BONUS EPISODE: A Return to The Karate Kid, the band Survivor and More with Jeffrey Bryan!

On this special bonus episode, Anna and Derek speak to actor, composer, singer, guitarist and current keyboardist for the band Survivor, Jeffrey Bryan.

The three discuss Jeffrey's time as a cast member of The Karate Kid, his experience as part of one of the greatest '80s rock bands and the many fascinating intersections between these two aspects of his accomplished career.

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Anna Keizer and Derek Dehanke are the co-hosts of ‘80s Movie Montage. The idea for the podcast came when they realized just how much they talk – a lot – when watching films from their favorite cinematic era. Their wedding theme was “a light nod to the ‘80s,” so there’s that, too. Both hail from the Midwest but have called Los Angeles home for several years now. Anna is a writer who received her B.A. in Film/Video from Columbia College Chicago and M.A. in Film Studies from Chapman University. Her dark comedy short She Had It Coming was an Official Selection of 25 film festivals with several awards won for it among them. Derek is an attorney who also likes movies. It is a point of pride that most of their podcast episodes are longer than the movies they cover.

Jeffrey Bryan is a composer, singer, keyboard player & guitar player. He sang live on the Merv Griffin Show at the age of 15 and was producing music for local shows including the "Not Too Young For Prime Time Players" at the Roxy on Sunset. He has formed many pop rock groups, including the SunLions with whom he recorded 2 albums and performed in numerous venues, opening for Classic Rock Artists such as E.L.O. and Great White. He is currently the Keyboardist for the band SURVIVOR, past Musical Director and Keyboardist for Clive Farrington (When In Rome), playing with The K-Tel All Stars and world renowned percussionist C.G. Ryche. In the studio, Jeff is currently composing music for dozens of cable TV shows (TLC, DISCOVERY, BRAVO, GAME SHOW NETWORK, including The Bachelor, Pawn Stars, The New Price Is Right) and is playing keyboards & writing for new artists.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:16

Hello and welcome to 80s movie montage. This is Derek.

SPEAKER_00 0:19

And this is Anna. And welcome everybody to the very first of our bonus episodes.

SPEAKER_01 0:26

Yes, this is pretty exciting, and I would argue that Freddie, there's nothing wrong with Freddy's selection of friends.

SPEAKER_00 0:32

Agreed. Daniel's a cool dude, though arguably he doesn't give the best first impressions.

SPEAKER_01 0:39

I would say that like the phrase pick your battles was almost invented for Daniel.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

For Daniel LaRusso, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:47

Here's a boom box that's about to get wrecked. I'm gonna get my ass. I'm gonna get racked. Yeah. It was just the first of many uh butt kickings.

SPEAKER_00 0:57

And in case you don't know what we're talking about, what are we talking about, even? We're talking about the karate kid.

SPEAKER_01 1:04

1984 is the karate kid. Correct. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:07

And Derek, why are we revisiting this? Because we did actually have our Karate Kid episode.

SPEAKER_01 1:12

So the voice that you just heard, kind of suggesting that Freddie's not that great at picking friends was the voice of the character Billy played by today's guest, Jeffrey Bryan.

SPEAKER_00 1:25

Correct. We are so thrilled to have this gentleman on our show. And what's really interesting, and the reason why it's a bonus episode is because typically, you know, when we have a guest on, we'll have them on for a very specific purpose in terms of like discussing one film that we're gonna be highlighting in that episode. And the reason why this is different is because so Jeffrey Bryan, he has well, okay, I'm just gonna put it out there. He is among the cast of the karate kid. He is so that is incredibly cool. He yeah, yeah, exactly. And so not only has he been part of this phenomenal film, of course, one of our most beloved 80s movies, he also just you know don't forget hot moves. Yeah, also an 84 film. So he had this career when he was a kid as an actor, but well, before and after his time in the movies, he has been a lifelong musician, has a really prolific career that we talk to him about, and on top of everything else, he is currently the keyboardist for the band, Survivor.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

That's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_00 2:34

Really cool.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

Yeah, I mean, he's been in music since uh and and performing in front of large groups of people since he was 13 years old.

SPEAKER_00 2:41

Exactly. And so we just had this really awesome opportunity to speak to him, not just about Karate Kid, not just about even hot moves, but also about his time as a musician and specifically with Survivor. Survivor, what makes that so cool is even though this is a band that has thrived for several decades, they have so many 80s hits. Uh namely Eye of the Tiger.

SPEAKER_01 3:06

I mean, they have yeah, I think they're they're probably most well known for Eye of the Tiger from Rocky III, but they also have Hearts on Fire and Rocky Four. And you know, we're talking about Rocky, Survivor. There is so much crossover between the Rocky franchise, Karate Kid, Survivor, and we'll definitely get into more of that.

SPEAKER_00 3:28

So, how about we get into that like right now?

SPEAKER_01 3:31

I I mean I don't see any reason not to. Let's do it. Let's do it.

SPEAKER_00 3:36

And we are here with Jeffrey Bryan. We are so thrilled to have this gentleman on the show. Jeffrey, he has been an actor, he is a singer, he is a composer, he is a guitar player, and also he currently is the keyboard player for the band Survivor. So, Jeffrey, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_04 3:53

Hi. Hello.

SPEAKER_00 3:56

We are honestly like so stoked because typically with our guests, you know, they're they're on the show for something really specific, which is usually discussing like one of the films. And now we get to have somebody who has actually all these different ways of being connected to the 80s. And we really just appreciate that you are taking the time to be with us. So thank you again. Oh, my pleasure.

SPEAKER_04 4:19

I'm looking forward to talking with both of you guys. It's it should be fun.

SPEAKER_00 4:23

It yeah, we're super excited. So I think what we're gonna do is start with the all those movie connections that you have with the 80s, because that kind of came at the beginning of your career. And in particular, in case our audience didn't already know this, you were part of the cast of the Karate Kid.

SPEAKER_04 4:44

Yeah, yeah. The original. Well, is there another one? There is not. No, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 4:50

Yeah, that was actually really awesome because we don't we don't really think.

SPEAKER_04 4:53

Let's let's just let's just, you know, let's let's address that grill in the room right now. Karate Kid won. That's that's the movie we're talking about. Um 1984. 1984, right, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:05

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:06

Oh, well, I was I was I was just gonna say uh that was not my first movie, but it was my first big movie that I had um uh been a part of. And um yeah, Karate Kid was was a very interesting experience. And uh so anyway, I didn't mean to interrupt you, so you go ahead. Sorry.

SPEAKER_00 5:24

No, not at all. Well, actually, I'm curious then, because like what you know, I don't know if it was maybe flipped. We also know that you were in the other 80s film, Hot Moves. Did that come prior to Karate Kid as far as filming?

SPEAKER_04 5:36

Yeah, in fact, that was the first feature film that I had been in, but oddly enough, it didn't actually release until after Karate Kid. So you know, think when Rhett, when you think back, it it does seem flipped, but it in my mind it's not.

SPEAKER_00 5:50

So got it. And now, you know, again, so our audience is aware, you're an individual, you're from LA, grew up here. And so I'm curious, you know, as far as like your film work is concerned, is that you know, you've also been uh a person whose whole life has involved music, but was being part of these films something that was just kind of fun for you as a kid, or did you maybe think that there was going to be a film career ahead of you? What what was your interest in these films?

SPEAKER_04 6:20

Well, to be honest, it wasn't fun in the sense that uh, you know, most most kids that want to be an actor or an actress, you know, they're they're studying for that or they they're interested in it, and you know, they're they're going to to plays or shows or watching lots of TV shows. Um I was never considering I never considered myself to be an actor. And I wasn't really trying to be an actor. Uh I was singing, and that was my main thing. I was a singer. That's how I started in the music. And um I wasn't even I mean, I played keyboards, I played guitar, but I really just to accompany myself, uh, I hadn't really considered it to be a career. I I was kind of studying voice. I wanted to be, you know, I wanted to be a rock and roll singer. And um, you know, the acting kind of fell on you know, when in Hollywood, you know, or in the movie industry, the music industry, the entertainment business, it's all you know, kind of lumped together. So if something so an opportunity comes to you that isn't, say, in in your, you know, in your realm of things that you absolutely do, but it's entertainment related, you take it, you know. And um you don't say no to yeah, you know, and so uh the acting kind of found me. I I wasn't looking for it. I was trying to uh to put bands together and perform. And I was really young. I was probably what 16 or 17, and I was I was performing in a show called Too Young for Primetime Players at the Roxy on Sunset Boulevard, believe it or not. On Sundays, it was converted to sort of a chill children matinee show where it was a variety show. That's wild. That's so wild, yeah. At the Roxy? It was a bizarre 80s thing, I guess, because I mean, uh, you know, the Roxy and you know, places like that, whiskey and Kazares, they were considered, you know, heavy metal places. And yeah, um, and here were these kids ranging from five to sixteen years old taking over the Roxy on a Sunday to perform for kids. It was kind of a very unusual and became very newsworthy. And because of that, uh, I guess uh it was Merv Griffin. The Merv Griffin show is really gonna show my age here, but uh Merv Griffin was uh if for those that didn't know, he was kind of like the Johnny Carson counterpoint counterpart.

