JANUARY 14, 2008 I talked with old friend Kelv Hellraiser:   Kelv Hellrazer manages to rouse Bill Peiffer in for a few words.. on the latest happenings in the Lynn Allen camp. Bill's band have recently had their latest album 'The Horse You Rode In On' released on the British label Escape Music, after being available as an independent US distributed release earlier in the year. Billy and I - what can I say? Met in 85 at a hotel, been in touch ever since due to a guy named Mike Vergane sending a tape to Xavier Russell at Kerrang of 'We Laugh At You'. One morning in Shades I talk to Bill on the phone, he says 'your comin to the States', I couldnt even pronounce Iowa, but it changed my life forever. I've been to Iowa many times since, it's the home of some great rock n roll and the place has a bad rap. Bill's been carrying on relentlessly where other major label acts have failed, I really think had I given him more of a push with the 'Look At Me I'm the King' line up.... who knows, fans bug Billy to put out the unreleased songs... even just as downloads. My fave Lynn Allen moments.. seeing 'em live with Hal at the Pink album launch party and 'In Time','Jane's Out' and 'I Will If You Will' off the new album. Khalil Turk at Escape and I have similar tastes so who better than 'The king Of AOR' to push the band with the release of 'The Horse You Rode In On' via his label. How come you write such great songs? LOL, I'm not sure that I do really. I have always tried to stay with one rule. That rule is simple. When I come up with an idea I try to step outside of the box and imagine I am someone else listening to the song. I try to write songs that people can relate to. The Horse You Rode In On.. Your first British release, why the back to basics on this CD, do you think think the Escape release will improve your profile? Back to the basics, I wrote 'And The Horse You Rode In On' very quickly. I hadn't written anything for Lynn Allen that I liked in years. I messed around with ideas all the time but I just couldn't come up with anything I liked. Not that I am comparing myself to him but John Lennon once said something similar to that exact thing. He said that he didn't write for a long time then one day he sat down at the piano and out came an entire album. I just wrote and took the time to layer vocals and guitar tracks and came up with songs I liked. Nothing to complicated just hooky tunes. Improve profile? Well Escape has done a great job on marketing the CD. The packaging is great. But the music will tell the tale. You can gift wrap a turd but I don't know anyone that would enjoy it as a gift. You already have the next album in the bag? Well, not in the bag but I have the basics written. I'll start recording it after the new year. Have you played the stuff to Khalil at Escape? He's a big Lynn Allen fan, do you think at last this is the breakthrough you've been waiting for? Khalil hasn't heard any of it yet. Escape does have the option for the new stuff. I really have no doubt that they will pick up both of their options on the band. However, getting over to the UK is very important. We need to tour this CD to support it. We have always had and underground sort of a following in the UK and Europe. I believe that it is time to bring it to the forefront. Out of your older stuff whats your favourites? Well, 'Last Night', 'Domino', 'October', 'Where Are You Now', 'I Am', 'Prick' (Billy Peiffer and Iowa). LOL I have to laugh because my favorites are the fan Favs. It is just our set list when we are in concert. The unison between yourself and Mark Froese I see as a marriage made in heaven? Tell me more about that.. He unreleased 'Look At Me I'm The King' sessions.. Will those two AOR classics 'You Girl' and 'Reputation' ever be released? NO! LOL I don't see them ever being released. The classic line up from 'We Laugh At You' will that ever perform again or record? NO! Maybe four of us would, but Tim Compton thinks he is one of the Beatles! Not trying to be an ass here but he will barely take any of our phone calls. We would love to play again but getting him to agree is like getting a tooth pulled. I still consider him a friend. I dunno what his problem is. Would you write or perform with Mariah who are very Lynn Allen connected? I wouldn't really have any reason to write with any of them. I'm not saying I wouldn't though. I was asked at one time to write some lyrics for them (at 3:00 in the morning via phone call to be more precise). They were working with Bon Jovi and it seemed he liked the music and melody lines but not the lyrics. I agreed to do it until they informed me that they weren't going to inform him and that they wanted the credits as well. Could you record again with Jesse Johnson from the Time, are there any Pilot demos? There are a few recordings floating around out there somewhere. The song 'Days Gone By' on the Pink Album was a Jesse Johnson riff. I called him and asked him if it was ok to use and he gave it to me. When ever I see Jesse we always