SE: Hello how are you doing?
FS: I’m doing good Steve Es-co-bar. Yeah, man.

SE: What’s going on with you today?
FS: Oh trying to pay bills.

SE: Oh I know that feeling!
FS: You know, when you’re Black and broke and unemployed it’s hard to pay bills. (Laughs)

SE: I know, it ain’t any easier when you’re Hispanic and broke… (Laughs)
FS: (Laughs) Yeah, we’re in the same boat man! (Laughs)

SE: Yep! When did you first take up the drums?
FS: Oh goodness… I’ve always wanted to play drums ever since I was three or four years old but I didn’t get my first set of drums until I was nineteen. The day my sister married Tommy Chong from Cheech & Chong.

SE: So that means that Rae Dawn Chong is your niece.
FS: My niece… and Robbie Chong, uh-huh.

SE: Nineteen when you got your first kit. That’s a long wait!
FS: Oh yeah man, late starter or late bloomer but that’s okay.

SE: Were you playing other instruments before that?
FS: No, just drums. Basically percussion you know.

SE: What other drummers were you listening to growing up?
FS: A lot of jazz drummers. Elvin Jones, Philly Joe Jones, Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, you know… all the earlier guys.

SE: By the sound of that Hi-Hat work you must’ve listened to Max Roach.
FS: Uh… A lot of that is my own stuff.

SE: Oh really?
FS: It really is you know, I invented a few things… I’m still the only one that does certain little things like that you know, I’ve got a couple of little tricks.

SE: Itís your trademark!
FS: Yeah.

SE: Now, how long did you play the clubs… and what bands did you play in before you got into the Three Dog Night thing?
FS: Yeah… I played with you know… just growing up little community bands and a couple of little traveling bands. Just before Three Dog Night, I had my own little band called The Heatwave and we were working around. I was basically from Canada, I went from Canada to Los Angeles to Honolulu back to L.A., and then joined Three Dog Night.

SE: Before them, you were playing more RnB?
FS: Yeah, back in those days the club things were Rhythm and Blues bands you know, from the James Brown songs to all those types of songs… I’m fifty-seven, man.

SE: When the Three Dog Night guys approached you… what was your take on them when you first heard their stuff?
FS: They didnít have any stuff when I first joined the band. Joe Schermie, the Bass player found me. I was working in a club in Hollywood here when Joe came in. You should talk to Joe Schermie. There was a lot of stuff that we knew as a unit that hasnít been told and… a lot of stuff, a lot of stuff.

SE: The first album you guys did sounded like it was basically… recorded live?
FS: Yeah. Everything was, all of our stuff basically. All of our albums.

SE: The band supplied a backing track and the vocals were added later?
FS: Yes that’s what we did.

SE: That first album sounded as though you guys just set up in a room set up mics and played.
FS: Well basically it was recorded at The Whisky our first album. The Whisky a go go. It was remixed in the studio to make it sound better but that’s basically it. It was pretty raw. It was a long time ago man!

SE: Yeah but you know… that sound is back!
FS: Yes it is isn’t it.

SE: Do you ever get kind of shocked by some of these house music records today when they’re kind of sampling your stuff?
FS: That doesn’t bother me at all you know, but uh… I’m old school I prefer the old way you know.

SE: Right. Well, old school is in.
FS: Yes it is, it sure is.

SE: From touring in the late sixties through the early seventies are there any moments on the road that stand out in your mind?
FS: A ton of ’em! A TON of ’em! Oh yeah man… that’s why you’ve gotta talk to Joe Schermie, He’d talk more than me I’m saving half of that stuff for my book. (Laughs)

SE: While on the road did you guys hang together as a band or was it kind of a cliquey us and them thing?
FS: No, we hung together. In the early days it was really a unit. I mean we worked really tight! That’s why it worked so well. Because we were just tight! You know, the whole seven guys were more of a unit as opposed to the three singers and the four musicians that type of thing. Even though that’s the way it was contractually You know, we worked for Three Dog Night Inc. the band, the musicians. But we were tight, everybody was pretty tight until everybody started getting into each other’s business way down the road a little bit. You sing and I’ll play and it’ll work! But when you start getting into each other’s business…

SE: From where you sat and saw that panoramic view, was there ever any like personal tension or turmoil in the studio or on the road that…
FS: Not really, not really. There may have been a couple of little heat-ups every now and then like any other situation. But it was pretty mellow actually.

