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In Person Interview With Terry Ilous

By Jeff Easton

Jeff Easton: When did you start singing and who were your influences?

Terry Ilous: Pretty much when I was 3 years old. I started to do weddings, bar mitzvahs, and all those things. I was a clown actually. I used to have so much fun doing that and that was it. As far as influences, of course all these great people like Robert Plant and Ray Charles. Tom Jones, believe it or not actually. Ian Gillian of course was a big deal to me. That’s about it.

Jeff: When and why did you decide to pursue a career in singing?

Terry: The truth is my dad was a jazz guitar player and so it was actually the thing for me to do. I played guitar and I realized that I loved singing so much that it was the next thing to do.

Jeff: What pre - XYZ bands/projects were you involved with?

Terry: Basically all the local bands that we had around at the time. I always believed that we were about to rock the world, but of course we never did. It didn’t matter though because I had the best time ever just doing that thing. I believe in my heart that we were DESTINED TO ROCK. We never did but I’ll tell you I had a great time.

Jeff: As long as your heart’s in it, that’s all that matters.

Terry: Yes, that’s it exactly.

Jeff: How did you get XYZ together?

Terry: Patt Fontaine, the bass player, called me and asked me to come to Los Angeles to put a band together. He said, “I’ve got things going… we’re going to be rich… we’re happening…” and when I came to Los Angeles there was absolutely nothing. We were sleeping, the four of us plus two girls (I forgot about that), in one room. A motel room in Long Beach. It was horrible, that was the beginning of paying the dues.

Jeff: What was it like playing the Sunset Strip in the late 1980’s?

Terry: It was a blast, all these bands. Like tonight we are playing with C.C. from Poison. It was a blast actually, so much fun, all these bands. For me, when I think about it, it feels like there was so much color, so much life. Girls were so pretty also. These days I think it’s so dark, everyone wants to kill everybody and the girls are ugly.

Jeff: That’s funny. What was it like getting your deal with Enigma and how did you get the deal that you liked?

Terry: Everybody pretty much passed on the band. To get a record deal everyone said no until Enigma Records made us an offer. Actually, when they called us, we thought it was a joke. I actually remember talking to the guy because I answered the phone and I thought it was one of my roadies. I said, “Come on Brad, quit fucking here.” and so I started to insult him. I talked about his sister and everything and we were just joking. Then he said, “This is Curtis Beck from Enigma Records.” and I said, “Man give me a break.” and he said, “ I’m Curtis Beck, why don’t you take my number and call me back?” So I took his number and called him back and he said, “This is Curtis Beck of Enigma Records.” and I said, “Holy Shit! So I guess they want to give us a record deal, yeah right.” When we went there I was expecting a very small deal, but we were like kings and we made some demands that were outrageous. Money wise we were just laughing, we were making deals like rock stars. We want this and we want that and two days later they said, “You got it!” This is exactly what happened. We had so much fun, I remember not having any respect for these guys because I was thinking that they were joking and that they just want to use us for something. But they gave us a record deal. A great record deal by the way, a really good record deal.  

Jeff: How did you meet Don Dokken and how did he end up producing your first release?

Terry: Well, pretty much the word was out that we were back on the Strip and at the time we were basically the only band left that did not get signed. Everyone else got signed before us, two years earlier and Guns ‘N Roses before that. Everybody was getting signed and XYZ was the biggest draw down here, there was no doubt about it. So Don Dokken heard about us and a friend of mine introduced me to him and he came to a show. He listened to the songs and he said that he wanted to produce us.

Jeff: Do you still talk to him today?

Terry: Yes, in fact we talked a month ago on the internet: we email each other. He’s a good man.

Jeff: He’s a great singer.

Terry: He’s a great guy. He’s not my best friend but I like the guy actually. I like Don Dokken, I think he’s a good man and he’s got a successful career. One can only appreciate that. A lot of people don’t like him and say things about him but I don’t care what other people say. I have respect for people that are successful. Somehow he is successful, so he is doing something right. I think that people should respect that also.

Jeff: Were you happy with the way the S/T CD came out? Did it meet your expectations material wise?

Terry: I was happy, of course at the time I was happy. I came to America with $500 dollars in my pocket and I’m being offered a half a million dollar deal. Of course I was happy. I was a little bit surprised by the sound, the sound was very Dokkenish. Which was something I didn’t expect because actually we never sounded like Dokken, so it was strange. We never had that sound, we were much bluesier before Don came in. Don changed the sound of the CD a lot. Of course now, looking back at it I have mixed emotions about it. Sometimes I think it sucks because you know people will have said it had a different sound. But the truth is, it did good for us because everyone was talking about the band.

Jeff: What was it like hitting the road to support the first CD and what are your best memories from that tour?

