Q: When was your first involvement with music?
A: I first started taking classical lessons when I was five. My mother was a fairly accomplished piano player. I'd sit on the bench beside her and just tinkle around. I guess she recognized a bit of potential talent and I started taking lessons.
Q: Youngsters don't usually like to take lessons. How did you get around that?
A: Well, there are so many distractions. You like playing with your friends, like playing kick-the-can. It was a bit of an early age to be disciplining myself, but my parents weren't overbearing about making me sit down and practice. It was like a natural thing that I just did. I loved playing.
Q: You didn't feel that you were missing things?
A: At the same time I enjoyed doing things that normal kids liked to do; I always participated in sports and outdoor activities.
Q: You had to practice and perform in recitals and things like that?
A: Yes, I went through all that. In fact, I have a degree in classical piano from the University of Toronto. It makes me a registered teacher. I also earned an award called a 'Performance Degree'. This particular degree required that I take a lot of theoretical training.
Q: What had you planned on doing with this degree had things not turned out as they have?
A: My original intention, my fantasy, was to eventually become a concert pianist. That, however, didn't really materialize because, for one thing, I became disillusioned with playing other peoples music. I felt that, creatively, it was a dead end, although there are many ways that you can interpret those classics. I wanted to create my own music.
Q: Did you start out writing when you were very young?
A: Yes, I started writing classically oriented kind of 'ditties' when I was about eight. I started writing them down on manuscript and I've been doing so ever since then. I have quite an accumulation of songs and things that I hope to some day compile into a work book for kids.
Q: Were these things along the classical line or along the jazz line . . . not including what you are doing now?
A: Well, a lot of them have evolved into the jazz line because of my more recent interest in that art. But, originally, it was just pretty well classical. It was baroque influence. (*A style prevalent in the 17th Century.) I always enjoyed playing Bach, Scarlatti and Handel and the list goes on . . . the old 'Baroque boys'. After awhile, I started listening to things like Oscar Peterson and Emerson, Lake and Palmer, a heavy keyboard influence band. I started changing my style of writing as I became more exposed to more of that kind of music. (*The first Rock Album he ever bought was "Trilogy" by Emerson, Lake and Palmer.)
Q: What were you doing the day before LOVERBOY came into your life? The day they phoned you?
A: It wasn't actually a matter of them phoning me. I sort of gradually worked myself into their rehearsal schedule. Paul had asked me, when I jammed with him in another band at a warehouse, and he enjoyed what we were doing together. He came back to me and asked me if I would be interested in helping him put this band together. At first it was on a very noncommital level. I was going to be involved with demo sessions, and maybe not actually even become a member of the band, but at least, help him get from "ground zero" to "first base" in getting the recording contract. That whole period took probably about four months from the time I first played with Paul to the time that we actually decided that we were going to play together in LOVERBOY. (*Doug spent six months with FOSTERCHILD, a band signed to CBS, but didn't do any recording with them. This band was managed by current LOVERBOY co-manager, Lou Blair.)
Q: What are you doing when you aren't doing music? I know that you are an outdoorsman - you're the only band member that has a truck.
A: Yeah, I have an '81 Datsun 4 x 4 that I like to take out to the mountains and do some fishing and go camping. I like to go out and do lots of reading.
Q: What do you read?
A: I read anything . . .fiction, non-fiction, science-fiction; I read Philosophy, Politics, periodicals, magazines . . . I just like to read.
Q: What kind of Fun things do you have at home?
A: I have a big Commodore 64 at home that I just recently acquired. It's a computer - don't rally know how to use it yet, but I've just had it for two weeks. So, now I'll be gone, but have it waiting for me at home. Of course, I have all my keyboard toys and all my writing tools that I have in my studio. I also have a kayak. I have a BMW 320i, and the truck, of course. I have a bike. I like to go cycling once in awhile. And, I play tennis, go water skiing . . .
Q: In your family - you have a brother don't you? Is he musical?
A: My brother started out playing piano. He didn't like it, so he quit. Then he started playing the guitar. He's quite a good guitar player. He was trained in flamenco and classical style. Now he's starting to take some jazz lessons. My father is probably one of the most UN-musical men I have ever met. (Laughs) He sings. He can carry a tune. My folks are always very supportive and interested. They are always around to see what is going on.
Q: If you had two months off, what would you do?
A: At this point, I would probably go sit down in St. Thomas or St. Johns for a month. Next year when we do have some time off, that's exactly what I'm going to do. Go sit down in the Virgin Islands to do some diving, reading and relaxing, and maybe take a keyboard with me and do some writing.
Q: When you're on the road, what do you do for exercise?
A: I usually go to the local YMCA and lift weights, swim . . . actually, there are lots of people on the crew that I can go out with and like to do these things too.
Q: How'd you like the tennis tournament you played in recently? The game didn't go as well as last year, but I guess you had a good time.
A: It was fun! The crowd was fun, too. Mike and I met a lot of different people . . . The guy that did the Terry Fox Story, the famous model, Cheryl Tiegs . . .Lots of hockey players. It was a real cross-section of people.
Q: What do you get from playing 'live'?
A: Oh, it's always a thrill! You get direct response. When you listen to yourself on the radio you can't hear all those people yelling "Yeah, yeah, that's right on!" I look at the audience alot. I have a lot of visual contact with the audience and acknowledge them. It's such a thrill to go out there and hear that response to your music. I don't necessarily understand why, how, who comes to all these shows but it's obviously there and I enjoy playing for them.
Q: Whatever do you think you would be doing after the next ten years?
A: Well, in November, I'm quitting Lover....(laughs) nah...just a gag....I think that I will always maintain a connection in music, because I love playing the piano. If nothing else, it'll be for my own enjoyment. I could see myself becoming more academic in maybe the next three years.
Q: You may go back to school? What would you take?
A: Yeah. I've taken two years of sciences and maybe I'll get my Bachelor of Science or a research program. Maybe astronomy. Once you get into a thing you become more aware of a field. They are all so specialized now.
Q: Did you always enjoy the sciences?
A: Oh, yeah, I built rocket ships when I was a kid. I was quite a little 'nerd' actually - I was a real 'bookworm'.
Well I'll have to leave you on that funny note, as that was the end of the tape. Doug Johnson's role in LOVERBOY has been enlarged with the release of KEEP IT UP. Doug is very pleased that the keyboards in this band have played such a role. He enjoys haveing to create different textures and counter-rhythms. His expectations have been met with this band and this handsome, serious man more than meets our expectations as an artist.