all the effin bands always drop the guy that built the band the first place was all I could hear in the late 70s as a kid on the radio. That sound it surpassed any Fleetwood Mac or Steve Miller Elton John riffs by far.. the closest i can get is ... Joe Walsh for the time.
Yes! His solo on “Magic Man” is my nomination for greatest rock guitar solo, and it’s never on nobody else’s list. Dare I say he’s “criminally” underrated 😂
@@brianfergus839 I think the leads on the recording of Magic Man were a combined effort between Fischer and Leese, but who in God’s name tunes their high E up a step and comes up with that opening guitar riff. It was 76, but I distinctly remember my jaw dropping the first time I heard it!
Concur a full 💯! The first time I ever saw him perform was on tv…a clip of Heart playing Barracuda from Cal Jam 2; I was totally mesmerized. That very same week I put my drum sticks down, stopped practicing drum rudiments for marching band (cough cough geek) and started practicing guitar day and night. I still suck, but you get the point…Roger was an inspiration. Lol
No, he wasn't wrongly booted. All five of the other members voted him out after he had a breakdown and came close to seriously injuring Nancy. That would get anybody booted from a band. I liked his work with them, but they were very justified in firing him.
I remember when this song first came out in Denver, Co and I was fourteen. It was a great enough rock song with that amazing aggressive guitar lead, but then you had this mystical woman's voice singing, "I was a willow last night in a dream.." So many interwoven layers of magic to that album. That album was a masterpiece in the category of the greatest albums of all time. i.e. Steely Dan's Aja, Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Stevie Wonder's Talking Book, Dark Side of the Moon
Roger Fisher, you are a huge inspiration to me, and will forever be my favourite member of Heart. Total respect. Love, love, love that wild riff you wrote for ‘Crazy On You’ - and yes, I did find the love of my life, Cindy, who is like - the total embodiment of that wild & insanely sexy riff!! And that equally sexy interlude just before the last chorus on ‘Crazy On You’ is like - WOW! Like OMG! - so lovely and oh so sensual!! 💓🎸💕
The intro Nancy played before the galloping chords was inspired from a Paul Simon song and the gallop was inspired by the Moody Blues song called Question from 1970 . And again , Elliot Gould just radiates so much energy and enthusiasm. 😴
Classy and humble guy! That guitar riff Roger came up with really solidified that song. I grew up with that song, and that guitar part was a crucial part of it. Great song!!! Good for Howard with including Roger with the credit.
Love HEART.. original members Roger, Steve and Mike were in ALIAS and together with singer Fred Curci (ex Sheriff singer with hit WHEN I'M WITH YOU) and guitarist from Sheriff Steve DeMarchi.. what a combo... chemistry ... listening to Freddy Curci sing Baracuda freaks me out.. You can hear that on the ALIAS concert when the opened for REO Speedwagon.. incredible
I saw Roger perform this song with the band in 1979, in San Diego. Then I ran into Roger, several years later, in a popular Seattle nightclub called Parker's. A very nice guy. I said, "Hey, do you remember when you came running off the stage lift, during the intro to 'Crazy on You,' stubbed your toe & hopped the rest of the way to the front of the stage?" He says, "Oh yeah! I remember that (laughing)." He would play in his bare feet back then. I was very close, on the nearest spot to Nancy's side of the stage, & it had to have hurt. Roger didn't miss a beat of course. A wonderful memory. Reply
Wow Rog, can you say body rush and chills, hearing you talk about those amazing lyrics. You're a legend! Thanks for your contribution to rock n roll and Heart.
I have always loved music. When I was younger, I used to have lyrics and music just come to my mind. From out of the blue. I never had the means to do anything with it.. sad
Rog is so cool these days. Very humble, after what Heart did to him. I have, in a very small way, supported some of his efforts. Contributed money to a recording, and bought some things he was selling, shirts, picks, etc. I only wish I could repay him for the licks I've ripped off from him over the years. LOL I started playing guitar after listening to the James Gang Rides Again 8-track. I've always given credit to my playing to Joe Walsh, Leslie West, Steve Lukather, and Roger Fisher. I think at one point, I could play any Heart song that Roger Fisher was on. Back in the late 70's and 80's, there wasn't a weekend when I was in a band I wasn't playing at least one Heart song that night. I even have a HiWatt head I pursued buying after seeing the live pics on Dreamboat Annie. Rog is playing a Les Paul, no shirt, but a necktie, and behind him is this sweet double neck, LEANING against a stack of speakers with this HiWatt head. "I gotta have one" I said. Now, I'm living in the middle of NOWHERE in Pennsylvania, years before the internet, and no one has even heard of HiWatt. LOL I never gave up until I found one. It was hard following Roger after he left Heart. I think I read in Guitar Magazine in the 80's he was building a speaker cabinet you stood on while you played. I've yet to find one of those...... Maybe someday.
