.

Ross: Absolutely. I loved them. As a matter of fact, the first two professional gigs the Dictators did were opening for the Stooges and Blue Oyster Cult.

Am I correct in saying that two of your biggest influences were Wayne Kramer and Glen Buxton?

Ross: Yeah, the MC5 were a big influence on me, Alice Cooper, too. Many guitar players were. When growing up I listened to so many, and learned from them, like Santana, Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Peter Green, Buck Dharma, and Tony Iommi. You name it. I just kept absorbing. Luckily, I was blessed with my own style. To this day, people tell me I sound like nobody, so that's a great thing. I'd rather have my own identity than anything.

What's the state of rock and punk today?

Ross: I think it's okay. I don't think any of it's truly groundbreaking anymore. Rock and roll isn't mainstream anymore either. Pop, rap, and country is the way it is here in the United States. In Europe it's a whole different story. But if a young band comes along that's really amazing once again, they might be able to change things. But hey, listen, rock and roll will always have its audience. And as long as a band kicks ass live, like we do, and like many bands that enjoy playing do, people will still want to come out to the show and get their heads taken off.

Who are your favorite guitarists of all time?

Ross: B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, and Tony Iommi. There's many more, too.

Do you have any advice for young guitarists today?

Ross: Yes. I have a lot of advice for young players: do not give up, do not listen to anyone but yourself, listen to your heart, and do not close your ears to the greats. When you start playing guitar, you have to start by building a foundation. You have to start at the bottom. You can't expect to start out playing Green Day. That's not how you learn to play. He (Billie Joe Armstrong) may have been influenced by players like Ron Asheton, James Williamson, and who knows, probably The Ramones, maybe even me. But you've got to go back. You've got to go back to the beginning. If you want to learn how to play blues you've got to know where it's coming from. And you've got to play from the heart. You'll be a much better guitar player for it. Don't think you've got to play from your wallet, because you'll never make any money.

Talk about your gear.

Ross: Onstage I use Marshall heads, JCM 800s that have been modified by the fellow who does all the gear for Manowar, Black Sabbath, Bruce Springsteen, Prince and others. His name is Dawk. He's a genius with tubes and Marshalls. So I use those. I have heavy duty Marshall 4/12 cabinets. That's basically it. I don't use any effects. I'm now endorsed by ESP, so I use ESP EC1000 guitars. I play them straight through the Marshall. I used to use a wah-wah pedal but not very often anymore.

Did you use the ESP on Viva! Dictators? Your playing on that is very much a Les Paul sound.

Ross: That probably was a Les Paul. But now I use the EC1000s, which are unbelievable. It's basically a Les Paul style guitar.

For screwing around at home I have a little Marshall. It sounds good. I'm not a POD guy, although the Vox Tone Lab is a very good piece of equipment. I did some recording with it and it sounded good. It's like a POD but it has a tube in it.

Any future plans you might want to talk about?

Ross: Yeah. I'm going to do some solo gigs in the fall with J.P. from the Dictators. We're going to put together the instrumental thing. The Brain Surgeons are going to be touring. I've been keeping busy. People who come see me will get their money's worth. You'll not be disappointed, I assure you. I approach everything like it's going to be my last. You never know anyway. I don't take anything for granted.
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Related Links
The Dictators
Brian D. Holland's review of Viva! Dictators!
Viva! Dictators! on Amazon.com
Chiptser Public Relations