Interviews – Stan Bush – The Stan Bush Collection 10 CD Boxset!

you got the touch stan bush here and you're about

to transform and roll out only on the geekcast

radio network hello and welcome to all things

transformers i am of course tf2 and mike steve

megatron is off playing with his rubber ducky

i don't know what he's doing uh today we welcome

back For the first time in just about five years

or so, Mr. Stan Bush. Hello, sir. How are you?

Hey, how's it going? It's going. Sometimes I

wish it would stop, but it's going. And Stan

is putting 40 years of his career into one 10

-CD box set. prompted this um well it it occurred

to me uh i actually the last couple of years

around christmas time we were thinking wow you

know it'd be cool to have a box set and uh anyway

this year i finally thought of it a couple of

months ahead of time and was able to you know

put it all together um i have you know quantities

of all these cds these albums that you know It

just felt great, a great idea to put them together

in one box set and had nice boxes printed up

and all that. So it's really cool. Yeah, absolutely.

Now, you've been in the music business over 40

-plus years. What went into the decision of putting

the 10 albums in that you have in the set? Well,

they're really, I think, well, okay, the first

two albums, in the actual eighties were, were

vinyl albums. And there, I don't own the rights

to those two. The first one, Stan Bush. And the

second one, Stan Bush and barrage. Um, those

are, um, the rights are with Sony, Sony music.

So, um, but I have 12 albums since then. Um,

10 of which would, I thought were just, you know,

really good. And, uh, so yeah, I just, um, like

I say, I just decided that 10 would be the magic

number. So we, you know, I'm very excited about

it. It goes right up through and including the

latest one, Dare to Dream. Absolutely. And I

remember since we've been talking to each other

since about 2009, 2010, I think you are the,

yeah, hands down. you are the most repeated guest

on the geek cast radio network at this point,

because I've done interviews with you, like almost

every time you've put something out, which is

great because, you know, it gets you coverage.

It gets me, you know, a cool interview with you.

And every so often you'd send me one that's autographed

and I still have all of them. I think you started

sending them to me with dream the dream back

in 2010. Cause that was when I first started

doing the reviews and everything else. And man,

it's just, It's just awesome. This box set looks

like it's going to be amazing. Oh, thanks. I'm

really proud of it. Like I say, looking through

all these, it's like, wow, did I really do all

this stuff? Each one represents three years of

hard work and recording and writing. I'm just

really proud of the songs. I think they're mostly

really great. It's been a cool thing. it's sort

of like you get to a point in life where you're

like, wow, I've really done a lot of stuff, you

know? So it's, you know, I should be more humble,

I guess, but, but I am proud of it. Well, I mean,

you know what the thing of it is, is you, you

have every, you know, it's your, it's your thing.

You're a musician. You, this is your craft. This

is your artistry, you know, like, you know, with

podcasting, like mine, not that my, resume needed

to be padded anymore but basically my new um

like oh you need a podcast editor my new resume

is the geek cast radio network's top 100 transformers

characters countdown because i put in over a

hundred hours of work for that thing and in total

all six parts average out to 11 hours of content

so it's not about doing a humble brag or about

being you know overzealous about what you've

done. You're an amazing musician. Like I said

at the beginning of this, 40 plus years in the

music industry and the one thing with you that

I've noticed, and it's a good thing, is that

you still have the same sound that you had in

1986 or 1985 when you first started working on

The Touch or Dare or You know, because we hear

it all things Transformers. We always have to

bring it back to Transformers. In those other

albums and every album that I've ever seen you

do in your discography, you're always the positive

musician. You're always writing positive lyrics.

You're always having positive melodies. You're

always bringing a message to whoever's going

to listen to the stuff. Thank you. Everybody

needs to listen to Stan Bush, hands down. He's

not just... I hear this a lot and it makes me

cringe because, again, I consider you a friend

because we've talked so much over the last 13

years or so. It's like, oh, Stan Bush, the Transformers.

