Q) Can you tell me a bit about your intro to music, as well as earliest and biggest influences, fave singers, songwriters, bass players, bands.... ?? What singers have you been compared to in reviews and articles on the band?
BB) I started playing when I was at the age of 12. My older brother was a huge fan of music and introduced me to a lot different styles and artists. To this day I have remained a very broad minded person when it comes to music (and in other aspects of life as well !). The main focus has always been two things: melody and energy. I can enjoy the beautiful harmonies of the Eagles and Steely Dan , and still get a real kick out of Motorhead and other high energy rock acts.

 Iīve been producing everything from the meanest black metal to folk oriented acoustic stuff. It all has to do with the artist and what the song calls for-simple as that. Music is such a diverse thing. It can make you calm, it can make you wanna dance, fight, drink, cry... any human feeling can be described by music, and to me thatīs probably what keeps me going. Still after all these years ! As for favourite singers I can mention my earliest influence-Tom Jones. My parents had an album with him that I still remember a lot of ! Awesome singer. Then of course Van Halen came along with the coolest cat in the universe- Diamond Dave... Phil Lynott is of course a must .Mr. Soul himself - John Farnham. Freddie Mercury. Steve Perry of Journey. His 1st solo album is still a favourite of mine. His way of comunicating the lyrics are simply irreplaceble-no offence to new kid on the block though-heīs doing his best. 

BTW Neal Schon is one of my all time favourite guitar players as well, along with Eddie Van Halen, Scott Gorham, Randy Rhoads, Gary Moore and Frank Zappa. No offence to Steve Vai. But listen to any Zappa record and you will understand were it all came from ! Vai is still playing on one of my all time favorite hard rock albums - 'Disturbing the Peace' by Alcatrazz . As for singer/songwriters you have Sting, Elton John, Billy Joel, Don Henley and John Waite. Bass players, well I never really had any Ŧtechnicalŧ heroes, But as for groove players and the coolest bass-lines I have always enjoyed Jaco Pastorius, Phil Lynott, Michael Anthony, Bob Daisley, Steve Harris, Gene Simmons (check the bassline on 'Sure Know Something' -Paul McCartney couldnīt have done it better .And what about Detroit Rock City!).

 And you have this black dude named Randy Jackson- heīs on all the soul/pop records. Mr. funk himself-awesome.(BTW he played with Journey on their Raised On Radio album!). As you can see itīs all very diverse, but again energy and melody is the strongest focus all the way. As for the reveiws itīs been pretty diverse actually. Some think I sing like Sting, some have mentioned Seal (!), of course you have the unavoidable link to Mr. Lynott, and I can only say thank you guys ! Itīs an honour to be mentioned among those people-really.

Q) Can you give me a 'Top 10' list of favorite all-time Lps?
BB) This is a though one. No ranking among those albums, it all depends on the mood I`m in : Letīs try: No Sleep Till Hammersmith-Motorhead : What can you say. This the ultimate energy bomb ! Van Halen 1- Well : The 1st time I listened through this album I was completely knocked out by everything about this band - they had it all : Songs, skills, humour. Live And Dangerous - Thin Lizzy : An album that redefined the way I listened to hard rock. Diary of a Madman - Ozzy : Ozzy's tortured voice in combination with Randy Rhoads is unique. London Calling -The Clash : This album has everything, except hard rock. Great songs. Steely Dan - Greatest Hits : The unbeatable combination of perfectionism and melodies. 

Donald Fagen - The Nightfly : The Steely Dan singer with a perfect jazzy solo album. Still growing on me. Hotel California - The Eagles : This is probably one of history's best records. Not one weak track. Joes Garage Act 1 - Frank Zappa : Itīs hard to pick one from Mr. Zappa's catalogue, but this one has a great story. Really funny stuff. When Seconds Count - Survivor : Jimi Jamison sings his ass off. 'Oceans' is one of my all time highs. Survivor had a lot of good stuff back in the 80s. And then for my favourite Heep album -- 'Abominog'. It kicks, It bites - and Peter Goalby sings really good. My favourite Heep track is 'Stay on Top' from Head First because of the coolest bass-line in ages from Mr. Daisley.

Q) Judging from the list of bands mentioned in the Street Legal bio, I take it you guys had quite a catalogue of material you performed as a cover band in Bad Sneakers!?
BB) Yes indeed. You really have to be diverse to play the clubs as a cover band. Van Halen, Deep Purple, Billy Idol, Journey, Eagles, Steve Miller, Tom Petty, Richard Marxx, Toto, Mr. Mister, Thin Lizzy, Rod Stewart, Sting, The Police, Alannah Myles , Queen, Stevie Wonder The list is endless !!! It really depends on the crowd and the type of club you you play. Adapt or disappear. Thatīs the name of the game in 'coverland'.