Except Heart didn't "do" anything to Roger. He had a breakdown and screwed up one of their performances before throwing a projectile and almost hitting Nancy in the head. Even Roger would (and has) admit that he was way out of line. He wasn't fired by Ann or Nancy, all five of the other band members voted him out. I loved Rog's contributions to early Heart, but saying they did something to him that wasn't deserved is grossly inaccurate.
You two were so magical together back in the day!! Huge inspiration to me since that first album and then seeing you guys at the Day on the Green in Oakand.. Man, it was all on for me! Thank you for the excellent music and for sharing all this awesome inside info with us now. Looove it!! 💖
AWESOME interview! Can't believe I'm friends with that cutie on the right! Great job Elliot. You make it so pleasurable for an artist to be interviewed.
Yeah, this guy was Heart's secret weapon. As great as Nancy Wilson is as a rythmn guitar player, this guy's lead guitar work is indespensible to their sound. There is no Heart without him. Especially on "Barracuda," and "Crazy On You." It's a simple fact, Roger Fisher is one of the world's great lead guitar riff makers. And the best part? He's boom, bang and it's done. Too bad him and Nancy never had kids, can you imagine the guitar players they could have produced? It's Les Paul Fisher Wilson.
Really nice guy I remember him as an instructor at The Art Institute of Seattle besides Heart. Wish I kept that drawing he made when sitting next to me one day in the Perspective class for illustration. Tried to keep him from being bored while waiting to talk to the instructor. So I did not feel it was mine to keep.
quinnmitchel Correct. Nancy made the galloping beat and she and Ann wrote the song (lyrics and melody). They then asked Roger to include the electric guitar. Then Nancy added the acoustic intro that comes before the beat. Mistral Wind, was born in a similar way: Nancy created the dissonant intro, then she, Ann and Sue Ennis, wrote the song. Then, in the studio, with Nancy and Roger working, he created the entire electric guitar part in the bridge. DeRosier joined on drums.
Strange that I stumbled across this now.. Roger, just today, I referred someone to your playing on the live version of Mistral Wind at one of the Texxas Jam shows.. I'm curious to know the musical backstory on that tune.. how the intro lick came about, were there particular tunings, if there were separate, collaborative ideas that were merged etc.. My guess is that Nancy had the intro / verse idea and you guided the remainder.. Either way, there are some FANTASTIC chord forms and 'underneath' stuff going on in that song.. Damn thing is magic.. I'd love to hear your take on it..
I've only found audio on that show.. I think it was being simulcast by a local radio station at the time and captured there or recorded by someone listening..
Of all the guitarists in the world, Roger Fisher is the only guitarist I wanted to replace, after he was fired, because he had the best gig in the world, at least to those watching offstage.
God is right on some of the best lyrics in rock and roll for sure... Wonder if Ann & Nancy have been writing any new material that they'd one day like to see published, maybe for Heart, or maybe for a solo try, maybe for a new unknown band???
Heart was my favorite rock band and then years later I found out Roger Fisher was the Magic man that made me like the band ,,, I am not being mean but after he left the band i keep listening for another song and the only song that even came close was these dreams ,,,,,but Heart never sounded the same as they did with Roger Fisher.....question who wrote the guitar intro to Keep my Love Alive?
@@FisherBrosandtheHumanTribe WOW I am impressed that lady is talented Yes she is and Ann can sing thank you Roger , that peice of music is one of the most beautiful peices of guitar playing i ever heard in my life
@Fisher Bros and the Human Tribe Nancy wrote the guitar for Love Alive? I thought that was your riff Roger? In the live version I see you playing that main riff and Nancy did the harmonics. So I assumed that was how it came about.
Roger Fisher What were you doing with your life from about 1981 when you were out of Heart to about 2000? Why didn't you form a different band by the early 1980s?
@@dampergoldenrod4156 I had many different projects in those years and recorded a lot of material I really like, including a LARGE project - THE ONE VISION PROJECT. With the release of our dual-autobiography, I hope this music sees the light of day. Some great stuff!
@@wompus6570 Alias doesn't count. It was errantly promoted as a band that included three former Heart members, Derosier, Fossen, and myself, but we didn't play on the album at all. Alias was a sham.
Roger Fisher was a great guitarist and I think when he left the band it hurt them,I don't think Howard Leese could compare to what Roger did guitar wise for the band.
Also have to include producer Mike Flicker. He too was a key player in Heart's sound as well. He knew how to bring out the best of the group's musical prowess without over producing it on vinyl.
I don't think it hurt the band per se, but it did change their sound. A lot of folks like their 80s and 90s material where they sold the most records better than the early stuff, but for me I prefer the early material. Bebe Le Strange was every bit as strong as Dog and Butterfly (in my opinion), but their other album with that original lineup minus Roger (Private Audition) missed him terribly. City's Burning was a great tune, but it's the only great tune on that record (again, IMO). But for what Heart had become in the late 80s and 90s, which was a commerical pop metal band I don't know that he would have made much of a difference. For me a lot of that material is fairly disposable, but whether that's true or not it doesn't have that much room for the type of guitar Roger plays. Aside from an interesting solo on the title cut to Bad Animals and a couple of good guitar songs on the self-titled album (The Wolf, Shell Shock, If Looks Could Kill) there just wasn't that much room for him. And by Brigade and Desire Walks On the guitar solo parts were as cookie cutter as you could get (I did like those records though, especially Desire).
