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After buying his first electric guitar, Gregg Alexander founded a band together with his brother. He was known in school as a brave guy, who didn't mind to argue with his teachers - as he was the only one tall enough to cope with them. After he got a wrong identity-card, he spent his nights in the night-clubs of Detroit. At the age of 15 he bought a 4-track recorder for 300 Dollar of money, which he earned for sweeping snow and stole from the church-collection. With this new acquisition Gregg recorded his first songs. "I couldn't afford guitar lessons, but my uncle taught me the chords to the Who's "I can't explain", immediately, I started switching the chords and making up my own songs. On my four track I'd bang the drums first, a bit of piano, loud guitars next, a one take vocal and BOOM! I gave cassettes to my friends who'd play them at the school dance."

Gregg persuaded his mother to visit a aunt in California. But his plans were a little bit different from the ones his mother had made: He took the bus to get to the Shrine Auditorium and sneaked into the Grammy-celebration - to spy out the beast of music-industry. Back home his notes in school went bad, as Gregg had to work to get money for a big journey.

In Los Angeles Gregg boldly visited some record-companies and sang some of his songs unasked. He even got a record-deal and released two albums: Michigan Rain and Intoxfornication. Both were complete flops. So he traveled through the USA and over to London, meeting the future-members of the New Radicals. Back in New York he and his band played later hits just as 'Someday we'll know' in the Central Park. "I'm a rock'n'roll singer, but nothing I'm not proud of. Who cares anyway, but yeah I've tried most drugs, most positions under the guise of most religions with most genders on most continents (...)"

After this things went straight forward. MCA Records offered them a record-deal in 1998 and the New Radicals recorded the album "Maybe you've been brainwashed too".

The New Radicals

The New Radicals released the first and only one record with the title Maybe you've been brainwashed too. Right after they got signed to MCA Records in 1998. It was highly acclaimed by the critics. Gregg Alexander wrote all the songs and produced the whole record. It was well sold, the first single "You Get What You Give" was a massive hit. Not just because of the skilled arrangement of the lines:

dust brothers beck hanson courtney love and marylin manson
You're all fakes
Run to your mansions
Come around
We'll kick your ass in

The New Radicals became a topic in the music-news-business. (Because of the lines Marilyn Manson invited Gregg for a cup of tea: "I'm inviting the singer of the New Radicals. I'm going to break his skull.") Also the critics were overwhelmed by Greggs songs. The Video for "You Get What You Give" (directed by Evan Bernard) was set in a big shopping mall and the band is starting a real mess there.

After a quite successful Tour in the USA (See the picture on the right) Gregg Alexander broke up the band surprisingly. "Sometimes I wore a hat on stage, so that nobody could recognize, who bored and who less enthusiastic I was in the end." In the future he more likely wanted to work as a producer and songwriter for other artists. See the Discography-section for the results of this work. Fans and record company wanted the New Radicals to release an other single. They were successful and "Someday we'll know" became the second single. The clip was directed by Lawrence Carroll.