SPEAKER_00 8:46

Huge huge in terms of having like kind of being the forefront of those types of I mean there was Johnny Carson and there was Merv Griffin.

SPEAKER_04 8:53

I mean, those were the two biggies. Anyway, the Merv Griffin show had done a segment, actually a couple segments, on this show that was, you know, this kid's show that I happened to be involved in. And um, so they elected to put a bunch of guys, a bunch of kids that were in the show on uh on a couple of the segments, and I was chosen to to sing. And um, it was because of that I fell into acting. I saw an a manager that had been working with some of the other kids in the show. I look really young for my age. Um, and that's really beneficial because if you're 18 and you can still play 14, it saves the studios a lot of money. Yeah, it was sort of from their perspective, uh dollar signs, you know. Uh, but what I I I said to them, well, uh, but I'm not an actor. And they said, You are now. So, you know, I kind of was like, Well, uh, it's not music, but okay, you know, it was just sort of, you know, things happen in life. And, you know, as you get older, you tend to question more. Hopefully you you learn not to. And at that time, I just didn't question. I was just like, okay, well, this is just another road. Uh, and I I I gave it a shot. To be honest, though, when you asked me if it was fun, of course it was fun in more fun, I think, in retrospect, because at the time I was very I wasn't super comfortable on a movie set. I was comfort I was comfortable behind a piano or behind a microphone. And uh no problem being on stage. I had at that point sang for thousands of people, you know. I've been I've been performing since I was 13 and uh you know, professionally on stages. So it wasn't that I was uncomfortable to perform in front of people, it's just I was uncomfortable to perform in front of people in a sense that I wasn't in my mind prepared for. You know, yeah, so it it created a little bit of anxiety for me. And um, you know, and and so I had to work through that. Uh it it was just odd. You know, here I was the singer all through junior high and high school and performing, and and now I'm I'm asked to read these these words off a page and be a character. So, you know, I hadn't gone to school for this, I didn't train for it. It was just sort of an 80s thing. Back in those days, coming to age films like Porkies and Fast Times at Ridgemont High and High School USA, all these shows were all these movies were were like, you know, they were they were part of the 80s, they were the DNA of movie making back then. And um, you know, Hot Moves, which is another movie that I I actually was in, and and and uh many of the films that I didn't get, like Breakfast Club and and uh Red Dawn, I was up for all those movies. I met a lot of a lot of the people that were in those movies. Oh, yeah, I could go on and on. I mean, it was it was at a time when my uh Michael Anthony Hall and Jeff Bridges and and Tom C. Thomas Howe and all these all these kids, we all knew each other because we were just actors and performers trying to get work in LA, but not all of us were famous, um, or or even knew that they were going to be. So it wasn't unusual that I would I would be, you know, doing a scene with uh, you know, Patrick Swayze, for example, or somebody, um, and it wasn't that big of a deal. I mean, be, oh yeah, I've seen you in something or whatever, but you know, it wasn't for a many years later where they became you know household names. And back in that time period, a lot of movies were being made for kids, but for adults, if you know what I mean.

SPEAKER_01 12:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 12:37

And it was just sort of a yeah, it's kind of a popular thing. And so there was a lot of work. And and and it didn't really, I guess, it didn't seem to matter as much whether you were a an actor. Um, you know, you fit the part, you looked young, you were part of that kind of thing, and they just threw you out there. You know, um it was probably me most mostly that was uncomfortable, and I probably didn't need to be, but I was young, you know.

SPEAKER_00 13:03

Of course. No, that makes that makes complete sense. And I'm curious, like, especially with the type of films that you were involved with, you know, especially karate kid, a huge cast of teens. I mean, obviously, probably some of them in reality were maybe not strictly a teenager, but that was kind of the group, the the majority of the cast. Like, how how was that dynamic with working with all these other young actors?

SPEAKER_04 13:31

It was really competitive. And and here's a little tidbit that's kind of interesting about the Karate Kid, and we can get into this, but um, as you know, Karate Kid, or as you may know, you may not know, but some of your listeners will know that John Avilson, the director of Karate Kid, was the original director for Rocky One. And their connection is that connection is not well, this this is relevant to your question because that connection was not a coincidence. In fact, the majority of the people that worked on Rocky One, Jerry Weintraub, who produced it, his crew of people and the people he woke worked with were purposely brought into the Karate Kid to give it sort of a Rocky vibe. And so it wasn't unusual uh that there were a lot of crossovers and similarities. And mu even musically, which we can even talk about later, it's it's just everything, the whole just the entire makeup of Karate Kid was modeled kind of by by the whole Rocky kind of thing. And John was the the director was very, very um well, he was well known for the steady cam. And at the time, the steady cam was this camera contraption that you could wear like a robotic kind of thing, and you wouldn't have to touch it, and you could jump up and down and it would stay in one place. And they wanted to use they used it on Rocky, and they wanted to use that at the time groundbreaking camera device on Karate Kids. So they used it on all the tournament scenes and all the big fight scenes. And one thing about John was that he wanted a very adversarial kind of environment on the set. So when you asked me what it was like to work with these kids, well, first of all, we were all kids. I know a lot of people look at that film and go, oh, those guys were probably in their 20s. No, no, we were all fresh out of high school. Okay. Most of us. I mean, there were a few. I mean, uh, I know Ralph Macchio is older than I am, but not by much. Um and I went uh I went to uh rival high schools with with Billy Zapka. I mean, he uh he went to Hughes, I went to Taft, we knew we had friends. I seen him on interviews uh prior to to the Karate Kids. So, you know, we were all just kids right out of high school. None of us had very much working experience at that time. The group of people that I was that I my character was associated with was what we call Freddie's gang. And if you remember Freddie, he was the kid that um Daniel LaRusso met um at his apartment in Reseda.

SPEAKER_01 16:05

He's a neighbor, right? Who invites him to the he he plays the pivotal role of getting him to that beach party?

SPEAKER_04 16:10

Yeah, yeah. He's sort of the the reason why he he uh was introduced to getting his butt kicked so many times.

SPEAKER_01 16:17

Yeah, I'm gonna Freddie, and I'm here to get this movie going.

SPEAKER_00 16:20

And I love that you actually made a point of saying butt kicked so many times.

SPEAKER_04 16:25

Yeah, I mean, well, yeah, I was there for most of those butt kickings. Um in fact, I have that famous line you really pick fine friends to hang around with. Yeah, and is his name's Israel Israel Warby. And uh we're still friends. I still talk to him. Um, that's what's interesting is that there were a group of us, the Freddy's gang is Freddie, or you know, Israel, and there was Frankie Avalon Jr. There was Tom Fridley, Tom Fridley was another one of us, his his he was uh John Travolta's nephew. Um and uh and then there was Ken Daly, that was another actor, and then myself. So there were five of us that that had this two-week part. Now it was supposed to be two weeks, but when I got onto the set, they extended my contract indefinitely. Wow. And I got excited. I was like, oh, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna actually work on this movie because originally it was just a quickie. Um and uh, but no, they they ended up keeping us on as featured featured acting roles. I had parts, I had scenes uh which actually got redacted as we went along. The thing is, is that you had the Cobra Kai group, and to t they made the right decision in the sense that they they needed to explore the characters of the bullies, and they really didn't need a whole group of kids that weren't necessarily part of that. And we were not um we were not Cobra Kai, we were just kids that lived in the building that he went to school with. So we although we had scenes, they were just sort of superfluous. Can I say that? Um you can say that's hard for me to say. Uh they they were just sort of supplemental scenes, I guess, that didn't drive the story. Uh and you know, in editing, a lot of that stuff got cut out, which was a bummer.

SPEAKER_01 18:18

Yeah, I mean, it seemed like they were like putting a premium on emphasizing this like isolation of Ralph, Ralph's character of Daniel. So Freddy Mike would have given him the support that they probably didn't want him to have.

