Grand Funk Railroad's Don Brewer on 'Mailbox Money & Shea Stadium

Grand Funk Railroad drummer Don Brewer wrote and sang the band's biggest hit: 'We're An American Band. Don talks about the 'mailbox money' that tune has brought in over the years. Plus, Grand Funk sold out Shea Stadium in NYC quicker than The Beatles! Don has a great story about that night. A true classic rock legend.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Well, it is such a greatpleasure to have with us today, a
gentleman that we are going to seeat Brown County Music Center on Friday,
September eighth with Grand Funk Railroad,the man who wrote and sang the song
We're an American Band. Hello,Don Brewer. Yeah, hello, guys,
how are you doing today? That'sa great lead. I tell you

(00:20):
what I would lead with that ifI were you done. I wrote American
band, and I would like thestake that I'm having at Morton's comped.
You know, it's the least youcan do. We needed an American band
when that song came out. Man, we were being invaded and it's so
great, so great. Well,you know, I didn't intend to song
to be to be a flag leavingthing. You know. It was just

(00:42):
it resimbly. It sounded great whenI sang it, you know, and
I was writing the song and Ican't and I was I spent a few
days on it and I couldn't comeup with you know the line, you
know, the the hook. Andone day it just came out of my
mouth. I was like, yeah, that sounds great. We're an American
band. Sounds sounds terrific to say, Oh, it's a it's a fantastic

(01:04):
song. You know, when youput a band together, no one is
ever thinking about a ten, twentythirty year window. And here we are,
here, we are fifty years plus. What do you think about the
durability not only of Grand Funk Railroad, but all of these great album rock
bands from the late sixties and seventies. I think it's a tribute to the

(01:26):
music that was created at that time. You know, I don't think that.
I don't think the music, youknow, it kind of fell by
the wayside after Disco you get intothe eighties, you know, and then
there was a lot of a lotof rock, but it was it was
manufactured rock, you know, andit has been ever such you know.
I mean, all of this stuffin the in the late sixties, early

(01:46):
seventies, that was you know,it was heartfelt from the soul, you
know. Uh, you know,there weren't any recording tricks going on,
you know, it was that's whatit sounded like, you know, it
was just it was honest, honestmusic, hundred percent, one hundred percent.
Agree Don Brewer here with Grandfunk Railroadfounding member the Grand funk era I

(02:07):
had, I had older friends.I just turned sixty. But but but
I was immersed in grand funk bythe time I was eleven years old,
you know, And so once Ireally started to open up being kind of
sort of a teenage adult grand Funklive, I mean the Heartbreaker seven minutes,
Gunner seven minutes of Heartbreaker live andB Minor. I mean, dude,

(02:30):
roll yourself at joint, get yourfriends together. It's huge. And
Gunner and I don have done overnightradio a lot, so I'm your captain
ten minutes eight seconds. That wasour salvation at three and you yeah,
and we still yeah, we stilldo both of those songs, so you
know, so so bring a jointand have a good time too. Well

(02:51):
there you go. Tell met Footstompand Music is going to be on the
list of course, right that's onthe radio anymore. And it's so fantastic.
It's one of your greatest songs.Uh yeah, we we still we
focused on on the hits, youknow, I mean, rock and roll,
soul, Footstop and Music shining onlocomotion. We're an American band inside
looking out. I'm your captain.Closer to Home, Heartbreaker, you know,

(03:16):
we really focused on all of thestuff that you know, it's grandfather
standards really. You know, it'swell documented that you guys played at Shay
Stadium, I think it was seventyone and you sold out quicker than the
Beatles. What was that night likefor you in such a massive venue?
Scared? You know when you're probablyyou're probably afraid when you were when you

(03:44):
heard the Beatles play there? Whatthe sound was like and you were like,
oh my god, yeah, youknow, I mean everything about it.
You know, we were being flownin, you know, behind the
stage on helicopters, you know,and it was you know, it was
surreal, it really was, youknow, and I don't think that I
don't think we'd ever played to anaudience in quite that way before, you
know, in a baseball stadium.You know, it was just it was

