Speaker 1: 0:46

I have a super cool friend on my show who is a multi-talented singer, casting director, producer and soundtrack writer. Hope everyone is doing well this evening. It's Randy Holsey with Backstage Pass Radio. My guest this evening can light up a stage with headbanger energy, and you know her as the former vocalist of Vixen and the current vocalist of Femme Fatale. Stay tuned and we will get to know the lovely Lorraine Lewis when we return.

Speaker 2: 1:13

This is Backstage Pass Radio. Backstage Pass Radio A podcast by an artist for the artist. Each week, we take you behind the scenes of some of your favorite musicians and the music they created From chart-topping hits to underground gems. We explore the sounds that move us and the people who make it all happen. Remember to please subscribe, rate and leave reviews on your favorite podcast platform. So, whether you're a casual listener or a die-hard music fan, tune in and discover the magic behind the melodies. Here is your host of Backstage Pass Radio, randy Hulsey. Here is your host of Backstage Pass Radio.

Speaker 1: 1:51

Randy Halsey. We are joined by the powerhouse female vocalist, Lorraine Lewis. Welcome to the show.

Speaker 3: 2:00

Hey, randy, it is a pleasure to be here. Did you call me a powerhouse?

Speaker 1: 2:05

You're a powerhouse. How about that? I'll take it Muscle-wise and vocal-wise. How about that?

Speaker 3: 2:11

Thank you, I love itcle-wise and vocal-wise.

Speaker 1: 2:12

How about that?

Speaker 3: 2:12

Thank you, I love it. I love it, whatever you want to call me.

Speaker 1: 2:14

It's great to finally get you on, and just a quick shout-out to Andrea for assisting and making this happen. So thanks, andrea, for that. So a rock star hailing from Albuquerque, new Mexico, tell the listeners a little bit about Lorraine's childhood, growing up in New Mexico.

Speaker 3: 2:36

Holy cow, I love it. Well, thank you so much for having me. I'm really ecstatic to be here. It's been a minute since I've done an interview, so thank you so much. Growing up in Albuquerque. Family of six kids I'm number three. Growing up in Albuquerque, family of six kids I'm number three two older sisters, two younger brothers and then a baby sister Roman Catholic family went to church on Sunday. Then, when we got older, didn't have to go to church if we didn't want to. Not super religious, but I mean, my parents were strict Catholic. You know we did the rosary every Sunday and all of that. But yeah, albuquerque, new Mexico, I used to listen to. Well, the first album that I ever got was Up, up and Away by the Fifth Dimension. Actually, because my dad, you know they would have those RCA kids today don't know this, but they would have on Sunday morning in the paper. They would have like you could get 10 albums for a penny. Yes, that would basically lock you into a membership.

Speaker 1: 3:35

I remember that well.

Speaker 3: 3:38

But my dad, let us all choose something. And I was looking through all the great photos of the album covers and I gravitated to the fifth dimension and up up in a way. That was the very first album that I bought, but but then I was basically kind of gravitated to Crosby St Up, up and Away. That was the very first album that I bought, but then I was basically kind of gravitated to Crosby, stills, nash Young, lynyrd Skynyrd, linda Ronstadt. The first band that I was in was a band with my brother called Stained Glass and we did Kiss and Journey. And then I joined my first paying gig as a lead singer, a band called West Wind, and I would wear all black and a big black cowboy hat and I would sing. I would basically I don't know about sing, I would belt out Linda Ronstadt covers.

Speaker 3: 4:22

And I was underage I think I was 17 at the time, underage, but I got to perform. You know, albuquerque is kind of loosey-goosey, uh, you know, it's kind of the wild, wild west, so you don't really have to abide by the rules all the time. But I remember, yeah, I was underage and I got to hang out. Um, sometimes I'd have to go outside, but a lot of times I'd be able to hang out with my band members, and that's really Albuquerque is really where I cut my teeth.

Speaker 3: 4:49

Uh, then I put a band together eventually called Babe Ruthless. We were one of the actually, I will say we were the top number one, top 40 band in the region and there would be lines out the door on a Monday and Tuesday night for the clubs that we would play in, because we were really popular, we did covers and we would sneak in an original now and then. Sure, but that's really how I learned to get comfortable I can't say get comfortable on stage, because I've always been comfortable on stage, like always but I learned to really cut my. I cut my teeth. I learned how to control a crowd, get a crowd revved up. That's really where I did it. You know that was you know three sets a night. Yeah, wow, to control a crowd, get a crowd revved up, that's really where I did it. You know that was you know three sets a night, yeah, wow.

Speaker 3: 5:34

No, you, I don't know. I know you're a musician, so did you experience anything like that?

Speaker 1: 5:39

Yeah, and right now I'm in a. I play in a duo, so it's a little bit different. I guess you would consider a duo maybe a little background music, right, and we don't really play the bars till late at night, it's really the dinner, like breweries and stuff like that. So it's more family oriented. So it's a little bit different. You know, I did the band thing back in the eighties which everybody did as a musician. That was a little different back then, right, but now there's not much revving up that we're doing. But I totally get where you're coming from. And when you said the fifth dimension, my mind immediately went back and I'm like fifth dimension Now they were the band that did the song. Was it Aquarius or Age of Aquarius or something like that?

Speaker 3: 6:23

I've been away in my beautiful balloon. And then Aquarius.

Speaker 1: 6:28

Yes, exactly Aquarius, so my memory is not as bad as I thought it was right.

Speaker 3: 6:36

It's funny, I really gravitated to their look. You know they're African-American, bright colored clothing. I just thought they were cool. You know, I know I didn't see color at all. I just was like these guys look cool.

Speaker 2: 6:50

Sure.

Speaker 3: 6:51

So that was my first album. But then Crosby Stills, nash Young, linda Ronstadt. Sure, I mean, I got in big trouble going to Crosby Stills, nash Young with a girlfriend. We got I don't know if you remember the Wesson bottles of- salad dressing yeah sure.

Speaker 3: 7:10

Like and they have the little lid and you could make like your own. So we got one of those and we put every bit of liquor in to that that we could. You know we didn't have the oil and all that stuff in there, but we got it. We washed one out. It still tasted like vinegar and oil, sure, and we in every concoction of alcohol that we could put in. We went to the Crosby, stills, nash and Young concert and we got totally hammered but had the best time.

Speaker 1: 7:34

Which is what all the Catholic girls were doing back then, right?

Speaker 3: 7:39

Yeah, we were all. I was definitely a troublemaker. I, you know, I I I've been asked questions about growing up and I mean I did some wild things. I mean I used to start fires in junior high school to get out of going to school. I mean I didn't, I kind of forgot about that stuff. You bury that stuff.

Speaker 1: 8:00

You suppress it. I get it. You know. What's funny is we get to know musicians. Well, we really don't get to know musicians. It's a lot different now than it was, of course, back in the eighties. There was in the seventies and eighties. There was this mystical thing about the musician no camera, no photography at the shows. Like it was, wow, who, who were these artists? Like it was, you guys were unknown or the musicians were unknown. And now when you hear stories like I started fires and I filled up the bottle of oil with liquor, it's like oh so you are a real person. Isn't that great to know, right?

Speaker 3: 8:37

Yeah, I did. I. I got in all sorts of trouble. I used to jump out the window Peggy Shouse, when she was my home ec teacher. We were on the first floor and she would go into the hall to have a little meeting with one of the other teachers or something. I would literally crawl out the window and leave. I did crazy stuff like that all the time and I never got in trouble. I just never got in trouble. My mom by then was working at McDonald's. That was like her first job after being a mom and they were never home and so the principal would call me into the office and nobody was ever home. So I'd end up just kind of hanging out with the principal and making friends and everybody knew me, you know, I just never got in trouble, I just didn't. I had the gift of gab.

Speaker 1: 9:23

You know what. You know what I was going to say. I I had one other artist and and I think you know him fairly well I had him on my show and we kind of got into the weeds on the childhood and Jack Russell, right, and Jack was a mess growing up, right. And he said I was in all kinds of trouble growing up. And you know, a lot of times we don't go all the way down memory lane. You know the childhood days, but it's great to know that we were all kids growing up and we all did dumb things right. That's what made us the people that we are today, I believe.

