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Streetwalkin' and shit talkin' Frank Meyer on DLR: "Dave's the coolest"  DLR Army Staff Reports      A rock n' roll wild man in his own right Frank Meyer is probably as well known for covering the hard rock scene as a writer for KNAC.COM and the dearly departed POPsmear Magazine. David Lee Roth fans have read Meyer's thoughtful ruminations of the magic of Diamond Dave for years, now Meyer is pointing his journalistic finger back at himself.      The leader of the popular L.A. phenom The Streetwalkin Cheetahs, Meyer is hoping to make his own mark in the music industry while keeping the spirit of hard rock alive by using the lessons he learned while cutting his teeth on Van Halen's classic early records. Under Diamond Dave's tutelage, he just might do it.       Sit back and enjoy our conversation which probes why Meyer says "fuck the police," why punk rock rules and how big DLR likes his joints. Smoke 'em if you got em! DLR ARMY: So how did you get into the music thing? What inspired you to take up the guitar and take the mike? What was your first record, tape, 8-track? MEYER: "The thing that got me into music was first seeing DLR and Eddie in the pages of Creem and Hit Parader and hearing the early Van Halen albums. I love the excitement and flamboyance of it all and Dave's party attitude. It was loud and rebellious but still had memorable songs and hooks. The perfect rock n' roll band for me.       "I started playing guitar in sixth-grade as a result. Then, later, I heard The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, The New York Dolls, and The Stooges and was again forever changed.       "Van Halen inspired me to be a performer and a musician, but punk rock taught me how not give a fuck and just go for it.       "My first ever album was the soundtrack to the Muppet Movie. The first rock album I got into were KISS 'Rock n' Roll Over. 'Diver Down' was my first VH album. Some say it's their weakest album but any record that has 'The Full Bug' on it cannot be called 'bad' in any way, shape or form ..." DLR ARMY: You're obviously a big Dave fan, as is Henry Rollins. People don't immediately understand why punk rock guys would dig Diamond Dave. What's the story? MEYER: "Dave has attitude. It may not be that Johnny Rotten 'I'll kill you' attitude or that Iggy Pop 'I'll kill myself' vibe, but he definitely has lots of attitude. Dave has a swagger and confidence that is very appealing. Chicks wanna fuck him and guys wanna drink with him.  "He's cool, plain and simple, and anybody can appreciate that." DLR ARMY: Tell us about your band and what The Streetwalkin' Cheetahs are currently up to. Plug all upcoming gigs, releases, whatever. MEYER: "We have a new album called 'Waiting For The Death Of My generation' out on Triple X Records. We are currently touring the country with the likes of The Supersuckers and B Movie Rats (another very classic VH-influenced punk band), and then we will head to Europe in the fall for more touring. We're also working on a rarities album that will compile many of the rare tracks we've put out over the years.  "Check out http://www.thestreetwalkincheetahs.com/ for more info and updates." DLR ARMY: How and when did your band get together, what's your plan for world domination? For someone who's never heard the band, describe your sound? MEYER: "We play rock n' roll, straight up. Some call it punk, some call it metal. I guess hard rock would maybe be the most accurate description, but to me it's all rock n' roll.    "We first got together to drink and play songs that we loved by bands like the Dead Boys, MC5, and the Johnny Thunders back in '95 and have been touring and making record ever since playing our own material.    "At first, we had no aspirations at all, now we wanna take over the world!" DLR ARMY: When was the first time you heard classic Van Halen? MEYER: "I remember hearing 'You Really Got Me' in the movie 'Over The Edge,' a late '70s teen rebellion flick with a young Matt Dillon (A killer flick.) Then I remember hearing their cover of 'Pretty Woman' on the radio and being blown away by the thick guitar sound. I ran out to the local Music Plus record store and bought the vinyl version of 'Diver Down.' Within two weeks I had every album and they were my favorite band of all time. I also remember being transfixed by those 'Fair Warning' live videos that MTV used to show. The show just looked like one big party.    "Unfortunately I was too young and never saw VH with Dave." DLR ARMY: Do you remember what you were doing when you heard Dave left VH? What did you think of Sam Hagar as a replacement? Should we even ask about Gary Cherone? MEYER: "I remember reading in Faces Magazine about Dave splitting and was flabbergasted. I almost cried. I was blown away. To this day (and this sounds really stupid) I think of it as a tragedy.    "I was never that into the Sammy era and hated Cherone. I just hope Dave comes back and soon, but it seems very unlikely." DLR ARMY: Musically, your band shares a lot more with Iggy and MC5 than Van Halen. Attitude-wise however, you have the same kind or raw energy that made those first four VH records so good. How big of an influence is Van Halen, specifically Dave, to the band and you personally? MEYER: "The rest of my band loves the Dave-era VH but aren't quite as obsessed with it as I am. I have hundreds of bootlegs and am pretty much a complete freak about Dave and the old school VH. So I wouldn't really say that their music has had much of an impact on our sound specifically, but I find that for a guy who plays in a 'punk' band I tend to bit of a flashy wanker guitarist, which definitely comes from a VH influences.    "Mainly though, for me, the Dave influence is more based on the humor and confidence he exudes. I always liked his humor and toast master approach and I like the strut and cocksure self-assurance he possesses." DLR ARMY: How did you get into the journalism game? Was this something you've always wanted to do? MEYER: "I kinda stumbled into writing. I always did it on the side and through high school and college. My friends Scott Chernoff (who collaborated with me on some of my Dave articles) was always a big inspiration 'cause he's a great writer and seemed to like writing with me.  "In the early '90s I began writing for my friend's fanzine Porkchops & Applesauce and ended up reviewing Dave's Vegas show. Scott and I went together and wrote a rave review that made it's way to Dave, who had his manager, Big Ed, contact me.     "Around the time I was hanging with Big Ed, I got turned onto POPsmear Magazine and became a fan. I contacted the editor, Troy Fuss, and we decided I should interview DLR."     "Ed hooked me up and the article turned into a big success and was very popular. POPsmear's publisher, James Morel, ended up offering me a job and I became a full-time writer and never looked back. After POPsmear folded in '99 I came to KNAC.COM at the invite of my pal Lonn Friend (formerly of RIP Magazine)." DLR ARMY: Where have you worked besides Popsmear and KNAC? Besides Dave, who have been your favorite interviews? What's your dream interview? MEYER: "I have written for Launch.com, Skratch Magazine, LA Weekly and LA New Times. I used to work at a bunch of record companies but no one I want to plug. Some of my fave interviews have been Ron Asheton (Stooges), Rob Halford, Tony Iommi, Slayer, George Carlin, Insane Clown Posse, Fishbone, and Kid Rock. My dream interview was DLR and I got it. I guess now it would be Iggy." DLR ARMY: We really dig what you guys are doing over at KNAC. You are pioneers as far as bringing hard rock radio to the masses via the Internet. MEYER: "KNAC was a HUGE metal radio station when I was growing up. When it folded in the early '90s, many of us rockers were crushed. Radio in LA sucks now.  "When Lonn told me it was being resurrected on the net I was immediately interested. Once I met KNAC.COM Rob Jones and found out that my favorite producer of all time, Bob Ezrin, was involved I was hooked. On my first day they asked if I could interview Slayer on the roof -- I knew I was at the right place." DLR ARMY: So share with us what it's like to be a rock journalist by day and rock star by night? Was it any easier getting signed to a label? MEYER: "The Cheetahs have always been signed. We have had deals with several big indie labels, namely Triple X and Bomp. We got offered a deal when we were still playing covers so making records have never been a problem.     "Basically I just do my thing and stay busy. If rock paid enough I'd probably just settle on being a musician, but it doesn't. So I keep my day job as a writer. The best part is that both POPsmear and KNAC have always let me work from the road, so I just bring my laptop and work from the van, the gig or the hotel. That way I can keep a paycheck coming while touring.     "It can be rough but I can get by on not getting a lot of sleep. I always tend to be asleep late and up early anyways, so it's not that big of a deal. Just gotta have a lot of energy, manage your time well ... and be able to work drunk." DLR ARMY: Tell us about the exclusive DLR Band warm-up show you witnessed last summer. MEYER: "The Porkchops & Applesauce review opened the door, and the POPsmear interviews kicked it wide-open. By the time Dave invited me to the rehearsal I had interviewed him two or three times and hung out at his house and drank and stuff, so he was pretty comfortable letting me just hang around." DLR ARMY: What was your first impression of Dave when you met him? At heart, you're a fan like us; did he live up to your expectations? MEYER: "Hell yes. Dave's the coolest. He sauntered into the hotel like he owned the place and oozed confidence and charm. He's the best. DLR ARMY: We had heard that you were pretty close with Big Ed. Were you surprised when you heard he was no longer working with Dave? MEYER: "I was very surprised. At the time, I suspected that it had to do with Dave rejoining Van Halen, since they fired their manager Ray Daniels too. I thought they were just cleaning house and starting with a clean slate.     "I figure that Dave and Ed must have had some sort of falling out, I really have no idea. I always thought (and still do) that Ed was a very cool guy." DLR ARMY: Sounds like you had quite a time hanging with Dave. Describe your experience interviewing DLR. Where were you at? What were the circumstances? MEYER: "I basically bring a ton of questions but usually only get in about three or four 'cause Dave likes to talk. He runs the interview for sure, but I always thought he was the best interview in the world 'cause he gives you more than you could ever dream of, so much great shit to work with.     "The first time I interviewed him was at a hotel in Hollywood, then later at Crazy Girls. The second time was at his house. The third time was at his rehearsal. Then I saw him in San Diego in '99. DLR ARMY: You had a wild night in San Diego if we recall correctly. After hanging at Club Dave you had a run-in with the law. Mind sharin' that story with us? MEYER: "I got pulled over for skidding out of the parking lot and they threw me in jail for a DUI. I wasn't drunk though (stoned as hell) and I passed all the drunk tests TWICE. But one of the pigs just didn't like me and booked me anyway. However, I tested under the cut off (.02 I think) on the Breathalyzer and they couldn't find a nurse to draw blood to test for pot. So they kept me overnight and then let me go.       "With a negative breath test and no blood test, they didn't have shit on me and they never charged me with anything. I hate cops. Fuck the police." DLR ARMY: You work on the stage and also behind the scenes, so you get the chance to see many more sides of the music biz than most folks who do. What do you enjoy doing the most? MEYER: "My favorite thing is to be onstage performing. Next to that I love writing and editing. Other than those things I generally hate the rest of the biz. I hated working at labels and hate schmoozing with industry weasels. I love the creative part." DLR ARMY: Any good Dave stories or anecdotes you'd like to share with us? MEYER: "Dave has the best pot and rolls much bigger joints than I do. He also has a killer garden with HUGE onions in it. DLR ARMY: What did you think about Dave's solo career? MEYER: "I LOVE every album for different reasons. The best ones are 'Eat Em' and Smile' and the DLR Band. My least fave is 'Skyscraper.'" DLR ARMY: If you could play with any band for a night, who would it be? If you were asked to join any band, who would you like to hear at the other end of the phone asking you aboard? MEYER: "Dave's band, of course!" DLR ARMY: How long have you been part of the L.A. music scene? Who's the most famous person who's shown up at one of your shows? What are some other bands you've been in that we may have heard of? MEYER: "I've been playing clubs in L.A. since I was 14. I'm 30 now - you do the math.     "Kid Rock used to come see The Cheetahs a bunch, Ian Astbury from The Cult, MC5's Wayne Kramer, actor Seth Green used to come all the time when my brother was in the band, lots of other folks. Most of the people that I get excited about seeing us are obscure cult hero rock guys that most VH fans wouldn't care about. People like Deniz Tek from Radio Birman, Jimmy Zero from The Dead Boys, Michael Mornoe from Hanoi Rocks, Rod Firestone from The Rubber City Rebels, Cherie Currie from the Runaways...those are the rock stars that I freak out over." DLR ARMY: Describe your general take on the state of rock n' roll. What makes a good rock band, what do you look for? Conversely, what is bad about the current state of rock? MEYER: "Rock n' roll is almost dead. These days a band like us, The Supersuckers, The Hellacopters and Electric Frankenstein are among the only ones keeping it alive. There are tons of killer underground rock bands but most don't get a chance to get out of the clubs 'cause the major labels rarely sign real rock bands - Buckcherry and Nashville Pussy being some recent exceptions. The rest of us stay on indie labels and release great albums of real rock to small but dedicated fans who go crazy for it."     "There's plenty of people that still love rock and plenty of bands delivering the goods, but it rarely crosses over into the mainstream. Most little kids only listen to what MTV tells them to so they don't even know what rock n' roll is. They think Blink 182 and Creed are rock - Fuck that. That shit is whack!    Give me Diamond Dave, Lemmy, Angus Young or Johnny Thunders any day!" DLR ARMY: Give us some insider rock n' roll gossip on the band of your choice. MEYER: "All bands have the same rule: What goes on the road stay on the road. I can't reveal any of the really good gossip. I will tell you that Derek Christensen, singer of the B Movie Rats, is the MOST DLR-like frontman that I know of. He's not blond but he has the most Dave in him of anyone I've ever met. He has the attitude and the voice, and it's all about the attitude and the voice. Check him out at http://www.bmovierats.com/ DLR ARMY: What rock band should call it a day? MEYER: "Creed." DLR ARMY: What are some killer cds that we should watch out for in the coming months?  What are the ones we should avoid? Upcoming tours to catch, or not catch? MEYER: "Fans of Dave-era VH, and rock in general, should check out the new Cheetahs CD, the new B Movie Rats disc 'Bad For You,' anything by The Supersuckers, the new COC, Tricky Woo, Betty Blowtorch, Broken Teeth and my buds out of Atlanta The Forty Fives." DLR ARMY: This is your parting shot to DLR fans. Any last words? MEYER: "Rock on." Check out Frank Meyer's handiwork at thestreetwalkincheetahs.com/, www.knac.com/ and www.popsmear.com/. Don't miss Frank's  Diamond Dave interviews located on Popsmear.com. They are located  here and here. To email the article you just read above to someone else {click here} .     To email the article you just read above to someone else {click here}