Q) What can you tell me about Ken and Bjorn Olav, as far as who they may cite as influences, fave players... ? What sort of players have they drawn comparisons to?
BB) Well they have have to speak for themselves I guess. But Iīm not very wrong if I mention Van Halen, Gary Moore and maybe Michael Schenker on behalf of Ken. Ace from Kiss was one his his earliest heroes ! As for BOL I know he really likes Dean Castronovo a lot , and of course Cozy Powell. Anyone loud with double bass-drum is a friend of BOL !!!

Q) When did the plan/concept to become a originals band come about? How long has the Thunderdome CD been in the making?
BB) Ten years ago, when I left my former band Da Vinci. Bad Sneakers our cover alter ego was just a tool for making money on the way. Thunderdome took a real long time to make. It requiers a lot of time and patience to tell that story... I guess we share a lot of experiences with Def Leppard on this one. Three and a half year of shall we say diverse incidents !!!

Q) I notice there are a lot of co-writing credits on the CD to people not IN the band. Can you tell me whom these people may be? anyone of notoriety? How are SL songs generally conceived?
BB) I write most of the lyrics with friends . These guys are real poets and I feel that lyrics are just as important as the music. Itīs the combination that makes it last in our minds. Our former guitar player Tore Moren was involved in some of the musical writing as well.

Q) You guys have produced quite a variety of rock tunes, a few ballads, and more pop oriented tracks. What can you tell me about a few of the songs, such as the title track Thunderdome [very thin Lizzy sounding!],
BB) Thunderdome - I was aiming for something apocalyptic in this song. Desperate, but still with hope. Is it possible to believe in the good side of mankind, when the world is a sewer ?

Q) Calling For You [great heavy ballad],
BB) Anyone who has ever been let down by their girl or boyfriend can relate to this one I guess...

Q) Will I Ever Love Again [somewhat Whitesnake - like],
BB) After experiencing the above mentioned, this is the natural question....Love hurts.

Q) Shine On [great song! and production]
BB) When someone who really respect and love each other suddenly one day realize that they are not meant to be. This is the feeling you should be left with. It wasnīt just wasted time after all. I love the string arrangements and the vocal harmonies.This song was inspired by 'Rainbow Eyes' of the Long Live Rockīn Roll album by Rainbow.

Q) Do / will you guys be adding a keyboard player for the Live shows? How does the band come across live?
BB) We now have an old friend and colleague as our keyboardplayer - Dag Selboskar of Da Vinci, my former band. He is a great chap and sure knows how to rock . Dag is also very creative person and donīt be surprised if heīs involved in the writing on our next album ! As for a liveband all I can say is: STREET LEGAL KICK ASS... (check out the review from THE GODS 2000 on melodicrock.com.)

Q) How has response been to the disc and live shows? Any tracks that have received great reaction or radio play?
BB) The response has been awesome. All the reviews in Europe have been in the 9 on a 10th scale league. Amazing. The live shows also go down very well. I guess people enjoy the combination of energy and our 'eat them and smile' attitude ! As for radio there has been a lot of diversity when it comes to what track people choose to play. I only take it as a compliment . Itīs cool to see that different stations enjoy different songs. We must have done something right-huh ?

Q) How would you describe the music on Thunderdome? what sort of comparisons do you see and what comparisons have you seen / read?
BB) One review stated that Thunderdome was Thunder and Lightning MK 2. Well I only take that as a compliment, because the aim for the album and for Street Legal in general , is the combination of melody and energy. I like the melodic feel of American bands, and we try to incorporate the energy from the classic British acts. Some have mentioned Blue Murder (the first album), and again itīs not very strange. Sykes got the training from the same master as we did. He was lucky enough to play with Lizzy,- and we learned every note we could from all the records Lizzy made. Itīs a part of your musical background, and it would be silly to deny it. Still there has been a lot of other comparisons as well: Everything from Seal to Rush has been mentioned !

Q) Can you give me a few stories of memorable SL gigs, tours, etc... ? [any major opening slots so far?]
BB) Well itīs the Key Story. K for Ken. K for key. They shall always be remebered as one... We played support with DARE in BENELUX in may 2000. Gig was over. The key was gone. Ken was the last person in the van. Couldnīt remember where the key was. We couldnīt open the van . Couldnīt make it to the hotel. We searched every inch of the place-no key. We slept on the floor in the club weīd been playing in. Next day we towed the van to a garage. Me and BOL waiting there. 

The rest of the band went to the pub waiting and having a beer.They changed all the locks on the van-very expensive. Next gig was 100 miles away- time was running short. I was paying the goddamn bill as my mobile phone rang. Ken was on the line. - If anything had been done with the van ? 'Yes' - I answered not very friendly. 'A lot has been done to the van'. Well - he said. 'You see I had this itch on my ancle as I sat and drank my beer'. 'Yes' - I answered- And then ? Well- 'you see - it was there,- all the time' -Ken answered. - 'What was there all time?' - I asked with a growing suspicion. - 'The key!',- he answered. - 'It was there all the time.' - 'Where was it?' - I asked again. - 'The sock; It was in my sock-all the time!' - answered Ken. K for key . K for Ken. Never mention the k-word when Ken is around. He might hit your face very hard if he is in the wrong mood...

