Michael Steele
Stories
Memories
Check back for some fan stories we're working on - coming soon!
A collection of interviews with (sorry, not Michael) bands that Michael has played in, and stories / memories. Click on the icons to the left to switch Between The Two.
Elise - 10/25/2011
" I've been playing in bands on and off since I was a teenager. I was a guitarist in an 'indie' band sometime in the late eighties and we released a couple of singles, one of which managed to get played on high rotation on 'Triple J'[1], which was a pretty cool radio station that liked to focus on local and overseas indie bands. So this led to an offer to play live in the Triple J studios. I think Gayle Austin was the DJ during our segment, and believe it or not, female rock DJ's were quite rare back then. So Gayle was considered a bit of a maverick and she was pretty keen to promote up and coming bands with female musos.
In the eighties, if you wanted to check out local and overseas indie bands, the best place to go was Phantom Records[2], which was a record store and independent record label with its' retail store in Pitt Street, Sydney. It wasn't at street level, so you had to walk down a few stairs to the front of the store. It had a big glass front window with huge red lettering. From memory it was located in the more obscure end of Pitt Street, which was well away from the commercial part of town. It had heaps of great stuff you couldn't get anywhere else; used records, new, imports, local, indie, underground, 60s garage, punk, and Detroit metal stuff. I'm pretty sure they stocked our band's single, because some of us would go in to check out how many people bought it. I used to hang out there quite a bit.
One day I was in there looking through the collections with a friend of mine, and he said "...Hey look there's Brad Shepherd from the Hoodoo Gurus..." and with him was a very tall woman with long red hair. I think she was wearing a cap, or maybe it was Brad that wearing a cap, I can't be sure. I think she had on a jacket, I definitely remember her being very tall, much taller than the guy she was standing next to. Then my friend said that's Michael Steele from the Bangles. I remember looking over again, because they were looking in the section that I wanted to look at, and they spent quite a bit of time there. I remember right in front of me up on the wall was a record by 'The Hitmen'. They both looked pretty relaxed and comfortable just checking out the records. It was kinda cool because the band I was in around that time played a gig at an inner city pub with a bunch of other bands and the Hoodoo Gurus were headlining. Those were the days when just about every pub in the city had a bunch of live bands playing all the time, and even popular bands like the Gurus you could still go and listen to at a city hotel ..."
Notes: (by RealInspectorShane)
[1] Triple J is a radio station that developed on the Australian national broadcaster ABC in the mid-1970s, and originally known as Double J. The station soon gained notoriety and a dedicated fanbase for playing music that other networks of the time refused to touch. For its first fifteen years Triple J was a Sydney-only station, becoming national in 1990. (A move some fans later decried as ruining the station.)
[2] Phantom Records began in the late 1970s as a record label and store dedicated to punk/alternative/indie music. It played an important role in the Sydney music scene of the time for releasing music by previously unsigned Australian bands as well as providing a space for passionate fans, many of whom remember the store fondly long after it closed in 1998. Among many other bands, Phantom released the Hoodoo Gurus' first single 'Leilani' (October 1982) before Brad joined the group. For a more detailed account of Phantom Records' history, see this interview with co-founder Jules Normington. http://www.nkvdrecords.com/phantom_records.htm
Tim Armstrong - 6/7/2011
"I was fortunate to grow up in the Washington DC area, because we had a really great radio station in Bethesda, MD, WHFS-FM, which played a really wide range of music (the station was owned by a group of lawyers who were using it as a tax write-off, so they gave the station total freedom with no worries about ratings!). One of the benefits of having a station like this is that we got to hear great music long before more commercial stations would play it, and the Bangles were one of the bands that I learned about from them. As a bassist myself, I always loved Michael's tone and touch, and I thought she had the best voice of the Bangles (which is not to say that all four of them didn't sing quite wonderfully).
