Rudy Sarzo : ( Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Dio )2004 Interview

Looking back at this interview:

This one was an absolute pleasure. Imagine the sheer joy of coming home and hearing Rudy Sarzo leaving a message on your answering machine. That’s a great day right there. Within minutes of talking to Rudy it’s easy to forget you are talking to rock royalty. Quiet Riot had reunited with the Metal Health/Condition Critical lineup, recorded a couple of albums, then the line up dissolved again. Prior to this interview Sarzo had just finished a tour with Yngwie Malmsteen. At the time of this interview Rudy was working with Dio preparing a tour to support the “Master of the Moon” album. Rudy was also finishing his autobiography, “Off the Rails”. We didn’t get to dig into Randy Rhoads questions because Rudy wanted to save those for his book release, which we certainly understood.

Rudy Sarzo

Dio, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Ozzy

June 2004

You’ve just landed the gig for the Dio tour. How are the tour plans shaping up?

At this very moment Ronnie and Goldy are in the recording studio putting the finishing touches on Master of the Moon and getting ready to start mixing. I’ve been to the studio a few times and the record sounds great. Classic DIO.

What can we expect set wise?

We’ve been discussing adding some old gems to the set dating back to Rainbow and of course the DIO staples that all the fans expect to hear. We should begin rehearsals during the second half of June and as soon as there is an official set list we’ll let all the fans know.

After this many years of being one of the prominent bass players in the rock n roll/metal game, do you find yourself still pushing the limits of your technique?

Yes, there are a few things I picked up from playing with Yngwie that I hope to incorporate into my musical tool. But you have to take into consideration that sometimes these techniques are like big fancy words, you always have to find the right time and conversation to apply them.

Is there anything left for you to master on the bass?

Tons.

What musical horizons do you have left to explore?

I’ve been carrying a laptop with me on the road for a few years and I’ve been able to produce my own bass loop library for ACID called Rudy Sarzo’s Working Man’s Bass available from Sony Pictures Media Software. In addition to the loops library, I have my own ACID training DVD for Non Linear Editors. Also I’ve just released my instructional bass DVD titled Rock Bass Essentials. I took advantage of the random access capabilities that DVDs offer and created an instructional video that’s completely menu based so you can jump into whatever level, lesson of your choice or part of the lesson you choose without having to fast forward or rewind. As soon as I’ve completed “Off the Rails”, the book I’m writing, I’ll continue composing and this time instead of Latin influenced songs I’ll be going for the heaviest metal I’ve ever played. You can get up to date information on the previously mentioned subjects when you visit rudysarzo.com

Of course we’re sure you’ve been asked about the most recent demise of Quiet Riot a million times over.Well we haven’t asked you yet, so bear with us as we step into the topic for what is probably the billionth time for you. Was the recent breakup a result of new problems or did old ghosts creep back into the mix?

The same problem that existed in the 80s reared its ugly head in the 90s.

To the band’s credit, the problems didn’t seem to affect the performances our staff attended over the last several years. You guys looked like you were still having fun.

For me, I always enjoyed playing with Carlos and especially Frankie, he and I go way back to our Florida bar days playing together in the 70’s. He’s still one of my dearest friends and one of the greatest drummers in rock.

Your tenure with Whitesnake was peculiar in the sense that most American fans consider(Coverdale/Sarzo/Vandenberg/Campbell/Aldrige)
as the “classic” Whitesnake lineup,yet this lineup never actually recorded an album together.

The aforementioned lineup entered pre-production rehearsals in lake Tahoe in the fall of 1988, by the time we went in the studio Vivian was out of the band and Adrian injured his wrist.

Were you guys actually full band members or more salaried employees at the time?

We all had a share of a limited partnership.

Even with the later Whitesnake edition (with Steve Vai), Whitesnake still had the potential to survive the unfortunate purging that our genre of music suffered. The group had already established enough credibility in the late 70’s/early 80’s to transcend the new recording industry whims. What happened?

The first day of the 1990 Slip of the tongue tour, David announced that he was going to dissolve the band at the end of the tour. I was very grateful for him for his warning since it gave us all plenty of time to make our own plans.

Prior to Whitesnake you were part of M.A.R.S. with Tony MacAlpine, Tommy Aldridge, and Rob Rock.
Many fans regard the “Project Driver” album as a classic. Was this intended to be a one off project or did you guys plan on it being a full-fledged band?