have guitars in our hands. If we accidentally came up with a kick ass song you bet we would record it. Tell me about your time in San Fransisco? Well, I left here for a visit. I went to stay with my buddy Curt Kraiger, who lived with Jeff Watson from Night Ranger. Night Ranger had just broken up for the first time and Jeff was looking for a singer. I was recommended but I didn't get the job. The singer that did get the job rang up Ross Valory from Journey who was in a band called Big Rock at the time so I tried out for that band and landed the job. After moving out there I was very disappointed to find out that their work ethic wasn't nearly the same as mine. So I stayed for a while then came back home. You are the man who put Iowa on the map, if you had got a major deal, would you think youd be where you are today? You mean if I got a major deal back then? That is hard to say. There were tons of bands that got deals back then on looks alone. Back in the eighties my band wasn't serious enough to handle that kind of pressure. Nobody wanted to write. They were more interested in Girls and parties. I'm not trying to say I was a saint! If we would have got signed to a major deal and had a hit record I would have locked their asses up in some farm house until we had a record that could be repeated. You already have the next album in the bag? Well, not in the bag but I have the basics written. I'll start recording it after the new year. Have you played the stuff to Khalil at Escape? He's a big Lynn Allen fan, do you think at last this is the breakthrough you've been waiting for? Khalil hasn't heard any of it yet. Escape does have the option for the new stuff. I really have no doubt that they will pick up both of their options on the band. However, getting over to the UK is very important. We need to tour this CD to support it. We have always had and underground sort of a following in the UK and Europe. I believe that it is time to bring it to the forefront. Out of your older stuff whats your favourites? Well, 'Last Night', 'Domino', 'October', 'Where Are You Now', 'I Am', 'Prick' (Billy Peiffer and Iowa). LOL I have to laugh because my favorites are the fan Favs. It is just our set list when we are in concert. The unison between yourself and Mark Froese I see as a marriage made in heaven? Tell me more about that.. He unreleased 'Look At Me I'm The King' sessions.. Will those two AOR classics 'You Girl' and 'Reputation' ever be released? NO! LOL I don't see them ever being released. The classic line up from 'We Laugh At You' will that ever perform again or record? NO! Maybe four of us would, but Tim Compton thinks he is one of the Beatles! Not trying to be an ass here but he will barely take any of our phone calls. We would love to play again but getting him to agree is like getting a tooth pulled. I still consider him a friend. I dunno what his problem is. Would you write or perform with Mariah who are very Lynn Allen connected? I wouldn't really have any reason to write with any of them. I'm not saying I wouldn't though. I was asked at one time to write some lyrics for them (at 3:00 in the morning via phone call to be more precise). They were working with Bon Jovi and it seemed he liked the music and melody lines but not the lyrics. I agreed to do it until they informed me that they weren't going to inform him and that they wanted the credits as well. Could you record again with Jesse Johnson from the Time, are there any Pilot demos? There are a few recordings floating around out there somewhere. The song 'Days Gone By' on the Pink Album was a Jesse Johnson riff. I called him and asked him if it was ok to use and he gave it to me. When ever I see Jesse we always have guitars in our hands. If we accidentally came up with a kick ass song you bet we would record it. Tell me about your time in San Fransisco? Well, I left here for a visit. I went to stay with my buddy Curt Kraiger, who lived with Jeff Watson from Night Ranger. Night Ranger had just broken up for the first time and Jeff was looking for a singer. I was recommended but I didn't get the job. The singer that did get the job rang up Ross Valory from Journey who was in a band called Big Rock at the time so I tried out for that band and landed the job. After moving out there I was very disappointed to find out that their work ethic wasn't nearly the same as mine. So I stayed for a while then came back home. You are the man who put Iowa on the map, if you had got a major deal, would you think youd be where you are today? You mean if I got a major deal back then? That is hard to say. There were tons of bands that got deals back then on looks alone. Back in the eighties my band wasn't serious enough to handle that kind of pressure. Nobody wanted to write. They were more interested in Girls and parties. I'm not trying to say I was a saint! If we would have got signed to a major deal and had a hit record I would have locked their asses up in some farm house until we had a record that could be repeated.