This is PART 2 of our full in bloom interview with Randy Rhoads’ brother, Kelle, and sister, Kathy.
YOU CAN LISTEN TO PART 1 & 2 OF THE INTERVIEW VIA THE EMBEDDED YOUTUBE CLIPS BELOW. You can also access the video directly on YouTube.
DESCRIPTION:
Kathy and Kelle talk about Randy Rhoads’ Ozzy era, Blizzard of Ozz, the audition, Dana Strum, Sharon Osbourne, Don Arden, Quiet Riot, Kevin Dubrow, and more.
PART 2
PART 1
A clip from an old school full in bloom interview I did with Quiet Riot vocalist Kevin Dubrow, just prior to his death, can be heard in the recent Randy Rhoads documentary (Reflections of a Guitar Icon). Even though they stiffed me on the payment THEY OFFERED, I still enjoyed hearing it play during the film.
WATCH THE VIDEO CLIP BELOW
TRANSCRIPTION:
full in bloom: What was the (L.A.) music scene like back then, like before you made it?
Kevin Dubrow:
Terrible. Van Halen got signed a couple of years prior and we thought we’d be the next ones, but we weren’t. We were the only hard rock band, pretty much, in town at that time. Motley (Crue) had just got started, so they were pretty much coming up in the clubs. We had been out there as Quiet Riot for a number of years. A lot of bands like The Knack.
full in bloom: Do you remember London at all?
I remember that they were just awful. Oh, God. I mean, nice guy, Lizzie Grey, but the worst guitar sound of all time. I remember he could peel wallpaper; it was so treble-y and bad. He’s a really nice guy, and he’s still hanging out there. God bless him. I don’t know how he earns a living after all these years. The drummer Dana (Rage), I ran into him about two years ago.
I knew all the guys. I mean, they had Nigel Benjamin from Mott, and I was a big fan of Mott. They were never very good. Nikki (Sixx) stumbled onto a real good thing with Motley Crue image-wise because Motley Crue started in the image of London, which was very pop, REALLY pop, & then Nikki realized that wasn’t going to be the thing that was going to crack it for them.
full in bloom: Well, I think he even took stuff from….
Blackie.
full in bloom: Yeah, Blackie Lawless.
Absolutely, but he took a darker, evil, hard rock direction as opposed to the real light pop thing of London because it was real pop. It was trying to be a mixture between the Raspberries and the New York Dolls and, musically, really light.
full in bloom: They were, other than you guys, the other hard rock band on the scene?
Well, Quiet Riot predated London by years. London was around the same time as Dubrow. But remember that Nikki auditioned for Quiet Riot when Kelly (Garni) left in ’77.
full in bloom: You’re kidding?
Kevin: No. We predated these bands by at least four or five years; long years, let me tell you.
full in bloom: Was Nikki any good at that time?
No.
full in bloom: He was terrible?
He didn’t know the names of the notes. Yeah, so Randy (Rhoads) couldn’t sit there and teach him how to play bass. We really liked him as a person, but he just didn’t know how to play the instrument. That’s not an insult; it’s just a fact. I mean, in 1977, he did not know the instrument.
full in bloom: But he actually sat down and jammed with you guys?
No. Not really. We said, “The song is in the key of F,” and he said, “Where’s F?” So, we couldn’t get as far as jamming to be honest with you.
Chuck Wright: ARE YOU READY???
Tomorrow my digital debut single and full-length video for “Army Of Me” is finally out! (Thursday, November 18th)
The album Chuck Wright’s Sheltering Sky is being released in early 2022 on CLEOPATRA RECORDS
Rudy Sarzo: Here’s the video to Frankie Banali’s service.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy®-winning singer and songwriter OZZY OSBOURNE will celebrate the 40th anniversary of his 1981 DIARY OF A MADMAN with an updated digital release that includes a new track: a live version of his Mainstream Rock Top Five hit “Flying High Again.”
The DIARY OF A MADMAN special digital reissue will be available November 5 via all digital platforms. The album is OZZY’s second studio release and the last album to feature 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Famer guitarist Randy Rhoads. The multi-platinum release (with five million albums sold worldwide) included the #2 Mainstream Rock track, “Flying High Again.”
The album was listed at #15 on Rolling Stone’s 2017 list of “100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time.” Kory Grow noted, “A year after proving he was still a vital musical force on his first post–Black Sabbath solo LP, 1980’s Blizzard of Ozz, Ozzy Osbourne demonstrated it wasn’t a one-time fluke with an album of poppy and gothic anthems like ‘Flying High Again’ and the almost classical closing title track. Guitarist Randy Rhoads, who died in a plane crash while touring for Diary in 1982, had already proven himself a virtuoso on Blizzard; here, he worked even harder to find the rare nexus between showboat chops and clever songwriting…”
THE DIARY OF A MADMAN 40th Anniversary Expanded Digital Edition tracklist is as follows:
Over the Mountain
Flying High Again
You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll
Believer
Little Dolls
Tonight
S.A.T.O.
