have you ever said to yourself...
"I saw 'Bigger Than Jesus' and boy were those singers rockin'! I wish I could hear their original on-air auditions!"
If so ... well ... by golly, you're in luck!
Back before we knew them, back before Musical Director Chris scowled and screamed at them week after week in a fruitless attempt to break their spirits, back before they evolved into the singular rock machine that is the heart and soul of 'Bigger Than Jesus', they were just strangers ... regular guys with the balls to come on a radio show at 10 in the morning and sing along with bad karaoke tracks.
It's hard to imagine that once upon a time (six whole months ago), I didn't know Jairus Minsky. But he's one of those guys that comes into one's life and instantly enriches it. It almost didn't happen, though. The Ozzy selection was difficult, as we had a few really fantastic singers to choose from. A guy called Jean Dobbels came in and busted out some seriously awesome "War Pigs" (a cappella, no less). And an Ozzy impersonator named Tim blew our minds with his voice and his costuming. But in the end ... we just couldn't resist the magnetic pull of Jairus. And here's his first audition for your listening pleasure
And then the search for Axl Rose and Robert Plant... We knew if we'd found one, we'd most likely found the other, as Axl and Plant share such similar vocal qualities. It came down to two guys ... a young man named Stephen Wilson, and this freaky bastard named John Hughes. Of all the casting decisions we had to make, this one was probably the hardest, because they were both so damn good. Ultimately, though, we took our chances with John Hughes. And, as it turns out, he ended up providing us with our Vince Neil and James Hetfield as well. Hear John's winning audition, complete with tiny guitar
Throughout the casting process, the most common choice for hopefuls was Tommy Tutone. "Jenny" became the default song for guys who didn't necessarily sound like any of the other, more distinctive singers, but wanted to audition anyway. But Michael Chriss was a no-brainer. Despite the fact that he sounded more like Neil Young than Tommy Heath, Michael had that certain something that drew us all to him. What we didn't know at the time was that Michael played bass and would eventually join the band. And he also provided us with the original IHOR space. So ... I guess we made a fine choice for many reasons! Click here to listen to his original audition
(Please note how I tastefully refrained from mocking Michael for ruining the entire show by coming in early during the performance.....)
Just kidding, Michael. (it's already been fixed in post. shh!)
If so ... well ... by golly, you're in luck!
Back before we knew them, back before Musical Director Chris scowled and screamed at them week after week in a fruitless attempt to break their spirits, back before they evolved into the singular rock machine that is the heart and soul of 'Bigger Than Jesus', they were just strangers ... regular guys with the balls to come on a radio show at 10 in the morning and sing along with bad karaoke tracks.
It's hard to imagine that once upon a time (six whole months ago), I didn't know Jairus Minsky. But he's one of those guys that comes into one's life and instantly enriches it. It almost didn't happen, though. The Ozzy selection was difficult, as we had a few really fantastic singers to choose from. A guy called Jean Dobbels came in and busted out some seriously awesome "War Pigs" (a cappella, no less). And an Ozzy impersonator named Tim blew our minds with his voice and his costuming. But in the end ... we just couldn't resist the magnetic pull of Jairus. And here's his first audition for your listening pleasure
And then the search for Axl Rose and Robert Plant... We knew if we'd found one, we'd most likely found the other, as Axl and Plant share such similar vocal qualities. It came down to two guys ... a young man named Stephen Wilson, and this freaky bastard named John Hughes. Of all the casting decisions we had to make, this one was probably the hardest, because they were both so damn good. Ultimately, though, we took our chances with John Hughes. And, as it turns out, he ended up providing us with our Vince Neil and James Hetfield as well. Hear John's winning audition, complete with tiny guitar
Throughout the casting process, the most common choice for hopefuls was Tommy Tutone. "Jenny" became the default song for guys who didn't necessarily sound like any of the other, more distinctive singers, but wanted to audition anyway. But Michael Chriss was a no-brainer. Despite the fact that he sounded more like Neil Young than Tommy Heath, Michael had that certain something that drew us all to him. What we didn't know at the time was that Michael played bass and would eventually join the band. And he also provided us with the original IHOR space. So ... I guess we made a fine choice for many reasons! Click here to listen to his original audition
(Please note how I tastefully refrained from mocking Michael for ruining the entire show by coming in early during the performance.....)
Just kidding, Michael. (it's already been fixed in post. shh!)
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P.S. To hear the story of how I first offered the role of Tommy Heath to... well.. Tommy Heath, tune into the BTJ Commentary, coming this winter...
Wow...I believe that would be the first BtJ "Guaran-tease"...
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