Can’t Go To Rock Camp Right Now? Let Rock Camp Come To You

So I’m sitting on a couch in the basement of a North Hollywood, California recording studio with my three kids, then aged 10, 8, and 8, watching Marky Ramone sing I Wanna Be Sedated, backed by a band comprising two doctors, a business consultant, and an attorney.

My kids could tell from the expression on my face that we were experiencing something beyond extraordinary, even if they had no idea what it meant.

But I certainly did.

Where was I? At the Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp, of course, the brainchild of the brilliant David Fishof, which has brought thousands of wanna-be rockers face-to-face with their rock “counselors” who include Roger Daltrey, Joe Elliot, Alice Cooper, Teddy Andreadis, and, of course, Marky Ramone.

David’s RRFC is in the news today for two reasons. First, a movie about the camp has just come out called, not surprisingly, Rock Camp: The Movie. The film, which is the number one music film on iTunes these days, tells the story of the creation of RRFC and shows what it’s like to be rehearsing with, and then performing with your rock and roll idols.

I first met David because he wanted a book to be written about the lessons that he had learned forming not just the camp, but also Ringo Starr’s All Starr band. The book we wrote together, Rock Your Business, became a Kindle number one business bestseller and has been selling strongly ever since.

The other reason RRFC is in the news has to do with its Master Classes. Obviously, for COVID-related reasons, the camp, which meets in recording studios in LA, Vegas, and other fun locations, isn’t in session right now. Instead, Fishof had the masterstroke idea of Master Classes, where anyone can join a class that lasts an hour or longer, learn from, and ask questions of some of rock’s biggest stars.

Masterclass instructors include Roger Daltrey of the Who, Joey Kramer of Aerosmith, Robby Krieger of The Doors, Suzi Quatro, Alice Cooper, Nels Cline of Wilco, and dozens of other equally huge names.

So how does something like this come about, this whole idea of creating a “camp” for rock musicians cleverly disguised as professionals, businesspeople, doctors, or other such folk?

As we recount in Rock Your Business, David, already a master promoter, went to Pepsi and said that if Pepsi gave him a million dollars, he could put a band around Ringo Starr and some of Ringo’s best friends, including people like Eric Clapton, Colin Hay, Jack Bruce and Greg Rolie.

Pepsi agreed and cut him the check. So Fishof flew to London, secured a meeting with Ringo, and essentially said, “Here’s a check for a million dollars. Let’s start a band. I’ll manage it.”

And that, my friends, was how the Ringo Starr All-Starr band began.

David had such a blast touring with the supergroup that he found himself asked over and over again, “What’s it like to be up close and personal with these rock megastars?”

He realized that he could build a business around providing that very experience, and that’s how RRFC was born.

And that’s how I ended up in a rehearsal room in the basement of a North Hollywood, California recording studio with my kids, watching counselor Joey Ramone put his “campers” through a rendition of I Wanna Be Sedated…for an audience of precisely four, namely my three kids and me.

You don’t have to be a musician to download the movie, which I promise you’ll love, and you don’t have to pay a fortune to attend one of RRFCs Master Classes, prices for which start at just $25.

When the pandemic ends, RRFC will be rocking and rolling again, live and in the studio, with rock star counselors and campers having once-in-a-lifetime experiences, rehearsing and performing at an end of camp concert at a top LA or Vegas venue.

Until then, catch Rock Camp: The Movie, and sit in on a Master Class or two.

You’re never too old, or too young, to let the music carry you away.

Rock Camp: The Movie is streaming on Apple TV, itunes, and Amazon prime.

The website is www.rockcampthemovie.com.