Speaker 3: 10:00

So trying to figure it out. I had an older sister that got in a lot of trouble, like she hitchhiked from Albuquerque to Texas. I I mean, she was. She got arrested, and the thing with my sister, though, is that I always thought that she was so cool, right of course, of course and I was like she has a past. I got into this whole thing.

Speaker 1: 10:22

I was like my sister has a past yeah I don't have a past how do I get one of those things right?

Speaker 3: 10:27

I wanted a past. It's so ridiculous, but I definitely have a past. Now the future yeah.

Speaker 1: 10:35

As long as you have a future. Whatever happened in the past is just that, it's the past. But you know that's cool. You kind of ran us through a lot of the bands, a lot of the music that was shaping you growing up. But then you were brought out to LA, right? What brought you to?

Speaker 3: 10:53

LA? What brought you out to LA? I came out to LA because sorry to step on you Um.

Speaker 3: 10:57

I came out to LA because, um, I was doing the top 40 thing and I was bored, like I. It was like, okay, we're like the biggest band in town, great, we're making the most money of any band in town, great, and it just got kind of boring, right. So my friend, kathy Stonko, moved to LA. She was a dancer at Deja Vu or one of those on the Sunset Boulevard body shop. She used to dance at the body shop. She was a dancer, a dancer.

Speaker 1: 11:30

Dancer quote, unquote yep.

Speaker 3: 11:32

She came back home to a Friday night, place was packed. I was performing, I took a break, we sat at a table. She got two shots of Jack Daniels and we sat there and we talked and she said Lorraine, you have to come to LA. There is no girl doing what you're doing, it's all guys. It's all guys with big hair. You have to come out. And she had made a lot of friends with those musicians. You know rat and you know all of the up and coming bang, tangos and all of them. And so she said you really have to move to LA. And that was the night I don't know the date, but that was the night I decided and we toasted that shot, threw it back and I said I'm going to Hollywood.

Speaker 1: 12:14

Yeah, what year was that? Do you remember what year you took off for the West Coast?

Speaker 3: 12:20

That was like late 86 or like summer of 86.

Speaker 1: 12:24

Oh geez, so you were hitting the sunset strip right in the heyday then, right oh I.

Speaker 3: 12:30

So it took me about another year, nine months to a year, to actually move out, because it it got sticky, because the band babe ruthless we were very popular and the guys thought that they were coming with me and I had no intention of bringing them with me, as great as they were, I just I I wasn't bringing the band, I was going to Hollywood. It sounds so cliche and it's so awful in a way, but I just didn't see them as famous. I didn't see. You know, they were great guys. I just didn't see them as famous next to me. I just that was not the vision.

Speaker 1: 13:11

They were Albuquerque famous right.

Speaker 3: 13:13

Yeah, and they, they, they weren't. I just didn't see them with me. Not that I didn't think that we were weren't equal we definitely were but I just had a vision of what it looked like.

Speaker 3: 13:23

And it was great looking guys with great hair and, and then I got to LA and I was waitressing at Bob's Big Boy and living in Glendale and I brought the keyboard player with me because actually we were married. Not everybody knows that. We kind of hid that from everybody. And so we moved out as a couple to put Femme Fatale together and we put out ads everywhere and people would come to our apartment and we would look to the little people and if they didn't look like the vision that I had the hair and the rock, god, sometimes we wouldn't even open up the door.

Speaker 3: 14:04

I mean, I sound really effing awful right now. I'm really effing awful right now, however, but you know, if you've got a vision of a rock band, not an 80s like Thompson twin band, that's not what I was doing. I was doing David Lee Roth, of course, I was doing Eddie Van Halen, like that's what I wanted. I wanted to be David Lee Roth, so that's the kind of look that I wanted, sure, and it took forever, and so I started getting frustrated, and so that's when I called my brother back home and said okay, here's the deal You're coming, you're moving to LA, you're bringing Bobby and Billy from the band Dirty Blonde and you're all moving out here and you're going to be my band. And they, they did it. I don't even know how I talked him into it. I mean, I didn't have any money. I don't, you know it. I don't even know how I talked him into it. I mean, I didn't have any money. Yeah, I don't you know, I don't even know.

Speaker 3: 14:54

I think that they just believed in me because I'm, of course, a warrior yeah and I was just called a warrior recently because I just, you know, has my, has my path been paved with gold and platinum? Not, however. It's been a wild ride, but I survive, I go on, I change, I morph into awesome. I mean, I've had the most fascinating life slash career ever.

Speaker 1: 15:22

That's so awesome and that's all that matters. At the end of the day, you can look back and you can say you know what. I had some bumps along the way, but overall I'm happy with the way it all happened, right at the end of the day.

Speaker 3: 15:35

Oh my gosh, At the end of the day, pinch myself, you know. I mean I actually just bought another condo. I have two of them in Palm Springs. I'm finishing up my new place. I love it. I have a great job in television, you know. I mean life is really good. Life is really good. I've got good friends and I've got fans that love me, that follow me through all of the nonsense.

Speaker 1: 16:04

Of course. Well, you dropped a name a minute ago. You dropped the name Bangtango. How close were you with the band Bangt ago? You dropped the name bang tango. How close were you with the band bang tango back in the day?

Speaker 3: 16:12

yeah, we were the whole band femme fatale and bang tango and uh, I mean we. There was a, an apartment complex on oxnard boulevard in the valley up langforsham boulevard before you got to victory, and van owen, which was kind of like scary country right. Right, oxnard was like the border, like that's as far as you wanted to go, and then everything closer to Ventura Boulevard was really nice. The closer you got to Ventura Boulevard, the more money you had to spend, so we were kind of like right on the edge there.

Speaker 2: 16:44

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 16:44

And pretty much every band lived there on Oxnard in that area and I remember, yeah, we were very close with them, especially the boys you know, I mean, I I hung out with a lot of people but I've always somewhat kept to myself, um, either vocally trying to take care of myself and not wanting to party as hard as everybody else, or, you know, going out on dates and, you know, having a love life that had nothing to do with the band. So I've always somewhat stayed to myself. But no, we were, we were, I would say we were very close with them.

Speaker 1: 17:24

Well, you know, I've had the podcast has been going on since 2021 and I don't know how, but it but somehow it's heard in 90 countries now, which I'm super proud of.

Speaker 1: 17:34

But I've had a lot of wonderful local, regional people that are amazing musicians and songwriters. But then I've had the more renowned musicians, the ones that have traveled the world and we know of and you know a lot of them. You know they'll come and go like you'll interview them. You'll never have any contact with them. And then there's some that will you develop these wonderful friendships from, and I'll say that Mark Knight from Bang Tango has been one of those guys that we've just kind of stayed in touch and I went out and did an interview with Graham Bonnet a few years ago in Studio City. Mark and I hooked up at Pickwick's in Woodland Hills with Adam Hamilton and just great guys, right. So you never know which ones you're going to like connect with and make friends with, and so when you said Bang Tango, it kind of made me think of Mark and we managed to stay in touch for years now since he's been on the show.

Speaker 3: 18:36

He's very sweet. He was always very sweet. Yeah, he was always very cool, very sweet down to earth, yeah.

Speaker 1: 18:45

Well, so it sounds like you were a vocalist at a young age. Did you always know that the stage is where you were going to wind up? At what age do you think it dawned on you like this is what I think I want to do for a living?

Speaker 3: 19:00

God, that's a great question. I mean, I knew that I loved singing. I would say, though, it's not really all about singing. For me, though, it's about performing. I would say, though it's not really all about singing.

Speaker 3: 19:11

For me, though, it's about performing. Sure, you know, I learned at a young age that I like to perform. I liked people watching me. I like people looking at me. So the easiest way to get that attention and affection was to sing. And I remember being a kid and taking my mom's. My mom was taking guitar lessons at the YMCA with a Stella guitar acoustic guitar and I would take her guitar and I would play it and I would teach myself silly songs with you know GAD, gad, gad. And then we would have guests over my mom and dad's friends, and they would come over and I would entertain everybody in the living room. I mean, I did that for years and that was kind of my thing, that was my way. I kind of set myself apart from my brothers and sisters in that.