Terry: When I think about it, for me, here we are playing clubs in Los Angeles for 800 people; it was a great thing for us. First tour we were opening for Ted Nugent and here we are with 16,000 people every night. I had no idea, I was amazed. I remember my drummer, at the first show actually puked before coming onstage because he was so scared. I mean come on, 16,000 people is a bunch of people. So we were scared and it was great fun and it was a great experience. You know of course money, fame, women, and things are all great but it eventually had to end and here we are today.

Jeff: I’m going back to the first CD real quick. If you had recorded it with someone else, do you think that it would have come out differently?

Terry: Oh yes, absolutely. First of all the voice would have been the same. You have to understand I don’t think it could have been better or worse if someone else would have recorded the CD. Sometimes I wonder was it a good thing to get Don or not. You know Don got us good publicity, it was amazing. The thing that didn’t end up right to me was that a lot of people compared me to Don. It took me a long time to shake that off my back and for people to realize that I have my own sound. Do I have mixed emotions about it? Yes, but overall I think it is a good thing.

Jeff: Well, I think that your voice does not sound anything like Don’s. But that’s just me.

Terry: Thanks.

Jeff: How long after Enigma folded did Capitol pick XYZ up?

Terry: Oh right away. We knew already while we were in the studio and we already had options with other labels. When we were in the studio, Capitol was coming up and we had a Gold album so we knew right away that somebody would pick up the band. It was Capitol because it was the first choice because of EMI/Capitol/Enigma connection. But other labels made us offers right away.

Jeff: Do you think if the first album had come out on a really big label, with a lot of push that it would have sold more?

Terry: Yes, absolutely. Enigma was a small label with a very small push. They did their best and in fact they did very well. I can today thank everyone who worked at Enigma Records. They were hard workers and they did the best they could at the time. Enigma was a very small label, although they gave us so much more to record the album. Their budget as far as promotions was very limited. The same song, “Inside Out”, had it been on Capitol Records would have sold two or three million. These days everyone says XYZ is the most underrated band.

Jeff: I think if you had been on Capitol or Warner you would have had three singles off the album. The first three songs on the album would have been good singles.

Terry: Nevertheless, I thank Enigma and I thank everyone that worked at Enigma Records.

Jeff: Was it any different recording the second CD from the first one and why didn’t Don Dokken come back to do the second?

Terry: I wanted to shake that up in fact. I thought it was a good idea to move on and to be able to get the signature off of Don producing the band. The second album came out so fast, we were just recording and we were playing live everyday. We got a call from the label and they said we needed to record another album. So we went in the studio and within two weeks to a month later the album was finished. It was really fast and I didn’t have time to write anything. I was under the gun basically.

Jeff: From the first CD to the second CD, there was a slight change in direction to a more bluesy feel in the songs. Was this thought out or did it come out in the writing?

Terry: It’s just XYZ. XYZ is actually more bluesy and has a bluesier sound. The truth is we did change the sound because of the production. So naturally when I was producing the second album with George Tutko, what happened is basically the sound had to come out very differently.

Jeff: That makes sense. Were you happy with the way the CD came out and with the way it was received?

Terry: Yes, actually the response was really good, especially in Europe. This is where the album went Gold. It surprised me because in the U.S. it didn’t do very well and it sold like 170,00 but in England and Germany it was a big hit. Europe was great for us, I mean America is great for us too but mostly for the first CD. The second CD, since the grunge was coming, everything was already dying. As far as Europe, the grunge never took over fully.  

Jeff: What happened with XYZ that made you break up?

Terry: Basically, when you are on tour for four and a half years and sometimes you get functions and drama. The drama of the guitar player getting fed up of the touring and I think we needed a break. We just didn’t realize that we needed a break. We just continued and continued to play and eventually we broke up.

Jeff: It’s a shame. What are your thoughts on the two CD’s now?

Terry: Oh, I have lots of thoughts. I think overall there are things I would change of course, just like every artist who listens back to his stuff. There are things I would change of course, songs I would do differently but overall I’m blessed. I’m blessed because it is very hard to get a record deal, it’s very hard to get something in life. When I think about all these people that actually never get a record deal, I’m blessed. I’m very blessed.

Jeff: Looking back at the Sunset Strip, when you look at an old issue of BAM or something you see a hundred bands play the same week on the Strip. Then you guys got a great deal and sold a lot of records, so I can see where you are coming from.

Terry: I was lucky, but we also worked very hard to get that for us. We were hard workers and are still hard workers. I just produced my new album and I’m focused now on the promotion and all that stuff. I’m a hard worker and the band is as well. I have to say that I was fortunate and I thank God for that.

Jeff: Why did you put the Take What You Can Live CD out in 1995, with the landscape still filled with grunge - type acts and were you happy with the reception of it?