In 1987 or so, I was in a kinda punky band while a student at the University of Maryland, and my bandmates and I went down to the Tower Records store in DC for a Bangles in-store appearance. It was in the morning, and let's just say that the girls were a little bleary, except for Micki Steele. As I recall, Micki was the only one who looked rested and fully awake, the other Bangles were in sweats/t-shirts and looked like they had gotten three hours of sleep apiece. We gave them an autographed picture of OUR band, which amused her greatly (and confused Susanna totally). That morning, under those less-than-optimal conditions, Ms. Steele was the coolest, prettiest Bangle..."
DANISE RODRIGUEZ - 04/02/2011
... So, your're wonderin': "Who's Micki Steele and is she possibly related to Bangles bassist Michael Steele?" You be your lifesavers she is!... (click on picture for full article)
Published from 1985 to 1989 and based in Silicon Valley, Bitch Magzine: The Women's Rock Newsletter With Bite! was the product of feminist music journalist Lori Twersky's (1954-1991) wish to create a fanzine centered upon women musicians, free from condescension or sexual stereotyping. In each issue Twersky and a small staff of writers discussed a plethora of musicians from a wide variety of genres through live reviews, interviews and passionate editorials such as the following from Issue 14 (1986). Additionally Bitch was conceived to provide a meeting place for musicians through its detailed classified sections. Michael Steele was just one of many female musicians celebrated in the fanzine's four-year run. Although back issues of Bitch are sadly hard to find today, it remains fondly remembered.
(For further information on Lori, see Gillian G. Gaar, She's A Rebel (New York: Seal Press, 1992) pp.255-258. For background on Danise's role in the fanzine and her writing in general, see http://www.whohub.com/danisevonrod. A complete run of issues may be found at specialised libraries such as the National Library of Australia: http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2955171?lookfor=Bitch&offset=1&max=78)
Rebecca - 11/09/2010
Rebecca discusses her experiences seeing the Bangles live in concert in 1988 and meeting Michael and the band ... (read more)
Colin Ross Jack: Painting Michael - 10/17/2010
I always liked the Bangles' music, and as a male I always liked the Bangles! I love that kind of jingle jangle West Coast sound they had. Sadly, meningitis made me deaf 2 years ago so I can no longer hear them, but I hear them in my head and can play the songs there if I want to. Michael always interested me because I loved how she looked, and I loved her voice, it was rich and deep, like the dark chocolate in the mix. When they got together again, I liked how she looked even more, and loved the new album they did, espcially her song 'Song For A Good Son'.
I saw them live at the Students Union in Manchester during their reunion, and loved the concert. It was at the start of the Iraq invasion, and I remember Michael saying 'I don't know exactly what the question is, but I know the answer isn't war', and I liked that. Unlike the Dixie Chicks, nobody made a huge fuss of the comment!
The paintings? I have always painted, and always will. Along with seascapes, landscapes, etc I do occasional figure paintings. My daughter gave me some gold acrylic paint for christmas, and I thought, 'what can I do with that?', not wanting to disappoint her. In the end I bought 6 more shades of gold, and painted the 2 pictures of Michael in gold paint [with red and black added in one picture, turquoise and black on the other. they were on gold card, in gold frames, and i gave her a gold halo in each.
The idea was kind of tongue in cheek, as the old religious icon pictures were in or on gold, with a halo, and it was kind of a commeNt on our view of celebrity compared to long ago. Also the red/black gold one had Munch's 'Madonna' in mind, especially in the swirling background, and the turquoise/black gold ahd the colours of egypt, the mask of Tutenkamun. I sifted through many images of Michael on the web, as she looked in the reunion, and simply chose 2 I liked best , and thought would make good paintings with a suitable choice of background.
How did she get them? well, I photographed them both and sent the prints to Michael at the Bangles' publicity office. Months later I heard from one of the ladies who work there! Apparently Michael had shown them round the office, and was very touched that somebody had painted her. The lady said it was Michael's birthday soon, that everybody in the office had a soft spot for Michael, and would I sell them to the office staff as a present for her! I was so honoured to do so, made up a huge parcel of the 2 framed pictures and .. Michael has them now! She was apparently very touched when she opnend them, and has the turquoise one with a blue scarf draped over it...
