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Andy: This is Andy from WZZR Code Zero Radio. I'm here with two music legends John Cowsill and Vicki Peterson. Of course John Cowsill, member of The Cowsills and Vicki Peterson member of The Bangles and so many more projects than just that. We're doing this interview in the former Smart Studios.
John: We are
Andy: We just had a really one-in-a-lifetime rare opportunity to walk around with the man himself, Butch Vig, and hear stories, straight from the source.
John: That's incredible.
Andy: You guys are in town for Joey's Song and this is your second year doing Joey's Song. And I believe you got involved with it through your sister, Debbi.
Vicki: My sister, yeah, Debbi. Debbi knew some of the participants from another event that happens and we got this call. And she said, "We should do this," and having almost no idea what we were getting into last year but we are completely in love. Last year was the first time they did the 'Know It All Boyfriends' against the 'Know It All Girlfriends' and that was a new construct last year. Oh course we won. Beat their ass.
John: We let you but we don't need to talk about that. We have a rematch this year.
Vicki: They couldn't handle it. . . . It's never going to work, never, never
John: We have a rematch this year and it's going to be . . . We have some surprises that are coming up . . .
Vicki: Never, never
John: . . . our sleeves, short sleeves, but good surprises anyway.
Vicki: Not a chance, not a chance, but it was fun anyway. So, of course, once you're a Joey's Song you're always a Joey's Song, you just have to . . . why wouldn't you unless something really impactful has happen in your life like it has this year. It's been kind of a crazy year. A lot of people had to drop out at the last minute for various reasons, health, work . . .
John: Fires
Vicki: . . . personal reasons, tragadies, insane stuff and the rest of the communities have just congregated around it and filled in spots and has made it work. It's been . . . it's always very positive.
Andy: And the event keeps getting bigger and bigger. They went to the Freezing Man Festival this year, a multi day event.
Vicki: Yes
Andy: Did you meet people that you met last year that you seeing again this year and having a homecoming with?
Vicki: Yes
John: Yeah. It's like going back to summer camp and revisiting your friends again. It really is like that. You're in the club too because I will never forget you and your brother last year. We didn't get the interview. Actually you didn't ask for one then.
Andy: I talked to Vicki
John: I know, but nobody ever talks to me.
Vicki: Think Johnny needs a little attention. He comes from a big family
John: No, I don't need any attention I just
Vicki: Comes from a big family. Needs a little attention (laughs)
Andy: John, you have such a musical pedigree. I find this fascinating . . .
John: _____ found it.
Andy: You guys are married and I find it fascinating that you were a fan of The Cowsills when you were a child.
Vicki: Yes I was. I was one of those crazy kids. Not so much the 9-year-old Vicki didn't naturally have this idea, but by 13-year-old Vicki was pretty sure she was going to marry John Cowsill. So, I know it's . . .
Andy: Do you remember the first time you met him?
Vicki: Abso-friggin-luty. I can tell you it was April 28, 1978. It was probably about . . . It was sound check so it was probably about six o'clock in the afternoon.
John: You came to sound check?
Vicki: Not that time I didn't.
John: OK No you didn't
Vicki: Oh you guys were setting up, just setting up. Yes I did. I did sound check. As a matter of fact we recorded the sound check . . .
John: Which is it? Which is it?
Vicki: . . . because you started with "Gettin' Ready" at sound check and you didn't start the show with "Gettin' Ready" and I remember that.
John: Alright interesting.
Andy: So you met him there and that was probably amazing.
Vicki: It was . . . For me it was. He was like, "Oh OK Whatever lady."
John: I was so stoned. We were all pot-heads in my family. We were (gives spaced out look). "Hi girl. How are you?"
Vicki: I was not at all doing that, my girlfriends. As a matter of fact the first time I ever saw anyone roll a joint . . . Susan Cowsill was the first person I ever saw roll a joint
John: Goody-Two-Shoes
Vicki: OK It's just so true. Yes, we met - way back then - and then he proceeded to marry two other women in the ensuing next two decades.
John: I was in the collecting mode.
Vicki: Collect them all.
Andy: You were practicing to get perfect for Vicki.
John: Correct
Vicki: He was actually
John: I went to two universities of relationships - yes. Two different schools.
Vicki: He's a graduate
Andy: You remember the first time you heart of The Bangles
John: First time I heard of them was on MTV like everybody else. But already she had a relationship with my brother Bob. Not that kind . . .
Vicki: Not romantic
John: But and with my sister
Vicki: Get me in trouble
John: More romantic with her than my brother Bob. Yeah but I was always busy and stoned and I just didn't pay attention to much of anything. I just . . . if I had a gig, that's all I focused on. And I think I was playing with Jan and Dean at the time that they were hitting it because I was . . . '81 I was with Dwight Twilley.
Vicki: Yeah you were with Dwight Twilley.
John: I was with Jan and Dean right after that. That was a good gig.
Vicki: Yeah I stayed in touch with The Cowsills. My sister, Debbi, and I , and we actually came to a Dwight Twilley rehearsal to visit Susan and to see John because he's really cute.
