The Matt ‘N’ Jeff Radio Hour, Episode 9: Jim Peterik

When you get an offer to speak with a guy like Jim Peterik, it’s an opportunity that you really sink your teeth into.

As Jeff points out during our conversation, Peterik, whether he realized it at the time or not, was writing songs that were (and would become) the soundtrack to the youth of many. While Peterik is perhaps best known for his work as the keyboardist and songwriter for Survivor, his songwriting success extended well beyond that project as he wrote songs for artists ranging from .38 Special and Sammy Hagar to REO Speedwagon, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Beach Boys in more recent years.

Jeff and I really enjoyed having the chance to pick his brain on songwriting (something which he says is still “50% inspiration and 50% perspiration), the business side of things and more than anything, we just enjoyed the chance to hear Jim tell us a few of the stories behind the songs and at times, simply how he was able to get it all done. And how does he continue to get it done?

Those are the things that we dig into on this edition of the Matt ‘N’ Jeff Radio Hour. During the course of our visit, Jim also played a few songs live, including one particular nugget, “Heavy Metal,” which Peterik co-wrote with Sammy Hagar for the movie of the same name.

Peterik first found success with The Ides of March and their 1970 hit “Vehicle.” The band, which he formed with high school friends, would help him to learn some important lessons about the music business early on. And Peterik must have taken those lessons to heart, because he found success again with Survivor during the ’80s and many years after that, he continues to find a worldwide audience that is always ready to listen. Most recently, the melodic rock-based band Pride of Lions has been Jim’s focus, alongside the star-studded World Stage project and he gets to indulge his love of jazz with Jim Peterik’s Lifeforce.

So there’s all of that (and a few other things beyond that) and oh yeah, he is also wrapping up work on his autobiography, Through The Eye of The Tiger: A Survivor’s Tale, which is due for release this year.

There was a lot to talk about and we think that you’ll enjoy what’s here in this edition of the podcast. Our thanks to Jim for his talents and his time. Something tells me that we’ll be speaking with Jim again very soon to continue this conversation.

The Matt N’ Jeff Radio Hour, Episode 9: Jim Peterik interview 

Visit Jim’s official website for the latest news on Pride of Lions, World Stage and his many other projects.

We’d also like to throw a plug out to Jim’s son Colin, who is wrapping up work on a new album. Get the musical details on Colin’s stuff via the Sijay website.

The new Pride of Lions album Immortal is in stores now and you can check out the video for “Delusional” below.