Mystic Posse Speaks Their Mind

Jackie and Michael O’Brien from Mystic Posse talks about Eric Clapton, the movies Pretty Woman and Anchorman and owning a restaurant on In LA.

Interview conducted on March 9, 2018

By Dan Locke

 

MYSTIC POSSE is an eclectic rock fronted by the excellent voice and performances of Michael O’Brien, former Warner Brothers recording artist. He is the owner and creator of the legendary Toi on Sunset, late night Thai food rock cafe on the famous Sunset Boulevard which has been a mecca for rock stars and alternative rock for many decades. Jackie O’Brien writes and sings in French, as in the song One Track Mind, which she wrote with Michael O’Brien & Marcy Levy, who penned Lay Down Sally for Eric Clapton. She is also an actress who began her career in PRETTY WOMAN and has starred in numerous television shows and films since. Lead guitar is Aaron Bullock who has toured nationally, Jeffrey Hemming plays bass guitar and Michael Garcia is on drums. They just finished recording their new album WHERE OR WHEN to be released early in 2018.

Unratedmag: Jackie you write and sing in French. Any other languages you sing in beside English?

Jackie O’Brien: No just French, I lived in Geneva Switzerland and Paris France.

Jackie I see you wrote Lay Down Sally with Michael and Marcy Levy. Was it written for Eric Clapton

originally or for someone else?

Jackie: No, Michael & I had a popular band in LA called “ Jackie O” and we wrote it for that band. Later I was in acting class studying with Milton Katselas and Marcy & we did a scene together & used the song and when we were rehearsing for that scene, she wrote the bridge. She performs under the name Marcella Detroit now.

Jackie you were an actress and producer, known for Grief (2018), Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) and Pretty Woman (1990). How was it to work with Richard Gere, Julia Roberts and Jason Alexander in Pretty Woman?

Jackie: Working on Pretty Woman was a dream. So much fun!! Garry Marshall used to say he didn’t think of himself so much as a director as the host of a great party. it was like that for me. It was a very relaxed set. That was the film I got my Screen Actors Guild card in. Julia Roberts was sweet as could be. She wasn’t mega star at the time and we had our makeup done side by side laughing most of the time.

In Anchorman they did not give you credit as the secretary. How does this happen?

Jackie: I guess the cast was too large to pay for type set? Just kidding. My scene was with a fairly large group of women at lunch with some funny dialogue, it got cut almost to nothing, and I noticed most of the women’s roles were substantially reduced. It was a film about guys mostly except Christina Applegate’s part.

You are in three upcoming projects: Grief, Rusty Tulloch and the MIX. Can you tell me about each

of them?

Jackie: Grief is a short film directed by Dante Russo known for his work on Glee. It is the sad story of a tube sock that gets separated from his matching sock in the laundromat and searches the streets of LA looking for him. I play a career waitress in a late night diner. It is a beautiful film. Rusty Tulloch is an action crime film directed by Errol Sack starring Eric Roberts (Julia’s brother. I guess I like working with the Roberts family!!). And The Mix is a TV pilot about the crime scene in South Boston in the 80’s, I play a tough DA.

How did you get your band together?

Jackie and Michael O’Brien: We chanted Nam Myoho Renge Kyo (we’re Buddhists like Tina Turner, I’m in her movie too, “What’s Love Got to Do with It). We wanted to find band members and these 3 guys emerged as a result of our chanting.

Tell me about the development of your musical style?

Michael: As the band played more together, the sounds we love began to take form.

How do you describe your music?

Jackie and  Michael: We call it eclectic rock because it is a fusion of rock, metal, punk, Americana and alternative.

What type of music did you listen to growing up?

Michael:“ I listened to rock and more rock and the dog barking in the back yard”

Jackie: “I listened to everything: rock, folk, country, blue grass, Edith Piaf, and jazz and classical records”

Who influences you?

Michael: Jimi Hendrix, Dylan and we really like the Kings of Leon

Is the band still using Myspace?

Jackie and  Michael: There’s a link to our album there on Myspace but we don’t actually post on it.

Michael you helped formed the band Killer Kane with Blackie Lawless of WASP and Arthur Kane of The New York Dolls. Tell me about the band beginnings?

Michael: I met Arthur at The Starwood. He wanted to give me a kiss. I told him, “No”. Then he said,”Let’s start a band.” He said, “I know this guy who filled in for the singer on our last NY Dolls tour. His name is Blackie, he could be our singer.” We put the band together in our house in Laurel Canyon (Three Dog Night used to live in the house before us), down the street from where The Doors rehearsed on Wonderland Ave. Blackie came out from Florida and lived with us for many months.

Tell me about your dealing with David Johansen?

Michael: Met him once at a show. Didn’t really know him well.

Did you ever meet Sid Vicious?

Michael: No but knew Steve Jones and did a recording session with him once where Kim Fowley was the Producer.

Tell me about the rockumentary Going to Whatstock?

Michael: “I thought it would be fun to make a documentary because I was doing a reunion gig with the first band I was in “The Angry”. And my California band, “Buddha Chili “was asked to play there as well. The film shows the obstacles we went through to get there and the show itself. I won an award at Three Rivers Film Festival for that.

And why West Virginia?

Michael: Artie Cornfeld, who was a co-creator of Woodstock, picked the location.

