TheMusicManor.COM copyright 2006 - THEMUSICMANOR.COM - All Rights Reserved. SOLAR EYES, 12 O’CLOCK HIGHS, AND MODERN DAY KINGS: THE RETURN OF ODIN How did ODIN form? Jeff: I joined a band called The Termites when I was in 7th grade. The drummer ended up getting in trouble because of his grades, so he couldn’t be in the band anymore. I said, ‘Let’s get my brother in the band.’ So Shawn joined The Termites. It was two guitarists, a keyboard player, and a drummer. The keyboard player switched to bass. We kicked out the other guitar player. I was playing guitar and singing, but as I started excelling on guitar, Shawn suggested that we get our friend, Art, to sing for the band. Then we changed the name of the group to Tempest; but there was another band called Tempest. Our bass player suggested the name, ODIN, and we started playing high school gigs and talent shows. Then I met Aaron Samson. The bass player that we had wasn’t very good. He was a weird, trippy guy; so we kicked him out and got Aaron in the band. We started playing kegger parties, doing a lot of Black Sabbath songs. The singer, just out of high school, decided to get married and move up to San Jose. Then we met another guitar player named Brad Parker who joined the band. We didn’t think he was that great of a guitarist, but he had a studio where we could rehearse. When we put out an ad for a singer, Randy O. was one of the guys who came down. He joined the band. After we got a pretty good following on the club scene, playing The Troubadour and places like that, Randy decided that we didn’t need this other guitar player, that I should be the only guitarist and be an Eddie Van Halen kind of character. So, we kicked out that guitar player; and that’s ODIN. Describe each member of ODIN. Shawn: ODIN is an anomaly. Jeff and I are more in the back, personality-wise. We’re probably the more laid back of the four. Randy is a great guy, although he can become reclusive, even now; but he’s awesome to have on your team. I don’t mean it in a negative way at all. He’d be the first one to say that he’s like that. Aaron’s just on fire all the time. Jeff: He’s the extrovert and a real go-getter; a very intense individual. Shawn: Yeah, Aaron’s the extrovert. He reminds me of Lars Ulrich. Personality-wise, that’s basically how it is. Randy also turns into Randy on stage when he’s singing. He’s a different person when he’s not on stage. He separates it well. When we were younger, it was such a whirlwind that it’s really hard to say who was what and where at what time. What was the original vision in the formation of ODIN? What does the group represent? Jeff: We just wanted to be the baddest-ass band. We wanted to blow everybody away; and we were very competitive. I think in a lot of ways that, initially, we were very arrogant about our band. In our minds, we were just better than everybody. It was good because when we played gigs, we were like that on stage and we were very convincing. Shawn: Very tight; very well rehearsed band. Dedicated as all hell. Jeff: I remember that Aaron and I, in particular, were very much into being really good. You know, like, really fast, really good, and really over the top kind of players; really extreme. There were people who came out later that were more extreme than we could ever be; but we had that mindset of, ‘No matter what, you can’t suck. You have to be really good.’ We pushed each other. Even our songs had a lot of progressive moments in them; and it was because of that attitude. Aaron was really into Rush. He brought that into the band as far as licks and doing little things in his bass playing style. Shawn: Making interesting changes. Aaron’s never one to just go from a chorus back into a verse without throwing something in the middle that’s different. He’s good at making us go a little out of the box on certain changes. Jeff: We were very young and cocky at that point in time; and we just thought that we were the best band out there. Some people might have even considered us assholes. (laughs) The first release of ODIN, in 1983, was an Ep called “Caution.” Was that the first time ODIN had ever recorded any music together? Jeff: Well, technically, it wasn’t the first time we recorded anything. Caution was funded by a guy who worked very closely with the band for a long time, Doug Campbell. We went in one day and recorded this thing; and it sounded like shit. It was a fetus of what ODIN was supposed to be. I don’t think we were ready to record at that point. Shawn: It’s very Metal influenced. We weren’t really ready; but what it did was start us on the idea that we could make our own records, that we could do it ourselves. We didn’t need somebody else to do it. Jeff: It definitely was the beginning stages of the ODIN idea. It wasn’t so much a representation of the band. I think I was 16 when we did Caution. We sold the 45 and people bought it. It definitely helped, but I listen to it now and think, ‘God, that’s so awful.’ (laughs) Your second Ep, 1985’s “Don’t Take No For An Answer,” made a huge dent in the independent sector of Hard Rock/Metal. What about that record had such an impact and why? Jeff: We were a Metal band, but we had a little bit of a ‘glammy’ image. Shawn: We were like Van Halen. Jeff: We were a pretty band. We were pretty guys, but it was Metal. It worked really well because all the chicks came; and wherever the chicks are, the guys are; but then the guys would come and we’d be playing cool Metal music so that the guys would like us. So we ended up having a huge following because of it. We melded the two. It was kind of, like, ‘What if you looked like this, but sounded like that?’ That’s as opposed to looking Glam Metal and sounding Glam Metal. Well, the chicks are gonna come, but the guys aren’t gonna dig you. The guys will just be there because of the chicks; they won’t necessarily become fans. So we started bringing more chicks and more guys, ‘cause the guys like the music and the chicks like the guys in the band. I don’t think we intended it that way; that’s just how it worked out. We just wanted to look like Rock stars. Shawn: Yeah. They didn’t just go out and buy your record. You think that the strength of your live shows made people think, ‘Hey, I have to go out and buy Don’t Take No For An Answer’? Shawn: Yes. Jeff: Yeah, I think that’s the case. I also think the record spoke for itself. It was a good record. They didn’t just buy our record because they liked our show. The album was really cool for them to listen to, too; because when we finally got that album done, we were listening back to it and saying, ‘Wow, that sounds pretty cool.’ Shawn: We actually recorded the record twice. We hated the first producer. He didn’t get it. I forget his name. He was some surf producer. Jeff: Yeah, this guy produced Agent Orange and bands like that. We didn’t get along, either. Shawn: We scratched the whole album. Then we went in and re-recorded it with Don Mack; and we wanted Don from the beginning. We had a dispute with the label where they wanted us to use the one producer, but it just didn’t work. It was horrible. When we went in with Don to do Don’t Take No For An Answer, it immediately worked. He knew what I was looking for drum sound-wise. Jeff: Don Mack was highly responsible in the end for how that album came across. He really captured the essence of ODIN. He got us. Shawn: We recorded it at Cherokee Studios. When did the band really begin to garner notice and critical acclaim? Shawn: Critics never liked us, but everybody else did. I think it was when people started to see us live, because the band was great live. There’s no denying it. Randy was very good friends with Chris Holmes (ed. Note: original guitarist in W.A.S.P.). Chris got us a gig opening up for W.A.S.P. at The Troubadour for a blood drive. It was super-hyped. That was our launching pad. We also managed to get a couple of opening slots with Armored Saint and Keel. It didn’t take long until we were headlining. A lot of it had to do with the fact that we were good live. Don’t Take No For An Answer was a great record; and even though we only went on one real tour, I remember this show we played in Texas. The crowd had never seen anything like us before; and they went completely nuts. The reaction we got was almost scary. It was a tour that we did with Alcatrazz. The response we got live was always over the top. No matter where we played, the band did really well live; and that’s what really sold us. Plus, we had a frontman like Randy who was an Adonis. Girls went wild. It was just sick; and he knew how to handle a stage. Everybody in the band was good looking and young. Just as Jeff said, we managed to merge the teenage angst and aggression that we had, ‘cause we were 19 and 20 years old, along with being good looking and getting the girls to come. It was this big synergy; and it just kept going. It was a crazy ride. Jeff: It was never planned; it just happened. So it was sometime after the Don’t Take No For An Answer album that you started playing live shows; a couple of bands helped you out with opening slots; and from there you built your audience? Jeff: We played the opening slots before the album came out. We had already established a pretty good following. When the album came out, it took on a whole other level. Shawn: KNAC started playing the record. Then we were getting bigger shows. While on an independent label, we sold out The Palace as a headliner. It was us and Leatherwolf. We opened up for Dokken at The Palladium. We were doing really well. As one of the biggest up-and-coming bands in Hard Rock/Metal at the time, what do you think was the perception of ODIN and how did it affect you in both a professional