July 1998
In
the cramped quarters of the Los Angeles studio chosen by Ringo Starr for
the making of Vertical Man there was a magical atmosphere that oozes
through to the listener, says Dean Grakal, a lyricist who co-wrote most
of its 13 songs.
"Ringo is one of those special people who makes you feel good about
yourself. You could see it on everyone's face as they were drawn into the
excitement of making the album," Grakal said.
"The
room had such great vibes. I know everyone talks about good vibe this and
good vibes that, but something magical happened there that you cannot put
your finger on. It was such a great feeling to be a part of it. When Alanis
(Morissette) came into the room, she said she had never felt such happiness
in a place before," Grakal continued.
Vertical
Man was recorded in musician and lyricist Mark Hudson's office on Santa
Monica Boulevard. Hudson's office share the building with a Thai restaurant,
a ticket agent, an optometrist and graphic artist and some other small offices.
The
recording sessions sometimes disturbed the neighbors, who were good-natured
about it most of the time, Grakal said. They worked out an arrangement with
the guy next door not to lay down drum tracks on certain days so he could
make phone calls in peace. And the footsteps heard at the end of "Mindfield"
come from the Thai restaurant owner coming up the stairs to ask for quiet
during the dinner hour.
"She
had a restaurant full of people who were trying to eat, and we could be
heard through the floor. She was not pleased," Grakal said with a laugh.
Grakal,
along with Ringo, Hudson and Steve Dudas wrote "One," "What
in the ...World," "Mindfield," "King of Broken Hearts,"
"Vertical Man," "La De Da," "I'll Be Fine Anywhere,"
"and "Puppet." He also co-wrote "I Was Walkin'"
with Ringo and Hudson.
Grakal
is the son of Ringo's long-time attorney, Bruce Grakal, and has known the
former Beatle for about 25 years. Grakal, now in his mid-30s, grew up in
Los Angeles and received a degree in political science from the University
of Southern California.
He
initially considered a career as an entertainment lawyer, like his father.
He also was in a band and had wanted to be a song writer. He said he settled
on wanting to be a lyricist after hearing a song he had written performed
by Hudson on a demo tape. It was Hudson's significant other, Barbara Vander
Linde, who introduced him to the world of Rock `N' Roll. Through them, he
has had the opportunity to work with Ringo, Rod Steward, Carol King, and
Joe Crocker.
"Ringo
is the biggest star I've ever worked with," Grakal said. "And
Vertical Man is the first time I've ever been able to a complete album rather
than just a song or two."
Grakal and Hudson first began work on the album at Ringo's house in Los
Angeles, but soon moved to Hudson's office/studio.
Grakal
said he, Ringo, Hudson and Dudas would sit around working on the lyrics,
tune and drums. As they found something they liked, they'd call out "Write
that down, Dean." and he'd respond, "I'm writing. I'm writing."
What was great about working with Ringo, Grakal said, is that "he's
just an ordinary average everyday kind of guy. He never made any demands
or insisted on special treatment. He was just there to have fun, and that
made it fun for everyone."
There
was a steady stream of visitors to the studio, and most of them wanted their
pictures taken sitting at Ringo's drum kit. Grakal used a disposable box
cameras to shoot pictures of the band rehearsing and the visitors. At the
height of the work, he was making almost daily trips to the one-hour film
developing service down the street.
"The guy at the camera store was kind of a part of our work vicariously.
He would sometimes comment on what was going on, and even threw in a free
roll of film one time," Grakal said.
In
addition to Alanis Morissette, other contributors included Steven Tyler,
Joe Walsh, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Steve Cropper, Jim Cox, Scott
Gordon, Ozzy Osbourne, Scott Weiland, Brian Wilson, Dave Gibbs, and Timothy
B. Schmit.
"One
of the great things about this experience," Grakal said, "was
that I got to work with all my idols. It has been the highlight of my career."