What ever happened to 80’s singer Greg Kihn?
By Alex Lloyd Gross
Greg Kihn, the guy with a couple of top 40 hits back in the1980’s still gets radio airplay, but what’s he been up to? We caught up with him for a telephone conversation and he’s back, but what happened in the interim? “I’m in a position to answer that question,” he said. ” For the last 18 years, I’ve been out here in San Fransisco doing a morning show on KFOX. i started when it was a little classic rock station and it grew to a huge station that dominates the area. A friend of mine was doing that and he gets fired. They wanted to hire me but for the morning shift. I told them I cannot get up at 4:00 AM , i go to sleep at 4:00 AM. The General manager then wrote down a number on a slip of paper and slid it across the desk. would you do it for this amount of money, I then asked him what time do you want me to be here”, Kihn said.
That explains why we have not heard any new material from him. A few years ago, the radio job and Kihn parted ways and he is back making music. His newest LP is ReKihndled. His name, Kihn is used in all of the titles to his records, from Greg Kihn Again to Next of Kihn. I did not know it but I created a monster”, he joked. His mother told him he had a great brand and he just stuck with it. There were 18 records.
After they recorded the record, it was time to go on the road. Back in the day, they played the Spectrum with the Kinks, toured with the likes of Cheap Trick , “When we played in Europe, people would get excited. In reality, I remember being in Rome and having the cab driver drive past landmarks just so I could see them”, he said. Now he enjoys it more. “I get my guys, we go out and it’s like summer camp”.
The band just did three months of touring but did not hit our area. “We are gonna take about two months off and go record another album, then go back on the road”, When pressed about no local gigs, Kihn said “We did play Harrisburg”. That’s like asking if a band is going to play San Diego, and they say they played Los Angeles. It’s at least two hours away. “Philly is an area we hope to hit harder on this return trip, probably in the spring”, Kihn said.
In spite of doing multiple records, he is still known for “Jeopardy” and “The Break Up Song”. In fact, “Jeopardy was parodied by Weird Al . “He called me, told me what he wrote and I loved it. I still get mailbox money from it”, laughed Kihn. You can see that video here. If you want to read up on him and find out what he has been up to, go here. With online streaming and social media, it’s easy for fans to reconnect with Kihn or even hear his music they have not heard before.