Rudy Sarzo of Quiet Riot

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by Deb Rao
Staff Writer

The legacy of Quiet Riot will forever live on in metal history. Recently, VH1 debut “Cum On Feel The Noise” at #41 on the VH1 Top 100 Hard Rock Songs episode. Bassist Rudy Sarzo has checked in with Hardrock Haven regarding the legacy of Quiet Riot, his book Off The Rails, working with Blue Oyster Cult, and current project Monster Circus.

Hardrock Haven is proud to present this interview with legendary bass player Rudy Sarzo, as he pays tribute to former band mates Kevin Dubrow and Randy Rhoads and shares his thoughts on the evolution of metal leading up to the state of metal in 2009.

HRH: Rudy, You recently appeared on VH1 Greatest 100 Rock Songs regarding Quiet Riot’s debut at #41 with ” Cum On Feel The Noise”. How does it feel to be part of the legacy with Quiet Riot in helping put Metal at the top of the music charts?

RUDY: It is always nice to participate in something like this. It doesn’t matter what number you are, it is just an honor to be included. Every time I get asked a similar question I respond, we went in there, it was my own process of being on that record. I was still playing with Ozzy Osbourne, when I got the call from Kevin Dubrow to go and come down to the studio and just record one song, which was “Thunderbird”. That was the first track we did as a tribute to Randy. This was a song that Kevin wrote after Randy left Quiet Riot to join Ozzy. Then, when I played with Kevin Dubrow before I joined Ozzy, we used to do that song. So I was very familiar with that song. So I just basically walk in refresh the song and crank it. But as I was there recording, the producer and the guys said,” Listen do you remember “Slick Black Cadillac”? It was another song that I used to do with Quiet Riot and Randy. Let’s just do it one time, so I can refresh my memory. So we tracked it, and that was that. Then after that we continued doing songs that I was familiar with from playing with Kevin. So by the time I left there, I had already tracked four songs from the album. But I was still a member of Ozzy, I hadn’t left Ozzy yet. When I left, I felt a certain sense of old friends such as Kevin and Frankie, Frankie I had been playing since the ’70s in Florida. It was refreshing to actually step outside of the sad situation that it was to be with Ozzy after Randy died. There was an emotional refuge that I took upon leaving Ozzy, which I left one of the biggest bands in the world for a complete unknown. Nobody knew what was going to happen to that record or that band. But it was very important to me to have that piece of mind to carry on with my life. The basic atmosphere surrounding the Ozzy Osbourne band was very gloomy. So in answering your question nobody had any idea of how big the record was going to be. There were a lot of things that came into play. One of them was MTV, without the support that we got on MTV, it would have been impossible. Also, we were able to get on some amazing tours to promote the record. We started off with the Scorpions, then from The Scorpions we were asked to The Oz Festival in 1982. That was a major breakthrough for the band. Then we carried on and opened up for bands like ZZ Top, Iron maiden, Loverboy, and Black Sabbath. By the time we were on tour with Black Sabbath in November of 1982, that is when the album reached #1. We also did some headlining tour on our own with Queensyrche supporting us. With a lot of hard work, and a lot of people worked very hard to make it happen.

HRH: So success really didn’t happen overnight for the band. It was a long haul and through a lot of touring and a lot of hard work Quiet Riot hit #1 with “Cum On Feel The Noise”.

RUDY: It was a lot of hard work. Plus, you know what it is like to be #1. Because we were #2 for weeks and weeks. We had records like Thriller and Synchronicity jumping over us. Synchronicity would got to #1 then Thriller would go to # 3. Then we switched and Thriller would be #1 and Synchronicity #3. Then we would stay at #2. Then one week boom, we went in there and made #1.

HRH: Do you remember where you were when “Cum On Feel The Noise” hit #1? Were you performing at Madison Square Garden?

RUDY: We were actually in Rockford, IL. when it got to #1. I remember because Rick Nielsen was backstage and we went to his house after the show. We partied with him. When we played the Garden, we were with Iron Maiden. That was a spectacular night also. Anytime you play The Garden it is a privilege. You go there with a band that is pretty much at the game of its game and being on such a fantastic tour with Iron Maiden. That is one of those moments in your life that you never forget.

