Interview with Actor, Writer, Musician, Talk Show Host, PR Giant... Rikki Lee Travolta
By Mick Michaels
Cosmick View: Hello, Rikki! Welcome to The Cosmick View. Thanks for taking some time out of your day to
speak with us. It's greatly appreciated.
Rikki Lee Travolta: Thank you so much for having me
on with The Cosmick View. It’s an absolute treat to be connecting with you and
your readers.
CV: Are there definitive lines that you
draw between the various hats you professionally wear, or are those lines more
blurred, maybe even overlap somewhat in an effort to get the job done when you
are working?
RLT: As far as the many hats I wear, I have one of
those minds that never stops. When I lay my head down to sleep at night, it’s a
sea of creative thoughts. I’ll be outlining press releases, writing and
arranging songs, scripting out story ideas as screenplays, hammering out the
details for books, and that’s just a sampling. The amount of creative work slam
dancing in my brain at any given time probably has a lot to do with the fact
that I only sleep a few hours a night. It’s pretty common to find me awake and
channeling creative juices at 2 or 3 AM.
While I get to play in a lot of different areas, oftentimes they complement each other. For instance, I first met Steven Adler when I interviewed him on my radio show. From that introduction, the relationship grew and eventually expanded to being the publicist for Steven and the guys in the band. And they’re not just clients. We are a band of brothers. I would go to war for these guys.
I previously had been the head of public relations for such iconic multimillion-dollar companies as Empire Today and Other World Computing – but I started my career working on materials for Janet Jackson, Extreme, Sting, and Bryan Adams. I later started to gain a reputation in heavy metal and hard rock. I was the cat who broke Crowbar into the mainstream for Grind Core International, then later rereleased by Pavement Entertainment.
And, I can tell you, the entertainment world is a lot of fun. It’s hard work that I take very seriously, but it’s a fun world to play in.
I also represent artists outside of metal. For instance, my client Lara Bell has the potential to be huge in the country and pop music scene. She’s young, beautiful, and an amazing singer/songwriter. She has all the tools to be the next Taylor Swift but with a country slant.
I guess the whole thing about wearing multiple hats is that if you intertwine them properly, they perpetuate and benefit each other.
In terms of publicity, I will use whatever tools I have at my disposal to promote my clients in an ethical and honest way. The fact that I write for newspapers, magazines, and websites allows me to use those outlets for my PR clients.
Similarly,
being active in the entertainment world puts me in a position to have some
really cool guests on my radio show and podcast “It’s Showtime with Rikki Lee”
– and cool guests translate into great ratings. “It’s Showtime with Rikki Lee”
is now one of the top entertainment news programs on Apple Podcasts – and I can
tell you, it is a thrill to be able to reach so many people and such a compliment
that they like what I do.
CV: Does having multiple irons in the fire bring about a more flourishing and
rewarding career, in your opinion, as opposed to having only one focus to
occupy your attention and career avenues?
RLT: It used to be that people whose minds worked
differently were encouraged to hide their differences. However, I am more
upfront about the fact that I live with certain challenges including being
bipolar. Depending on how you look at it, that could be a detriment. But I play
it to be an attribute.
Because I’m bipolar, my mind bounces between multiple areas of interest. I can attack a role acting in a motion picture with the same fever I embrace promoting world-famous rock stars or the passionate way I focus on writing a new script or book.
Focusing on one project in one industry day after day, year after year would probably kill me. I cop to being a little bit crazy – but in a good way. However, working in a traditional, conservative industry like selling life insurance would drive me crazy in a bad way. My mind just doesn’t function in that way.
There are people who do things like sell life insurance and are very good at it. My talents are in other areas. That doesn’t make anyone better than anyone else. We just live in a world where we can now acknowledge that there are many different types of minds – each capable of its own kind of brilliance.
For me, the
variety of projects that I get to explore and develop is helpful. It allows me
to explore and blend diverse skills…which is fun. Anytime you take a challenge
and conquer it, it’s fun.
CV: Do you approach each aspect of your career; actor, writer, radio talk show
host, publicist, etc, more as playing a role, allowing yourself to be immersed
in character fully, and less like taking on a "job title," which can
often lead to disillusion and or boredom? If so, has this been your secret to
success?
RLT: I guess the secret to my success is that I’m
not scared to try. If I don’t know how to do something, I research it and teach
myself or learn from the expertise of others or just figure it out on the fly.
The important thing is to not give up.
