Crown of Thorns were a blast of melodic rock fresh air when they crashed onto the scene in the mid 90's. The dynamic pairing of vocalist Jean Beauvoir and former Shalamar guitarist Micki Free - both in songwriting terms and live on stage - seemed to suggest that here was another rock pairing destined to join such legendary double-acts as Plant/Page, Tyler/Perry... hell, even Lennon/McCartney. Those guys were coolness personified. Back in 1995, look up the word 'Cool' in the dictionary, and there was a photo of Jean and Micki. A few years later, and the same photo could be found under 'Tragedy', Free having departed in somewhat acrimonious terms and setting out on his own solo career. Now here we are, 10 years later in 2005, and the good news is that not only is there another Micki Free solo album - 'Experience' - being released, but the amazing announcement that Micki and Jean are once again working together on a musical project. Time to hook up with Micki and find out what's going down...

Okay, first obvious question - how do you go from Shalamar to the hard rocking of Crown of Thorns, and which musical style would you consider your personal favourite to work in?

When I joined Shalamar, I was a Rock & Roll guitarist looking for my break. I never even heard of Shalamar before. I was writing songs with Gene Simmons and trying to get a deal as a solo rock artist. Shalamar heard me practicing at SIR Studios in Hollywood, and at the time Prince was huge and they were looking for a guy that could compare to him - looks and guitar ability. I figured if I joined Shalamar I would become famous instantly, and record companies would see my image and guitar playing. It was like getting into a limo instead of a cab on my first outing as a musician.

How did Crown of Thorns get together? Was it deliberate to have the band with no white members, or did it just turn out that way?

Jean Beauvoir and I planed and built Crown of Thorns from the ground up, writing songs in his flat for weeks on end, just Jean and me. We did all guitar, bass and vocal parts on the demos as well as the CD, tons of killer material that we used for the first album, and as you know tons left over for The Black CD and other imports. Gene Simmons was my best friend, Paul Stanley was Jean's - they both said we needed to meet and work together. We finally hooked up and wrote 'Hike It Up' and 'The Rain', played the songs for Simmons and he freaked out saying that this combination was "a home run" and he wanted to manage us. Jean wanted Paul involved so they formed a management company call Amazing Management and we started recording the best Crown of Thorns record to date. From the beginning Gene wanted us to be a "black super group", he felt it was an edge that no-one was doing - Living Colour was out but we felt their music was more rock-fusion than straight rock like we were doing - and it would be a smash. He was right. Finding the right black players was hard, but we were ready to make it happen.

Jean was in the mainstream of rock and knew everyone, so he wanted Tony Thompson to play drums, and TM Stevens on bass. TM decided not to do the project so we needed to find a bass player, as we already had a record deal on Interscope - Jean played bass on all the demos, as well as the COT studio debut record. We put an ad in a rock magazine in LA for bass players and spent weeks looking for the right player. We were running out of time and settled for Michael Paige. We figured we could mold him into the player we needed, style wise and musicianship.

The debut COT album is a total classic, and in my opinion has never been matched with the following output. You've said the break-up was nasty, but you've never given your side of the story. But please do! What I heard was that you had considered Crown of Thorns just a stepping-stone to your own solo career. Surely not?

Matching the first COT album can only be done one way; having Jean Beauvoir and Micki Free writing that album. Jean Beauvoir and myself have a creative magic that only we together can make happen. Jimmy Iovine & Ted Fields of Interscope Records called us the "short order cooks" because of our ability to write "killer songs" at a moments notice, and record and deliver them over night. Listen closely - all in my humble opinion; Crown of Thorns is not Crown of Thorns without Micki Free in the group - it's like Motley Crue without Vince Neil, Billy Idol without Steve Stevens...and so forth and so on. Do the mat. Every COT album after the first is nothing like the magic of the debut album. Simmons called me the "riff master", and Jean was the "melodic touch", together we write heavy melodic "Journey-ish" style songs. From the beginning Jean and I sat down and purposely wrote songs in the vain of Journey, we felt they were the sound we need to find at the time.

The break up? You heard it right. The break-up was very nasty. You only heard one side of the story, but that was then and this is now. Let me just say this, Jean and I were like an old married couple, you love and fight, but eventually you kiss and make-up. I think it had all had to do with very large egos, on both of our ends. Jean was mixing 'Gypsy Cowboy' for me when the fallout happened. We both had solo deals and I was finishing up mine, and I felt Jean was a little offended I was doing a solo album while Crown of Thorns was hot. We had some very heated phone conversations, as he lived in Florida and I was in LA at the time. The next thing you know Crown of Thorns was in England again and Tommy was on guitar...killer guitar player but by no means is he "The Gypsy Cowboy" folks! I was getting all kind of calls form the mags to tell my side of the story, but at the time it was beneath me to answer a ridiculous statement; How could Micki Free, a co-founder of Crown of Thorns, who was a 50% partner with Jean Beauvoir, be fired from his own band! So I chose not to reply, I was having fun as The Gypsy Cowboy, with a CD I was very proud of and needed to be heard on my terms. A stepping stone to my solo career? NOT! I loved Crown of Thorns and working with Jean. My blood sweat and tears is stamped all over that album, as we all know. Years latter I realised how much I missed jean and being part of Crown of Thorns with him.

