I Can’t Stop is the latest release from the legendary BoDeans, who started making music together more than 30 years ago. The band will be touring throughout the rest of the year, but in the meantime, frontman Kurt Neumann, multi-instrumentalist Sam Hawksley and drummer Kenny Aronoff will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week.
Aronoff: Hi from the sky in a G5 jet. I just finished 18 days of touring with John Fogerty, and I’m heading to L.A. to do the season finale of The Voice with John. We performed on May 18. I never watch that show … do you?
The John Fogerty tour has a theme. It celebrates 1969, the year of Woodstock and the year that John and his band Creedence Clearwater Revival released three very successful albums all in one year. Who does that? And with hits that are still played every day on the radio all over the world. It seems like every movie I see has one of the Creedence songs in it.
I am a workaholic and have a hard time not working at 120 percent every day. I love doing everything full on. The challenge is trying to do everything in a 24-hour day. I really wish I had 48-hour days. I used to think it was so cool to just sleep four hours and work the rest of the time, but then I read that not enough sleep will shorten your life. That didn’t sound too good to me, so I sleep four-and-a-half hours now. Naw, just joking. I sleep a solid four hours, and then toss and turn for another three. Maybe I shouldn’t drink six cups of coffee and take lots of vitamins during the day.
Anyway, I have a studio. People come to my studio or send me files and I record songs or albums for bands or artists all the time there. I did a bunch a tracks on the new BoDeans record I Can’t Stop in my studio last year, and have been touring with them a lot this year and will be doing more touring. Kurt Neumann is one of the great American songwriters of our time and is still writing amazing songs that, when you hear them for the first time, it sounds like you have heard that song your entire life.
I am also writing my autobiography whenever I have a free moment. In my book, I talk about 17 years of touring and making records with John Mellencamp, touring with the original Jefferson Airplane, Bob Seger, Melissa Etheridge, the Smashing Pumpkins, Joe Cocker, John Fogerty, Chickenfoot, the Bodeans, Styx, the Goo Good Dolls, making records with yhe Rolling Stones, Elton John, Fogerty, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), Alice Cooper, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, B.B King, Avril Lavigne, Michelle Branch and lots more.
I also am telling some crazy stories I’ve experienced in my life. I have been told by everyone that I must include those wild sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll stories that I’ve experienced. Yikes. I was one wild mofo. I really don’t want to talk about all those wild times, but I have decided to put some of that stuff in my book. Do you think I should? It was a part of my journey that brought me to where I am today. I also spread a lot of inspirational concepts through out the book. How a small 10 year-old kid from a small town of 3000 people saw the Beatles on The Ed Sulivan Show and 50 years later performed with Ringo and Paul honoring them for that very show. This has all lead me to creating my solo performance show that I am constantly working on called “An Evening With Kenny Aronoff.” In my show, besides performing, I talk about five key points that I feel made me successful and, even more importantly, has helped me stay successful. I am past, present and future. I tell amazing stories to support these five key points and people walk away feeling inspired and motivated at what ever they do in life.
Lots of love and happiness to everyone.