Colin continues to paint and more of his fine work is available at www.colinrossjack.co.uk
MikeBangle - 05/30/2010
I've seen a lot of Bangles gigs, and these are only some with Michael I remember. The first time I saw them was at the HOB, September 22nd 2000. The show was awesome, rocked hard and I loved all the new songs. Between The Two (which I hadn't yet heard the Crash Wisdom version) was a tour-de-force, as were Ride The Ride and other tunes. The impression they left on me that night is part of why I've seen them so many times in the last decade.
Another gig I remember is one of the few where they played Nickel Romeo live. Me and my band had been working on the song for months, trying to recover a cover. We had laid down some tracks prior to the show, and so we were watching it, and when Michael flawlessly played the complex bassline while singing lead at the same time, my bassist was just stunned at her musicianship. Although her playing didn't always freak people out like that, it was always damn solid and true.
I was only lucky enough to meet Michael herself once, at a Las Vegas gig in 2001. I was very nervous and starstruck to be meeting the band for the first time, but like the others she was very nice. I recall her being very intellectual, (I saw her talking to another fan about chord progressions in quite technical terms) but above all being funny and real. It was a special night.
KISSMike - 05/26/2010
It was in DC back in 1986. My buddy, Andy and myself were seeing them at I believe the Warner Theatre. We were sitting on Michael's side and I was mesmerized. I thought she was a very good bassist, and a FOX! I did not know at that point that she was an original member of the Runaways. As for songs, I cannot remember any set list. But they rocked. I had seen the Go-Gos twice by that point and thought the Bangles were better. The whole band kicked ass. I later remember thinking the song by the Smithereens, Behind The Wall Of Sleep, must've been about her. And she really did remind me of Bill Wyman, the whole John Entwistle solitary standing plugging away on stage thing.
After the show I saw a tour bus on the side of the building and suggested we wait... the band came out shortly thereafter, and were very gracious with their male and female fans. They signed alot of autographs. I realized I had no paper, but wanted to get Michael's attention. She was wearing a black skirt and top, and was slightly taller than me. Her hair was pretty cool too as I recall. Sprayed up big! Most of the guys were crowding Susanna. She was about to enter the bus and I said , "Hey, Michael!". She turned and stopped at that point I took off several bangles I was wearing around my wrist and held them out to her. She looked at them, grabbed them, said "thanks!", and then smiled back at me. She had a great smile when she realized that's all I wanted. I was the only one who didn't ask for something. Although I'd have been a willing groupie! And yes, the playing as well as her looks are what got me. I thought at the time she was the prettiest lady I'd ever seen...
Pal Shazar - 03/05/2010
I was living in the Hollywood Hills, near the reservoir, with Jules Shear at the time I met Micki. Andrew and I were looking for a bassist. We had advertised in 'the recycler' (!) I do not recall how it is that Micki found out about it but she did come to my house one evening. Andrew recalls that she was wearing a floppy hat which I requested she not wear when we played! My first impression was that in profile she resembled the actress Candice Bergen. She was so into what we were doing so naturally I was happy.
Jules and the Polar Bears had a manager who took Slow Children under his wing. He paid for rehearsal space in West Hollywood. We had a few drummers but only Micki on bass. She always showed up right on time. I know she was playing in other bands at that time but she was dedicated to us. Slow Children did not do many gigs before the english record deal came our way. By then we were down to just andrew and myself.
Years passed and when I encountered Micki again at the time the Bangles were doing a TV appearance which included Jules, Micki told me, very sweetly, that Slow Children had been the most satisfying music for her, as it was challenging. I thought that was a very kind thing for her to say to me.
Picture: Slow Children 1979. Pal Shazar, Thom Mooney , Andrew Chinich, Michael Steele.
After a long solo career, Pal Shazar is again working on Slow Children with Andrew Chinich. See palshazar.com for more information.