I’ve been involved in the entertainment industry my whole life, so I don’t really know anything different. I was Tiny Tim on a television broadcast of “A Christmas Carol” when I was a little kid – that was my entry into the world of showbiz.
A natural progression in the acting world was to add musical theater to my resume. I did all the classics like “West Side Story” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, but my natural affinity for rock music made me gravitate towards shows like “Grease!,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” and “RENT”.
For a long time, I was very much a method actor. I would become the character inside and out. I lived the role 24/7. It would get to be where you didn’t know where Rikki Lee stopped, and the character began.
Ultimately that wasn’t healthy because it allowed too much disappearance into a character, where the real me would get lost. I got great reviews. Critics and audiences loved my performances. But the price was too much.
And I guess you could say that was the way I approached other areas of my life as well. If I was going to a business meeting, putting on a suit wasn’t so much as getting dressed as it was getting into costume. Along with that came a change in mentality or even persona – to a degree many would have difficulty understanding.
That kind of disappearance into whatever was needed at the moment, led to a lot of success…but with a price.
So now I approach things differently. There is still an image. I mean, let’s face it – whether it’s business or show business, image is important. If you want a promotion at the office, they’re going to take into consideration the image that you present day in and day out at work. If you want a record deal, they don’t just listen to demos blindly; you can bet they take your image into consideration.
I admire
guys like Bret Michaels – who is an absolute expert at image. He has a very
specific look that he has cultivated over the years. He has a very specific
music style. He has certain catchphrases and a way of speaking that is
inherently his own. He has a wonderfully charismatic public persona that
highlights his best attributes as a person. It all comes together brilliantly.
Everyone in the world knows Bret Michaels. He’s going to be in the headlines
and selling out concerts as long as he wants to.
CV: Praise is always an easy pill to swallow. And everyone has something to
say. But have you ever been bothered by what critics may tend to say
negatively? If so, did you feel that they could be right in their sentiments or
critique?
RLT: Everyone is entitled to their opinion. You
just hope it’s for the right reasons. If you dislike someone purely because of
their name, nationality, political affiliation, or the length of their hair,
that’s your right – but I would hope that one day you learn to view the world
in a less judgmental light.
Sadly, there is a lot of that kind of prejudgment that goes on in all walks of life. I was the head of public relations for a very large company, and I was very effective. I put them on the map. But some of the more traditional corporate types had to adjust to my presence.
Even though I wore tailored suits, I was this longhaired spokesmodel who looked like he stepped off a Hollywood soundstage. That wasn’t what they were used to. But when they saw the results, when I made them a household name – they couldn’t deny that I was good at my job in a way very few people are capable of.
But if you dislike my singing because you dislike my singing, then what can I say? There are singers who others adore that make my ears hurt. That doesn’t nullify the opinions of all those that love them. It just means that out of all those people who have heard them, there’s one who doesn’t care for the sound.
I have a very distinct way that I attack a character as an actor. I create very memorable characters. Some people like that style and some people don’t. When you make bold choices, you are going to inspire big reactions – good and bad.
Similarly, my books reflect a certain type of voice. The characters in books like “My Fractured Life” and “Blood Lust” are soaked in the flavors of booze, drugs, and sex. They say if you like writers like Bret Easton Ellis and Jay McInerney then you’ll dig my fiction. But if you’re a Nicholas Sparks or Nora Roberts fan, you might find my style off-putting.
Is it painful to hear when someone thinks you aren’t good? Of course. But it would be foolish to think that you’re always going to be everyone’s cup of tea. I just try to do my best and that’s what I encourage everyone else to do.
You’ve made
mention that I wear many hats, and one of them is that I serve as an
entertainment critic – primarily in live theater. I take a very specific
approach to writing reviews. I make a concerted effort to focus on the
positives. When you have the power to make someone feel good, why not use it? I
like making people happy. I like making people feel proud. I like being a
positive influence in the world.
CV: What do you believe has been your greatest role professionally and
personally? Are the two similar at all or completely different?
RLT: That is a really interesting question because
it kind of makes you decide what defines greatness – is it what makes you the
proudest in the moment or is it what others will remember you by in the future?
I put major brand names on the map. That’s a big accomplishment.
I have contributed to sculpting the careers of some great entertainers.
I have turned in performances that have won awards and rave reviews.
I have written books and articles that people have told me changed their lives.
I am, of course, proud of all of those things. But outside of being the best father I can be to my kids, the thing I am most proud of has to do with the days where I’m not out changing the world.
