Gregory Markel, former member of The Prime Movers and songwriter of "Strong As I Am"
speaks frankly about the song, the film and his time in the band.

MCRS :You wrote the lyrics and sang lead vocals on 'Strong as I am', correct? Could you tell us about story behind the song ?

[Gregory Markel]  Yes, the song was composed as repeating arpeggio on a keyboard, shortly before I auditioned for The Prime Movers. Originally, there were 3 verses, each addressing the most important people in my life at that time; my Father, my Mother, and my girlfriend. There is a 4 track demo of that version somewhere.... The final vocal melody was a result of improvising random words on the demo, with the song's lyrical direction suggested by some of the random phonetic sounds therein.

Lyrically, the song alludes to the profound nature of parental influence in our lives. The good, the bad....the struggle to know forgiveness for parental "mistakes", the inherent need for  emotional connection, and ultimately, unconditional love. Shortly after joining the Prime Movers, (Who were already signed to Island Records as a 3 piece), I showed the song/demo to the band. Though there was initially resistance, it was eventually embraced. Joint song writing credit appears due to a mutual agreement amongst band members to share song writing credits on all songs, regardless who wrote them. Later, the Prime Movers successfully had me removed from their songs, but not mine. Let's face it, the best lawyers seem to rule...

Did you originate the music score for the song or was it a collaborative effort ?
[Gregory Markel] The arrangement of the song as a drums, guitar, bass and vocal piece was a collaborative effort amongst band members, with me making the determination to drop the last verse referred to above. Later, when the song was recorded, the producer, Chris Tangerides, was responsible for the keyboard parts and sounds.....much to his credit, I feel.....Hello Chris!

As the songwriter, does it annoy you to see your name credited last under the title ?

[Gregory Markel] Well, had we kept our original agreement to share song writing credits on all songs, it wouldn't bother me as much, but yes, in light of certain parties successfully removing me from sharing in the writing credits of THEIR songs, I lost and they won. Ouch. Never knowing of course, that my song would be the one that went on to generate royalties, due to the movie, for all through the years...I'd like to think that certain parties at least whisper "thanks" under their breath when the check arrives in the mail 4 times a year.... ha, ha....

How do recall Michael Mann approaching the band to use the track?
[Gregory Markel] To be honest, I don't. As I recall, the association with the film came through Island Publishing pitching the song to the film maker/producers in hopes of making some of their money back! The song was originally going to be  used in a film called "Band of the Hand", but was used  in Manhunter instead, thank God!

What can you tell us about the video shoot ?

[Gregory Markel] I had been fired prior to the video shoot, by a certain member of the band who's megalomania I evidently was threatening....ha, ha... I had returned to my glorious singing waiter job, when the bands manager called to ask me if I would consider making the video with the band, even though we were no longer together..... who'd say no to that? While I don't recall the director's name, I do recall him being Italian, and formerly directing some Miami Vice episodes. {Note: The director in question was Dante Spinotti}

We actually got together once, in the old rehearsal studio, to perform the song for the video's director, bad blood be damned! We was gonna be on MTV! Woohoo! The video was shot on top of the Pacific Stock Exchange building helipad, in  downtown Los Angeles. Though there was definitely some gray vibes between myself and certain parties in the band at that point, we all behaved and the shoot went well, though I was a bit anxious when asked to stand on the edge of the building with nothing but a rope tied round my waist...

	Describe how it felt to see your song integrated into the movie.
	[Gregory Markel] Actually, I had mixed feelings. The song was very personal, about my parents, and to hear it as the backdrop for a murder scene was quite jarring.

	Were you part of the original line-up and were you the first to leave The Prime Movers?
	[Gregory Markel] No. They had been together for years and were already signed to Island as a 3 piece prior to my arrival. I believe adding a singer was the label's idea.

Why did you part company ? [Gregory Markel]  Certain parties were not comfortable with my wanting to contribute  to the creative process.

	Are you still in contact with any of the former band members?
	[Gregory Markel] Just the guitar player, Gary...who's a member of Dread Zeppelin, by the way....oh,  and a recent love letter to a certain member of the band after your site alerted me to a very, uh, "subjective" take on the genesis of the song.

Tell the readers what you are doing these days ?

[Gregory Markel] After the Prime Movers, I was in a band called "Altered State", (http://www.alteredstate.com), which released 2 records on Warner Bros., one of  which had a #1 single at radio, and was mixed by the legendary Bob Cleermountain.  The second album, "Dos" was engineered, produced, and mixed by Ben Grosse, (Fuel, Filter, Ben Folds, Sixpence None the Richer, Vertical Horizon), and had a new version of "Strong as I am" on it, at our managers insistence! Currently, I'm exploring a solo direction involving a more adventurous guitar and vocal focused approach, found at: http://www.gregorymarkel.com . I recently auditioned for the part of "Roger" in Spike Lee's theatrical version of "Rent", and I'm writing songs for "Jackie Chan Adventures, " an animated cartoon on the WB network.

Anything at all you wish to say that cannot be expressed in the above questions ?
[Gregory Markel] Thank you for featuring the song on your amazing Manhunter site, and giving me the opportunity to speak. Also, a deep thanks to all who have cared to make an emotional connection to "Strong as I am."