Bridge 3 – Eye On Business: Alter Ego – Steve Strider

You may not recognize him at first, but if you were growing up in the 80’s Steve Strider likely played a role in your youth. Whether it was cruising the streets with friends or trying to get with your dream girl, Strider’s band The Scene was the soundtrack to the wild yet seemingly innocent times of the era.

Still, others of you will be shocked to learn that fact, as you may only know Steve Strider as a motivational speaker who runs Rhythm of Life, a line of health related products and equipment that has helped him capture a solid niche in the busy world of self help and personal growth.

So who is he really?  With our Alter Ego column Eye on Business takes a chance to explore an unexpected side of successful personalities in the business world. Take a journey with us as we get to know Steve (Stevie) “Sticks” Strider a little better.

 

AE: Can you take me through the conception of Drum Fit? Was it something you always had in mind even when you were playing with The Scene?

SS: Drum Fit was born in the late 90s. I had realized over time that I didn’t need to play the drums all the time to do my job, and by the mid 90s I had put on some weight. I just wasn’t feeling right, so I started to look back at when I was skinny. I started looking at what I was doing differently, and one of those things was drumming. So I started drumming on a regular basis again, and I really started learning about healthy living and fitness. Eventually I realized that there was a connection there and so I figured a way to combine them. Honestly, Drum Fit was born out of necessity and it’s done great things for me, so I figured that maybe it could do great things for other people too.

AE: You were able to get an affordable version of The Drum Kit into individual homes while still getting a more robust model into gyms across the country. How did you successfully target those two diverse markets?

SS: I can’t take all the credit for that, as much of the business model came from our COO Andrea Meine. I knew I needed help to get this product out to the market and Andrea came on as my assistant, but I soon realized that she knew way more about business than I did so it made sense to promote her to COO. The home model was already pretty fleshed out by the time we started production on the gym model. We were finding that our sales had peaked on the shopping channel and we decided that another avenue was needed. After that it was a matter of figuring out how to make it attractive to gyms. I think it was easier for us to get into the gyms because of the success we had with the home market. We already had a proven model, and once we were able to show them the additional features that couldn’t really be done at home, they were all over it. But Andrea really drove that, that moment was really the proof that she was ready to run this business.

AE: I’ve been using The Drum Fit for almost 3 years now. I was hesitant at first about it being another fitness fad but the thing that really struck me is the fun factor, I might even use it even if I wasn’t getting in shape doing it.

SS: Well, first, thanks for that. It’s always nice to know that people enjoy using your product. But yeah, fun was what we wanted to make it. It’s really hard for the regular person to want to exercise, so that was why we really locked into the fun part. My biggest concern was the male/female demographic. The concern was that this product would be seen as a “manly” workout machine which is why it was so important we get it on the shopping channel and really show people what it’s all about. The trick was to set up different routines that target different core muscle groups and also find ways to adjust for a person’s interest that day. You can do a program that’s simple but fun or a program that maybe isn’t as fun but is quite strenuous. I think once you get into using the Drum Fit, you’re hooked.

AE: As an ex- professional drummer, how good can one become from The Drum Fit? I ask because I’ve always wanted to be in a band.

SS: I don’t want to get people too excited and say that they can go out and become the next Ginger Baker. It takes a lot of work to become a professional drummer. The Drum Fit is about moving your muscles in a certain way, so the equipment is geared more towards that. I’m certainly not saying that you won’t have a better understanding of how to be a drummer if you use this product, but I would still recommend lessons if you want to join a band. And I take some offense to your calling me an ex-professional drummer. Just because I’m focusing on this right now doesn’t mean I’m not still a professional drummer. I probably work harder as a drummer now than I have in years.

AE: So do you mind if we get into your musical career a little then?

SS: That’s fine. I’m very proud of the things I have accomplished in my career so far.

AE: Going back then to what you said about the difficulty of becoming a successful drummer I’m wondering if you can give me some insight into your journey there? They say you have 80,000 hours in your career, and it takes 10,000 hours to master something. Does that sound about right for you as a drummer, because the one thing I’ve always heard is no one outworks you.

SS: When I was young, I asked my parents if I could get a drum set. They sat me down and told me that they would get me a drum set, but I would have to earn the pieces. So I started off with a snare drum, and I worked hard on that, then they got me a bass drum, then a cymbal, and so on. When I told them I wanted to join a band, they were really supportive of it, but my dad told me that it wasn’t enough to just join. I had to be willing to work at it, every day that I was in a band. I really took that advice to heart and made sure that I was always doing my best. I never wanted to be the problem in the band. I always wanted to be on time, both in life and in my playing, and I always want to give 100% effort for everything I do. I don’t think I’m a master drummer now and I’ve been doing this for a lot longer than 10,000 hours, but I do know that I am more than willing to keep working at it.

AE: Most of your time seems to be on giving motivational speeches, and hard work is a big theme. Who attends these events more, old music fans or people who know you from the business world?

SS: I think it’s kind of split. There are always going to be fans that are hoping for an autograph afterwards, but I think once people hear what I have to say they become much more open-minded about the subject. It’s really important for me to get out there and promote health and well-being. The fact that I have a built in audience gives me a bit of a head start. If anything, I have to work harder to convert the people who weren’t necessarily fans before, because they aren’t predisposed towards listening. It’s forced me to become a much better public speaker, and again, work that much harder to get the message heard.

