The Warrior ’ s Hymn
By George Maurer
My interview with Cheap Trick lead singer Robin Zander begins in eight minutes . I ’ m trapped outside the Greek Theater in Los Angeles and no one can find my press credentials . I ’ m starting to get a little nervous .
It all started a few months earlier when a colleague asked if I wanted to interview Zander . He was involved with a song called , “ The Warrior ’ s Hymn ,” by composer Shawn K . Clement , who co-produced the project with Jack Douglas . Clement created the song to help raise money and awareness for wounded warriors which sounds like a great cause to me . “ Sure ,” I replied , having no real idea of the legends I was about to interview .
When I began my research , I couldn ’ t believe my good fortune . Shawn K . Clement has 300 television and film credits on his resume . He ’ s created production music for shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer , American Idol , The Colbert Report , The Osbournes , and Extreme Makeover . When it comes to any programs with titles that include words like The World ’ s Wildest , Most Daring , Most Shocking , or World ’ s Dumbest , chances are Clement composed the background music . You may not recognize his name , but he ’ s one of the most respected songwriters in the industry . Also on the agenda , producer Jack Douglas , who was a close friend of John Lennon . John Lennon !
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Douglas was one of the last people to see Lennon alive and spent the day after his murder alone with Yoko Ono .
In addition , Douglas produced some of the most iconic talent in rock and roll history such as Lennon , Aerosmith , Cheap Trick , The Who and Blue Oyster Cult . He had some GREAT stories including the one where he and Aerosmith invented rap music . When sharing that story , the most common response I get is , “ NO , THEY DID NOT !!!” That ’ s always fun . One more thing , Douglas considers Clement to be a musical genius .
Finally , I could not pass up the opportunity to interview Robin Zander . I got hooked on Cheap Trick the very first time I heard him say , “ I want you to want me !” The album , Cheap Trick at Budokan was THE album for the summer of 1979 for friends and me .
As an added bonus , the record really irritated one of my summer recreation counselors that year ( I have no idea why ). During our summer vacations , my friends and I attended “ recreation ” where we played sports and other activities under adult supervision at a nearby school . It kept us busy and out of trouble . As a snot-nosed teenager , the fact Cheap Trick bothered my grown-up counselor made the band all the more cool .
If given the chance , it was a story I would share with Zander and Douglas , who both worked on “ Budokan .” As I began talking to Clement ’ s manager , Ed Cohen , I tried to not get too excited . Far too many times , I ’ ve had an interview , which seemed to be a done deal , completely fall apart at the last minute . People who work in the entertainment industry have unbelievably crushing schedules . Everything needs to be set weeks in advance … one change and that ’ s that .
The day of the interview finally arrived without any last minute changes . I showed up two hours before interview time to pick up my press credentials . I planned to conduct my interviews before Cheap Trick ’ s concert later in the evening . Showing up early has paid off more times than I can count , but this time , it worked against me .
Volume 3 , Issue 4 Page 16