Page 51 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #2
P. 51
By Lee K. Seitz
“I've got a pocket full of quarters and desire we have been receiving CGM: In an interview in Video
and I'm headed to the arcade.” showed us a lot of people wanted a Games magazine, you said a man
CD version. named Edgel Groves had recorded
Do those words sound familiar? a country and western version of
If you're a child of the '80s, they CGM: This project seemed to be Pac-Man Fever. Did it ever see
should. They're the opening of on-again/off-again for over a year. commercial release?
Jerry Buckner and Gary Garcia's What finally prompted you to actu-
hit song, Pac-Man Fever, from the ally do it? B&G: The country version of the
album of the same name. The song was never released.
Pac-Man Fever single went plati- B&G: It took a while to get all our
num (about 1,700,000 copies sold), ducks in a row to make the release CGM: Besides singing "Puck-Man"
while the album went gold (roughly possible. instead of "Pac-Man," were there
900,000 sold). Both were released any other differences in the Japa-
in early 1982 and quickly rose up CGM: Did you have to renegotiate nese version of Pac-Man Fever?
the charts. The single peaked at certain rights with the arcade
#9 on the Billboard chart and #3 on manufacturers of each game? B&G: "Puc-Man" was the only
the Record World chart. Not bad change in the version for Japan.
for two radio jingle writers in At- B&G: We still have and maintain
lanta who wrote the song in about all the rights we had on the 1982 CGM: I've seen a reference to a
an hour. release. German version of Pac-Man Fever
Now, 17 years later, Buckner (called Pac-Man Feiber) sung by
and Garcia have re-recorded and CGM: What was involved in re- Gerald Mann. Did you or anyone
re-released the album on compact recording the songs? Did you still else do any other versions in differ-
disc. Shortly after the re-release, have your lyric and music sheets ent languages?
Classic Gamer Magazine got Buck- from when you originally recorded
ner and Garcia to take a little time the album? Garcia: I have not heard about the
for an exclusive e-mail interview. German or any other different lan-
B&G: The original lyric sheets and guage versions.
The CD music were gone, so we went on
memory and the lyrics [Lee Seitz] Back to Today
Classic Gamer Magazine: Let's had printed on [his] website.
start with the most obvious ques- CGM: So just what have you been
tion: Why re-release Pac-Man Fe- The Record up to since Pac-Man Fever slid off
ver on CD 17 years after the origi- the charts?
nal album's release? CGM: Who sang what on both the
album and CD? B&G: We still are writing, re-
Buckner & Garcia: The demand cording, and producing music and
Garcia: The vocals are advertising jingles.
done by me.
CGM: What were your favorite
CGM: I know you were video games in the '80s? Do you
going to do a tour in still play video games? (If so,
Europe when the album which ones?)
was released there? Did
it actually happen? Did Garcia: [My] favorite game was,
you do any touring in is, and always will be Pac-Man.
North America?
You can order your own copy of
B&G: There was never the Pac-Man Fever CD for $15.99
a European tour, but we plus $3.50 shipping and handling
did a lot of touring for at www.bucknergarcia.
promotion in the U.S. com.
CGM
Classic Gamer Magazine Winter 2000 51
