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 Cheap Trick original members Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen and Tom Petersson sit down with Dan Rather for an all-new episode of The Big Interview—airing Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 8pE/5pP. During the conversation, the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees talk about their early success, signature hits and why after 45 years together, they’re still touring and making new music.

In this exclusive first look, Zander, Nielsen and Petersson discuss their surprising early popularity in Japan, before breaking out in the United States.

“We started getting fan mail from Japan,” said Nielsen, “because of the Japanese press talking about us at a Queen show…. Normally they wouldn’t mention the opening act.”

“In Japan, they have these comic books,” Zander continued, “and they’re thick ones and Queen and KISS were always in there. And all of a sudden, we were in there as like their young brothers. So that helped promote us in Japan before ‘[Cheap Trick at] Budokan’ even came out.”

“They kind of like that quirky cartoon character thing going on,” said Petersson, “which Queen has, which KISS certainly has. We were like cartoon characters. None of the other audiences, our record company in the states and stuff, they thought ‘boy this is too weird.’ But the Japanese, they got a kick out of it. That’s how they learned English. They listened to records over and over and learned how to pronounce English words. It’s kind of demented nursery rhymes.”

“Not everyone in rock during that time was in these comic books,” said Zander, “It had a lot to do with the caricatures of ourselves, but the music had to be there too.”

The Big Interview airs every Wednesday at 8pE/5pP, only on AXS TV, as host Dan Rather joins a roster of iconic entertainers for candid conversations, providing a unique glimpse into their personal lives, defining moments and incredible careers.

​http://www.axs.tv/programs/the-big-interview/

As a continuation of the re-envisioning the chaos, Beauty in Chaos (the brainchild of Michael Ciravolo) gets a brilliant and original remix with a little help from Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) and Michael Anthony (Van Halen, Chickenfoot, Sammy Hagar, The  Circle). When you listen to this track in its new-found glory, you hear nothing from the pasts of any of the aforementioned artists. As much as I love the body of work these artists have, I find that extremely refreshing in that this is audible proof that true artists are continuingly growing and expanding. Instead, what you hear is a new and original piece of sonic bliss that captivates as it plays....

CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY

After a successful run on Broadway, Rocktopia is taking it on the road! A show where musical genres collide mashing up classical masters such as Beethoven, Puccini and Strauss with rock anthems such as Aerosmith’s “Dream On”, Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” or Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

During the Broadway run, there were guest appearances by such rock stars as Dee Snider of Twisted Sister and Pat Monahan of Train. Tampa was represented by local resident rocker Robin Zander of Cheap Trick fame, who did a week of Rocktopia and spoke to The Sarasota Post exclusively about his experience with the show.

"I thought they were kidding when I was asked to do a week on Broadway for Rocktopia. I was feeling a bit like a fish out of water but that was short-lived once I got there. Everyone was so kind and giving and always had my back. I have so much admiration for the production staff and players for their discipline and dedication. This marriage of Bach, Beethoven, opera and rock music was magically pieced together by some of the best musicians I’ve had the pleasure to work with. Chloe and all the other individual singers were outstandingly diverse with a choir and orchestra that were so exceptional that the standing audience roared back their appreciation. All you had to do was witness the show to know there was nothing like this on Broadway - or anywhere for that matter! To say the least, fun was had by all!”   Robin Zander

READ THE FULL STORY HERE