Fact #187083

Hal Blaine (session drummer) : Phil is the greatest director in the world. He had a way of holding you. He treated the musicians like race horses: "Don't play yet. Don't play yet." He would rehearse the guitar player for an hour. He would rehearse the bass fiddles. He'd rehearse the band. "Everybody play, but Hal, don't play. I'm getting a sound here." Then he would say, "Hal, play now!" In the booth it was like charades. He would say, "Watch me," and you'd read his lips. He would give you an "easy, easy," and then he would give you a "Go crazy!"

Willy De Ville (vocalist, Mink De Ville) : I was influenced by music really, really young . . . the radio was there every morning at the breakfast table . . . the first time I can really remember saying, 'Wow! What is that? I like that!' was like a Crystals song, or maybe "Da Doo Ron Ron' or 'Then He Kissed Me' -- one of those with like that really hollow sound . . . at that point I was just starting to develop . . . I was like five years old and I started singing along with the radio.

The first time I ever wanted to, say, step on a stage and sing in front of people was at this teen club -- like a neighborhood thing . . . that was our first gig, and Jesus, I don't even think we had the right microphones or anything . . . they were like tape recorder mikes . . . and we played . . . so this guy Roger Rich wanted to get up and sing. Now Rog was the bad mutha of the school . . . he was bad -- used to come to school every day dressed up -- heavily -- ruffled shirt, red vest, black iridescent pants, black high heeled shoes . . . very Latino . . . so Rog gets up to sing 'Valerie' by Ronnie and The Starlites . . . and halfway through the song, this guy cries, and keeps on cryin' through the rest of the song . . . he was really down, man, doin' the whole Jackie Wilson bit -- sweat pourin' off him and cryin' -- it was great . . . and I just said 'Hey-y-y-y-y-y-, wow!
(Interview with Dusti Rhodes of Smooth Running Caddy magazine, date not known)