@@WithaJoeFro 2 years too late with this, but I smiled when I noticed you mentioned City’s Burning … I’m a fan of early 70s Heart, but loved that tune along with Fallen From Grace (great harmonies). I completely lost interest after Bebe Le Strange, an album that I believe would have been benefited greatly from Fisher’s presence.
HEy Rog! Hope all is well with you and yours...I have a question so I hope you see this 😄 Somebody commented on one of my videos that you did not have a songwriting credit on COY, that it was only A & N. I knew that you did because I remembered you saying so in this video. But it was pointed out to me that nowhere could your name be found in the credits, so I pulled out my original DA vinyl and also checked around online and sure enough you aren't listed. How come that oversight? Should be there...as far as I (and most people) am concerned that iconic riff plus all the guitar work you did on that song made what would have been a good song GREAT. I always like to point out to people that you innately knew what to do with the girls' pretty songs to make them classics--in the same way LIndsey Buckingham knew what to do with Stevie's pretty songs. Anyway I was just curious. Cheers! ~~Katerina
@@FisherBrosandtheHumanTribe Oh it was a timing thing! Well too bad we don't get to see your name listed but it's there where it counts right? 😄 Thinking of you a lot lately as I'm finally learning to play Sylvan Song ... can't thank you (and Nancy) enough for that gorgeous song...and all the contributions you've made to music! Hope you know how appreciated you still are amongst a lot of music fans...I see so many comments across youtube that echo my sentiments regarding your time with Heart. It was huge and continues to make its impact. And thank you for answering the question! 😊 Take care ~~Katerina
At 3:19 Roger says he has co-writer's status on "Crazy On You". And I agree that he should have been a co-writer on it. But his claim is a little confusing because a simple google of the liner notes of the 'Dreamboat Annie' album shows that only Ann and Nancy Wilson are writers on that song. The only song that Roger is credited as a writer on in that whole album is, "Sing Child Sing".
What albums say on the liner notes do not always represent what is actually going on behind the scenes or legally. For instance, Van Halen albums show every song written by all 4 band members. The royalty situation isn't close to that, especially after Roth left. When Hagar found out they were paying the bass player royalties when he wrote pretty much nothing, he was like "nope". so it's highly possible Roger still get's a check every time Crazy On You gets played on the radio. It's probably not enough to pay a mortgage, but I'm sure it helps.
@@TheDmonet I never said anything about what happens behind the scenes. And I wouldn't presume either way. I stated that Roger is not credited as a writer on the song. That's it!
@@39thala I'm not sure why you are being so defensive about my statement. I thought maybe I had said something rude, and I went back and read it..and I didn't. Weird. Anyway, Roger says he thanks Howard Leese for saying he should have credit for the riff. One would presume that means he's getting paid for the song where he wouldn't have otherwise, which would mean the liner notes inaccurately reflect how the royalties are actually being paid.
@@TheDmonet Not being defensive at all. Just clarifying to you that what I posted about him not being credited on the song had only to do with his claim in the video that he had "co-writer's status with the song" which would understandably possibly lead some to think he was credited as a co-writer of the song, of which he wasn't. And that my post which you obviously were responding to had nothing to do with the points that you were making. That's all. You responded to my post. I responded back, nothing more. No need to keep pressing the point. :-)
@@39thalaMy points had everything to do with your original comment. I was trying to clear up your confusion. Roger didn't say "it says on the record I'm a co-writer", that was your presumption, he says he got credit as a co-writer. You said that creates confusion. I cleared up the confusion by stating that the liner notes on the album don't always represent who is getting actual credit in terms of royalties, and sited actual relevant examples. There are different kinds of "credit" besides the type you assumed he was talking about. When he's saying "thanks Howard", the thanks is probably related to cash he's getting, not that his name is on the liner notes. Again, all relevant to your original comment, and the ones that followed up. I'll press my point because you didn't seem to understand it in the first place. What you assume "credit" implies is not the only interpretation of it. I never said that you said anything about what happens behind the scenes, I did not know that a perspective on "behind the scenes" was outside the parameters of acceptable response to you.
To bad how things went down with him leaving the band. And really a couple albums later with 2 other originals leaving. Bands never quit as good when an original leaves.
what was he doing professionally in the 1980s? would like to hear more about the bands he really liked in the 1960s and not the bands the media wants to hear him cite as an awesome 1960s era band.
He's been remarried and has his own life now. He may have pain about getting himself fired from the band, but I doubt he's still hurting about a romance that ended 40 years ago; he's got it better together than that.
I've watched Eliiot interview Roger before and have to say I can barely understand what he's saying. Please speak more clearly like Roger does so I don't have to lean in to imagine what you're saying, please.
