March of the Original Tyrant

Over a year ago now, I had the chance to go to the Dream Theater/Queensrÿche show at Jones Beach on Long Island, New York. After the show, while speaking with Mike, I had the pleasant surprise of meeting Majesty’s original vocalist, Chris Collins. At that time, I expressed my interest in doing an interview with him and we exchange d our phone numbers. However, it took quite some time for us to be able to synch up our schedules. Eventually, we were able to do so towards the end of last year (before Train of Thought was released), but then for numerous reasons, it took a lot more time for me to transcribe the interview. Having gone through the interview I realized some of the things that Chris said seem to be contrary to how I understood some of Majesty’s history to be, so I sent Mike the interview for his comments, and here’s what he had to say:

The interview was pretty interesting for me to read! However, he definitely has his Majesty history a little scrambled though.....(specifically the beginning and the split)

Perhaps he jammed with John and John and this guy Tony while in High School, but that was by no means or any stretch of the imagination the band that became Majesty....when we met and formed at Berklee in Sept 1985 we started from scratch and Chris didn’t join up with us until almost a year later...

And his “split” with us wasn’t over some difference in musical direction as he implies....we outright sacked him because he had no musical background or training and essentially just couldn’t keep up with us while writing or on stage.

So as you read over this interview, keep these things in mind. Still, the interview sheds some new light on the early days of Dream Theater and I’m sure you’ll find it an entertaining read.

SH: Hi Chris! Nice to be able to talk to you after all this time!

CC: Yeah, well it took some time, but at least this is happening now.

SH: I hear ya. Well to begin with, why don’t we start right at the beginning – when and where were you born?

CC: I was born in Brooklyn on August 10th, 1967. The area my family lived in was getting pretty bad so my parents wanted to get out of there and that’s when we moved to the island [Long Island] right down the street from John Petrucci.

SH: Where did you first get interested in music?

CC: I’ve always had a natural flare for singing and I remember living in Brooklyn, riding in my mom’s Impala and listening to old R&B stuff like Barry White that’s really full of soul. So I’d hear it on the radio and I’d sing to it because I really enjoyed that type of vocals. Even as a young child, like 5 or 6, I remember thinking that I was pretty good.

SH: So even way back then you were into singing?

CC: Yeah. I mean, it’s not like I ever consciously said to myself that I wanna be a singer, but I always really enjoyed it and thought that I was good at it. Around the time that those guys formed Majesty, I was getting into singing with the people who lived in the area, trying to make it happen. Now that I think about it, it wasn’t really easy for me because as a kid I was a little insecure and shy. I didn’t feel comfortable on stage. After I had gone Five Towns Music College (which was actually after I had left the band), I remember going through that period, trying to overcome my insecurities and shyness. So basically I really tried to push myself to become an outgoing person and I was able to did it going to that school, hanging out with those people. It was like going to a rock ‘n’ roll high school! I remember driving up in my friend’s GTO and the whole front lawn was covered with long-haired freaks with their electric or acoustic guitars, flutes, violins, bongos, you name it, just jamming away.

SH: So we know that Barry White is one of your influences…

CC: [laughs] I wouldn’t say that Barry White is an influence! [laughs] It’s just that whole soulful vibe and I really enjoyed capturing that energy. I love Grand Funk Railroad because that guy has a very soulful sound. He captures that energy that I like.

SH: So you like to use the soulful vibe, but in more of a metal context then, right?

CC: Exactly. The expression of your inner spirit. To take your instrument, which in my case is my voice, and to use it as an extension of the spirit is magic. Like you take Jimi Hendrix for instance, one of my favorite guitarists of all time. There’s an ingredient in his playing that’s just indescribable – you can’t just say “yeah he does this and he does that” when you’re trying to describe that ingredient – he’s just got it. That’s what I think sets gifted, talented artists apart – the expression of the inner self.