Diary of a Madman
Believer (live)*
Flying High Again (live)*
*previously unavailable digitally
Chuck Wright: MY LAST TWO QUIET RIOT SHOWS!!
Just told it’s my last weekend with Quiet Riot. 21 years of my life since 1981 with Quiet Riot covering 9 albums including #1 Metal Health. It’s been a good run. I’ll be finishing out 2021 finishing my solo album “Chuck Wright’s Sheltering Sky.”
My final performance with QUIET RIOT last night was a blast. So fun to reprise the Bang Your Head Bass solo I used to do with Frankie. Thank you Johnny Kelly, Jizzy Pearl and Alex Grossi for the last couple years. Good luck with this new incarnation of the band. Carry that torch! pic.twitter.com/DUD1Ca1W29
— Chuck Wright (@chuckwrightbass) October 31, 2021
The excerpt was taken from a full in bloom interview with Quiet Riot vocalist Kevin Dubrow. The interview was conducted just prior to Kevin’s death. This excerpt is also available via YouTube clip, which can be viewed below.
full in bloom: What was the (L.A.) music scene like back then, like before you made it?
Kevin Dubrow: Terrible. Van Halen got signed a couple of years prior and we thought we’d be the next ones, but we weren’t. We were the only hard rock band, pretty much, in town at that time. Motley (Crue) had just got started, so they were pretty much coming up in the clubs. We had been out there as Quiet Riot for a number of years. A lot of bands like The Knack.
full in bloom: Do you remember London at all?
Kevin: I remember that they were just awful. Oh, God. I mean, nice guy, Lizzie Grey, but the worst guitar sound of all time. I remember he could peel wallpaper; it was so treble-y and bad. He’s a really nice guy, and he’s still hanging out there. God bless him. I don’t know how he earns a living after all these years. The drummer Dana (Rage), I ran into him about two years ago.
I knew all the guys. I mean, they had Nigel Benjamin from Mott, and I was a big fan of Mott. They were never very good. Nikki (Sixx) stumbled onto a real good thing with Motley Crue image-wise because Motley Crue started in the image of London, which was very pop, REALLY pop, & then Nikki realized that wasn’t going to be the thing that was going to crack it for them.
full in bloom: Well, I think he even took stuff from….
Kevin: Blackie.
full in bloom: Yeah, Blackie Lawless.
Kevin: Absolutely, but he took a darker, evil, hard rock direction as opposed to the real light pop thing of London because it was real pop. It was trying to be a mixture between the Raspberries and the New York Dolls and, musically, really light.
full in bloom: They were, other than you guys, the other hard rock band on the scene?
Kevin: Well, Quiet Riot predated London by years. London was around the same time as Dubrow. But remember that Nikki auditioned for Quiet Riot when Kelly (Garni) left in ’77.
full in bloom: You’re kidding?
Kevin: No. We predated these bands by at least four or five years; long years, let me tell you.
full in bloom: Was Nikki any good at that time?
Kevin: No.
full in bloom: He was terrible?
Kevin: He didn’t know the names of the notes. Yeah, so Randy (Rhoads) couldn’t sit there and teach him how to play bass. We really liked him as a person, but he just didn’t know how to play the instrument. That’s not an insult; it’s just a fact. I mean, in 1977, he did not know the instrument.
full in bloom: But he actually sat down and jammed with you guys?
Kevin: No. Not really. We said, “The song is in the key of F,” and he said, “Where’s F?” So we couldn’t get as far as jamming to be honest with you.
You can listen to the original audio from the interview via the YouTube clip below.
This excerpt was taken from the full in bloom interview with Quiet Riot vocalist Kevin Dubrow.
INTERVIEW EXCERPT DESCRIPTION:
Kevin talks about the formation of Quiet Riot’s classic lineup and the recording of the band’s multi-platinum 1983 album, ‘Metal Health.’
FIB Clips – Our brand new official YouTube clips/excerpts page is located @ this location.
The full in bloom YouTube Podcast Page – Our official YouTube channel is located @ this location.
Kevin Dubrow Interview Excerpt via YouTube
On March 11, 1983, Quiet Riot released their third album, Metal Health. The album has the distinction of being the first heavy metal album ever to reach #1 on the Billboard 200. It has sold over 6 million copies in the United States alone and over 10 million worldwide.
Band:
Kevin DuBrow – lead vocals
Carlos Cavazo – guitars, backing vocals
Rudy Sarzo – bass guitar, backing vocals
Frankie Banali – drums, backing vocal
*Chuck Wright plays bass guitar on “Metal Health” & “Don’t Wanna Let You Go.”
Recorded @ Pasha Music House, North Hollywood, California
Engineered & Mixed by Duane Baron
Produced by Spencer Proffer
Here’s an old-school full in bloom interview with Quiet Riot vocalist Kevin Dubrow, where the singer talks about the making of Metal Health. The interview was conducted a few months before his death and was transferred from cassette.