Written By Theresa St. John |  Photos Provided

'Stars Don't Carry Their Own Baggage'

is about an up-and-coming 80s rock band, and the author tells the story through the eyes of their manager. Funny thing is - Rikk Feulner traveled with bands himself as tour manager, and all the stories in his novel are things that happened in real life on the road.

"Everyone was having a great time back then," he says. "Common goals for bands were landing a record deal, appearing on MTV, and touring. And there was so much money to be had – it was a great time to work in the
music business." 

"I grew up in Corinth," he tells me. "I was like so many other kids - into music, art, sports, bands, and theater. In school, they voted me the 'most creative.'" Rikk played the drums and was a lead singer performing in clubs and New England colleges, typical gigs for young bands. While we chat, I learn we both grew up listening to the same great music of the 60s,70s, and 80s.

When COVID hit, Rikk says he went from being "Full-on busy - touring with bands one day, to a complete standstill the next. Nothing was happening. No one could perform. Musicians suffered. We weren't getting money from the government to help us live. It was like they forgot about us and the music industry. So, there I was, pacing the rooms of my home, going crazy. I mean, I'm a workaholic - I love this way of life." I know how he feels - we all went a little nuts during the pandemic.  

"My wife was like - Rikk - do something. You can't just keep pacing the floor all day!" So he thought about writing - he thought about all the bands he'd worked with - a whopping 38 different ones spanning over 40 years. Artists like The Eagles, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Keith Urban, Johnny Winter, Slipknot and Peter Frampton, to name a few. He kept a notebook near the bed and would jot down any funny, exciting, or dramatic thing that came to mind. "Soon, I had 75-80 snippets, you know, short paragraphs, and thought maybe, just maybe, I could build a story from there."  

Rikk compiled all his memories, wrote his novel, and sent it to a publisher - one was interested in publishing it, if Rikk was willing to name the bands he was referring to.

"There was no way I wanted to do that," Rikk tells me. "The stories were great - life is weird and crazy things happen on the road, but if names were attached, I'd never work again." Rikk self-published this 200-plus-page novel through Lulu, and you can find it on Amazon, Barnes & Nobel or your local library. Look for the one about Rikk finding a dead body - it was my favorite!

When I ask how he came up with the band name, I hear a deep sigh, then a chuckle on the other end of the line. "Let me tell you, thinking of a name for the band was harder than writing the book was." He shares how he changed the name five or six times. "I would think of a band name and send it to all my friends and family to see what they thought. Some liked it, and some hated it. Which made me keep working at it till Cherry Thieves was born."  Besides listening to other opinions, he came up with maybe 30-40 possible names but discovered many were already taken. "I had two computer friends scouring the internet for anything referring to Cherry Thieves. Neither one found anything, thank god." 

Rikk has been married to his wife Janet for 34 years. They have two sons and a daughter - none want to follow in his footsteps. The couple also has three grandkids to spoil. "Don't get me wrong," he tells me. "My kids all love music - just not my side of it."  

I asked what a typical day was like on the road as a tour manager. He laughed. 

"When you go to work tomorrow - write down the first 11 people you interact with. Then, imagine living, sleeping, working, drinking, etc., with them every day - for months on end sometimes. There will be people you like and others you don't like. On the road - you don't get to pick the people. You better be able to adapt."  

Rikk has an insider's perspective on the music industry we all love. Cherry Thieves offers a fascinating, mysterious, and often humourous peek into the touring world. A great read from a great guy. Grab a copy!