JIM GILLETTE
Back in the 80’s, when I discovered hard rock and Metal Edge, I found my love; heavy metal singing. I had read an article in Metal Edge about Jim Gillette’s Metal Power voice lessons. I called the number in the ad to hear a recording of one of Jim’s incredible screams. It was from a song called Never Say Never. I was hooked! I knew this guy could help me learn to sing high. So I saved up my money to order Jim’s Metal Power and his tape Proud To Be Loud. Unfortunately, thanks to our wonderful postal system, I never received them. Being a kid, I never pursued tracing my package down, and soon forgot about it.
I never lost my interest in learning to sing high, thanks to Mark Slaughter’s vocal performance with Vinnie Vincent Invasion and other singer’s, such as BulletBoys’ Marq Torien. But I have never (even to this day) heard anyone sing as astronomically high as Jim Gillette. I soon rediscovered Jim Gillette’s amazing voice when a friend of mine turned me on to this new band Nitro. He said, “ If you like Vinnie Vincent Invasion, you’ll love Nitro!” He was right! This guy was a vocal freak of nature. He could sing lower, higher, and hold out notes longer, than anyone I have ever heard in my life! And it didn’t hurt that his guitar player was none other than Michael Angelo. He’s only the fastest guitar player in the galaxy ! Then I saw the video for Freight Train on Head Banger’s Ball. When I watched the crystal wine goblets explode from the power of his voice, I became a loyal fan.
The impact that Nitro’s O.F.R. has played on my voice has been life altering for me. Jim set me on the path to self-vocal discovery. I developed a burning desire to learn as much about the voice as possible, so much that I packed my bags and headed to the Musician’s Institute in Hollywood, California.
So I feel that it is only right to interview my biggest vocal influence, coinciding with the release of my 1st book, Raise Your Voice, which is filled with all of the vocal knowledge that I have accumulated over the years since my introduction to Jim Gillette. Here’s what Jim had to say.
Jaime: First off, I want to say thank you for doing this interview. You really inspired me growing up.
Jim: Thank you
Jaime: How long have you been singing?
Jim: I was probably in the 10-11 range. Like most other kids, it started out as a dream and went downhill from there.
Jaime: What inspired that desire?
Jim: I used to roller skate and they would jam tunes pretty loud there. I would air guitar and try to sing along as I skated. I loved it! I had more fun rocking out than I did skating!
Jaime: I know you say you were horrible in the beginning, but were you really??
Jim: YES! I sucked! If I can get better - anyone can! Ha Ha – some people will say I still suck!
Jaime: There had to be some natural ability. I mean your Jim Gillette, the heavyweight world champion of scream! You don’t just suck one day and shatter glasses the next.
Jim: I’m sure that there must have been some natural ability somewhere, but I didn’t know where to find it. To give you an idea of how bad I sounded…I used to play at this nightclub and pack the place. We weren’t old enough to drink but we were playing bars. Anyway, the owner told me I needed to learn how to sing. Can you imagine coming off stage thinking you’re Joe Rockstar and being told you should take lessons? It was pretty funny. I’m glad she made the suggestion though.
Jaime: A lot of singers refer to themselves as “natural”. Do you believe in a natural born singer?
Jim: Yes, but I think it’s very rare.
Jaime: Do you feel you were natural, or did you have to work at it?
Jim: I had to work at it a lot. I’m the opposite of a natural!
Jaime: Who were some of the bands you played with at that age?
Jim: One of my first bands was called Slut. I was also the original lead singer in TUFF.
Jaime: What songs were you trying to sing when you 1st started?
Jim: Metallica, Priest, Maiden, Slayer, Exciter, stuff like that.
Jaime What singers did you try to emulate?
Jim: I wanted to have a range that was bigger than Halford’s. That was all I cared about. I wanted to sing higher and lower than anyone. It was like the rock-n-roll Olympics!
Jaime: Well, I believe you accomplished your goal.
Jaime: Who are your major influences?
Jim: Halford, Prince, Pavaratti, and everything in between.
Jaime: I’m glad to hear that you are a Prince fan. I just saw him in concert supporting his Musicology tour.
Jim: How was it?
Jaime:The guy was amazing! Absolutely one of the best concerts I have ever seen. The musicians were phenomenal! Considering whom you’ve played with, I know you would have appreciated the musicianship.
Jaime: Who vocally, do you consider to have great technique?
