Mad Fables was a New Jersey band formed in the ’70s that managed to self-produce and publish an album in 1977. The album features 8 original songs including the anthemic ‘Headband’.

The band was very influential by The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers, Little Feat. Void Records recently reissued their album in a limited 500 copies edition.

Would you like to talk a bit about your background? Where and when did you grow up? Was music a big part of your family life?

Jeffrey Hays: I grew up in Deptford, NJ, a suburban town 12 miles east of Philadelphia, PA. (The poet/musician Patti Smith graduated from high school 5 years before me). Columbia Records offered a “membership” plan that enabled its subscribers to select three record albums per month. I loved reading the list and considering what the albums might sound like, but my father held the purse strings and made the choices, a steady diet of Percy Faith and Mantovani. Once in a while my mother would prevail, which delivered Johnny Horton’s ‘Greatest Hits’ and ‘West Side Story’ soundtrack to the household. I listened to the stories that those songs told and was struck by what they said about the American experience past and present.

When did you begin playing music?

At age 14 I brokered an agreement with my father to purchase a classical guitar from Korvettes Department Store on the condition that I would take lessons with the local music teacher. The teacher didn’t play the guitar, (I never told my father that fact) but he helped me learn to read music and make my way through several books of the “Alfred Guitar Method”. At the same time, I assumed the role of manager for a group of friends. As far as I could tell my managerial duties consisted of convincing my mother to let the group practice in our basement. When the Beatles released ‘Get Back’ – the group’s bass player wanted to play second guitar, so they looked around and handed me the bass and off we went!

When did you decide that you wanted to start writing and performing your own music? What brought that about for you?

While in high school, our band enjoyed success attributable to our regular practice schedule and the fact that the group never disbanded. I practiced a lot on my own, and one day, while noodling around, I started playing a pattern and a melody floated through my head. Next, words started to come to me describing a very aloof and attractive young woman. And a song emerged, ‘Mean Hearted Woman’. I showed it to the group, they liked it, learned it and we would sometimes include it in our set. I was struck by the notion that I could write a song about someone that I really had no feelings for. From that point forward, while practicing, I always kept one eye half open just in case (as Tom Waits says) a snowflake landed on my sleeve.

Were you part of any other bands before forming Mad Fables? Any recordings or releases by them?

My high school band, Pygmalion, played popular rock music, and thanks to the persistence of our geometry teacher turned manager, began playing in bars and clubs while in high school. (The drinking age was 21 at the time). We were not learning original music at that time. A reel-to-reel recording was made of one of our final gigs at a fraternity party in Philadelphia.

Can you elaborate the formation of Mad Fables?

Mad Fables was marinated and slow cooked over a two year period. Leaving South Jersey in 1972 for Montclair State College, 100 miles to the north, I started jamming and playing with Mike Radtke, my RA, a keyboard player with a love of The Doors and and (unknown to me), a binder full of songs he had written. At the same time Rich Rheiner, my Pygmalion bandmate, began jamming with Mike Dugan, a local stud guitar player. Rich would visit and we would jam in the dorm’s recreation room. Things clicked, and soon Rich began bringing Mike Dugan along. Mike Radtke cooked beef stroganoff or boiled hot dogs in Knickerbocker beer. (Rich, Mike Dugan, and I still talk about it to this day) In June of 1974, on a weekend get together, we took our jam outside to the campus amphitheater. Soon we became immersed in our jam and we didn’t notice that people were gathering to listen. Between songs, someone came up to us and said that he was producing a concert in two weeks in Third Ward Park – in Passaic, and he would like us to perform. Mike Dugan and Rich agreed to come back in two weeks and Mike Dugan felt he could bring a drummer that he had been working with who would be a perfect fit. The set at the gig seemed fine, until we heard what our roadie had recorded on a small cassette device. It was not fine – it was great and new. The jamming approach we were taking to each song worked and I personally was startled to realize that this may be viable and very well could be my future. By September of 1974, Rich and Mike Dugan had moved north, drummer Spence Hiller in tow, and joined Mike Radtke and I in what was to be a grand adventure.

What was the local scene? Any other bands worth mentioning?

The Good Rats played original music, although it was hard rock, they had a good following. Blue Sparks from Hell – played bluegrass music and now are the members of RailRoad Earth. Our manager was from PA and there was a group, The Goodman Brothers with a big reputation, especially their guitar player, Steve Kimock. Steve moved west and played with the Dead for a while and teaches at Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch.

“We had determined that no style of music would be out of bounds”

How did you decide to use the name “Mad Fables”?