You are now working with Jean Beauvoir on a totally different musical project, The9. What can you tell us about this?

The9 is a project I approached Jean with on the idea of doing an "American album", written precisely for the American market here in the U.S. It is heavier and dark, but still with a touch of melody. I was digging Audio Slave and Nine Inch Nails, and bands with tuning their axes down a few scales and wanted to do a record like that. We came up with, again in my humble opinion, a killer CD with again with only Jean and myself in the studio doing all chores. We never shopped the CD anywhere as we are both so busy, but if the right company is interested I will give them this jewel to distribute.

What would the chances of having you play on stage with Crown of Thorns in the future be? Would you be willing to play with COT as a twin-guitar band?

I would love to jam again with Crown of Thorns live again, what a killer sound we had! If you saw us at the Marquee Club, we were soaring baby! Jeans knows I would love to do another Crown of Thorns album in the vain of the debut CD, it would only take the right record company to make it happen...any takers? Twin Guitars...hmmmm, sounds interesting, but with Jean on guitar and me...we need no other.

'Raw Thorns' contains some amazing songs that have never been given the full studio treatment. Why was this, and do you ever see some of those songs being done in the future?

As I stated before we wrote a ton of songs for the debut album - we couldn't put all of them on the first CD. I think we should and could do some of the Raw Thorns in a studio setting and give them the attention they rightly deserve!

Your Native American heritage seems very important to you: from recording CDs of Native American flute music to having your own range of Native American jewellery. Can you try and explain to people in Europe the importance of your ancestry, and how this plays a part in your life.

I am a Comanche Native American, and very proud of that fact. You will notice in all of my pictures I wear something that is Indian to remind me of who I am, like jewellery - Turquoise, the blue stone. I can only be who I am. I am Comanche, rocker, Dad, song writer, but Comanche first. I want my son to know who he is ... so I keep the tradition alive through me. The US tried to exterminate all of us Indians, but we will never be forgotten...we live on in past and present history.

Your musical output since leaving Crown of Thorns has been very varied, but none of it has actually sounded like COT. Why is that? Was it only as a result of co-writing with Jean you achieved that sound?

My solo albums are my songs written anyway I want to write them, expressing myself in blues, rock, funk, and other musical styles. They will never sound like Crown of Thorns because they are not supposed to. REMEMBER; Crown of Thorns is Jean and me together, writing to fit a mold we created for CoT.

The obvious reference point for many people is Hendrix, but where do you draw your influences from, and are there any new artists you respect in this modern-day era?

Jimi Hendrix is my first love on the guitar, and style wise, but my other major influences are; Billy Gibbons, Tommy Bolin, Carlos Santana, Cheap Trick and Rick Neilson, Jeff Beck, Zeppelin & Jimmy Page, KISS, old school guitar players and tons of others. Gene Simmons once said I was like a sponge, "absorbing all I need to know from everything". As you all know I love a good killer riff, so there are a few modern bands that I like; Audio Slave and Linkin Park to name a couple.

What's your opinion of these reality shows, like Pop Idol and such, where it doesn't seem as if writing talent has any perceptible factor in who comes out on top, and gets a million dollar deal!

My, have times changed. I really don't even watch those shows...what a joke.

New album, 'Experience', has some distinctly modern vibes to it. Do you think this will still appeal to fans of Crown of Thorns and your 'Gypsy Cowboy' release?

Experience is for Micki Free fans, or anyone who wants to have it; I feel there are some good songs on this CD and some...well, lets just say different. I don't write specifically for Crown of Thorns fans, I feel if you are a CoT fan, you are a Micki Free fan in one sort or another. 'Experience' was a very dark time in my life, thus the songs tend to be different from 'Gypsy Cowboy' (my true solo CD song writing style). My next solo CD will be much like Gypsy - bluesy rock songs with an edge.

Tell us about the band you put together for the album, and are we likely to see you playing live over in Europe?

Bam and Share are the best players...killer together. I loved working with them. I found them from an ad I placed in a magazine for players. I will be in Europe in 2006, fingers crossed, to rock baby - the fans there are the best bar none. I have some un-finished business there, so expect to see the return of The Gypsy Cowboy soon!