SPEAKER_04 18:32

I think that I think it was an afterthought. I think you're right. I think later it was discussed that wait a minute, because it's interesting, and I think a lot of people might find this interesting, is that Ralph, I mean, we we as a group of of actors, we on the set, we I I think John John Avalson created sort of a uh an atmosphere of fear on the set. He wanted people if you were a bully, you you didn't want the guys hanging out and having lunch with the guys that could potentially, you know, probably kick your ass after lunch. So he wanted to kind of he he kind of uh um encouraged to people stay in character, so it was kind of like method directing, you know. And um yeah, I was scared to death. I was like, oh shit, I gotta go to work again. I mean, that's um yeah, that's because it was just like it was literally like high school. I mean, I just got out of high school and now I'm right back into high school, but only uh I I was afraid to open my mouth half the time.

SPEAKER_01 19:32

Had the same high school experience.

SPEAKER_04 19:36

I mean, you know, nothing bad ever happened because interestingly enough, when they said rap, I would go up to Frankie Avalon's house with Frankie Avalon Jr. and Billy Zapka and myself, and we'd pick up instruments and we'd jam.

SPEAKER_00 19:48

Oh, that's great.

SPEAKER_04 19:48

You know, so so we had we we were friends off the set, but when when that, you know, when we showed up for work, it was like, I don't like you. It was weird. That's but it was it was acting. So we actually go ahead. I'm sorry, let me just say this. Ralph never associated with any of us. Wow. He was sub sequestered into a Winnebago from the day it started. I met him on the set during the scenes, I talked to him maybe three or four times in between takes, and that was it. He did not, he was not encouraged or perhaps even allowed to talk to any of the kids in high school that he went to high school with. I'm including the Cobacai. Makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 20:29

Yeah, yeah, it does. And I mean, hearing what you're saying though, like I have such conflicted feelings because on the one hand, I'm sure that worked to like there's there's a reason why this film has you know continued to be such a huge part of culture and people, it's so beloved, and so obviously, you know, I get that that tactic worked, but at the same time, you know, it it honestly just makes me kind of sad because you were kids.

SPEAKER_04 20:59

Well, you know, it's Hollywood, yeah, it's movie business, and nobody really cares about whether you're a kid or not if they're getting the product they want. And and you know, it makes sense. I mean, you're making a movie, you're you're not really concerned about Joey's feelings over there, you know. Um so you know, it was a very it was very interesting because the first movie I was in was called Hot Moves, which you can still find on YouTube. And um don't don't don't get mad at me for watching it. So I can't give you back I can't give you back your 90 minutes.

SPEAKER_01 21:29

When I when I read the synopsis for Hot Ones, Hot Moves, Hot Ones is totally different.

SPEAKER_04 21:34

It's funny.

SPEAKER_01 21:35

Uh it looked like it was basically American Pie before American Pie became American Pie. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 21:42

Exactly. In fact, American Pie, well, first of all, they had Eugene Levy in American Pie, which I wish we had in Hot Moves.

SPEAKER_02 21:48

Yeah, he's great.

SPEAKER_04 21:49

Um he's a genius. You know, that guy's hysterical. And um we we were basically, it was a very low budget movie, Hot Moves. And um it was I mean, there's a f a few actors that went on to do some some bigger roles from that. Jill Scholen was in it, uh who went on to do DC Cab with Mr. T. Oh. And um, yeah, there was there was a bunch of people that were connected to that movie that were kind of minor stars, uh B celebrities and stuff that went on, but there was no there was no there was no leadier uh no star cast to to help promote that movie. It was really a low budget kind of deal. But the atmosphere on the movie was fun and it was um relaxed, and we weren't really directed, if you know what I mean. It wasn't like it was a dirty, it was sort of like here's your line, just go, go for it, you know? It was like okay. Now Karate Kid was a very different atmosphere. I mean, you were talking Columbia Pictures, it was Jerry Weintraub for I mean, come on. Uh he managed David Bowie and Barbara Streisand and and the Rocky films, and I mean this guy was a major mogul. And so this the movie, the two movies were night and day from how they were produced and and approached. So being on the set of hot moves in the summer and then going to Karate Kid felt like uh I felt like I was going to you know detention.

SPEAKER_02 23:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 23:15

You know, it was weird. It was just not what I was like, oh, I'm excited, this is gonna be great. And then it was like, shut up.

SPEAKER_01 23:21

Did your experience with hot moves kind of have an impact on your expectations when you then went to Karate Kid?

SPEAKER_04 23:27

Like, did you yeah, that you you basically said it better than I did. That was my point. Yeah. I I I went to Karate Kid, not anticipating it to be what it was, and it it was a different kind of movie. And you know what? In retrospect, I'm really glad I had both experiences. And it makes sense why it was created the way it was created. But at the time, when you're in the movie, you're you know, unless you're unless you're a producer or or you know, a lead actor or whatever, you you're only you're only in the you're only told what you need to know. You know, you're not you're not giv you're not always given the bigger picture. And so, you know, you're left in the dark with a lot of stuff. So at the time it was it was like, wow, this is it's kind of a different vibe here.

SPEAKER_01 24:09

You know, uh much much more intense than pop moves. It just from the the trailer that I saw, and uh you'll be happy to know there is a remastered trailer on YouTube for it.

SPEAKER_03 24:21

Um Bluetooth or something, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:23

It's uh it looks like it takes place in Venice. It's supposed to be in Venice. I actually recognize a lot of the area of like, oh, this is very authentic.

SPEAKER_04 24:31

Um it well, it's interesting because I think their second unit stuff, the the the team that that produced all of the Venice shots and the outtakes at the beginning of the film is the best part of the movie. It's amazing because I I I watch it and go, oh my god. I remember remember when that was there? Remember Jody Moroni's? Remember that? Remember that it's like a walk down memory lane, you know, of a Venice Boulevard.

SPEAKER_01 24:54

We we talk about some of these uh 80 movies that are so beloved now, and I just wonder how different would the outcome be had you know had the environment not been what it was? Would it would it be something that was even noticeable to the viewer and would it have been a better experience for everyone involved? And I I I get the sense that at least there is a better awareness of that now. I don't know that they necessarily do anything or do as much about it on productions, but um, especially with with like the child actor issues, um, I I think there's at least a greater awareness of of those kinds of things now than than there were in the 80s.

SPEAKER_04 25:35

I think everybody is now, everybody is super sensitive about everything.

SPEAKER_01 25:42

Hot moves is not getting made in 2020.

SPEAKER_04 25:45

Oh god, are you kidding me? There is nothing PC about that movie. In fact, you know, there there's even things in Karate Kid that you could say, ooh, yeah, today. And that's what I love about Cobra Kai. Cobra Kai, uh, if for those that don't know, there's a new series that's based on what happened after the Karate Kid, so it's like 30 years later. And the Cobra Kai series is really uh actually pretty darn good. And um what's interesting about it is they're not they're not uh although the actors are the actors of today and they're younger, obviously, they're not following that sort of, you know, don't hurt me, I'm sensitive kind of stuff. They're they're kind of sticking with the 80s attitude of, you know, deal with it. And um that that I really respect them for. I think that I hope they don't change that going to Netflix, but that's that's an amazing feat in the era of PC, you know?

SPEAKER_00 26:40

I was gonna ask you about that, about your thoughts on Cobra Kai, and is it kind of surreal to see something come back from from like yeah, I yeah and I've seen myself I'm in I'm I've seen myself in flashbacks.

SPEAKER_04 26:57

They do flashbacks the first season. Yeah, that first season I'm all over it because they were trying to get people up to date. So, you know, while uh while Johnny Johnny is on the ground drunk one night, he passes out and he has flashbacks of of some of the tournament scenes and losing the fight and what he could do and why he, you know, you know, kind of regrets and things. And I'm like, oh my god, there I am, there I am. That's cool. Uh so yeah, it it brought back a ton of memories. Plus, they used a lot of the cast that and they're gonna I think uh they're bringing Elizabeth Shu back. Oh, that's fantastic at some point. So I mean, you know, they they're doing a great job with it. They're not they're not you they're not doing what if dare I say the Will Smith kind of situation or Jaden Smith. Um they're not trying or even Karate Kid 4, which just was you know with Hillary Swank or something.

SPEAKER_00 27:54

That's something that comes up a lot in our podcast because three or four, I don't remember.

SPEAKER_01 27:58

I think the was three two was when they go back to Japan. Yeah, three was when there's a new sensei at the Cobra Kai. Right, there's no just like turning.