How did you get Kim Fowley the manager of the Runaways in the film?

Jackie and  Michael: We were personal friends with Kim for years and he produced our band “Jackie O”.

Do you know there is a Whatstock Music Festival at Good Farms in Okanogan Washington?

Jackie and  Michael: We didn’t know that.

Have you ever met any of The Runways?

Jackie and  Michael: The “Go Go’s “but not the Runaways. Paula Brown, their bass player left our band “Jackie O’ to play with them.

You new album “Where or When” comes out this month

How is it to have a band from the Los Angeles area? There are so many bands in LA trying to do the

same thing you are doing?

Jackie and  Michael: Yep, you got that right.

How was it to play The Whisky?

Jackie and  Michael: Amazing…they have the best stage and sound in LA The Roxy We ( The Jackie O Band) played the largest show ever there when we opened for the French band “Telephone” and The Viper Room? No sound check, no backstage, they make you wait outside on the sidewalk before you go on.

Michael you used to be with Warner Brothers. What happen?

Michael:Warner Brothers Reprise, they went inactive for a period there and nothing was released.

Michael you are the owner and creator of the legendary Toi on Sunset, late night Thai food rock cafe on the famous Sunset Boulevard which has been a mecca for rock stars and alternative rock for many decades. How did you start it?

Michael: I became a Buddhist and started chanting Nam Yoho Renge Kyo to have my own business. I met a Thai Buddhist Charlie, who was the bar manager at Spago’s, and owned a small failing Thai restaurant on Sunset Blvd. I kept chanting and had a dream about having a psychedelic rock restaurant and I created Toi from this vision. Charlie and I became partners and the rest is history.

What is the most popular food at the restaurant?

Michael:Pad Thai And what is your favorite dish? Panang Chicken

Michael you have performed with John Entwistle of The Who and the alt rock band Nuclear Health.

Entwistle was one of the most imaginative bass players I had ever drummed with (I was drumming at the time). Nuclear health was a techno nightmare

How was John any stories you like to tell me?

Michael: Entwistle was very quiet and soft spoken, very humble and he looked at the snare drum out of the corner of his eye the whole time he was playing to see when I as hitting it.

Quentin Tarantino wrote the script for Pulp Fiction at your restaurant. Did you or any of your staff have any input to the script?

Michael:No, other than the visual of the Eddie Rabbit restaurant was derivative of the Toi interior and the way Uma Thurman looked was based on my cashier almost exactly.

Has your restaurant been used in any television shows or movies?

Michael:Yes: Be Cool (John Travolta & Uma Thurman both in that too), The Real L Word, Billabong, Inked LA, MTV, Rachel Ray Show , KTLA Top 5 LA Restaurants

What is the biggest band which has eaten at your place?

Jackie and  Michael:  Lady Gaga, LMAFO, Red Hot Chili Peppers, ZZTop, Cheap Trick, Stevie Wonder, Steven Tyler, Whitney Houston, Cindy Lauper, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Julien Lennon, X, Berlin, Herbie Hancock, Billy Preston, Steve Vai, Walter Trout, Zayne Malik from One Direction, Ace Frehley, Joni Mitchell, Tiny Tim, The Doors (after Jim), Poe

Any funny stories you can tell me?

Jackie and  Michael: Well when Stevie Wonder came in our waiter handed him a menu to look at.

It looks like your restaurant has an art gallery?

Michael: I have some art but it’s mostly paintings of rock stars and much of the rest of the art and posters were given to us by artists who love Toi.

For someone going to your restaurant for the first time what do you suggest they check out first?

Michael: Our Pad Thai is legendary and our brown rice people come for all over the world to try it. Also The Rockin Salmon is amazing and check out the signed posters.

Since you have a stage in your restaurant any surprise people ever showed up to play in your

restaurant?

Jackie and  Michael: Brian Setzer and Tiny Tim played an entire set from the table he sat at in the middle of the restaurant.

What do you think of rock music today?

Michael:“It’s going backwards.”

Jackie:“It needs us”

What type of clubs do you like to play in (size)?

Jackie and  Michael: 200 to 700

What music fests would you like to play in which you have not played yet?

Jackie and Michael: South X Southwest

Tell me about any endorsements you have and may how do got them?

Jackie and Michael:  I have none

How would you explain your live performance?

Jackie and Michael: Real but unpredictable

If someone was listening to you for the first time, what 3 videos or songs would you tell them to look/listen to and why?

Jackie and Michael: Baby Me Baby (song & You Tube vid) great love song. What Are You Gonna Do (song & vid) cause it’s fun. Raised On Rock , it’s our anthem.

You New CD come out shorty.  Can we get a sample?

Who is your favorite singer and why?

Michael: “Chris Stapleton, cause he’s real”

Jackie: “Elvis cause he’s the eternal King of rock”

How do you see your band in the next 5 years?

Jackie and Michael: Getting Grammys and filling stadiums

Any guilty pleasures your fans would be surprise you listen to?

Jackie: “This Mortal Coil, Song to the Siren, anything Sia.”

Michael: “Adelle”

What is on your bucket list?

Michael; “Going to outer space”

Jackie:“Going back to Ireland”

What is on your phone for music now?

Michael : “rock and pop”

Jackie : “ Everything except polka music”

Anything in closing you would like to say?

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