YouthQuake magazine: FRONT PAGE | MUSIC | FILM | AUTHORS | ACTORS | MODELS | ABOUT The
ever-entertaining world of Warren Cuccurullo, By
Cyndi Glass When
you know Warren Cuccurullo, the best philosophy is to expect the unexpected.
A musician to the core, he’s always trying new things, never content
to coast or stay in one spot long enough to be categorized. His music
will draw you in with pure emotion that needs no lyrics to be expressed,
and the more you get to know about him, the more colorful and intriguing
he becomes. Despite
his habit of unabashed self-expression (not to mention the “Rock Rod”),
the general public probably doesn’t recognize his name unless they’re
a Zappa fan or a Duranie. Yeah, as in Duran
Duran – during his 15 years in the band, he co-wrote the hits
“Ordinary World” and “Come Undone.” Who is Warren? Come along as we
take a look at a man who doesn’t look old enough to have had this
much fun. Warren’s personal
life Born
into an Italian, Catholic family in December 1956, Warren Cuccurullo
grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and began playing guitar when he was 9.
During high school, Warren played in local bands, gave guitar lessons
and traveled to any Frank Zappa concert within 500 miles of Brooklyn.
His career began in December 1978, becoming a nonstop whirlwind of
touring, recording, writing and fun. Warren’s
parents were always very supportive of their son’s talent and career.
In September 1997, the Italian city of Nocera Inferiore, his father’s
birthplace, invited them to a ceremony honoring Warren’s musical accomplishments.
This was all the more special because in just a few months, his father
would pass away. Warren
has invited fans into his personal life in ways not many celebrities
are comfortable with, and there isn’t much we don’t know. Now that
he’s no longer in a band, he’s enjoying the chance to kick back and
relax for the first time since his teens. He loves to travel the world
for pleasure, read, watch movies and create music at his own pace
to be released on his website. In 2002, he and two partners bought
an Italian restaurant, Via Veneto, in Santa Monica, Calif., making
it even more successful than it had been. After spending periods of
his life in Los Angeles, London and Rio, he has returned to make his
home in the Los Angeles area with his fiancée, Donna. Frank Zappa
(1978-1980) First,
the music. Let’s go back to December 1978, when Frank Zappa phoned
Warren at home. Only 22 at the time, Warren was invited to come to
Los Angeles and audition for Zappa’s band. His main job would be to
play rhythm guitar with two other guitarists for Frank to solo over.
The tour was a four-month stint in Europe and Asia. Some of Warren’s
work on this tour has been released on the Zappa albums “Tinseltown
Rebellion,” “Shut Up & Play Yer Guitar” and “You Can’t Do That
On Stage Anymore” (vols. 1, 4, and 6). In
summer 1979, the band returned to Los Angeles, and Zappa began work
on the “Joe’s Garage” albums. Warren played all the rhythm guitar
and did some vocals, on top of being immortalized in several song
lyrics. Warren began to write songs with his new friend, fellow “Joe’s
Garage” performer Dale Bozzio. Missing Persons
(1980-1986) Even
though Warren was in Duran Duran for a longer period of time, he has
called Missing Persons “the child that we created.” This creation
took place in January 1980, when he and Dale officially formed the
band with Dale’s husband, ex-Zappa drummer Terry Bozzio. Warren’s
father financed the recording of a four-song, self-titled EP. Almost
immediately, they appeared in the movie “Lunch Wagon.” The song “Mental
Hopscotch” became the No. 1 song of 1981 on Los Angeles radio station
KROQ. Although the band sold 7,000 copies of their EP through relentless
self-promotion, it took two years of side jobs and concerts before
they were finally signed to Capitol Records in March 1982. Capitol
re-released the “Missing Persons” EP, which sold 250,000 copies, followed
by the hit album “Spring Session M,” which reached No. 17, going gold,
in 1982. The band achieved awareness in the public mind chiefly through
Dale’s self-made provocative outfits, which unfortunately overshadowed
the experimental and provocative music. The band ended 1982 on a promising
note, playing to a sold-out crowd of 18,000 at the Long Beach Arena
on New Year’s Eve. Most people still remember the songs “Words,” “Destination
Unknown” and “Walking in L.A.” Though
they had great success in southern California, including an appearance
