Reality bites

First things first: Crosby Loggins is Kenny Loggins’ son. Unlike most celebrity musician offspring who decide to take up the family business, young Loggins worked extremely hard, built his own following and refused to ride the coattails of the old man. That’s why it came as a massive surprise to anyone following his career when he participated in, and won, Rock The Cradle, a universally panned reality show on MTV where celebrity offspring competed for a record deal. It seemed as though Loggins tossed all his hard-fought credibility to the wind. With a major label debut record out, and an upcoming appearance in Ventura this weekend, an upbeat and friendly Loggins spoke candidly to the Reporter about his decision to do the reality show, its potential effect on his career, and the pitfalls and benefits of having a rock star for a dad.

VCReporter: You spent years defining your own identity as an artist and not someone who lived off his father’s success. Then you popped up on an MTV reality show for rock star offspring. What the hell happened?
Crosby Loggins: (Laughs.) It was a bizarre set of events. It was far more shocking to me than it was to any of my fans and friends. The truth of the matter was, that was really a decision influenced very much by the nature of the business today. There’s a stock story where I explain how they got me to do it, but the truth is we used to get a couple of reality TV pitches a year because of my lineage. They were usually awful. It was evident they were going to get everyone into a house and fight. Shit like that. I was never the slightest bit interested, but one of the people involved in the MTV show created Behind the Music [for VH1] and lives in Ventura. I have roundabout connections to him. He managed to finally get me to take a meeting. They said, “We got a lot of root-against characters on here. We need some root-for characters and we’re gonna strive really hard to do this right.”  They made a lot of claims, like they would let us perform all our own material and would never make us perform with our parents, and I knew that would all go out the window. I know how the game works but I kind of went for it. It was a tremendous opportunity. I’m not getting any younger, and I thought I might be able to propel my career forward. It just panned out that I won. I know that was a long answer, but it’s nice to tell the truth about this stuff and clear the air every once in a while, at least in my hometown.

VCR: Do you fear that you have been, or will not be, taken as seriously as you were? Do you think all your hard work will get lost because you won a reality show contest?
It already has to certain degrees. It sucks. I’m sort of out of the frying pan into the fire in a certain sense. Having your only accolade being the famous guy’s kid to having your only accolade being a show about famous people’s kids. It’s sort of a step down on the street cred level. It’s a tough one, man. It’s a tough business. I spent over 10 years doing the grind. You scrape and pray for an opportunity. With the way the chips stacked up for me, my shot was the show. Whether I am able to overcome that and bring an audience to see what I have to offer as an artist is the real challenge. Hopefully, with patience and time, all that will come to light. You just have to be yourself and push forward. Very little else you can do.

VCR: You’re a Santa Barbara guy, but you’ve got a lot of Ventura ties. Your management is here, local guitarist Joe Baugh is in your band and local producer and investor Randall Richman helped fund your first record. Why is there such a disconnect between the Ventura and Santa Barbara scenes?
Good question. It’s weird. I feel like Ventura has been growing in popularity. With the improvements downtown, it’s really taking off. I see it like the next Santa Barbara vibe-wise and everything else. It seemed to be, when I was younger it was weirder to go to Ventura. It was funkier. Scene’s been improving and improving though. I think there are cooler scenes for singer-songwriters in Ventura, with places like Zoey’s and Watermark. There are some really hip spots. Santa Barbara is pretty slim pickings. Soho has held the fort down for a long time up there. I think both towns are really loyal. There’s a natural rivalry. It’s kinda funny. I’ve always identified very much with Ojai, but a lot of my homies are in Ventura.
VCR: I have to ask: What are the best and worst things about being a rock star’s kid?
The best thing you probably can’t print. (Laughs.) I have a good dad and I love my dad. I’m very fortunate. I’m thankful, but I’m simultaneously challenged on a regular basis. If you get psychologically into it, would you ever want to find out who you are other than Elvis’ kid? Ya know? There’s more to you than you might even realize because you’ve been engaged in a certain way your whole life. That’s the downside, but I have to admit . . . I’ve got to see a lot of rad shit. (Laughs.)   

Crosby Loggins appears on Saturday, Sept. 12, at Zoey’s, 451 E. Main St. For more information, visit www.crosbyloggins.com and www.zoeyscafe.com.

chris@armyoffreshmen.com