Trooper has been a success on the Canadian music scene for over 20 years, and though band members have come and gone over that time, Ra McGuire and Brian (Smitty) Smith have been the constants that keep the band true to its nature. When Ra talks about Brian, he seems just as apt to refer to him as "my partner" as anything else. They met when they were teenagers, each playing in different bands and going to different high schools. Ra started singing in both bands and eventually worked exclusively with Brian's group. I wondered if he had made the change mainly because of Brian.
{Ra} "Oh no, we didn't even realize we were partners until we'd been doing it for 10 or 15 years. Things moving on, we always seemed to end up being in the same band together. We were the ones that didn't go away or get fired or quit. We just seemed to be the ones that remained when the dust settled :-)"
Ra says he and Smitty have never really discussed their
relationship, or even acknowledged it. They just kind of go on ... being constant,
balancing each other. Typical guy thing 
. Despite all this, it's quite obvious to anyone who
listens that there is a deep affection and respect that has established firm roots over
the last three decades. When Ra writes his thoughts about song writing and solo
albums on his own web site, you
can tell that not discussing their relationship with each other hasn't made it any less
significant or influential.
Trooper's songs bring out a lot of different emotions in people, but there's one song in particular that I just can't hear without grinning. On the "Ten" album, the song Simple Thing has a place where Ra kind of laughs and just sounds so damned free and happy. I asked him about it, and that's when I first started to get an idea of how complex the whole recording procedure can be.
{Ra} "The way we record vocals is very relaxed ... if you ever produce an album for someone, I recommend it. Once the music is recorded, I sing the song right through, about six or seven times. All of those vocals are recorded. Then I go into the control room and get out a chart that I've made up with the lyrics and little spaces to the left where I can "grade" each line with a system of large to small checks (or no mark at all if the line really sucks). After "grading" all the lines from all the vocal performances, the engineer is left with a "road-map" which he uses to assemble the finished vocal. What you get is a "comped" performance that is free of pitch problems and contains the most expressive delivery of each line. The approach has integrity because the performances are collected from the same half hour (the grading and comping takes - sometimes - three or four hours!). The approach is, as you can imagine, totally stress free, so I feel pretty free to sing whatever and however I want with impunity ... there's a lot of goofing going on as I'm cutting the tracks. So ... the answer to your question is ... I don't remember particularly what made me laugh, but when it came back in the grading, it sounded cool so we kept it. There is also one of those giggles in We're Here For a Good Time - I don't remember exactly where, but if you listen carefully, I do the same sort of thing in there somewhere."
For the most part, songwriting isn't a natural, easy process
for Ra. He has a wonderful excerpt about it here on his website
that shows that his literary talents aren't limited in any way to lyrics. "When I actually first write something, I
hardly ever like what I've written." We're Here For a Good Time was one of the few exceptions.
{Ra} "We were going to rehearsal
this day and we had run out of songs. So he {Smitty} came to my house a half hour
early to pick me up, with an acoustic guitar with the intention that we were going to
write something, anything, that we could present to the band so they wouldn't think that
we didn't have a whole bunch of songs. He started playing and I started singing ...
all the melody and music came within two or three minutes. So we go and do the
rehearsal and it goes good, except now I've got this song with no lyrics ... and I'm
starting to panic because we're supposed to do the record in a week or two. As I was
leaving that night I was kinda depressed and {our truck driver guy} put his hand on my
shoulder and said, 'Don't worry Ra, we're here for a good time, not a long time.'
" The
next morning Ra sat on the beach near his home and wrote the words in about 10 minutes.
Boy, was I naive! I never gave much thought to it, but I guess I assumed that an artist has a song, gets in front of a mike, some guy in a control booth fiddles with volumes and stuff to make sure everything sounds like it's supposed to, they sing it a few times and record it, and they've got an album. Well, okay ... maybe I wasn't quite ~that~ naive, but I never had a clue what it really takes to get the music from there to here, on my stereo. And all the politics and bureaucracy that goes with it! I'm learning. For instance...
