Loverboy's Mike Reno Isn't A Fan Of Coldplay Or Slayer

Negative opinions about the current state of commercial radio are a dime a dozen these days, but Loverboy lead singer Mike Reno has a slightly different take on things.

"It's not necessarily what was on the radio, it's what was not on the radio... which was me," he says with a laugh. "I wanted to be on the radio again."

Reno, guitarist Paul Dean, drummer Matt Frenette, bassist Ken Sinnaeve and keyboardist Doug Johnson went into the studio to work on a new album and try to fulfill Reno's goal. They wrote more than 30 potential hits and eventually cut things down to their 10 best, most radio-friendly songs. The result is Just Getting Started, an album packed with songs specifically crafted to conquer the airwaves in much the same way that early Loverboy hits "Turn Me Loose" and "Working For The Weekend" did in the '80s.

"We recorded it so that people would want to play it," says Reno. "We're not the kind of band that records stuff so nobody wants to listen to it."What kind of weird, demented, twisted soul does that?" the singer asks before muttering "Slayer" under his breath.

Reno is less willing to name names when it comes to other bands he's not crazy about, but admits that he's not the biggest fan of one of the world's most popular groups.

"I really don't like certain kinds of music. I'm not big on groups like Coldplay. Some people, they would die for Coldplay. I don't get it. To me, it's a bit whiny."

He's quick to stress that it's just his personal opinion, though, and that Chris Martin is free to think whatever he wants of Loverboy.

"If Coldplay were sitting right here, I'd be willing to accept from him that he thinks I'm horribly boring and ugly and whatever. But hopefully they won't be insulted by that."

Issues with whiny music aside, Reno has a lot of hope for the future of music. He's quick to point out that he enjoys the new Chris Cornell album and is a huge fan of fellow Canadians Live On Arrival, a band he hopes will accompany Loverboy when it comes time to tour the country.

Most of all, though, he's excited about Just Getting Started. The album was released this week and is already starting to fill that Reno-sized hole on the radio dial and help him achieve his real goal: getting back to the fans.

"Not that radio is king, but once you start playing the stuff on the radio, everybody knows about it," explains Reno. "And once everybody knows about it, you can have more fun at concerts because then they sing the words and they come.

"If you didn't have a record out and you had a concert, nobody would even come. I guess it's called popular music for a reason, because it's popular."

Loverboy will perform with April Wine, Trooper and David Wilcox as part of the Grey Cup Festival at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Nov. 22.