Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Felix Cavaliere (The Rascals fame) chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about his highly-anticipated new book “Memoir of a Rascal.”
His songs helped define a generation. Cavaliere is a member of the following Halls of Fame: the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Musicians Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, among others.
Steven Van Zandt of the E Street Band once said: “Some people may not realize it, but The Rascals were the first rock band in the world.” Van Zandt went on to induct them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 in the “Performers” category. “Getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was a long road from Pelham,” he said. “We appreciate it. All of us that are inductees in that organization, get to vote, but we don’t get to nominate artists for induction, and that is what is the difficult part. There are so many people who deserve to be there and who should be there.”
The Rascals were the epitome of blue-eyed soul. They set themselves above the pack with their excellent songwriting and instinct for adaptation. Their solid pop-soul singles landed them a string of ’60s hits.
The Rascals had 18 Top 40 Hits, five Top 10 Hits, and several mega-hits including “Groovin’,” “Good Lovin’,” “Beautiful Morning,” “How Can I Be Sure,” and “People Got To Be Free.”
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Cavaliere responded, “Still Going After All of these Years.”
Book
Cavaliere will be releasing his new autobiography, “Memoir of a Rascal” on March 22. “I am excited to finally get it done,” he said. “It has been a long time coming. I didn’t realize how much work a book is, and it’s a lot of work. We did a Broadway show in 2013, and when we sat down to do press conferences everyone had a different answer to the same question. I wanted people to see what I saw and heard.”
“In some ways, writing this book was cathartic,” he admitted. “I didn’t want to make it a Rascals book, I wanted to make it a Felix Cavaliere book. I had a really good life. I was born and raised in Westchester County, New York, and I really had a wonderful education. I went to a good school and I went to college. My family was in medicine so when I branched off to go into music, it was an amazing journey.”
Tour
Cavaliere will be embarking on the “Legends Live Tour” with Micky Dolenz, the “Voice of the Monkees.” On May 14, Cavaliere will be performing at the Patchogue Theatre on Long Island, New York, and on June 3, he will be playing Palladium Times Square in Manhattan. “I am excited to tour with Micky Dolenz. He is quite a guy. It is sad that all of the Monkees are gone except him,” Cavaliere said.
“When I last saw Micky, he and I had a really good time doing press conferences. We laughed and we enjoyed each other’s company. I hope that is the feeling that this tour brings,” he said.
Longevity
On the key to longevity in the music business, Cavaliere said, “Just trying to do the best that you can and trying to make the best music that you can. Also, try to keep your head above the water. I am really proud that people still listen to the music.”
“I am very thankful about that, I just wish that my group was a little bit saner but you can’t have everything,” he said with a laugh.
The digital age
On being an artist in the digital age, Cavaliere said, “It’s very different, the digital age has changed everything. The Internet and the digital have changed almost every industry, in some ways good though.”
“To think that I am able to make music from my home was unheard of in the early days, as well as to distribute and televise from my home. That is incredible, as well as the sophistication and the level that you can do all that,” he explained.
Cavaliere defined the word success as “keeping healthy and having a good family and a good relationship with your peers.”
For his fans, Cavaliere concluded about his new book, “It’s basically a story about someone who starts out in life playing an instrument, has no idea where it’s going, and it has led to wonderous and blessed achievements in life.”
To learn more about Felix Cavaliere, check out his official website and his Facebook page.
