Femme Fatale vocalist
Lorraine Lewis
FIBM:  What's new, what have you been up to lately and what's in the future?

Lorraine:   The latest news is that I am working on some new music with Roxy Petrucci....she's a great drummer and I am excited to work with her. We both still have the fire to rock and find ourselves in suburbia and just need a fix of rock and roll....

FIBM:  Please give us a little history about how Femme Fatale formed an how you moved to LA.

Lorraine:  I sang and posed for the band "Femme Fatale"....we got picked up by MCA really quickly we toured, released 2 videos, one cd (even vinyl) and then poof....we were over.

FIBM:   Describe a typical day in the life of Lorraine Lewis, during your days in LA, before the band had a record deal. From the time you woke up to the time you went to bed.

Lorraine:   My days back then were filled with morning vocal warm ups, coffee and workouts at 24 hour Fitness....I would work out like a fiend, usually 2 classes.....hang out with the gym actors and actresses over a latte....head back to my little apartment in North Hollywood, make phone calls, listen to music, play my guitar, shower and put on some great tight rock clothes and head out to Hollywood to meet people, listen to bands and drink Jack Daniels......

FIBM:   After moving to LA, your band only played 7 or 8 shows before signing with a label. Describe how the sudden popularity felt. What was that experience like for you? How quick did you go from no crowd to packed houses?

Lorraine:  Things happened really fast for us....the best memory is agreeing to open for a band on Monday night at the Whiskey ...it was a night that was being promoted by Riki Rachtman....he reluctantly agreed to let us play even though he hadn't heard of us....we blew the doors off the place and it was after that show that the BUZZ began.....the next Monday we played again and it was over capacity.....



FIBM:  How was it playing in a band with your brother? Did you guys get along or fight? Any funny or angry moments come to mind during the days you were in a band?

Lorraine:  I loved working with my brother....he has a great presence and a great voice, and the chicks dig him!! He's famous for that and also famous for being late....that drove me crazy and still does.....I remember him showing up late for our Manhattan Records showcase and his pants were wet because he ran out of time to dry them

FIBM:  Take us through the day you signed your record contract with MCA.

Lorraine:  I don't really remember much about that day...it's kind of a blurr I just remember paper contracts and me signing my name....we celebrated together with our manager Andrea.....but I can't remember where...maybe I drank too much




FIBM:   What was your experience with MCA like? It seems everyone that was signed to that label had a bad experience.

Lorraine:   My personal experience with MCA was amazing....they were our best cheerleaders!! They believed in us and they got it!! I just regret that we didn't take more time working on the record, we needed hit songs and we didn’t take enough time to develop. I think they thought that our stage presence would be enough and for that they should've known better, but all in all it was a blast!

FIBM:  Any memories / highlights come to mind from the recording sessions for the debut release. What was the recording budget? Where was it recorded?

Lorraine:  We didn't have a big budget but Jim Faraci was brought on board because of his success with Poison and because he was an up and comer.....it was pretty surreal being in the studio laying down tracks...I didn't really realize how important it all was at the time, but looking back I could've pushed harder for better vocal performances.....I liked having all the attention on us and having people run out to get us food and drinks whenever we wanted something, I had never experienced that before and I loved it

FIBM:  Did you partake in the LA party scene, or while touring? If so, please share one of your best stories.

Lorraine:  I kept to myself a lot during the tour...I felt a lot of pressure to be the best when I was on stage and even though I love to drink Jack Daniels and did every night I was back on the bus, before the boys, to get my sleep.....my voice is the first thing to go when I am tired.... I do have good memories of being in New Orleans with Cheap Trick and drinking at a bar with them because we had the next day off

FIBM:  How well did the first album do considering that the “Waiting for the Big One” video was always playing on MTV. Any idea how many copies were sold?

Lorraine:  I think we sold 150,000 or so....
FIBM:  How long did you tour for the Self-titled release?

Lorraine:  We toured for the first 5 months after the record was released with Cheap Trick and we did some other low key dates in smaller clubs along the way.....there were more plans for touring after the new year but that is when MCA stopped funding

FIBM:  3 most fond memories of your days in Femme Fatale.

Lorraine:  Great memories of touring...I loved it!! I had the big room in the back of the bus, yes it was all MINE!! Guys would hang out after the shows to talk with me.....I loved that too....my band mates were pretty easy so they had their hands full....sometimes there would be strippers on the bus doing private shows for the boys....my best story though is a DJ that came to meet me ....it started raining while he was waiting for me to come to the bus, he was soaked and I sent him on his way....the tour bus rolled away and I later found out his car got stolen....Poor guy!

Lorraine & Robin Zander
FIBM:   As well as the debut album did, being on major tours and all over MTV. Did the band ever recoup? How did you make ends meet back then?

