Joe Vitale “Backstage Pass”

by Beverly Paterson in Reviews

Equipped with a resume longer than the Mississippi River, drummer Joe Vitale has been playing music professionally since the sixties when he was just a kid. It was the early seventies when he came to worldwide prominence with Joe Walsh via “Rocky Mountain Way,” and since then he has been performing, touring and recording nonstop. Crosby, Stills and Nash, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, The Eagles, Dan Fogelberg, Rick Derringer, Peter Frampton, John Entwistle, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Ronnie Wood, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Boz Skaggs, Eric Carmen, The Beach Boys and John Fogerty are all but a handful of famous folks he has worked with in one capacity or another.

Unlike most biographies, “Backstage Pass” contains nary an ounce of character assassinations, bitterness or anything mean-spirited for that matter. And thank goodness for that, as there’s enough such books littering the shelves these days. That said, how refreshing it was to read “Backstage Pass,” which celebrates the music and talent behind it. Joe obviously loves doing what he does, and his enthusiasm and respect for other artists shines through. As well, there’s a laugh or two on every page of the book. Joe has a fantastic sense of humor and does a wonderful job conveying his wild, crazy and bizarre experiences onto paper.

Carrying five gallons of meatballs on an airplane, doing kooky stuff to hotel rooms, water fights, food fights, having a nice relaxing dinner interrupted at a New York restaurant by a gun-toting maniac and singing karaoke with Joe Walsh at an amusement park are only a quick mention of the funny stories you’ll encounter here. You’ll also be introduced to Joe’s “cut and paste” fetish, and then there was the time he was in Santa Fe, New Mexico, selling his stick figure drawings side by side with the professional artists, peddling their wares on the street. Graham Nash accidentally locking himself out of his hotel room, buck naked, Don Henley scolding Joe for his funky fill on “Those Shoes,” Sly Stone falling asleep on the keyboards during a recording session, sitting in on the aborted Buffalo Springfield reunion, getting pelted with eggs by an irate audience because Joe’s band didn’t know how to play “Liar Liar’ (the 1965 hit by The Castaways), teaching producer Bill Szymczyk and Glenn Frey how to be Italian and finding a skeleton, magazine in hand, perched on a toilet seat, are further tales to be told.

Loads and loads of cool photos, taken from Joe’s personal collection are also featured in “Backstage Pass.” No doubt you’ll chuckle aloud at those freaky clothes those guys once wore and the goofy hairstyles they sported. Joe has an excellent memory, and the manner in which he shares his stories makes you feel as though you were there. Yes, “Backstage Pass” is a terrific book and a must have for any true rock and roll fan. And oh, by the way, Joe went to high school with Santa Claus!