It’s been 7 years. It’s hard to pick one that was the best. But recently, sitting on Zakk Wylde’s tour bus, he and I had this totally nonsensical interaction about his ‘sex change operation’ and it’s been the most listened to interview on our website. I’ve gotten several emails asking me if it was scripted because it was such a funny interview, and of course it wasn’t. It’s not like Zakk and I are gonna sit and write out an amusing interview before we do it. But I believe it highlights what really makes our show so different. We like to roll with the artists in a more relaxed environment, zero in on them as people and how the are normally, rather than the artist/interviewer dynamic. Over the years, we’ve had some great interviews, way too many to mention, but Zakk’s just sticks out as the best of the most recent ones.
What was the strangest or most bizarre interview you've had?
Hand down Type O Negative’s Pete Steele. Now,I've know Peter for 15 years. Not super close friends mind you, but we grew up like 10 blocks from each other in Brooklyn. One day at the Deep Purple / Dio show I bumped into him and he decided to come on the air with me and co-host. I don’t’ remember how it actually happened but he got very belligerent on the air. He threw his headphones at me on-air. started cursing, stood up, and he’s a very big guy. I’m 6’5' too, but he’s probably got 30 pounds on me at least. A few fans had shown up, and there was a brief moment where I was really worried that something was gonna go down and I was gonna get my ass beat live on the air. While it probably would have hurt, it would have been great for ratings. I turned off his mic while he was in a rant and told him to go outside and talk with his fans. At the final break of the show he came back in an apologized on the air. It was a pretty wild night.
Who was the most different than you expected?
There’s a lot of those. Over the years you hear stories on certain people that are impossible to deal with. They are notorious for being difficult interviewees. But I have almost always found a common bond that puts them at ease, whether it’s a TV show we both like or an obscure band we both were fans of. I can’t remember the last time I felt that an interview went sour. I always heard that Dave Mustaine was a hard interview. We had 2 fantastic interviews with him and he could not have been cooler. I always tell the guys that work on the show with me to leave all your thoughts behind on what you heard. Let’s judge them on how they treat us. And it always works out pretty well.
Who haven't you had on the show yet that you'd like to interview?
The list keeps shrinking. There used to be a list about 20 strong of bands I wish we could interview. Since the show started I wanted to get Aerosmith on. I even said to their management that it doesn’t even have to be Steven or Joe, we’ll take anyone. We even did a live broadcast from an affiliate in Vegas a few years back for their show and still didn’t get anyone on! Then two weeks ago we got Joe Perry. So now the only band left is the Scorpions, and honestly it’s been more of a scheduling thing. They just haven’t been in the area when we are on the air.
Who are the most underrated metal bands?
I always say that Enuff Z'Nuff has put out some of the most consistent CDs in any band's history. They have like 15 albums or something like that and some of their best songs are on the later ones. They never got a fair shake.
Who's the most overrated band?
I never liked Rush. I get that they are good musicians, I get that they are all top performers, but I just never got into them . I guess it’s personal preference., but that’s me. Today it could be any of these new bands. My Chemical Romance seems like a good one to pick out of the air. I remember last year’s MTV music awards touting this big surprise at the end and it was them. Who cares? I will gladly make a bet with anyone reading this that their next CD will go nowhere. Wanna bet?
