Getting deep with Blue Oyster Cult founder ahead of Munhall show

MUNHALL − Brush up on the early albums if you're headed to the Blue Öyster Cult show Friday at the Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall.

The famed hard-rock band has been starting its 50th anniversary shows with "Stairway to The Stars" and "Before The Kiss, a Redcap," deep cuts from the 1972 Blue Öyster Cult self-titled debut.

The band's co-founding vocalist-guitarist Eric Bloom explained in a phone chat this past Tuesday:

"Today, we rehearsed for three New York show we've got coming up − the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd," he said. "We'll be doing the first, second and third albums in their entirety. All those shows are sold-out. We'll be playing a lot of deep tracks, so fans are flying in from all over the world for those shows. That means it's very possible, for your show in Pittsburgh, you might hear a song like 'Cagey Cretins." I'm not predicting that one specifically, but there's a good chance you'll hear some songs we never play."

Of course, Blue Öyster Cult, co-fronted by fellow founder Buck Dharma, also will play its big hits, like "Burnin' For You," "Godzilla" and the pop-culture embraced "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" in a show originally slated for Mountain View Amphitheater, a Hampton Township concert site that's struggled to get off the ground as a national tour destination.

Bloom asked what to expect from the newly chosen Munhall venue. Told that the 1,045-capacity site has changed little from its 1898 inception, Bloom replied, "Good, those are the kind of shows we like. For those kinds of places, there's not always a time limit, so we can whip out some deep tracks."

From deep cuts to classic-rock standards, the Blue Öyster Cult catalog brims with guitar-powered songs bearing science fiction references and subtle but dark humor.

"We're always trying to please our senses of humor and our own literary interests and the books we like best," Bloom said.

He co-wrote one-time concert staples "Black Blade" and "Veteran of The Psychic Wars" with English sci-fi author Michael Moorcock.

"First, I wrote him a fan-boy letter and sent it to him," Bloom recalled. "Well, I couldn't even send it to him; I sent it to his publisher who forwarded it − those were pre-internet days − but Michael sent me a letter back saying he was familiar with our band and would be coming to America soon."

They met up and began collaborating for a few songs that graced "Extraterrestrial Live," the band's third live album recorded on the 1980-81 tour.

"Stephen King, of course, quoted '(Don't Fear )The Reaper' in 'The Stand,' both the book and the TV miniseries, which maybe helped make it more of a pop sensation," Bloom said. "'Reaper's' been used in a lot of places, like the original 'Halloween' movie."

NBC's "Saturday Night Live" kicked it up a notch in 2000, with a famous skit starring Will Ferrell and guest Christopher Walken depicting the studio session when "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" was recorded. That's the skit where Walken's producer character demands they add more cowbell.

Bloom's take on that "SNL: More cowbell" parody?

"I think, in a sense, it's been good," he said. "I've seen that on a lot of T-shirts."

Then, injecting his own "SNL" character voice and catchphrase (baseball player Chico Escuela, as played by 1970s cast member Garrett Morris), Bloom added, "it's been berry berry good... to me."

And how about giving credit to Blue Öyster Cult for ushering in the umlauts copied by metal bands Motörhead, Mötley Crüe, Queensrÿche and punk-rock's Hüsker Dü?

Is it safe to say Blue Öyster Cult pioneered the use of band name umlauts?

"I'd say that's probably true," Bloom said. "We loved that Spın̈al Tap used them, and even put them above a consonant."

Alright, some other necessary questions:

Did the band suspect 1981's "Burnin' For You" would hit the Billboard Top-40 chart?

"No, you never know," Bloom said. "When you're writing a song, you just hope it's not a flop. Once Columbia Records heard it, they said that has to be the single. I talk to radio people today who say 'We play it every day.' Sometimes twice a day.

Is "Godzilla" fun to sing live, as a campy tribute to the sci-fi monster?

"Of course. It's a showpiece, and along with 'Burnin' for You' and 'Reaper,' a song we certainly play every night."

Any vivid memories of Pittsburgh?

"Oh yeah, that time we played a rib fest outside Three Rivers Stadium," Bloom said. "Some of the best ribs I've ever had. Desperado's Ribs (from Hinckley, Ohio.)

Future plans for the band?

There's a European tour with Deep Purple, where "we might be recording a video, though that's not set in stone yet."

One of the most amazing and inspiring things about Blue Öyster Cult is that Bloom and singer-guitarist-lyricist Dharma (birth name Donald Roeser) have been bandmates since 1968, including the pre-BOC band Soft White Underbelly.

"We've been together through wives and girlfriends," Bloom said. "We've rarely had harsh words, and we are political opposites, but still get along. We seem to be able to bounce different ideas off each other."

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The veterans they are, they didn't let pessimism overtake them during the pandemic shutdowns.

"No, we actually found it very fruitful."

The band put the finishing touches on "The Symbol Remains" released in October 2020.

"A bunch of reviewers said it was one of the best rock albums of that year, but a lot of people still don't know it exists," Bloom said. "If they go to our website, people will start seeing a sprinkling of new tour dates into '23. But we're glad to first be headed back to your town."

Tickets for the 8 p.m. Munhall show cost $49.75 to $69.75, available at librarymusichall.com Pittsburgh singer-songwriter Mark Ferrari will open.

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and can be reached at stady@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Getting deep with Blue Oyster Cult founder ahead of Mon Valley show