By the time Trooper did their fourth
album, Thick As Thieves, Ra and Brian had taken on most of the production work
themselves, so an agreement was made where Trooper would receive credit on the album cover
as co-producers along with Randy Bachman. Everything was in place the days
immediately before the cover art went to press.. but when it hit the stands their name
wasn't there! Ouch. That really hurt. They went on to dissolve their
business arrangement with Bachman, losing thousands of dollars in the process, and the
song Go Ahead and Sue Me came out of the whole
experience. They produced their second self-titled album in 1980 by themselves, but
two 
years
later, they let someone else do the production of Money Talks. Well, that
didn't work well either, so Ra and Brian fought their way through red tape and paperwork
and succeeded in forming their own label, Great Pacific Records, in 1987. They've
self-produced all the albums that followed.
Somehow, Ra has found time in the past to be a kind of mentor for a few young, upcoming musicians. By helping them and doing some production work for them, he had hoped to save them some of the frustration and heartache he and Smitty have experienced going through the years. Now he feels that maybe artists have to experience it before they can actually learn it. Sounds kinda like life. He still feels strongly about the importance of new music, though.
{Ra} "I want to experience music as it unfolds into the world. Music (new music, full of new ideas and new directions) continues to bring me great joy. My life right now would be so much less without the music that I'm listening to. I don't want to merely be a part of Canada's musical history. History only has value when it prepares you, in some way, for the present."
If and when he ever quits touring, Brian also hopes to continue in the music business by putting his knowledge to good use working with artists.
{Brian} "I certainly hope that I would be able to help in some way. I think it would be good for me. I've had a lot of experience, not just with Trooper but doing a lot of the sessions with different artists. No one can predict the future. I'd like to think that I'd be involved in the industry... in what capacity I have no idea."
Apparently, there's been a rumour going on that the Summer '98 tour is Smitty's last. Well, let's clear that up...
{Brian} "Who knows where these things start. No, I'm not retiring. I'll always be playing guitar. There could be that Ra and myself start maybe slowing down a little bit, or take a different direction in the music industry. I don't really have a perception of 'retirement'. But obviously I'm not gonna be pounding my butt across Canada back and forth as often as I do right now probably, when I'm.. who knows? .. 70 years old? :-) "
When it comes to songwriting, we all want to know if the guys
are working on new stuff. With the whole frustrating issue of trying to get the
new compilation CD set released still driving them crazy, I risked life and limb 
and asked if they had any
plans for a new album. But new songs and new albums are two different things.
{Ra} "I am slowly writing new
songs. They're odd - kinda dark ("I Feel Like Screaming", "Giving
Blood" , "Drive, Baby,Drive" ) and introspective, but I'm trying not to let
my internal editor blow them out of the water before they have a chance. I've decided to
just do whatever comes out. I'm glad to have the outlet ... I have no particular plans for
them beyond the joy I get from making them."
{Brian} "Ohh, the big
question. To be quite honest with you, no. I don't have any new songs for a
new album... no plans on a new album at this time. I have quite a few song
"ideas" that I keep on cassette... the last time I clicked on a tape recorder to
actually put music down was probably five years ago. I'm not ruling it out,
definitely. Who knows? I guess what it is at this point is I feel quite
comfortable with where we are. Writing a song can be wonderful, it can be horrible,
it can be everything... it's an experience all to its own. I have a real problem
listening to the radio... I try to imagine Trooper out there with a new album, and a new
song, and the way that the radio and the record business is these days, I'm just trying to
see what slot and how that would be accepted. More excuses.. I guess I'm just lazy
:-) "
When the guys aren't on the road doing roughly six shows a
week, sixteen weeks a year, they're leading full, "normal" lives back home with
their families. But with so much touring and so many years of it, Ellie in Edmonton
wondered how the guys keep motivated.