SPEAKER_04 28:11

Before they said we're just gonna get a girl and we'll just have a girl does. Okay, yeah. And yeah. So to me, that those those movies were were just oh, they're just I don't know. They were really trying to milk a cow there. Yeah, and uh yeah, yeah. But with Cobra Kai, they're not. They're not. They really created something fresh and new, and I'm I'm very excited and very, you know, happy that they're they're they're successful.

SPEAKER_00 28:34

I think that you know, a lot of other um, you know, with ex everybody wants to take advantage of exist existing IP because they feel like it's a proven market, and that's why so many 80s entities are getting rebooted or what have you. Sure. But I think a lot of people yeah, exactly. Yeah, and I think a lot of people could, you know, maybe turn to Cobra Kai as a way to do that well because, like you said, I mean, there's there usually Derek and I find a way in every single podcast, and I'm about to bring it up right now, yeah, of throwing shade at the reboot of like poltergeist. That's one of our you know favorite 80s films. And and I mean, we won't even like sit down to watch the reboot. And and that's kind of what I think we're all talking about is this idea of like milking a cow. And and so I I'm so pleasantly surprised at the way that they've done Copra Kai because it's actually a way to keep the story going and to do it in a way that has value.

SPEAKER_04 29:33

Well, through the years, uh you may not realize, but through the years there's been folklore and sort of a uh a myth about or or or or an idea that was floating around on the internet for years is like I think I know you're about to bring up really the bad guy is generally because I mean he he used an illegal move to win a tournament and and you don't you don't solve your your problems by fighting and and blah blah blah. And um, you know. And and it kind of it kind of I love the I mean, so the point is is that there's been a a huge audience of people that were ruminating over this and what ifs kind of scenarios. Well, where is Johnny now? What would he be doing 30 years later? Did they grow up? Did they uh have kids? What happened to them? And so from that point from that perspective, the world is your, you know, you're open now to to explore anything. And um they they were able to magically uh tap into that by pivoting from the original. And that to me has got to be the smartest way to reboot a series instead of just trying to remake magic from 30 years ago.

SPEAKER_01 30:39

Totally agree. Acknowledge that time has passed, that these characters have grown in some way, and and you actually have to go through the potentially painful process of continuing the story, not just pretending it didn't happen and starting over, but yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:52

Well, we when you think about it, you know, in a two-hour movie, you really don't have time if you're talking about um what they were, you know, if if you're if your goal is to express a certain um, you know, the dec karate used to, you know, improve your life or whatever the goal was of that. You you don't have time to get into why there's a bully and why there's these problems. And what's beautiful about what they're creating with this is that you know the kid that wanted to beat Daniel up, Johnny, had a life. Why was he why was he disturbed in the way he was? And when you break that down, you start to realize he's just a human being, just like everybody else. And he's getting an opportunity to explore a part that I think people kind of were like, well, it's a great movie, but why were these kids so mean to him? And now we know, you know, he was kind of abused as a child. They were able to kind of like, you know, uh reinvent his his background. And now what they've done, and I don't want to get too far down this rabbit hole, but what they've done is they've allowed people to or they've they've given uh the characters there's really no good and bad guy anymore because in real life everybody is multidimensional, yeah. And um, and so now you have this really um you know, sort of uh a much richer tapestry with characters that have depth because you have a series and not just a two-hour movie to try to tell a whole story. And uh going for them, you know.

SPEAKER_01 32:30

That's definitely you know something that just wouldn't have been possible then with changes in in technology and streaming services. It's it's designed for the internet.

SPEAKER_04 32:41

It's perfect.

SPEAKER_01 32:42

Yeah, we we now have what are kind of like eight-hour movies in some cases that are just turned into eight one hour episodes or or however, but it it allows uh you know the the filmmakers, you know, making another karate kid, making another karate kid wasn't gonna work. Right.

SPEAKER_04 33:00

You know, uh even even if it was based off the Cobra Kai version. They needed to explore these characters over a period of years, and now they got an opportunity to do that, and it's it's created a whole new fan base, and it's it's uh it's actually really uh really interesting development, I think.

SPEAKER_01 33:17

It does give me hope that there will one day be a spin-off of Freddy's Gang.

SPEAKER_04 33:23

Yeah, I was talking to Israel about that, and you know, he's been bugging them to do something with him. Now he has a chance because he got a lot more FaceTime than I did. And um, you know, who's Billy? That's my character. Who who was Billy? What who cares? You know, um the fact that I had been there and put the work in and did all that, it it doesn't really necessarily uh um equate to people knowing or caring about that character. So it's not likely I'll be brought back.

SPEAKER_00 33:52

Well, you never know. I mean, I'll say this much that as somebody who, you know, obviously adores 80s films, to be able to bring back original characters for something that actually, you know, like we've all been talking about the the awesomeness of Cobra Kai and and how well they've taken the story and him progressed it. I mean, I'd be all in to see these original characters and the whole cast where they've all gone. Yeah, I mean I and I think that that's actually another reason why Cobra Kai has done so well because obviously I'm not the only person who feels this way, and I think that that's what has really brought people to this series is that they are they got Martin Cove, you know, they had to do crease and they got him.

SPEAKER_04 34:37

Uh obviously they got the two main characters. Um, they're gonna bring Elizabeth Shu back. There's talk of that, and then there's you know, there's there's a they had a bunch of the Kobe Backy guys that that are that make cameos all the time that are in it. So they've got most of it. Okay, they can't have Pat, unfortunately, you know.

SPEAKER_00 34:56

Yes, and that actually was because we have your whole music career to talk about. So I wanted to I wanted to just ask one last question related to Crowdy Kid before we do kind of move over to that. And that is, you know, do you did you ever have a chance to have any kind of interaction with Pat? Or if not, did you get to make any kind of observations because you know he's kind of the one outlier in this story about you know how yeah yeah to answer your question, yes.

SPEAKER_04 35:25

Yeah, I I got to speak with Pat actually quite a bit. We all did. Um, he was fantastic to be around. And for the main reason is uh I told you there was this adversarial atmosphere, but Pat Pat never, never he just said, screw it. He's a funny guy, he was a comedian by you know by trade. I mean, that's what he was. And uh he broke the ice all the time. He was a pleasure to be around. I ri I have fond memories of just he was sort of that one place you know that you could, if you were standing around waiting for whatever on a movie set, which isn't unusual, and he was there, there'd be someone to talk to, he'd have something nice to say, he'd be making you laugh, he'd smile, and it was unlike anyone else on the on the on the set for me. And uh so I I always have fond memories of him.

SPEAKER_01 36:12

That is so good to hear.

SPEAKER_00 36:14

Yeah, that's honestly awesome. And it and you know, again, kind of speaking to like a lot of people I think can be a little um maybe dismissive of kind of these coming of age stories and these types of movies. But I mean, he was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in this film, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 36:33

And oh, I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_00 36:35

No, please go ahead.

SPEAKER_04 36:37

Well, yeah, uh he uh he really, really, really worked to get that part. He was not their first choice. Uh they um they weren't really sold on the idea that Arnold from Happy Days was gonna bring the kind of depth to the character that they were hoping for. And uh boy, did they make the right decision. Uh I I read um that he interviewed or auditioned over five times uh before they finally said, Yeah, that's the guy. He had a he had a huge hurdle to get past. Uh he was not uh known as a as a serious actor at the time, and he was an unproven entity in that in that area. He was, you know, a well-known comedian, comic actor, and um just wasn't their go-to choice. And you know, sometimes it's the oddest places where you find the right thing. And he, you know, I you gotta you gotta give him credit because he knew in his heart that this was a role for him, and he wouldn't let it go. And uh sure enough, he got nominated for an Oscar.

SPEAKER_01 37:49

So I honestly couldn't imagine anyone else in there.

SPEAKER_04 37:52

No, you can't, can you? It's just you can't. He he he is the embodiment of you know of of that character.

SPEAKER_00 38:03

It's interesting what you were saying about you know, these types of performances coming out of somebody who's traditionally known for comedy, and I think that they're he he maybe was kind of one of the first who I think kind of prove that that aspect to his talent because like actually while you were speaking, one of the other like similar roles that I was thinking of is like Robin Williams and Goodwill Hunting. Because same thing, he had been traditionally known as like this really kind of wacky comedic actor, and then he pulls in also an actually Academy Award-winning yeah performance.

SPEAKER_04 38:36

Yeah, and so sometimes was that his first serious role?

