Walter Wray was the lead singer of the excellent alternative rock band King Swamp who had a minor hit in 1989 with the song "Is This Love". The band had a great pedigree, as it featured members of Shriekback, as well as Dominic Miller, who has played with Sting for the last 25 years or so. Walter stepped away from the music biz in the early 90s, but has recently started a unique new project with the Shriekback guys called LiTTLe MaCHiNe. King Swamp is another in a long line of great bands that deserved more.

In the States, the Blow Monkeys are best known for their #14 1986 hit "Digging Your Scene" and their appearance on the multi-million selling Dirty Dancing soundtrack. But, Dr. Robert has never stopped in Europe releasing several solo albums as well as re-igniting the Blow Monkeys in 2007. We talk about how the band's sound changed over time, his conflicted feelings about his 80s work, why he can be difficult to work with, and how he almost became the next Barry Manilow!

Bertie Higgins is the man behind one of the quintessential yacht rock classics of all time, "Key Largo", which reached #8 in 1982. But, did you know that he's still huge in other parts of the world, including the Pacific Rim where he still plays to thousands of fans? There are so many interesting bits of information in this interview, including the ups and downs of his career, how he got into the movie business, and his friendship with Burt Reynolds. And, wait til you find out who his son is!

The Crazy 8s were an American ska band in the 80s and 90s out of Portland. While they had some regional success, they never completely broke nationwide, although they did get major national exposure when they appeared on Star Search! They were a band of high ideals and a strong DIY attitude, but it may have ultimately cost them the brass ring. They deserved more.

Oingo Boingo are still one of the most beloved bands of the last 35 years. When they called it quits 20 years ago Danny Elfman went on to bigger things and has never looked back, but what about the other guys. Johnny tells us about his life before and after Boingo, what music he's doing now that gets him excited, and why Oingo Boingo were especially big in Salt Lake City of all places.

Your band gets launched into worldwide fame as your debut album sells four million copies. Shortly after your second album comes out your lead singer, the face of your band, suddenly dies of a drug overdose. What now? Blind Melon's Christopher Thorn answers that question in stunning detail. He also shares his new project, Sonny Boy Thorn, which might be his best work yet.

Jimmer was the frontman of the seminal 80s college rock band The Rave-Ups who were forever immortalized when they appeared the movie Pretty in Pink. After three critically-acclaimed albums the band broke up and Jimmer basically disappeared for the next 25 years. Unfortunately, he had a rough go during that time, some of which we talk about here. Thankfully, he's finally back making music, including his excellent solo album The Would-Be Plans.

Here's another "first day of MTV" band. After over 40 years as a group, we felt Shoes deserved an in depth career retrospective. Jeff Murphy tells the stories behind each album, how him being a gearhead from a young age influenced the band's sound, and war stories with the likes of Gene Simmons and Butch Vig. There've been highs and lows, but Jeff's come out the other end as a balanced, kind gentleman.

In honor of MTV's 34th birthday, we talk to a guy that was there on day one. Slim Man was the driving force behind a hard rock group in the early 80s called Bootcamp who appeared a couple times on MTV's first day on the air. But, for the last 20 years he's taken on the Slim Man moniker and made a living as a smooth jazz lounge singer. It's a mind-boggling transformation, but he's good at it.

Not everyone would be able to go from frontman to sideman. To go from lead singer of your own modern rock band to sidekick for oldies acts may take some pride swallowing, but Rich Spina has had nothing but success (and a steady paycheck) since making the switch. Here's the story of a man who achieved success through a much different route than he expected.