#robert rans

For Those Of You Who Remember...The Interview With Mr. Peter Brown From Back In The Day.

Amplify’d from www.disco-disco.com

Peter Brown

THE Artist, Writer and Producer.

"(Love Is Just) The Game"

Peter Brown is the Artist, Writer and Producer who was the first to have a million selling 12"single with his own "Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me". His hits spans from the late 70's to the mid 80's and include classics like: "Dance With Me", "Crank It Up", "Can't Be Love (Do It To Me Anyway)", "Baby Gets High", "They Only Come Out At Night", "(Love Is Just) The Game" and others... Unfairly people tend to remember him as the guy who wrote "Material Girl" for Madonna and not by all the great songs he has recorded under his own name. Peter has now retired from the music business and he doesn't usually give interviews, that's why I'm extremely happy he accepted to be part of www.disco-disco.com Read the thoughts and memories of this legendary artist... 'Do You Wanna Get Funky With...' Peter Brown

Peter Brown was born July 11th in 1953 in Blue Island, Illinois - a suburb of Chicago. Peter's mother was very talented, artistically and musically, and her son was always considered equally artistic and talented. I [Discoguy] asked Peter: It's said you taught yourself to play the drums in your early teens and after that you went on learning other instruments. Did you feel already back then that music was what you really wanted to do? "I played various musical instruments when I was growing up (although I never had any formal music lessons of any kind) and was always trying to get a band started with my friends. Music was a perpetual hobby, but I never envisioned myself becoming a professional musician when I grew up. A painter maybe. I loved recording too, and would spend hours over dubbing myself playing one instrument after another on to a primitive 2-track tape recorder my father (an electrical engineer) supplied. In the end I would have an entire orchestra of myself playing drums, organ, a variety of small rhythm instruments and maybe some accordion - anything that I could get my hands on to add to the ensemble."

You later went to Art Institute of Chicago and as I've understood you went there to become a painter. The Art Institute - was it a school for all creative arts, I mean, did they also offer classes in music?

After high school I went to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for a short while. At the time there wasn't much of a school. The 'classrooms' were the dark, dank rooms located beneath the museum, furnished with discarded, tattered furniture that looked as if it had been picked up on a street corner somewhere. Some classes were also held a couple blocks away in a high-rise building on Wabash street. I don't remember any music classes being offered at the time. I took mainly painting, sculpting, film and art history classes. My experience there was not very fulfilling and I didn't feel I was learning much. I began wondering if a career as a painter was a wise choice. It was at this time that I was introduced to Cory Wade. He was a music producer I met through mutual friends. It seems they had been telling him how talented I was hoping he could help in my artistic career. But it turned out that he was mainly interested in my hobby of writing and recording original music. His interest inspired me to work more seriously on my home recordings and I began to send him tapes of my latest musical ideas. I began honing the music into a more commercial form and eventually sent him a demo with three new songs. There was a ballad on the tape that I was sure could be a hit. Looking back today I'm sure it was a very mediocre song. But sure enough, Cory soon called to tell me that he thought there was a hit song on the tape. But not the ballad. It was a story song called 'Do You Want To Get Funky With Me?'. Although at the time I thought it was quite daring to use the word 'funky' in the title, I didn't really think it was the song with the biggest potential. Obviously, I was wrong." Yes, Peter sure was wrong there. Actually the song became a major hit and it was the first 12" single to sell over, unbelievable, 1 million copies!!! That's impressing, not many 12" singles has ever sold that many copies... Peter continues; "'Do You Want To Get Funky With Me?' was the song that got me my first recording contract and album deal. Cory Wade played my demo for Henry Stone [the president of TK Records] who wanted to release it just the way it was. I recorded it at home in my bedroom on a 4-track recorder. I played all of the instruments except for a saxophone solo, added by my friend Mike Smith. Mike has gone on to have a very distinguished career as a highly respected jazz musician. I think he was a bit horrified when I suggested we run the sound of his sax through a synthesizer to give it an unusual sound. I couldn't imagine releasing a song recorded in my bedroom and begged Henry Stone to let me bring the demo to Florida to improve and add to the tracks on a professional 24-track recorder. He relented and I was able to clean up the tracks, add guitar, background vocals and various new percussion instruments."