Speaker 3: 20:04

I kind of had that thing, sure. And so then that became my thing, and so that became my thing. And then, you know, I tried out for girls choir in junior high and and then concert choir, the coveted concert choir, which was a mixed choir, and that was a really big deal. And I auditioned for that and I didn't make it, and I was crushed. And then, as fate would have it, it was Mr Loomis. He was the chorus instructor and he got transferred to a different school and so another teacher came in. His name was Mark Schultz. Oh my God, I can't believe I remember these names.

Speaker 1: 20:44

I was going to say you're doing really well with that.

Speaker 3: 20:47

It affected me. So Mark Schultz comes in and he was now the chorus director and he re-auditioned everyone that had auditioned for Mr Loomis, and so I re-auditioned and I made it into the mixed choir and that was a really big deal for me.

Speaker 1: 21:09

You talked about leaving Albuquerque and getting to LA. What, like? I think there's this mystique about the sunset strip back in the day. Right, and I don't want to go down a rabbit hole again, I want to protect your time, but when you showed up in LA, would it? Was it a holy shit moment for you? Like what was what was transpiring and what became, as you know, the like the hair metal capital of the world? Like, like, what was your thought when you moved to LA?

Speaker 3: 21:44

It was all a holy shit moment for me. Everything from me witnessing a police car flying down sunset boulevard, getting to a corner and cops coming out with guns drawn at someone and that was real life, and I'd never seen anything like that before that that was a complete, oh, holy shit. And at the same time, there's this thing with Hollywood at least, that I have felt that nothing really seems real here, like even though, like, I was shaking and I was like, oh my God, I've never seen anything like that. There's an element of Hollywood for me that like, was that really real? Like, or were they? Were they filming something? I mean they weren't, but I don't know.

Speaker 3: 22:36

There's just a wild thing that goes on in my brain. There's just this element of that. It Hollywood is glitz and glamour and and bright lights and diamond fields, and for me it like it just is a place that nothing is really real, and that's exactly what I love about it. Sure, you know there's. There was recently a story that went kind of viral about the $19 strawberry at Erewhon. I don't know if you know about that I don't.

Speaker 1: 23:04

I don't know.

Speaker 3: 23:05

There's strawberries that came in from Japan that they're selling and they claim to be the most delicious strawberry that you will ever taste in your life, and there was a lot of crap about it. Like this is such bullshit, Like why are they doing this? And then some friends of mine actually went and got them. Actually, they didn't go and get them. The company saw what they had been saying about this and what bullshit it was to charge $19 for a strawberry. Long story short, the company sent them two strawberries for them to taste.

Speaker 1: 23:38

Okay.

Speaker 3: 23:40

And it blew their minds. Wow, so that's Hollywood, you know.

Speaker 1: 23:44

Yeah, interesting.

Speaker 3: 23:45

That's Sunset Strip, so yeah, all sorts of oh shit moments strip, so yeah that, all sorts of oh shit moments. That being on the sunset strip with, uh, with gazari's, with the wet t-shirt contest, you know, with ben gazari, I mean that was like what in the world? You know, the tropicana, the mud wrestling at the tropicana, that was an oh shit moment. And I actually was going to work there. I went there to I was going to be a dancer because it's like, oh, I guess I'm either going to be a waitress or I'm going to be a dancer right until I get a record deal, sure. And so I I applied and I went. I remember I went in and I danced and they hired me.

Speaker 3: 24:28

Really, I was this close to being a dancer at the Tropicana and then I went home and I was supposed to go back the next day and I just I just didn't go, I just didn't go. It just felt weird. I had kind of a boyfriend at the time that felt weird. So I just didn't ever do it. But there's always been an element in me fascinated by, you know, the sex, drugs and rock and roll of hollywood for sure.

Speaker 1: 24:59

yeah, it seemed like it was just mayhem all the time somehow there, and I don't know if mayhem is the right word, but mayhem in a good way, like just again, it goes back. Always a party, always the debauchery like excess and everything Right.

Speaker 3: 25:16

Well, look here, I wasn't hanging out with Guns N' Roses, that's a whole nother level. I wasn't hanging out with Motley Crue Like I was hanging out with, you know, poison. I was hanging out with up and coming bands, you know, um, I was hanging out with rat, um. So I wasn't on that level of like debauchery with the story that you've heard about.

Speaker 1: 25:38

That makes sense, yep.

Speaker 3: 25:39

Right, but but I definitely the cool thing that I remember the most is that I felt like we were all a community, like we all cared about each each other. You would meet someone and in five seconds you were best friends, sure, and you would end up that night at some incredible mansion in the hills with all of these people that you didn't know but that you knew, you know what I mean.

Speaker 3: 26:04

Yes, like you just thought to be so close in such a fast time. I don't remember seeing cocaine ever. Honest to God, I'm sure it was everywhere, but I never. I never saw it back in the day. Maybe everybody was too broke to afford it, I don't know, but I didn't see blow anywhere. It was drinking. Everybody was drinking to itself Sure. And then, you know, I, I, I vaguely remember how we got there. I vaguely remember how we would get home. I mean, there weren't Ubers or anything like that. We just somehow.

Speaker 1: 26:38

Made it happen.

Speaker 3: 26:38

Made it happen this orchestra of makeup and crazy and friendship and fun and guys and girls and leather and denim, and you know, spikes and you know, you know, I think it's something that will never be duplicated again, ever.

Speaker 1: 26:53

Right, like, like you lived, you experienced that I saw it from a distance. Right, I'm in Houston, texas, right, so we read about it, hit Parader, like all the stories, and you know, I was never in the middle of it, but you got to live a pretty historic time in rock music, right? When you really think about it.

Speaker 3: 27:12

It was real. It was real and I definitely tasted a lot of it and just have the best memories and you know being out and seeing Ricky Rocket and seeing Brett, and you know the flyering all of that is true. You would walk on Sunset and there would just be piles of fires everywhere because they tapped into something that nobody else had done before and so they were the model. Now, whatever poison did everybody else wanted to do, because they were the map to getting a record deal. But you know, they were just different from everybody. They had a hunger like I'd never seen before.

Speaker 1: 27:48

I could imagine. Well, I was looking, I was looking at some of your social media stuff as I was preparing for the interview and it was interesting because I went to your Facebook page and a friend of mine popped up as a friend on your page. Now, I know that we sometimes, as musicians, will have people that friend us because they either follow us as musicians or they're a fan right. But there was a buddy of mine that popped up and I wanted to ask you if you really knew him personally or if he was an acquaintance. But his name was Joey C Jones and he was with a band called Sweet Savage back on.

Speaker 3: 28:26

Oh, of course. Yeah, a sweet savage story. Do you want to hear it?

Speaker 1: 28:31

Yes.

Speaker 3: 28:33

Yes, I know the band and I'll tell you they're one of the reasons that we got a record deal Because we opened for them at the Whiskey. I believe it was a no Bozo Jam Night and this is the way I tell the story. They might tell it differently, but, um, yeah, we were opening for them. They were, there was a huge buzz about them great looking guys, lots of hair, um. So we were so excited to open and, uh, we knew that there were labels there, we knew that there were eyes there, because they were all coming to see sweet, savage, and so we were benefiting from that and, honest to god, we took the stage. We fucking killed it. We killed it so much that, when we were done, people basically left.

Speaker 1: 29:28

Really.

Speaker 3: 29:28

So Sweet Savage's show was. I mean, it was at capacity when we hit the stage and I will be honest, that was a lot due to us telling the world that we were playing. You know, we had lots of friends at that point. We were getting our hair done. We had hairdresser friends off of Melrose and they brought all their friends, but most of those people were there to see Sweet Savage and we we knew and we benefited from a packed house. That's awesome. There is no place that I can shine more than you. Give me a full packed house, a sold out show, and you're going to see a show and I've been prancing down those steps and everything I had and it worked and that's what we got signed off of, that show.

