INTERVIEW: For students at ‘Rock Camp,’ a chance to play with the best of them
Photo: David Mustaine of Megadeth takes part in Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp. Photo courtesy of Rock Camp / Provided by the 2050 Group Publicity with permission.
Rock Camp: The Movie, the new documentary from directors Doug Blush and Renée Barron, depicts the synergy and awesomeness that happens when popular rock ‘n’ roll stars meet up with musical hopefuls for Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp. Included amongst the documentary’s subjects are some of the best rock acts of all time: Alice Cooper, Roger Daltrey of the Who, Judas Priest, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of Kiss, and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, among others.
The camp, which is now as legendary as the rock artists who stop by, is the brainchild of David Fishof, a former sports agent, promoter, producer and manager. He is the founder and current CEO of Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp, and he thinks the new documentary is a rocking good time.
“When they approached me about doing the film — [it was] Jeff Rowe, the producer — I wasn’t sure, and I had my doubts,” Fishof said in a recent phone interview. “How many times do you go to a movie and you see a trailer, and all of a sudden you get disappointed with the movie? The problem with Rock Camp is you cannot make a trailer that’s going to really show how great it is, so to me the movie turned out better than the trailer. Yeah, I’m really thrilled.”
Here’s how Fishof ended up founding this successful music camp. He had been touring for many years, including with the Monkees and Ringo Starr. He even helped produce Dirty Dancing as a live tour. After many, many years on the road, he decided it was time to settle down and start a new project.
“I have two kids, and I just wanted to see what it’s like to do homework with them,” he said candidly. “So that’s when I created Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp. I got the idea basically when I was on the road with Ringo and His All-Starr Band, and the fourth show, Levon Helm and Joe Walsh played a joke on me, which you’ll see in the film. They basically told me that this tour is not going to work. I had mortgaged my home in Manhattan to make payments to get the tour up and going, and everyone told me they had a big fight. And I went down to try and break up the fight, and in the end, as you’ll see in the movie, it turned out to be a rubber knife and fake blood. And while they all thought it was a great prank, I almost had a heart attack. I realized how much fun that everybody was having on the road. That’s where I got the idea to create the camp.”
The camp offers fans the chance to live like a rock star, with actual rock stars in their company. Participants are given a list of songs to practice, and then they are placed into a like-minded band with equally skilled campers, according to the company’s official website. A counselor works with this new group and helps them elevate a few levels (all the way to 11). There’s also a chance to interact with rock stars, get their photos and snag some autographs. Those counselors are one of the main draws for campers to sign up for the experience, for sure.
“I never thought we’d go 25 years, but the truth of the matter is that the reason it’s gone to 25 years is not only do the fans and the musicians really enjoy it, but it’s the rock stars who keep coming back because it reminds them what it was like when they first started,” he said. “And they all feel, wow, what if we would have had a rock camp when I started? Do you know how many mistakes I would have saved [and] I could have learned from these musicians?”
When COVID-19 disrupted concerts and festivals around the world, Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp was disrupted as well. Now Fishof finds himself hosting virtual master classes almost every single night. They have been hugely successful, and the rock stars again are loving every minute of the experience.
“We tell people it’s 60 minutes, and they all stay on for two hours, three hours,” Fishof said. “They have so much to share, so much to give, and I think that after all these years of success, they wanted to give it over. They want to share it with the fans and make their lives easier, and I also think they do enjoy it. I know they enjoy it. They make great friendships. Slash stayed for 12 hours. Nick Mason of Pink Floyd, he stayed for four days. I mean for them once they start playing the music, it’s the passion of the music that comes out.”
He added: “That’s what keeps me going. Every day I get another email thanking me for creating Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp. The other day I was walking down the streets of Manhattan, waiting for my son to come down from his office building for lunch, and a guy stops me. He says, ‘Mr. Fishof, Mr. Fishof.’ I said, ‘Yes?’ He said, ‘Do you remember me?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He says, ‘I just got back from Russia. My band opened for Aerosmith.’ I said, ‘What?’ He says, ‘Yeah, I was at your camp. I met Joe Perry, and I got his manager’s business card.'”
Fishof is amazed at how much the rock camp has changed people’s dreams and musical ambitions.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Rock Camp, featuring David Fishof, is now available to stream. Click here for more information on the movie. Click here for more information on Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp.