Completely understandable question. You don't know what's going on behind the scenes, out of sight. Bro Mike and I stay busy creating art that we love, and know is good work. Because it hasn't reached mainstream makes it appear that we've "flopped," but that won't stop us. Listen to HEART OF THE BLUES, our most recent album. Then tell me if you think we have "flopped." RogerFisher.com/store
@@FisherBrosandtheHumanTribe Roger, you must be pretty together mentally to bother going on to youtube comments sections and replying to trolls and having to relive and answer for mistakes you may have made in the past. I wouldn't subject myself to it. The easiest comment in the world to make to someone is "don't quit your day job" or "you suck". It takes no talent or guts to put other people down, it takes a lot more to put your own work out there and have other people say it's a flop when they've most likely done nothing themselves. Spoken from experience as someone who was "out there" at one time and having some success on an independent scale, playing to a thousand people here and there in the US and Europe, to have some Creed fan knucklehead tell you "I nevah hewd a ya" like that somehow invalidates you. Nancy is a great musician, but she wouldn't be in R&R hall of fame either if it wasn't for Ann's generational talent. Would Ann have "made it" without these people who helped her get going, including Roger, her sister, and the rest of the original band? Maybe, maybe not.
So the truth is that Nancy Wilson Cheated on her Boyfriend Mike and that broke up the band. Contrary to her image she’s not an Angel. Then Ann and Roger broke up and Roger Fisher left, Michael Derosier the drummer was fired and the original Heart lineup that had all the early success was done! Roger and Mike were key parts of their hard rock sound! They just weren’t the same afterwards without them.
You've got your facts mixed up. Nancy and Roger were a couple. Ann and Roger's brother Mike were a couple. Roger met Nancy when she came to visit Ann in Vancouver where the band was living. Nancy, tired of Roger's screwing around on her, broke up with him and took up with the drummer Mike Desrosiers. Around the same time, Ann discovered that her Mike (Fisher) was seeing someone else, so they also broke up. Roger, in a jealous rage, lost it onstage, trashed his guitar and stomped off. Then offstage, he threw a guitar at Nancy narrowly missing her head. So he was booted from the band. Mike Desrosiers later broke up with Nancy.
You're wrong. Roger cheated on Nancy, and during that period after while they were trying to patch things up Nancy realize she was falling for the drummer, who didn't have the same feelings for her. Roger was a great guitarist for Heart, but how they sounded with him is irrelevant to the issue of what he was fired.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Roger Fisher is the most underrated guitar player in the world by far. We all know his stuff but nobody attributes it to him it's sad
all the effin bands always drop the guy that built the band the first place was all I could hear in the late 70s as a kid on the radio. That sound it surpassed any Fleetwood Mac or Steve Miller Elton John riffs by far.. the closest i can get is ... Joe Walsh for the time.
@@ivoncraig yeah, 80's heart was fucking horrific.
Yes! His solo on “Magic Man” is my nomination for greatest rock guitar solo, and it’s never on nobody else’s list. Dare I say he’s “criminally” underrated 😂
@@brianfergus839 I think the leads on the recording of Magic Man were a combined effort between Fischer and Leese, but who in God’s name tunes their high E up a step and comes up with that opening guitar riff. It was 76, but I distinctly remember my jaw dropping the first time I heard it!
@@hamad4269
Same thing happened to J Geils in the '80s. But for a different reason.
He is not only one of the most aurally exciting gui-tarists but is also one of the most visually exciting.
Concur a full 💯! The first time I ever saw him perform was on tv…a clip of Heart playing Barracuda from Cal Jam 2; I was totally mesmerized. That very same week I put my drum sticks down, stopped practicing drum rudiments for marching band (cough cough geek) and started practicing guitar day and night. I still suck, but you get the point…Roger was an inspiration. Lol
@@skwak3041
Si
ruclips.net/video/_Qc43BH3_mQ/видео.htmlm40s
Roger's history as one of the best can't be denied, and Crazy On You stands as one of the best rock songs.
What Roger says about those lyrics at the end, I couldn't agree more. Absolutely brilliant. So evocative.
Roger is such a great down to earth guy and a master on the guitar. Very underrated. He was wrongly booted by the band.
No, he wasn't wrongly booted. All five of the other members voted him out after he had a breakdown and came close to seriously injuring Nancy. That would get anybody booted from a band. I liked his work with them, but they were very justified in firing him.
He was the most badass looking guitar player in the '70s
Yes! Arguably even better style schtick than Jimmy Page!
I remember when this song first came out in Denver, Co and I was fourteen. It was a great enough rock song with that amazing aggressive guitar lead, but then you had this mystical woman's voice singing, "I was a willow last night in a dream.." So many interwoven layers of magic to that album. That album was a masterpiece in the category of the greatest albums of all time. i.e. Steely Dan's Aja, Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Stevie Wonder's Talking Book, Dark Side of the Moon
This guy is an awesome guitarist period!! Humble too! Yes Anne Wilson is a poet!