Speaker 1: 30:16

Well, that's awesome and Joey was a sweet friend. I don't you may not keep up with him, but he passed away sometime back and I played golf, baby, about a month ago, with Randy St John who was the drummer for Sweet Savage. He lives here right close to me in Houston and wonderful guys. But I saw that picture of Joe on your page and I said I have to ask Lorraine if you actually knew him or if he was just an acquaintance. But he's dearly missed, for sure.

Speaker 3: 30:48

Yeah, I wouldn't say that we were tight with those guys. Missed for sure. Yeah, I wouldn't say that we were tight with those guys. But you know there was a definitely like you know, there was always this rivalry between bands back in the day, although, you know, we were really close with bang, tango and some of the others but there was always somewhat of competition because you wanted to get signed, everybody wanted to get a red yes, now this when you open, though when, when you guys opened for Sweet Savage, what band was this when you opened for them at?

Speaker 3: 31:16

Gazars, this was Femme.

Speaker 1: 31:17

Fatale, femme Fatale. Okay, all right.

Speaker 3: 31:20

Full-on Femme Fatale. Mca was in. A rep from MCA was there. A rep from HK Management was there in the audience. It was a really big deal, but yeah, this was the original femme fatale lineup.

Speaker 1: 31:33

Yeah, bobby billy, bob bill ritt, mozzie and me okay, yeah, do you feel like the band femme fatale ever got to the level that you had expectations for the band to get to, or what? What's your thought around that?

Speaker 3: 31:50

yeah, of course not. I mean I was hoping. I mean I always thought platinum okay you know, but I understand more now than I did back then. I mean, I really didn't understand the concept of a hit song. I really didn't. I didn't understand what that really meant. I would hear things on the radio, I knew what they were playing on the radio, but I didn't really understand the concept of having a hit song, sure, until we had done the record and we had been out on tour.

Speaker 3: 32:24

And you know, thank goodness, we had two singles that did well on MTV and that's how we were getting noticed because of those videos that were shot by Marnie Kullner. But, um, I mean, I'll be honest, mca and the PR team at MCA, we all had big plans, so we would have meetings and they had a packet of the plan, the femme fatale plan, and it included Lorraine in magazines, lorraine on covers of magazines. I mean what you see now in social media that artists do. That was our Bible back then. That was our game plan back then. Okay, gotcha, and it just didn't go the way that we hoped.

Speaker 3: 33:11

I think that we needed to get back out on the road, which we were offered to go out on tour with Wasp, and management said no to that. You know. Just, a lot of things happened. I don't think that we chose the best second single. A lot of things happened. That is why we ended up where we ended up, but I don't regret any of it, but I can see it now, being older and being in the business and being wiser, and I can see some of the trip ups. I can see some of the mistakes that we made as a band and as the label, you know. But no, we had a huge like. It was like indefinite.

Speaker 1: 34:00

I mean it was a seven record deal yeah, do you feel like do you feel like on the balance scale of justice, did it tip more toward you and the band being the culprit of the success only going so far? Do you think it was more the record label or the, the business side that kind of held you back a little bit, or was it really a 50-50 thing, you think?

Speaker 3: 34:25

Yeah, I think it was a 50-50 thing, but I think you know they needed to have. I think that they really believed that it was going to happen and they believed it was going to happen fast. And I don't think that they made a plan going to happen fast. And I don't think that they made a plan.

Speaker 3: 34:46

They didn't have a long-term plan of digging in the trenches, right, and they didn't have budget that would carry us through digging in the trenches like Guns N' Roses might've had you know, like they put them out on the on tour, they went from one end of the country to the next, to the, back and forth, and us, you know, it was like three months out with cheap trip and then it was. That was it. So I don't think that they planned for the. I don't think they planned the budget for success.

Speaker 1: 35:13

I got you.

Speaker 3: 35:14

You have to really dig deep to make this stuff happen. You know and I think that there was enough of a buzz that if we would have had more tour support and gone out longer, you know we were winning people over for sure. We just needed to be out there longer, you know yes, and the stuff that you need to do.

Speaker 3: 35:35

We just needed to keep on going and not stop the momentum, right yeah if I've learned anything from all of that, though, and I feel like it's all okay, because now I feel like my career with music is just like I've got like a step ahead, almost Sure. That is 35 years in the making. You know what I mean it's like. Okay, I didn't do a clear shot this way, but I have this momentum of 35 years of friends and fans that have loved what I do, and so I'm getting ready for my third act, you know, and isn't it going to be delicious? Right, and it is delicious.

Speaker 1: 36:30

Correct me where I'm wrong or I'm missing, but you guys released a self-titled debut in 88 or around 88. And then there was another release in what? 16, 2016,. One More for the Road. Correct, what did I miss, and is there any new material planned at this point?

Speaker 3: 36:46

Yeah. So the one more for the road actually was the second album, demos, that MCA rejected, and so I held onto those songs. At that point is when Brett Hartman had come in with pretty boy Floyd and took over MCA and my people were gone. My people were out, my people were let go Janie Nelson, I can't remember all the names, but they were let go at Christmas time. And then it was Bret Hartman's show and it was Pretty Boy Floyd and that's where all the money went. And he was younger and had a and they made some stuff happen. So I held on to those songs and I released them on F&A Records myself with a co-deal.

Speaker 3: 37:34

It wasn't any, and those were literally demos, but some really good songs.

Speaker 3: 37:35

One more I wrote. I co-wrote with Jack Conrad, who's written hit songs for Heart. There's some good stuff on there. But yeah, that was that. And then you ask is there anything new? Well, a couple of things. I mean, I've been working with an amazing producer, uh, on the new femme fatale music. We have about a third of an album in the works right now. I'm not supposed to reveal who he is, but, but he has had a lot of success over the last year writing with rock artists and producing them. So we have a song that's ready to drop. We're looking at getting a record deal with one of the labels. We have had some conversations with Cleopatra and e1 and ear music out in the uk. Like we're, we want to land a deal of some sort. So we have budget to finish up, not necessarily an album, but we're thinking of dropping songs every three months singles, singles you're talking about, right?

Speaker 3: 38:39

exactly singles is kind of what our plan is. Okay, but we have a song that I actually literally just got the final mix yesterday. Is it rocking? I mean, I've got chills all over my body and I got teary-eyed. That's awesome. So it's rocking, it's cool, it's anthemic, it's fists in the air and I can't wait for people to hear it. I'm hoping that that's going to be my golden ticket to landing a deal, to get budget, to finish up the rest of everything. And then I'm also I've got a song with Michael Caruso, who wrote a song for the V band, as I call them, that I was in for several years. He wrote Love Made Me for them, and we are planning to go into the studio in Nashville. And this is not a Nashville sound, it's just a hit song sound.

Speaker 1: 39:35

Sure. So, how does, or how did, femme Fatale differ from the V band that you spoke of Right? Could you explain the big difference in the two as you see it?

Speaker 3: 39:48

Yeah, there's a lot of difference. I mean, I think that those girls were amazingly talented, great band. I've always thought that they were great. I wasn't a fan, though I really wasn't a fan. I really like I love seeing guys on stage. You know, I really do. I mean, there's just something about I think it's really um cool to see women and all women, um, but I think that there's just something just raw and rough about just guys just shredding and just I just think it's so hot, sure, and so I'm really excited to be with a now male lineup, because I did do an all-female femme fatale back in 2013 and we we did some shows for like six, seven years, um, but I think the main difference I mean, look, I love the camaraderie of being with an all-female band. There's nothing like having sisters with you on the road. However, when you're the only female in the band, the red carpet rolls out and you are treated like a queen of course.

Speaker 3: 40:53

I mean, one of the things that Howard Kaufman told our tour manager, Wolf Wright, was whatever she wants, and they really held to that. I and I wasn't a diva about it, but I did have. You know, on buses you have the front lounge and the back lounge and then you have bunks. I've never slept in a bunk before. Um, I had the back lounge. Was my room Awesome? So I was treated really well and I like being the only girl in the room, Right? So it's great to have girls and sisters on tour with you, but I prefer being the only girl in the room.

Speaker 1: 41:31

I bet you do. Is there any connection or that you have with any of the past members of Vixen at all, or is it all kind of the past for you?

