HURSDAY, AUG. 21, 2008 PAGE A4 jh2 www.mycentraljersey.com Steve Missal is now marching to a different beat By AVA 6ACSER Staff Writer FRANKLIN 

Steve Missal is the perfect example of exactly how deceiving appearances can be. On the surface, one might assume the Franklin father of six to be a mild-mannered educator. And that would be correct. But do a little digging and one quickly uncovers a completely contrary existence as a drummer for one of the biggest names of '80s rock 'n' roll: Billy Idol.And to think it all started so simply. "There's this guy from England and he needs a band" is how Missal, 57, recalls first hearing about the job with Idol. It was 1983. Idol the spiky-haired, bleached-blond punk rocker whose sneer became a symbol of the MTV generation was working on the follow-up to his "Don't Stop" EP and needed a guitarist, bassist and drummer to join him in the studio. That's where Missal came in.

Already an experienced drummer who had toured with Aerosmith and Ted Nugent, Missal a Chicago native took the gig. The album was "Billy Idol," and it featured three songs which subsequently became huge hits for the British singer: "Hot in the City," "Dancing with Myself and "White Wedding." "It is really considered a groundbreaking album," Missal says. And he should know: A copy certifying it as gold hangs in his living room and more than 25 years later, he's still receiving royalty checks on it. Conversing with Missal involves discussing his current passion, education, and his longtime love, music, and includes tidbits about a time in the early '80s in which he owned a recording studio and shuffled Idol and a certain aspiring singerdancer around New York City in his Dodge Colt. "I used to drive Billy and Madonna home to (Greenwich) Village" from the recording studio, Missal recalls.

"Madonna was in the middle and Billy was on the right, (guitarist) Steve Stevens and (bassist) Phil Feit were squeezed in the back with all the equipment." Or this recollection on how "White Wedding" came about: "Billy used to watch spaghetti westerns, (the music of) which always had that twangy riff. . . . He heard this riff and came to the studio and played it." It was a magical moment, he says.

"We knew it was a hit instantly." Missal has fond recollections of his time with Idol, whom he says was a huge fan of the late Doors singer Jim Morrison and was ecstatic when his band was booked at one of the singer's favorite haunts, the Whisky A Go-Go in Los Angeles. "(Idol) always had a bottle of tequila and a guitar with Elvis stickers on it," he says. "Billy's a true rocker." A new calling Trying to reconcile Missal's former life with his present one is practically an exercise in futility. After all, how many former rock musicians can you think of who are now content working at a school every day and staying home with then-family? But that's not to say that music has been entirely stripped from his life. Shortly after he began teaching, Missal started up American Stories Through Song, a multimedia musical performance group or, as he describes it, "'School-house Rock' on steroids." It's a collaborative effort between Missal and fellow musicians and educators.

They compose songs (often online) about historical subjects such as the Underground Railroad and the Battle of New Orleans and bring them to teachers and pupils across the state. The idea stems from his belief that children respond more positively to learning through music. "Music is a window into time periods in history," he says. "It's a way to get kids to connect to core content, to make it interesting to them." It's also a way to inspire teachers. "We perform for history teachers to show them how to use music to teach history," he explains, adding that the group will perform at Central New Jersey high schools this month.

Missal fell into teaching after he and his wife, Karen, moved to Scotch Plains and started a family. A self-described history buff with a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Illinois, he began substitute teaching to support his family. "(I thought) 'This is OK,' " he recalls. "And before I turned around, I had five years in the (teaching) business."  Missal moved on to the Plain-field school district, where he was an educational specialist. His tenure there ended in June. He currently serves as an adjunct professor of education at Saint Peter's College in Jersey City. While Missal acknowledges that there are certain things about the rock 'n' roll lifestyle that he misses the magnetism, the notoriety, the applause it's home and hearth that have a lasting hold on him.

"Family life and finding a niche are much more satisfying than being in a band," he says. m if imS . mm t Because every child deserves to feel good about school in the fall. This The rock 'n' roll lifestyle was "certainly not for me. If it was, I'd still be doing it." ,  Missal's children have inherited his passion for music and the arts. His youngest, 7-year-old Steve Jr., is an adept guitarist and drummer who plays weekly at the West End Coffee Bar in New Brunswick.

Rebecca, 12, and Kelly, 14, are active in Villagers Theatre in Franklin. Donna, 17, takes part in Bucks County (Pa.) Playhouse summer stock. Linda, 19, is a member of the Rutgers University a cappella group Deep Treble. And later this month, 9-year-old Catherine debuts on Broadway in the new musical "A Tale of Two Cities." "We're like "The Partridge Family' of Franklin," jokes Missal. Yet reminders of his former life pop up every time Idol goes on tour.

"I still get e-mails from all over the world," he says. Those e-mails should be picking up once again, since Idol has several concerts scheduled in the tri-state area this month including Asbury Park's Stone Pony on Wednesday, Aug. 27. And, lest anyone forget about Missal's rock 'n' roll past, they need only catch a glimpse of the drum kit, which stands front and center in his basement. Watch Missal slide behind his drums into the "spiritual seat," as he calls it and it's obvious that his passion for music has not subsided in the least"Let me know when you've had enough," he says, pounding out a rocking beat. Playing drums is "the opportunity to become a muse for an energy connection that very few people ever get to experience," Missal says. "It leads to real, real satisfaction." Am Gacser: 732-565-7276; agacserMyCentraUersey.com