KINGDOM COME Frontman Says LED ZEPPELIN Comparisons Were 'A Blessing' And 'A Curse'

Patrick Prince of Powerline recently conducted an interview with KINGDOM COME mainman Lenny Wolf. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Powerline: You once told Powerline in 1989 that KINGDOM COME was "apple pie rock." I took it as a statement that KINGDOM COME is perfect music for an America audience. Can you explain?

Wolf: Oh no! That was out of context. Just a comment because I lived in L.A. at that time and I love American "simple" coffee shops and their pies a la mode! Silly me.

Powerline: How ecstatic were you when your debut album reached No. 12 in the U.S. charts?

Wolf: For a short time, it felt better than sex. A very rewarding and unbelievable experience. Especially for a young "kraut" to hit it of in the US. Hallelujah!

Powerline: Do you feel sometimes that America should have continued to embrace KINGDOM COME more?

Wolf: I can only thank America for having given me the first chance, and acknowledging my potential. Everything else is up to the "Big Guy." I learned we can not force anything, and therefore may just take things a bit easier, if possible.

Powerline: Do you think the initial LED ZEPPELIN comparisons hurt? Do you still think back about the LED ZEPPELIN comparison and get upset about it? Frankly, the criticism was overboard.

Wolf: At first, the comparisons were a blessing, but later a curse. Unfortunately, it took the attention away from our potential. I call it fate. Gotta roll with the punches, but it is so long ago. No bad feelings.

Powerline: And, personally, as a listener, I viewed the comparison as a compliment. There's nothing wrong with similarities. After all, what would ZEPPELIN be without the blues?!

Wolf: ZEP were sued by some band for stealing. So who are the angels? Screw it. Every young band is inspired by their idols. So were we, among other bands like THE BEATLES, AC/DC, etc… We could have been compared with Madonna. That would have been a pain.
Powerline: How have you grown as a musician and person after (now) more than a dozen KINGDOM COME studio albums?

Wolf: How? My chest hair got some white in it! I learned a lot about myself and the technical part of recording songs without any help. That's why it took me a bit longer, I guess. It would be sad if I didn't grow as a person after all. Making mistakes is okay, not learning out of them inexcusable! I'm much more at peace with myself than I ever was, without having lost my drive. Sometimes I even think it's good not to have become a superstar, only trying to make the next million bucks, and therefore more so running a business "without the necessary anger," which a true rock dude must have. Some huge bands have a psychiatrist traveling with them. How lame is that?! How about the bus driver sitting in his can for hours each day, trying to feed the kids. Does he have a psychiatrist holding his hand?! Amen.

Read the entire interview from Powerline.