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Interview with Ron Nagle
Intro:
Childhood / Youth
EC: Was music important in your family? Ron Nagle: Not particularly although my father owned an appliance/radio store. It sold 78s vinyl records which I liked to listen to since I was 3 years old. There are pictures of me carrying around records everywhere I went. I was also given Piano lessons as a child. EC: Do you remember the first LP or single you bought? Why did you buy it? Ron Nagle: The first Single I bought was Money Honey by Clyde Mcfadder & The Drifters. Written by Jessie Stone, AKA Charles Calhoun, One of my favorite songwriters. I was intrigued by the drone like intro to the song. It reminded me of a bagpipe and the lyrics were a narrative and visual nature that really appealed to me. I was about 11 years old when I bought that record and was the envy of my classmates. EC: What made you become a musician? Ron Nagle: Being inspired by other musicians, songwriters, record producers & other people’s music. EC: What was the greatest happiness of your childhood? Ron Nagle: My 48 Ford Coupe. EC: What was your first love: Music or Art? Why? Ron Nagle: Probably music because it was more accessible to me. The Mystery Trend
EC: What triggered the formation of this band? Ron Nagle: Being inspired by the British Invasion, a love for Rhythm & Blues, Pop, and the fact that we were all somehow affiliated with the Art world be it teachers or students. EC: How did you approach songwriting? Ron Nagle: The Song writing was split between myself and the guitar player Bob Cuff. Lyrically, there was not a lot of collaboration. Usually, the lyrics came first. EC: What was the first song you wrote as Mystery Trend? Ron Nagle: There are two that I remember, What’s Real and the other is called Do I. EC: What part did drugs play in the song writing process? Ron Nagle: We smoked a lot of Pot in those days. EC: Why only one single (Johnny Was A Good Boy) in 4 years existence? What is the song about? Ron Nagle: The song is about a mass murderer, who when interviewing his neighbors in the newspaper could not comprehend how somebody like Johnny, who was a good boy and loved animals could do such a thing. EC: Apparently, the band changed their name to the Mystery Trend, a mishearing of the Mystery Tramp featured in the lyrics to Bob Dylan's Like a Rolling Stone. TRUE? Ron Nagle: Yes, true. Durocs (1979)
EC: How did you meet Scott Mathews and what is so good about working with him? Ron Nagle: I met Scott Mathews through a mutual friend John Blakeley who knew I was looking for a drummer who could play a great grove and was not interested in percussive virtuosity. It became apparent that he knew as much as I did about Pop Music. EC: How did you come up with the name The Durocs? Ron Nagle: A Duroc is the name of a particular breed of pigs and is known for their intelligence and large genitals. Having the sound Roc gave us more creditability. EC: What was the biggest success for you with The Durocs? Ron Nagle: Unquestionably, Don’t Touch Me There, performed by The Tubes. and two other Songs recorded by Barbra Streisand, Cabin Fever and Don’t Believe What You Read on her Superman Album. EC: Why no 2nd Durocs album? Ron Nagle: The Record company pulled the plug. EC: Why did you never play Live? Ron Nagle: We were more interested in making music in the studio than performing live for the public. The Studio was everything to us. Solo, etc
EC: Why did you stop releasing solo albums after Bad Rice for a very long 38 years? Ron Nagle: Because I became more interested in Art. EC: What means success to you? Ron Nagle: True happiness is hard to find. EC: Which song lyric are you must proud of? Why? Ron Nagle: From the song Cabin Fever (Barbara Streisand covered it), Church bells were ringing and I heard angels singing on the day that I said I do, he gave me a kiss and I thought wedded bliss was a mother to be’s dream come true. And from Don’t Touch Me There’s Chorus, The smell of burning leather as we hold each other tight as our rivets rub together flashing sparks into the night at this moment of surrender if you really care don’t touch me there. EC: What elements must a good pop song have for you? Ron Nagle: Depends on the Song. EC: What keeps you going? Ron Nagle: The next Song and my grandchildren. EC: How come you worked with Jack Nitzsche? Ron Nagle: We loved his work with Phil Spector and Neil Young and he was a certified genius. We became very good friends. EC: What song should they play at your funeral? Ron Nagle: Some Guys Have All the Luck by the Persuaders. EC: What made you return to music in 2010 with CD She lies? Ron Nagle: I retired from teaching and I missed recording. EC: When did you have the most fun (60, 70, 80, 90, etc)? Why? Ron Nagle: The 70s. I got to work with some great people on some great projects. EC: Which is your favorite album and why? Ron Nagle: The two that kept coming to my mind are Bachelor #2 by Aimee Mann, excellent Writing, and Something Else by the Kinks, also brilliant. EC: How do you write your songs? Ron Nagle: Infrequently. EC: How would you describe your character? Ron Nagle: That’s for someone else to determine. EC: How would you like to be remembered? Ron Nagle: As an artist of many mediums. Discography:
The Mystery Trend:
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Right: Photo by William Pruyn