Speaker 3: 41:44

It's really all the past for me. I think that I mean Roxy and I go way, way back. You know we were. We had a band together called Rocktopus. Yeah, I've known the woman for over 30 years. I haven't she never has called me about what happened.

Speaker 2: 42:05

Okay.

Speaker 3: 42:06

At all. So I don't know, I just think that it ran its course. Yes, of course I think me being in the band, I know I did a great job. I know I elevated the brand, I know it and my brand of rock and roll, I think, is maybe different from hers, and I knew that I would never own the name or the band. I knew that I was maxed out on pay. I knew that I I kind of hit the ceiling on everything and I just think that it was time for me to go and I don't think I ever would have really left on my own.

Speaker 1: 42:43

Sure.

Speaker 3: 42:43

You know I don't think I would have and I think that now I have the opportunity to really be myself. You know, when you step into a role like that, there's a lot of anticipation and pressure to, and I wanted to honor the songs and Janet Gardner's voice that she's a great singer. Janet and I are very different singers. We're very different types of singers and performers, you know. So I did my best to honor the songs as best as I could and the single Red. You know I think that we killed it.

Speaker 3: 43:16

Yeah, that was a great song, great song, great indicator of what the future could have been. And I don't really know exactly why she decided she didn't want to go further with me, but that was her choice and her loss.

Speaker 1: 43:31

You know everything happens for a reason though, lorraine, you know what I mean Like, even though that not to dwell on Vixen, it doesn't matter.

Speaker 1: 43:41

But you know that was at one time an intricate piece of your story, right, and people know you from that. Of course, I had Julia Laji on my show, the current bass player for Vixen two nights ago and she's sweet as can be. But I couldn't have Lorraine on the show without touching on that stint of your career, because there's people that know you from Femme Fatale and there's certainly people that know you from Vixen Lorraine on the show without touching on you know that that stint of your career, because there's people that know you from Femme Fatale and there's certainly people that know you from Vixen and then from both right and other projects and everything else that you have going on. But it was interesting. As I was again kind of researching Lorraine Lewis a little bit, I said I was. I saw a picture and I said wait a minute, I know that guy and I wanted to find out from you how you worked with Matt Starr in the past.

Speaker 3: 44:29

Well, I worked with Matt Starr on a project. It was a sobriety project. I don't know if you remember the two guys. They were twins, mark Planciere and his brother. They did like a sobriety type of album and that's where I first I was on the record with him and Chris Caffery. There were a lot of people that they invited in. Um, those two brothers have passed since past. Um and uh. That's how I first started working with Matt, and then it just made sense that Matt should play on the track that I have going on with leather Leone right now. And uh, and him and uh, sean McNabb are have been my rhythm section for the project. And so then Nam, a few weeks ago he was there and we got to see each other and I really, really like him, and right now my rhythm section is Sean and Matt. They are rhythm section for Fenn.

Speaker 1: 45:38

That's. That's awesome. And Matt was on my show a while back and I've also used him for consulting on, you know, outside of music. So Matt is another one that stayed in touch over the years, a great guy. And then Leather's been on my show as well. It's funny when you, when we start talking about people, it's like wait a minute, she was on the show, wait a minute, he was on the show, right. So Leather is wonderful. I love her up in San Francisco. Like I love her style. She was super cool to talk to. So you guys are so cool.

Speaker 3: 46:09

Yeah, I'm really excited about the song that we have coming out. We're planning to do a video. We got pushed back because of the fires in LA, so I'm hoping to get that back on track and we're going to do a video for the song and release that. And and I do want to say I want to backtrack a little bit with the V band Great memories, great girls. We had a hell of a time. We had a great run, some of the best moments in my rock career, and as much as I elevated them, they elevated me too. As much as I elevated them, they elevated me too. They elevated my name to be a part of that brand and I am forever tied to them with the red single and that feels really good. So, yeah, I don't hold any weird. It's just that we're not what we once were, of course, but I mean I'm like that with many, many husbands that it's not worked out with.

Speaker 1: 47:05

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 47:06

We're not together anymore. We had our time and it is over and done and we never shall cross paths again 100% and nicely stated about the girls too.

Speaker 1: 47:16

Right, it's respectable and you know, again, we all have been through relationships that didn't work out, and you know, I mean, I guess they make us who we are today kind of right, like relationships, jobs, I mean you know.

Speaker 3: 47:32

I mean, yeah, life is life. You can just count on the fact that life, everything is temporary, everything is up and down. That's why I say with my career, my life, I mean, there's just so many ups and downs and crazy. But here we are. I'm getting ready to do more femme fatale music. I'm known for femme fatale. I'm going to be on stage with the ultimate jam on the 18th of March on sunset strip at the whiskey. I'm going to do two songs I'm going to do waiting for the big one. I'm on Sunset Strip at the Whiskey. I'm going to do two songs I'm going to do Waiting for the Big Win. I'm going to do a Lita Ford song Kiss Me Deadly. So I'm pretty excited about that and you know there's just a lot of good stuff going on in my life.

Speaker 1: 48:12

That's awesome to hear and it sounds like you're super busy, and that's always a great thing. Can you share with me a little bit about the collaboration with Lou Graham, one of the greatest singers you know of all times? Can you share that with the listeners?

Speaker 3: 48:32

Yeah, lou Graham gosh talk about magic and you know being so grateful, I'm so thankful and grateful. And it really came about because of social media, because I do a live Q&A every Sunday. Everybody is welcome to show up. Lorraine Lewis rocks on Instagram. I do a live Q&A from 5 pm Pacific, about for an hour, and people would ask me very often you know, who do you want to sing with, who would you want to sing with? And it was always the top three. It was always and always has been Lou Graham number one, paul Rogers number two and David Lee Roth. I've stuck with that. That's been my, those are my three.

Speaker 2: 49:06

The go-tos.

Speaker 3: 49:08

I mean, would I jump on stage with Steven Tyler in a heartbeat, Of course, but when you ask me that specific question, those have always been my top three. And then one day I got a message on Instagram from his page saying what song would you want to do with Lou? And I was like whoa, what's this?

Speaker 1: 49:26

all about how cool.

Speaker 3: 49:27

So we started talking, and then we were talking about ideas and then they said Lou would like to have a phone call with you on Friday at 1 pm. Can you be available? And I was like yes. So, sure enough, my phone rang and he said hello, lorraine. And I said hello, mr Graham, this is an honor and a pleasure to meet you. And he said call me Lou. And that started the conversation. We would have phone calls every Wednesday at about 1 or 1.30. For the next oh gosh, I can't even tell you probably another 14, 12 to 14 phone calls. Oh, okay.

Speaker 3: 50:09

Week after week trying to decide what songs we wanted to do. The original idea was to do three songs. I don't know if we'll really get to that because of his schedule and being so busy that because of his schedule and being so busy, but we went into the studio and we did. We went back and forth with email trying to decide what songs. And I've always loved Heroes by David Bowie, also recorded by the Hollywood Vampires. I love that song and him and his son, they agreed, like they said yeah, like they actually loved the King Crimson version, okay, so that's the song that we laid down the vocals and I mean what a treat, what a gift, yeah, to be able to be in the studio with him and be side by side with this icon that I. You know, I used to be. I used to sing covers. You know I did the party ninjas with Vince Neal. He invited me on the party ninja show at the Santa Monica civet and I did hot blooded with the boys with Mark Ferrari, and you know all of the gang yeah.

Speaker 3: 51:17

And so for me to be in the room with him working on a song and listening to him and his placement and I've said this before in interviews, but I'll say it again His placement and his choice of notes and rhythm was like a master class of a vocalist. His choices were so different from mine and his breathing and his rhythm and, um, it was. It was really, really a treat to see that and hear that. And then I sing on the cake was then when I came out of the vocal booth and just looked at him and he looked up and said you sound incredible, you, your voice is amazing, and I'll never forget it. And I later found out because I had a photographer there. She said that while I was singing, that Lou was commenting to his son, matt, just how great I sounded and said when she comes out into the room, you need to tell her that.

Speaker 1: 52:16

So that was cool. Your head's still looking a little swollen from that actually.