HRH: That is an amazing story. It is great for you to be part of the MTV era, because times have changed so much.

RUDY: Back in 1983, MTV wasn’t flooded with videos from everybody. So there were just so many videos that they would have in their play list. We were basically on every half hour with “Cum On Feel The Noise”. I would set my watch and it was 8:30 and “Cum On Feel The Noise” would come on. (Laughter)

HRH: Also, it was really heartwarming to hear your tribute to Kevin Dubow, one of Rocks greatest singers on the VH1 show.

RUDY: Basically, what they would do was they would ask you a question and they let you talk, then they will edit it. Not as a disclaimer but the fact was I talked about this during that interview. It hit me like a sledgehammer when I heard about Kevin’s passing away. I also mentioned that like everybody else knows we were not in the best of terms during the time that he died. Even thou our relationship was strained, we hadn’t talked in about four years that was in 2003. With all the memories that we had and all the good times that we had together, this was somebody that was a friend of mine. I didn’t realize and I never expected this to happen and what kind of an impact this is going to have on you. It definitely did. It was pretty painful.

HRH: You and Kevin worked together for so many years. It was so tragic.

RUDY: Even thou we had our differences, like I said before it was not anything that could not have been fixed with a phone call patching things up.

HRH: What did you most admire about Kevin Dubrow, as a frontman and performer during your time together with him onstage.

RUDY: Kevin was not only very passionate but he was a fan of rock and roll. Which is something that I would like to consider myself a fan of music and rock and roll. The reason why I got into music was I love the people in it. I find it very interesting, very larger than life with personalities in it. That is one of the things that really attracted me to being in music. I used to think that back in the ’60s, I was a kid and living in Florida where a lot of the bands would begin their tours in Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. Lets say somebody would come up to me and say,”Hey you won’t believe this, he is rehearsing down the street or I just saw Stevie Winwood from Traffic going into a record shop. I couldn’t believe that these people who were Rock Gods that they were actually in the same place that I was. So that is like even today, that is a little bit of that in me. I don’t want to lose that. I still want to be a fan who can believe that such great talented people walk among us.

HRH: Yes, Now Rudy you have begun a new era of your career. You are in Blue Oyster Cult. How did that gig come into fruition?

RUDY: To make a long story short, I met Eric Bloom, back when we were both doing Hear N’ Aid. Ronnie Dio’s Tribute for USA For Africa. The metal contingency in LA wanted to participate and for some reason we were metal and we were not allowed to do. So Ronnie said,” Well screw this I am going to make my own.” He created Hear N’ Aid. That is when I met Eric. Then I had run into him, he is a friend of Vivian Campbell. They were working on some songs together. Then when Vivian joined Whitesnake again, I run into Eric. Then we have a mutual friend who is Denise Ames, who is a Talk Show personality and interviewer here in Los Angeles. So we connected again. Then when it came time when Eric needed a bass player, he asked me and I came down and played with them. It has been almost a year and a half now. Actually, coming up two years. Right now we are on a bit of a break because Donald ‘Buck Dharma’ Roeser suffered a bit of a home injury. He is healing right now. We are going to resume touring end of June.

HRH: Are there any other projects that you are in at the moment?

RUDY: I don’t know if you know about this? I am also in the Monster Circus. It is basically a combination of ’80’s rock and a circus in Las Vegas, at the Hilton Hotel. The same stage where Elvis did over a 750 shows. The band just got signed to do a run every month. It is one of the most unique performances that I have ever done. I have never played with a circus onstage including dancers onstage. The production is spectacular. If you can imagine some of your favorite shows that you ever saw in the ’80s with big production stage and fireworks and the performers. You know how cost prohibited it is to do that nowadays. So we do it in one place at the Hilton. Instead, of taking it on the road, the audience comes to us. To go onstage every night where Elvis stood is great. It is one the biggest stages that I have ever been on, so there is plenty of room for everybody. The way it is set up, it is a core band and the members of the core band is basically Tony Montana who was playing bass with Great White, when Great White toured with Whitesnake. So we became buddies. But actually, Tony is an incredible guitar player. So this is Tony’s idea to put this whole project together. So he called me up, and asked me if I wanted to be a part of this. I said,” Of course I would love to do this.” Monster Circus has been in the works for about two years now. It actually came into fruition when we did our first show in December. Now we got signed and we are ready to start performing in March”.