Jim: Pavarotti
Jaime: Were you consumed with practice like a guitar player? I assumed you must have been, since you developed such an incredible voice at such a young age. Not many singers practice like they should.
Jim: I would practice for 6-8 hours every day. I was obsessed with singing and increasing my range. I wanted normal singers high stuff to be my mid-range. Insane? Maybe.
Jaime: When you first started studying voice, how long before you realized you could hit some pretty high notes?
Jim: About a year or so I think. It didn’t take long once I started taking opera lessons. I had great teachers.
Jaime: Have you ever lost your voice?
Jim: Never, although I’m sure that if I did lose my voice, it’d make quite a few people very happy.
Jaime: Just the people who have never found a voice!
Jaime: Have you ever had any vocal trouble, either live or in the studio?
Jim: Never. I’ve even sang on tour with walking pneumonia. That sucked – puking during the guitar solos. Wouldn’t recommend that to anyone.
Jaime: Since you write music, do you play any instruments?
Jim: Guitar – badly! Definitely not my thang! That’s Angelo’s forte. I play enough to write.
Jaime: Speaking of Michael Angelo, when the two of you would write together, what was the process? Does he write the music and you write the lyrics, or do you bounce musical ideas off of each other.
Jim: All different ways. Sometimes I’ll have most of the music and I sing it to him. Other times he’ll come to me with music and I’ll come up with the singing. Sometimes we’d sit around all day and write together. I remember the song “Crazy Love”. Mike was in Chicago and I called him and hummed him all the music on his answering machine. He called back a few hours later and played it for me over the phone. I recorded him on my answering machine so I could hear how it all went together! I wrote “Shot Heard Round the World” while I was urinating. The whole tune - seriously. Mike played me the music for “Freight Train” and said , “can you come up with anything for this?” I was like – hell yeah – look out! Same thing with “Long Way From Home”.
Jaime: Once upon a time, you mentioned to me that your break area is tougher than your really high notes. Why?
Jim: I think it’s because I was so obsessed with singing high that it became second nature. Singing high is easier for me to sing than anything else. Strange, huh?
Jaime: How do you handle the transition into your upper range?
Jim: It’s difficult to explain. I blur it together if that makes any sense? I have a very strong chest and head voice. Strength makes it easy.
Jaime: Back in 93’, I asked you to explain how to sing through and above my break point. You told me that the transition was like learning to sing in between that area when your voice cracks. Then you said, “listen to my voice, while I crack. Did you hear that? That’s the area you need to go into to sing higher.” Can you explain that a little better?
Jim: Not really – I was hoping you could.
Jaime: Quit! You’ve got me laughing so hard my side hurts. That’s exactly what you told me, so now 10 years later we’re both in the dark. I’ll try to explain it anyway. When you reach your break point, your vocal cords are stretched as tight as possible. When you crack, you’re flipping into falsetto, which uses less cord. To sing higher, the vocal cords must “zip together’ from the back of the throat to the front, making the vibrating space smaller. I guess what you were getting at, is, when you crack, you’re actually shortening the vibrating space and letting go of “excess baggage” in order to sing higher, but you’ve got to learn to control that “little area” of vocal cord that is in-between the crack. Oh damn it, now we’re both confused.
Jaime: I know you’re really into fighting and staying physically fit. Do you feel this has enhanced your vocal ability?
Jim: Absolutely. It’s much easier to do just about anything when you’re in fighting shape. Props to my friends and teachers Pedro and Gui Valente and also Grand Master Helio Gracie – the baddest man to ever throw down. He’s the originator of the greatest fighting system on the planet – Gracie Jiu Jitsu.
Jaime: It’s obvious that you have an amazing range, both low and high. I want to know exactly where it falls on a piano. From what low note to what high note?
Jim: The low notes are crazy low. I’m not sure to be honest. Lower than a guitar anyway. The high notes are about 2 octaves above high C. If that’s not high enough, I’ll turn over the crown!
Jaime: Wow! That’s an octave above soprano high C. Mariah Carey can’t even reach those notes!
Jaime: How do you get that double demonic sounding voice? Take for instance songs like Machine Gun Eddie or Fighting Mad. I thought you double tracked or something, but when I heard you live, it blew me away.
Jim: That’s probably way too tough to explain. I’m not trying to keep anything a secret, but I just don’t think I can explain it. SORRY! Maybe I’m possessed?!? I’ll give it a shot Self-mutilation? I would visualize my vocal cords. Then I would visualize them splitting in half. I would convince myself that I could control them to give off 2 notes at once and it worked! I don’t know why it worked but it did and I could control it when I used it. I haven’t done that for a while and wouldn’t recommend trying it.
