Lovin' every minute of it Author: Beddall, Justin ProQuest document link Abstract (Abstract): During the height of the "80s rock" sound, ardent groupies tried to sneak inside [Mike Reno]'s hotel room using furtive methods like tucking themselves inside room service trays; even the maids were relentless, one scrawling "I love you Mike Reno" in lipstick on the shower curtain. Eventually, the band had to stay on "secure" floors inside hotels and hire private security. The bright spotlight began to dim in the late-1980s. The band's trademark "80s rock sound" suddenly seemed dated. They'd produced several multi-platinum albums and collected more Juno hardware than any other Canadian band, yet their music label was suddenly tepid. The members of Loverboy decided to mount their Harleys and rendezvous at a diner along the Sea-to-Sky to chart the band's future. They decided to walk off stage, for a year - or longer. "It was torturous," Reno says of the time away from music. "I wanted to play." Loverboy's recent induction to the Canadian Rock Hall of Fame and Reno's appearance on Much More Music's 'Where you at Baby?' has again put him back in the spotlight. Fans stop him in the street and bus drivers roll down their windows to say: "Hey Reno!" He doesn't mind chatting with fans or signing autographs, though. It's not a big inconvenience, he says genuinely. Links: Check LinkSource for Full Text Full text: Even without the red leather pants and bandana, it's still easy to spot Mike Reno. Of course, today the Loverboy frontman, now 50-something, isn't trying to evade groupies by wearing dark shades and a brim-down baseball cap. Back in the '80s, when you couldn't take a swig from a stubby beer bottle at a house party or watch an NHL pregame warm-up without hearing Loverboy hit singles like "Turn Me Loose" and "Working for the Weekend," the singer had to travel incognito just to get a newspaper in the hotel lobby if he wanted to avoid getting mobbed. He blames MTV for the instant fame - but he's not complaining. During the height of the "80s rock" sound, ardent groupies tried to sneak inside Reno's hotel room using furtive methods like tucking themselves inside room service trays; even the maids were relentless, one scrawling "I love you Mike Reno" in lipstick on the shower curtain. Eventually, the band had to stay on "secure" floors inside hotels and hire private security. The affable Reno, sitting on a barstool in Taylor's Crossing sipping a Coke, shakes his head and smiles while remembering checking underneath his bed and inside the closet door for stealthy groupies before turning out the lights. Reno says rock stars were, for the most part, "faceless" before the MTV phenomenon. Only the hard-core fans who poured over pictures of the band in the album liners, bought music mags or saw bands live concerts could easily recognize band members. MTV changed the music industry, and heightened the celebrity of musicians - and Loverboy was one of the first bands to be prominently featured on the new 24/7 cable music channel. Shortly after releasing their self-titled debut album, Loverboy travelled to Albany, to deliver three low-budget music videos to the fledgling music station. The band's videos - including a feather-haired Reno rocking out "Working for the Weekend" decked out in his soon-to-be-trademark leathers and headband - were played on a continuous loop on MTV. While there's little doubt the Canadian band's catchy party-rock playlist and tireless touring would have translated into stardom organically, MTV accelerated the band's chart-topping rise. The Canadian band became instantly "identifiable because of MTV," Reno explains. "It happened really fast." First MTV, then Saturday Night Live, then American Bandstand. The band was even asked to do a cameo on the popular soap opera Guiding Light. Loverboy's first album sold more than 700,000 copies in Canada and later went gold in the States (2 million records). More platinum- and gold-selling records followed. The band began playing cavernous, sold-out stadiums, touring with bands like ZZ Top and Def Leppard. With the amped up notoriety, Reno's private life became less private but he's philosophical about becoming a rock star. "You can't be famous and not famous at the same time. It's a pretty good time," he says, adding "no negatives attached." After all, Reno wanted to be a rock star since he was 11, when he bought his first drum set with paper route money. Some of his bandmates didn't cope well with the adulation, but Reno accepted being onstage even after the show. "It was quite something. If you are going to be famous, Vancouver is a good place because people give you privacy and respect," explains the former longtime West Vancouver resident. But the bright spotlight began to dim in the late-1980s. The band's trademark "80s rock sound" suddenly seemed dated. They'd produced several multi-platinum albums and collected more Juno hardware than any other Canadian band, yet their music label was suddenly tepid. The members of Loverboy decided to mount their Harleys and rendezvous at a diner along the Sea-to-Sky to chart the band's future. They decided to walk off stage, for a year - or longer. "It was torturous," Reno says of the time away from music. "I wanted to play." For seven years, the hard-touring band was on the road or in the recording studio, so it was a difficult transition to ex-rocker. In 1992, the band reunited for a cancer benefit for a member of the band Chilliwack. They just opened their instrument cases and played. It felt great to be back onstage together again after the short hiatus. Soon after, they began touring again, playing mostly outdoor fairs and casinos. They've been touring ever since, now playing 80 to 100 shows a year. They've traded private jets for commercial airlines and instead of 43 roadies they've got three. And no longer do they have five trucks hauling their stage show from stadium to stadium. Still, Reno just enjoys playing music. "It's always been about the people. We write music to make people have a good time," says the humble rocker. Last week, the band released a new album, "Greatest Hits...The Real Thing," and already one of the album's songs, "I'm Alive" is rising on the singles chart. "It's starting all over again," Reno jokes, between sips of pop. He adds smiling, "I don't want it all over again." Loverboy's recent induction to the Canadian Rock Hall of Fame and Reno's appearance on Much More Music's 'Where you at Baby?' has again put him back in the spotlight. Fans stop him in the street and bus drivers roll down their windows to say: "Hey Reno!" He doesn't mind chatting with fans or signing autographs, though. It's not a big inconvenience, he says genuinely. Of course, occasionally, when he gets recognized he goes berserk. A few years ago, Reno was staying in a boutique LA hotel. As he sat sipping a Corona at a small four-seat bar at the front of the hotel waiting for his car, Bruce Springsteen ambled in and sat down beside him. Reno felt a pang of nervous anxiety. Being a polite Canadian rocker, he decided not to bother the Boss. Seconds later, Springsteen leaned over and said, "Hey, you're Mike Reno." "I just went crazy," he recalls. "Can you imagine that?" For more information on Loverboy, visit loverboyband.com People: Reno, Mike Company: MTV Productions, Loverboy Publication title: The North Shore Outlook First page: 1 Publication year: 2009 Publication date: Apr 15, 2009 Year: 2009 Section: Community Publisher: Torstar Syndication Services, a Division of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited Place of publication: North Vancouver, B.C. Country of publication: Canada Publication subject: General Interest Periodicals--Canada ISSN: 14957612 Source type: Newspapers Language of publication: English Document type: News ProQuest document ID: 372784407 Document URL: http://gateway.nvdpl.ca:2048/docview/372784407?accountid=46601 Copyright: (Copyright (c) 2009 Black Press Group Ltd.) Last updated: 2010-06-24 Database: Canadian Newsstand Complete ______Contact ProQuest  Copyright 2014 ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. - Terms and Conditions