AE: So how is it you balance running a company, public speaking, and of course drumming?

SS: One of the things I realized is that it’s hard to juggle that many balls. I’ll be the first to admit that as a businessman I’m a good drummer, so once Andrea proved that she had the vision to run the company it helped out a lot. It always made sense for me to surround myself with smart people who have a vision. Drumming has become somewhat of a side project for me over the past couple of years, but I still think it’s important to play with people whenever I have the opportunity. My real focus is on the Rhythm of Life talks that I’m giving. I find that I can touch so many people in so many ways doing that. It really means a lot to me, especially given where I started in life. I’m very lucky now, but it took a lot of hard work to get to this point. If you had asked me back in the early days of The Scene what I would be doing at this point, I can tell you this never would have entered my mind. But I’m having a blast doing it and it’s given me the freedom that I never had in a band.

AE: I’m a little young to have experienced The Scene in its heyday, but once I started working out with The Drum Fit I ended up going back and have become a big fan of the music. Do you hear that story often? If so, do any of the other band members ever contact you to thank you for helping to keep The Scene alive in this way?

SS: I’m always happy to hear that people like the music. I love the guys and really enjoyed playing with them. Other than Kyng, I don’t really talk to anyone that much and we all have so many different things going on in our lives. I play with Kyng as much as I can, but it’s less than I would like, that’s for sure. Nobody has really said anything about the Drum Fit one way or the other, but I think it’s great if it can help keep the music alive. Gil’s songs always encapsulated a moment in time and they are a lot of fun to play. It’s amazing that I had the opportunity to play in a band that reached so many people.

AE: As I researched the band there’s an awful lot out there about you guys. It’s absolutely fascinating, especially with Kyng. He seems like a hard guy to understand. What is your relationship with him, and how do you feel about the other guys?

SS: Kyng is the most loyal person I know. He stuck with me through thick and thin, and I will always love him for that. A lot of people know him by his outward self, which can be tough to understand. He has a certain way of doing things that doesn’t work for everyone. He has a belief in himself that defies anything else I have seen. He believes that he is the best, and that belief has taken him far. TK is a great guy, I learned a lot from him about being… just being. He is so spiritual that you can’t help but like him, and I think those are the kinds of lessons that I try to put into Rhythm of Life. I learned a lot from Gil too. He is such a perfectionist, and even though it can be really hard to work with him, I know that he has the best interests of the band at heart. But the drive that he has is second to none. When it comes to his music, nobody has more passion than that guy. Jerry is a sweet, sweet guy, but he has his demons. He tries so hard, but he just can’t help himself sometimes. It always would drive Gil nuts when Jerry was high because he just couldn’t match Gil’s vision of perfection. I’ve reached out to Jerry a few times since I left the band, but he seems to be on the right path now and I’m proud of him for finding his own way there. These guys will always be my brothers, and I’ll always be there for them. We may never become a band again, but we’ll always have that bond.

AE: How about Rod, is he the forgotten member of the band who doesn’t get his due?

SS: Probably. I have a lot of respect for Rod. Here’s a guy who was on the doorstep of what every musician dreams about and he walked away for family. It takes a real strength of character to be able to do that. I’m not sure that I have that in me. He’s a good guy at heart, and he just really loves his family. Just a great story.

AE: And finally, there’s always those rumour reunions, which for someone like me, who as I mentioned never got to see those legendary concerts you guys gave, seems like an eternal tease. But when there was that benefit concert for Nigel Rodgers a while back, and most of you were there and played but mostly didn’t play together, I think most of us gave up hope. Was that our last, best shot?

SS: I’ve learned to never say never. TK loves doing his own thing, Kyng is always playing with somebody. Gil has Planetary and I know he loves being the man in that band. And with Drum Fit and Rhythm of Life, it would be hard to go back out on the road with the band again. Right now I keep my own schedule and live my life my way. There are a lot of emotions wrapped up in The Scene and I think that it’s tough to face those and find your way back. I know there are a lot of people out there who would love to see us reunite and play the hits, and maybe someday it will happen, but a lot of things need to shift into place for that to occur. At this point in my life, I am enjoying the freedom I have, but if everyone else was in I’d seriously consider it.

AE: Steve, thank you so much for your time. It’s been a fascinating discussion and we’ve learned a lot. The only thing left for you is to tell us who is the real you, and who is the alter ego. The long haired wild musician or the businessman fitness mogul?

SS: If you had asked me 20 years ago, I would have said the wild musician for sure was the real me, and now I lean towards saying that the fitness mogul is more me. So I guess that means it’s a bit of both. I know that’s a cop out, but without the musician, I never get to this place. Life is the ultimate journey and I understand that sometimes you need to be 2 sides of the coin to make the whole. In my case, that means that part of me is a wild musician and part of me is a businessman. But both sides make up the whole package. The only way to fully understand yourself is to understand your two halves, and right now this is what I understand myself to be. Sorry if I got a bit heavy there, but I really believe in this stuff. I appreciate the opportunity to tell my story and I look forward to talking with you again.