The Sober Sit-Down: Actor and Musician Michael Des Barres of The Power Station and Detective

Few 78-year-olds in rock and roll have as much going on as Michael Des Barres. But before running down the current résumé – and we’ll get there – it helps to understand where he comes from. And we’re not even talking about the six-century-old French title he carries as the 26th Marquis Des Barres. That’s besides the point. What matters more is that – raconteur streak a forest wide – Des Barres has done the bulk of his life’s work sober, beginning at a time when that was the least fashionable thing a rock musician could be.

Yet, somehow, he still managed to be the coolest guy in the room.

It started with acting. Des Barres was part of the supporting cast in the 1967 classic To Sir, with Love, starring Sidney Poitier. Music followed: a stint fronting glam outfit Silverhead in the early ’70s, then Detective, one of the few acts signed to Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song Records. And just as the ’80s dawned, he got sober.

Which makes what happened next even more improbable.

To read the rest of my Sober Sit-Down with Michael Des Barres, head over to The Sober Curator. Below, you’ll find his latest banger of a song, “Kiss or Kill Me.”