Warrant has been around now for nearly 20 years. How did it all get started?
I was 19, Jerry (Dixon) was 16. There were 4 guys in the original Warrant. I ended up playing that first show with them, and Jerry's band was opening up. Afterwards we had a party at the singer's house and we met Jerry. Shortly thereafter we asked Jerry to join the band. With that lineup we played for about two years and then the singer and the drummer quit. We had done a couple of shows with Plain Jane, Jani's band. Steven Sweet was also in the band. We immediately remembered him and thought he was a great frontman and singer, so we called him and Jani and Steven joined the band. That was 1986.
Looking back, how great was it to be in that L.A. Sunset Strip music scene in the mid 80s?
It was amazing. If you were a young guy in a band, it was pure heaven. It was nothing but a party with chicks and thousands of people all down Sunset Boulevard. Our band was pretty popular, so we enjoyed the fruits of the Sunset Strip quite often.
What's the best tour you've done?
I think headlining our own tour on the Cherry Pie tour. That had to have been the best. That was just awesome. It was like Christmas every day we played.
Anything else you'd like to mention?
Everybody's invited to put their party shoes on and come see us. It's a good time, and if you get a chance, check out our website.
Warrant is on tour now. For more information, visit http://www.warrantweb.net/home.html . Erik Turner's official site, with information on his music and art, is http://www.erikturner.com .