SE: You guys did a lot of days on the road.
FS: Oh yeah, we worked more than anybody for a long time man. We worked 250 days something like that out of the year… probably more than that actually. For a while we were flying… we were in the air more than we were on the ground. We were traveling so much.

SE: That’s a long time to not get under anybody else’s skin.
FS: Yeah, yeah. We had little flare-ups but it was pretty much… everybody knew what we had to do and it was worked you know.

SE: And when the band reunited in the early 80’s you joined up with them and hit the road all over again?
FS: Yeah, the first tour I was there yeah.

SE: What were some of the things that made that band fall apart?
FS: Well of course you know there was that drug thing that had quite a bit to do with it too. Not just Chuck Negron but some other people too you know. And that had a big part to do with it. And we needed a break, we needed a break from each other… a holiday, a six-month hiatus as opposed to “Aw fuck you I’m leavin’!” We just shouldíve taken a break and gotten away for a while.

SE: As far as the drug mess goes it seems like the only guys that were clean in the band were probably Michael Allsup, you, and Cory Wells I guess?
FS: No, everybody did some things, but Joe wasn’t screwed up on drugs, I mean.. you know what I’m saying? I wasn’t, Michael wasn’t, Jimmy wasn’t, we all were guilty but we weren’t screwed up like Chuck Negron was, and Danny Hutton for quite a while. We didn’t have to cancel a show or pick someone up out of the street or…

SE: Did you keep in contact with Chuck Negron at all during those years in the 80ís when he was having his biggest problems out in the street?
FS: Yep. For the last nineteen times before Chuck really went in to get cleaned up Joe and I used to… Well, he was living with Joe Schermie when he left one of the rehabs and stayed with Joe for quite a while and I had to go pick them up every day, every night, or whatever and drive them downtown to get his Heroin and… Putting our lives at risk and all that stuff. And after nineteen times I said, “That’s it for me, I can’t do it anymore!” After that, he basically went in and got cleaned up.

SE: Hmm. What bands did you hook up with after that?
FS: I worked with the Ohio players for a year, and I toured with them for a year. Then with a couple of little groups around town but that was the biggest group other than Three Dog Night that I worked with since Three Dog Night.

SE: Did you get into session work also?
FS: I did quite a bit of session work for a while you know, but that’s old hat now everybody’s sampling so there’s not much session work like that anymore for drummers. There’s a few that do a lot of session work but I’m not one of them.

SE: How about doing your own beats record?
FS: That’s in the works.

SE: Really?
FS: That’s in the works, yeah, uh huh. I’m getting my website altogether and I have a lot of my artwork on my website and some original music. I’m working with Joe right now on a couple of music projects.

SE: How long have you been painting?
FS: About seven or eight years. I had a little bout with arthritis a few years ago and I couldn’t do too much… I always like to doodle you know, and I just started finishing some of my artwork and somebody said “Oh that’s really nice, you should start selling some of that stuff” And that’s what I did and it’s been working… developing my own style.

SE: That’s great! I’ve heard that some of your art has been bought up by a greeting card company.
FS: Yeah, that’s what we’re working on now. Chuck Negron used some of my artwork on his first CD as a matter of fact. (Am I Still In Your Heart)

SE: Yeah?
FS: Yeah, the first one that he put out since his cleanup. It’s all in the inside art illustration but they had to change the color because all my artwork colors are really brilliant and they had to change it for his CD for some reason.

SE: You’re selling paintings and your working a deal with the card company, do you ever find time to play at all anymore?
FS: Yeah, uh huh, I was playing New years with a few different people… I’ve worked with a couple of different people you know.

SE: I saw that video clip of you and Joe playing with Chuck over at The House Of Blues, that was great!
FS: Thank you.

SE: I wish they held that camera on you and the Hi-Hat you know? (Laughs)
FS: Yeah, well, next time. (Laughs)

SE: I mean there’s no other way for a drummer to be able to figure out and steal your beats.
FS: Well that’s what I’m going to be doing on my website… The Floyd Sneed method type things you know, I’m gonna do that.

SE: Like an instructional video?
FS: Not necessarily instructional… Just how I did it and I’ll explain a few things. I have some on video already from a couple of drum solos and…

SE: The drum solo on the second Three Dog Night Live album sounds great!
FS: Well thank you.

SE: It’s a pretty long track too, that must have been pretty damn tough.
FS: Well, I’ve been doing it for a long time.

SE: (Laughs) It comes easy to the ol’ pro’s!
FS: Yeah!