August 1974, the group piled into the car and drove south for a summer vacation. We had realized that we were going to be a group and that we needed a name. Mike Radtke had gotten an advanced degree in Human Organizational Processes and understood how to engage others in this type of important challenge. We had determined that no style of music would be out of bounds, providing one of us writes that type of song. Of course this flies in the face of conventional wisdom, the opposite of what marketing tells us will succeed. We all agreed that this was crazy – and we hoped to embody that in the name. And the songs had meaning, they often told a story, about someone real or imagined. We wracked our collective brains for hours and decided to take a break – from thinking! Mike Dugan took a shower, when he came back into the motel room, his eyes kind of glazed over and he softly said, “Mad”. Mike Radtke tilted his head back and firmly said, ‘Fables’.

When and where did you play their first gig? What sort of venues did Mad Fables play early on?

I believe our first show was Panzer Gymnasium at Montclair State college. We had a following at Montclair State College and played gigs at dorm parties and the school’s performance venues. Ramapo College had a pub and that became one of our favorite spots. And the steady money came from gigs at many bars and clubs. (There were more of them). Colleges, bars and parks.

How was the band accepted by the audience?

Mad Fables challenged the audience by playing many styles of music in the same set, and jamming them as opposed to “executing well- conceived musical parts”. Some people loved that and got lost in the songs along with us, while others were looking for something else. We crashed headlong into the “disco” phase and people who got dressed up and looked for the familiar beat to step to were not too pleased. The music’s impact was really proportional to the listener’s ability to let go of past expectations and go for a joyful ride.

What influenced the band’s sound?

Musical influences were acid rock – like The Doors and The Grateful Dead, heartfelt stories like The Band, raw emotion and blues like Clapton and The Allman Brothers and swing music like Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington. There were countless other influences on our songs and playing.

Mad Fables on the summit of Old Rag mountain in Virginia – Group road trip vision quest type of thing

What’s the story behind your 1977 album, ‘Get Off’?

Rich Rheiner coined a metaphor, “a wedding thing” for an idea that is often spoken about, but never acted upon. Its genesis was a project that I felt we should undertake to create a band that could play weddings. Our friends were beginning to marry and wanted us to play at their weddings, but we knew that it required learning standards. We badly needed money and a wedding paid much better. The guys would needle me and ask me about “the wedding thing”. We did learn a bunch of standards and played weddings under the name of “Rex Doyle and the Primos”. (We took turns being Rex Doyle). I started talking about an idea of making a record and producing copies that we could sell at gigs. Thinking if we could get someone to front us the money, $2500, we could repay them and get more exposure. Once our manager agreed to lend us the money, we pulled it off.

Mad Fables mail truck that Rich painted (folks saw us coming)

Where was it recorded and who was the producer?

‘Southern Yankee’ was recorded at Bill Bass Booth Mt Laurel, NJ. ‘Love and Pain’ was recorded at the Fables home in Hampton, NJ. The other songs were recorded at 9 West Recording Studio, Bloomfield, NJ. The album was produced by Mad Fables, John Rothschild put up the money as executive producer and I was credited as the record manager – after all it was my wedding thing!

Would you share your insight on the albums’ tracks?

‘Ounce of Love’ – This was an emotionally rich well crafted song. We felt we could nail it without burning up too much studio time. I believe Rich Rheiner played a Gibson ES-335 rather than his trademark Telecaster.
‘New Jersey Night’ – This song was the sleeper on the album. We wanted to showcase drummer Spence Hiller’s fine singing voice and he captures the song’s heartbreak in the coda. The instrumental break featured Rich’s solo on acoustic guitar, followed by Mike Radtke’s whimsical solo on Hammond organ, and ended with Mike Dugan’s triumphant slide guitar solo.
‘Have Murphy on Us’ – Tells the true story of three band members going on another southern road trip – and getting busted for smoking pot in Memphis, Tennessee. “Murphy” is a stand-in word for “Mercy”.
‘Take your Chances’ – Song embodies the “can do” attitude that sustained the group. Mike Dugan’s slide guitar work is timeless. It features Freddie Del Guercio on Tenor sax as the album’s only guest artist .
‘Headband’ – Autobiographical song and a good example of the jamming approach the group took – to wit – “One for the Art, two for the glory, three for the money and four for the story – Most of us are still trying the hard way!
‘Love and Pain’ – This was an attempt to show our gentle side and a complex chord structure.
‘On the Cusp’ – A tour de force of straight ahead rock. This is the only Fables song where the bass is played using a pick.
‘Southern Yankee’ – Moves with a slight lilt and morphs into a jam representative of the group’s fluid inclinations. Telecaster solo is awesome.

The album was self-released. How many copies did you press?

300 copies.

Who did the cover artwork and what does it represent?

Mad Fables’ guitarist Rich Rheiner did the cover art. I’ve always believed that the odd creature on the businessman’s shoulder represents that Mad Fables are doing this regardless of what the business world would think.

What kind of gear did you have in the band?