Your "Do you wanna get funky with me" was the first 12"single to sell over a million copies - why do you think it was such a huge success and how did that make you feel?

As to why 'Do You Want To Get Funky' became such a big hit and so incredibly popular I'm not sure. Technically, it was too slow to be a typical disco song. I suppose it just had that undefinable something that people latched on to. I'm sure the title and story line had something to do with it. I guess it just had a special, unique groove to it that everyone loved. As to how I felt about the success of the record - I was obviously very happy and very pleased, but I was also overwhelmed by its huge, immediate success. I didn't really have time to fully understand or enjoy what was happening. As soon as the song hit the airwaves it started going up the charts and I went straight to work writing an album. Then there were interviews and the television appearances, more recording and touring and so on and so on. The album took off and 'Dance With Me' became the next single to reach the top ten. It was an overwhelming year topped off by a Grammy nomination for best R&B vocal performance for 'Dance With Me'. Only later could I look back on what had happened and fully comprehend just how big that year had been. I worked hard and was very lucky." The B side track of "Do you wanna get Funky..." is the instrumental kind of "dub" version, called - "Burning love breakdown"... This song fast became a classic in the legendary Paradise Garage. Why was it called "Burning love breakdown"? "'Burning Love Breakdown' was totally ad-libbed by me playing various different instruments, one at a time, in an attempt to create a longer version of the song. There's really no special reason it's called 'Burning Love Breakdown'. In fact, I was a bit at odds with Cory who suggested we distinguish it as a separate song. I always thought of it as nothing more than a long, percussion break."

As mentioned before, Peter Brown played most instruments himself in his records and I had to ask him about that... You play most instruments yourself in your records... It really takes a lot of talent to play all those different instruments. Why did you decide to play them all by yourself in your albums? "The reason I played most of the instruments on my albums is partly because that's just how I was used to doing it. I could never find enough talented friends to help me with my recordings so I simply had to do it all myself. Also, it was a challenge. I greatly admired Stevie Wonder and, to some degree, wanted to be like him. My ultimate goal was to write the songs, record the instruments, perform the vocals and produce and record a record totally by myself." Since you have covered all aspects of music recording, which of your works, I mean either Writer, Singer or Producer, do you prefer? "Being a song writer, recording artist and producer, I think I enjoyed the producing aspect the most. A talented producer can make a tremendous difference in the ultimate style of a song and how good a record (or CD) that song will end up being. And a great song and great recording are two completely different things. There are so many potential ways to approach a piece of music. One of my favorite experiments was recording Rodgers and Hammerstein's 'Shall We Dance' (from the Broadway musical The King And I) as a ballad. Everyone knows it as a big, bounding show-stopper, but the lyrics are actually very romantic and beautiful when approached from a more introspective and quiet point of view. It's the only song I ever put on one of my albums that I didn't write myself."

Do you think one have to have different skills in each of them (Writing, Singing and/or Producing)?

"You obviously need different skills as a song writer, artist and producer. But when you have skill in each of those areas they definitely complement each other and help a lot."