and personal sense? Jeff: There was a certain mystique about the band because we weren’t really Hollywood guys. We came into L.A. to do our shows, and then we went and hung out in La Crescenta with our crew of people, our friends. We were never hanging around, so we weren’t all that visible. Shawn: If they did see us, it would be, like, only one of us. It was very rare that all four of us would go see a band together. Maybe Jeff would go, or Jeff and I, or Aaron and I. That aspect of Hollywood wasn’t us. We had our group of people that we hung out with. Our rehearsals were a constant party. When we’d rehearse at this warehouse in downtown L.A., we’d have 15, 20 people there, you know, beers. All night we’d be playing there. We had a full stage set up. That’s what we did. You feel that perception is from a fan standpoint? Not everyone who listens to you lives in L.A. nor would they have known that you’re hard to find and that you don’t hang out. Shawn: Yeah, but they never saw the band, either. Don’t Take No For An Answer routinely sells on Ebay for 60 bucks. For some reason, as Jeff said, there’s a mystique involved in the band; and it always has had it. Jeff: Plus, I think what people liked is that we were entertaining and the songs were cool. It was really loud and aggressive. People related to us. It was very showy and something to watch. Aside from sell-out shows at venues beyond the size of rock clubs and all of the accolades, how do you feel ODIN was looked upon by your peers and contemporaries of the era? Jeff: They either loved or hated us. That’s really how it was. You had people who hated you? Jeff: Sure. When you’re popular, that’s always the case. There are people who think you’re great; and there’s people who can’t stand you for whatever reasons they have. We had to contend with that; but we got along with everyone for the most part. There were never any fights or anything like that. If we had any problems with anyone, it would be some jerkoff who decided he didn’t like our band and wanted to pick a fight. Whether people love your band or hate your band, it’s possible to hate someone’s guts but still respect that person as being good. So, how did they see you irrespective of their own personal opinion? Shawn: Musically, I think ODIN was fairly respected. They didn’t have to like us, personally. If they did have a problem with us, it was probably based on jealousy to a certain degree because we rose pretty quick; and we were very, very popular and dominating in L.A. for a very long time. Jeff: It’s more evident now with the contemporaries. A lot of people I’ve spoken to say, “Yeah, I loved ODIN. You guys were great.” I’m more aware of it now than I was back then as far as who liked us, ‘cause for one, I’m older now and I have a clearer head than I did back then. Shawn: Yeah, we were kind of oblivious. (smirk) Jeff: Yeah, you know, we were just having a good time. (laughs) Shawn: Yeah, it was partying and pussy. We were doing what we loved; and we were getting showered with gifts. Every time we turned around, there was a girl. I mean, it was just insane. You recorded your full-length album, Fight For Your Life, in ’86. How did it come about and why did it take the record so long to see the light of day? Jeff: It was a bad period for the band. We had gone through some managerial problems. Also, keep in mind that despite our popularity, ODIN had failed to land a major deal in the U.S.; and we had watched everybody else get signed. That was starting to take its toll. The individuals in the band started to go off on their own trip. The unity wasn’t as strong at that point, just because we were so frustrated. We had bad management and we were kind of directionless. We didn’t know if we should be Ratt or what….. Because we hadn’t landed a deal, we thought that maybe it was the music. It was a really confusing period of time. While I think that Fight For Your Life has some strong moments, I don’t think it was nearly as strong as Don’t Take No For An Answer. I think songs like “12 O’Clock High,” “Modern Day King,” “Fight For Your Life,” and “Push” are more along the lines of ODIN. Then there are other songs like “I Get What I Want,” “Love Action,” “Stranger Tonight,” or “I’m Gonna Get You” that weren’t consistent with the rest of the album. Whereas Don’t Take No For An Answer punched you in the face and had “Shining Love” on it, which capped it off nicely, Fight For Your Life just kind of went like that (makes inconsistent motions with hand). It didn’t have the same sonic impact as far as the production goes. There’s a lot of reasons for that, although Don Mack was involved. Shawn: For some reason, management felt like they had to tie Don’s hands and have Don Margoloff do it; and we couldn’t understand why. Jeff: Yeah, he was another producer who was brought in. So you didn’t have a