at the May 1983 U.S. Festival and some nationwide radio airplay, the
band never achieved the commercial success they had dreamed of. Two
more albums were released, but in 1986, Terry and Dale Bozzio’s marital
problems proved too much for the band. Missing Persons was over. Duran Duran
(1986-2001) Almost
immediately after the breakup of Missing Persons, Warren began contacting
Duran Duran after finding out their guitarist,
Andy Taylor, was planning to quit. He was brought in to play some
of the guitar lines on their new album, “Notorious,” and on their
next album, “Big Thing,” he played nearly all of the guitar. Throughout
this period, he was featured in three music videos and was their hired
guitarist for two world tours. In June 1989, Duran Duran announced
that Warren had become a full and equal member of the band. Their
next album, “Liberty,” signified a shift into a harder-edged, more
adult sound, and Warren truly made his mark. Recording sessions for
“Duran Duran” (aka “The Wedding Album”) took up most of 1992. The
first single, “Ordinary World,” became Duran Duran’s first major hit
in years. The band recorded an episode of “MTV Unplugged,” which aired
in late 1993. For this performance, Warren completely re-arranged
the songs for a six-piece string section, percussionist, drummer,
pianist and two backup singers in addition to the four members of
the band. The albums “Thank You,” “Medazzaland” and “Pop Trash” followed,
along with tours for each album and appearances on VH-1’s “Behind
The Music,” “Hard Rock Live” and “Storytellers.” In
May 2001, ending months of speculation by fans and rumors of Duran
Duran planning an “original five” reunion, Warren announced that he
was leaving Duran Duran. A few days later, Duran Duran issued an announcement
confirming their reunion plans. Warren performed three final shows
with the band in Japan in June 2001 and has worked out a settlement
with the band in which he receives a financial cut of their reunion
album without having to participate. In late 2003, thanks to the efforts
of his fans and Duran keyboardist Nick Rhodes, he received an MTV
Lifetime Achievement Award for his work with Duran Duran. Missing Persons
reunites ... and reunites again, sort of Stirrings
had been heard of a Missing Persons reunion as early as 1994, and
Dale Bozzio had been performing shows on her own for years. In 1998,
Warren released the first album in a Missing Persons archival trilogy:
a live concert album called “Late Nights/Early Days” (recorded in
1981). Next was “Remixed Hits,” which featured a TV Mania remix of
“Destination Unknown.” One Way Records re-released the three Missing
Persons albums on CD, sparking interest among the fans and in Warren
himself. Talks began with Dale Bozzio in December 2000. In preparation
for the third album of the trilogy, Warren also began searching in
earnest for a long-lost tape of some very early MP material that had
never been released. Warren,
Dale and Terry – the original members of Missing Persons – reunited
for a three-show stint in July 2001, culminating in a fan meet-and-greet/signing,
a live chat on Lycos, several high-energy live performances and the
release of the third album in the trilogy, “Lost Tracks,” which combined
rehearsal recordings from 2001 with live/unreleased tracks from four
other eras of the band. Shortly after that, Terry left the band, and
Dale soon followed to resume her solo shows. However, in November
2002, Dale and Warren surprised fans again with a live Missing Persons
performance on the show “Access Hollywood,” followed by three more
live concerts in February 2003. Will it ever happen again? Missing
Persons fans have learned … never say never. Musicandsex,
part 1: the musical collaborations In
1986, Warren played on an Epidemics album. Following the Duran Duran
1988-89 tour, he enjoyed a brief stint as a tour guitarist for Japanese
pop star Tetsuya Komuro. Warren has also played on a few albums by
new age artist (and fellow MP alum) Patrick O’Hearn, as well as bassist
Nick Beggs. During
some Duran Duran downtime in the early ’90s, Warren and Nick formed
a partnership/band called TV Mania, which they labeled “social junk
culture triptych opera.” More than 60 songs were recorded, and although
some songs were reworked for the most recent two Duran Duran albums,
Warren hopes for an official release someday; some of these songs
can be downloaded on Warren’s website. Warren and Nick also started
a company called Lo-Fi, for which they wrote and produced songs for
other artists, including Blondie.
