Loverboy is performing at Cheyenne Frontier Days tomorrow night with Journey and Pat Benatar
A Life is as Sweet as Cotton Candy Q and A with Paul Dean of Loverboy.
Editor Karen Cotton and reporter Kimberli “Kimba” Pierantoni asked the following questions:
Here are Paul Dean’s answers
Karen: Are there any bands that you guys admire? If so why do you admire them?
Dean: The band I admire the most is Def Leppard. All original guys after decades together, except for of course Steve, who died way too young. And the way they stood by Rick when he lost his arm, and not to mention the incredible music they make. And they’re killer live. And the coolest people.
Kimba: How did Loverboy first form?
Dean: I met Mike Reno when I was rehearsing in a band in Calgary. I was the bass player, the second gig I had in that position. Mike was the singer in a previous band with the guitar player I was working with. During a smoke break, Mike showed up to say hi to his buddy, and they started jamming in the other room. That was the second time I had heard Mike sing as it turned out. The first time was in a bar in Edmonton years earlier, but I didn’t pay any attention to him or the band, I thought they were too crude. Too rock ‘n roll for my tastes at the time. How things change over the years. I was going through some pretty rough times, my mind had been opened a lot, and by that time I had been around the block a few times, so I was ready for anything. And when I heard Mike sing this time, I said to myself, “Whoa, that is one incredible voice.” It turns out I’m not the only one who thinks that. Still do, by the way.
Kimba: Why the name Loverboy?
Dean: Mike and I were gonna call it Dean Reno, and I told my 15 year old nephew the name of our new band, to the reaction of some serious eye rolling. OK, I get it, the name sucks. So that night, I’m sitting at the kitchen table in my one bedroom apartment in Calgary, looking for inspiration wherever I can get it, trying to think up song titles, band names, something. My wife Denise had a copy of Covergirl magazine beside the toaster, and I thought, not a bad song title. Hmm, Coverboy, let’s see, pretty good name for a band. See where this is going?
Kimba: Where you ever in a town/state that was odd?
Dean: Let’s talk Canada. Moose Jaw, Sakatchewan. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Medicine Hat, Alberta. All fine little towns, places we’ve played, excellent fans, but who thought up those names? They actually voted on them, “Yeah, let’s go with that”?
Karen: Do you have any specific fun requests on your rider that you’d like to share; i.e. brown M & M’s?
Dean: Back in the day, we, well actually I, requested a pop corn popper. Still hooked on the stuff. We do like red M&M’s best though.
Karen: What do you like about being on tour with Journey & Pat Benatar?
Dean: Hits, hits and more hits. No filler, all killer. Plus I get to watch 2 of the best guitar players in the biz. And huge crowds every night never hurts.
Karen: Do you pull any pranks on each other? If so do you have one that you liked the most or were the funniest?
Dean: Back in ’85 we were in Morin Heights just outside Montreal where they had a state of the art recording studio. We started recording “Lovin Every Minute of It” there. The studio had a separate drum booth, with a glass door and a big window. I’m not sure that the telling is that funny, but the expression on Matt’s face when he realized the stench that was in the room with him and getting worse every day was coming from the cheese we had taken off the deli tray and hidden behind his stack of drum heads a week earlier – it was pretty hilarious. I think we all learned a few new French swear words that day.
Life is as Sweet as Cotton Candy would like to thank you for your time! Have a phenomenal tour.
Life is as Sweet as Cotton Candy 
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