Really it's such a great riff and the lyrics. my God
He is one of my favorite guitarists of all time
Grossly underrated
He’s a legend
Proud to call this guy my good friend of almost 50 years.
Hugh Gerrard I’ve known him for 65 years.
@@RjBenjamin353 I've never met him.
Hugh Gerrard
You are lucky to have such a friend, he seems so genuine
lucky man,im 55 and looking back so much of my music has unknowingly come from this man and hearts early music
2:28 ...when he plays it clean it sounds like a Clint Eastwood western.
Roger Fisher, you are a huge inspiration to me, and will forever be my favourite member of Heart. Total respect. Love, love, love that wild riff you wrote for ‘Crazy On You’ - and yes, I did find the love of my life, Cindy, who is like - the total embodiment of that wild & insanely sexy riff!! And that equally sexy interlude just before the last chorus on ‘Crazy On You’ is like - WOW! Like OMG! - so lovely and oh so sensual!! 💓🎸💕
The intro Nancy played before the galloping chords was inspired from a Paul Simon song and the gallop was inspired by the Moody Blues song called Question from 1970 . And again , Elliot Gould just radiates so much energy and enthusiasm. 😴
I'm here now! 😃
What a lovely man he is, i always loved the guitar work in Heart, great band wrote some storming songs.
Great stuff from a guy who should be alot more famous.
And just fine with the fact I'm under the radar :-)
Great to see him acknowledged properly. Thanks for this.
Roger was a GORGEOUS man, and he's still pretty good now : )
Classy and humble guy! That guitar riff Roger came up with really solidified that song. I grew up with that song, and that guitar part was a crucial part of it. Great song!!! Good for Howard with including Roger with the credit.
Love HEART.. original members Roger, Steve and Mike were in ALIAS and together with singer Fred Curci (ex Sheriff singer with hit WHEN I'M WITH YOU) and guitarist from Sheriff Steve DeMarchi.. what a combo... chemistry ... listening to Freddy Curci sing Baracuda freaks me out.. You can hear that on the ALIAS concert when the opened for REO Speedwagon.. incredible
What a Rock and Roll power couple of the time!
Love this interview!
I saw Roger perform this song with the band in 1979, in San Diego. Then I ran into Roger, several years later, in a popular Seattle nightclub called Parker's. A very nice guy. I said, "Hey, do you remember when you came running off the stage lift, during the intro to 'Crazy on You,' stubbed your toe & hopped the rest of the way to the front of the stage?" He says, "Oh yeah! I remember that (laughing)." He would play in his bare feet back then. I was very close, on the nearest spot to Nancy's side of the stage, & it had to have hurt. Roger didn't miss a beat of course. A wonderful memory.
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Ive always been a big Heart Fan. But I never made it to any of their concerts. I always had a good sound system in my vehicle
Very underrated guitarist.....one of my favorites
Wow ,that was always a great riff.
This is a true masterpiece.
Wow Rog, can you say body rush and chills, hearing you talk about those amazing lyrics. You're a legend! Thanks for your contribution to rock n roll and Heart.
I appreciate that!
I have always loved music. When I was younger, I used to have lyrics and music just come to my mind. From out of the blue. I never had the means to do anything with it.. sad
Rog is so cool these days. Very humble, after what Heart did to him. I have, in a very small way, supported some of his efforts. Contributed money to a recording, and bought some things he was selling, shirts, picks, etc. I only wish I could repay him for the licks I've ripped off from him over the years. LOL I started playing guitar after listening to the James Gang Rides Again 8-track. I've always given credit to my playing to Joe Walsh, Leslie West, Steve Lukather, and Roger Fisher. I think at one point, I could play any Heart song that Roger Fisher was on. Back in the late 70's and 80's, there wasn't a weekend when I was in a band I wasn't playing at least one Heart song that night. I even have a HiWatt head I pursued buying after seeing the live pics on Dreamboat Annie. Rog is playing a Les Paul, no shirt, but a necktie, and behind him is this sweet double neck, LEANING against a stack of speakers with this HiWatt head. "I gotta have one" I said. Now, I'm living in the middle of NOWHERE in Pennsylvania, years before the internet, and no one has even heard of HiWatt. LOL I never gave up until I found one. It was hard following Roger after he left Heart. I think I read in Guitar Magazine in the 80's he was building a speaker cabinet you stood on while you played. I've yet to find one of those...... Maybe someday.
great history on the man! he's always been one of the tastist lick-meisters in the game.
this is no place for your biography dude, write a fucking book
Except Heart didn't "do" anything to Roger. He had a breakdown and screwed up one of their performances before throwing a projectile and almost hitting Nancy in the head. Even Roger would (and has) admit that he was way out of line. He wasn't fired by Ann or Nancy, all five of the other band members voted him out. I loved Rog's contributions to early Heart, but saying they did something to him that wasn't deserved is grossly inaccurate.
And I agree with the other poster, no one cares about the autobiography you're writing here Lora.
Living in the middle of nowhere in PA is right up my alley. I love it and grew up listening to some of the best music ever. Still do.
