A quick word with: Bowzer

Bowzer was the big, booming bass voice of 70s TV show Sha Na Na and leader of the 50s-revival group that went by the same name. His real name is John Bauman but despite moving on to other projects, he's never really stopped being Bowzer. He brings his show, Bowzer's Rock'n'Roll Party, to New Zealand, starting this weekend.

Now John, what do I call you? John? Bowzer?

You can pick one, I don't mind.

Okay. Bowzer it is because I have fond memories of him. So is it your first time to New Zealand?

Yes, it's the first time we've come to New Zealand and we're very excited. I've heard it was the most beautiful place on Earth and that was from a college friend of mine, 35 years before Lord of the Rings.

So where did Bowzer come from?

It was based on real research on real greasers that I knew - you know, he was one of the ones who used to terrorise me on my way home. When I was standing at the bus stop, outside the Surrey luncheonette, there was always a group of greasers hanging out and they'd try to strangle me and kick my books down the sewer. So I got revenge on them by turning them all into my fans.

Would Bowzer beat Fonzy in a fight?

You know, I'm friends with Henry Winkler [who played Fonzy] and we've had this debate. But you know, Henry had no proprietary interest in the Fonz, because he really was an actor playing a role. So he didn't really care when I said someone like the Fonz would never be nice to a guy like Richie Cunningham. He would have pummelled him. So yeah, Bowzer could've taken the Fonz because he was too nice a fellow.

Have you been stereotyped as Bowzer and have you tried to shake it off?

The first thing with that, I've never really cared too much about being Bowzer. Whereas Henry always tried to distance himself from the Fonz, I never really tried to distance myself from Bowzer because he really is mine. So it's never really bothered me when people come up to me and say, "Hey, you're Bowzer".

Tell us about the time the Ramones were guests on Sha Na Na.

It was one of the most talked-about guest spots because it was so incongruous. They did Rock'n'Roll High School. It was odd, but you've got to understand that Sha Na Na, before the TV show, was a little bit like a punk act. Bowzer was very greasy, and very tough. He was no pretend greaser like Fonzy. In the group's earliest days we weren't quite the Ramones, but we weren't far off.

What is Bowzer's Rock'n'Roll Party?b>

It's a lot like Sha Na Na - a fun, upbeat, interactive show that's built around the music of the 50s and 60s. There's dance contests, hoola-hooping, and in the course of the evening, I even play some classical piano. Yes, Bowzer gets to pretend he knows how to play classical piano.

It's a trip down memory lane, but how do you make it contemporary?

It is a trip down memory lane for those who remember the time and the music. But we play to a wide age group and the younger audience have no idea about the music. I encourage people to bring their kids and they love it. I think there's a few reasons for that, one is the show is just fun. But a more central reason is that this is the roots music of rock'n'roll and as much as it's changed, it just as much stays the same, you know, even rap has a back beat. It's really the foundation of all the rock music that's come along since, so I think it's approachable for every generation.

* Bowzer's Rock'n'Roll Party is on Saturday at the St James, Auckland. Tickets from Ticketdirect.