No, he's not just that. Stop right there. Don't

do it. Listen to this album, this album and this

album and you'll see that he is much more. than

just the person that does some of the Transformers

music. Yeah, thanks, man. Yeah, a lot of people

don't know, I guess, that I do all this other

stuff. I went since the sort of implosion of

80s rock at the end of the 80s and beginning

of the 90s. A lot of the business I did, making

records and carrying on, was in Europe and Japan,

where melodic rock was still, you know. And anyway,

it's it's really cool because, you know, a lot

of the fans I have over there have been loyal

fans for a number of years, decades even. And

anyway, it's it's it's it's cool that I didn't

really have to change who I was, you know, to

to stay viable and all that. So but thank you

for the kind words. I appreciate it. But as far

as like you mentioned, my voice. One of the things

that I've been blessed is not having to tour

like some of these guys from the 80s, the singers

and whatnot in these bands. You know, they toured

for months and months, years on end, trying to

sing all that crazy high stuff. And it's it really

it's hard to keep that those high notes, you

know, and a lot of people don't have that high

range anymore. So I've been blessed in that regard.

So, yeah. And I mean. You know, BotCon has had

you at several things. TFCon has had you at several

things. You've done other conventions besides

those. And I'm sure back, you know, then you

were also doing tours. It may not have been like

superstar stadium tours, but you were still touring.

You know, as a musician, that's part of the gig.

That's part of the thing where, you know, you

should be able to tour. But like you said, with

your voice, you haven't. needed to tour as much

and that is kind of saved your voice a bit what

is the highest note that you have in your in

all of your songs well i i have uh back in the

mirage album that there's a there's a screen

that's actually a high e but normally well i

can touch that high note is a d you know right

that that high note the yeah is a d so that's

you know that's about the top the top end. Full

voice, I don't go much above that, even on a

good day. Yeah. And as you said, with you not

needing to change your voice or modify your voice

or whatever from the transition of the melodic

rock into whatever, I can only imagine in some

weird Transformers Shattered Glass universe,

Shattered Glass Dan Bush. oh my god i'm a 90s

grunge singer you know that's not i never never

had to make that transition i mean it was it

was it was different and uh a lot of attitude

you know and uh an emotion too you know so you

got to give it that yeah absolutely yeah um but

looking back over the these records i'm like

wow you know this is i i really really proud

of this stuff you know a lot of these songs are

terrific and I've had the ability or the I'm

sorry, not ability, but blessings of working

with some of the best to like the very first

oldest album in the collection is called Every

Beat of My Heart. And I have songs with Jonathan

Cain from Journey. Also, Jim Valance, who co

-wrote all the Brian Adams stuff and Aerosmith

and a bunch of other stuff. Just terrific writers.

Brett Tuggle, you know, toured with David Lee

Roth and. Some of these guys, he and I wrote

a song. So it's a collection of really good stuff

on that album. And, you know, again, it's got

the 80s thing going on. And that album came out

in, let's see, early 90s in Germany, in Europe,

you know. And, of course, the ones after that,

each one has their own sort of story to tell.

You know, The Child Within, I got into kind of

a 90s. You know, not what I mean is during the

90s, I got into kind of more of an acoustic thing.

And Call to Action was like that's like featuring

some of the stuff I did, like from the Transformers

and other like the Jean -Claude Van Damme movies.

The song I'd Never Surrender is on is on Call

to Action as well as the Touch and Dare. And

so, yeah. And, you know, moving on ahead, Heaven

was again. some really powerful 80s stuff that

I did. And then, you know, there's six after

that. The beginning was Shine. I think it was

2001. Anyway, that that one I worked with. Let's

see, Kurt Cuomo, who he wrote songs with Kiss

and Eddie Money and produced those people. And

so, you know, in this life, of course, after

that is I consider one of my best. It was my

very favorite album. until possibly the newest

one. I really like all of them for different

reasons. Dream the Dream's got a bunch of great

songs, as well as the ultimate Change the World.

It's been a progression, and like I say, some

of the songs just really resonate with me. I

got into a little bit more of a, okay, yeah,

I have the 80s rock, like you said, the positive

message kind of thing, the anthem. And it's just

part of who I am. I think that stuff started

with the touch. I just really got inspired about,

you know, there's a thing, you know, it's really

is true. We you know, we sort of make our own

reality in the world, in this life, you know.

