HOST RL Peregrin:
Most People know Victor DeLorenzo as a founding member of Violent Femmes but ... before becoming a professional drummer, DeLorenzo was an actor in the theater group Theater X. He appeared in the company's Obie Award-winning New York production of 'A Fierce Longing,' a drama about Japanese poet and novelist Yukio Mishima. DeLorenzo continued to work as an actor throughout his career as a Violent Femmes. Victor tackled the lead role in the production of Eugene Ionesco's classic play 'Rhinoceros'; played the part of Oscar Wilde in a staging of 'Lord Alfred's Lover,' by Eric Bentley, and claimed the sheriff's role in the cult horror film 'The Unearthling,' which was screened at the Sundance Film Festival.

HOST RL Peregrin:
In addition to his three solo albums, Victor DeLorenzo has performed in seven Violent Femmes recordings and 32 other productions and recordings in the music world. In 1986 DeLorenzo started his own recording studio, jOeS real recording, where K.D. Lang, Marshall Crenshaw, the Spanic Boys, John Wesley Harding, Violent Femmes, The Holy Ranger, and many other music notables have recorded.

HOST RL Peregrin:
In 1990 Victor released his debut solo album, 'Peter Corey Sent Me'; in 1996 he released his glorious album 'Pancake Day,' and in 1999, as the century drew to a close; DeLorenzo released his poetic opus, 'The Blessed Faustina.' In addition, Victor has toured with the Velvet Underground's Sterling Morrison and Moe Tucker, singer-songwriter Jill Sobule and with John (Lombardo) and Mary (Ransey), now members of 10,000 Maniacs. Mr. DeLorenzo also co-produced a sound track for the Columbia/TriStar film 'The Paint Job," with British song smith John Wesley Harding.

HOST RL Peregrin:
DeLorenzo also reports with pride that a pair brushes he used to play the trancephone – a self-crafted percussion instrument involving a metal bushel-basket suspended over a tom-tom -- are now part of the permanent drumstick collection at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! Victor is currently busy recording and touring with the Violent Femmes and the Holy Ranger. Learn more at: http://www.victordelorenzo.com/

HOST RL Peregrin:
Throughout his numerous books and recordings, Dr. Martin Jack Rosenblum has sustained a single theme -- that of shamanistic transferal of mystical content into words and music. The latest release of the CD entitled THE HOLY RANGER'S FREE HAND 12T ANNIVERSARY EDITION, (Produced by Victor DeLorenzo, founding member of Violent Femmes), was received with inspiration by both motorcycle and rock and roll cultures.

HOST RL Peregrin:
Victor and Martin have enjoyed a friendship and collaborative relationship for many years. Dr. Rosenblum was featured in Peter Jennings ABC series, The Century, discussing his rock and roll roots. He has authored over 20 books of visionary poetry and recorded a dozen albums of his original songs. His books include the award winning HOME and the innovative THE WEREWOLF SEQUENCE. His albums include the cult classic DOWN ON THE SPIRIT FARM; NO FREEDOM, HONEY; PLACES TO GO; SPIRIT FUGITIVE; MUSIC LINGO done with internationally recognized jazz guitarist Jack Grassel, and the recent box set entitled PILGRIMAGE FARM TRILOGY.

HOST RL Peregrin:
"Music Taking Poetry Too Far" is Dr. Martin Jack Rosenblum's signature. Victor DeLorenzo and Martin Jack sign off on the 12th ANNIVERSARY OF THE HOLY RANGER'S FREE HAND with their unique sonic brotherhood mystery.

Member:
I'd like to know where the names for Violent Femmes and Holy Ranger came from?

VictorDeLorenzo:
Brian Ritchie came to my apartment one day in Milwaukee and told me he'd come up with a brilliant name of a band. He told me he'd picked "Violent Femmes" and that it was a play on words.

Member:
And where did the name Holy Ranger came from?

HOLYRANGER:
The Holy Ranger is a mystical poetic entity and it has become my nickname but not by choice.

I wrote a book called "Holy Ranger" and so it sort of became my name.... In a book I wrote in 1974 called the "Werewolf Sequence," the Holy Ranger persona is also part of the poetic geographics. The Holy Ranger is really a name I made up in the third grade.The actual word itself and its meaning was made up then because I really didn’t have anyone to converse with or who understood what it was that I was saying.

HOLYRANGER:
Victor sympathized with me and sort of knocked me upside the head to help me make the album entitled ‘The Holy Ranger’s Free Hand,’ which went out on a national label and is now reclaimed in its 12th Anniversary Edition with a bonus track that Victor and I did together when we were back in the studio for the first time since making the album.

Katalind:
Learn more at: www.holyranger.com

Member:
I'm curious. How old were you two when you first began your professional career, if you can put a time on it?

HOLYRANGER:
I can pretty much say my age was, well the first time I did a professional performance was the day Kennedy was assassinated. I was part of the whole Rockabilly movement before that, but it was not until I was about 17 years of age when I played my first professional performance, which was that day.

VictorDeLorenzo:
My professional experience started at Sacred Heart Church in Racine when I was about 5 years old. I was told that if I got up on top of a table and did a tap dance, I would be given $5, so I got up and did the best I could tap dancing, but never got paid.

HOLYRANGER:
I played for nothing my first night, there was never any expectation of five dollars.

Member:
How do you feel about the current state of "popular" music?