(04:05):
it was unbelievable, you know.I mean, and and the other thing
really weird about it. Back then, they wouldn't allow any of the people
in the field, you know,so here's the stage ball plate and then
you got a completely open baseball fieldand all of the people were up in
the stands, you know, soit was like it was very odd it

(04:26):
was really strange. That is totallyweird. Yeah, they wouldn't they wouldn't
allow people on the on the field. You oh, no, you'll wreck
the diamond. You'll wreck the baseballdiamond. Yeah, I mean, now
now they you know, they rollout the baseball diamond, they roll it
away now and put out a footballfield, and roll that away and put
out a soccer field. You know, they change them over. But yeah,
back then that was that was sacredground. Yeah, that's that's incredible.

(04:49):
Donna, Are you a big sportsguy? Do you follow the Tigers,
the Lions, the Pistons, youknow, yeah, I've been in
Florida so long, you know,I found I followed my poor dolphins.
So we're very sorry. Yes,yes, yes, Oh that's funny.
You know along the way, I'msure you've met so many wonderful people.

(05:10):
But have you ever had a chanceto meet any of your music heroes from
when you were younger and then youguys broke in the late sixties early seventies,
you know, I mean every nowand then we crossed paths with people,
you know, I mean I wasdoing the uh, the Bob Seeger
induction into the rock and roll Hallof Fame, and of course Keith Richards

(05:30):
and Mick Jagger were there, andyou know, I mean, and you
know it's it's yes every now andthen you crossed paths with people are like,
oh my god. You know Inever I never did run into any
of the Beatles though, I mean, other than for Ringo, I did.
I did run into Ringo. Hewas asking me our our lead singer,
Mark Farner back in nineteen seventy twoor something like that cut his hair

(05:53):
and Ringo saw me, saw meout in a hotel parking lot. It
simply, oh, yeah, you'reyou're in that band that that guy cut
Ally's hair off, you know,you know does does Ringo and funk Railroad
Ringo. That's right, all right, So let's down brewer with it.
We all know the Beatles. Butanyway, let's go ahead, and let's

(06:14):
go ahead and ask you don becauseyou're a drummer, is is Ringo star
short changed on how good of adrummer he is? You know, I
mean a lot of people think so. I mean, you know, when
you come to a real what areal drummer is supposed to be about?
I think Ringo fits the bill.You know, he swings, he keeps
the tempo, he puts it,he puts in and just enough fills to

(06:38):
make it like interesting and he andhe stays out of it. You know.
That's what a drummer is supposed todo, you know, And everybody,
you know, everybody downplays him andsays, you know, he's not
really, not really that good,you know, I mean Charlie Watts and
the Stones, I mean, mygod, you know, he plays,
he play, probably plays less fillsthan than Ringo played, you know,
but but the Rolling Stones would wouldhave never been Rolling Stones without that,

(07:00):
Charlie watch Field. I mean,it's just it's just the way you play.
Yeah, the bass player and thedrummer and the you're you're holding the
whole, the whole thing down.You can have a guitar player or a
lead singer that are completely drunken outof their minds. You can still get
through the show off their mind too. So yeah, watch what I'm saying.

(07:24):
If if your drummer is out ofwhack, that's the shows over.
You know, you suffer through it, but it's pretty tough. Yeah.
Yeah, So it's the groove matters. Nothing nothing rolls without the beat and
the bass, that's for sure.And it's so true what you said.
Yeah, yeah it is. It'sso true with Ringo because he's just you
know, he's the Beatles drummer andand and people have given him so much

(07:47):
hell over the years. He's notNeil Perk, but that's not what the
Beatles were. I mean, andI can't admit. Can you imagine Neil
Perk playing in the Beatles? Youknow what? It would have been a
constant drum seal. No. Yeah, I'm one of those guys that gets
vilified when I said I don't.I don't really get into rush that much.
I don't. I don't need aneleven minute song about trees. I