It was the band’s and Mike Varney’s ultimate goal to sell the record to a major label. But just in case we didn’t, then it was going to be released on Mike’s own label Shrapnel records so at least he could recoup the recording expense.
That’s why half of the record is a bit commercial, trying to appeal to the majors, and the rest is a typical Shrapnel shred fest.

Hard core musicians considered this a true “supergroup”.

It’s always a treat playing with Tommy and when you add the genius of Tony MacAlpine then you got a real powerful combination.

What most people don’t realize is that at the time you
joined Ozzy’s band he wasn’t actually a sure fire ticket to the big time.How did you deal with the erratic behavior of the Ozzman and uncertainty of the situation?

Randy guided me through the whole experience. From day one he told me, “Ruds, Ozzy and Sharon are pranksters. So don’t take it personal if they start pulling some practical jokes.” But you know nothing bad ever happened, most of the crazy stuff went on between Ozzy and Sharon.

It seems that so many classic recordings of our genre have been discredited and maligned simply because of the “Rock N Roll Armor” we wore back in the day. In our opinion it’s really no different then the duck tails, gold lame’ suits or hippy clothes of previous eras. Why do you think our genre still receives such a backlash from the mainstream media, Rock N Roll Hall of Fame,etc.?

In a nutshell, because metal was never supposed to be the success that it became due to MTV’s exposure.
The fans where the ones who have always supported Metal not the mainstream media or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Our staff has whittled down a list of some of our favorite tunes.What anecdotes,thoughts, or memories do you have regarding the following songs or recordings:

“Thunderbird”

The reason I went in the studio to record with Quiet Riot while I was still a member of Ozzy’s band.

“Cum On Feel The Noize”-

I had never heard the song until I went in to record it as an overdub and thought, this sounds like something Cheap Trick would play so let me come up with a bass part along those lines.

“Slick Black Cadillac”-

Always one of my favorite songs to perform. Every time we played it took me right back to the
Randy Quiet Riot days.

“Condition Critical”-

Good metal song.

“Mama We’re All Crazee Now”-

Not as a big a hit as “Noize” but still a fun song to play.

“Nations On Fire”-

Haven’t listened to the Project Driver album in a while, but I enjoyed all the songs on the album.

“Sign of the Times”-

A nice song

“The Ritual”-

Working on the song in the daytime at a bar in Anchorage, Alaska

“Shadow of Love”-

Another nice song

“Slip of the Tongue”-

Great opening song.

“Fool for Your Loving”-

It’s always a treat to hear David’s voice.

“Kitten’s Got Claws”-

Another great song to perform. That was an incredible band and I feel very blessed to have been a part of it.

We’ve heard many horror stories over the years regarding
Spencer Proffer and Pasha in regards to the stable of bands that were signed to the label. Having been there, what was going on at the time?

I’m not going to defend Spencer. I don’t trust the man. But having said that, let’s face it we all knew what we were signing. Ours was not the first or last bad record deal. There’s a long history of bad business deals by musicians dating back to Elvis giving 50% to the Colonel, down the line to the Beatles, Stones and so on. If it wasn’t because Metal Health sold as many millions of copies as it did you would’ve never heard about our bad deal. But after Metal Health sold so many records all the major labels in Los Angeles starting signing local acts who by now were in a better bargaining position since that genre of music was profitable. So they got the better record deals and this didn’t sit well.

Most recently you’ve had a few projects you’ve been involved in such as “Digital Prints” “Acid”.

Well I’ve already mentioned about “Rock Bass Essentials DVD”, so let me tell you about Digital Prints. It all started as a tribute to my Latin roots, I wanted to write a few songs for my parents just as a token of my appreciation for everything they’ve ever done for me. As I got deeper into the compositions I got inspired to do a whole record.

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome during your career?

In the 70s, the record labels predicted that while Punk and New Wave bands enjoying success, Metal would never come back. It’s the 21st century, metal still here and now there are only a handful of major labels left.

Let’s jump into the “Music Video Time Capsule”. What’s your favorite music video you’ve been in and why?

“Still of the Night”. It was the videos that brought everyone in the band together and let’s not forget Tawny.

What’s your least favorite music video you’ve been in and why?

“The Deeper the Love”. I can’t even remember anything else about the video except for Tawny in a bathtub and David wearing riding boots. Very strange video.

A Few Quick Hits:

First concert you ever saw:

Vanilla Fudge, Coconut Grove Fla.

Worst concert you ever saw:

Joe Cocker at Pirate’s World, Fla.

