LRI (Crash Crafton): For those who are not familiar with your career, can you give them a brief history of who you are and what you do?
Patrick Briggs: I’m Patrick Briggs and I was formerly the singer of Psychotica. Well, actually, I still am. I don’t know why I’m referring to myself as formerly. I’m now launching my first solo record. I’ve been in the music business, this is my 30th year!
LRI: As a child you began in theatre at 8 years old. What drew you to theatre & what memories of your first role do you have?
PB: I was eight when I wandered into a little theater in Burbank that was in our local recreation park. I had no idea that I had wandered into an audition for “The Seven Year Itch” but I had and being that I was the only kid there I won the role of Little Ricky. I remember being like a deer in the headlights and I’m sure I was terrible by all industry standards but I also knew this would get me out of the house that I hated being in so I was totally down with it.
LRI: When did you start playing in bands, it has been rumored that your first band included Tracii Guns of Guns N’ Roses & L.A. Guns fame, any truth to that?
PB: My first band, I was actually the backup singer for and that was this 90 something year old former Penthouse Pet who had been fucking Tommy Lee. So she put together a glam rock band to do a showcase at the Limelight in New York and the band consisted of Tracii Guns, Johnny B. Frank from Kingdom Come and Rikki Rockett on drums, and then me as the backup. I had never sang in a band before that. After the show, their management pulled me aside and asked if they could represent me, and that they were dumping the Penthouse Pet and because of it she never spoke to me again…..oh well!
LRI: What bands or musicians were an influence to you as a vocalist and performer?
PB: Boston’s first album & Parliament Funkadelic’s The Mothership Connection. Parliament was and is highly underrated as one of the leaders of the then glam rock movement but because they were black they were called a funk band. I learned how to do harmonies from George Clinton.
LRI: In the 80’s you moved to New York City and was working at the Cat Club when you were discovered by former KISS Manager, the legendary Bill Aucoin. What year was that and how long did he manage your career? Are there any memories of working with Mr. Aucoin you care to share?
PB: Actually my best friend, Raven-O & I were go-go dancers at the Limelight when Bill and Geoff Grayson approached me and asked if I’d like to join a band. We recently lost Bill unfortunately but he was an amazing human being. As charismatic as any of his acts were. Unfortunately by the time I got him as a manager he was on the decline and I’m not going to divulge in print any specifics but let’s just say he taught the rockstars how to party!
LRI: In 1994, you were managing Don Hill’s in New York City that hosted the legendary Squeezebox. You formed Psychotica to function as the house band of the Squeezebox but things went haywire & the band got signed to a major label after their first rehearsal, were invited to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside David Bowie and Iggy Pop in a exhibit celebrating fashion in music at your first gig and asked to play Lollapalooza at your second gig. What was that time like in your life? Is that exhibit with your costumed mannequin still on display at the R&RHOF?
PB: At that time of my life I would venture to say that I had my head so far up my own ass that I wasn’t even able to enjoy what little success that I had…..unfortunate!
LRI: You recently stated that you were going to release an autobiography soon. Back in 1998 there was news of you releasing an autobiography entitled “The Tom Sawyer Complex”. That never came out. Will this upcoming autobiography be that book plus all that has happened since that time?
PB: The thing about “The Tom Sawyer Complex” is that it got picked up for development by Ted Demme. He optioned it and I don’t know if you know anything about books but it locks it up for a certain amount of time. Then he died. During that time, all this really wild insane shit in my life started happening. I realized where I’d ended on “The Tom Sawyer Complex” that my life hadn’t really begun yet, really. It is all that stuff and a whole lot more.
LRI: When do you think that will be released?
PB: I’m hoping the whole thing will come out in the middle of 2015. I want to package it as a, I don’t know what the term would be but release it as a book, chapter by chapter, with a song and a video. Basically a CD-Rom for every chapter.
From: https://www.legendaryrockinterviews.com/2014/07/02/when-the-laughter-muffles-the-screams-an-interview-with-pyschotica-frontman-patrick-briggs/