(08:09):
want to rock. He's a greatdrummer, Neil person course what he was
outstanding, it awesome. You know, might do my job drop down to
the ground. Yeah, but canyou again, can you imagine him playing
in the Beatles? No, No, it wouldn't work. Don Brewer shows
up to the Grand Font gig andthey've got a Neil Perth drunk gets set

(08:31):
up for him here and he's like, you have to start an engine like
it's it's it's the cockpit of anairplane. You know, yeah, dude,
absolutely, And you know it's funnybecause Getty Lee is coming out with
his autobiography in November, I believe, and he's calling up my effing life.
All of those guys were so nice. You never thought sex, drugs

(08:52):
and rock and roll with Rush.It was more like, let's go to
a blue Jay's game. That's whatI always felt like when I heard Rush.
But you were right there in themiddle of the sacks, the drugs,
in the rock and roll at thepeak. What was that like,
going from town to town when you'reat the top of the charts. Oh,

(09:13):
I thank god I had that timeperiod. You know, it was
no, it was terrific. Itwas you know, four young Taquidas and
Omaha, you know, sweet SweetCone and little It really it was really,
it was great. What can Isay? And it sounds like you
rather enjoyed that, and why not. You're a young man, no doubt.

(09:37):
Oh goodness, you gotta get downto Indianapolis and Bloomington, Don,
because there's some Puerto Rican girls thatare dan to meet you. Don Brewers
for this. Don. We loveto ask artists this, Uh, do
you have any of your original vinylrecord collection or have you lost parts of
that over the years. I've gota whole I've got a whole collection.

(10:00):
I have every every one of them, uh you know? And yeah,
I mean I don't play him anymoreand I don't have a turntable. But
you gotta hang on to them though, Oh yeah I do. Did you?
I don't know if you if youknow, if you if you delved
into marijuana in your years, I'myou know, I'm assuming most people have,
you know, when they get toa certain age, they've run into

(10:22):
it here and there. I alwayshad and my friends always had a favorite
album that they used to get theseeds out of the weed. I always
use Physical Graffiti because it's a doublealbum and it opens up. Do you
have a favorite D seating album?You know? I wasn't. I wasn't
big on doing the D seating,you know. I let somebody else handle

(10:43):
it for me. And if itwas too many sticks and stems, you
know, I wasn't into that either. So I love that, man.
I love it. Don Brewers,whether it has somebody roll them for me,
roll Snoop Dogg's got a guy onthe payroll. It seems like I
get a headache. You know,if there were too many sticks and stems,
you know, you get a headachefrom Oh yeah, we got Grand

(11:05):
Funk Railroad singer and drummer mister DonBrewer with us the American Band two or
twenty twenty three. Now Don.Over the years, I'm sure that the
checks keep rolling in year after yearfrom that one brilliant song. Do they
contact you when somebody wants to usethat in a movie? How does that
work for you? Oh? Absolutely, I mean when they when they contacted

(11:28):
me from General Motors to use itin a commercial. Uh, you know,
yeah, they have to they haveto contact I control the publishing and
the songwriting, so they have tocontact me to get the rights to use
it, you know. But yes, it has been it has been wonderful,
uh, seeing that mailbox money sothey call it, you know,

(11:48):
and anymore anymore, it's it's automatically. It automatically appears when you're checking accout,
So yeah, that's pretty cool.But yeah, it's it's been great,
and you know, that's that's agunner and I have a little bit
of that going on, you know, just because we will go out and
do you know, appearances or whatever. The radio stations, so it's so
nice when you walk out your frontdoor and you're gonna walk out to the

(12:09):
mailbox, because most people when they'rewalking out to the mailbox, there ain't
no good news in there, youknow, when you're walking out there,
Okay, this might have a checkin there today, it's like the best
feeling in the world. It alwayshas been. You know. It's funny
because Don, we were talking toKevin Cronin of Rio Speedwagon and I'm flat
out asked him. I said,hey, man, I mean, you