HRH: What kind of response are you receiving from the fans who have read Off The Rails? Do they come up to you and say Thank you for doing this chronicle on Randy Rhoads and keeping his legacy alive?

RUDY: Well, the book is new. The basic remark has always been,” What was it like to play with Randy Rhoads? What was it like in those days with Ozzy?” The reason why I wrote the book is just to answer those questions. In a five-minute conversation, I could never really put across exactly what I thought that they wanted to know. There was not enough time. That is why I wrote the book, just to be able to express everything about those things.

HRH: What did you most admire about Randy Rhoads as a performer. You and Randy spent so much time on the road together. What did Randy teach you a musician?

RUDY: That goes without saying. When I met Randy, he was just little Randy Rhoads from LA. He was a local guitar hero. I got to play with him in Quiet Riot and I saw the guitar hero. I saw the incredible magnetic personality that he had onstage. He was a very quiet guy offstage. He was very private. Onstage he was larger than life. He had that rock star aura about him onstage. Once you put the guitar on Randy, that is the Randy Rhoads everyone knew. Besides that he was a teacher. I got to see another side of Randy when I was teaching his Mothers school Musonia in North Hollywood. He really cared about his students. He really cared about everything that he did including his compositions about playing either for large or small crowds. It didn’t matter, he always gave 100 percent. He had a lot of integrity at his career. What he wanted to do with his life. He knew exactly the road that he wanted to take. He knew who he was and he knew who he wanted to be in the end. He knew who Randy Rhoads was playing with Ozzy and he knew ultimately who Randy Rhoads was going to become. He had a very clear vision about what he wanted out of life. Unfortunately, it was cut short.

HRH: Rudy, that is a beautiful tribute. The readers can order your book and the whole story behind the legacy of Randy Rhoads with Off The Rails at www.rudysarzo.com. And www.amazon.com or your local bookstore.

HRH: Now Rudy what advice do you give aspiring musicians?

RUDY: Number one is make it fun. When I first started playing, certainly I loved the instrument. Being a musician is a calling. It shouldn’t be a job. You should have fun whether you are playing Madison Square Garden or if you are playing in your bedroom or if you are playing in a garage band. It is all about having fun. There are so very few of us that have the privilege and the blessing to make a living out of doing this. I see some great musicians who are not necessarily professional musicians. The difference between them and me is I make a living; I feed my family playing the instrument. But as far, as being a musician, we are both on the same level. Being a musician or having another job, whether it is a dentist or a lawyer or somebody working at Home Depot, we are still a musician. It is not a title that is bestowed about you, if you go to school and you graduate and get your diploma. It is a state of being. You are a musician the moment you fall in love with music and you are able to communicate with your instrument. That is what makes you a musician. Not the fact that you are going onstage and making huge amounts of money and driving a Ferrari. That doesn’t make you a better musician than the guy that works in the Home Depot and can actually communicate emotion with that instrument. A painter paints a message and story with their brush and their canvas and the colors that he chooses. A musician does the same thing. Whether you are playing a harmonica or you are playing a grand piano. You are performing an emotion and story with that instrument. I take my hat off to all musicians in the world, whether you are making a living playing music or not. That is what connects us. We are storytellers with our instruments. The instrument has actually chosen us.

HRH: I have seen you perform with Quiet Riot, Dio and Whitesnake, and you are the perfect showman.

RUDY: It is just a matter of getting yourself inside of the song. You have to become the song. It is a gift getting into the art of being. You become the song. Let the song flow through you.

HRH: Rudy, What do you hope to accomplish in 2009? You have a long and illustrious career that is still going strong in 2009.

RUDY: We are going to take Monster Circus to the moon. (Laughter) It is just to get better at what I do. In some ways get back to what I use to do with the old school. A lot of the social elements of the way things were maybe four decades ago or three decades ago have people start getting in touch with that. Sometimes when things go so far in one direction the only place to go back to is to square one. I think there is going to be a lot of that. Especially, Americans are doing that, going back to square one. Musically, I think we are going to start and doing things like that too.