When Danger Danger dispensed with the services of Ted Poley, the band changed their style from good-time rock to a more serious direction. Ted Poley resurfaced quickly with Bone Machine and played a couple of storming sets at the Gods, as well as some headline dates in the UK. Then earlier this year came news of the Melodica project, which saw Poley teaming up with Austrian guitarist Gerhard Pichler. The music was said to be in the early Danger Danger/Bad English vein and had fans salivating at the prospect. However, much like the Phoenix Down album last year, opinion seems to be split down the middle, but this time for radically different reasons.

Kieran Dargan took time out to chat with the affable and surprisingly open Mr Poley...

Hi Ted, what are you up to right now?

Pretty much finishing up my day. Just been listening to the new demos we have finished.

New demos?

Yeah, we already have the new record written and demoed and its like totally the best thing I have ever done. We had Gerhard’s friend Jonathan Mover lay down the drums and they are totally slamming. And I have an exclusive for you - the name of the new record will be ‘Love Metaland’ I have the guys from Teer to thank for that - they came up with the name and I latched on to it. I mean it is exactly what I am...I mean I’m not prog metal or power metal, my music is pretty much good cruisin’ fun music... music to get laid to. I know I should be talking about the new record but its doing so well and I’m really pumped up about the upcoming one...we are going to be the kings of our genre - The Kings of Love Metal!

Now I thought I was going to talk about ‘Long Way From Home’.

As excited as I am about that, seeing as its #1 in most rock charts all over the world, I am really pumped up about the new one also. I suppose the success of ‘Long Way From Home’ really spawned the creativity for the new record and I’m pumped up about everything right now!

That’s some output from Ted Poley, who doesn’t release a thing for years and all of a sudden he’s Mr Creativity!

I’m enjoying myself once again and with the album doing really well I guess I found that Ted Poley has finally found a place for himself... back rockin.

Well just to back up a little, I thought you were really happy with Bone Machine. What became of that project?

Well nothing really. Bone Machine, like all my other projects, can never really afford to tour so they are basically studio projects. But if we do something live we usually record it so most of my bands are borrowed from others and that was the way Bone Machine happened, although Melodica is definitely a band, not a project. I was much angrier back then and some of the material reflected that but right now I’m a happy Love Metal kind of guy.

I guess everybody got a little angry in the mid 90’s, especially with all the angst ridden bands having radio and commercial success. I suppose some of that rubbed off?

Well yes, but mine was a little more personal, you know with all the shit that went down with Danger Danger and losing a record deal and a band etc etc. I was miserable, but things are really looking up right now with lots of cool new bands and some real rock and roll making a come back, plus we still have some great gigs like the Gods, so right now everything is cool!

Do you think its fair to say that you have built up a loyal following over the years based on your name and your involvement with Danger Danger?

Yes I do, because essentially we were all live performers. People loved Andy for his guitar work and they liked what they got, a real band playing and giving their all live, so they know that Ted Poley won’t try to bullshit them and I will as always give them 110% because they have stuck with me even through really tough times and I appreciate that very much.

Okay, back to the new album. You finally got it out and you are very happy with the way things are going. Can we say that Melodica is here to stay and that Ted Poley has given up on aspiring to be a huge rock star and selling millions of albums, and that you are happier to now just put out records that you find personally fulfiling?

Good question. Originally, back then when I first started, the only reason I got into it was to be a rock star, and then with D2 it was a lot of fun but as big as it got I still never got paid as much as I should have. Then with Bone Machine it was still a struggle with very little support except from the good people at Now and Then which enabled me to keep touring so I guess really all along I have been doing it for the love of it and nothing has changed, but to answer your question, no it’s not important to me anymore to sell 1,000,000 records as long as I am happy doing what I’m doing. I still do it for the love of the music, and that’s why I was a little pissed off in the beginning to see all the shitty reviews that the Melodica album got. Who wants to be a rock star anyway? Ha-hah!

Well seeing as you brought up the subject, the new album has come in for a fair bit of criticism in the vocal department.

Yeah, go ahead man. Hit me, I can take it...!

Am I going to have to remove the phone from my ear?

Nah, not now, but two months ago....Yeaaaaahh!

Some people have said, myself included, that the vocals are lacking in places and are indeed off key in some instances. It seems like you rushed it. In hindsight do you think that you should have redone the parts rather than let it cause the uproar and furore that it did?