Any special memories you can tell about in each of your different roles (as above)? Any special Writer memories like something special you remember from writing or recording some special song... "The one memory as a song writer that stands out for me is the song 'Material Girl'. Most songs are a combination of inspiration and hard work. It often takes a long time to get a song just right. At times it can be quite excruciating. 'Material Girl', however, came to me in a flash while I was driving my car. I heard the whole thing in my head like a finished record, complete with music and even some lyrics. I started singing it as I drove and realized very quickly that I had something special. I forced myself to keep singing it and not become distracted and forget it completely, which has happened to me before. When I arrived home I ran into my studio and quickly recorded it into a small recorder to capture it forever. As a recording artist I suppose my best memories are of the people I was able to work with. Writing a hit for and spending time with Madonna, stands out of course. Having Dan Hartman join me singing background vocals for my album was great fun. Then there was the completely unexpected, late night visit while I was recording in Miami by Eartha Kitt. To this day I'm not sure why she decided to drop in. I've had the opportunity to meet people like Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald and Quincy Jones, to name a few. I couldn't ask for more wonderful memories." Let's get back to Madonna and "Material Girl". Was this song specially written for her? I think "Material Girl" was one of the songs that really made Madonna become a top artist - so how did it feel to have helped launched her career, when looking on how influential she is in the music business today? "Although Material Girl came to me like a bolt from the blue, it was, in fact, written for Madonna. I had been trying to come up with songs for her for a week, with little success. Then, as I mentioned before, I started singing this song while I was driving in my car. It simply fell into my brain and I began singing it mentally. I heard the whole thing. All I had to do then was to remember it until I got back home. Then I made a demo of it, finished the lyrics with Robert Rans and had Pat Hurly sing the vocals. Naturally, it felt great for her to decide to do the song and have it appear on the album that really skyrocketed her to national fame. I remember it was the holiday season and I sent it to her on a cassette wrapped like a Christmas present. It still amazes me that to this day, almost twenty years later, the press will still refer to her as the 'Material Girl'. And since I wrote that song, regardless of anything else I've done in the music business, I am inevitably recognized, recalled or introduced as the guy who wrote 'Material Girl'."

Peter Brown has released 4 albums during his years in the music business. Starting out with the album Fantasy Love Affair on the Drive label in 1977. The album was produced by Cory Wade and it's sometimes referred to as 'Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me?', since it included this hit song but also since it's got 'Do You Wanna...' written on the front cover. The album followed up the million selling hit 12" single "Do you wanna get funky with me", which B side was the now classic "Burning love breakdown", as discussed earlier. The single reached # 3 in the R&B Charts and # 18 in the Billboard Pop charts during summer of 1977. Other single releases off the album was "Without love", "You should do it" and the brilliant and hard to find Funky-Disco 12" classic "Dance with me" with additional vocals by Betty Wright, which became a Top Ten hit in spring 1978. Betty, who at the time, was signed to Alston Records, which was another of the labels under the T.K. umbrella. Other songs on the LP are, the title track, "Fantasy love affair", "the Singer's become a dancer", "For your love" and "It's true what they say about love". The album did very well and peaked at # 11 in the Billboard Top 40 LP's.

It was actually Peter himself, who took the cover pic's of the 'Fantasy Love Affair' album. He tells me the story; "Yes. I took the Fantasy Love Affair album cover pictures. It's actually a rather famous story, originally documented in a Rolling Stone interview I did in 1978. I decided to take the photos myself and used a window in my neighbor's house. Originally, I photographed a couple of friends in various poses, but since they were not professional models I was never happy with the results. I didn't have a lot of time or money back then so I decided to create my model from a composite of women who graced the pages of Playboy magazine. The 'model' was actually a cardboard cut out I drew with some very thin strips of ribbon taped on the head to resemble hair. At the time of the Rolling Stone interview I still had the cutout and was photographed with it in my bedroom beside my 4-track tape recorder."

To follow up the massive success of "Do you wanna get funky with me?" and "Dance with me" the demand was raised for Peter to get out on a Tour, performing these hits Live! The Peter Brown Band was formed and except for Peter, the members were: Tom Dziallo [bass], Joe Guzzo [guitars], Robert Rans [keyboards & vocals], Mike Hilger [keyboards], Kieth Anderson [drums] and Pat Hurrley [keyboards & vocals]. There were also three background singers and for some special events even Betty Wright joined the band. Joe, the bands guitarist, share his own pic's and memories from the Tour; "We rehearsed the band a lot before and during the tour. We originally rehearsed in a loft in Palos Heights [Chicago] across the street from Peter Brown's house. Then we moved to a big industrial section warehouse where we could play for as long and as loud as we wanted. Robert Rans was a really great musician and Peter Brown liked it to be as perfect and precise as possible, yet they still allowed us to improvise. We started the tour in a small Illinois town called Quincy and then through the southern states down through Texas to Florida, then north playing gigs up the coast to the upper east coast. We played everything from small intimate clubs to disco's like New York's Xenon, as well as big venues like Madison Square Garden. We headlined as well as opened for other acts like: Parliament, Funkadelic, The O'Jays and others."