SPEAKER_00 38:41

Um, that's a great question. I don't think so.

SPEAKER_04 38:43

I think he had a a couple others, but that's the first one that people were like, oh shoot, this guy can act.

SPEAKER_00 38:49

Yeah, he's like acting chops, yeah or however you would put it.

SPEAKER_01 38:52

So Dead Poet Society before that?

SPEAKER_04 38:54

Oh, I think so. That's a good point. He was fantastic. That was one of my favorite movies, was Dead Poet Society. Great point, yeah. And then, you know, there's that um the Doctor movie that he was in, and then the the I can't remember Patch Adams, yeah Patch Adams, that was it, yeah. Yeah, and there was a bunch of others that that he was just a phenomenal actor. I'm just unbelievable.

SPEAKER_00 39:12

He's he's another one that's comedic actors don't get their their chance sometimes or their cr or the credit deserved for for being able to do these kind of really layered performances. But okay. So I think perhaps I know we just have so much that I I wanted to make sure we get everything in. Um, I think maybe one of the most perfect transitions that I've ever been able to bring up for somebody that we've had on the show is the fact that the song The Moment of Truth. Right, the theme song to the Karate Kid was actually created by the band that you are a part of.

SPEAKER_03 39:50

Yeah, 30 years later. I know. Crazy.

SPEAKER_00 39:54

Wild.

SPEAKER_01 39:55

And if I understand correctly, you were in the music video for that song.

SPEAKER_04 39:58

Yeah, by by virtue of being in the trailer. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:01

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 40:02

So I wasn't, you know, they didn't say, Hey Jeff, do you want to be in the video? They they use scenes from the movie in which I'm in for the the the song to sell the movie. Um, now I'll I'll give you some background on that. It's kind of interesting because you said created, so that that segues into a perfect uh chance for me to kind of give you this little bit of trivia. It's kind of cool. Yeah. Um, the moment of truth. Now we let's start with the let's start with Rocky III. Now, yes, Rocky III, we all know the Eye of the Tiger. And Rocky III came out in what '83 or '82, I think '82. 'Two, right. So by the time we were filming Karate Kid, it was 1983. And the that song was, you know, just a monster hit. And um they were uh part of that whole Jerry Weintraub group of people that he knew, his record company, Scotty Brothers. Their record comp their record company, Scotty Brothers, that they were on. They all knew each other. They're all, you know, kind of a tight-knit group, and and uh obviously Jerry Weintraub wanted the success of the Rocky series to bleed over uh, you know, with Karate Kidd. And so they wanted the same band with the kind of a similar formula to do the theme song. Now, so so the story is that so the guys in Survivor said, Well, great, we got a song for you. And they're like, No, no, no, we got a song for you. And they didn't write Moment of Truth, they were kind of obligated to do it. And um, the Moment of Truth was written by Bill Conti and Peter Beckett.

SPEAKER_03 41:44

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 41:45

Yeah, Bill Conti, who wrote, you know, Gun Off Place.

SPEAKER_02 41:49

That's amazing. Wow.

SPEAKER_04 41:50

Well, it's not so much amazing when you think that he was the same guy doing all the music for Karate Kid.

unknown 41:56

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_04 41:58

Yeah, he was the guy that did all the underscore and all not talking about the songs, we're just talking about the music that's in the movie. He did that. And he worked with uh a songwriter, Peter Beckett from Player, Baby Come Back. Um yeah, yeah. Well, he the two of them wrote Moment of Truth. And um, it was already kind of done and everything. And Survivor was said, Well, we want you guys to do a theme song, and they were like, Okay, great, we got songs for you. And they forced him to do Moment of Truth. So funny story is when I met them and I finally, you know, started working with them. I said, You know, you know, we do uh rock we do uh Eye of the Tiger, Rocky III, we do Burning Heart, Rocky Four. They had you know the theme for Rocky uh four. I said, Well, you know, as in karate kid, we got to do moment of truth, right? And they're like, No. And don't bring it up again.

SPEAKER_03 42:54

Oh, that's amazing.

SPEAKER_04 42:56

And I'm like, why? And when they explained to me, we didn't write that song. Did you see it on one of our records? I'm like, no. And like, well, there's your answer. So uh, you know, I I'm not sure that I would have treated it like that. I mean, I think it's a fan favorite. It's kind of cool to do all the movie songs that you did, but hey, it's their career. Yeah, you know, their it's their prerogative. But I thought it was kind of funny, you know, that uh well, and I would say to Frankie Sullivan, who's the guitar player, he's the original guitar player, wrote Eye of the Tiger. Uh, I said, uh, you know, I'm I'm I'm in I'm in your music video for for the trailer for for Moment of Truth. And uh they they thought that was amusing. Um that didn't move the needle for me to get to play that song. Uh because I get asked that all the time. You guys gonna play Moment of Truth, and I I have to decline, say no, we're not gonna play that.

SPEAKER_00 43:52

That's hilarious. I mean, okay, so you brought up um just a few moments ago, Eye of the Tiger. I just want to really quickly kind of I mean, I can't imagine the scenario, but for individuals who, you know, want to identify with like this band Survivor. I mean, this is a band that has had longevity over the course of about 40 years at this point. And in particular, have had this. I mean, I'm like looking at all of these hit songs that this band has had. You mentioned Eye of the Tiger. I mean, theme, like you said, theme thought theme song for Rocky, double platinum for Rocky. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 44:33

Yeah, there was Eye of the Tiger and Burning Heart and Rocky Four.

SPEAKER_01 44:36

For Rocky Four Heart is great, by the way.

SPEAKER_04 44:39

It's that's amazing, you know, and we definitely do that song.

SPEAKER_00 44:43

Yeah, it's I mean, these songs are amazing. Timeless. It's timeless. I mean, Eye of the Tiger, it was the number two single of '82. Um, it I mean, Survivor won best rock performance by the Yeah, they got a no, they got a Grammy for that.

SPEAKER_04 44:58

That's right. And a People Choice Award. And a People's Choice Award, too.

SPEAKER_00 45:01

Yeah. I mean, people, I mean, I were nominated for an Oscar. Yeah, exactly. I mean, just like the it's it has thrived for several decades.

SPEAKER_04 45:12

It's so thrilling to play that song for people. It's unbelievable the energy that when we play that song, um, you know, it it you could have 10,000 people in the audience and it it just they're nuts. It just goes crazy.

SPEAKER_01 45:26

How long does it take? I mean, uh assuming you just kind of like get into the song, how how long does it take for people to recognize that you're playing that song?

SPEAKER_04 45:34

About 1.2 milliseconds.

SPEAKER_01 45:37

Exactly.

SPEAKER_04 45:38

All you have to hear is this. Did up there you go. They they know, they know. I mean, and and you know, the the way the the way Survivor has you know played that song through the years hasn't really changed much. They they they keep it as the usually a closer. Or you know, pretty much it's the closer. And um they uh they'll milk it a little bit. And and people, some people really just want to hear that song. And uh how can you blame them? I mean, you know, exactly it's so powerful.

SPEAKER_00 46:17

Well, between all of these hits that especially came up in the 80s, between Eye of the Tiger, Burning Heart, The Search Is Over, High On You, Is This Love, I Can't Hold That? I mean, you could keep going.

SPEAKER_03 46:29

It's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 46:30

So all of these songs came out at a time when you were a teen and now you are part of this band.

SPEAKER_03 46:36

I mean I'm still a teen. What are you talking about?

SPEAKER_00 46:40

I mean, I'm curious, like, well, before you were, you know, inducted into this band, I mean, were you a Survivor fan? How did you feel about joining this band that had all these amazing hits that you grew up with?

SPEAKER_04 46:54

Well, interesting. Uh, you know, through the years, of course, I knew who Survivor was, and you know, but I was a fan of so much music. I mean, I I uh I identified with um, you know, everything from you could say Pink Floyd, Phil Collins, Brian Ferry, Trevor Horn. I mean, it just goes it the gamut, Elton John, um bands like Foreigner, Ario Speenwagen, Survivor, all that they were all in all in my record collection. You know, so it wasn't it wasn't that you know that I idolized them, uh, but they were part of my soundtrack, you know, and and that that was really kind of cool. And I will tell you this, I don't know if other musicians will admit this. Or I I I don't know because I I haven't talked to them in detail about this, but I'll admit, you know, for me, when I play the survivor material, I don't I don't think about me. I I I feel like I'm a steward of history. And I feel uh uh you know an obligation to to um to kind of maintain the brand and make sure that people are hearing what they remember. And so the pressure is on for me to um to be uh honest with the material and not try to skew it in any way that my interpretation of it, you know. And there's a challenge there. It's it's it's challenging because they use different instruments of the time. They it was you different, there were different ways of approach approaching keyboards in the 80s that you than you do now. So um there's a there's a lot of uh you know, kind of nerdy things that I have to you know be aware of keyboard-wise for me to feel off, you know, to give people that authenticity that I feel it deserves. And so I I kind of feel very um I'm very fortunate to be given that opportunity. But I like I said, I feel more of a uh, you know, someone that's watching over a brand, so to speak, you know.