{Brian} "It's a job... that I love.
I've loved music since I was probably a young teenager. And I love playing the
guitar. Basically, the motivation comes from the thrill I get of playing. I
love playing with the band. I've played with lots of other groups and done lots of
other sessions, but actually going out on tour with this band and seeing the reaction of our
fans to our songs... is a real motivator in itself. There are times, like
anybody in any job no matter how much you love it, that it's kind of a "I wanna go
home now"... but that doesn't usually last very long. Money of course,
sure... I mean money is obviously a motivator because this is the main source of income
for my family. But I wouldn't say that it's the main motivator, not at all! I
mean, this is what I do! I've always done this. It's not that hard to get all
pumped up, to say 'Oh boy, we've just had a month off, now we're going to go make
thousands of people happy across Canada, and have a good time, and be with {our} buddies
from the band and crew.' Not too tough :) "
{Ra} "There are people out there
that would do what I do FOR FREE! I've often said that there is no other occupation
where you can have so much freedom, do so many cool things and have so much fun without
eventually getting thrown in jail! It's not an easy job, but whose is? I love what I
do and can't believe people still pay me to do it." *LOL*
One of the many things fans appreciate is that Trooper doesn't screw with perfection by totally redoing the songs that we've come to love and know by heart. But I asked them if it's ever tempting. After all, they've played them so many times (they 'guess'timated at least 5000 times for We're Here For a Good Time alone!)
{Ra} "Our stage
arrangement for "Two for the Show" is dramatically different from the
recorded version, but no one seems to notice. Lots of the songs have been changed-up /
opened up and improvised on ... I think though, that we've always been mindful not to lose
the essence of what people like about the songs. For instance we don't play them at
different tempos or with different feels. And I sing them all pretty much the same
(although I've "fixed up" some of the vocals too! (;-) "
{Brian} "We play them fairly
close... to the recorded version. Of course they are already slightly different in
the fact that they're different musicians playing them, which naturally tends to have a
slightly different feel. I believe in playing the original versions.. better.
There are opportunities within our show that we can stretch out a little bit, and that's
an important part for all of the guys in the band, to keep the energy and the boredom
level of the repetition... not to say that it's boring, but it's always nice to have some
room to adlib. And if that's not enough, then everybody gets a solo. So that's
kind of nice... if you really wanna get going, just go and adlib, go do your solo.
It seems to be working quite well."
I listened one night as a fan approached Ra after a show and asked why Trooper
hadn't played a particular song. Ra patiently explained that, with all the popular
hits, it's impossible for them to play everything that people want. Trooper has so
many BIG hits (like Raise a Little Hell, Here for a Good Time, etc, etc.) that
they're definitely expected to play, that it's hard to fit in some of the others.
They put one in their set list for awhile, then replace it with another, trying to fit in
as many as they can. The drunken fan listened, yeah..yeah'ed, then said "okay,
but why don't you play {such'n such} anymore?" *Sigh* Sure, I agree,
it's tempting to chain the guys to the stage and make them sing all ten albums of the
songs that we love... but do you have any idea how LONG that would take?!?!
And who would pay for the pizza and beer?
But I was curious if the guys themselves would prefer doing something other than the big hits that the audience demands...
{Ra} "The set is pretty
representative of what I like about Trooper. We have to play the hits - I don't
resent that - I'm proud of 'em. My favorite Trooper song is "It Comes
and It Goes" ... some times I think I'd like to do it live - sometimes I don't.
We already have three ballads (Janine, Two for the Show and Pretty Lady) in
the set. Another might start making things a little sleepy (and can you imagine us
leaving out one of those others to accommodate it?). I love singing "other"
songs, and often do when I jam with other bands."
{Brian} "I enjoy playing those
songs. There's a few songs that we don't play that I'd like to.. a little more
obscure stuff like This Must Be the Place. That kind of a song, you
know? Maybe Roller Rink.. something a little bit heavier. But it really
doesn't suit where the band's at at the moment."
