GQ's Alex Pappademas offers highlights of his two-hour, 11,000 word interview with the former lead singer of Journey. Foolish, Foolish Throat: A Q&A with Steve Perry:
I live just above San Diego, in Del Mar. And occasionally when I get up to Los Angeles, sometimes I'll go out on the weekend, and some of these clubs, man—this new generation in the clubs, man, they're playing this song, and when it comes on they're screaming it out to each other. The girls are screaming "Just a small-town girl." They're screaming it at clubs. Do you have any idea what that feels like? In my lifetime, to see another generation embrace this? As I said in the beginning with you, there's something reverent about that, to me. And I only wish to protect it, because it means something to them, like it means something to me. I don't wanna see that get damaged. I really don't. And I just love to see them love it so much. It just completely slays me. I would have never—I would have never thought that was gonna happen. I mean, who knew?
The whole, huge interview is pretty great. And Pappademas even follows up with Neal Schon. Definitely worth reading. If you need further proof that it's a great interview, check out Perry's story about spying on fans checking out Journey's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame...
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Perry admits he checks in on Journey's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame when he's in town:
I think I’m gonna go by with some brass cleaner one of these days, make sure it looks nice. One time, I went there—there used to be a coffee shop right in front of it, and I was having coffee, watching people. And these two girls were there with a friend. They were of the generation we were speaking of earlier, that newer generation of fans. And they laid down on each side of it and tried to pull sexy poses with the star. And their friend was kind of hovering over them with a camera. And I ran out of the coffee shop and said, “I gotta get in on this.” [laughs] She looked up, her eyes got like saucers. And I said, “Come on, we gotta take a picture.” And I laid down, and I said, “Aww, girls, this is too sexy.” So we took a picture laying down on the sidewalk, by the star. They love the band enough to lay down on the sidewalk? In front of all these people walkin’ around ‘em and shit? I thought, “Okay. I’m layin’ down, too.” And that sidewalk’s not exactly clean.
How many artists would do that? And admit to it! Only the really, really cool ones. I never would have thought Steve Perry would be that cool.
Video: Journey - "Wheel In The Sky"
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Del Mar, eh? There's no bays by Del Mar. There's fairgrounds, an abandoned power station that they've turned into a reception hall, and an oppressive city government, but no bays.