Jaime: Actually I tried it today. I actually got the sound and sang about 2 verses of Fighting Mad before I choked!
Jaime: On the liner notes for O.F.R., you made the statement that you did not use any pitch shifters or harmonizers when you recorded the album. How did you develop such a keen sense for harmony?
Jim: I’m pretty good with harmonies but Mike is the maniac that can figure out anything musically. Between my ideas and his knowledge - it worked pretty well. I think I did some augmented counter point harmonies on O.F.R. - HA HA. Not sure though - I just thought it sounded cool!
Jaime: I don’t know, a couple of those songs sounded like you used some demonic minor harmonies :)
Jaime: O.K. I know that I already know the answer to this one, but please explain how you are able to shatter glass with your voice…for our readers?
Jim: It’s pretty simple. You just have to hit the EXACT frequency of the glass with your voice. You can’t even be off a tiny little miniscule bit. Dead on perfect is the only thing that will do it. It’s really not that impressive. Impressive would be melting the glass with my voice! How about changing the color of the glass or the shape of the glass. Better yet – how about making the glass do cartwheels with the sheer power of my voice? Now that would be something.
Jaime: Maybe you should have worked the Laugh Factory instead of The Whiskey. Ha Ha!
Jaime: How did you discover you could shatter glass in the 1st place?
Jim: : I found out by accident. It was when I was recording Proud to be Loud. A friend was in the control room with a glass of wine. I was recording vocals - hit a scream and it shattered. He stopped to tell me. I thought he was joking - he wasn't - and there you have it. I bought a bunch of wine glasses and started blowing up a few every day. You have to be careful if your not using speakers because when the glass shatters it can end up in your throat - OUCH!
Jaime: What made you decide to put out your own vocal training program?
Jim: I wanted to learn how to sing when I was younger and there were no teachers. It sucked to not be able to learn. I wanted to help people out that were in the same position as I was. I wanted them to have the tools to become a great singer.
Jaime: And how old were you at the time? I’m figuring about 19. So how in the world were you able to develop that voice and create a vocal program in only a few years?
Jim: I was 18 I think – maybe 19. I worked hard at it. I practiced while most people slept. It’s easier to do anything when you’re obsessed.
Jaime: Are the exercises in your program ones you created yourself?
Jim: Some of them are. I put on my videos what I personally did. It’s the same stuff I used to practice.
Jaime: Speaking of exercises, one of my main exercises, The Siren, from my book, Raise Your Voice, was inspired by the screams you did on the first Nitro album.
Jaime: Approximately how many singers do you think you have helped through your tapes and video?
Jim: Over a hundred thousand. How many more would be a guess. It’s funny when a singer from a big famous band has his roadie order them. Why are people embarrassed to take lessons? Do they think people won’t respect them if they know they learned from “the most annoying singer on the planet”? Ha Ha. My lessons have taught many famous singers. I’ve been told by roadies, managers, girlfriends, etc – but never told by the famous singer! What’s up? Tell your teacher thanks guys. It won’t kill you and if you ask me not to tell anyone, I won’t. I didn’t mention any names here did I!?!?!?
Jaime: Do you still practice or warm up?
Jim: Not really. Maybe a few screams before a show.
Jaime: I thought the exercise program was great. I used it for many years and occasionally still do. The only thing that I wish you would have done differently, is sing up the entire scale when you demonstrated the exercises instead of just a few notes.
Jim: I did that on purpose. The one thing I didn’t want my students doing was imitating my tone. I wanted them to find their own tone and figure the exercises out as they progressed. If I would have sung the entire exercise, they might have adopted the sound of my voice as their own. You need to find your own tone and not imitate other singers.
Jaime: What’s the key to sustaining really high notes, or any pitch for that matter, for extended periods of time? Can you teach someone else to hold out a 32 second scream?
Jim: The key to sustaining notes is to work on it like your life depends on it. Pretend someone is standing over you with a shotgun ready to blow your head off if you quit practicing. Would you quit? I could teach someone, but would they be willing to do what it took? That’s not up to me.
Jaime: I don’t know Jim? What kind of gun are you gonna be holding to my head?