Speaker 3: 52:22

It makes me so teary-eyed, isn't?

Speaker 1: 52:24

that cool.

Speaker 3: 52:25

Fun and sweet and I mean he's got a great sense of humor and I loved being around both of them. I miss them. So we still have a lot to do with the song. We're hoping, you know. The thought was that, you know, hopefully June is when it's going to be released, and I was just on the phone with Danny Stanton, who's repping me now, and you know I'm hoping that we can get the comps and then finish up the music as soon as possible.

Speaker 1: 52:55

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 52:56

It's crazy how time flies.

Speaker 1: 52:57

It really does. And you know, lou was in a project back in the early 90s, a band called Shadow King with Vivian Campbell, and I think they only put out one record, but man was it great, like it was just a great record. And I'm like this is it's one of those projects that you hear that you wish would have just continued on and on and on, but it it didn't. It was just a side project, I guess, was the story behind it. But Lou was fantastic in Shadow King for sure, but he could sing the phone book right at the end of the night.

Speaker 3: 53:29

Absolutely. He is just so great and you know, just like I said, his placement, his choice, and then we sing together. We did backup vocals. I have some video footage because I, you know I was getting photos and stuff and some selfies and stuff have. I have some video footage because I, you know I was getting photos and stuff and some selfies and stuff, and I have some video footage of us actually doing vocals together and our harmonies, uh, for the choruses, which is so great and um, yeah it. There's that line in the song I will be king and you will be queen, and I got chills every fucking time. I was like he's saying that to me.

Speaker 1: 54:09

Right, exactly, exactly. Well, is there anything that we can talk about? As it? You know, you talked a little bit about new music with femme fatale or so, so new music or any new projects in general. I kind of wanted to just open up the floor to you. Maybe, you know, I wanted to talk to you a little bit about the, uh, the, the show ex-wives of rock. I think that I love the show, by the way, but I wanted to give you that platform, uh, first, before we kind of ran out of time, because I wanted to be respectful of that, but new stuff coming out from Lorraine Lewis that that we haven't covered, that you would like to share with the listeners of Backstage Pass Radio.

Speaker 3: 54:54

Yeah, backstage Pass Radio. Thank you again for having me. Number one and number two yes, I, I post a lot of things on social media about what I'm doing, but even the amount of things that I post, there are still things that I just keep close to my chest Just because either the ink is just drying still or I don't like to really give away all my secrets. I feel like I'm an open book, but at the same time sometimes I feel like I need to kind of dial it back a little bit, cause sometimes I tell everybody everything and everybody's got an opinion or a thought, or I really, especially at this point in my life, I don't want to hear any of it from anybody, because my journey is my journey and so I'm doing things the way that I want to, bumping into walls or whatever.

Speaker 3: 55:45

It's my own way. So, um, yes, I love working in television. I have been with the same company for nine years. The head of the casting department, peter Higgins he's the VP of talent actually started his own casting company this year, and so I am his senior casting producer and it's almost like we were like the rebels. You know at the office, you know the casting department, and now we've branched away from that company and it's myself, jillian and Avery and Peter at the helm and our two editors, and I couldn't be more excited. So we are working together, we're the A-team and we are working on a huge dating show, for, am I allowed to say I'm just going to say it Netflix.

Speaker 2: 56:36

Okay.

Speaker 3: 56:36

So stay tuned, it's going to air. I just got a text message today. I think the first episode is going to drop in April, so keep rolling for another six. So I love working in television. I love it so much. I would love to bring X-Lives of Rock back. I don't really see that happening, but I'm always looking for the next thing.

Speaker 3: 57:13

As far as creating Now the dating show I didn't create. I am strictly a casting producer on it, but I love what I do. My nickname is the Closer because that's what I do Like. Today, for instance, there was a cast member that was thinking about not going forward and the network loves him, so they call me to make sure that I reel him back in, and that's what I do.

Speaker 3: 57:38

Because, you know, when you get involved with quote reality TV, there is a fear among people sometimes that they think they're going to be portrayed a certain way that isn't really true to themselves. Right, and so reality TV. Those words can have a really bad connotation for some people, because you think of, you know, housewife shows and drinks flying and F-bombs everywhere. Not every reality show is like that, and so one of the things that I am really good at and that I did with the cast of XY's, of Rock, is you know, explaining? We can't make you be anything other than who you are 100%. If you show up and you're belligerent and you're cussing people out and you're an asshole, we're probably going to show that you're an asshole.

Speaker 1: 58:27

The camera doesn't lie right.

Speaker 3: 58:30

But we're not going to force alcohol down your throat and tell you to be an asshole, right? Whatever it is that you show up, as that's how you're going to get portrayed. So if you don't want to look like a jerk, don't be a jerk. Yes, that's just true of real life. If you don't want people to think you're a jerk, don't be a jerk. Exactly. It's that simple.

Speaker 1: 58:51

Yeah, and I know at one time you were bandmates with Athena and she was on Ex-Wives of Rock. Are you still in contact with Athena?

Speaker 3: 59:01

Yeah, I actually. I want to say we texted each other about two weeks ago. Her son is an amazing drummer in a band called the Bad Sons I don't know if you know them, I don't and they've been on tour with Billie Eilish's brother, finia. Okay.

Speaker 1: 59:26

So he's playing in Billie Eilish's brother's band okay I did.

Speaker 3: 59:28

I didn't know that. Yeah, google that stuff like they're interesting, like massive shit, like this doing big stuff. So we messaged about that and she's like, yeah, like she was at his show and he's doing double duty, like he'll play with his open band, the bad sons, and then he plays with Finian I don't know how to say his name or vice versa, you know. So, yeah, I stay in touch with her. I'm very, very close with Sharice. She's one of my very, very, very best friends. She lives here in the desert very close to me.

Speaker 3: 1:00:02

I just took her out to dinner a couple of weeks ago because she's actually been very, very helpful with me with my new venture, which is OnlyFans, which I don't know if you know, but I have jumped into the arena of OnlyFans and giving people a more one-on-one experience with me. You look, I've I did a song called Waiting for the Big One. I've crawled around videos on the floor, been known for that, spanking my butt in my videos. So this is not such a stretch of the imagination that I would jump into this arena and I'm having the time of my life and Cherise has really been helpful in me knowing that I wanted to do that and her just being a cheerleader for me. Yeah, and we are really really close. She's one of my very best friends. She's almost on the level of my sisters and I'm like that with them.

Speaker 1: 1:00:53

Had the OnlyFans thing been a brainchild of yours for a while, or did you wake up one day and say today's the day? How did that come about?

Speaker 3: 1:01:01

I have wanted to do it for years. I knew I couldn't do it with the last band I was in. I knew that that would be an instant firing, so I didn't. But I knew I wanted to because it just, you know, it's another full expression and I'm a grown-ass woman, right, like I'm 66 years old, for goodness sake, like I'm lucky I've got another. What? 50 years.

Speaker 2: 1:01:28

At least at least.

Speaker 3: 1:01:30

So I I believe in living life to the fullest, you know, and that's a part of it, and I just really wanted to do it for so long and then the opportunity just presented itself with my brain. I was like I can do whatever I want, I don't have to worry about getting fired anymore, it doesn't matter. So now's the time. So I started out kind of slow with it back in October and just kind of cause I wanted to figure out the platform. And then I did, and then Mitch Schneider organization which Andrea and Mitch you know, they did my PR back in the day, and I contacted Mitch cause I said, you know, I really want to announce this only fans platform, but because I want to do it before someone beats me to it you know what I mean Like I want to be the narrator of my own life. I don't want some guy that got on there or some girl that got on there that I don't know didn't want to pay 1999 a month and and get angry and then blurt it out. I wanted to be the first one to say it. And so that's what we did. We did a press release with all of the other good stuff the femme fatale and Lou Graham and everything else that's going on. I mean, it's just another slice of my life and another slice of me just living life to the fullest and doing what I want to do. And you know, it's whatever we want it to be. Whoever joins me on there, it's whatever we want it to be.

