If you consume any kind of media, then you’ve experienced the very talented Michael Des Barres. His presence is ubiquitous: he’s had a long history performing as a vocalist in rock bands, been on television hundreds of times, worked as an actor in many films, and now hosts his own music program on Little Steven’s Sirius XM channel, Little Steven’s Underground Garage.
So, it’s almost difficult to focus on just one of his projects without thinking about all of the other work he’s accomplished. On one hand, this episode features me speaking with the vocalist responsible for one of my favorite rock and roll songs, “Hello, New York” by Silverhead. But, simultaneously, I’m also speaking to Murdoch from television’s MacGyver. Few guests have such a dynamic background.
But Mr. Des Barres does his best to keep us focused on his career where it matters, he’s been there and done this before, so he can easily jump around topics all with the charm of a true rock and roll gentleman. Mostly, we’re here to talk about the band that Michael fronted during the 1970s called Detective who were signed to Led Zeppelin’s record label, Swan Song.
Their 1977 debut was recently reissued by the ORG Music record label and was completely sold out on Record Store Day. There’s a lot to discuss with Mr. Des Barres and he doesn’t shy away from any of it, including the role that drugs and alcohol played for part of his journey. But, he’s always focused on the positive side of things. He’s open about the bad and ugly experiences he’s had in his life, but, after all is said and done, he’s happiest when he’s talking about the good.
Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.