Jaime: I got in a fight in college over you. Someone said you were a sissy, you sang like a girl, and that it was falsetto. I pinned the guy’s head to the floor and made him say, “ I’m sorry, I was wrong. Jim Gillette is the greatest singer in the world and he doesn’t sing in falsetto. Please tell me I’m right. I don’t think you sing in falsetto. It’s too resonant. I truly believe that any note you can sing in falsetto you can sing in full voice.
Jim: I can sing notes in full voice that I can’t sing in falsetto. You were absolutely right when you pinned the guy’s head to the floor. I hope you hurt him. I sing in full voice, and believe me; my voice is as loud as anyone’s. I’ve blown up many speakers and I’m not ashamed to admit it. BTW – thanks for having my back! I hope I can do the same for you some day.
Jaime: I swear you remind me of a human synth. Your notes are always so perfect, I can’t find any fault. How do you mange to sing so strong, resonant, and in perfect pitch?
Jim: Thank you very much. I’m glad you feel that way and if more people did I would rule the airwaves! Not all opinions are as flawless as yours though! You know the answer =
Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice
Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice
Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice
Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice
Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice
Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice
Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice
Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice
Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice
Jaime: Are you working on any new material? I know that you are, but I just like to let the readers know.
Jim: I’m going to sing a few songs on Michaels new CD. It comes out at the end of the year. We are doing one called Bitter seed. It kind of a Metallica – like ballad. Everything is kind of Zeppelin sounding with an Egyptian feel. I’m also singing the chorus on a song called Revolution Maker. It’s a cool tune. We are also going to do a remake of Wherever I May Roam. I think Organ Donor is going to record another album. I’ve been talking to Doug Marks about doing a song together. Maybe I could sing on the next Metallipukes CD, since James is missing. Lars and James need a good old-fashioned ass whooping! METALLICA RULES! Who are those money hungry imposters?
Jaime: What about Crave, the new band you were going to start with Angelo?
Jim: We wrote a lot of good songs for the Crave album. Stuff a lot different from Nitro. A kind of mix between newer heavy music, such as Disturbed with a lot of old school influence. It may still come out. We’ll wait and see after Angelo puts out his new album. Maybe then.
Jaime: Is there a chance that your fans will ever get to hear anything you did with Rumble Culture? Oh forget everybody else, how about me :)
Jim: I doubt it. It’s pretty cool stuff though. Lita plays great on it. I think most people have no idea how good of a guitar player she really is. With Rumble Culture, she was the only guitar player and she ROCKED! I might let you hear it if I find my copy!
Jaime: Speaking of Lita, on her last album, Black, there is a super high-pitched noise that sounds like a dog. I think it was an F or possibly a G above soprano high C. Could that have possibly been you?
Jim: Sure was!
Jaime: So, what did you think of my book Raise Your Voice?
Jim: I’ve skimmed through it and I must say it looks very good. When I get a chance to read it thoroughly I’ll give you my honest opinion. Whether you want it or not!
Jaime: Both Nitro albums were musically very different from each other. The 1st was musical Olympics the 2nd was more mainstream. I loved them both, but why the drastic change?
Jim: I don’t know? Let’s blame it on being young and stupid. We were going to make the second album like Metallica on steroids. We should have.
Jaime: How many Nitro videos were released? I heard there was one for Cat Scratch Fever, but I’ve never seen it.
Jim: There were 3 and yes there was a video for Cat.
Jaime: I think you should have put something else out off that album like H.W.D.W.S. and Don’t Go for a ballad.
Jaime: I wish you’d re-release your training video in DVD with the Nitro videos, some Nitro footage, and a companion CD with Proud, some new Nitro songs, and some rare songs. I promise to buy one.
Jim: Don’t really have the time to mess with it. I’m very busy training (fighting) right now, and that’s on top of being a Dad and husband.
Jaime: All this training isn’t because you’re planning on opening a can of whoop ass on all those old Nitro critics, is it?
Jim: No, but I’d be happy to roll with anyone – anytime. You could probably say I’m getting a little obsessed with fighting. Kinda like I got obsessed with singing high. I would love to fight Tyson just because he’s turned into such a punk. I use to love him and now he’s an embarrassment. So let it be known on your web site that I have officially challenged Mike Tyson to a cage fight. No rules, no limits, no rounds. Get locked in a cage and only one-man walks out. That would be great – I could even sing the National Anthem before we started! C’mon you ear biting little criminal – let’s throw down and see if you can beat a rocker that used to look like a chick. Rape this – girly man.