Lorraine:  Recoup?......good question....no. But because I was a writer, I signed a publishing deal so I was okay....the other guys survived by the groupie girls in LA...they kept the rockers going

        



FIBM:  What happened with the follow-up to your successful Self-titled debut? Did you record tracks for the record? If so, why was it never released and will those tracks ever see the day of light?

Lorraine:  We recorded a second record...it was pretty good, but by then MCA had lost interest, our cheerleaders were gone and our manager and friend Andrea Accardo got brain cancer...things really unraveled after that, but I still am hoping the music will be released....I have some live tracks of it and hope to release it next year or at least some of the tracks...



FIBM:  Around 1990 you signed a production deal with, famed Guns n Roses producer, Mike Clink. What were the terms of that deal? How does a production deal work?

Lorraine:  The production deal with Mike Clink came about when my manager got a call from him....apparently he woke up one morning and my name was in his head....he wanted to produce me and he believed I was a female Axl.....he didn't like my band so the idea was that we would work together and find songs, write songs and record together....then sell it to a label.....that was around the time my manager was sick and the wheels just fell off the cart ..I have good memories of hanging out with him though...he was building a new house with his millions that he had made off GnR



FIBM:  Will there ever be a chance for a Femme Fatale reunion?

Lorraine:  I would do some shows with Femme Fatale, but a reunion that would stick is pretty much out of the question, I am happier using the monicker and moving on, I like the fact that people still remember me and that they know I Rock!






FIBM:  What was up with the beef between you and Lita Ford? Was there really conflict, or was it generated by the press?

Lorraine:  Lita and I didn't really know each other, but I had always wanted to be friends with her....when the record was going to come out Concrete Marketing tried to make us rivals and I didn't dig that, but things were already in print and in the hands of the industry....there wasn't a lot I could do to change it so it was what it was......I did meet her eventually when I was hanging out with Vince Neil, she was polite, but no love there....

FIBM:  Your thoughts on Rikki Rockett. You guys seemed to be a "Hot Item" at one time. Do you still keep in touch?

Lorraine:   Rikki Rockett is a great guy. We had a lot of fun hanging out. He used to ride Harley's with a group of guys that called themselves the Lost Boys. I loved being on the back of his bike! and I have a lot of good memories of the time we spent together...I was pretty infatuated with him. I knew him before his record deal and even posed in a photo with a group of girls in the Poison House backyard by their pool...He was a happy guy with a good fashion sense and even though I haven't talked with him in a while, I still consider him a friend...I know if I really needed him he'd be there...great memories of Harley Rides, and the MTV Award.....

FIBM:  Any good Vince Neil stories come to mind? What was he like to hang out with?

Lorraine:   Vince was a nice guy too, and really handsome in person.....it was all very Hollywood, you know "your people contact my people"....the best way to get a date is have a video on MTV.....anyway we did hang out, I guess you call it dating but he was going through a divorce and things got kind of weird. He did put me on the bill to perform with the Party Ninja's Benefit at the Santa Monica Civic.....and I have fun memories at his house, Gladstones, Dr. Feelgood, Canada and Cheap Trick.... Never mind, I like to keep secrets......

FIBM:  What does your brother do now?

Lorraine:   My brother Rick lives in our home town Albuquerque, New Mexico ...he is in 2 bands and works for Budweiser

FIBM:  I have seen copies of the Femme Fatale cd sell consistently for thirty to fifty bucks on Ebay. Were you aware of that? Do you care? Why hasn’t it been re-released and will it ever be?

Lorraine:  Yeah I have seen the Femme stuff on ebay...hey I even bought my stuff off there...it's crazy expensive...and yes I am hoping for a re release.....maybe next year

FIBM:  Lorraine Lewis is transported back to the year 1988, is there anything you would do differently in the music business?

Lorraine:   There are a lot of things I would've done differently...the biggest thing is that I would've released "Rebel" as our second single....I would've done a black and white video of backstage footage for it and I think it would've worked.....also I wouldn't have believed everything people told me about my career...yes I believed the hype!   


THE FAST 5

FIBM:  What is your most disgusting habit?

Lorraine:  Most disgusting habit?....hhhmmm I wipe my dogs arse with a baby wipe after he poos!

FIBM:  What is the most masculine thing you do?

Lorraine:  Drink shots of Jack Daniels....other than that I like being a girl

FIBM:  If there is a God, what is the first question you would ask God when you arrive?

Lorraine:   Do dogs go to heaven?

FIBM:  Greatest Rock band of all time?

Lorraine:  AC/DC

FIBM:  What were you doing 40 minutes before you sat down to do this interview?

Lorraine:  Kissing my husband and giving my doggies a new treat I found for them

Don't forget to visit Lorraine at her website, you can buy new product from her (which is great!), see some classic videos (even one with her on Remote Control with Dizzy Dean from Britny Fox & Charle Benante from Anthrax) and lots of great photos
official Lorraine Lewis Website

Search Fibits for Lorraine Lewis cd's

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