And if you if you really set your mind to it

and believe in yourself and, you know, you can

do amazing things. And it's it's kind of all

about focus and in general positivity, I guess.

And it's, you know, to try to, you know. be on

guard for the cheese factor, you know, but, but

I think that people resonate, this kind of message

resonates with people. And, uh, you know, I,

I used to get fan mail from people about these

songs, what they meant to them as, as kids and

stuff like the touch and dare and things. And

it's just, uh, it's very humbling, you know,

to, to hear that stuff. It's, uh, I, I like,

you know, the idea of, of trying to, you know,

be a positive force in the world, you know, it's,

uh, Yeah, absolutely. And you absolutely are.

I mean, you mentioned the cheese factor. And

when I first heard, and I love the song, but

when I first heard and saw the 80s, I'm like,

oh, Stan. Oh, Stan. And then I listened to it,

and I had it on repeat, and I'm like. I've seen

that life had just begun. I turn up the radio

and head into the sun. Can't stop this feeling

of the 80s. For me, the dream still lives on.

Whoa! Yeah, this is the anthem of the 80s. because

the 80s has never died and the 80s will never

go away and you're keeping that alive I think

the only time I think the only time and I know

most of your new stuff like you said Change the

World and Dare to Dream, Dare to Dream is the

most recent album that you've done besides the

new box set thing which is a collection but with

the 80s it's like the only way new 80s music

is going to die is whenever it happens, heaven

forbid it happen anytime soon, not trying to

curse anything. Once you pass away, that's when

new 80s music that sounds like the actual 80s

dies. Oh, yeah. Because I listen to that, you

know, I listen to Stan Bush, the 80s, and I'm

like, yeah, that's pretty much the anthem of

that decade at this point. Thank you. have a

question now you you've done other things you've

done other other other music stuff and other

singles what came first was it ground zero or

was it till all are one because it is the same

song it's just changed ground zero you know you're

at ground zero but in until all are one it's

changed to train some of the lyrics are changed

but it is essentially the same song yeah yeah

musically it's the same song um that was ground

zero was on a call to action yeah and you know

in 97 i believe um but yeah we um when the transformers

the first michael bay transformers films came

out um we uh wanted to write like a transformers

anthem and i the the music from ground zero was

like perfect and uh so anyway we wrote the lyrics

to be you know till all are one and yeah This

song is just huge. It came out great. It's a

bonus track on the Endless Life album. Yeah,

I was curious about how the differences in which

Ground Zero was first and then it was changed

to All or One. That's right, yeah. I just borrowed

the music. I'll have to sue myself, I guess.

Yeah, no, that wouldn't work. So the box set

is out now. It is $100, folks. And if you order,

this interview will be out way before this deadline

I'm going to mention. If you order before December

1st, 2021, Stan will sign each box set. Yes,

in gold. In gold. There you go, folks. The price

of gold just shot up. Is there anything else

you would like to impart on my listeners? Is

there going to be a new album next year or in

a couple of years? Are you working on anything

now? You have this box set going on, but are

you working on new stuff currently? Yeah, there's

a movie I won't mention yet because everything

is still sort of in the works. But, yeah, we're

working on a couple of big songs for a new movie

that should come out this coming year. And, you

know, there'll be a new album, of course, as

well. So, yeah, always moving forward. And, yeah,

things are going great. Absolutely. All right,

folks, you heard it here first. The 10 CD box

set, the Stan Bush Collection. Go get it on stanbush

.com. And we will catch you next time here on

All Things Transformers. Where can the people

find you on social, Stan? The links are on the

stanbush .com site. I don't offhand know what

they are, but, yeah, just check there. Yeah,

he's on Facebook, Twitter. I do know those. And

the links will be in the post, folks. So transform

and transcend, and we will catch you next time

here on All Things Transformers. Thanks, Mike.

Oceans apart, there's mountains between us. That

won't stop me now. Drifted away for all the wrong

reasons. I'll get to you somehow.