The Cohn-Haddow Center
for Judaic Studies
and Congregation Shaarey Zedek

Arts & Entertainment

cordially invite you to join us for
a video presentation and lecture by

Ruth
R. Wisse -
Martin Peretz Professor of

Yiddish Literature and
Professor-of Comparative Literature
Harvard University

Daughter of Vilna: .
A Jewish Music Scene
in Poland between the Wars

A dessert reception will follow.

Sponsored through the generosity of
The Morris and Beverly Baker Foundation
in memory of Morris D. Baker

Sunday, June 23
2:00 P.M.
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
27375 Bell Road, SOuthfield

Seating is limited.
Please call (313) 577-2679 or (248) 357-5544 for reservations.

Wayne State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

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24234 Orchard Lake Rd., N.E. corner of 10 Mile • 476-1377

JEWISH NEWS

Farmington Hills, MI 48334

6/7

2002

76

(JARC Building)

Knack! Knack!

MARTIN NATCHEZ
Special to the Jewish News

IV

hat group's national No. 1
hit in 1979 was inspired
by the granddaughter of
a Brooklyn rabbi?
It was "My Sharona" by The Knack, a
Los Angeles-based band led by former
Oak Park resident Doug Fieger. The
song crowned Billboard magazine's Hot
100 chart for six consecutive weeks and
touted his then-girlfriend, Sharona
Alperin, as the "Peggy Sue" of the '70s.
Today, Alperin is a successful real
estate agent in Beverly Hills, Calif.,
and The Knack's Fieger (lead singer
and rhythm guitar), Berton Averre
(lead guitar) and Prescott Niles
(bass) are touring this summer, with
a scheduled appearance at the DTE
Energy Music Theatre on June 14.
Added to the lineup is new drum-
mer David Henderson (a.k.a. Holmes
Jones), who is the latest timekeeper to
sit behind The Knack drumskin, origi-
nally manned by Bruce Gary.
Fieger, 49, readily admits his
band's reputation for not following
conventional musical directions is
intentional.
"We don't really fit into what's going
on, on the radio," he says about the
lack of airplay the music industry offers
for the group's '60s-rooted pop songs.
"But, then, I think the music we
make is timeless. We always operated
in a vacuum, in our own little world,
and we were never really conscious of
the trends of the time."
Harkening back to the look and
days of locally aired teen dance shows
such as CKLW's Swingin' Time and
WXYZ's Club 1270, The Knack: Live
From the Rock `12' Roll Fun House is the
group's newest album and DVD (with
.
5:1 surround sound).
Plus, Capitol Records recently
shipped upgraded CD reissues of Get

the Knack, ... But the Little Girls
Understand, Round Trip and Serious
Fun — each expanded with new rare
and previously unreleased material.
Since moving from Michigan to Los
Angeles in 1971, and now living in
Canoga Park, Calif., Fieger is thankful
that his life is good.
He repOrts that he's been sober and
drug-free for 19 years and is happily
remarried to his first wife, Mia.
Moreover, he takes pride in being
much less controversial than his older
brother, attorney and former Michigan

gubernatorial candidate Geoffrey
Fieger, and in being the most Jewish
member of his family.
The Jewish News recently spoke with
Doug Fieger during a phone interview.
Here's what he had to say about his
music, his battle with addiction and
his Judaism.

JN: Besides yourself, The Knack has
more Jewish components than most
people think.
DF: Yes, The Knack was an all
band, until our latest drummer. Our
original drummer, Bruce Gary, was
born Bruce Ginsberg. Berton is Jewish.
His mother [was born] Jewish and his
father converted; Averre is a French
name. Prescott's real last name is Fine.

JN: How do you feel about the
upgraded releases of your Capitol
albums coming out on CD?
DF: I'm very happy about it, and by
the end of the year our whole catalog
will be available to fans and to the peo-
ple who'll want to discover what we do.

JN: Besides sharing your original
songwriting demo of "My Sharona,"
early 1978 tapes of the group playing
"Soul Kitchen" and 'Alabama
Song/Whiskey Bar" with original
Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek are
among Capitol's bonus rarities. What
do you recall about those recordings?
DF: There was a cassette recorder at
The Troubadour. We knew Ray was
coming down, because we had
rehearsed with him and we worked
out three songs. I kept the cassette
from the second show all these years.

JN: The Knack's last studio album,
Normal As the Next Guy (Smile), came
out last year. Has your sound changed?
DF: It's the most eclectic album
we've ever made. It's pretty much our
"White Album." There are pop, coun-
try, heavy metal and psychedelic
tracks. It's a fun album and also the
most humorous one.
In a perfect world, I think there are
a number of hits on it: "Les Girls,"
"Seven Days of Heaven," "It's Not
Me" and "Normal As the Next Guy."

JN: The original Knack called it quits
in 1982. Why did you decide to
break up the band?
DF: We called it quits because we
were burnt out, on every level.
Basically, I laid low. I didn't write any