SH: So if Barry White isn’t an influence, what singers and bands have had the most influence on your singing style and the kind of music that you play?

CC: John Arch is a big influence of mine. Geoff Tate is a major influence. I ate, slept and breathed Queensrÿche for many years. Eric Adams from Manowar, Rob Halford from Judas Priest – those type of singers.

SH: What about Iron Maiden?

CC: Yeah, I grew up on Maiden really really way back. And I still love Maiden. I saw them at Jones Beach and they were incredible. Bruce Dickinson would definitely be in there for sure.

SH: Where did you meet John, John, Mike and Kevin? Did you say that you went to school with them?

CC: I went to school with all those guys except for Mike. Mike lived in Long Beach and the rest of us guys were in King’s Park. Actually, Kevin Moore’s mother was my religion teacher in my junior high school! Me and John Petrucci used to go to Kevin’s house where there would be a collection of people and we had a religion class in Kevin’s basement.

SH: So what kind of stories can you share from when you hung out with those guys?

CC: I actually turned John Myung on to Queensrÿche when the first EP came out. I was hanging out with John Myung up by his house. I think it was in the fall – it was a little chilly and we lit a fire. I brought my radio down and I was playing the Queensrÿche EP, which I love. When I first heard Queensrÿche, that first EP really blew me away. It had a very sinister, twisted, possessed sound to it. When I played it for John Myung – you know that tune Blinded? At the end it goes “Voices are calling calling calling – voices are calling calling calling...” We were listening to that, he flipped out and started punching my radio and said “it’s evil” and he was buggin’ out. [laughs]

SH: Oh no! [laughs]

CC: Another story is that John Myung got so pissed at me one time when we were playing on stage. I was introducing the band and when I introduced him, I was like [in a stage announcer’s voice] “and off to my left side, straight from the jungles of Korea...” [laughs] He got really bent – he grabbed me back stage and he goes “Don’t you EVER mock me or my family again Chris! You understand?!”

SH: Wow! John Myung speaks, eh?

CC: But Mike was totally cool about it. Mike was cracking up and he couldn’t believe that it came out live in front of an audience like that. And I remember him saying “Well, I thought it was pretty cool man!” But Myung was pissed, so I never said that again.

I do stuff like that, even with the bands that I play with now. I kinda try to be like a – well, first of all, my stage presence has definitely changed a lot over the years. I’ve gotten a lot bolder – I don’t care when I’m on stage anymore. I used to be a little afraid of the stage, but it’s been many years and I don’t care anymore. I’ll say just about anything or do just about anything on stage, and I’m fine if the audience responds. I kinda look at it like my role on stage is like a ringmaster of a circus. And instead of thanking the audience, I tell them off, and they love me for it. They all start screaming back when I do that.

SH: That’s pretty crazy!

CC: It’s definitely different from a Dream Theater show. And I have a lot of respect for Dream Theater, so I don’t want this to be misunderstood. They definitely forged their own road. They did it on their terms, and they succeeded at it.

When I was in the band, I was looking to be a little bit heavier, than what they wanted. They wanted to be progressive metal, and I never wanted to be in a progressive metal band. That’s what caused the breaking up between me and the rest of the band.

It’s so hard right now in 2003 to find the chemistry and the team players to actually pull off what I’m doing. And I’ve been trying to find these people for years, but I’m forced to do it all myself. This year, I’m playing all the guitars – wait ‘til you hear this stuff. I’m putting it out myself. I’m doing all the guitars, all the vocals. I’m gonna be producing it, and I’ve got some guest performers that are gonna be playing on it. I’ve got the drummer from the band Earth Eats Dog – they’re signed in Europe and Japan. Then I’ve got my old drummer from the band Lazarus. Frank Gilchriest might be playing some drum tracks – he’s the drummer from Virgin Steele. And actually Tony Metasa, who was the original drummer for Majesty, before they were Majesty – he actually is my drummer... When I auditioned for Dream Theater, it was actually in Tony’s bedroom. [laughs] I auditioned for Dream Theater without a PA system! You could hear me singing above a loud band – that’s how loud my voice was back then – I could totally sing over a full blown band in a room.