We had a Cerwin-Vega PA with a Yamaha mixing board. Gibson Les Paul thru a Carvin amp, Telecaster thru a Fender amp, Hammond B-3 with Leslie speaker and Fender Precision bass thru an acoustic 370 head with a RM sound custom built reflex speaker cabinet. Also, an electric piano, and Pearl drums.

What was the weirdest gig you ever played?

One of our annual Feast celebrations (1977?). It was back in the woods near a pottery shack and at the end lights went down low, and some exotic potter performed a mesmerizing belly dance. Later a fight broke out and an (unsavory) friend of ours was stabbed in the hand. He didn’t care – much.

How pleased was the band with the sound of the album? What, if anything, would you like to have been different from the finished product?

Back then we were not thrilled. Because of monetary constraints the songs felt like AM versions of the real things. We felt that our real jamming would not lend itself to a quick and inexpensive turn-around in a printable cut. But time has shown that ours was a prudent course of action. To change one thing, I would not have included ‘Love and Pain’ and chosen something else with a bit more of our jamming spirit.

What happened after the band stopped? Were you still in touch with other members? Is any member still involved with the music?

After the group stopped gigging in 1980, the Feast tradition of an annual party for our friends was continued 22 consecutive years. Gradually Mike Dugan’s professional musical responsibilities kept him from attending, but the others soldiered on with the tradition. The entire group reconvened for Feast #20 and again 10 years ago in Elmer, NJ. Mike Radtke had relocated to California in 1978. Mike Dugan formed Mike Dugan and the Blues Mission and remained a full time musician. Spence Hiller remained a professional drummer. Rich Rheiner became a commercial artist, and continues to write and record his instrumental music. I landed an IT job in the early 80’s, formed a short lived original reggae rock group, ‘Toxic Waste’. Since that time, I have been performing in and producing shows and performing songs from my original catalog. Mike Radkte, also found a career in IT, continued a torrid pace of building the Mad Fables website, writing and recording original music and creating hysterically funny videos.

Looking back, what was the highlight of your time in the band? Which songs are you most proud of? Where and when was your most memorable gig?

Playing as a headliner at the legendary Main Point in Bryn Mawr, PA. Sitting on a couch in the dressing room we looked up and saw a photo of Jackson Browne and Bruce Springsteen sitting on the same couch. Cool to see those lights and hear our tunes in that sound system. I’m partial to the songs ‘Some Kind of Fool’ and ‘ The Other Side’- they sounded like Steely Dan, quality and all. In addition, the highlights were all the music we created, and how our friends and fans came together to provide food, transportation, support of all kinds, and what a damn good time we all had!

Is there still any unreleased material?

Around 90% of Mad Fables original music remains unreleased. Mike Radtke created and maintained the website (madfables.com) and worked with Mad Fables sound man, Dennis Alichwer, who had recorded many Mad Fables gigs and successfully restored and digitized the material. Additionally, I have another “wedding thing” to attend to, have the other Fables record a bunch of my songs and work with Dennis to release them. I implore folks to visit the site and listen to the music. Mike Radtke, a master of so many things, once again outdid himself creating the site.

Void Records did a wonderful reissue.

Working with Brian at Void records restored my faith in humanity. Mike Radtke owned the publishing rights for all the songs from Get Off and based on his prior experience with offers that are “Too good to be true”, he told me to “curb my enthusiasm” until he could do a deep dive. The next day he gave me the green light saying that Brian checked out and was totally on the square – a rare dude whose motivation is to connect people to music from the past that is perhaps timeless. They made things very easy – and all during the pandemic! Listening to a new copy on my fine stereo transformed my thinking about the music. It drove home the other worldliness of the whole adventure.

You send me a beautiful tribute to Michael Radtke.

Mike was the type of being whose presence would awaken creative energy in others. Nothing else explains how three other band members became legitimate songwriters contributing to the wealth and variety of Mad Fables’ music. My only explanation for how Mike could produce so much interesting quality stuff is that he was such an interesting and quality human being. His impact on me is ever growing. I encourage folks to listen to the song ‘Farewell Kiss’, one of his many gems.

Thank you for taking your time. Last word is yours.

The night the entire band moved into its first of four residences, we gathered around the fireplace (no fire) and posed the following question to I Ching, the ancient book of changes, “Will Mad Fables be successful?” and the answer was, “You will find what you are looking for if the rope does not break before the bucket reaches the water”.

Void’s release of ‘Get Off’ and this interview indicates to me that the bucket is dipping into the water. Considering all that has happened with the Fables’ music since it disbanded in 1980, I remain hopeful that there is more to come! You can contact me at: jhays@comcast.net

Klemen Breznikar

Headline photos: Mad Fables at Lambert Castle

Void Records Facebook