What about off-stage performances...
{Brian} "Yeah, we're asked a
lot of times to play and sing. I have a very close-knit network of friends that I
hang out with, with my Power Squadron (which
is Canadian Power
Squadron, a boating group right across Canada). They realize that when I'm out there doing it... they consider it my work and
they don't usually... ask me to get up and play with the band or sit around the campfire
and play. They feel that if I want to, I will. Although occasionally it has
happened... there used to be a real problem for me because I'm not one for doing solo kind
of stuff around a campfire. I'm not very good at it, I don't really enjoy it.
As of late, I've done it quite a few times with my family, but it's more like making songs
up, like funny songs and stuff like that."
{Ra} "I can hack my way through
sing-along with three chords. Funny, though, I don't recall ever being asked to play a
Trooper song around a campfire (mostly Eagles, Beatles, that kinda stuff ...). One
thing I don't like much is when people put on a Trooper disk when I'm there. I guess they
think it's kind of a cool thing to do, but it makes me uncomfortable. By the time you've
finished recording an album, believe me, you don't need to hear it again. It also brings
extra attention to me in a situation where I'd rather just be like everyone else .
And getting recognized on the street...
{Brian} "Yes, I do. Not as often as in the past, obviously. People are different these days, I get recognized on a regular basis but it's not as big a deal, people are pretty cool about it. Some people mention it, some people just I can see it in their eyes that they know who you are and recognize your work. Autographs? Yes, I still do it. More often than not it's parents recognizing us and then getting the kids to come over and get autographs :-)"
The Canadian music industry isn't THAT big that artists don't cross paths now and then on the road. Trooper has toured with a pretty eclectic mix of people over the years, making some good friends along the way. But when it comes to their actions, particularly off-stage, anybody who's ever been to one (or two, or five, or a dozen ...) of their shows recognizes just how unique a band Trooper really is. It's something that the guys are justifiably proud of. A typical night starts off with the crowd growing more and more excited, impatiently waiting for the reason they came to walk onto the stage. (Club owners aren't dumb. The earlier they get you there = the longer you wait = the more you drink = $$$$) After more than 30 years of touring, the guys have got the timing down to a science and arrive right before they're supposed to go on. The place goes wild as they climb on stage and Ra walks to the front and throws his arms wide. And then the crowd really roars. I've always been really interested in that.
{Ra} "We played at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, and it was the first time we ever sold {it} out. Usually we'd start, we'd run out on stage, and I'd run up to the mike and I'd start singing. We were just going to go on stage, our manager stopped me and said, 'This is the big one. Enjoy this, you've earned it.' I thought - he's right. This is all our friends, all our families, in our home town ... this is as big as it gets. I walked out to the middle of the stage, and I just stood there, and then I just held my hands up like that, like - okay, give it to me, I want this, I want to feel this. The largest single response I've ever felt from an audience was when I did that."
It's no wonder! As he says, by placing his body that way - palms open, arms wide, trusting, vulnerable to all - he effectively gives himself over to the people, over to the moment ... and in return, they respond completely and emotionally.
That unique and instant bond with the audience is carried throughout the show, and becomes the most obvious when the band comes back out to sign autographs. It's an important part of the whole experience for them, and it's hard for them to understand why other groups don't feel the same.
{Ra} "How tough is it? To stay in the room an extra half an hour and have people tell 'ya they love 'ya! That's not that hard :-) There's people that look me in the eye and tell me the places that I've touched on their lives unwittingly through the music and it's just really intense. I really respect that. People say 'I know you've heard this before', they preface what they say with that, and I try to make them feel that doesn't matter that I heard it before because I'm hearing it from them, and I've never heard it from them." But they certainly get to hear about other bands that aren't as understanding and approachable!
