			BILLY BOY ON POISON by Stella Kim
			LINKS: myspace.com/billyboyonpoison
Billy Boy On Poison is five teenagers living the rockstar dream. Playing seventies-inspired classic rock, wearing tight pants and rock’n’roll bravado, signed to a movie star’s label (Keifer Sutherland for those who are curious) all this before they can even legally drink. They unabashedly claim to bring back the glory days of Iggy and the Stooges, David Bowie, New York Dolls, The Stones, you know the rest. Me, I’m already happy to see young boys wanting to play classic rock and wear cool clothes again, even if they don’t live up to expectations. I’m pleased to report, however, that theyare not all talk. They play serious rock’n’roll with serious chops. It’s not hard at all imagining “Saturday’s Child” or “Dirty Bomb” as radio hits. Whether they can pull it off on stage I haven’t seen yet, but for some reason I have confidence in them. I mean, they got the name from a Stanley Kubrick movie. They must be cool kids. Here’s a brief conversation with Davis LeDuke, the singer of Billy Boy On Poison. STELLA KIM: Who are you? Introduce yourself, please. DAVIS LeDUKE: Hi, I’m Davis, singer of Billy Boy on Poison. SK: Who is Billy Boy On Poison? Your bio starts with the following Bowie lyrics: “Oh you pretty things/Don’t you know you’re driving your mamas and papas insane?” Are you pretty things with instruments and attitude or something more? DL: We’re definitely pretty things with attitude. Some of us think we’re prettier than others... but we’re more than that. We have something to say and we’re not afraid to say it. SK: Let’s talk about songs. Who writes the songs? Lyrics? Where do you get the inspiration? Can you write songs about life when you’re sixteen? DL: When I was 13, I started writing songs with friends who had experience. Now we write all the songs ourselves, lyrics and all. Our inspiration comes from either imagination or real life experiences. Oh... wait a minute, I’m only 16! I couldn’t write about life! I’ve had no experiences... times, they are a-changin’... SK: Playing live. You guys have done your share of shows. How important are they to your music? Some bands write songs to be played live, some bands write them to be heard in private. Do you have someone you like to emulate on stage? DL: I think we have a pretty powerful live show. When we’re performing, I have no idea what I’m doing half the time, it’s like an out of body experience. I love to watch guys like Bowie, Iggy, and Jagger. I’m sure some of their persona has rubbed off. SK: Are you afraid that people might not take you seriously because of your age? You play old-school rock’n’roll. How much sex, drugs, rock’n’roll do you know? Are you real or are you really good at posing? Tell me the answer and why. DL: I don’t really care if people take me seriously. I have an old soul and am an entertainer. Yet again... times, they are a-changin’. I don’t know what other 16 or 17-year-old kids are doing. I’m only 16, but I’ve seen some shit. People can say what they want, it doesn’t faze me. Come see Billy Boy play live and then you can answer your own question whether we are posing or not. SK: Who are some of your influences, as a person? Feel free to name bands, players, albums, songs that influenced you as a musician and made you want to do this for a living. DL: My influences are The Stooges, David Bowie, Prince, Robert Johnson, Ghandi, Allen Ginsberg, Tom Waits, Star Star, Tiny Dancer, Search and Destroy, Young Americans, Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream. I knew this was what I would do when I was 6 years old. I’ve been practicing for this since then. I’ve had great luck and some incredible people come into my life to help me realize my dreams. It’s an honor to have people like Kiefer Sutherland and Jude Cole validate our hard work. SK: Finish the following sentence: “You should listen to Billy Boy On Poison...” DL: ... if you want to have fun! SK: There hasn’t been a rock song that topped the Billboard chart in five years. Some people say Marilyn Manson circa late '90’s was the last rock star. Do you think rock is dead? Do you have a mission to revive it? Is there hope? DL: I don’t think rock will ever die, top five Billboard charts or not! SK: Future plans? Both long-term and short-term. DL: Our LP will be dropping in a couple of months and we will definitely be touring to support it. Long term plans depend on the results of the short term... SK: Final words? Anything goes. DL: I just want every person who reads this to know that no matter what your age is and no matter how hard you have to work, you can pursue YOUR dreams! Don’t let anybody tell you different. Our band wouldn’t have gotten anywhere if we didn’t know that this is what we want to do for the rest of our lives... You can find Billy Boy On Poison’s EP Sweet Mess on iTunes, Hot Topic and Rhapsody.