SPEAKER_01 48:50

Responsibility.

SPEAKER_04 48:50

Yeah, I feel I have this responsibility.

SPEAKER_00 48:52

And I and I think that's what makes makes it uh uh a challenge, you know, for me No, that's that makes a lot of sense, and I think that that's a really interesting approach to the music. And I'm curious, like before before you joined the band were well, okay, I'm just gonna put it out there. Was there a song that was your favorite and then there were was there a song that was not your favorite?

SPEAKER_04 49:22

Like did you have any that like my favorite song of theirs is The Search Is Over. Uh and it makes sense. First of all, it's a absolutely beautiful ballad, but it I get to play piano, you know, and and uh uh a lot of their songs uh that have keyboards in them are some are some are absolutely beautiful, um, you know, with piano, but a lot of them are are parts, you know. There's it's the 80s pads and and and stabs and things with with the searches over, you know, you can be a pianist, and and so it's kind of in a rock song. So it's kind of cool. I I enjoy playing that song a lot. And I liked it when it came out, I mean, it you know, just as much. So um, is there a song I don't like? I you know, ought to be I I don't want to sound like uh you know like I'm pandering or anything, but they have so many amazing songs that I even was not aware of. They do. You know, uh when I look back on their nine albums, I mean I there's songs on there that are just gems, unbelievably well-crafted pop songs. And I think any one of these could have been a hit, you know. And so there's there's you know, when we go, when we go out, Frankie is pretty much deciding what we're gonna play. And he's a real um kind of kind of a vibe guy, you know. Uh he he doesn't put anything down on paper or on in stone until the moment we get on stage. So we never know what he's gonna pick. And um now we know we won't what he won't pick, because I mean, you know, I it's not like I learned a hundred songs. Um, and the you know, but we have a pretty large variety of songs from all the albums. And um I won't know what he's gonna pick until we go on stage and I see a set list sitting there. And a lot of that has I mean, we always know that we're gonna play high on you. We always know we're gonna play high on the tiger. I mean, we don't want to be lynched. Can you imagine going to a survivor concert, not hearing that song? You somebody's gonna somebody's gonna get hit.

SPEAKER_01 51:29

Um I mean, there are there are certainly bands that have had hits that have become so huge, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 51:36

That's not the case here. No way. And so yeah, he wouldn't have a choice even if he loved first of all, he loves the song, and he's I'm sure it's a highlight for him too. Um, but so to answer your question, I I I can't say, I mean, sure, though there's songs I like more than others, but I was actually surprised that there's a lot of songs I never heard of. Uh, because I didn't own every one of their albums when I was six, seventeen years old. Um so I've I there's songs on some of those albums that I'm just really drawn to that I like, wow, we should be playing this one. Holy wow. And um, so there's songs I might prefer more than others, but High on You Never Gets Old. Um, Can't Hold Back. Oh my God. What a great song. Great transitions in that song. I the Tiger. Actually, Eye the Tiger. I mean, I'm I'm gonna say it. I probably like it the least. Interesting. It's not well, it's not a keyboard song. Okay, you know, uh, it's not really much for me to do. Okay. Uh I, you know, I there's some keyboard parts, but they're they're just very uh supportive stuff. It's a guitar song, you know, and vocal song, really. And um, but it's such a thrill to see the audience at the end of the show to culminate to that to that uh point that it's still a thrill, you know. Um but from a perspective of a player, it's more fun to play Surge It's Over or High A New or You know, Can't Hold Back, or uh, you know, any one of the any one of the songs that we play. Feels like love, any, any of the any of the songs that because they have a lot more keyboards.

SPEAKER_00 53:10

Exactly. Well, you know, you brought up something just a moment ago that I thought was really interesting. In terms of, you know, again, this is a band that's been around for several decades. I can't imagine the the breath of the catalog of songs that you could potentially be responsible in the evening, especially if you maybe aren't aware of what you're going to even be playing until moments before you start performing. What is what is that process of beginning to learn all those songs? Is that something that you're kind of doing on your own? Is it something that happens in sessions with the band as a group?

SPEAKER_04 53:42

Yeah. Yeah, it happens on your own. I mean, you're expected to come, well, at least with my my experience, uh, you know, you show up ready to go. Okay. And, you know, I've been in a lot of bands through the years, and that's pretty much the the rule of thumb anyway. I mean, you do your homework at home, and uh, you know, you may have to adjust some things or tweak some things or change things, but you pretty much with respect to with respect to Survivor, because of the legacy that they have, and because of the the fact that if you're a true Survivor fan, you're gonna know the parts. You know, you're gonna be expecting to hear certain parts a certain way. So there really isn't a whole lot of wiggle room for you to to change. And you're not looking to do that anyway. That's not what the gig is. Um, what's beautiful about Survivor, and one of the reasons why it's always a thrill to play with them, is they allow me uh an opportunity to do my own thing. On the stage, uh I get a uh I get a solo, um, uh a piano solo that starts the searches over, and I'm usually on stage by myself.

SPEAKER_01 54:47

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_04 54:48

So um it was a cool story, if you don't mind. Of course uh about that. It's kind of funny how that happened. Um, it was my first gig with them, I remember. And uh hadn't played anything with them before other than rehearsals. And so I get uh we're at sound check and I'm playing. We let's hear the search is over. So we start playing it. And he's hold on. Uh, you know, Frank says to me, Hey, can you play a little piano to get us into that song? I'm like, Yeah, absolutely. So I play a little something. He goes, No, no, no, no, longer. Okay, I play a little longer. No, no, you'll figure it out. I'm like, okay. So I'm obviously maybe I'm not, I don't know what I wasn't doing that he wanted to hear, but I figured it out. So what happened was we get up on stage, just it's a pretty, pretty nice size room, about 2,500 people. It was it was my first show with them. They hadn't played with me either, you know. This was it. And I get on stage and it comes time to do the searches over. And before I touch the keys, all the lights go down in the in the in the theater, and everybody got off stage and a spotlight came on me.

SPEAKER_01 55:50

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 55:51

And you didn't know that was gonna happen.

SPEAKER_04 55:52

Okay, two thoughts went, no, had no idea. Two thoughts went through my mind. One, holy shit. Number two was snap out of it. And I quickly uh was like, okay, they left the stage, it's my show now. So I went into this piano thing that I just kind of lost myself in, and uh the audience went nuts, and uh it it worked really well. And uh and then Cameron, the new singer, Cameron Barton, who's 25, unbelievable singer. We can I can tell you more about him in a minute, but he comes on stage while I was ending it, and we went right into the search is over, and the crowd went berserk, and they've left that in every time. So I always get an opportunity to to to do something that Survivor never did.

SPEAKER_00 56:40

So, and correct me if I'm wrong, but you said that that was that experience, that was your first time performing with them.

SPEAKER_04 56:47

Yeah, I mean, I thought it was crazy not for me because you can hey you can you can you know throw rocks at me. I'm gonna keep playing. I I I'm not I'm not afraid, but I was more concerned for them. I was like, they don't know me.

SPEAKER_02 57:00

Well, that's it.

SPEAKER_04 57:02

These guys got some uh cajones, you know. They don't they they don't seem to uh they don't they they're they're willing to uh take a risk on somebody, and I I I really respected that and it I it it actually made me even stronger.

SPEAKER_00 57:16

Yeah, no, that's exactly like I think that that is such just a really cool story and such a cool way of showing your trust in a new member of the band.

SPEAKER_01 57:26

Yeah, they obviously had all of the trust, yeah, confidence in you to do that.

SPEAKER_04 57:30

They must have, yeah, exactly. And that's that was my takeaway, and it just made me feel even more emboldened to do a good job, you know.