Really interesting stuff... Cheers Bob
Love this guy
You two were so magical together back in the day!! Huge inspiration to me since that first album and then seeing you guys at the Day on the Green in Oakand.. Man, it was all on for me! Thank you for the excellent music and for sharing all this awesome inside info with us now. Looove it!! 💖
Heart always had the best lyrics!
Thanks for the music hope you are well God loves you deeply shalom 🎄 😀🎸 🔊🐕 🎄✨🤗🎄🎄🎄🎉🎆🎄
AWESOME interview! Can't believe I'm friends with that cutie on the right! Great job Elliot. You make it so pleasurable for an artist to be interviewed.
I watch Elliot all the time on the Food Network, but he goes by his chef name , Alton Brown.
Your cutie looks like he had one too many vodkas right before the interview.
Yeah, this guy was Heart's secret weapon. As great as Nancy Wilson is as a rythmn guitar player, this guy's lead guitar work is indespensible to their sound. There is no Heart without him. Especially on "Barracuda," and "Crazy On You." It's a simple fact, Roger Fisher is one of the world's great lead guitar riff makers. And the best part? He's boom, bang and it's done. Too bad him and Nancy never had kids, can you imagine the guitar players they could have produced? It's Les Paul Fisher Wilson.
Really nice guy I remember him as an instructor at The Art Institute of Seattle besides Heart. Wish I kept that drawing he made when sitting next to me one day in the Perspective class for illustration. Tried to keep him from being bored while waiting to talk to the instructor. So I did not feel it was mine to keep.
Saw him play with Heart by Heart at the Play it Forward show at the Neptune Theater. There is a Video of their 3 songs on You Tube.
Nancy Wilson also wrote the main intro part correct? Edit: Oh, he wrote that sick main riff and she wrote the progressions and intro part.
quinnmitchel Correct. Nancy made the galloping beat and she and Ann wrote the song (lyrics and melody). They then asked Roger to include the electric guitar. Then Nancy added the acoustic intro that comes before the beat. Mistral Wind, was born in a similar way: Nancy created the dissonant intro, then she, Ann and Sue Ennis, wrote the song. Then, in the studio, with Nancy and Roger working, he created the entire electric guitar part in the bridge. DeRosier joined on drums.
So cool...great story.
Strange that I stumbled across this now..
Roger, just today, I referred someone to your playing on the live version of Mistral Wind at one of the Texxas Jam shows..
I'm curious to know the musical backstory on that tune.. how the intro lick came about, were there particular tunings, if there were separate, collaborative ideas that were merged etc..
My guess is that Nancy had the intro / verse idea and you guided the remainder..
Either way, there are some FANTASTIC chord forms and 'underneath' stuff going on in that song.. Damn thing is magic.. I'd love to hear your take on it..
I've only found audio on that show.. I think it was being simulcast by a local radio station at the time and captured there or recorded by someone listening..
Bro Mike and I will tell several stories revolving around that song in our dual-autobiography, BROS.
Great interview!!!!!
Would love to see him get together with Alias again. The chemistry was awesome back then and I'm sure it would be again.
Wow...I didn't know the rhythm was based off of Question by The Moody Blues.
Of all the guitarists in the world, Roger Fisher is the only guitarist I wanted to replace, after he was fired,
because he had the best gig in the world, at least to those watching offstage.
God is right on some of the best lyrics in rock and roll for sure... Wonder if Ann & Nancy have been writing any new material that they'd one day like to see published, maybe for Heart, or maybe for a solo try, maybe for a new unknown band???
Heart had albums out in 2010, 12, and 16 with new material. Our local station played the tune Ann and James Hetfield dueted on .
@@WithaJoeFro tried these era albums but nothing sticked in my memory
Sounds like Question from the Moody Blues.
Heart was my favorite rock band and then years later I found out Roger Fisher was the Magic man that made me like the band ,,, I am not being mean but after he left the band i keep listening for another song and the only song that even came close was these dreams ,,,,,but Heart never sounded the same as they did with Roger Fisher.....question who wrote the guitar intro to Keep my Love Alive?
Nance composed that...what a great musician!
@@FisherBrosandtheHumanTribe WOW I am impressed that lady is talented Yes she is and Ann can sing thank you Roger , that peice of music is one of the most beautiful peices of guitar playing i ever heard in my life
@Fisher Bros and the Human Tribe Nancy wrote the guitar for Love Alive? I thought that was your riff Roger? In the live version I see you playing that main riff and Nancy did the harmonics. So I assumed that was how it came about.
so who wrote those mystical metaphorical lyrics, roger speaks of? i too, think their fantastic.
Ann and Nance... great songwriters!
Roger Fisher What were you doing with your life from about 1981 when you were out of Heart to about 2000? Why didn't you form a different band by the early 1980s?
@@dampergoldenrod4156 He was in a band called Alias that released an album in 1990 with 3 songs that reached the top 20.