You
can’t be a Warren fan very long without realizing that Warren has
made a science out of keeping his body in shape. As friends say, he
is an extremist, and this is the case for his health and bodybuilding
as well. For many years, he was a vegan, also shunning alcohol, cigarettes,
drugs and even caffeine, sugar and dairy products. A mind-blowing
array of vitamins and supplements traveled with him on the road, and
he found a gym in every city for his demanding workout schedule. While
he now drinks wine and has eased back into a more normal diet, you
can’t deny that he looks remarkably great for a man of his age. Also,
after wearing various “rock star” wigs for years, he joined the proudly-bald
camp in 1998 and never looked back. And, oh yeah ... speaking of the
body ... Musicandsex,
part 3: the sex The
last thing you could call Warren is “conventional.” As early as his
teenage days in Brooklyn, he was performing in the chorus of the “Rocky
Horror Picture Show.” He showed up onstage in drag at Zappa concerts
regularly enough to be nicknamed “Sophia Warren,” and in 1983 he was
featured in “Playgirl Magazine.” In the late ’80s and early ’90s,
he hosted “Privacy Parties” in the nude during Duran Duran’s tours.
Fans quickly got used to Warren being someone who might say or do
anything, someone for whom no sexual topic was off limits. After the
2000 Duran Duran tour concluded, Warren vacationed in Rio for a few
weeks, where he was photographed nude and fully erect for “G Magazine,”
a Brazilian gay magazine. When
he left Duran Duran, he made a deal for the production of his own
self-modeled adult toy, the “Rock Rod,” which is now available
through California Exotics. His website became a vehicle for self-expression
in Musicandsex,
part 4: the solo music In
1986, Warren began working on what would become his second solo album,
“Machine Language.” During Christmas week in 1993, Warren went to
the United States for a family visit and joined his brother’s band
at a small lounge in Long Branch, N.J. Several Zappa songs and Duran
Duran songs, as well as a song that would eventually become “Thanks
to Frank,” were performed. A few months later, in a 10-day burst of
creativity, he wrote an entire album’s worth of songs. On
July 6, 1994, just before midnight, Warren took the stage at New Jersey’s
famous Stone Pony for a three-hour extravaganza of material that included
his own new music, some Frank Zappa songs and “Ordinary World,” all
done instrumentally in a hard rock trio style (with his brother on
drums and ex-Kajagoogoo member Nick Beggs on bass). In August, he
recorded his first solo album, “Th@nks 2 Fr@nk.” The album was completely
recorded in two days and mixed in three. A live version of the song
“Thanks to Frank,” from the Stone Pony show, was the finishing touch. Continuing with Duran Duran, Warren booked solo shows in London whenever he could. Imago Records gave him a solo record deal, and the “Th@nks 2 Fr@nk” album was released in early 1996, followed by more solo shows, Internet chats and interviews. Another hard rock trio album, “Roadrage,” mostly recorded live, was released in 1998. Warren’s other three albums are completely different, showing his talents in ambient and world music: “Machine Language,” “The Blue,” and “Trance Formed.” In April 2004,
Warren signed a recording contract with AAO Music's Reality label,
a new entertainment company that has been signing artists with a history.
His sixth solo album, some of which is being recorded in his house
in Venice, CA, will also feature local singers, rappers and other
special guests. “Enlighten Up” is scheduled for a fall
2004 release. Warren and his
fans Warren
came into Duran Duran at a huge disadvantage – replacing someone who
was one of the “Fab Five,” in a band that was beloved by its former
teenage fan base. He endured years of being ignored by many of the
fans, even when he was a full member and holding the band together.
But 1993 brought the beginning of “Privacy: The Warren Cuccurullo
Fan Club,” along with a regularly published fanzine about him. On
the 1993-94 tour, Warren made a lot of headway among Duran Duran fans
by being accessible and friendly, and membership took off. In fall
1998, the fan club/fanzine was discontinued and replaced by a Privacy
website, consisting of information and photos. Once
Warren left Duran Duran, his first project was taking over this fan-run
website, buying a server for it and transitioning it into something
commercial, high-tech and much more interactive. The new Privacy website
is run by Warren and two fans, and offers all the information you
could possibly want, plus mp3 and video downloads, online chats, a
message board, a shop and most of all, Warren’s uncensored self-expression
and fan interaction. While
many might be shocked by some of Warren’s activities, his fans aren’t
surprised or put off at all. It’s part of what makes one a Warren
fan ... not only an appreciation for his music and looks but also
an attraction to his open-minded and experimental nature. With
Warren, there’s always a new chapter being written. Expect the unexpected. Cyndi
Glass started Privacy: The Warren Cuccurullo Fan Club in 1993 Related link: Warren Cuccurullo's official site |
| Related YouthQuake articles: |
| Duran Duran: A comprehensive look back through the band's music |
| Buckethead: The world's strangest solo guitarist |