No, because this is how I feel about it...I have a lot of trouble taking direction from anybody (laughs). I don’t do anything because people tell me to do it. As a matter of fact I think I’ll put a song on the next record sung so far out of key on purpose just to piss em off...(laughs)!! This is how I look at it - this project was supposed to go to a certain label in a certain country, so for one reason or another we ended up being stranded with the tapes with no help from anybody until at a very late stage Mark Ashton, God bless him, came in with a deal and put it out. It’s funny because some of the worst early reviews came from the country in which the original label was based. Hmmmmmm, sounds funny to me one said, and I laughed so hard at this. Poley shouldn’t even sing on his own record? Sounds a little slanted doesn’t it? They took the flaws you mentioned and blew them out of all proportion because, quite honestly, the songs are as good if not better than anything I have heard lately. Gerhard is a world class recording engineer and it is really well recorded in a top class studio and it is selling like hot cakes, so obviously the fans love it, and as far as I’m concerned they are the last word. Since I finished the record I have sat down and listened to many similar bands from our genre and what I found was....I see what people are talking about. [The other bands] are all so amazing but some of them sound a little too polished for me. Irrespective of how big my name may or may not be we don’t have a Def Leppard budget. I would never have the patience to record something like that. I don’t sing things a million times. As a matter of fact I sang almost everything live, some no more than twice over. I’d rather have a line or two out than sit there and do fake things, that’s just the way I am. So in essence I did all the background vocals myself and what I didn’t want was the record ending up sounding like a Steve Perry record with banks of backing vocals. What I did was record the backgrounds live on a stage, and as a result they sound a bit looser than on some of the other records I have heard recently, so I do understand where people are coming from, but in saying that I did it and we had fun. But what they should understand is I don’t live or die by every note and I still think my record sounds really good. I don’t want to sound like an asshole but I love my record and its selling well so even looking back now I wouldn’t change anything. Now next time around you can be sure I won’t leave even an inch for people to criticise, so yes it does have a certain impact because I would leave something in for the hell of it even though it may not be technically correct but I will be more careful now. I may change a little bit but it will never sound like a sterile record. Who knows, I may gain some new fans or lose some old ones, but it will always have my personality because I think that’s what my fans look for. The album has been #1 in two charts and top five in at least three others so I’m delighted. In fact all the negative criticism has inspired me to write a new song which will be the opening track on the ‘Love Metal’ album called ‘What Number Are You?’ I mean I don’t come to these critics day jobs and knock the burgers off their grills. It’s basically me asking the critics what number is your album at? At least the ones who came down hard on me. So maybe some good did come from the criticism. Perhaps the world does need to light a fire under my ass!

So how did you and Gerhard hook up?

He was a fan. He sent me a tape and I was really impressed. He actually had the material written at the time and a deal in place but then it turned out there were label problems, but they were responsible for us meeting. I really had no intention doing any more music and was working a variety of day jobs. I was so impressed that I took the music and wrote extra pieces and lyrics that suited and Gerhard was really happy also, and it turned out to be a really great record.

So moving forward, will the ‘Love Metal’ album also be a Melodica album?

Well first off we have a little present for all our fans out there. It’s basically a Ted Poley unplugged project - me on vocals and Gerhard on guitars. It’s purely a live performance, not an overdub on there, so the critics can go fly if there is a little glitch here and there. I mean if they want to come over and sing live I’ll critique their live vocal...nah, only kidding! It’s basically acoustic versions of Melodica as well as some Bone Machine stuff, you know ‘Missing You’, ‘Anisha’ and the like and there is a brand new Ted Poley song that was intended for my solo record, whenever I get the time for that in between all the other projects that I have going on right now.

So what will be the line up for the live Melodica band?

Well we have Joe Slattery and Marty Bassington from Norway. I’ve known Joe for years - we played together when I was 15 and he 16, so that’s cool. And Marty is just a great drummer so I’m really excited. Also we have Charlie Calv from Shotgun Symphony on keyboards who is another great player, so the Gods gig will be really rockin’, I promise you that.

I assume there is no way for you to play a Ted Poley/Melodica gig without playing a selection of Danger Danger songs live?

You know, I do it not because I have to but because I want to. I mean if the fans want to hear the songs as close to the original version as possible with the original vocalist, sometimes we include a few towards the end of the set.

Do you think that’s important - hearing the songs with the original vocalist?

Yes I think it is. To tell you the truth I can’t tell you the name of any real good Foreigner songs without Lou Gramm on there. But yes it’s important to have the original sound and singer. If not it’s deceitful to the fans and they [guess who] should really change the name if its something different. I would do it for no other reason than its fun. I may play a song for Gerhard - he was a fan of D2 and his fantasy was one day to play a D2 song with me singing - so in that respect the original versions are very important. They are essentially the versions people want to hear. I only play a concert or two a year so I don’t have to play anything in particular.

Would you like to play more gigs?

No, not really. I work a day job like everybody else. Actually more seeing as I am my own boss and tend to work 14 hours a day, but I would like to do a few more high quality dates because I miss the fans, but I don’t think an extended tour is an option any more, but I’m psyched about the new record and if I only sell 100 copies I wont have a deal anymore (laughs)! No, I’ll be just as happy as playing in front of 5,000 fans although I’m sure the critics would have a field day.

Do you think that sometimes critics can overstep the mark?