choice? Jeff: No, not really. We also had a financial investor at the time; and that turned out to be a bad idea. So you feel that Fight For Your Life doesn’t have a focus that Don’t Take No For An Answer does? Jeff: I think it has its good moments, but I don’t think it was a good follow up to Don’t Take No For An Answer. Don’t Take No was perfect in the sense that it was definitely us at that time. I wouldn’t change a thing about that album. Fight For Your Life? I don’t like the guitar sound; I don’t like some of the songs; I don’t like some of the drum sounds. Shawn: Or the mix. It’s too washy sounding. Don’t Take No is gutsier than Fight For Your Life. Fight For Your Life was overproduced with airiness. We had a commercial producer come in there and it ruined the sound of what the band was. I’ve often said that if ODIN went the route of Pantera, we’d probably still be successful, if we didn’t die. (laughs) Jeff: Even though Fight For Your Life had more songs, Don’t Take No is just way better. Don’t Take No For An Answer was four guys who were basically one, who really, intensely believed in this thing; whereas Fight For Your Life was four guys who were saying, ‘Why aren’t we as big as we thought we were gonna be right now; what’s going on?’ It was all set up; and then it didn’t go. We watched Warrant, Poison, and all these bands….. Shawn: Keel, everybody. I wouldn’t put you in the same bag as those bands. Jeff: No, but they were playing L.A., drawing huge crowds, and getting major deals; and we weren’t. We didn’t. Ultimately, what’s the reason why you think ODIN didn’t get signed? Jeff: Well, the reason why was, again, management problems and the band not being handled properly combined with the individual members not paying attention to what was going on. Personally, I was extremely naïve at that point. I just wanted to be a rock star; and I thought it was gonna happen. I didn’t know. What sort of management problems did you have? Shawn: The people who were handling us, in essence, didn’t know anything about the music business. They thought ODIN was worth a lot more money than it was at that particular point in time. From what I’ve heard through the years, they were asking ridiculous sums of money for the band. The only positive thing was that they were trying to get us to keep our publishing; but I think that was more of us saying, ‘We wanna keep our songs.’ Jeff: In a nutshell, we made some bad choices. Typical shit. In ’86, you really had two releases recorded, Fight For Your Life and The Gods Must Be Crazy, an Ep. Why were there two different records in one year? Shawn: Fight For Your Life took forever to be released. It was only released in Japan. Jeff: We did Fight For Your Life; and then there was a period when Randy left the band. He was actually out of the band before the record was released. We got another singer, which was Mark Weitz. Eventually, Randy came back to the band. When he did, we said, ‘let’s do a another record.’ So we made The Gods Must Be Crazy not long after Fight For Your Life was done. The Gods Must Be Crazy has plenty of Randy O. songs on it. There’s “Little Gypsy,”…… Shawn: “No Reason To Run.” Jeff: “Over Your Head.” Shawn: That’s where it was going. It was getting to be a battle for who’s on top. Were you trying to keep him happy? Shawn and Jeff: Yeah. How do you feel about The Gods Must Be Crazy Ep? Jeff: It’s alright. It was rushed. Do you like it better than Fight For Your Life? Jeff: No, because I think Fight For Your Life has stronger songs on it. I don’t think there’s one song on The Gods Must Be Crazy that stands up to “12 O’Clock High,” Modern Day King, “Fight For Your Life,” or even “Push.” I wish we could have taken those songs I just mentioned and expanded on them; but it’s where we were at the time. Why do you think that ODIN self-destructed? Jeff: Randy very much wanted to go off and do his own thing, which was Lost Boys. I had been courted by Armored Saint for quite some time; and Armored Saint was already off being a national act, touring and doing the whole thing that I wanted to do with ODIN. It just got to be very tense within the band. We were all pretty sick of each other; and we were sick of being frustrated. So, therefore, we were coming down on each other. Members of the band weren’t getting along. Aaron was actually out of the band for awhile. Then he was back in the band. It became too much to deal with. Shawn: It became Behind The Music. (laughs) Jeff: Nobody was happy being in that band anymore. So, Randy decided that he was going to do his own thing; and I decided that I was going to let Armored Saint know I was interested before they were uninterested. We made the decision; and we did our final gig in ‘88 at Gazarri’s which was sold-out and packed. Shawn: We sold out the whole weekend. Jeff: And ODIN was no more. Randy did Lost Boys. He got his record deal. I was in Armored Saint. Then I wasn’t in Armored Saint. It was in the interim that I did the Lost Boys with Randy, which I got paid to do. I needed the money at the time. Then I went back to Armored Saint. Lost Boys wasn’t really a band, but rather more or less a banner for Randy O.? Jeff: Yeah, it was Randy’s thing. I did what they asked me to do. I remember being in the studio, doing the record, and asking, ‘What kind of solo do you want me to play?’ What about the music? Jeff (hesitant): It was o.k. There were actually a couple of old ODIN songs on that album. Shawn: “Right On Track.” Jeff: “Cryin’ Out,” a song that ODIN was playing toward the end. I thought that album was very Randy; and I’m really glad that he got to do that record. I know he really wanted to do it at that time. When, how, and why did ODIN reconvene? Shawn: We wanted to do a reunion show just to do a show. It took 13, maybe 15 years…? Jeff: It had come up over the years a few times. I think I was the one who wasn’t wanting to do it. Everyone else was up for it, but I was the most resistant to the idea. Then, online, I got ahold of this guy who was bootlegging Don’t Take No For An Answer and other ODIN music. I said, “Hey man, you gotta stop this; I’m Jeff Duncan.” He said he’d send me a certain amount of money each month for it, that he’s just a fan and this and that. So, I sent him an e-mail letter back saying, “Look, it’s cool; you’re a fan; I don’t really care. Send me copies of everything you have,” ‘cause I didn’t have any of it on cd. He sent them to me. I threw Don’t Take No For Answer on the cd player and listened to it; and I hadn’t heard it for years. ODIN was a sore subject with me for a long time. I had moved on to Armored Saint and it was all I cared about. You know, ‘Fuck ODIN. It’s over.’ I listened to the music and I really liked it. I became a fan of ODIN again. At that point, I got a hold of everyone and said, “Let’s do a gig. Let’s play.” You felt that what you had was too precious and special not to acknowledge? You know, as in, ‘Look what we had.’ Shawn: We wanted to feel good about it again. When we broke up a long time ago after those two shows, we were tired of it; so we had a chance to go up there again, play, and enjoy it. We hadn’t done that in years, even prior to doing our final show. It was a chance for us to share it with people who really wanted to be there and for us to feel positive again. Jeff: And we’re able now to capture the initial synergy and spirit of the band. We’re not distracted by ‘How are we gonna make it’ or ‘how are we gonna get signed’ or ‘This guy’s an asshole’ or ‘That guy’s like this’ or ‘That guy’s on coke’ and ‘That guy’s drunk all the time.’ None of that exists anymore with us. The synergy and spirit of the band is what exists with us; and that’s what drove the band in the first place. It has to be different now, even the sound. Shawn: It’s easier. Jeff: The band sounds better now than it ever did. Randy always sang in a stellar range. Most people can’t keep that range up for 20 years. Jeff: He doesn’t have a problem. Shawn: He does it. He hits the notes. The first reunion show we did, he was great. Jeff: When we came out with “The Writer” and that first scream, I could see the crowd. They were just waiting to see if he was gonna do it. And he did. What’s ODIN doing right now? Jeff: We’re talking with Cleopatra Records to release a Best Of ODIN. We’ll see what’s up after that. We take ODIN one step at a time now. Whatever feels right. Shawn: We’ll see what comes our way. How do you think that ODIN, a lost Metal classic, is relevant today? Jeff: A lot of people come up to me now and let me know. For example, Jeremy Popoff from the band LIT let me know in an e-mail how much we impacted him as far as he and his brother putting together their band, and how much he loved me as a guitar player and what an influence I had on him. Things like that come up here and there. I had no idea, ‘cause we were doing these gigs, but I have to remember how many people were there, and how many younger musicians were coming around to see us, kind of like I used to go see Ratt and watch Warren DiMartini all the time. I remember telling him, “I’ve learned so much watching you.” I’d tell that to Warren DiMartini. And there’s guys that come up and say that to me; but I didn’t expect at the time that I was gonna be that guy. -- Greg Debonne
Shawn Duncan - Drums
Aaron Samson - Bass
Jeff Duncan - Guitars
Randy O. - Lead Vocals
Caution!
 1983
Don’t Take No For An Answer
 1985
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Visit ODIN online: http://www.myspace.com/mightyodinhttp://www.myspace.com/mightyodinhttp://www.myspace.com/mightyodinshapeimage_6_link_0
Fight For Your Life
 1986 (recorded)
The Gods Must Be Crazy
 1986
THE LOST BOYS - Lost & Found (Atlantic)
 1990