Untitled Document

John O' Daniel

Point Blank http://www.pointblanksouthernrock.com for Road To Jacksonville Web site

HI John,
Since we officially know the schedule of your " European Tour" next June, a lot of fans are getting more impatient. They are willing to get news from you guys, and also to get more information about one of the best band of the 70's. So, to do a nice interview, I send you a bunch of questions that we got through the French Southern Rock Web site "Road To Jacksonville ".

RTJ: First of all, could you give me your opinion, or comment on the 70's career of Point Blank,
How did you live those moments

JOHN O' We had a ball. We were touring so much we didn't have time to dwell on the situation.
We played hard, partied hard and gave all of ourselves to every show.

RTJ: What are your best and worst souvenirs ?

JOHN O': Best - Friendships made with other touring acts on the road.......Worst - A very ugly divorce.

RTJ: Michel and Bruno (Point Blank fans) would like to know the reasons of your departure from the band
after the release of " The Hard Way ", ( musical disagrees, commercial choices, relationship problems) ?

JOHN O': A music direction disagreement. The lack of a Top 40 "hit" caused some members
to look outside our roots for success. I did not agree and felt it was better that I move along.

RTJ: (Michel Again) At that time, you had the same producer than ZZ Top, was it a good thing for you ?

JOHN O': Yes and no. Bill Ham taught us to be pros, but I feel he was in a little bit of a conflict of interest.

RTJ: Did you have good relationships with the ZZ Top members ?

JOHN O': Yes, they were and still are good friends.

RTJ: What were your major musical influences ?

JOHN O':My Dad was a country Fiddler. My heroes were B.B. King, Albert King, Allman Brothers,
Beatles, Otis Redding and Sam Cooke.

RTJ: Did you feel musically close from ZZ Top or did you prefer to have a completely different music approach

JOHN O':We never wanted to sound like ZZ, but I don't think that influenced our musical creations.
You'll always hear a bit of Texas in all Texas musicians.

RTJ: Did you play some Gigs together ?

JOHN O' :God, yes. The first year or so we did numerous shows with them.

RTJ: On my opinion, I love songs such Louisiana legs, Danger Zone, Penthouse Pauper, Change my mind, etc,…..But I guess the Recording Company preferred another style like Nicole or Mean to your Queenie,
am I right or wrong ?

JOHN O':You're right in a way. The label and our management felt Queenie and Nicole
were our best chances to hit the Top 40. That was not my choice.

RTJ: What Significance for Waxahachie Traveler song ??

JOHN O':Waxahachie, Texas is my hometown. The song was about our first trip to California.

RTJ: Bruno is wondering why PB did'nt have the same career than Skynyrd, ZZ Top,
Blackfoot or Molly Hatchett ? Is it because of some managements or producing mistakes ?

JOHN O':There are numerous reasons. There were management errors in my opinion, but the big one for me was Skynyrd's plane crash. We had just released "Second Season" and and were going to be Special Guests on the entire Skynyrd tour. The crash left us idle for four months and we were not able to properly tour the album.

RTJ: Manu would like to know why you never came in Europe ?

JOHN O' :We had no control at the time and didn't know that Europe wanted to see us.

RTJ: After the release of " Second season ", you had many fans in Europe, had you heard about it ?

JOHN O' : No, we had no idea.

RTJ: Manu would like to know your prefered PB album ?

JOHN O' :My favorite is Second Season or Airplay

RTJ:( Jean Marie ) Hi Johnny, could you do everynight your vocal performance
at the end of " Thank you Mama " ? Did you have a "special medicine" to do that ?...
and can you still do it now (Ian Gillian doesn't sing "Child in time" as high as he used to do !!)

JOHN O' : For the most part yes. I had no medicine for that, only the knowledge my bandmates depended on me. I can still do it now, just not as easil

RTJ : ( Jean Marie ) I got a couple of live PB Bootlegs from the 70's, it seemed at this time that this band was one of the wildest, it seemed that you guys were invading the stage like a hurricane blowing everybody's head off !! Unfortunatly, we can only judge the audio performance, it's a pity that we don't have any video recording of the band…At this time, were you as wild out of stage ? (like Lynyrd skynyrd used to do..)

JOHN O':Not as wild, but every bit as rowdy. We always felt being arrested was in no one's best interest.
We were smart enough to not get caught when we let off steam

RTJ: ( Jean Marie ) To be so tight on stage, how many rehearsal did you do per week ?
and how many live performance did you do per year when the band was at the top ?

JOHN O':About five days a week when we were home. We loved creating music and being together.
When touring there was no time

RTJ :( Jean Marie ) Rusty and Kim were playing very loud on stage (Rusty told me that everything was at 10 !!!) Did you have their Marshall in your back and how could you hear yourself ?

JOHN O' :Yes, they were loud, but so was I.
I had one of the best monitor techs going at that time

RTJ: ( Jean Marie ) Is Rusty still using big amps ?

JOHN O':It depends on the venue. He's great at controlling either because he is one
of the best guitarists I have ever heard.

RTJ: Could you give us some news from Kim Davis, we just know that is working at Peavey's,
but is he still playing guitar ? and would you have loved to get him in the band for this "Come Back" ?

JOHN O':We would love to have had Kim, but things couldn't be worked out.
I don't know how much he still plays, but I'll bet he's still smoking.

RTJ: Michel is asking if you got recordings with other bands (Bigfoot for example) ?

JOHN O' :I did a solo CD "Legacy" (Rhythm & Blues). A double CD with the "Stratoblasters" and a fun jam "Texicali" with Rusty, Ainsley Dunbar (Journey & Whitesnake), Andy Timmons and Pal Middleton.

RTJ: Michel is asking if you could continue the story, like Skynyrd is doing, and record a new CD ?

JOHN O' :Absoloutely. We plan to start a new project after we visit you guys.

RTJ: We know that your are gonna give a gig at Forth Worth TX on April the 13th,
do you have a lot of fans in the USA, do you think Americans are remembering you ?

JOHN O' :We still have fans all over. We're hearing from them now that we're touring.
It's very rewarding and humbling.

RTJ: What is meaning for you this come back and this European tour ?

JOHN O' :Coming home where we belong.

RTJ: Can you give us your opinion on the Blues Rock evolution from the 70's ?

JOHN O' : I feel the Blues Rock of the 70's spawned Stevie Ray Vaughn (good friend & great player),
Ian Moore and a few more who kept that alive and very well, too.

RTJ: ( Michel) We know that you are a fine golf player, what is your handicap ?

JOHN O' :My handicap is 1. I've been a certified instructor since 2000 and play
in the North Texas P.G.A. Senior Tour.

RTJ: Last one, if you had to finish your life on a desert island, what are
the 5 CDs you would like to bring with you ?

JOHN O' :
Beatles - Revolver
Eagles - Greates Hits
B.B. King - Live at Cook County Jail
John D. Souther - Black Rose
Tower of Power - First Album

OK John, Thanks a lot for your patience, and be sure we are going to be there for your french gigs, hope to have a drink of good French red wine with you guys ..!

JOHN O' : I look forward to meeting ya'll in June
Your Friend,
Johnny O

Manu, Michel, Bruno, Jean Marie, et john Molet For www.roadtojacksonville.com