Most embarrassing album in your collection:

Barry Manilow’s Greatest Hits, Hey I’m a romantic kind of guy.

Favorite TV show growing up:

I Dream of Jeannie.

When you were a kid we’d most likely find you..

Playing my bass and listening to my records.

Where did you buy your first “bullseye shirt from”:

Off the rack at a Merry-Go-Round at a mall on the road. Ironically later on during our heyday, the store chain had a campaign on MTV with Slade playing Come on Feel the Clothes.

The thing most people would be surprised to know about Rudy Sarzo is:

Computer Geek

What’s the best decision you’ve made during your career?

Auditioning for Ozzy the second time I was asked.

What’s the worst decision you’ve made during your career?

Passing on Ozzy the first time I was asked.

“The Life and Times of “Rudy Sarzo” is being made into a multi million dollar movie. Who plays Rudy and how does the movie end?

Antonio Banderas, I guess he’s the only Latino movie star I can think of.
I’m in DIO and we’re playing “The last in Line” in Cuba over Fidel Castro’s grave.

With all the ups and downs of being a musician, we’ve all had to have a few “odd jobs” along the way. What was your worst “struggling musician” job?

Selling baby pictures door to door the first week I got to Los Angeles in 1976.

What’s the greatest life lesson you’ve learned over the years?

Even though I’m still learning, I must say that my motto is like the Jagger song “God gave me everything I got.”

Every musician has their personal favorite “Jam Songs”. Whether it be the last call, open mic night, or you bring a buddy up from the audience. So what are your top 5 all time “Jam Songs” ?

Tush
Smoke on the Water
Superstition
Honky Tonk Woman
My Generation

You have 5 songs (spanning your entire recording career) to put into the “Rudy Sarzo Time Capsule”.
What 5 songs are in the time capsule?

Cum on Feel the Noize (Metal Health)
The Wizard (Speak of the Devil)
Slow Poke Music (Slip of the Tongue)
Fly to High (Guilty Pleasures)
Nostradamus (MARS-Project Driver)

Anything you want to address or talk about?

You asked such great questions that I think we’ve got everything covered.
One thing I would like to add though is that one of the reasons I created my website was so I could share my knowledge of Digital Media with those who might need some guidance with their applications. When you visit rudysarzo.com you can go to the Digital Media page and email me any questions you have about bass or audio/video software and I’ll do my best to get you the information you need.

What was your “Spinal Tap Moment”?

In Anaheim, California. A couple of years ago we were playing a show at this huge club with their own Disco PA system that surrounded the dance floor. The stage was in front of the dance floor with the PA system facing the audience like at any regular concert. As soon as we started playing the bass volume was overwhelming to the point that I couldn’t play. I started to turn my amplifier down but nothing changed, then I turned it off and still the volume was unbearable. The fans were yelling at me to turn it down and I was showing them that my bass amplifier was off. All of this was going on as we continued with our set. Well to make a hideous nightmare short, by the middle of the set the sound crew discovered that the frequency on my wireless unit was the same as the DJ’s microphone frequency and that I had been transmitting my bass through the gigantic Disco system surrounding the crowd. By then half of our audience had left and we were left with only a few die hard fans.

You have only 5 albums you can listen to for the rest of your life. What are they? No greatest hits,or box sets

Led Zeppelin- Physical Graffiti
The Who- Live at Leeds
Miles Davis- Nefertiti
Weather Report- Heavy Weather
John Coltrane- Love Supreme

You get to put together the “Rudy Sarzo Dream Band” Dead, alive or otherwise. As an added bonus no lawyers or agents are involved in the formation of this band. Who is in the band?

Well, I’ve already been in a few dream bands and now that I’m playing with DIO. I’m looking forward to another Dream band experience.
Robert Plant
Jimmy Page
John Bonham
Keith Emerson
And little old me.

Thanks Rudy. You are another Warrior keeping the spirit alive. Keep Defending the Faith !

Thanks for the opportunity to post to all your readers.
See you on the DIO tour.
God Bless

Artist Update 2019:

The book “Off The Rails” was completed. It’s a great read. This many years later Rudy has consistently remained in high demand. He has performed with numerous artists including Blue Oyster Cult, Geoff Tate’s Queensryche, Devil City Angels, Gunzo and many more. He is currently playing and recording with The Guess Who. For the latest updates on the Guess Who check out their website theguesswho.com
You can also follow Rudy on Facebook officialrudysarzo