I remember John Petrucci smiling – cuz I wanted to be in the band – John’s an excellent guitarist, they’re very organized and very together – so I was pushing to get into the band. I was like “screw this – there ain’t no PA system, but I’m gonna sing anyway” – so that’s how I got my part in Dream Theater, in Tony’s room, singing without a PA system!

SH: That’s too funny! So who was in the room with you when you auditioned?

CC: I believe it was me, Tony, John Petrucci and Kevin Moore...I’m not sure if Myung was in the room...[asking himself] was Myung in the room? Myung’s a very quiet guy, so it’s easy to lose him in the shuffle. He might have been there, but it was so cramped in that room that I don’t think he was.

SH: What was the band called back then, or what were you gonna call yourselves, since it wasn’t Majesty at that point?

CC: This was the very, very infant stages of Majesty. I don’t even think we had any ideas of what we were gonna be called.

SH: You guys were all just friends from high school that hooked up?

CC: Yeah, we were looking to get together and do a serious band thing. They just started jamming around, and word got around, so I was definitely into it. Tony mentioned to me that John Petrucci was gonna be coming over, so I just kinda wound up over there to show them what I could do.

SH: With Majesty, what was your favorite song and why?

CC: March of the Tyrant because it was the heaviest tune and that’s how I’m into expressing myself. When I was on stage with them, I used to always wait for that tune.

SH: That and the Queensrÿche covers, right?

CC: Yeah! I’d love to hear that stuff! They actually have me doing Queensrÿche, huh?

SH: You don’t remember that?

CC: I remember doing Queen of the Reich!

SH: ...and Take Hold of the Flame. The reason why I know that is because I maintain the setlist tourography which documents all the songs played for each show. But unfortunately I don’t have any tapes of those performances. How do you feel about the Majesty demos, of which you were the vocalist, finally being released through Dream Theater’s official bootleg label?

CC: I’m happy that stuff is out there. It’s flattering in a way. It’s a privilege to be associated with the past of a band like them.

SH: When you were with Majesty, to what extent were you involved with the writing of either the lyrics or the music?

CC: I really feel that I was more involved in the writing than I was credited for. I was basically given lyrics and cues, and I sang over the top with my own melodic style, within broad “sketch” instructions from John Petrucci. Basically I was given the melody, but the inflections and a lot of the melodic build up I do myself.

SH: Didn’t you write your own lyrics for Afterlife, which got re-written for When Dream and Day Unite?

CC: I gave them the title and then me and Petrucci came up with the lyrics. Really, John wrote most of the lyrics, but I would twist the lyrics to suit my needs when I needed to.

SH: What about Cry For Freedom – did you write those?

CC: No...that was mostly Petrucci that wrote that one, I believe. It’s funny cuz I’ve got the lyrics in my head right now after all these years! Isn’t that funny? “Blinded from the beginning/We never had a choice/The souls cried out for freedom/A sound’s distant voice/Trapped inside the war they wage/Invading foreign lands.”

SH: What would you say was the best thing about being in the band Majesty?

CC: I learned a lot being in that band. I learned a lot about myself. I learned a lot about working with others. Even upon reflection now, you learn things from your past.

SH: What was the worst thing being in the band?

CC: The worst thing about being in Majesty is an easy one – it stereotyped me as a progressive metal vocalist, which I never wanted to be. I always wanted to be a heavy metal vocalist. So I was never able to lose that stigma.

SH: What did you end up doing, right after you left Majesty?

CC: I joined a band called Lazarus. The drummer from that band is actually working on my new project right now. It’s pretty kickin’ and I can’t wait until it’s done. I gotta re-do the guitar tracks – he says they’re good, but I think I can do better.