@@dampergoldenrod4156 I had many different projects in those years and recorded a lot of material I really like, including a LARGE project - THE ONE VISION PROJECT. With the release of our dual-autobiography, I hope this music sees the light of day. Some great stuff!
@@wompus6570 Alias doesn't count. It was errantly promoted as a band that included three former Heart members, Derosier, Fossen, and myself, but we didn't play on the album at all. Alias was a sham.
Roger Fisher was a great guitarist and I think when he left the band it hurt them,I don't think Howard Leese could compare to what Roger did guitar wise for the band.
Also have to include producer Mike Flicker. He too was a key player in Heart's sound as well. He knew how to bring out the best of the group's musical prowess without over producing it on vinyl.
I don't think it hurt the band per se, but it did change their sound. A lot of folks like their 80s and 90s material where they sold the most records better than the early stuff, but for me I prefer the early material. Bebe Le Strange was every bit as strong as Dog and Butterfly (in my opinion), but their other album with that original lineup minus Roger (Private Audition) missed him terribly. City's Burning was a great tune, but it's the only great tune on that record (again, IMO). But for what Heart had become in the late 80s and 90s, which was a commerical pop metal band I don't know that he would have made much of a difference. For me a lot of that material is fairly disposable, but whether that's true or not it doesn't have that much room for the type of guitar Roger plays. Aside from an interesting solo on the title cut to Bad Animals and a couple of good guitar songs on the self-titled album (The Wolf, Shell Shock, If Looks Could Kill) there just wasn't that much room for him. And by Brigade and Desire Walks On the guitar solo parts were as cookie cutter as you could get (I did like those records though, especially Desire).
@@WithaJoeFro 2 years too late with this, but I smiled when I noticed you mentioned City’s Burning … I’m a fan of early 70s Heart, but loved that tune along with Fallen From Grace (great harmonies). I completely lost interest after Bebe Le Strange, an album that I believe would have been benefited greatly from Fisher’s presence.
HEy Rog! Hope all is well with you and yours...I have a question so I hope you see this 😄 Somebody commented on one of my videos that you did not have a songwriting credit on COY, that it was only A & N. I knew that you did because I remembered you saying so in this video. But it was pointed out to me that nowhere could your name be found in the credits, so I pulled out my original DA vinyl and also checked around online and sure enough you aren't listed. How come that oversight? Should be there...as far as I (and most people) am concerned that iconic riff plus all the guitar work you did on that song made what would have been a good song GREAT. I always like to point out to people that you innately knew what to do with the girls' pretty songs to make them classics--in the same way LIndsey Buckingham knew what to do with Stevie's pretty songs. Anyway I was just curious.
Cheers!
~~Katerina
Yes, that was a mistake that Howie pointed out. I deserved credit, but was late getting it, so it wasn't in the printed material.
@@FisherBrosandtheHumanTribe Oh it was a timing thing! Well too bad we don't get to see your name listed but it's there where it counts right? 😄
Thinking of you a lot lately as I'm finally learning to play Sylvan Song ... can't thank you (and Nancy) enough for that gorgeous song...and all the contributions you've made to music! Hope you know how appreciated you still are amongst a lot of music fans...I see so many comments across youtube that echo my sentiments regarding your time with Heart. It was huge and continues to make its impact.
And thank you for answering the question! 😊
Take care
~~Katerina
Interviewer: “How did you guys come up with the guitar part?
Roger: **proceeds to tell his whole biography**
At 3:19 Roger says he has co-writer's status on "Crazy On You". And I agree that he should have been a co-writer on it. But his claim is a little confusing because a simple google of the liner notes of the 'Dreamboat Annie' album shows that only Ann and Nancy Wilson are writers on that song. The only song that Roger is credited as a writer on in that whole album is, "Sing Child Sing".
What albums say on the liner notes do not always represent what is actually going on behind the scenes or legally. For instance, Van Halen albums show every song written by all 4 band members. The royalty situation isn't close to that, especially after Roth left. When Hagar found out they were paying the bass player royalties when he wrote pretty much nothing, he was like "nope".
so it's highly possible Roger still get's a check every time Crazy On You gets played on the radio. It's probably not enough to pay a mortgage, but I'm sure it helps.
@@TheDmonet I never said anything about what happens behind the scenes. And I wouldn't presume either way. I stated that Roger is not credited as a writer on the song. That's it!
@@39thala I'm not sure why you are being so defensive about my statement. I thought maybe I had said something rude, and I went back and read it..and I didn't. Weird.
Anyway, Roger says he thanks Howard Leese for saying he should have credit for the riff. One would presume that means he's getting paid for the song where he wouldn't have otherwise, which would mean the liner notes inaccurately reflect how the royalties are actually being paid.
