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Vinyl Writer Music .com recently conducted an interview with Eric Carr’s sister Loretta where they talked about her memories of Eric, his early days, his time in KISS and the new upcoming Eric Carr documentary that is a follow up to the first documentary about Eric, “Tale Of The Fox”.
Here is an excerpt from that interview:
Courtesy of EricCarr.com 
Courtesy of EricCarr.com 
Courtesy of EricCarr.com
Andrew: Auditioning for KISS. What’s the true story of how Eric landed the audition? How did he get hooked up with KISS? Once he auditioned, how did Eric feel he did? Was he confident that he got the gig? Finally, once he did land the gig with KISS, what was Eric’s reaction?
Loretta: He was just told by someone in a club that KISS might be looking for a drummer. A lot of people saw it in the newspaper, and basically, like anyone else, he sent his résumé in. He sent it in a Neon Orange Envelope, and it helped him to get picked. Because it was such an attention-getter, the woman (Jayne Grodd Bronstein) who was in charge of reviewing the résumés saw the bright one and grabbed it. And that’s how it went; that was the process. He was extremely excited. One day you are fixing stoves, and the next you’re on stage with the biggest band in the world. I don’t have words to express his jubilation.
Andrew: Eric’s given name was Paul C. Caravello. I’ve always wondered, how did the name Eric Carr come about? What were Eric’s thoughts on changing his name, and, how did he feel about wearing the fox makeup?
Loretta: Well, he didn’t mind changing his name because you weren’t supposed to know the identity of the band. It was kind of a simple process. Everybody was giving him names, like Tyler and Martin, and his girlfriend at the time came up with the name Eric and Carr is just short for Caravello. He was fine with it.
Andrew: I want to touch on the upcoming documentary, Enter the Fox. In my opinion, Eric is one of the better drummers of that era, yet his accomplishments and influence are perpetually underrated. What is the message of this upcoming documentary in regards to Eric? What do you hope the takeaway is for Eric’s fans?
Loretta: I know he has always been understated, and KISS has been underrated, so that goes without saying. All one needs to do is check all the record sales and RIAA Gold and Platinum awards and you will understand the magnitude of the 80s KISS era. The take-away from my brother was, “Work hard, and your dream will come through. Don’t ever give up, and treat people the way you want to be treated. And that’s all you need to know, and you will succeed.”
The documentary picks up where the Tale of the Fox left off because that covered the beginning of his history and how he started. Now we pick up from where Eric enters the band. I’m going to tell you we are going to have some great new information that only his family knows and a few friends have seen. It’s going to be great; you are going to see footage that has never been seen before. I am not talking about just musical footage. I am talking about footage like you and your family would take– sightseeing while on tour, my brother’s birthday party. You are going to see some cool stuff and walk away saying, “Wow, these guys are pretty funny, besides talented.”
Andrew: Looking back on Eric’s time with KISS, we know a lot about what we saw on the surface, but what was it like for Eric behind the scenes? It had to have been a major adjustment for him. What more can you tell us about Eric Carr the person once his fame and stardom grew during the 80s?
Loretta: He wanted to contribute more like anyone else. All band members want to contribute more. People at work want to contribute more, and sometimes you can’t do that, and he understood that. He had some beautiful music that he wrote that wasn’t used by KISS. It wasn’t released but it is out now– Rockology and Unfinished Business— and it speaks for itself. Some fans think it should’ve been used. Maybe so, but he did his thing, and that’s all you can try for when you are in a band of that caliber.
Andrew: Eric Carr was well known for his positive interactions with his peers and fans. Why was that element so important to Eric?
Loretta: He wasn’t trying to get favor with the fans. He really liked people. I have kids telling me that they would talk to him for an hour. They would talk about college, and then five years later he would see them and say, “Hey, how did college work out?” He had a terrific memory. He didn’t just talk to you and walk away. He would remember your name; he absorbed everything you said. That’s pretty important. Some people walk away and don’t remember who you are five minutes later. He absorbed it all; he loved to know about someone’s life. That wasn’t fake. That was genuine, and you can’t work on that. It has to be there.
Andrew: KISS was on the road for Hot in the Shade through 1990, and Eric sadly passed away only a year later in 1991. Did he have any idea that he was sick while he was on the road?
Loretta: No.
Read the FULL interview and story: HERE
Eric Carr Website: HERE
Eric Carr Twitter: HERE
Eric Carr Instagram: HERE
Eric Carr Facebook: HERE