" I've been playing in bands on and off since I was a teenager. I was a guitarist in an 'indie' band sometime in the late eighties and we released a couple of singles, one of which managed to get played on high rotation on 'Triple J'[1], which was a pretty cool radio station that liked to focus on local and overseas indie bands. So this led to an offer to play live in the Triple J studios. I think Gayle Austin was the DJ during our segment, and believe it or not, female rock DJ's were quite rare back then. So Gayle was considered a bit of a maverick and she was pretty keen to promote up and coming bands with female musos.
In the eighties, if you wanted to check out local and overseas indie bands, the best place to go was Phantom Records[2], which was a record store and independent record label with its' retail store in Pitt Street, Sydney. It wasn't at street level, so you had to walk down a few stairs to the front of the store. It had a big glass front window with huge red lettering. From memory it was located in the more obscure end of Pitt Street, which was well away from the commercial part of town. It had heaps of great stuff you couldn't get anywhere else; used records, new, imports, local, indie, underground, 60s garage, punk, and Detroit metal stuff. I'm pretty sure they stocked our band's single, because some of us would go in to check out how many people bought it. I used to hang out there quite a bit.
One day I was in there looking through the collections with a friend of mine, and he said "...Hey look there's Brad Shepherd from the Hoodoo Gurus..." and with him was a very tall woman with long red hair. I think she was wearing a cap, or maybe it was Brad that wearing a cap, I can't be sure. I think she had on a jacket, I definitely remember her being very tall, much taller than the guy she was standing next to. Then my friend said that's Michael Steele from the Bangles. I remember looking over again, because they were looking in the section that I wanted to look at, and they spent quite a bit of time there. I remember right in front of me up on the wall was a record by 'The Hitmen'. They both looked pretty relaxed and comfortable just checking out the records. It was kinda cool because the band I was in around that time played a gig at an inner city pub with a bunch of other bands and the Hoodoo Gurus were headlining. Those were the days when just about every pub in the city had a bunch of live bands playing all the time, and even popular bands like the Gurus you could still go and listen to at a city hotel ..."
Notes: (by RealInspectorShane)
[1] Triple J is a radio station that developed on the Australian national broadcaster ABC in the mid-1970s, and originally known as Double J. The station soon gained notoriety and a dedicated fanbase for playing music that other networks of the time refused to touch. For its first fifteen years Triple J was a Sydney-only station, becoming national in 1990. (A move some fans later decried as ruining the station.)
[2] Phantom Records began in the late 1970s as a record label and store dedicated to punk/alternative/indie music. It played an important role in the Sydney music scene of the time for releasing music by previously unsigned Australian bands as well as providing a space for passionate fans, many of whom remember the store fondly long after it closed in 1998. Among many other bands, Phantom released the Hoodoo Gurus' first single 'Leilani' (October 1982) before Brad joined the group. For a more detailed account of Phantom Records' history, see this interview with co-founder Jules Normington. http://www.nkvdrecords.com/phantom_records.htm
Tim Armstrong - 6/7/2011
"I was fortunate to grow up in the Washington DC area, because we had a really great radio station in Bethesda, MD, WHFS-FM, which played a really wide range of music (the station was owned by a group of lawyers who were using it as a tax write-off, so they gave the station total freedom with no worries about ratings!). One of the benefits of having a station like this is that we got to hear great music long before more commercial stations would play it, and the Bangles were one of the bands that I learned about from them. As a bassist myself, I always loved Michael's tone and touch, and I thought she had the best voice of the Bangles (which is not to say that all four of them didn't sing quite wonderfully).
In 1987 or so, I was in a kinda punky band while a student at the University of Maryland, and my bandmates and I went down to the Tower Records store in DC for a Bangles in-store appearance. It was in the morning, and let's just say that the girls were a little bleary, except for Micki Steele. As I recall, Micki was the only one who looked rested and fully awake, the other Bangles were in sweats/t-shirts and looked like they had gotten three hours of sleep apiece. We gave them an autographed picture of OUR band, which amused her greatly (and confused Susanna totally). That morning, under those less-than-optimal conditions, Ms. Steele was the coolest, prettiest Bangle..."