SPEAKER_00 57:38

Exactly. I love that that's a great story. That's a great story. Oh, I'm so glad you shared that. Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 57:44

I'll never forget that. It was the most exhilarating time, and and and it's funny too, because every time that that piece comes up, I mean I get a little nervous because, you know, like I said, people aren't there to see Jeffrey Bryan as much as I wish they were. You know, they're there to see Frankie, they're there to see uh, you know, High on You and Can't Hold Back, and of course the Eye of the Tiger. They you know, do they care about me? I'm not a celebrity in the sense that, you know, I came from say Ario Speedwagon, I'm playing with them or something. Um, so you know it's really, really, really nice to to get an opportunity to to be Jeff uh and do Jeff and uh and see the people actually respond to that. So it's given me a lot of confidence too. I I I I cherish that.

SPEAKER_01 58:29

I mean, maybe they weren't there to see you that first time, but after seeing that first time, I I wouldn't be surprised if after that subsequent shows people were showing up just because they were so affected by that performance.

SPEAKER_04 58:44

Well, I I wouldn't say that, but I would say, you know, I mean that no, I'm not I I understand what your point is, and I you know would like to think that, but I think what happens is it just makes the unit stronger. Yeah, you know, makes the whole show a little bit more impactful and people go, wow, we gotta go see them. They're they're still pretty good, that kind of thing, you know.

SPEAKER_01 59:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 59:03

Well, also I think I mean, to your earlier point about feeling like you have a responsibility to kind of faithfully um put out as people remember these songs and these performances, I even if they perhaps don't know the band members by name or what have you, the appreciation as a fan to knowing that the the individuals in the band feel that way means everything.

SPEAKER_04 59:29

Because I've gotten a few, maybe much to their chagrin, I don't know. I've gotten a few standing ovations on my solos. That's amazing. Because people people come to a survivor show expecting to see to hear you know and and sing along with the hits. They're not expecting to be entertained by a keyboard player. And so when they see somebody going and playing a solo or something uh that isn't part of the playbook, I think that um Um, it enhances their their uh experience in a way that they didn't expect. And I think that's what they're responding to, which is fine with me. I'm I'm happy to to be able to do it. That's a compliment.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:13

Well, when uh when the world gets back to the sort of normalcy, I know what tickets I'm gonna buy when I have the opportunity to.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:23

We will be there when I'll let you guys know space in between us and anyone else.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:28

Oh, yeah, I know. It's hard. That's you know, I was on I was about to board a plane in March. I was literally out the door, bags were packed, and um the phone rang, and they said, Don't get on the plane. Wow. And we figured it'd be a couple weeks. Here, I'm still standing in front of the door with my bags packed, like a dog waiting for his owner to come home. That sounds sad.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:55

No, no, I mean that's much like a dog. It feels like years, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:59

Yeah, in dog years, sounds crazy.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:01

Exactly. Well, okay, so this is a little silly, but one thing that I wanted to bring up is the fact that Survivor has some really amazing music videos from the 80s. And I don't I don't know how much you have, you know, watch. I I I've seen them all and I think they're all super awesome. And I don't know if like has there ever been discussion among the band about like recreating some of those videos or doing a new take on them. Like, I'm just I'm very curious because obviously there's this like really iconic 80s element to all the videos, but they're so they're so fun to watch.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:39

Yeah, I uh you know, those are like little slices of time, you know. You they take you right back, just like the movies, you know, that we were talking about. Uh, you know, no, I can't really say that they've discussed doing anything like that. Um the last thing they did that uh I wasn't a part of, but uh Starbucks hired them to do uh um an ad, and they actually brought the whole band back together. And um uh I don't know if you remember, but they did a spoof on the eye of the tiger.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:11

Uh oh yes, actually I do.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:13

Yeah, didn't uh you know it's like Joe like an Joe, Joe, Joe, you know, or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:18

That's that's right. That's right.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:20

I um you know, I don't want to speak out of term, but I feel like um I think that won some kind of award. Yeah, I think it did.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:27

Well, it yeah, yeah, it it it was it was really tongue-in-cheek, and it was amazing that they agreed to do that because uh you know Frankie is a very um private guy, and he's he's not really um you know, he he he he's happy to discuss the past and talk about it, but he you know, he's he's not real nostalgic in that sense where he wants to repeat the past. And the fact that and and he also knows that the Eye of the Tiger was without that song, you know, they may still have had a few hits, maybe. But as Jim Peterick, the original, uh the other original member of Survivor says, you know, they had a $10 million video to go along with the Eye of the Tiger because of Rocky. So, you know, they they almost had a a sure chance of of having a hit song. No one had ever anticipated that that song lasts 40 years and probably forever. And um, so it's it's really uh a testament to you know the point is that they they hadn't they they they typically don't do that kind of they weren't real video guys, you know. Um and so uh it was really kind of cool. But to answer your question, no, uh there hasn't been any discussion of doing any kind of video. I mean, I I suppose they would if we got around to writing some new material, and there's been talk about a new album. Frankie's been talking about that since I've met him. It was part of the reason why they brought me in, is they didn't want just a keyboard player, they wanted somebody that had uh some songwriting. Um and so, you know, uh there's a chance that I I'll be honest, if this COVID thing didn't hit when it did, we actually might have a different conversation right now about that. So, you know, everything's up in the air right now, and my whole world is is got a big question mark hanging over it right now.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:14

Yeah. Well, one question that actually I don't know why it's sparked now, but um, that kind of is like a little bit of a crossover between, you know, your film background and then obviously your music career is have you ever had a conversation with anybody else in the band about, you know, it seemed like Sylvester Stallone really championed Survivor.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:34

Because at least in the research that I came across, you know, it was him who kept wanting the band to be involved with the songs that were being made for Rocky. Do you know where that relationship initiated?

SPEAKER_04 1:04:43

Well, I can only tell you what they've told me and what I've read. Uh you know, obviously there's multiple stories out there. I know Jim Peterick, for those that don't know, uh uh Frank uh the ri the band was started by Jim Peterick, and um he was the first member. Uh he was also a member, he had another band with a big hit called Vehicle, uh, at the time. And he started a new rock band, and the first member he got was Frankie Sullivan. And the two of them wrote all the songs. They were songs, it was sort of a Lennon McCartney relationship, and everybody else in the band kind of came and went, including the singers. Uh, so I'm not saying that they weren't important from uh, you know, from a um from a fan's point of view, they were important, but they weren't the driving force of the creative force. It was Frankie and it was Jim. And Jim tells a story where, you know, uh Sylvester Stallone was talking to people that uh knew um uh their record company and said, I I I I'm having trouble finding a song for this piece. They wanted to use uh Another One Bites the Dust, but Queen wasn't having it. Uh they just didn't want to release the license to a Rocky movie from the US.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:59

How different that would have been.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:00

I mean, you know, it was Queen. They were already Queen, you know. So they didn't feel any kind of urgency to to release the license to that song. And um, so they gave the song to um to to Survivor because uh apparently Frank had heard not Frankie, uh Sylvester Salone heard the song Um Poor Man's Son. I couldn't think of the name, sorry.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:23

Oh, okay, okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:24

Poor Man's Son off their first record. And Poor Man's Son was had a kind of similar vibe to Eye of the Tiger. Now it was obviously years prior, written years prior to that. So um they he heard that song and said, Write me a song like this. Here's the song I wanted to use. And uh they they got a they got a um they got a piece of the film to go by, and one of the lines in the movie is uh is the uh I forgot his name, the actor's name. I don't think he's alive anymore, but the the guy that uh was training uh yeah, I forgot his name.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:59

Rocky, um Carl Weathers.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:00

Yeah, yeah. And he said, uh you're losing the eye of the tiger.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:04

Eye of the tiger, baby.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:05

You know, you're the losing. And they're like, there's our title, and and they they wrote the song around that, and it just the rest is history. But but yeah, I apparently Stallone had uh had been become aware, they put out, like I said, they they've been around. I hadn't said this, they were around since 1978. They had a couple albums, they had a small hit in the Midwest. Um, I think it was Rebel Girl was like a little radio hit, and you know, they they were just a struggling little rock band that were writing some cool songs, and and just like me landing Karate Kid, they landed Rocky. I mean, who would have thunk? You know, they could have had anybody, right? You know, and so I don't know if I answered your question.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:47

I'm no, you absolutely did. You absolutely did, because I was always just really curious. I thought that was really cool too. That, you know, and look, things happen for a variety of reasons, and whether you want to call it like kismet or luck or whatever, like I'm just glad it happened.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:02

Well, I'm sure they're glad it happened, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:04

Yeah, because we got to have like some really awesome songs out of that.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:07