Speaker 3: 1:03:01

I talk a lot. It's whatever we want it to be. I talk a lot of music, a lot of fans on there and a lot of guys that, quite frankly, have said like what can I say? I've been watching your video since I was 15 and like I'm in love with you, right. So I just feel like at this point in my life, what a blast, sure and you know, going to have something to laugh about, and write about, and hang out when I'm 120 in the old folks home and I can say, well, I was on OnlyFans.

Speaker 1: 1:03:33

You'll be the coolest one in the old folks home right.

Speaker 3: 1:03:36

And that's the goal. I always want to be the coolest, coolest old, old one in the room, Be able to walk in with some kind of pedigree of like I did that, I did that. I did that, Actually, someone at the office once. It was kind of a joke because I've had so many jobs in my life. I've done so many different things. You know, I owned a flower shop. I've I've been a bank teller. I worked at Winchell's donut shop. I've done everything. I was in the car business. I've been a bank teller. I worked at Winchell's Donut Shop. I've done everything. I was in the car business. I've done everything. Real estate. And that was kind of a joke of like they're like someone would say something. I'd be like, oh, I used to do that, and they'd never be like, of course you did. This is just another thing and just an example that it's never over, especially for women. It is never over. It is never over. Of course, Don't cut your hair. It's not over.

Speaker 2: 1:04:26

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 1:04:27

Don't get a perm, it's not over.

Speaker 1: 1:04:29

Well, you have to be happy. You know, at the end of the day, it's your life. There's no rewind button on life. You only get to do it once. So you never want to look back with regrets and say, gosh, dang it. I should have done A, b and C right.

Speaker 3: 1:04:43

Yeah, why didn't I do it? Oh, I was so afraid. That's one thing about me. I'm not afraid, and I've never been. And the older I get, the more fearless I am. You know, I don't know what tomorrow brings, and you know I'm just. People can toast me when I'm gone of course if we can say one thing about lorraine lewis is that she lived life to the motherfucking fullest.

Speaker 1: 1:05:11

Well, I want to like we're on the only fan. So I want to. I want to um, dispel or debunk myths and I don't know a lot about the platform, but I believe there's this sexual connotation with the platform. When somebody says OnlyFans, the mind automatically goes to one spot. How would you best describe what your subscribers could expect if they sign up for Lorraine Lewis OnlyFans page? I have to assume you educate me and the listeners right, because maybe there's OnlyFans sites that are somebody reading poetry Like I don't know, right at the end of the day, so tell us about your OnlyFans page.

Speaker 1: 1:05:57

Tell us about your OnlyFans page.

Speaker 3: 1:06:00

My OnlyFans is a chance for people to have a one-on-one conversation with me for reals. Right, like you can video chat with me for reals, I can make a custom video for you, which you can do that on all sorts of platforms. But I do want to say OnlyFans does not have to be porn, and I think that that's what everybody thinks. Whoever's on OnlyFans is a porn star. I will say some of them it's full-on porn. I'm like whoa, I subscribe to a couple of the top tier that are like the number one content creators, and and it's full-on porn, um, and I don't judge that at all. I mean, that makes the world go around and I I don't judge anybody on any of that kind of stuff.

Speaker 3: 1:06:53

My particular page is very sensual, very sexy, um, and I've been posting sexy photos of myself for years. I mean, you know, you know, if you go back to 1988, I'm on the floor with no top on sucking on a lollipop Sure, you know. So I've always been that, I've always been that girl. I was that pinup girl in the 80s for rocking, you know, sex appeal, and that hasn't changed. I'm not any different than I was back then. I just feel more free, even Right. And so, yes, there's definitely a sensual, sexual nature to it.

Speaker 3: 1:07:29

As far as on Instagram, I can post certain photos, but I can't post freely the kinds of photos that I post on OnlyFans. That makes sense. You're not going to subscribe and you're going to get like all these nude photos of me, like that doesn't happen either. It's a platform where I post really cool, tasteful, classic, you know rock and roll kinds of shots. I mean maybe you've seen some of them with the guitar. I'm completely nude with the guitar between my legs, I mean, and those are with the guitar between my legs, I mean, and those are beautiful, artistic shots in my opinion. But I know that there's probably some people be like, oh my God, um so, but you know, rock and roll has always been in your face. Rock and roll, what are we afraid of? Right?

Speaker 1: 1:08:18

Yes. Well, the reason I asked you about that and I wanted to give you the platform to say this is what mine's about. Because you know people, you know humans. They're going to judge Automatically. People's minds go to a spot and you can't get their minds unstuck from that spot and it's not fair to you, it's not fair to anybody. That's on any platform, especially only fans. You can assume that Lorraine is doing x, y and z, or that person's doing x, y and z, but don't judge them until you know. So that's that's why I kind of wanted to just give you that platform to say this is, this is, I mean, it's tasteful, like we've all seen those shots. You could open up Playboy and see that you can buy that at the local store down the street. Well, not anymore. But you, you understand what I'm saying, right?

Speaker 3: 1:09:10

yes, and I appreciate that. But you know, but I'll also be honest with you. I mean, I you know there are people that want, um, that want, you know, requests and want, but a lot of people love feet and I don't know why, but they love my feet. So and.

Speaker 3: 1:09:27

I'm okay with that. I mean, I'm really okay with all of it. Like I said from the beginning, I did a song called waiting for the big one, crawling on the floor spanking my, my ass, like I've always been that girl. So do I have more intimate conversations with people? Yes, but when you come to my page, it's not porn and it's not. You're not just gonna, you know, sign up. I have a promo going right now for $3.99 a month, and you're not going to go to my page and see all these nude photos of me, you're just not. But if you message me and we have a chit chat and you, you know, you tell me oh, my gosh, I've, I've fantasized about you since I was 15 years old. You know, we get, we get to flirt with each other and talk with each other and have a moment together, and I don't find anything wrong with that at all. Sure, you know, I think that for me it's about making you know I'm the rock and roll fantasy. It's like that song by Bad Company.

Speaker 3: 1:10:23

Yeah, it's all a part it's all a part of my rock and roll fantasy and that's what I'm here for. Absolutely, I get it.

Speaker 3: 1:10:33

You know it's a fantasy, I'm a fantasy and I am honored and privileged to be a fantasy for so many people, and not only guys, girls too, like I have a lot of girls that message me and that tell me you just give me the courage to flip and do this, that and the other thing, and you know I'm all about people live in life the way that they want to, whatever that be well, lorraine, you've inspired me.

Speaker 1: 1:10:56

I think it's only fans for me tomorrow I'm signing up, god damn it. And I don't know what I'm going to do or what I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Well, if there's listeners interested in your page, how do they find you?

Speaker 3: 1:11:12

Oh, how do they find me? It is OnlyFanscom. Slash Lorraine Lewis Rocks.

Speaker 1: 1:11:18

Okay.

Speaker 3: 1:11:19

And Lorraine Lewis Rocks is my. It's everything. That's my website. Lorraine Lewis rocksco. It's. Lorraine Lewis rocks on Tik TOK. It's. Lorraine Lewis rocks on Instagram. It's, it's everything.

Speaker 1: 1:11:33

Yes, okay, remind me in the is this site? Is it 18 and up, or is it 21 and up? I don't even, I don't even know.

Speaker 3: 1:11:42

I don't even know either, I really couldn't tell you.

Speaker 1: 1:11:45

I guess when you go to sign up for anybody's OnlyFans page, they tell you there what you have to be right.

Speaker 3: 1:11:51

I really don't know. I should probably make a note to look that up. I really don't know, but I would think that it's 18 and over. I mean, we're casting our show right now. It's always 18 and over. Okay, All right, Otherwise you need parental permission and things like that. But the show that I'm working on right now is actually we're looking for people. Hey, a shout out If you're in the LA area or Southern California area and you are looking for love, please come to my Instagram and message me. Please come to my Instagram and message me. We're looking for great looking, fun people age 21 to 35, who really are looking for love or want the experience the dating experience of a lifetime. Sure.

Speaker 1: 1:12:31

Awesome. Where else? What other social media platforms can the listeners find you on? I know you mentioned Instagram. I talked about Facebook a little bit earlier. Are all those Lorraine Lewis rocks, or do they go by different handles? Can you speak to that real quick?