{Ra} "I don't want to screw with any goodness that I've brought to anybody through the music, by the way I present myself in person. So many band guys can - just so casually and easily without thinking - undo so much good work by just being thoughtless."
But let's face it, this is the real world. With all the giving that they do, there's always some people who want more ... and more ... and more. With so many demands on their time and attention, how do they keep from being cynical? How do they trust?
{Ra} "I guard myself. I don't ask myself 'what does that person want?'. Rather than making assumptions about people wanting something from me, I try to be someone from whom it's difficult to get something from, so that doesn't become an issue between me and people." And is it worth it? "We get to do stuff and meet people and see things that, because of our celebrity and what we've done and the effect we've had on their lives, LOTS of people reciprocate in ways that are equal, or more so in my opinion, to what we've done for them."
"I love my job,
it's very therapeutic, it's very healthy,
there's a whole bunch of people there that
love you :-)"
Okay, so it's obvious why the guys are so loved here in Canada, but what about outside of their home and native land? How did they come to have albums released in Japan? Trooper also has a large following in Australia but, to their knowledge, no promotion or anything has ever been done overseas, so all this is a phenomenon they'd like to know more about. Anybody have any ideas? The guys have said that, if money, politics, administration, etc. weren't factors, they'd really like to do some international tours. Ra would love to go to Japan, Australia, and Thailand, and Smitty has his eye on Britain.
{Brian} "I would love to play England. We've recorded there, and we've mixed there, but the band has never actually played in England. I was born there, I think it would be kind of a bit of a thrill just to get back there. That's where a lot of my roots come from as far as music.. you know, with the British invasion. It was probably my biggest influence."
As of Summer '98, Trooper has been to every province and territory in Canada. Goose Bay, Labrador was the last area that they hadn't played before. But despite their continued Canadian popularity and pleasantly surprising success overseas, they never "made it big" in the States. While the additional money and prestige would have been nice, Ra feels now, in retrospect, that he may not have been as happy today if their lives and careers had become part of the large US market. Does that mean he hates the States? No.
{Ra} "I dislike the USA ... as a concept. I really hope that people who come from America don't think I have a problem with them! The whole "F... the Americans" thing I do onstage is often taken out of context. The point is supposed to be ...we are not going to change our music (or our approach) in some way so that we can be more popular with that larger, more lucrative, audience.
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH ONLY BEING SUCCESSFUL IN CANADA!!
Canada is a cool place and, in many ways, dramatically different from America. I regret the many ways in which we are becoming Americanized."
Ian in Toronto has many things he wants to know about the band, including their opinions about Cancon...
{Brian} "I think
Cancon is an unfortunate necessity to keep the Canadian culture from being swallowed up by
the big American partner. It gives artists the opportunity... only if the quality is
there, to have their stuff played on Canadian radio stations. Not to say that they
wouldn't otherwise, but we'll never know that unless we take Cancon out. In the
meantime, there is a suggestion in some circles that without Cancon, the Canadian music
scene would disappear. I quite honestly don't know. I think that myself, and
Trooper has benefited from it, especially in latter years... when they're looking through
the archives and they're looking at what's going on as far as new artists, and they make
up their content if there isn't enough new talent and new material out there."
{Ra} "I think it's been helpful.
I think the main purpose for it was to ensure that Canadian media wasn't overwhelmed by
American content - something that I believe was very likely to have happened had the
CANCON regulations not been put into place. I don't think CANCON has ever had much
relevance to "big stars" ... as a matter of fact, I don't think it was ever
really intended to help Canadian artists so much as it has tried to honour and protect
some semblance of *Canadian culture*. If Canadian Media were left to their own devices
they would program that music and those TV shows that they determined would sell the most
advertising - that's all they care about. You can bet that the bulk, if not all, of that
programming would originate in America. Along those lines, I'd also like to say: God bless
the CBC."
But wait! There's MORE notes and quotes!