As you can imagine, as an artist, I have lots of different influences. Mine are listed below, with a little bit of explanation behind each one. This section will grow over the months, but for now, meet my two main men Jim Steinman and Stephen King.

THIS IS Jim Steinman. He was the songwriter responsible for Total Eclipse of the Heart for Bonnie Tyler, and the entire album by Meat Loaf called Bat Out of Hell. And of course, Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell. In my opinion, he is one of the greatest songwriters in history. He is responsible for a few tracks by The Sisters of Mercy, Bonnie Tyler, Meat Loaf, Pandora’s Box, Celine Dione, Katherine Hannah, and wrote the vampire-filled musical, Tanz der Vampire which did well in Germany. There’s now a musical called Jim Steinman’s “Bat Out of Hell: The Musical.” It’s in London, and on Broadway. And he almost wrote a musical about Batman! He died in 2021, of Kidney Failure. What a great loss to the world and to us.

And of course, we need to talk about the man who needs no introduction, the inimitable Stephen King. He’s a master writer. I have read all of his books and have failed to come away unimpressed by any of them; in particular, Tommyknockers, Insomnia, and It were big influences on me. But I also remember being mightily impressed by his personality; so friendly and easy-to-get-along-with, it appeared. What an incredible talent. His Dark Tower septology in particular made me crazy about him, and it too was a lasting influence.