A conversation with TNT and Westworld vocalist Tony Harnell
(Page 2)

MG: We kind of went off on a tangent there...
TH: That's all right.

MG: ...but let me bring you back...
TH: Bring me back Man!!

MG: (Laughs)...to Intuition.
TH: OK.

MG: When I read the liner notes on Intuition, I saw that Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow/Deep Purple/Yngwie) was singing backing vocals, and he did on Realized (Fantasies) as well, which was pretty amazing, the fact that you two were actually working together. Now how did that come about?
TH: That was from our A&R guy at Polygram, he set it up. I've always been a big fan of Joe. So het set it up and I was thrilled, I couldn't have been happier and we went to Europe to do the background vocals and... Man! We got into the studio and magic happened. Our voices blended together just so well, it created this huge sound, it's a very very cool blend, it's a perfect, perfect blending of voices, so it just worked out and we did it again on the next record. It's a lof of fun working with him, he's a blast, really great to work with...

MG: He's very fond of you too... I've met him before and have asked him about you and he's always like, "Oh I love Tony, he's great..."
TH: Yeah... We don't talk that often but when we see each other it's like...you know, we'll run into each other sometimes and it's always hugs and kisses and we hang out all night and then we might not see each other for a couple of years again, you know? He's like my big brother I think, in many ways and I love him to death. I think he's a really talented guy. I think he's actually very underrated as a singer. Anybody that has any questions or anybody that just wants to hear something really amazing that he's done, go back and buy... I think the album is (Rainbow) Bent Out Of Shape and there's a song on there called Can't Let You Go... UNBELIEVABLE vocal track, it's one of my favorites that he's done. I always sing it to him too...

MG: You do?
TH: Yeah, and he laughs at me when I sing that... (laughs)

MG: Great... End of The Line, the harmonies were great man... and the overall vocals...
TH: Yeah...

MG: OK... Realized Fantasies. Now some say that up to that point, that was your best album, but after that album you guys decided to call it quits. What made you decide to put TNT to rest?
TH: Well... actually, you know, I can't even listen to that record, I just dislike it so much. And it's not as much for the music as it is for the period of time. It just wasn't a pleasant album to do, it was very difficult to do, it took a long time, the producer and the band were at odds with each other, the band was at odds with each other, we were spending to much money, and it was just a miserable process. And we weren't really doing the music that we should have been doing. We really should have done something a little different, but whatever, you know? We did what we did and a lot of people really like that album, it surprises me to this day but some people say it is the best album, for that era. So we went and toured Japan and a little bit in Europe and we just... we couldn't even look at each other any more, it was like Ok, we're done. And we went our separate ways for a while, did other things and suddenly, phone calls started coming in, Polygram released a "Best Of" in Japan, and it just kind of all came back together in '96 and we got back in and did Firefly so, just to make a long story short, that's what happened. (Laughs)

MG: OK.
TH: There wasn't anything... I didn't actually quit the band, there was nothing like that. I've got to put that to rest and I'm saying it as much as I can to whoever asks. It was a...

MG: Mutual?
TH: Totally a mutual desicion. We sat down together and made a desicion together, Ronni and I sat in my hotel room in Norway, before we even went to Japan and made a desicion to say "Look, let's just call this a day here, nobody's happy. Let's not beat this into the ground, you know?" So that's pretty much what it was.

MG: OK...Now, post-TNT you had some side projects and participated in a couple of tribute albums and I kept hearing rumors about a project with Yngwie Malmsteen and a project with Mark Wood. Is there any truth to those rumors?
TH: Well, I was asked to sing with Yngwie. It didn't work out, it just didn't happen, he was looking for something different. I never even went to audition for him, I did talk to him several times on the phone and I had reservations about doing it, you know? Because when you play with him you really don't get much...

MG: Say?
TH: Well, you just... you know.... there's not a lot you get to do and being that I was really becoming a more expressive writer, I really didn't want to get myself locked into something like that because that is SO not where I want to go musically. So, I'm kind of glad that it didn't work out in the long run, I think it was better for my career that I didn't do it.

MG: It would have been good, though...(laughs)
TH: Yeah, maybe. I don't know, I'm not a...I like some... I think he's extremely talented but I'm just not a fan of the actual style of music. Yeah, Mark Wood is a buddy of mine we talk almost, I'd say weekly. And we've been trying to do some things together, we've recorded a lot of songs together, some of them are quite spectacular, but we just haven't put an album together yet and we just have both been so busy with other things that we haven't had time to really properly go anyplace with that. So, I don't really know, that's up in the air, I don't know where it's gonna go. I have Westworld which is a really great project and it's up and running and we just did a four album deal for that. So that's going to be an ongoing developing project. We've got most of the songs written for the second album and we're going in to record in about three weeks.

MG: Same lineup?
TH: Same lineup. We're adding a keyboard player but that's pretty much it, so it's the same lineup.

MG: That's great! Now, Morning Wood, will that ever see the light of day in the U.S.?
TH: Oh, I don't know, I don't know. I mean, I've always kind of wanted to finish that. What I actually would love to do is I'd love to go back in and take the best original tracks and finish them up with all acoustic songs. And just kind of maybe put something out, you know, on my own.

