Silverhead

Who Do You Want Him to Be? Who is Michael Des Barres? To get a real grasp on who he is, I highly recommend his 2014 documentary Michael Des Barres: Who Do You Want Me to Be? The film traces Michael’s life from his difficult childhood through his six-decade long career as an actor and musician. On the music front, you may know Michael from his first band Silverhead and their popular 1973 song “16 and Savaged.” Maybe you know his Jimmy Page produced self-titled album with Detective in 1977? It’s possible you heard that song he wrote and original performed with Holly Knight that the band Animotion turned into a hit. Perhaps you know Michel Des Barres as the front man of the 1984 supergroup Chequered Past with his good friend Steve Jones (Sex Pistols) on guitar? I’m sure if you were a spectator of the historical Live Aid concert in 1985 that you recognized Des Barres as the red leather pants clad front man with The Power Station. Not a music aficionado? Surely you own a TV. You must know Michael as Murdoc on the late ’80s version of MacGyver, or the other memorable TV characters he portrayed on popular TV shows such as WKRP in Cincinnati, Seinfeld, Alf, and Frasier. I could go on and on…. On October 9, 2020 Michael Des Barres and The Mistakes released their Live at the Hi Hat EP [review]. A brief taste of what’s to come from Michael and his backing band when the music scene picks up again. The 6 track EP is loaded with energetic tracks that revisit Des Barres’ music past and influences. After researching Des Barres, watching his documentary, listening to his music, and having an in-depth conversation with him, I can confidently say I can answer …READ MORE