(12:31):
wrote a lot of songs. Howfat are those checks? And he said
to me, he said to meand Don, he said, let's put
it this way. It put mytwo kids in the most expensive college in
America. And I don't think thereyou go. I don't know what college
that is. It might be Pepperdineon the ocean there in California. I

(12:52):
don't know if it's Harvard or whatever. But he was like, yeah,
radio has been very very good tome. But you know, but it
ain't used to be, you know, ever since ever since stepped in.
Boy, it's it's it's it's likesqueezing, squeezing the last bit of milk
out of that out of that tipjust that go out. Yeah, it's

(13:13):
tough, you know, and youknow they you know how many decimals there
are in front of the one before, you know, the way artists get
paid anymore, it's man like,I think there's sixteen before you get to
a one, you know. Soyeah, yeah, yeah, it's terrible.
That's why you gotta get Grand FunkRailroad on the road. And all
of these classic rock bands are outon the road to Dubi Brothers, you

(13:35):
know, Chicago, you know,are all of these bands are out on
the road touring because that's where theroyalties are now, you know, yeah,
that really is that's it, that'swhere the money is. Everybody still
loves it. Oh my god,absolutely, don I mean it was it's
you know, it's a it's abreakup that everybody knows about. But is
there any contact between Grand Funk andMark Farner? Only three attorneys? Yeah,

(14:01):
right, I mean, you know, you gotta do what you gotta
do. And then you guys,obviously you have the right to go out
there with the Grand Funk Railroad name. Absolutely well. We've been doing this
with this particular incarnation of the bandfor twenty three years, you know,
and it's and it's been it's beenterrific, you know. I mean it's
well, I can tell you firsthand. I've opened I've opened for the the

(14:22):
for Grand Funk Railroad without Mark Farner. Uh I think four or five different
times at biker festivals and things likethat. Just so yeah, all over,
you know, all over you getyou've been Blossom Bogie and some places
like that. And I got tosee you know, I went on first
and then you guys were next,and the show is you ain't missing a
thing. It's great. Yeah,it's it's a good shows. It's a

(14:46):
good band, you know. Andand we don't we don't have and you
know it's the really nice thing isthat we've been together for twenty three years
and we still like each other.So yeah, that's that's that's hard.
That's hard, dude, it's hard. I meant coming up, coming up
this September, I will have beenmarried thirty years. Don has been married
for over thirty years, but tothree different women. Because I'm a musician,

(15:13):
you know, I'm naming it allon the lifestyle. Yeah. Yeah,
so you know a lot like youtalk with Mark Farter through your lawyer.
That's what Don does with all ofhis ex wives. There's lots of
conversation that happens through the lawyers.No, you know how, you know
how I did it to keep thepiece? How I do it to keep
the piece? When I get divorced, I say, look, I need

(15:33):
these guitars, I need these amplifiers. I want my tools and my clothes.
And that's it. You can havethe rest of it. And they're
like, cool, I don't hearfrom him again. Yeah, just have
it. It is a hell ofa gathering of musicians. You've got singer
Max Carl who was with thirty eightSpecial wrote the song second Chance, lead
guitarist Bruce Kulick, who we knowtwelve years with Kiss and it goes on

(15:56):
and on. You guys have areally great band have put together. I
appreciate that. Thank you very much. I think so too. I really
think it's a great band. Well, we cannot wait to see it live.
And boy, this is a wonderfulvenue. It's only a few years
old. Get your tickets Brown CountryMusic Center, Nashville, Indiana, and
a Friday night rock show. Youget some left handed cigarettes, a few

(16:18):
beers, and an uber ran homeand you'll be good to go, Grand
Funk Railroad, the American Band TourWell Don Brewer, thank you for the
time in all the years of thegreat music. Thank you guys,