MG: Silence is a great song.
TH: Yeah, I like a lot of those original songs, I think there's some good stuff on there. I actually like all four (originals) of them. I'd love to re-record "Sun In Your Sky" 'cause I think it could be produced a lot better. But I think those are great songs, I think that "Not Scared Anymore" could maybe even be like an adult contemporary hit or something.

MG: Sure.
TH: But, I'd like to go in and do all originals and finish that thing, so we'll see what happens. You know, I have a lot of things I'd like to do and a lot of stuff is on the burner so right now I have to finish Westworld and see what happens with Transistor. We may be doing some touring for that, I don't know yet. There's a lot going on...

MG: That's good. 'Cause we missed you out here. (laughs) You were kind of gone for a couple of years and now it's this onslaught of stuff coming out which is great, 'cause your fans can't get enough.
TH: Yeah... (laughs) I know man... Well, Westworld is out now in America so people can get that if they look for it, and if they can't find it just tell your record store to order it.

MG: I've actually recommended that CD to several people and they all love it. It's such a great CD. It's actually more like old TNT... you know, in a way?
TH: Maybe "Illusions"... I think maybe "Illusions" and "Heart Song" have a little bit of that vibe going but I actually think that what I like about it is that it sounds very 70's to me. Like, I don't think of it as an 80's record as much as maybe like a late 70's sounding album.

MG: Classic Rock.
TH: Yeah, it's very sort of classic sounding. It's kind of stripped-down production, you know? Not too much going on, it's pretty straight-ahead live-sounding rock band kind of thing. It's a very pleasant, enjoyable project to do, it's like a no-brainer. We just sort of get together and write the songs real quick and it just seems to work when Mark (Reale) and I write songs, it's a nice combination.

MG: Yeah, Mark is a great "classic" rock guitar player.
TH: He's a very talented guy. I think he kind of gets Pigeon-Holed because of the Riot thing and I think he really is able to show his true colors in this Westworld stuff.

MG: It's very creative stuff.
TH: Very melodic. I kind of compare him to Michael Schenker as a guitarist, I think he's got that melody thing going you know?

MG: Very much of that sound. I like what you guys did with Mark Wood and the strings on "Heart Song".
TH: Yeah, he did a beautiful job on that, on the strings there.

MG: Now, the reunion sparked Firefly and that had some great songs, but it was a total departure from anything TNT had ever done. What sparked this sudden change? Was this what TNT was supposed to evolve into?
TH: Well... you know, I just think we had to go there (laughs). I think it was that we had spent so much time apart and you have to understand, even though Realized Fantasies came out in '92, the songs were written mostly in '90 and '91 so by the time we got back together in '96 it was a good solid 5 years since we had written anything together, so we had both picked up lots of influences. And I was really really pushing in a pretty new direction and Ronni was, you know, kinda trying to go there with me. And, I think it worked sometimes, and I think it was a really interesting sound on that record. And I think it had to kinda get out of our system, so that we could get to Transistor, you know? 'Cause I don't think we could have done Transistor had we not done Firefly first. Because I think it allowed us to kind of say, OK maybe we went a little far there with some of that stuff, and then we kind of pulled it back and figured out how to move forward and still retain the essence of our sound. And I think that's what we did on Transistor, you know, is we figured it all out, we got it together so that we could really be a contemporary band that sounded like ourselves, you know?

MG: Excellent. Now, after the Firefly tour, there was a note online from your manager saying that you had quit the band, and then you decided to return...
TH: I didn't actually quit, I said that I wasn't going to get involved with the next project because there were some business things going on that I wasn't real pleased with. So, we straightened all the business things out, I took a little leave of absence 'til those things were handled and then I got back involved again. So it was really just a matter of, you know, I want to do this but we've got to straighten out some business stuff because I don't wanna have mismanagement and things not being handled properly. And, I'm not going to point any fingers at where it was coming from but I just wasn't happy with the way things were going and I, you know, I just wanted everything to be right. So there was no problems with the band members, it was all just making sure that everything was handled really well business wise, you know? That was the essence of it. So I did not actually quit, I've actually got a really good business head on my shoulders and I just know what I want and I know how things should be handled and they weren't going in the right direction so, I just kinda waited out the storm a little bit until things were right. And now we've got it right, got ourselves a good record deal and you know, we'll take it from there.

MG: Now, let's move on to Transistor. What are your feelings on that record?
TH: I love it. Like I said before, earlier in the interview, I'm extremely proud of it, and I just think that we've accomplished what we set out to accomplish without even realizing it. I think that we took 80's hard rock and we brought it smoothly into the '90's without totally leaving what we did behind. And I think we've done it about the best that you can do it and make it make sense in today's musical climate.

MG: I agree, it's the only album that has managed to accomplish that in this day and age, coming from a band that was around in the 80's.
TH: I think so too.