So but I I've shared I've shared so many um commonalities with them through the years that I didn't know. Like uh there was a recording studio called Rumbo Recording Studio, and it was owned by uh Daryl Dragon, who is uh Captain Teneal. He was the captain. And back in the in the mid-80s, I was in a band called The Reach uh with a guitar player named Patrick Bolin, who was in Pure Prairie League and played with Kim Carnes. And we were in a band together, and he knew Daryl, and Daryl liked our demos and gave me the stu gave us the studio to record uh some songs. Free of charge. Wow. And it was the same recording studio they were recording Vital Signs in. Oh, wow. Around the same time period, Vital Signs, you know, the with with High On You and Can't Hold Back and all those great songs. Um, so Survivor may have been walking out the door when I was walking in. It's amazing. And and here's another weird connection. Daryl was very nice, man. I mean, he passed away a few years ago, and he was a fantastic keyboard player. I was always in awe of him. But he was such a sweetheart. I mean, he was he really didn't, you didn't look at him and think he was a big star. He was just a really kind gentleman. And uh uh we were in rehearsal years later now. I was in rehearsal with him many years a couple years ago, and I was playing um I was playing this. Uh can you hear that? Yeah. The beginning of Poor Man's Son, and it's on a Wurlitzer. And um uh Frankie says to me, You know who played that? And he told me it was Daryl Dragon, played it on the record.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:47

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:48

And uh so I mean I've had these like little like near misses with them. And uh there's others too that are just sort of weird coincidences that um you know I can't make up, you know. And it's just funny how the cra and now the karate kid has come back full circle for me. I mean, I'm hearing from people I haven't heard from in 30 years. Israel, Frankie Avalon Jr., you know, we're we're talking again. You know, I haven't talked to these people since I was 20. And um, or at least, you know, kept up some of those relationships. And uh so karate kids come around full circle. I'm in the band now that has played that played the theme song, and it's sort of like I I never really left. It was sort of like that circle has followed me, that little bubble has followed me everywhere, you know. I mean, it's just my own little thinking of it, but uh I I I don't know, it's kind of fascinating to me to think that you know how far I've traveled or whatever I've done, I've really haven't gone that far. You know, I'm still the same people that I'm sort of that that I was introduced to in my early teens and early 20s, you know. Late teens, early.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:59

I I know that I'm fascinated by that because again, when we were researching for this episode, I was like, this is amazing. All these crossovers between Karate Kid and Survivor, and then even like these like outliers of like Rocky, like it it and the director that you meant, you know, so it's wild. Yeah. Um and this has been honestly just amazing to have had you on the show. I mean, thank you again, like all the stories that you've told us and just all the cool things that you know otherwise nobody would have ever known about your experience on the film and your experiences with the band and otherwise, and yeah, it's it's been great. So thank you so much for your time, Jeffrey. And I just, you know, I know that we were talking about how it's obviously strange times right now for everybody. But um, I wanted to just ask, you know, out I mean, outside of prior film work and your time with Survivor, I mean, I know you you're always working on other things, and I wanted to see what you were up to right now.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:02

Well, um, like a lot of people, you know, um, I'm not able to do I'm not able to tour. I'm not on the road. You know, I'm not on I'm not only in uh Survivor, I was gonna say Karate Kid. Um uh I I'm also in other bands. So uh, you know, I'm in a band called the K Tel All Stars, uh, which you might want to check out. It's the K Tel, like K-T-E-L All Stars with an S.com. Uh it's a band that's uh kind of a little labor love project that um we we accurately recreate the songs of 1970, 1979 AM hits. Yes. Um, and it's you know, I get to sing a lot in that band, and it's a lot of fun. Uh and that's a really fun band, but that's another band that got grounded, and that band toured almost as much as Survivor.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:50

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:51

We go all over the country. Yeah. And um, so anyhow, that that that band's not happening either, but I wanted to mention it. In the meantime, uh, like a lot of people, I've I've sort of this is gonna we're gonna emerge from this period with a whole bunch of creativity. I mean, so many people are just going inward. So I I had a lot of songs. I through the years I've you know published songs and you know wrote for other artists, you know, try to write songs for other artists, and and and of course I I still do um some film and TV stuff. Um, so I have a bunch of songs that I wrote that I hadn't finished, mostly because there was no urgency to finish them, and I was on the road a lot anyway. So I decided, you know what? I'm gonna do my own record. I'm gonna put out uh these songs and finish them. So that's something I'm working on right now. Uh, and I'm I'm in the middle of recording, so I'm I'm I'm doing that nice that's as much as I can. Every moment of every day.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:46

Yep, yep, every day you do a little something. Yeah. Well, Jeffrey Bryan, thank you again for your time with us.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:53

Yes, this has been great. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk about all of your experiences and work on the karate kid and with Survivor. It's been such a pleasure.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:04

Yeah, it's fun, been great talking to you guys too. And and you're you're a lot of fun to talk to. So it was easy.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:10

Oh well, thank you. That's the best compliment. All right, well, take care.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:16

Okay, thank you so much, guys.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:19

And so we are back after having had our amazing conversation with Jeffrey Bryan. Thank you so very much, Jeffrey, for being on the show. We really again appreciated your time and all these awesome stories that you had to tell us. And it was just honestly so cool to in in particular in terms of his own career, talk about all the like crazy crossover.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:43

Yeah, that was that was insane. I am still hoping for one more crossover, which is I still want to see a streaming series of Freddy's gang.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:51

Oh, totally. I mean, like, let's just start the campaign right now.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:54

Then the crossover will be complete.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:56

Yeah, of getting Freddie's gang on Cobra Kai. Like, let's do this. I don't see why we shouldn't.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:01

I don't see why we shouldn't.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:03

Yeah. Okay. So to the people out there who are behind the series, let's make it happen. Um, but yeah, it was it was really cool. There's just like so many 80s crossovers between Karate Kid and Rocky and Survivor, and it was just it was a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:20

I thought it was interesting, you know, when he talked about they wanted to make the Karate Kid like all these parallels and similarities between the two.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:28

He was in the same director.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:30

Yeah, well, they did they did one thing similar in which they kind of like as they went through the franchise, they just kind of kept diluting it a little bit each time.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:39

And it was interesting that he, you know, I think he's uh purist, like I mean, like at the top of you know, our conversation with him, kind of uh going along the same lines, I was like, uh it's it's the first film, the 84 film.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:56

I detected uh I detected a strong preference for the 1984 version of the karate kid. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:02

So yeah, I mean I don't know if there's anything else to say because it just it was awesome. Uh really thrilled to have had this opportunity, and hopefully we'll have more opportunities like that where we get to have somebody who has like a really unique perspective on one or more of the films that we cover. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:19

So what's coming up next?

SPEAKER_00 1:16:20

Well, what's coming up next is your pick, my friend.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:24

Okay. I think I know what it is, and I think my initial surprise was that this was an 80s movie because I don't really think of Tim Burton's Batman as an 80s movie.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:35

I mean, it slid right in there. It's 89.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:38

So did it release in like December of 89? Probably not. Probably a summer.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:44

Then because I have not yet done my research on this film, I do not know the release date. I want to say though, it's probably a summer release.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:51

Yeah, no, probably probably probably was. It doesn't feel like an 80s movie, but then you know I I've seen parts of it recently, and I kind of realized, yeah, okay, it it it kind of does. But I think just because of the the the Batman thing, that really re-ignited a lot of the the superhero type of films, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:17:10

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it well, first of all, it had its sequel, which actually I love just as much. Unfortunately, we can't cover that one because that came in in the 90s, but I absolutely loved Batman Returns with Danny DeVito and Michelle Pfeiffer. I thought that that was just as good, if not better, to be a little uh controversial.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:32

That is that is a little controversial.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:33

Yeah. Um, so that's my favorite of the whole the whole kit and caboodle of that first kind of series of Batman movies. Because then we move into Joel Schumacher, some of the other ones are yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:47

I'm sure we'll get into uh some of the sequels when we when we have our guest on and definitely talk about these, but yeah, so it'll it'll be a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:54

So um normally our our podcast come out our episodes come out every two weeks, but because of this awesome bonus episode, you're gonna get to get to Batman even sooner. So be on the lookout for that next week.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:08

It depends on where you are in in listening to any of these. But yeah. Okay, true. They'll both be available.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:14

They'll just be always there for you whenever you're ready.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:17

Yeah, that's why it's a bonus, because you're getting a little more.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:19

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:20

Yeah. So on that note. On that note, we will uh try to do better next time. As always. Take care, everybody. Talk to you later. Bye.