Backstage With Michael Cartellone: Military Pride Runs Deep
By Tamar Fleishman
Spring 2007
For Michael Cartellone, drummer for legendary Southern rock bank Lynyrd Skynyrd, the military is part of his roots. His father, Joseph, was a decorated Army corporal who cleared mine fields and built mountain roads and bridges during World War II. Michael also is the son-in-law of Gen. Edward C. Meyer, who served as Army Chief of Staff during the Carter Administration.
Cartellone has been dazzling audiences with his drumming since age 11. Born and raised in Cleveland, he moved to New York City at age 22 and soon was drumming for the likes of former Styx guitarist Tommy Shaw. Then, Shaw tapped him to play in the “supergroup” Damn Yankees, along with Jack Blades and Ted Nugent. Since 1998, Cartellone has been the drummer for Lynyrd Skynyrd. Now in his early 40s, he is the "baby" of the band.
Few people know that Cartellone also is a talented painter; his works have been shown at galleries all over New York. He displays a colorful pop-art style, depicting scenes such as the stage life of Lynyrd Skynyrd. His art is for sale at www.michaelcartellone.com.
MM: What are your latest projects?
Cartellone: Well, I’ll answer this in two parts. Musically, Lynyrd Skynyrd has finished this year’s tour and we’ll be taking a few months off. It was a good year and we played about 90 dates. I stay busy while home in New York City, doing freelance recording sessions and occasionally playing clubs with friends. Artistically, I’m working on two different paintings: a Carousel and a New York City street scene set in the 1920s. There is also a new canvas reproduction of my John Lennon painting about to be released.
MM: How are your art sales going?
Cartellone: Things are going well. I just had a very successful gallery opening in Phoenix. This gallery has put my work alongside some very famous musician-artists, so my art profile – and value – have just gone up considerably.
MM: Tell us about the fundraising concert for the 173rd Airborne Brigade National Memorial. How did the band decide to get involved with this project?
Cartellone: Skynyrd has always been very supportive of the Armed Forces. So when our booking agent, the William Morris Agency, heard about the plan to build the memorial at Ft. Benning, they asked us if we’d like to be involved in some way. We already had the date booked for an Atlanta concert, so we turned that night into a benefit. Big & Rich and a few other acts joined in and it was a huge event. We raised over $540,000.
That night had special meaning for me. My father, who attended that show with my Mom, sister and niece, spent eight months training at Ft. Benning before being shipped off to fight in World War II. He was wounded and received the Purple Heart, by the way. At the show, I wore a shirt on stage, on which I had painted the emblem from his 71st Division of Combat Engineers.
MM: Does Lynyrd Skyryrd ever play for the troops?
Cartellone: Yes! In the eight years I’ve been with the band, we’ve done dozens of military gigs. A couple of memorable ones: Ft. Hood in Texas, a huge homecoming for the troops after capturing Saddam Hussein; and Rhein-Main Air Base in Frankfurt, which went live over the Armed Forces Network.
MM: Did you play for the troops as a member of Damn Yankees?
Cartellone: How could a band named Damn Yankees not play for the troops? Yes, many performances. One immediately comes to mind: the Naval Air Station in Norfolk, a huge homecoming for the troops after Desert Storm. On that tour, we had an eight-foot tall Saddam Hussein wooden standup on stage that Ted Nugent used to shoot with a flaming arrow.
MM: Tell us the lessons you’ve learned from your father-in-law, Gen. Edward C. Meyer, about the importance of the military.
Cartellone: To be completely honest, we rarely talk about the military. But I do understand the importance of the military, without asking him. I will ask him about things he’s involved with now, like consulting work and other military-related projects, for example. But I knew that people had cornered him with questions in the past to the point of it being invasive, and I was determined not to do that. The day we met, we talked about fishing.
That said, I must mention that I’m incredibly proud of who he is and his military career. I brag about him all the time.
MM: Were you nervous meeting him for the first time?
Cartellone: What guy isn’t nervous meeting his girlfriend’s father for the first time, regardless of who he is?
MM: People have a certain idea of the “rock-star lifestyle.” Tell us about your lifestyle.
Cartellone: I can tell you that my lifestyle is exactly opposite of what people might think. I lead a very quiet, low-key life, except when I’m working. I jog in the park and feed the squirrels. I paint. I like to read. I don’t watch a lot of TV. My wife Nancy and I like to ride bikes together. You know, normal, average American stuff.
Also, I think the term "rock star" should be reserved for the stars, people like Paul McCartney and David Bowie. I consider myself a working musician. Those are two very different things, in my book.
MM: Have you always been able to support yourself as a musician?
Cartellone: No. The life of a musician or anyone in the arts, for that matter, is a constant roller-coaster ride. You have to be careful with your money when you’re earning it – if you’re lucky enough to earn any substantial amount, that is. You learn that even when things are going great, there is always the chance for a dry spell. So you never start living beyond your means.
MM: Where did you get your first big paycheck and what did you do with it?
Cartellone: My first big paycheck was during Damn Yankees. I put it in the bank. I remember celebrating by going to Home Depot and buying one of those plastic things that you coil your garden hose around!
MM: Do you manage your own money?
Cartellone: Basically, the answer is “yes,” with day-to-day life, bill paying, etc. But I do work with a financial advisor who invests my money.
MM: Do you have investments? If so, what?
Cartellone: I already had the usual things – an IRA, some real estate, etc. – but now I’m deeper into stocks.
MM: How would you describe your investing style?
Cartellone: More conservative than aggressive. That simply reflects the unusual career I have and the way earnings can vary from year to year.
MM: What is a splurge for you? What do you treat yourself to?
Cartellone: I’m a huge Charlie Chaplin fan. I bought his cane from the film “City Lights” at an auction a few years ago. Although I wanted it because of what it meant to me, it turned out to be an investment that has increased in value tremendously.
MM: Regardless of how much money you had, what would you consider a waste of money?
Cartellone: Casino gambling.
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Tamar Fleishman is an attorney and writer in Baltimore. She served in the U.S. Air Force, her father served in the Indiana National Guard and her grandfather was a highly decorated Army surgeon who served as family physician to Gen. Douglas MacArthur. She may be reached at tfleishman@toad.net.