The show they did covered an hour and a half, and if they needed to stretch it out, the band did longer versions of "Do you wanna get funky with me?" and the other hits. The songs on the play list were:

"Do you wanna get funky with me?" "Dance with me" "Fantasy love affair" "You should do it" "It's true what they say about love" "The singer's become a dancer" "For your love" as well as: "I heard it through the grapevine" and Pink Floyd's "Have a cigar"

Joe tells this about Peter Brown; "Peter was from a more sophisticated background than some of us others in the band. He was a very intelligent and talented person, and he was more of a quiet person most of the time. He would always appear to think and pause before his words and sentences came out. He was very serious about his music and was not a wild party animal on the road." He rounds off; "I learned a lot and am grateful that I had the opportunity to make the audition and play with the Peter Brown Band. I got to see many places and meet many famous musicians. I have a lot of wonderful memories. I also learned music is a business as well as an art...."

In 1979 Peter returned with a new album on Drive called Stargazer. For this album Peter had got more involved in the production work and the Producer credits are credited to Cory Wade & Peter Brown. The cover of 'Stargazer' catches Peter with "laser guns" in his hands, but the title track - "Stargazer" - is actually a beautiful, but yet dramatic, ballad. More of the space and stars theme is to be found in the track "West of the North Star". The album includes the hit singles "Crank it up (Funk Town)" and "Penguin", along with the single release "Love in our hearts". Other album tracks include "It's alright", "Got to get the show on the road" and "Leadmeon".

You told me Dan Hartman was adding vocals to some of your songs... Which one(s)? "Dan came to Miami to sing backgrounds with me on 'It's Alright', a song on the Stargazer album. Laura Taylor also joined us on that session. It wasn't a very big part, but he was very gracious and did a great job. I originally thought of him because I thought our voices would work well together - as I believe they did." They did for sure... No doubt about that!

1980 saw the release of the single "Can't be love (do it to me anyway)", a release that would become Brown's last on Drive since T.K. went into bankruptcy that same year... This track never got to be released on any album, but it was a very successful single.

Three years later [1983] Peter was Back to the front again on RCA Records. The album has Peter himself as the producer and would be a typical early eighties album, if it wasn't for Peter's wonderful melodic melodies and arrangements. Still funky and very danceable. Some of the material was written for the album which should have followed up "Can't be love...", like the hits "Overnight sensation" and "Baby gets high". 'Back to the front' also included Brown's ballad version of the show-stopper "Shall We Dance", from the musical 'The King And I', as mentioned above, along with "Danger", "Lover come back", "Give me up", "Heaven in your eyes", "Satisfaction guaranteed" and "the Love game".

Peter's last album - Snap - was released by Columbia Records in 1984. Again he had written and produced it himself. This is one of my all time favorite albums and every single one of its 9 tracks are all excellent pieces of work. There's not a dull moment listening to it and you really can't sit still - you just have to move to the beats. The album yielded the hits "They only come out at night", "(Love is just) the Game" and "Zie-Zie won't dance". Both 'They only...' and 'Love is...', were remixed for extra dance floor rotation by hot shot DJ and remixer John 'Jellybean' Benitez, who also was the one helping Madonna to a contract in the first place. But this album also include the uptempo "Electric shoes", with it's wonderful horn sections, the dream-like ballad "Double or Nothing", the rocking "Just like you", the dramatically "Classical dancing" and the flying almost reggae-influenced "Hot Flash". It's just a brilliant wonderful album! (But I guess you have understood that I think that by now.)