DANISE RODRIGUEZ - 04/02/2011
... So, your're wonderin': "Who's Micki Steele and is she possibly related to Bangles bassist Michael Steele?" You be your lifesavers she is!... (click on picture for full article)
Published from 1985 to 1989 and based in Silicon Valley, Bitch Magzine: The Women's Rock Newsletter With Bite! was the product of feminist music journalist Lori Twersky's (1954-1991) wish to create a fanzine centered upon women musicians, free from condescension or sexual stereotyping. In each issue Twersky and a small staff of writers discussed a plethora of musicians from a wide variety of genres through live reviews, interviews and passionate editorials such as the following from Issue 14 (1986). Additionally Bitch was conceived to provide a meeting place for musicians through its detailed classified sections. Michael Steele was just one of many female musicians celebrated in the fanzine's four-year run. Although back issues of Bitch are sadly hard to find today, it remains fondly remembered.
(For further information on Lori, see Gillian G. Gaar, She's A Rebel (New York: Seal Press, 1992) pp.255-258. For background on Danise's role in the fanzine and her writing in general, see http://www.whohub.com/danisevonrod. A complete run of issues may be found at specialised libraries such as the National Library of Australia: http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2955171?lookfor=Bitch&offset=1&max=78)
Rebecca - 11/09/2010
Rebecca discusses her experiences seeing the Bangles live in concert in 1988 and meeting Michael and the band ... (read more)
Colin Ross Jack: Painting Michael - 10/17/2010
I always liked the Bangles' music, and as a male I always liked the Bangles! I love that kind of jingle jangle West Coast sound they had. Sadly, meningitis made me deaf 2 years ago so I can no longer hear them, but I hear them in my head and can play the songs there if I want to. Michael always interested me because I loved how she looked, and I loved her voice, it was rich and deep, like the dark chocolate in the mix. When they got together again, I liked how she looked even more, and loved the new album they did, espcially her song 'Song For A Good Son'.
I saw them live at the Students Union in Manchester during their reunion, and loved the concert. It was at the start of the Iraq invasion, and I remember Michael saying 'I don't know exactly what the question is, but I know the answer isn't war', and I liked that. Unlike the Dixie Chicks, nobody made a huge fuss of the comment!
The paintings? I have always painted, and always will. Along with seascapes, landscapes, etc I do occasional figure paintings. My daughter gave me some gold acrylic paint for christmas, and I thought, 'what can I do with that?', not wanting to disappoint her. In the end I bought 6 more shades of gold, and painted the 2 pictures of Michael in gold paint [with red and black added in one picture, turquoise and black on the other. they were on gold card, in gold frames, and i gave her a gold halo in each.
The idea was kind of tongue in cheek, as the old religious icon pictures were in or on gold, with a halo, and it was kind of a commeNt on our view of celebrity compared to long ago. Also the red/black gold one had Munch's 'Madonna' in mind, especially in the swirling background, and the turquoise/black gold ahd the colours of egypt, the mask of Tutenkamun. I sifted through many images of Michael on the web, as she looked in the reunion, and simply chose 2 I liked best , and thought would make good paintings with a suitable choice of background.
How did she get them? well, I photographed them both and sent the prints to Michael at the Bangles' publicity office. Months later I heard from one of the ladies who work there! Apparently Michael had shown them round the office, and was very touched that somebody had painted her. The lady said it was Michael's birthday soon, that everybody in the office had a soft spot for Michael, and would I sell them to the office staff as a present for her! I was so honoured to do so, made up a huge parcel of the 2 framed pictures and .. Michael has them now! She was apparently very touched when she opnend them, and has the turquoise one with a blue scarf draped over it...