SH: Right on. What else have you been up to since then and what other bands have you been involved with since you were in Majesty?

CC: About 4 years ago, I kinda did a little thing with Jack Starr from Virgin Steel, and the original bass player from Virgin Steele, Joe O’Reilly. I also brought in my drummer Tony, and we put out a little CD of that era. Do you know who Dave DeFeis is? He’s the original singer from Virgin Steele. We did some Dave DeFeis and some Mike Tirelli stuff – Mike Tirelli was the singer for Burning Starr, Jack’s solo project band. I think I did a good job and that stuff. I’d actually like to get that out there.

SH: So the CD has never been released then?

CC: No it hasn’t been released. I was kinda thinking about putting it on Napster or something like that and letting the sharks have their way with it. [laughs]

SH: Just so it would get out there...

CC: Yeah, I’ll tell ya...I don’t wanna sound like an ego head...I did really good on that stuff. I kinda made it sound like Priest or something like that.

Then there’s my band Winter’s Spell, which is actually the name of a poem I wrote that I later put into song – it was an acoustic psychedelic song. My drummer Tony was trying to think of a name for our band, and he asked “what about Winter’s Spell? You played that acoustic thing – I always thought that would be a cool name for a band.” So I drew up a logo, made some bumper stickers out of it. That band is kinda on hiatus right now – we haven’t really played since last August because of the guitarist. I always run into issues with control – somebody’s always trying to control the band, or someone thinks I’m trying to control the band. I’m just trying to get a product done. It’s so hard to get 4 people together in a band that gel together.

Long Island is too tribute band/cover band orientated, and trying to be an original artist is extremely hard. So what I did was come up with a plan – all my friends are in cover bands, so I took all my original music and started Winter’s Spell. I’m not concerned with the $80 in my pocket for playing somebody else’s music – my payment is in exposing the audience to original metal, and that’s what I did. With that ending last August after we played a festival upstate in the mountains, and it was pretty cool, and they really dug us. What I did was – all my friends are in tribute bands, so I would play in front of their audiences, because they would pack the house. And you know what? I never got a bad response. I really started to feel like I was getting some notoriety, and then my guitarist and me started having problems – he started flaking out on me. So me and Tony folded the band. The bassist was a cokehead and all messed up.

SH: So what is the name of the band that you are in right now with Tony Metasa?

CC: Well, right now it’s just me, so it’s basically the Chris Collins Band! [laughs] I’m writing everything, I’m recording everything, I’m playing the guitars, I’m singing. You know what, if you want something to get done right, you just need to get in there and do it yourself – that’s the bottom line. I ain’t no guitarist, but I can play. I’ve actually showed some of my licks to some local guitarists around here and they can’t play them. If they can’t play my elementary school riffs, then c’mon, please – don’t even waste my time.

SH: So you play guitar as well as sing – do you play anything else?

CC: I dabble with drums, but I’m no drummer. I have some stuff I think you’re gonna like – it’s very catchy, hooky stuff. I focus on hooks and fluidity from one transition to another, and the whole tune as a succession. Like starting from the first note to the last note, actually taking someone on a journey of sound. And the question I ask is “did I keep your attention?” I try to focus on when I envision somebody would start getting bored with the song, when I would start to get bored with it, then I change it to something else.

SH: What kind of music does the Chris Collins Band play? Power metal? Heavy metal?

CC: It’s kind of along the lines of early Fates Warning with John Arch, so more of a power metal approach.

SH: Do you have a website up about either you or your current project?

CC: Yeah I do, but it’s just a splash screen right now. Since there’s nothing really to it, and since I don’t have any songs from my current project recorded and ready to go, it’s not really worth mentioning at this stage.

SH: What do you do for a living, when not writing, recording or doing gigs?

CC: I’m a part of a union and I’m a steam fitter.

SH: When I first met you, it was after the Dream Theater show at Jones Beach on Long Island. You said that was the first show that you ever saw of Dream Theater since you left the band.