I have always wondered - Zie-Zie - is she someone real? "Like the beautiful woman that graced the cover of my 'Fantasy Love Affair' album, Zie Zie is just another figment of my imagination. But I think the young lady I chose to play Zie Zie in the music video was very close to what I imagined she really looked like." To follow up on the "Zie-Zie won't dance" video... It was actually nominated in no less than three classes in the second MTV Video Music Awards in 1985 [for year 1984] - Best Special Effects, Best Art Direction and Best Editing. Unfortunately none of the classes was won. In the same Awards, Madonna was also nominated for Best Female Video of the Year for... the Peter Brown penned - "Material Girl". Your songs - "The Love Game" and "(Love Is Just) The Game" - was that a coincident or did you and Robert Rans think love is a game? "No, Love is not a game. But often the game is coming up with interesting premises for song lyrics. Lyrics have never been the most important element of my music, but I usually tried to write about universal themes - the thoughts and feelings everyone has had in their lives. It’s how you make a connection with people."

the DJ and Remixer Jellybean remixed your songs "They only come out at night" and "(Love is just) the Game" off the SNAP album. Have you got any memories or comments on him or the remixes?

"I didn’t know John "Jellybean" Benitez very well. The only time I spent with him was when he did the remix of 'They Only Come Out At Night' in New York. He was, of course, considered one of the best remix guys around and I let him do whatever he wanted with the song. As I recall, he didn’t make any very big changes to the original tracks. But the song did make it to # 1 on the dance charts. After the remix session John, Madonna, Freddy DeMann, Madonna's and my manager at the time, and I went out to dinner together and then went to a Michael Jackson concert. The evening ended at Michael's post concert party in his hotel suite at the Helmsley Palace. As you can imagine it was quite an evening. I flew back home to Chicago the next day and that was about the extent of my time with 'Jellybean'."

Some people think Peter Brown returned with an album called 'Chasing fireflies' in 1999, but that album is NOT by our Peter Brown. To get another name mix-up right as well - Our Peter Brown is NOT the one who was running P&P Records, Heavenly Star, Sound of New York and other NYC labels in the 70's...

Some of the people I have interviewed regret today that they haven't hold on to copies of their work. Have you got a copy of every record you've been involved with? "I believe I do have a copy of every record I've been involved in." Which of your own songs is your favorite and why? "If I had to choose a favorite song I think it would have to be 'Maybe It Was Magic'. It is a ballad I originally wrote for Peter Cetera of Chicago. He told me he loved the song but didn't think it was exactly right for him. But he was producing Agnetha Faltskog [ABBA] at the time and asked if he could give it to her. Naturally, I told him he could and she sang it on her debut solo album, I Stand Alone. For some reason, however, they eliminated the bridge of the song which never sat well with me. I thought it was too important to that song to eliminate. So, no one has ever actually heard the song as written." Oh, that's too bad, but as a Swede myself I'm happy to hear Agneta recorded one of your songs. But have you got any favorite Peter Brown album? Some you like better or are more satisfied/proud of than the others? "Of my own albums I really don't have any favorite. Probably the last one [Snap] because I think I learned more and improved my skills as time went by. I never listen to my music much any more. I find it difficult to experience them in a simple, recreational way. I'm a perfectionist. I end up listening critically and analyzing what could have been done better or differently. With the advancements made in recording and sound over the years my early recordings just sound rather old and primitive to me. After all, I did record my first record in my own home."

Debuting as an artist in 1977, right in the beginning of the Disco craze, how was that? I had to ask Peter; What about Disco music? Did you like Disco music during that era, or was it "just a job"? When listening to you great Disco songs, I'm sure you loved it... "I never thought of myself as a disco artist and never really tried to write dance songs. When I wrote 'Do You Want To Get Funky With Me' I'd never even been to a disco. Naturally, with the extraordinary popularity of disco music at the time, you had to write dance songs to survive. Every artist from The Rolling Stones to Ethel Merman put out a disco song or album. People tend to forget that." As originally recording for Drive, which was part of the T.K. Records "family", how was it? Did you know other T.K. acts and the people behind T.K.? "I did know some to the other TK acts when I was at that label. KC [Harry Wayne Casey - of KC & the Sunshine Band] of course, T-connection, Betty Wright - who was featured vocalist on 'Dance With Me' and Foxy - for whom I made a guest appearance on one of their albums."