SE: So, what is your relationship with the other guys in the band today?
FS: Oh, I speak with everybody… I havenít spoken with Cory Wells for a while and Danny Hutton. But I love all of the guys in the band you know? I really do. Everybody’s gotta grow up something stupid.

SE: Yeah (Laughs)
FS: Because it is stupid you know? Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young are together again you know?

SE: The Beatles got back together.
FS: The Beatles got back together again.

SE: It seems that the front men donít seem to get along very well at all.
FS: Itís so stupid… Because it’s really stupid… That’s all I can say. It’s not worth the effort, the litigation, and all that mess.

SE: I mean that combination you guys had was just magical!
FS: Yes, it sure was. And they wonít realize that you know? It took seven people to do what we did and it’s uh…

SE: Yeah man, that was a team.
FS: And I’m still better lookin’ than all of em’.

SE: That’s right!
FS: I’m glad you agree man.

SE: That’s right. (Laughs)
FS: (Laughs)

SE: I’ve even got up one of those tributes to Floyd Sneed posters.
FS: That’s right. See? You know! (Laughs)

SE: Well, Three Dog Night had twenty-five or so hit records and you were the man that supplied each one with an infectious groove that makes them sound so cool!
FS: Well thanks for recognizing that.

SE: Everyone in the band was great but if it wasn’t for those grooves I don’t think those songs wouldnít have gone as far as they did.
FS: They wouldn’t have man, That’s… You see, the singers didn’t understand that, they don’t understand that. They never give any… They just don’t understand that. It’s part of the package you know?

SE: The playing you did definitely came from within.
FS: MmHmm.

SE: The drummers playing with Chuck’s and Three Dog Night’s band, they’re just trying to match what you did and then just add their own little style… Which there isn’t really any need for them to add their own style…
FS: Right, thank you. You understand, you’re a musician, you understand.

SE: There’s never enough props to the drummers! But when they move on and go someplace else the sound totally changes. I mean I’ve yet to hear the existing Three Dog Night band but…
FS: I’ve heard them and it just isn’t alive! you know, it isn’t alive. It doesn’t push it doesn’t move, it just… Going through the motions so to speak. And that’s good.

SE: When the second live album was done was there any doctoring up being done in the studio?
FS: Yes, a little bit. There’s always something you’ve gotta do.

SE: The song “Black And White” sounds so perfectly done that it’s identical to the single.
FS: I love that track! Especially the 45rpm track! The end of it… you know, the groove just goes and goes.

SE: It has a great ska/shuffle groove.
FS: That’s right! You’re right! Yes, it is.

SE: It’s a completely original groove put to it that makes the train move along.
FS: Joe and I… We did that.

SE: On the first album there’s a rendition of the Lennon and McCartney song “It’s For You” that is basically just vocals and your drum groove, was that worked out, or was it just improv?
FS: Well, that’s all I play which is improv, and correct the improv as you go along. And that’s what makes things original when you come up with things like that.

SE: Working off of the singer and guitarist, that’s what makes it sound fresh all of the time.
FS: You come up with new stuff and that’s what made us different. My band!

SE: Do you see any chance of a last hurrah reunion gig with all of the band members somewhere down the road?
FS: I hope so.

SE: That’s what the people like… optimism!
FS: I hope so. Before someone starts falling off of the face of the earth! (Laughs) And it’s not gonna be me!

SE: I know, all you guys are still with us, youíre still young…
FS: I know man, I wish that everybody would just stop their foolishness.

SE: Are there any tracks that were your personal favorite tracks to work on?
FS: Oh man most of ’em are… All of our Three Dog Night stuff…  I love all of it! Maybe there’s a couple of songs that are kind of raggedy but 99.9% of everything we did I approve of.

SE: Are there one or two that you just really dig whenever it comes over the radio or something?
FS: Yeah, there’s a couple that weren’t hits that I really like.

SE: I like that song “Woman”.
FS: I was just gonna say “Woman” vocally thatís one of my favorite songs. The guys were just screaming… And it’s just such a great, strong song. That’s one of them… “Woman”… Oh there’s a lot of ’em, nothing in particular that jumps out but… “Liar” I like ’em all, I really do.

SE: Well it’s a pleasure to speak with you. I’m glad we’ve got this little Rhythm Section here to read.
FS: Yeah man, no one really has ever jumped on that and we’ve got a whole bunch to talk about!

SE: It’s the rhythm section of the old school that matters now.
FS: That’s right.

SE: Most of the great records that are being put together today are just samples of the old-school rhythm sections.
FS: Yeah. That’s right.

SE: Thank you very much for your time.
FS: Good talking to you.