We are living in surreal times and people may feel a little helpless, however, challenging moments allow us to dig deeper into ourselves and become better humans and creators.
To make the most of this strange time, Nick Terzo leverages his 30 years as a creative executive, mentor, and coach, and reaches into his network to have informative conversations with talented people in the music industry.
Today’s guest is Tony Vincent, a music producer, songwriter, performer, and actor. He starred in Rent, Jesus-Christ Superstar, and Green Day’s American Idiot on Broadway. He originated the role of Galileo Figaro in the rock band Queen's We Will Rock You on London's West End and signed record deals with EMI and Sony. He is currently leading PCG Theatrical — an artist development program specifically designed for aspiring musical theatre performers.
Key Takeaways
[2:27] Nick welcomes his long-time friend, the talented Tony Vincent, and invites him to speak a little bit on his path from Nashville to New York, to all over the world and back.
[6:07] From English and Brit-pop to country: the world-class influence of the Belmont University program. Tony also touches on the wonderful support he received from his family.
[10:38] Formal vocal training took place on Broadway and West End for Tony, and that’s where he realized he should have been more humble about his voice as a youth.
[16:19] Rent on the road took its toll, and as Tony looked for ways back into New York, the opportunity to do Rent on Broadway came up. He speaks to the casting process on Broadway and shares a few of his own tips.
[22:25] Jesus Christ SuperStar and Judas, the career accelerators. Tony shares how this show was a different catalyst in each of the two iterations he did.
[29:36] The typecasting thing is real folks…
[30:33] Rocking London: Tony recounts the serendipitous story of how he landed Queen’s We Will Rock You Gig — an unbelievably huge experience.
[41:57] Green Day’s American Idiot as a creatively fulfilling adventure.
[45:20] About PCG Theatrical, for young people who want to make musical theater their career. Nick and Tony sign off.
Thanks for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts and tune in next week.
Find out more about today’s guest, Tony Vincent
Find out more about your host, Nick Terzo
Mentioned in this episode
@OfficialRMT (Roger Taylor)
@DrBrianMay (Brian May)
@QueenWillRock (Queen)
@BillieJoe (Billie Joe Armstrong)
@GreenDay (Green Day)
@OfficialALW (Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber)
Show Guest Quotes
“My father was a big stage mom, he would take me to rehearsals, and take me to band practice and he helped get me my first drum kit when I was 7 years old.” — Tony Vincent
“Once you get an agent, they are the keyholders that get you into the auditions.”
— Tony Vincent
“Come in with a song that emulates the feel of the majority of the show, but you don’t want something that is so known that there’s a chance that they’re going to hear the same song from 10 different people that day.” — Tony Vincent
“When I got signed to Epic, they wanted me to be the next George Michael and I wanted to be the next Robbie Williams.” — Tony Vincent
“I got to sing Hey, Jude with Paul McCartney that night, and that to me was like ‘if it all ends now, it’s okay.’” — Tony Vincent
“Those are the reasons that I do rock and roll still, it goes beyond just ear candy, it’s the stuff that hits you in a place you can’t really articulate.” — Tony Vincent