I mentioned that challenges like bipolar can have some advantages. However, it also creates periods of great darkness. On those days, just getting out of bed is an accomplishment to be cheered about.
Being public about the fact that I battle such challenges does carry a good chance of stigma, but it also gives hope to other people with similar struggles. It lets them know that they’re not alone. It lets them know we don’t have to hide. It gives people hope.
So, I guess
you could say that my greatest role is in the intersection of personal and
professional lives – it’s using the attention I gain in my professional
accomplishments to share my personal story in hopes that it helps other people
living with similar challenges. In short, my greatest role is being a role
model.
CV: If you were given a chance to do something over again,
what would you change or do differently?
RLT: That’s a dangerous question. Playing
“could’ve, would’ve, or should’ve” puts a lot of focus on things that can’t be
changed.
Like anyone else, I’ll do an interview and come out of it thinking that I wish I had spent more time focusing on a certain subject. But I try not to dwell on it because I know the past is the past and can’t be changed.
If I could go back and change things, I would focus on alleviating any pain I’ve inflicted on others. I hate to think I have ever made anyone cry, and yet realistically most of us are guilty of that at least at some point in our lives, probably more than once. That’s what I would change.
Today I live a life focused on being a
positive influence while adding to the creative fabric of society. If I could
do anything differently it would be to realize that mentality at a far younger
age.
RLT: The other night I was out at an event and a very sweet woman came over and introduced herself. She explained that she is a fan and that I have served as an inspiration to her, and she told me a story about how her life changed because of me. That feeling of knowing you made a difference in someone’s life is like nothing else. It’s better than any drug. It’s better than sex with Playboy Playmates. It makes you happy to the core.
If you could
experience one thing as Rikki Lee Travolta, my hope is you would get to
experience one of those moments – hearing that I made a difference in someone’s
life.
CV: In addition to your weekly radio show and your news and review features,
what more can fans expect to see coming from Rikki Lee Travolta in the coming future?
RLT: We have a lot of great shows planned for
Steven Adler and his all-star brigade of rockers in the next year. I hope to
see as many members of the Steven Adler Army as possible at those shows.
My screenplay “The Elvis Conspiracy” has won 12 Best Screenplay Awards in the last few months. It’s an alternative history thriller that is getting a lot of buzz. Hopefully, we’ll see some movement on that soon. I’d love to get it into production in the next year. Some exciting casting ideas have been tossed around including names like Johnny Depp, Christopher Watz, or Adrien Brody as Col. Tom Parker. I would personally love to see Antonio Cipriano or Dacre Montgomery as Elvis.
I also produce a television series and we are in the process of developing and pitching a few other television projects.
As far as the acting bug goes, I’d love to appear in another film or two this year if the right opportunities come up. I was just announced as a Best Actor nominee for my role in “The Sleight” at the Midwest Film Festival – which is a huge honor, so we’ll see what happens there. I also play fictional professional wrestling champion and commentator Bald Man Machiano in a film from Camryn Lewis which was a hoot – I played him as a cross between Macho Man Randy Savage and Jesse the Body Ventura. I can’t wait to see that one come out.
CV: Thanks again, Rikki, for taking the time to share with our readers. We wish you
all the best and continued success.
RLT: Thank you so much! It’s been a blast!
Check out Rikki at:
For information on Rikki Lee Travolta including his acting career and the
prize-winning screenplay The Elvis
Conspiracy:www.RikkiLeeTravolta.com
To experience Rikki Lee Travolta’s writing including his Tales from the Road features on David Bryan of Bon Jovi, Alex Grossi and Rudy Sarzo of Quiet Riot, Sebastian Bach of Skid Row, and Steven Adler of Guns N’ Roses fame visit:www.LifeandTimes.biz
Radio show and podcast “It’s Showtime with Rikki Lee” is available on all major apps including:
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5PVBN9M4nKgeJOk8OKdrId
iHeartRadio - https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-its-showtime-with-rikki-le-109097408/
Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/its-showtime-with-rikki-lee/id1678965714
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2c67ee2e-ea39-4700-afc4-ff5669e45437/it's-showtime-with-rikki-lee
For information on Steven Adler’s upcoming performances visit his official Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/stevenadlersite2
To Follow Rikki Lee Travolta on Social Media:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rikki.travolta/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/RikkiLeeTV
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rltravolta/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rikkileetravolta/
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