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 Fame & Fortune: Rocker Eddie Money
Windmills in past, he's a happy 'working
slob'
| When you think
about stories of rock and roll excess, singer Eddie Money may not be the first
name that comes to mind, but he just as well could be. Money ignited his hit-making
career in 1977 with "Baby Hold On" and "Two Tickets to Paradise,"
the first of his 20-plus songs that wound up in the Top 100 over the next decade
and a half. But along the way, Money experienced all the pain and loss of rock
'n' roll excess. A drug overdose in the early 1980s led to a year's hospitalization,
and his bout with alcoholism continued well into the new century. Currently
clean and artistically active, Money has just released a new collection of classic
1960s cover songs called "Wanna Go Back," and continues an active touring
schedule of more than 100 live dates per year.
Bankrate spoke with Money about some of the tumultuous
times he's experienced in the music biz and how he's managed to earn, lose and
earn again more money than most people see in a lifetime. Bankrate:
Why a covers record? Eddie Money:
After a while, your fans grow older with you. The world of making records
has gone through a million changes, so I just wanted to make a record that would
be fun and do the songs I cut my teeth on. These are songs I did with a band called
The Grapes of Wrath back in high school, back when you played the spring dance
and did the battle of the bands, and everybody would try to win the prom. I used
to do shows with Billy Joel back in the 1960s; we did a battle of the bands together
and both lost to a group called The Rich Kids. I just decided to make a record
like those. Bankrate: Your first
hit was in 1977 with your debut album, which had two hit singles, and made the
top 40. What effect did this have on your life at the time? Eddie
Money: I worked for J.C. Penney as a receiving clerk, then I worked on
Telegraph Avenue during the Berkeley riots, which was very exciting, I was a bell
bottom salesman on Telegraph Avenue with the shotguns with the salt pellets, driving
my 10-speed around Dan Rather. It was great. Then I got a record deal with Bill
Graham off a cassette tape. Next thing I know, Bill signs me, and I'm doing "Saturday
Night Live," opening for the Rolling Stones, playing with The Who, doing
Midnight Special with Wolfman Jack. It was great, a lot of fun. Of course, I also
got really stupid. You get really big and you think you're invincible, just like
me with the drug overdose. The most miserable part of my life. I couldn't walk
for a year. I took Phenitol, which is a barbiturate, and I was drinking like crazy.
I went into a semi-catatonic state and fell asleep on my sciatic nerve. My life
became miserable. But then I came back with the "No Control" album,
which was all about the overdose, and next thing I knew I had "Shakin'"
and "Take Me Home Tonight." I was back on the charts. Bankrate:
What year was the overdose? Eddie
Money: I think that was 1981. Bankrate:
When you had your first hits, did they make you instantly rich? |