HOLYRANGER:
If I may comment on that, I don’t think there is a current state of popular music(s). I think there was a time when someone could say something about the current state of popular music, but now there are so many types of popular music, but when you say that, I tend to think of rock and roll but over time it has split into many different factions.

VictorDeLorenzo:
I think the way popular music relates to me is that I don't listen to much music on the radio. I find that popular music is music of my friends. I'm constantly refurbishing my music library with re-releases of music by my friends.

HOLYRANGER:
You are defining popular music by people you know, with which I agree; however, there are many different hidden areas of music by virtue of groups of listeners, then, who interact according to their musical preferences. So I agree with you.

Member:
Along those same lines, what are your feelings about the ability to download music on the Internet?

VictorDeLorenzo:
I'm all for the freedom to share music, but the problem has to be addressed regarding the people who work long, hard hours and how they are going to be compensated for this. It kind of bothers me, but at the same time I understand the need to share.

HOLYRANGER:
I think you’ve underlined the dilemma perfectly. I like to think about what Neal Young has said, if they want to get some of his music they want to get the artwork that goes with the album. I'm all for it, but it seems like an irresolvable dilemma. So if you download it, and like it, then great, go out and get the album, but I still like to try to create a tribal sound that folks can get.

I was listening to Beck last night and he was asking people to listen to what he was doing, download it, manipulate it and send it back. He got thousands of responses, and though it was interesting, I felt it was a load of narcissistic baggage because I think it is just the opposite of what writing music is all about. It is a solitary process and even if you collaborate with someone, it is personal...so I think it trivializes the music by having thousands of people come up with so many different versions.

That said, when I write something, I tend to perform it differently every night. But the point I am making is that to download music is one problem, but to also manipulate it seems wrong.

Member:
How do you come up with ideas for songs? Do you find the writing process difficult?

VictorDeLorenzo:
I think ideas for songs can come to you in many different fashions. Sometimes when you're writing for hire, you're given the criteria and you write to that. When I write for myself, I often wait for the "muse" to come to me.

Often times, I will use lots of different sources and see what happens. Or I might pick up a guitar, or go to a piano, and see if something new comes that way. If you're a professional, it involves some kinds of trickery and YOU are usually the one you're trying to trick.

HOLYRANGER:
I don’t come up with ideas for songs; songs come up with ideas for me. The songs create me. I don’t create the songs. But I like what Victor said about trickery. There is a certain shape shifting that occurs when you write songs.

This trickery is something that you are using when you are using unconscious material, which may explain why some of my stuff is not really popular. That trickery comes with using different instruments; using different working methods as I do with Victor; and an improvisational quality. The guise of a "trickster" is very meaningful.

Member:
Who are some of your musical influences?

VictorDeLorenzo:
I'd say for me, I think what originally got me interested in music was the little city I grew up in. There was a club downtown -- club/theater/coffee house. One night, they had Johnny Young, who played the electric violin. I was captivated.

Listening to the radio, however, I was also fascinated by the disc jockeys voices. It made me want to become a disc jockey, which I was for awhile. When I heard a blues band, I was really fascinated that this band's job was to entertain people. I had been intrigued earlier by TV and radio entertaining people. After hearing the blues band, I figured out that ALL of my dreams could come together by doing music, which could be done anywhere in the world.

Entertaining by being in a band seemed a lot easier than trying TV or movies. The first instrument that really caught my ear was the drum set. A friend of my cousin's had a drum set for sale, so I bought it as my key to this whole world of entertainment. Having the drum set, I found a teacher and started studying. He taught me how to read drum notation, taught me the finer points of brushes, etc. Later I got into more esoteric forms of rock, etc. Later I decided that I could become successful with it and that's where the real work is.

I wanted a sense of community with a band for my music. My perception of successful rock bands was that part of it had to do with camaraderie.

HOLY RANGER:
My first instrument was a drum set as well, but I quickly forgave it because the words were very, very, very, meaningful right away. So I went into guitar and I was heavily influenced by Lightnin’ Hopkins and heavily influenced by Gene Vincent and the Rock And Roll Trio. I knew that music was going to be my language. When the Folk Revival took over for me, the first group I played with was a jug band, and they are still well known today, playing on Prairie Home Companion. But by the end of the 60's, I put it down and listened to jazz and classical music, and then snapped back at the end of the 80's. I began writing my own songs and material and rediscovered at that point the roots that I had found in the 50's in Rockabilly and in the 60’s Folk music; all of which I went back to discover. I look back at that period as the proving ground for the work I did in the late 80's.

I never got into music to be in a group. I was very blessed to have you (Victor DeLorenzo) in my first band and Brian Ritchie and Michael Hoffmann. It was like back in the 60's when I did a jug band, as there was a wonderful sense of sharing the song we were performing. I moved from that as your (Victor’s) career went its very special way. But I would always keep going with the "No, I don’t want to be in a band." The emphasis was never about being in a band, it was about the integrity of the soloist.

Member:
You guys remind me of one of my favorite all time musician, Tom Paxton. Are you familiar with his work? Especially with the coffee house beginnings......

HOLY RANGER:
I have a story about Tom Paxton. When the president of Flying Fish Records passed away there was a memorial service in which Tom participated. In the 60's I didn’t think he was very interesting, But at this very moving and very powerful performance for Bruce Kaplan, he spoke so eloquently, that I realized you should never judge someone solely by their art.

HOST RL Peregrin:
Thank you gentlemen so much for spending your time with us!
Good night everyone, and thank you for coming!