Speaker 3: 1:12:48

Yeah, they're all at Lorraine Lewis rocks. I think the easiest way is Google is your mother.

Speaker 1: 1:12:54

Yeah right.

Speaker 3: 1:12:55

Lorraine Lewis on TikTok, lorraine Lewis on Instagram and it's all. Lorraine Lewis rocks. I will say Facebook, I think, is a little different. I don't know what it is, but I think that there's numbers in there. I don't know, okay, but I it was like generated by Facebook. So I don't really know what that is. And I am on Facebook and I do do my best to answer everybody's questions and, you know, comments. I do my best to answer people when they private message me as best as I can. It's a lot to keep up with sometimes with, you know, going to the studio and the jobby job and all of the great things I do Right.

Speaker 3: 1:13:35

You know, that's exactly why I don't have a boyfriend. I don't have a husband, I don't have any doggies, although I miss having dogs around. But it's just yeah, my time, I'm just always doing stuff because I just feel like that's what I'm supposed to do.

Speaker 1: 1:13:52

You're a hustler. You're a hustler, right.

Speaker 3: 1:13:54

I am. I've been called that many times.

Speaker 1: 1:13:57

I am too, lorraine. I think we're kind of in the same boat there. You know, I've got a lot of stuff going on too, but I don't know how to sit still Right, and it sounds like you, you're kind of poured out of that same mold too.

Speaker 3: 1:14:12

Like you only live once, right, so why would we want to? I had someone message me on Instagram last week and they're like you're always so busy. When do you? When do you find time to relax and when do?

Speaker 1: 1:14:23

you, when do you find time to relax? And I'm like it's overrated.

Speaker 3: 1:14:25

Why? Why do I want to relax again? I know because for me, like this is relaxing. This has been a great time out, if you will, you know, but it's still. I guess people could say I'm still working, but this is great, yeah, you know, um, every morning I wake up, I do my hot girl walk uh, before that, even I have a list. I wake up, I do my hot girl walk. Before that even I have a list. I write out my gratitude list. I drink my coffee, I say hello to my subscribers, I send my subscribers, get a little video for me every morning. Good morning babes, good morning babes, as I go to make coffee and talk with them. And would most people think that that's work? Maybe, but it's my life and I love it and those are relaxing times for me. Of course, you know it's all embedded in with each other. I mean, I love my life.

Speaker 1: 1:15:09

Yeah Well, you're so super cool. I'm glad that you took the time out to chat with me. It's been fun. It's been awesome getting to know you and to be able to share some of your stories to my awesome listeners around the world. You're certainly a trailblazer in the rock world and a woman of many cool talents. I wish you continued success with all that you have in the hopper and good health along the way, and hopefully you have another 50 years in you, like you said. Right, I expect to come back and say, lorraine, come back on my show when you're 120 years old and we can see what you've been up to, right.

Speaker 3: 1:15:49

Let's check off the list. I have a question for you. What sign are you?

Speaker 1: 1:15:54

As far as what?

Speaker 3: 1:15:56

Like the astrological sign.

Speaker 1: 1:15:59

Aquarius, I think.

Speaker 3: 1:16:01

Okay, I get along great with Aquarians my sister's an Aquarian and then, when's the last time you lost your shit?

Speaker 1: 1:16:07

Every day. Hey, are you interviewing me or am I interviewing you? I lose my shit every day. My patience is not a strong suit for me.

Speaker 3: 1:16:18

Okay, lastly, what are your biggest pet peeves?

Speaker 1: 1:16:28

People that are not punctual and when I have to repeat myself to people, those are the two big ones that come to me. I cannot stand.

Speaker 1: 1:16:35

I don't know. I just kind of look at people. If we have an interview at seven and you show up at 7.20, it's disrespectful. You don't respect me enough in my time because I would never do that for you without letting you know. Hey, I'm stuck in trouble, like I would let you know. I would communicate that to you, right? So look, at the end of the day I'm a sales guy in an IT consulting firm. That's how I pay my mortgage, and you don't do customers that way. So it kind of carries over into my personal life, right, for my shows that I play you know, upwards to 100 shows a year in the Houston and Cypress area never, never late to a show. If anything, I'm two hours early to a show. I'd rather be an hour early than one minute late to anything. So I answered you by way of China. But pet peeve, just being punctual or people being late is a pet peeve.

Speaker 3: 1:17:35

You'd be surprised how many people want to be on TV and we have something scheduled. They have a Zoom call with me and they show up five minutes late, when, when they're two minutes late, I'm beginning to think that they're not even going to show up.

Speaker 1: 1:17:48

Do you lose your shit though?

Speaker 3: 1:17:50

Uh, I lose kind of internally. I internally because, because at the same time, when they show up and I'm like, oh, they're told like this is exactly what we need. So you know. But but you know and also you know, show up. And I'm like oh, they're told like this is exactly what we need. So you know. But but you know, and also, you know, show up ready, you know 100 percent the dating show.

Speaker 3: 1:18:08

Like I don't want you showing up in your sweats, yeah, Like why are you doing that? I told you in the email this is a dating show that the first time the network is going to see you, we want to impress them. Come show up, come, show up camera ready, looking your best of course, and then I am put into the awkward situation of telling them how hot they are.

Speaker 1: 1:18:32

However, this is a dating show and any chance that you could change that outfit real quick so that we can really impress the network of course I had to do that today and it's I, I don't, I don't mind doing it, but it's but do you think, like, do you sit and think why do I, as a grown woman, have to tell you this shit, right like that, like you're gonna take me down a rabbit hole that you don't want to take me down? It's the common sense thing, and the common sense is not so common anymore at the end of the day.

Speaker 3: 1:19:04

Yeah, if you want to be on TV, do it. Do camera ready. What does camera ready mean? That means show up looking hot.

Speaker 1: 1:19:10

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 1:19:11

So that and then I don't lose my shit too often. But I can't stand it when I go to a restaurant, the big pet peeve. I have three of them. Uh, I hate it when I go to a restaurant or starbucks and the glass doors are filthy with smudges, hand smudges but when did that turn into a thing that nobody washes the door?

Speaker 1: 1:19:33

it's a first impression. Right, it's a first impression. And you're like I'm walking into the shitty ass place to spend $18 on a cup of coffee. At least clean the fucking door, right.

Speaker 3: 1:19:45

Restaurant like that is a huge pet peeve. Also, cheap paper towels. I recently realized big pet peeve. I bought a whole big bundle of them because they were inexpensive and I needed them for it because I moved into a new place and I hate them, hate them, hate them never again. You go to pull one and they all either come off the roll or they break off in chips. It's like the worst. Hate that, hate that. And then I forgot what my other pet peeve is.

Speaker 1: 1:20:16

Well, I think there could be some OCD in there somewhere, lorraine, I don't know, maybe, maybe.

Speaker 3: 1:20:23

I really don't think so you don't think so. My place would be immaculate.

Speaker 1: 1:20:28

Is it not?

Speaker 3: 1:20:30

Well, I still am moving in, but I don't know. Can you see a little?

Speaker 1: 1:20:36

Yeah, that's tidy, of course, Of course.

Speaker 3: 1:20:40

Roses.

Speaker 1: 1:20:41

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 1:20:41

I've got three dozen roses here because you know you're a roses girl, yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:20:47

Well, let's wrap lorraine so you can get back to your evening. I ask the listeners to like, share and subscribe to the podcast on facebook at backstage pass radio podcast. On instagram at backstage pass radio and on the website at BackstagePassRadiocom. You guys remember to take care of yourselves and each other and we'll see you right back here on the next episode of Backstage Pass Radio.

Speaker 2: 1:21:11

Thank you for tuning into this episode of Backstage Pass Radio. Backstage Pass Radio. We hope you enjoyed this episode and gained some new insights into the world of music. Backstage Pass Radio is heard in over 80 countries and the streams continue to grow each week. If you loved what you heard, don't forget to subscribe, rate and leave reviews on your favorite podcast platform. Your feedback means the world to us and helps us bring you even more amazing content. So join us next time for another deep dive into the stories and sounds that shape our musical landscape. Until then, keep listening, keep exploring and keep the passion of music alive.