John: Oh yeah, they were there. I ran into you outside, that's how you were there.
Vicki: We were there for a Circle Jerks (???) Listening Party.
John: Didn't I say "Come by"
Vicki: You told us were you were. You probably did, maybe.
John: I did. I'm sure I did. I'm re-inventing the story because I don't really remember.
Vicki: He doesn't remember any of this.
John: I saw her out in the hall and said, "Hey, little girl, come on in."
Vicki: He did not.
John: No, I didn't think that way at all. Once again, I was so stoned.
Vicki: He did not. And we brought him our first 45 which was "Getting Out Of Hand" that we had just recorded. We were very excited about it.
John: I wish I still had that record.
Vicki: And we handed to him and said, "We made a record!" and he's like "Oh that’s cool. You have to sign it for me." And I said, "Oh no, no, no" He goes, "No, you have to sign it for me," which was really cute. And I was "I'm autographing for . . .
John: Was I nice?
Vicki: John Cowsill." You were very nice.
John: OK good. I'm so glad because . . .
Vicki: You were not a jerk.
John: I . . . people . . . I'm a number one a**hole.
Vicki: He can be a jerk. You can't say a**hole.
John: When I'm . . . They will cut that out. No, but everyone takes their turn being one and I have turns that happen. And when someone calls me one I say 'yeah but you'll be one tomorrow.' Everybody takes a turn.
Andy: So you've had a band with John's sister Susan. Psycho Sisters?
Vicki: Psycho Sisters. In the early '90s we met at . . .
John: You used me to get to my family.
Vicki: I did. I used you to get to your sister. (following is joking and teasing)
John: She used to . . .
Vicki: It's the reverse of what Susan says all her girlfriends did.
John: Sorry I didn't mean to interrupt your story.
Vicki: And make it about you?
John: I didn't mean to interrupt your story. I didn't mean to interrupt your story.
Vicki: I think he meant to interrupt my story.
John: Get your hand off me right now. We're in interview mode.
Vicki: Yes and we actually make a 45 back in 1991 but we didn't make a record until 2012. We like to spread out our musical output to 10 years or so.
John: I'm really thinking about what you're going to do next.
Vicki: Anyway, we had a really good time writing together and that was . . . Susan was very new to songwriting. She had gone through her 20's with a relationship with Dwight Twilley and had never . . . she kind of put her own musicality aside except to sing with him. But then she just started writing songs and she and I started writing together which was just so much fun. It was very . . . We're still Psycho Sisters. You can never not be a Psycho Sister. It's like you can never not be a Cowsill. But we sort of got absorbed into the Continental Drifters, which is probably your next question because , , , I'm a serial band member. I just am in bands. That's what I do.
John: I call her Cheery-o.
Vicki: I made a t-shirt saying "Member of . . ." cuz that's what I am. I'm of fill in the blank. So the Psycho Sisters became sort of an adjunct add-on to the Continental Drifters before we became official Continental Drifters and then I spent 10 years with that beautiful large musical family in New Orleans.
Andy: Recently the album came out and a book.
Vicki: Yes
Andy: What was your input into that?
Vicki: A wonderful young man who was a Continental Drifters fan since the age of 12 or so said, "This needs to happen. We need to . . . I need to write a book."
John: Sean Kelly
Vicki: Sean Kelly and he did a beautiful job. He spoke with us all pretty much every week for a year and a half and compiled this gorgeous history of a very labyrinth, involved, complicated musical family. The Continental Drifters. So many great stories. So many side-winds. I'm really happy how it came out. It just came out this year. Actually, last year - 2024. And along with a Greatest Hits collection of the Continental Drifters AND a tribute record called We Are All Drifters.
Andy: John has a song on there.
John: I do.
Vicki: Somebody has a song on there. Somebody recorded a song of mine on a tribute record. My mind was blown. And you were the first one to turn in your homework.
Andy: Did you run it by Vicki before you like submitted it?
John: I told her what I'm going to do. The song I picked was "Watermark" cuz it was just such a cool groove and we recorded it right away. Paul Allen, who is our producer, who also produced an album for Vicki and I that's coming out on April 12, Record Store Day. But we went in the studio and did that. We let her put a little (knock knock) things in the beginning of the song. So she's actually on the record. But it was supposed to be a surprise everybody - but everybody knew.
Vicki: Worse kept secret.
John: Worse kept secret, yeah. I'm downstairs in our studio, in our house recording her song. You can't hide that.
Vicki: But I didn't get to hear it until they were finished with it really. They really finished it, and so it was fun for me.
John: It was fun for her because I manipulated the melody, just a little bit to suit my needs.
Vicki: And the timing And the phrasing
John: And the phrasing because it's my version of your song
Vicki: Of course. It's fine
Andy: You have both been involved in so much music. Is it kind of exciting to hear someone cover one of your songs you are involved with?
Vicki: Of course
Note: For some reason this interview was taken down before I could complete this transcription.
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