Q) What future plans do you have as far as touring, a next album, side projects, etc... ???
BB) We are currently working on new material for the next album. Although it has to be said that we donīt wanna rush it. I personally think that too many albums, especially nr. two often lack the power of the first album songwise. And we donīt wanna fall into that trap. But sometimes things come really easy, and before you know it you have a lot of god things going. For the time being Ken is producing a lot of pop acts back in Norway, and BOL is soon going to be a father. Me, Iīm working with one of the most popular live acts in Norway as a bassplayer together with my younger brother who is also a professional musician. In fact itīs the first time we are in a band together. Of course weīve been doing some one offs from time to time , but itīs the first time in a professional band. 

The band is called 'Vestlandsfanden', that is 'The west coast Devil'. Itīs a band that combines a lot of influences. Folk music, rock, a dash of country and some ballads as well. Especially the intrumentals have a wibe to it not very far from the celtic style. Itīs a real blast to play live with those guys, and good money too , soo life is good ! Iīve always been a junkie after live playing and it gives me the opportunity to write as you have a lot of time off when youīre in the tour bus. for Street Legal weīll be doing some gigs this spring , as well as try to get some festivals happening this summer. We havenīt released Thunderdome officially in Norway yet, so thatīs another issue weīre working on as we own the rights for Norway ourselves. Studio-wise it seems like Iīm going to remix the first album of the Norwegian act Kovenant as well as doing some other projects as well this spring.

Q) Any plans to gig in the USA ?
BB) If itīs possible to get something happening weīll be there in 24 hours. My brother has been playing some festivals in Minnesota with some Norwegian acts so letīs see if thereīs a spot for Street Legal somewhere as well. We donīt need very much equipment and stuff to make it happen. We just bring our sound engineer and put everthing on 11. And then someone just count to 4...

Q) How was the Thin Lizzy opening show? As a TL fan [presumably], what did you think of them live, and how do you feel about them without Phil Lynott ?
BB) Pretty weird īcause I saw Lizzy three times with Phil Lynott. I think Sykes does a great job as a singer. What I missed most except The man Himself was Brian Downey. His drumming was just as mush a part of Lizzy's sound as Phil. The combination of fine touch and balls are not very easy to replace by someone else. No ofense to Mr. Aldridge, he is a great hard rock drummer - one of the best there is, but heīs different from Downey. Anyway with a set list like Lizzy itīs impossible to fail. The songs really stand out compared to almost any other band. As a tribute to one of rock's greatest songwriters even today's line up does a great job. But a new studio album without Phil ? Well, that would be like Van Halen without Ed and Alex. They would really have to dig deep to get the same vibe as it used to be - if itīs possible at all...

Q) I presume you're familiar with Uriah Heep!? Any Heep fans in the band? Any favorite tracks or albums, stories, etc.. ?
BB) As a kid I listened to Salisbury and Wonderworld. Then it took some years before my older brother bought 'High and mighty'. There are some really cool tracks on that one, 'One Way or Another' isnīt that the title of one of the songs ? Then it was a long break before I stumbled across 'Abominog' . I bought it because Bob Daisley was in the band ! Then I went home and my balls were literally replaced by Mr. Goalby - What a voice. 'Too Scared to Run' was a slap in the face, and there was a lot of other great songs on it as well. I think the keyboard player, John Sinclair, wasnīt it (?) also did a great job for the band. Then came Head First with one of my favourite basslines. 'Stay on Top' is really good example of what Mr. Daisley can do for a rock band, although I think the songs are not as strong as on Abominog. 

Stories? Well I remember in the 80s when Cinderella was in town playing. So was Heep, and Mick Box went backstage to get Cinderellas autographs for his kids ! They were kind of flabbergasted but Box was just very cool and they all had a good laugh out of the whole situation ! (Anyone mentioning Spinal Tap ?) Three years ago I also did an interview with Ken Hensley and Billy Sheehan for a the members magazine for Smuget ("The Alley") - Norways biggest live club. We had a wonderful chat a about the state of music business these days, - or was it the business of music. Some really cool opinions from two grand old men of rockīn roll. Not one word about bass-strings and Hammond organs and we had a real ball !!!

Q) Where are you guys based out of?
BB) We all come from Oslo -the capital of Norway.

Q) What places [cities, countries, etc...] do you regularly play in?
BB) Mostly Norway, but this year weīve also been to Sweden doing the Sweden Rock Festival (40 000 people- DIO and Alice Cooper headlining), Benelux and England. So weīre on the right track I guess (or is it the road to ruin) -ha, ha . See you guys out there some time. Letīs have a beer and a good time. Weīre nicer than the Vikings used to be !

Interview Written by Kevin J. Julie Copyright KJJ, Feb 2001