@@TheDmonet Not being defensive at all. Just clarifying to you that what I posted about him not being credited on the song had only to do with his claim in the video that he had "co-writer's status with the song" which would understandably possibly lead some to think he was credited as a co-writer of the song, of which he wasn't. And that my post which you obviously were responding to had nothing to do with the points that you were making. That's all. You responded to my post. I responded back, nothing more. No need to keep pressing the point. :-)
@@39thalaMy points had everything to do with your original comment. I was trying to clear up your confusion. Roger didn't say "it says on the record I'm a co-writer", that was your presumption, he says he got credit as a co-writer. You said that creates confusion. I cleared up the confusion by stating that the liner notes on the album don't always represent who is getting actual credit in terms of royalties, and sited actual relevant examples. There are different kinds of "credit" besides the type you assumed he was talking about. When he's saying "thanks Howard", the thanks is probably related to cash he's getting, not that his name is on the liner notes.
Again, all relevant to your original comment, and the ones that followed up. I'll press my point because you didn't seem to understand it in the first place. What you assume "credit" implies is not the only interpretation of it. I never said that you said anything about what happens behind the scenes, I did not know that a perspective on "behind the scenes" was outside the parameters of acceptable response to you.
Now that the sister's aren't talking Ann should give Roger a call.
I doubt her husband would like that.
He tried to pick up my G/F in... 78/79. I won!
To bad how things went down with him leaving the band. And really a couple albums later with 2 other originals leaving. Bands never quit as good when an original leaves.
Ann and Nancy wrote the lyrics
Ahh Crazy on You came from Question by the Moody Blues. The more you know...
what was he doing professionally in the 1980s? would like to hear more about the bands he really liked in the 1960s and not the bands the media wants to hear him cite as an awesome 1960s era band.
like he said, you can't copyright chord progressions all you people out there trying to sue for similar chord progressions.
That interviewer shouldn’t have taken that Ambien before doing the interview
Sadly, Fisher seemed to be at his career best when he was with Heart. Never seemed to reach the same level of brilliance after he departed.
I hear a lot of "Doors" and "Zepplin" in their music
"We... are not thirsty..."
you can see the pain in his eyes when he talks about Nancy
He's been remarried and has his own life now. He may have pain about getting himself fired from the band, but I doubt he's still hurting about a romance that ended 40 years ago; he's got it better together than that.
I've watched Eliiot interview Roger before and have to say I can barely understand what he's saying. Please speak more clearly like Roger does so I don't have to lean in to imagine what you're saying, please.
Why did he flop"
Completely understandable question. You don't know what's going on behind the scenes, out of sight. Bro Mike and I stay busy creating art that we love, and know is good work. Because it hasn't reached mainstream makes it appear that we've "flopped," but that won't stop us. Listen to HEART OF THE BLUES, our most recent album. Then tell me if you think we have "flopped." RogerFisher.com/store
@@FisherBrosandtheHumanTribe thanks for the update. So glad you are both still putting music out there. I will check it out.
@@FisherBrosandtheHumanTribe Roger, you must be pretty together mentally to bother going on to youtube comments sections and replying to trolls and having to relive and answer for mistakes you may have made in the past. I wouldn't subject myself to it.
The easiest comment in the world to make to someone is "don't quit your day job" or "you suck". It takes no talent or guts to put other people down, it takes a lot more to put your own work out there and have other people say it's a flop when they've most likely done nothing themselves. Spoken from experience as someone who was "out there" at one time and having some success on an independent scale, playing to a thousand people here and there in the US and Europe, to have some Creed fan knucklehead tell you "I nevah hewd a ya" like that somehow invalidates you.
Nancy is a great musician, but she wouldn't be in R&R hall of fame either if it wasn't for Ann's generational talent. Would Ann have "made it" without these people who helped her get going, including Roger, her sister, and the rest of the original band? Maybe, maybe not.
"Never think never"
...annoying intro to video ...but thx
Honestly, Paul Stanley should've gotten co-writers credit not Roger. The riff sounds like Black Diamond.
Sure. Because that poor sucker hasn't made a dime off stolen royalties, ever.
So the truth is that Nancy Wilson Cheated on her Boyfriend Mike and that broke up the band. Contrary to her image she’s not an Angel. Then Ann and Roger broke up and Roger Fisher left, Michael Derosier the drummer was fired and the original Heart lineup that had all the early success was done! Roger and Mike were key parts of their hard rock sound! They just weren’t the same afterwards without them.
You've got your facts mixed up. Nancy and Roger were a couple. Ann and Roger's brother Mike were a couple. Roger met Nancy when she came to visit Ann in Vancouver where the band was living. Nancy, tired of Roger's screwing around on her, broke up with him and took up with the drummer Mike Desrosiers. Around the same time, Ann discovered that her Mike (Fisher) was seeing someone else, so they also broke up. Roger, in a jealous rage, lost it onstage, trashed his guitar and stomped off. Then offstage, he threw a guitar at Nancy narrowly missing her head. So he was booted from the band. Mike Desrosiers later broke up with Nancy.
You're wrong. Roger cheated on Nancy, and during that period after while they were trying to patch things up Nancy realize she was falling for the drummer, who didn't have the same feelings for her. Roger was a great guitarist for Heart, but how they sounded with him is irrelevant to the issue of what he was fired.