Colin continues to paint and more of his fine work is available at www.colinrossjack.co.uk
MikeBangle - 05/30/2010
I've seen a lot of Bangles gigs, and these are only some with Michael I remember. The first time I saw them was at the HOB, September 22nd 2000. The show was awesome, rocked hard and I loved all the new songs. Between The Two (which I hadn't yet heard the Crash Wisdom version) was a tour-de-force, as were Ride The Ride and other tunes. The impression they left on me that night is part of why I've seen them so many times in the last decade.
Another gig I remember is one of the few where they played Nickel Romeo live. Me and my band had been working on the song for months, trying to recover a cover. We had laid down some tracks prior to the show, and so we were watching it, and when Michael flawlessly played the complex bassline while singing lead at the same time, my bassist was just stunned at her musicianship. Although her playing didn't always freak people out like that, it was always damn solid and true.
I was only lucky enough to meet Michael herself once, at a Las Vegas gig in 2001. I was very nervous and starstruck to be meeting the band for the first time, but like the others she was very nice. I recall her being very intellectual, (I saw her talking to another fan about chord progressions in quite technical terms) but above all being funny and real. It was a special night.
KISSMike - 05/26/2010
It was in DC back in 1986. My buddy, Andy and myself were seeing them at I believe the Warner Theatre. We were sitting on Michael's side and I was mesmerized. I thought she was a very good bassist, and a FOX! I did not know at that point that she was an original member of the Runaways. As for songs, I cannot remember any set list. But they rocked. I had seen the Go-Gos twice by that point and thought the Bangles were better. The whole band kicked ass. I later remember thinking the song by the Smithereens, Behind The Wall Of Sleep, must've been about her. And she really did remind me of Bill Wyman, the whole John Entwistle solitary standing plugging away on stage thing.
After the show I saw a tour bus on the side of the building and suggested we wait... the band came out shortly thereafter, and were very gracious with their male and female fans. They signed alot of autographs. I realized I had no paper, but wanted to get Michael's attention. She was wearing a black skirt and top, and was slightly taller than me. Her hair was pretty cool too as I recall. Sprayed up big! Most of the guys were crowding Susanna. She was about to enter the bus and I said , "Hey, Michael!". She turned and stopped at that point I took off several bangles I was wearing around my wrist and held them out to her. She looked at them, grabbed them, said "thanks!", and then smiled back at me. She had a great smile when she realized that's all I wanted. I was the only one who didn't ask for something. Although I'd have been a willing groupie! And yes, the playing as well as her looks are what got me. I thought at the time she was the prettiest lady I'd ever seen...
Pal Shazar - 03/05/2010
I was living in the Hollywood Hills, near the reservoir, with Jules Shear at the time I met Micki. Andrew and I were looking for a bassist. We had advertised in 'the recycler' (!) I do not recall how it is that Micki found out about it but she did come to my house one evening. Andrew recalls that she was wearing a floppy hat which I requested she not wear when we played! My first impression was that in profile she resembled the actress Candice Bergen. She was so into what we were doing so naturally I was happy.
Jules and the Polar Bears had a manager who took Slow Children under his wing. He paid for rehearsal space in West Hollywood. We had a few drummers but only Micki on bass. She always showed up right on time. I know she was playing in other bands at that time but she was dedicated to us. Slow Children did not do many gigs before the english record deal came our way. By then we were down to just andrew and myself.
Years passed and when I encountered Micki again at the time the Bangles were doing a TV appearance which included Jules, Micki told me, very sweetly, that Slow Children had been the most satisfying music for her, as it was challenging. I thought that was a very kind thing for her to say to me.
Picture: Slow Children 1979. Pal Shazar, Thom Mooney , Andrew Chinich, Michael Steele.
After a long solo career, Pal Shazar is again working on Slow Children with Andrew Chinich. See palshazar.com for more information.
Slow Children 1979. Pal Shazar, Thom Mooney , Andrew Chinich, Michael Steele.
Edvard Munch, 'Madonna' (1894)
Phantom Records banner
Phantom Records article - Oct 14, 1983