Terry: I just didn’t give a fuck about the grunge shit. I just did that album not knowing what would happen and now it’s become a classic and people are looking for it over the internet. Some people buy it for $220 dollars. I mean it’s absolutely amazing. Actually I’ve just put out a few copies of it because people are looking for it everywhere now.

Jeff: Were the demos included on the live disc supposed to be for a 3rd XYZ CD?

Terry: They were supposed to be for a new XYZ CD, absolutely. In fact, two songs off of Take What You Can Live are on the new Letter To God CD.

Jeff: You released a CD under the name of Flint, tell us about the CD and were you happy with it?

Terry: I was happy with the songwriting, but I was not happy with the production. That is why I never actually released the CD. I recorded it but I did not produce it, someone else produced the CD for me and I was very disappointed in the production. So I never put the CD out and there are very few copies out. I love the songwriting on it, but I do not like the production. So I decided not to continue.  

Jeff: That’s why I said release because I thought I saw it somewhere before.

Terry: Naaaa, you can’t find it anywhere else. Some people are bootlegging it.

Jeff: Yes, that’s probably what I saw. Tell us about Lucas Music.

Terry: Oh, it’s my Latin side, I’m Latin. I was born in France but actually my Dad was Spanish, so I am what they call Castilian. I always loved Spanish music and Latin music is my heart. You know, Lucas is this little Latin side that I love. It’s rock anyway. It’s rock in Espanol, it’s Spanish rock and it is in Spanish. It’s different with more of a Latin flavor.

Jeff: Tell us about your acting projects, how did you get into it and what have you appeared in? Acting and voice-overs?

Terry: Acting and voice-overs and all these things I’m doing right now. It’s actually by accident, one day somebody said we need someone to record a song for the Rugrats and I was there at the studio that day. They called and said, “yeah you have to do it right away and can you sing?” “Yeah, I can sing”, and they loved my voice and that was the beginning of the career. Then I did an appearance on Passions, a TV show which is a soap. Then I did a bunch of other things and then I went back to Europe and did some TV shows also. It started to take off and it’s been amazing.

Jeff: It snowballed from there!

Terry: Yes, it’s getting there. I’m not Al Pacino but (hahahahahaha)……

Jeff: You decided to put XYZ back together, who is in the band now?

Terry: Paul Monroe, Jeff “JK” Nothrup, Sean McNabb, and myself. Because I had something to say and I didn’t have anything to say for so many years. I believe that I started to say something and over the years I’ve been writing so many songs. I’ve realized that people actually are interested in the new album. Personally, it’s my favorite album because I did that album from so much sincerity, I just love it.  

Jeff: It’s really good. The songs you sent me to check out have stayed in my CD player for a long time.

Terry: It‘s a different sound than the first and second CD’s, it’s an evolution.

Jeff: Exactly. Why was the original band not able to reform?

Terry: Actually we did for one moment, one brief moment. We were supposed to do the CD and then they decided they couldn’t do the CD because they had other things to do. So I moved on.

Jeff: I understand. You have a great new CD coming out called Letter To God. Tell us about the CD and the inspiration behind the great sounds that fill this disc.

Terry: The inspiration is just basically life. What happened to me over the last few years. Basically writing things that are much more personal then talking about bimbos and things, you know? I have to say that this CD is actually all sincerity and I hope people like it. I didn’t try to be anything else but sincere and honest with myself. I did that album for myself, I pleased myself a lot when I recorded it. I had so much fun. Well so much fun, but of course there were some bad moments in my life but it still was an incredible thing to be able to record a new CD.

Jeff: Yes, the songs sound really personal. There’s a lot of inspiration. So I understand.

Terry: Very personal.

Jeff: Will this CD see a proper American release and will there be a tour behind the CD?

Terry: We are working on a tour right now. As far as the US release it’s mostly online, but in the next few weeks we are going to have a distribution deal.

Jeff: Can you say who or is that up in the air?

Terry: Not yet. It depends on the contract.

Jeff: What does the future hold for Terry?

Terry: More acting of course. More music: with XYZ, with Lucas Music. Just a lot of rocking and acting and taking care of my personal life.  

Jeff: Exactly. So will there be a fourth XYZ studio album?

Terry: I hope so. I really hope so.

Jeff: Our website has a lot of European people who visit it and we are fairly global. Can they expect XYZ to play in Europe?

Terry: We are hoping to go back to Europe to do some shows, absolutely. But also in Los Angeles and the Mid West and all these things.

Jeff: Of course at the end of this interview, I have to say all heart felt condolences for your son.

Terry: Thank you, thank you very much. It’s ahhhh, you know we all have to move on so there’s nothing much we can do and say.

Jeff: Thank you very much for the interview.

Terry: You’re welcome man!

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