MG: What are your favorite songs on Transistor?
TH: Oh man, that is a really tough one, I like all of it. I mean, because it's all so different, it's hard for me to pick one song because I think if I just pick one, it's really hard, I like so much of it, you know? I tend to like the corkier stuff. I love Just Like God, I love Crashing Down, I like Into Pieces, and I like the 2 ballads and No Such Thing is a great song, so I don't know, I kind of like almost all of it, you know?

MG: So there's no specific U.S. touring plans yet?
TH: Not yet, we're working on it man. We're trying to get it together.

MG: Tell us about the Big Bang Anthology Box Set.
TH: We're getting all the tracks together for it now, and we're looking at probably I guess a November release we're hoping, if we can get it ready by then, so we're just trying to get the final track listing this week.

MG: What's your favorite song to sing?
TH: Of ours?

MG: In your life.
TH: Does it matter if it's a TNT song?

MG: It doesn't matter...
TH: Man, I don't know... I find myself singing like The Beatles a lot, Maybe I'm Amazed... We're actually attempting to do a cover song on the new Westworld album, I'm not going to tell you what it is, it's a surprise, it's not an old song, it's actually been recorded pretty recently by a female artist. And I'm gonna attempt to do it, but if it doesn't sound right, it won't be on the record. But were working on it...

MG: Do I get a copy? (laughs)
TH: I don't know man...(laughs)

MG: (laughs) If it doesn't get on the record, can I still have a copy of it?
TH: We'll see (laughs)...

MG: Actually, you pulled it off on Crazy On You (Heart - covered on the Morning Wood CD) that was amazing!
TH: Oh man, you know, have you heard the live album by Heart, The Road Home?

MG: Yeah, it's great.
TH: God Damn! She (Ann Wilson) sings like...

MG: She's amazing.
TH: She gives me chills on that record. Anybody that's looking for... that loves singers, that loves to get those chills in the back on their neck, buy that record 'cause it's unbelievable, what she does. So, I don't know, I just like singing everything man, I'll sing, sometimes the weirdest songs, I start singing. So, I'm pretty like versatile that way, I mean, I could get into singing a Punk Rock song and I could get into singing a Celine Dion song, so I'm kind of freaky that way.

MG: And you could do it too.(laughs)
TH: (Laughs)

MG: Who would you like to work with in the future?
TH: Man, there's so many people, I mean, I'm a big Francis Dunnery fan, he's somebody I absolutely admire to death. I would love to work with him. I'd love to work with Lenny Kravitz, I'd love to work with, you know, Brian May. I'd love to work with somebody like...

MG: Ann Wilson? (laughs)
TH: Nah, I mean, I'd love to work probably with somebody like Trent Reznor, I mean just so many people, you know? I mean there's just so many great artists out there and producers that I'd just like really dig to see what I could do. What I could bring to the table, you know? I'd love to work with Alanis Morrissette, I'd love to work with her producer too.

MG: I'd like to hear that, it should be interesting, she has a good voice.
TH: Yeah, I love her, she's great.

MG: Now, I'm gonna throw some names at you and I want you to quickly say the first thing that pops into your head.
TH: OK.

MG: Ronni LeTekro.
TH: Mmm... That's taking me a while isn't it? (laughs)

MG: Yeah. (laughs)
TH: Spirited.

MG: U.S. Music Scene.
TH: Young.

MG: Star Wars.
TH: Boring.

MG: (Laughs) Professional Wrestling.
TH: Ridiculous. (laughs)

MG: (Laughs) Rap.
TH: Mmm... Cultural.

MG: South Park.
TH: Mmm... No comment.

MG: Ricky Martin.
TH: Pretty Boy.

MG: Howard Stern.
TH: Used to be funny.

MG: MTV.
TH: Game Shows.

MG: Monica Lewinsky.
TH: Who? (laughs)

MG: (laughs) Jennifer Lopez.
TH: Love.... Love, love, love, love.

MG: MP3's.
TH: Soon to be replaced.

MG: TNT Internet Mailing List.
TH: Needs more members.

MG: Tony Harnell.
TH: Mmm... Finding himself, and probably never going to stop.

MG: OK. If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have 5 CD's to listen to, which would you want to have with you?
TH: Let's see... Abbey Road (Beatles), Alanis Morrissette - Infatuation Junkie, probably that Heart album I mentioned, The Road Home, Man, this is tough... Rainbow Rising maybe, and... Jesus... Maybe Hotel California (Eagles), either that or Fleetwood Mac - Rumours, one of those two.

MG: Allright, so, the future...
TH: Looks bright!! (laughs)

MG: (Laughs) Excellent! What can we expect from Tony Harnell in the future?
TH: Looks bright, no matter how you slice it. I'm pretty much of an optimist and I think that wherever it will go will be all good. And I'm looking to today, and I don't usually look too far ahead but I'm laying groundwork down and we'll just see what happens. I'm really looking forward to getting a solo record done sometime in the next year or two, that's gotta happen, otherwise, I'm gonna explode.

MG: Excellent. Listen Tony, I'd really like to thank you for your time, good luck on your future projects and hopefully I'll see you down the road. Hope you enjoyed the interview.
TH: Thanks man, it was great. It was my pleasure.

Read our review of TNT's Transistor CD

Check out our review of the Westworld CD