Have you got any favorite people you liked working with? I have seen specially Robert Rans name in all your albums and he was also the one putting me in contact with you - can you tell me a little more about him and your writing relation? I've also seen Robert Vavrik's name many times...

"In the beginning, the people I worked with were my friends. As things progressed for me in the music business I tried to bring my friends along for the ride. Some were more talented than others and most of them, as far as I know, didn't stay in the music business. Robert Rans, who I co-wrote many lyrics with, did go on to start a very successful commercial music business in Chicago. Tom Dziallo, who was my guitar player from the beginning, continued in the business and has performed with many other notables and continues to do studio work today. Tom is one of the most talented people I've worked with and is, in my opinion, one of the country's great guitar players. I also collaborated with Pat Hurley on lyrics to many songs. Pat was a classically trained pianist and wonderful singer. She sang the main vocal harmonies with me on 'Dance With Me' and many other songs. Another talented person I wrote lyrics with was Bob Vavrik. Bob was another friend of mine. He was the odd guy in the equation because, although he was a talented musician he was never part of my band. He decided to pursue a much more sensible career and went on to become a dentist."

You mention the band you used to have play with you, but it seems you have more or less "always" worked solo. Or have you ever been involved or part of any group(s)?

"I have always worked solo and never been part of a group. It's just the way I've always done things and it's just easier for me to work that way."

After your Snap album, which is one of my personal all-time favorite albums, we haven't got to hear anything more from you as Peter Brown. Why did you decide to leave the music business?

"There are two main reasons why I'm not active in the music business any more. The first being that after starting a family I thought it was best for me to be home with them rather than recording or touring the country. The other is that I developed a fairly pronounced case of tinnitus. Tinnitus is a constant ringing in the ears that never stops. It is brought about, in some cases, by constant exposure to loud environments. The longer I was exposed to loud music on stage or in the recording studio the worse my tinnitus became. Eventually I decided I had to preserve my hearing and sanity by retiring to a quieter lifestyle."

That sounds like a wise choice, so where do you live now and what are you working with?

"I still live in the Chicago area and am still running my design business along with a couple of new ventures. For me, life is a constant evolution. If not it would become rather boring I should think."

Yes, I agree, but do you still write music?

"I no longer write music. I still have a music publishing business and am still a member of NARAS, but that is the extent of my involvement in the music business today. I’ve headed a design business for many years which has been my focal point for creativity. I’ve been fortunate to have had a tremendous variety of projects which call for a wide scope of creative disciplines. I’ve designed everything from buildings to the Chicago Board Options Exchange Internet site."

Sounds like you keep being creative, even though it's not in music. Have you ever thought of a Peter Brown "comeback"?

"I have no plans in making a come back or being involved in the music business in the future. I've gotten used to the private life and enjoy it very much. My real love was never for the spotlight, but for the music and the creation of it. The best music I've ever written, in my opinion, are pieces I've done for my own personal pleasure, since I've been out of the limelight. Orchestral pieces and some popular music that no one but my family and friends are likely to ever hear. But that doesn't bother me."

But Peter adds; "Once in a while I do think it would be fun to get up in front of an audience again. But so far the feeling has always passed. Maybe my children, who are very talented indeed, will take up the musical torch one day."

Peter has given us many moments of musical pleasure with his music, not only as a solo artist but also as a writer for others as well. I just love all of this work and I hope you have enjoyed getting to know this legend and his music a little better. His music will continue to touch us and make us wanna move to the beats. Unfortunately he doesn't make music any more, but hopefully one day we'll get to see his kids take up his legacy. I just say - Come on and "Dance with me" and the phenomenal...

PETER BROWN

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