Jaime: I think you should have released Proud To Be Loud as a Nitro album. I think if it had been with a major label it would have done really well in the mid 80’s. There were some excellent songs on that album that a lot of people didn’t get to hear.
Jim: I think a major label should have put it out also. They all told me to sing lower and that wasn’t going to happen! Stevie Rachelle has re-released it with some cool bonus tracks. You can find it at http://www.tuffcds.com
Jaime: Speaking of Proud To Be Loud, did you come from a real small town where all the people always put you down?
Jim: I did come from a “real small town”, but I lied….the people did not always put me down.
Jaime: All jokes aside, the scream at the end of the song Proud To Be Loud is amazing. You slide effortlessly up the scale to your top note and sustain the pitch with little effort. I know a lot of singers who could hit high notes, but their voices got a lot louder and it sounded like they were straining. How do you do it?
Jim: However my wife wants me to. I personally enjoy – uh – oops. When you said, “How do you do it?”, you meant scream, didn’t you? I saw “How do you do it?” and thought you meant – well – you know – it. Sorry. How do I scream so long? I know you know the answer to that by now. PRACTICE. Practice like your life depends on it. Hire a hit man to snuff you out if you don’t practice enough. Enough would be 6-8 hours a day. Every single day through the rain, sleet, and snow. No excuses. If you want it bad enough, you’ll get there. Quit your cryin and practice. Watch your mouth while the grownup is talkin. Here is the secret all singers need to hear. PRACTICE – PRACTICE – PRACTICE! I hope I haven’t sugar coated it too much. Please feel free to refer to this answer for almost any question regarding how to become a better singer.
Jaime: What advice would you give to an aspiring singer?
Jim: Don’t say that you want to be a great singer. Let your actions prove that you want to be a great singer. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. And if all else fails – make sure you look real good!
Jaime: I was curious about your falsetto E exercise. Is the purpose of this exercise so you can sing in a strong falsetto, or should it eventually translate into full voice?
Jim: it’s to enable you to scream your ass off! Full voice only need apply!
Jaime: Have you found any exercises to help you hit the super low notes, because I’ve spoken to you several times and your voice isn’t really high or really low, so you’ve gotta tell me your secrets. I mean you freaked me out years ago with the highs and now your freaking me out again with the Organ Donor lows.
Jim: As long as I’m freaking people out I’m happy! There are no secrets or shortcuts and I believe this is why I haven’t heard anyone with a bigger range. It takes lots and lots of hard work, which is something that most people shy away from. Have you ever heard someone say, “I wish I could lose 10 pounds”? Well, they could lose 10 pounds if they’d work hard and quit “wishing”!
Jaime: Is it true that you were approached by Judas Priest to take Rob Halford’s place? That was the rumor after Halford quit. Then I heard Ripper Owens on Jugulator and was pretty disappointed that it wasn’t you. I thought to myself “This album could have been 1,000,000,000 times better with Gillette. Look, I know Tim Owens is a great singer, but I honestly think you were the only one who could have made Priest without Halford! And if the rumors were true, then why didn’t you join? Being involved with Lita Ford and not wanting to be away from her is a damn good answer :)
Jim: I was told that they wanted me to sing for them, but I’m not sure. I wasn’t interested so I never spoke with them personally. Not because I didn’t like them or anything like that. I just thought they wouldn’t be Priest without Rob. Part of me wishes I would had called them because I believe it would have been better with me also. A 1,000,000,000 times better? Maybe not that much better but it would have been a LOT higher – that’s for sure. I’m glad I didn’t though because I probably wouldn’t have met my beautiful bride. We’ve been married for 10 years now and I wouldn’t trade what we have for anything! Priest rules with Rob!
Jaime: Thanks Jim!!!!!!!
Jim: Thank you for shopping Wal-Mart.!
On behalf of the captain we would like to thank you for reading this interview. All of us here at Gillette know that you have a choice when picking interviews to read and appreciate the fact that you chose ours. Whether this is your final destination or you are continuing on, we sincerely hope that you enjoy your trip and would love to be of service again in the future. Jim Gillette
If you’d like to learn more about Jim Gillette, you can check out his various projects at the following websites.
http://www.beatdownproductions.com/od.htm
http://www.angelo.com/index.html
http://www.tuffcds.com/
If you’d like to purchase, or learn more about Jim Gillette’s Vocal power, go to
http://www.metalmethod.com/
If you’d like to learn more about Michael Angelo, go to http://www.macemusic.com
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