Yes, sometimes, but in a way where sometimes their comments prevent people from hearing the record themselves and making their own judgement and that’s annoying. It can also be because they are having a bad day or they hate me because I shagged their girlfriend on a tour or something. Who knows what their motivation is but I can understand where they come from, but remember a critic is only one person’s opinion and its not always correct. I am smart enough to make my own decisions and I think my fans are also..I mean they all have real jobs and I’m still doing this!

Tell us about the attempted Danger Danger reunion in 1998.

Well back in late 1998 I had a call from Danger Danger’s management asking me if I would be interested in doing something with Bruno and Steve as Danger Danger. I spoke to their manager and in turn had a call from Bruno and we discussed a lot of things and spent a lot of time foolin’ around on the phone like the old days. In fact it felt really good. Bruno and Steve asked me if I was interested in rejoining and I said yeah, I thought it would be really cool for the fans as well as ourselves and I was really into it. I asked for a salary while recording - I mean everybody gets paid to work right? I didn’t even discuss figures with them, I simply said I needed an income while working and I would leave the figures up to them to sort out and they could decide on the amount etc. and get back to me on it. Later I had a call from Steve West saying they couldn’t come up with the necessary arrangements which I thought was strange seeing as the ball was in their court as far as the financial agreements went. They basically decided that they couldn’t or wouldn’t pay me so everything fizzled out. It was such a pity because it would have been great, especially for the fans and I think it could have been really cool.

So things didn’t work out but at least you are all on better terms now than you have been over the past few years, right?

Oh yeah! We don’t have a problem with each other any more, that’s all water under the bridge as far as I am concerned.

So what are the chances of a Danger Danger reunion in the future?

Well I would love to do it. I’d jump at the chance but the arrangements would have to be agreeable to all parties. I mean, I would need to be paid for my work and I’m not sure if we could come to an agreement, but I wouldn’t rule it out totally. I do hope it will happen one day so the fans get the chance to see us live. We were a very ,very good live band and it would be a lot of fun to do it again. As for Andy and Kasey, I don’t know, you would have to ask them but I would do it if the conditions were right. It’s funny you know, they are still putting out CDs with my voice and picture on them...I thought I was still in the band (laughs)!

Tell us about Andre Andersen and Royal Hunt.

Back when I was recording ‘Dogs’ they actually asked me to join the band, and although I was flattered I felt I was being put back into a position whereby I would be controlled again. You know you’ll be touring Japan in a month and then recording a month later and I really didn’t want to go back down that road. In hindsight I feel it was a good decision and we both have done well but I would have taken all the anger from the D2 thing and unleashed it on them, so I possibly wouldn’t have lasted 5 minutes anyway.

The only difference being the controlling influence in Royal Hunt was a keyboard player as compared to a bass player in D2?

It really doesn't matter who does the controlling as long as its me.

And of course you are very much in control of your own project right now.

Oh yes, and its great, it really is. I can do as I please and if I want I can walk away and not worry about it and that's great. Oh I'm on the edge of retiring every time I read a bad review but then I get chatting to a fan and all the bad stuff is forgotten.

You could never retire - it's in your blood.

Watch me! Yes I could. One of these days I won't be able to afford to do this any more and I'll have to.

Even with the current resurgence of the melodic rock scene within the last two years, surely things have gotten a little better for musicians such as yourself?

Oh yes, I have a fine deal. It's a ton of money but its not the kind of money that was there in the old days and its certainly not enough to take care of you for a year, and you cant put out three CDs a year...well, I can apparently, but I'm only being paid for one so far (laughs). But seriously, just this one show in England costs so much money so a lot of profit is eaten up. It's not the big money anymore and its still very hard out there.

What about using a few contacts from back in the day to get you on a bigger tour?

I don't think that our type of music has yet reached a level whereby it can sustain a lot of bands, but it is getting better and I hope it continues to grow. Like I say the money is tight, there's enough to do a quality record but there's not enough to pay a salary when touring unless you are selling big numbers and believe me, touring is a money losing proposition.

Okay, I'm your fairy Godmother and I'm offering you the chance to tour with anybody you want. Who would you pick?

I think I'd take a piece of that Bon Jovi tour or that Kiss farewell tour. I just want to play to people who don't even know me because I believe the record is good enough and people would like it, especially live.

So skipping on to Nov 4th and the Gods, what can the fans look forward to?

Well first I'm looking forward to seeing the fans. We'll be doing Melodica, a few Bone Machine tracks, a few D2 and maybe even a new song or two from the forthcoming album. Basically something old, something new, something borrowed because we always do a cover version and I hope I don't turn blue with the cold!

Do you have any release dates in mind for the new albums?

The acoustic album should be available in November, just in time to fill everyone's Xmas stocking and the new Melodica hopefully in the first quarter of 2001, so in spring we will blossom along with the buds.

Anything else you would like to add?

Thanks to all my fans out there who have stood by me and supported me over the years. I am looking forward to seeing you all again soon and I hope you enjoy the new album.