QUIET RIOT drummer Frankie Banali was interviewed by rock journalist Mitch Lafon for a recent edition of the “One On One With Mitch Lafon” podcast (Facebook page). You can now listen to the chat using the Spreaker widget below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).
On changing his mind about continuing QUIET RIOT without the band’s late singer, Kevin DuBrow:
“Well, I knew that I was gonna get a lot of criticism about the statement [I made about not wanting to continue QUIET RIOT without Kevin], because people never really look into, or look very deeply into, what a person does when they’re consumed in grief. I think that anybody that has ever lost a family member or their greatest friend has a bit of… You know, you reach those crossroads: ‘What do I do now? What happens now?’ And I don’t apologize for the statement. And everybody always grabs that one statement — that I don’t apologize for the statement that I made, and I don’t, because I made it. I was very honest and sincere when I made it. I was in the deepest of depression that I’ve had in a very, very long time because of it, and I really didn’t see how it was possible to continue without Kevin. But continue without Kevin I have done so. And did I think it was gonna be difficult? Absolutely. Did I think I was gonna be able to make it work? I had no idea. But I knew that if I didn’t try it, if I didn’t at least try to see if I could continue beyond Kevin’s lifespan, I would always regret it. And I’m glad I moved forward. I don’t apologize for that whatsoever.”
“The way I look at is, dad dies on Monday and the family splits up and goes to the four corners of the world because it’s not the same family anymore. No, it doesn’t happen. Life continues, and you go on. And there’s no script for it, there’s no blueprint. I think each individual has to process grief in their own way, and every individual has the right to continue and live the best possible life that they can do it. And for me, QUIET RIOT was what I wanted to do. I missed Kevin, but I also missed QUIET RIOT.”
On why bassist Rudy Sarzo and guitarist Carlos Cavazo, who were members of the classic QUIET RIOT lineup, are not involved with the band anymore:
“Well, I think a lot of people fail to understand and realize that both Rudy and Carlos have been out of the band for, I think, twelve years now; they haven’t been in the band since the end of 2003. So it’s not like they were in the band at the time of Kevin’s death and that would have been the natural progression. In the case of Rudy, who I love dearly… He is one of my closest friends, if not one my closest friend now, and one of my oldest friends, because we met each other when I was 18 and he was 19. Rudy is a very, very… He’s got a pedigree like there’s no tomorrow. He has played with so many great artists. He’s such an incredible performer. He’s one of the sweetest persons I know and so incredibly genuine. But he’s also a very busy, busy bass player; he’s everywhere all the time. So that wasn’t an option. In the case of Carlos, I think Carlos is probably one of the most underrated guitarists out there. I think he’s an amazing guitarist — just really, really top shelf. But as far back as 2004 when Kevin and I decided to put the band together after roughly a year of the band not really functioning, [Carlos] didn’t wanna be a part of it, he didn’t wanna be a part of it then. And so, from that point on, I just moved forward without him. I wish him the best of luck. I think anybody that he works with, he’s an incredible asset and they’re incredibly fortunate to have him. But he hasn’t been part of the equation for a long time. I like Carlos, but we never had anything in common, even back in the glory days; he had his own circle of friends and I had my own circle of friends, so it wasn’t like he was present in my personal life for the entire history that we’ve known each other. It was more of a business relationship than a personal relationship.”
On releasing a new QUIET RIOT album called “10” in 2014 but pulling the songs from download stores shortly after putting the effort on sale:
“I think at some point in the future, I will consider going back into the studio again and recording. What ended up happening is, after releasing [the ’10’ album], there were two different, distinct camps: there was the camp that said, ‘No physical release. I’m not doing the downloads’; and then there was the camp that was just illegally downloading it faster than they could sit there in front of the computers and do so. So it became a point that… What was the point? I mean, I never thought that it was gonna turn a profit. My only hope was that at least I would be able to recoup some of my expenses, because I funded the entire thing. And it became very obvious that that was not gonna happen, so I pulled it off the market. Is there a possibility that QUIET RIOT will record new music in the future? Yeah, there is that possibility. And I’ve learned a valuable lesson from the whole digital thing. If we do go into the studio, then I’ll belly up to the financial bar and fund it again and make physical copies — probably a small run — and go from there. So it’s not out of the question, but it’s not in the immediate future either.”
On whether the six new songs that were recorded for “10” are “lost forever”:
“I don’t know. I pulled the files. I mean, it exists, obviously, ‘cause I have it. And I actually… I had good intentions. Photo sessions were done, artwork was done. So there was a point where I was gonna go ahead and do physical copies — all the machinery was in place — but when I saw what was going on, I just pulled the plug and invested that money elsewhere with QUIET RIOT.”
In addition to Banali, QUIET RIOT’s current lineup includes singer Jizzy Pearl (LOVE/HATE, L.A. GUNS, ADLER’S APPETITE, RATT), bassist Chuck Wright and guitarist Alex Grossi.
Source: Blabbermouth