CC: You know, it really was. I wasn’t making that up.

SH: What did you think of their performance that night? How did you like it?

CC: Ummmm... [hesitates] Can I be honest with ya? I’ve never been a huge Dream Theater fan. I don’t wanna insult those guys – those guys are great. I mean the show was cool – it was definitely an awesome time. There’s no question or dispute about that. I just like a heavier sound. I like heavy, heavy music and I don’t think it was heavy enough for me.

SH: No? What did you think when they did the Necromancer [Rush]?

CC: Well, I never was really a big Rush fan either and those guys are full blown Rush fans. I do like Rush – I liked them a lot more when I was younger, but when I listen back to Rush, it doesn’t really do it for me.

Those were some good times and some really good memories, and I really mean that. That’s regardless of any issues that we may have had in the past. That was a long time ago, and I’m a completely different person and I’m sure that they are too.

SH: Yeah, I’m sure that it’s all water under the bridge now for them too. These days, John Petrucci and Mike generally take the lead in the band – was it that way when Majesty was first formed, or was it still to be determined who was going to direct the band?

CC: Definitely. Without ever even proclaiming it, those guys were the strong forces within the band. John Myung is a strong silent partner – not that he’s silent but he just kinda lays back, takes it for what it is and does what he does in his own little corner. This is coming from my perspective from the time that I was in the band.

That night that I met you, I’m kinda bummed that I didn’t get to meet Geoff Tate since he’s a huge influence. I actually wanted to meet him that night, but I only got to see him from a distance.

SH: Looking like Morpheus from the Matrix!

CC: [laughs] Yeah man – that’s exactly what I was thinking! Wait a minute! That was the name of one of the bands we had when we were growing up! Orpheus! Eric Melner was in that band and I think Petrucci was in it too! This is going way back! There was Centurion and Orpheus was the name of the band they were putting together. I think the guys in it were Brandon Kelly, Eric Melner and I think Petrucci was in that band.

SH: I know that Centurion was a band that both Kevin Moore and John Petrucci were in together – were you in that one too?

CC: No I wasn’t.

SH: What do you think of how Dream Theater has progressed since 1986 and are there any specific songs of theirs that you really like?

CC: To tell you the truth, I never really listen to them, although I have heard them on the radio and thought “man that’s sick! The solo just wails! Listen to Myung just kickin’ ass!” I mean I’ve heard little bits of their tunes and been like “wow! That’s insane!” I’m definitely impressed with the guys and I wanna stress that point, even though I’m not into that kind of music. As far as that style of music goes, those guys are the kings!

SH: Were you surprised at how Dream Theater’s popularity grew once they were signed to a major label and released Images and Words?

CC: Yeah, I was surprised, because during that era I couldn’t go anywhere without seeing their name. I’d go into Sears and the floor model stereo would be playing them and I’d think “man these guys are everywhere!” I’d go into a Guitar Center and there’d be a John Petrucci Signature Series Ibanez guitar hanging. I’d go to the beach and somebody would be cranking it on their radio. My friends who are in the armed forces came back from Desert Storm and they had been playing it in their helicopters while they were going to war.

SH: Well that does it for all the questions I have – any parting words for the fans out there?

CC: Thanks for appreciating what I did back then with those guys, and I’ve got some more stuff for ya. My bag of tricks isn’t done yet and I’d like to get that out to the fans. It’s very heavy but I think some of them will dig it.

As he already mentioned, Chris is currently working on his own project, but is also looking for serious musicians to work with who are into performing in the power/doom/black metal styles (note: not progressive metal), with the intention of recording original songs for release on CD; location is not a problem. If interested, you can contact him at:

Chris Collins
53 Kurt Lane
Haupaugue, NY 11788
USA

Additionally, anyone who wants to go head to head with Chris in Rainbow 6 on Xbox Live can look for him under the name “Shaddowfaxx.”