Guitarist Brian Young feels Beau Nasty never broke big because of some timing issues

Guitarist Brian Young feels Beau Nasty never broke big because of some timing issues

Former David Lee Roth, Beau Nasty and Atomik Punks guitarist Brian Young was recently interviewed by Metal Mike for the 80’s Glam Metalcast podcast. Beau Nasty released one album titled Dirty But Well Dressed in 1989.

With respect to Beau Nasty, Young indicated (as transcribed by the 80’s Glam Metalcast with slight edits): “It was fun. It was my first album on a major label. They way it started was Mike Varney from Guitar Player magazine had put me in the spotlight column and he was talking about me doing a solo record. One night, Mike Varney calls me up and says you gotta hear this drummer. It was Mike Terrana. So he and I got together and were going to do a Brian Young solo album on Shrapnel Records. While that was going on, his old singer Mark Anthony Fritz had moved to L.A. and had some label interest. Somehow along the way, we all just got together and formed Beau Nasty. They were great guys to work with. We never broke big because of some timing issues. We released “Shake It” which did ok. Then we released the big power ballad “Paradise In The Sand”.

As luck would have it, the same week we put that out, Bon Jovi and Mötley Crüe had big ballads out as well. We ended up being lost in the shuffle. It did go to #1 in a few cities though. Also, we were a hair band coming in at the end of the 80’s. With Nirvana coming around the corner, times were a changing. As time went on, the band just wasn’t my thing anymore. I was going into different directions and I left the band after the tour for the first album. After that, the whole thing fell apart. Mike went on to play with Yngwie [Malmsteen] and a lot of other European bands. I don’t know if the singer Mark was ever in any other bands. He was always a big fisherman. I’ve heard he moved to Idaho and opened a big fish farm. I haven’t talked to him in 20 years.”

In terms of Beau Nasty, the following is straight from the Sleaze Roxx archives:

“Beau Nasty was a typical late 80’s sleaze band, releasing a brand of good time hard rock similar to that of Britny Fox. One album and a couple of tours was all the band managed to accomplish before fading into obscurity. Formed in Los Angeles, California by Mark Anthony Fritz (vocals), George Bernhardt (guitar, ex-Lee Aaron and Hanover Fist), Brian Young (guitar), Doug Baker (bass) and Mike Terrana (drums, ex-Zillion, Hanover Fist and Kuni).

The legendary Beau Hill produced the debut album, but even singles such as “Shake It” (also the name of early promos of the album) and their version of “Love Potion #9” couldn’t propel the record into the charts. The band hit the road opening for Loverboy and Love/Hate, but by the tail end of 1989 they had become disillusioned with the music business and disbanded. Terrana became a highly sought after drummer, and went on to work with Tony MacAlpine, Yngwie Malmsteen, Axel Rudi Pell and Rage among others. Young joined Talisman (and later played with David Lee Roth) while Bernhardt played with both Jeff Scott Soto and Gregg Bissonette.”

You can listen to the interview with Brian Young on the 80’s Glam Metalcast podcast below:

Beau Nasty‘s “Shake It” video: