WEBVTT 00:00:00.430 --> 00:00:05.089 Welcome, everyone, to episode 445 of Signals 00:00:05.089 --> 00:00:08.189 from Mars. I'm your host, Victor. And for this 00:00:08.189 --> 00:00:13.390 episode, we bring you Alex Skolnick. He's here 00:00:13.390 --> 00:00:16.289 to talk about metal allegiance. We talk a little 00:00:16.289 --> 00:00:20.550 bit about testament, sabotage, all those rumors 00:00:20.550 --> 00:00:24.530 surrounding Ozzy. So we get into all of that 00:00:24.530 --> 00:00:59.719 stuff up next. Quick reminder that in addition 00:00:59.719 --> 00:01:02.619 to hosting Signals from Mars, I've also worked 00:01:02.619 --> 00:01:05.599 behind the scenes helping other podcasters. With 00:01:05.599 --> 00:01:08.859 over 16 years of experience and more than 1 ,200 00:01:08.859 --> 00:01:12.180 episodes that I've produced or appeared on, I 00:01:12.180 --> 00:01:15.620 offer podcasting, editing, ghost hosting interviews, 00:01:16.099 --> 00:01:19.459 and repurposing content into viral clips, show 00:01:19.459 --> 00:01:23.260 notes, transcripts, and social media posts. If 00:01:23.260 --> 00:01:25.579 you've got a podcast and need help making it 00:01:25.579 --> 00:01:28.299 sound professional, or if you want to turn your 00:01:28.299 --> 00:01:31.560 episodes into content that actually grows your 00:01:31.560 --> 00:01:34.459 audience, I can help. Check out the podcasting 00:01:34.459 --> 00:01:38.219 services page over at signalsfrommars .com. Just 00:01:38.219 --> 00:01:40.060 go all the way to the right on the menu. 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I post 00:03:18.469 --> 00:03:21.189 videos daily on there for us to comment about 00:03:21.189 --> 00:03:23.990 all types of different questions and polls. And 00:03:23.990 --> 00:03:27.789 you have the Victor M. Ruiz podcast as well, 00:03:27.930 --> 00:03:31.310 where I talk about behind the scenes stuff and 00:03:31.310 --> 00:03:36.090 shit going on in my life, so on and so forth. 00:03:37.389 --> 00:03:40.930 Yeah, so Alex Skolnick, this is a really cool 00:03:40.930 --> 00:03:44.689 interview. This one's a long time in the making, 00:03:44.729 --> 00:03:48.509 and sometimes when you least expect it, a cool 00:03:48.509 --> 00:03:51.430 interview like this appears. So as I mentioned 00:03:51.430 --> 00:03:55.229 at the beginning of the show, we dive into a 00:03:55.229 --> 00:03:58.569 bunch of different things. We focus mainly on 00:03:58.569 --> 00:04:00.930 Metal Allegiance initially, and then we move 00:04:00.930 --> 00:04:04.870 on to other things from throughout his career. 00:04:05.919 --> 00:04:11.400 This was a treat, and it's funny, as I'm recording 00:04:11.400 --> 00:04:15.500 the interview, I realize Alex Skolnick is actually 00:04:15.500 --> 00:04:19.279 over my right shoulder during every episode. 00:04:19.620 --> 00:04:23.019 If you check out the video version of this, you'll 00:04:23.019 --> 00:04:27.319 see that I've got a bunch of different things 00:04:27.319 --> 00:04:30.120 behind me to try to spice things up in the background. 00:04:31.439 --> 00:04:34.920 From bottom to top, it's Eddie Van Halen, Ace 00:04:34.920 --> 00:04:38.319 Fraley, Dave Mustaine, and Alex Skolnick all 00:04:38.319 --> 00:04:42.120 in a row. If you don't catch it, it's between 00:04:42.120 --> 00:04:46.500 the Metallica poster and the Misfits flag that's 00:04:46.500 --> 00:04:51.120 hanging there in the background. So this is awesome. 00:04:51.220 --> 00:04:54.439 Hope you guys enjoy it. Just remember, if you're 00:04:54.439 --> 00:04:56.939 going to be voting on your favorite albums of 00:04:56.939 --> 00:05:05.360 1980, the deadline is... tomorrow, February 25th 00:05:05.360 --> 00:05:09.060 to submit them. Send me your 10 favorite albums, 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:12.540 hard rock metal related or anything that's remotely 00:05:12.540 --> 00:05:16.579 close. If you've only got five, I'll work with 00:05:16.579 --> 00:05:19.680 that. If you've got three, I'll work with that. 00:05:19.800 --> 00:05:23.459 Whatever it is, whatever you submit, I'll work 00:05:23.459 --> 00:05:26.279 with it. Your number one gets 10 points. Number 00:05:26.279 --> 00:05:29.360 two gets nine points all the way down to 10. 00:05:29.949 --> 00:05:33.089 which gets one point. And it should be a fun 00:05:33.089 --> 00:05:38.709 discussion this Friday, February 27th. I'm sure 00:05:38.709 --> 00:05:40.670 that there will be more than one argument that 00:05:40.670 --> 00:05:43.790 takes place. So it'll be fun. In any event, go 00:05:43.790 --> 00:05:46.649 to SignalsFromMars .com to find out more. And 00:05:46.649 --> 00:05:48.730 if you want to submit a list, SignalsFromMars 00:05:48.730 --> 00:05:52.129 at SignalsFromMars .com. Let's get on with the 00:05:52.129 --> 00:06:15.180 show. Welcome on and on to the latest episode 00:06:15.180 --> 00:06:19.740 of Signals from Mars. Joining me is Alex Skolnick. 00:06:19.759 --> 00:06:23.319 Alex, how are you, sir? I'm good. How about yourself? 00:06:23.560 --> 00:06:26.500 Not bad. And I just realized as the intro video 00:06:26.500 --> 00:06:31.139 kicks in, you actually appear from some shot. 00:06:33.459 --> 00:06:38.759 So that was the formation of Damnation Tour. 00:06:38.839 --> 00:06:41.990 You guys were opening up for Judas Priest. San 00:06:41.990 --> 00:06:45.430 Sebastian, Spain, uh, Megadeth was also opening 00:06:45.430 --> 00:06:51.430 up. So I, yes, I remember. Yeah. So that was, 00:06:51.430 --> 00:06:54.850 uh, that's roughly about three hours from where, 00:06:54.990 --> 00:06:58.290 uh, yeah. So that's 2009 exactly. Because I'm 00:06:58.290 --> 00:07:01.970 remembering that I, uh, went to try the, um, 00:07:02.029 --> 00:07:08.550 I got fitted for my, uh, um, not tuxedo for my 00:07:08.550 --> 00:07:12.300 suit for my wedding. Uh, Oh, okay. Cool. Oh, 00:07:12.300 --> 00:07:17.000 yeah. So that was back in 09. That was such a 00:07:17.000 --> 00:07:20.040 great show because, I mean, three just great 00:07:20.040 --> 00:07:24.600 bands just firing on all cylinders. I remember 00:07:24.600 --> 00:07:30.180 you guys had Paul Bostoff on drums. And right 00:07:30.180 --> 00:07:32.740 away, one of my friends who went with us is a 00:07:32.740 --> 00:07:37.579 huge Slayer fan. And right away, he started up 00:07:37.579 --> 00:07:43.829 the whole Lombardo -Bostoff. And everyone was 00:07:43.829 --> 00:07:45.689 against him because he was saying that he preferred 00:07:45.689 --> 00:07:47.670 Paul's playing because he felt that he was a 00:07:47.670 --> 00:07:51.810 little bit more adventurous with what he had 00:07:51.810 --> 00:07:55.110 done. So it was a big thrill for him to see you 00:07:55.110 --> 00:07:59.170 guys with Paul. Yeah, sure enough, Paul would 00:07:59.170 --> 00:08:02.350 be back in Slayer a short time later. Yeah, absolutely. 00:08:03.470 --> 00:08:06.670 So we're here to talk a little bit about Metal 00:08:06.670 --> 00:08:09.329 Allegiance. You guys just released a single. 00:08:09.769 --> 00:08:14.329 Black Horizon. It features William Duvall of 00:08:14.329 --> 00:08:19.310 Alice in Chains. Mark Menge is kind of the main 00:08:19.310 --> 00:08:23.610 guy in Metal Allegiance. When you guys are putting 00:08:23.610 --> 00:08:29.750 songs together for Metal Allegiance, let's say 00:08:29.750 --> 00:08:32.309 you bring in a William Duvall, do you pivot in 00:08:32.309 --> 00:08:35.429 your writing because he's coming into the song 00:08:35.429 --> 00:08:37.570 or does he come in after you've already written 00:08:37.570 --> 00:08:41.549 your parts? We always write the parts before 00:08:41.549 --> 00:08:46.909 the vocals happen. Pretty much every Metal Legion 00:08:46.909 --> 00:08:52.210 song has been completed instrumentally. Once 00:08:52.210 --> 00:08:55.110 we have the song finished, then we have a pretty 00:08:55.110 --> 00:08:57.929 good idea of what type of voice we want to add 00:08:57.929 --> 00:09:02.710 to the song. In the case of William, these parts 00:09:02.710 --> 00:09:05.990 didn't really fit anybody else we had worked 00:09:05.990 --> 00:09:09.210 with. And we needed the right... type of voice 00:09:09.210 --> 00:09:11.970 and it's just amazing that it worked out that 00:09:11.970 --> 00:09:15.350 we were able to finally get william i think who 00:09:15.350 --> 00:09:19.090 was perfect for it all along okay do you guys 00:09:19.090 --> 00:09:22.070 tend to demo the songs with different singers 00:09:22.070 --> 00:09:24.409 or do you have someone in mind when the completed 00:09:24.409 --> 00:09:29.250 song is done uh we've never demoed a song with 00:09:29.250 --> 00:09:33.590 the singer we've always recorded it and then 00:09:33.590 --> 00:09:36.710 worked on vocal parts occasionally there might 00:09:36.710 --> 00:09:40.850 be some edits in the studio just to fit the vocalist 00:09:40.850 --> 00:09:46.970 or to fit the arrangement. Maybe a singer will 00:09:46.970 --> 00:09:51.789 come in and suddenly we have a chorus or we have 00:09:51.789 --> 00:09:55.090 another part that we hadn't realized was a chorus 00:09:55.090 --> 00:09:59.309 and that needs to happen more. So we'll edit 00:09:59.309 --> 00:10:04.029 it and have more of those parts or vice versa. 00:10:04.049 --> 00:10:06.980 Maybe we'll take something out. For the most 00:10:06.980 --> 00:10:09.120 part, you know, we have these songs that sound 00:10:09.120 --> 00:10:13.019 pretty good instrumentally. And there's a variety. 00:10:13.120 --> 00:10:15.620 There are cases where we do hear a certain type 00:10:15.620 --> 00:10:17.440 of voice and we know exactly who we're going 00:10:17.440 --> 00:10:20.080 to reach out to for it. And then there's others 00:10:20.080 --> 00:10:22.799 where we just have no idea. And we're just going 00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:25.720 to throw caution to the wind and hopefully we 00:10:25.720 --> 00:10:28.879 will find the right person for that song. Is 00:10:28.879 --> 00:10:31.399 there ever like an oh shit moment where, oh, 00:10:31.419 --> 00:10:33.919 wow, we've been able to get this guy to sing 00:10:33.919 --> 00:10:36.399 on the track or to be featured on a track that 00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:41.419 you weren't expecting? Well, this was one. I 00:10:41.419 --> 00:10:46.620 mean, this was, you know, this was pretty recent. 00:10:47.740 --> 00:10:52.019 But yeah, there have been a couple others. I 00:10:52.019 --> 00:10:55.139 mean, in the case of Randy from Lamb of God, 00:10:55.200 --> 00:10:59.159 and he's a... close friend of mine and we've 00:10:59.159 --> 00:11:02.220 done events together and worked on projects together 00:11:02.220 --> 00:11:06.460 but he was just so crazy busy at the time we 00:11:06.460 --> 00:11:09.860 were doing this recording with the one that he 00:11:09.860 --> 00:11:12.679 ended up on it was like a small miracle that 00:11:12.679 --> 00:11:18.100 we we got him and we also got him in person so 00:11:18.100 --> 00:11:20.580 we were actually able to spend the day with him 00:11:20.580 --> 00:11:23.940 kind of constructing the parts tracking and everything 00:11:23.940 --> 00:11:28.259 okay ed is it ever difficult to convince someone 00:11:28.259 --> 00:11:35.940 to come in and sing on a track? Um, not, I wouldn't 00:11:35.940 --> 00:11:39.840 say it's difficult. Um, I mean, it's definitely 00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:45.840 more scheduling than anything. Okay. Um, yeah, 00:11:45.919 --> 00:11:50.519 some of them tend to be more, um, familiar with 00:11:50.519 --> 00:11:55.019 us. We have, they like somebody like, um, Troy, 00:11:55.639 --> 00:12:01.320 Sanders from Mastodon. He's done multiple shows 00:12:01.320 --> 00:12:05.679 with us. He's like family. We're never going 00:12:05.679 --> 00:12:09.919 to have to convince him. As long as he likes 00:12:09.919 --> 00:12:14.659 the track. But yeah, somebody like Floor Jensen 00:12:14.659 --> 00:12:19.299 from Nightwish who was on Power Drunk Majesty, 00:12:19.580 --> 00:12:23.279 the title track of the second album, part two. 00:12:27.350 --> 00:12:30.710 If you hear something over there, you can do 00:12:30.710 --> 00:12:35.289 whatever you want for this. And then I think 00:12:35.289 --> 00:12:39.870 that convinced her. Oh, wow. Cool. You just mentioned 00:12:39.870 --> 00:12:44.529 shows. You guys did a show recently. And when 00:12:44.529 --> 00:12:48.549 you're putting the shows together, obviously 00:12:48.549 --> 00:12:51.809 scheduling is an issue as well to kind of bring 00:12:51.809 --> 00:12:55.379 everyone in. be able to pull a lot of these songs 00:12:55.379 --> 00:13:00.340 off live. Is it ever, has there ever been a situation 00:13:00.340 --> 00:13:03.200 where you haven't been able to do a show the 00:13:03.200 --> 00:13:05.159 way that you guys fully intended because you 00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:10.559 couldn't bring somebody in? Not really. I mean, 00:13:10.580 --> 00:13:12.659 I think at this point, there's so many songs 00:13:12.659 --> 00:13:15.080 to choose from. There's so many different vocal 00:13:15.080 --> 00:13:19.980 styles to choose from. We don't need the exact 00:13:19.980 --> 00:13:22.730 lineups that are on the record. In fact, There 00:13:22.730 --> 00:13:26.549 are quite a few songs that have been sung by 00:13:26.549 --> 00:13:31.049 different singers live, depending on availability. 00:13:33.429 --> 00:13:37.289 We've never had Randy at a show yet. Hopefully 00:13:37.289 --> 00:13:42.470 that'll change. But he's very hard to pin down. 00:13:42.669 --> 00:13:46.309 Lamb of God is so busy. But we have had his song 00:13:46.309 --> 00:13:50.149 sang by Chuck Billy. Chuck does a great version 00:13:50.149 --> 00:13:56.019 of it live. We've had shows where Chuck couldn't 00:13:56.019 --> 00:14:01.779 make the show. And John Bush could sing his part, 00:14:01.860 --> 00:14:05.919 and it sounds good. And, you know, it's fine. 00:14:06.600 --> 00:14:10.320 We always make it work. You're also not talking 00:14:10.320 --> 00:14:12.600 about any slouches either. So even if you're 00:14:12.600 --> 00:14:16.019 bringing in other people to fill in the parts, 00:14:16.220 --> 00:14:19.360 they're still bringing their flavor to the table, 00:14:19.419 --> 00:14:22.000 but they're still... excellent musicians, excellent 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:25.840 artists on their own. Oh, absolutely. Everybody 00:14:25.840 --> 00:14:28.399 has their own thing and then they'll put their 00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:31.200 own stamp on the tune. And it's kind of fun. 00:14:31.220 --> 00:14:35.399 It's kind of fun to imagine the song had it been 00:14:35.399 --> 00:14:38.500 recorded by this person. And it could have worked, 00:14:38.559 --> 00:14:41.759 but it's different. But once somebody records 00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:45.740 the voice for one of the songs, they're obviously 00:14:45.740 --> 00:14:48.620 going to get the first call to come sing the 00:14:48.620 --> 00:14:51.539 song live. Does playing with somebody live kind 00:14:51.539 --> 00:14:55.600 of feel like the inspiration to maybe write a 00:14:55.600 --> 00:15:02.960 track and have someone involved? Well, you know, 00:15:02.960 --> 00:15:06.879 when we did the second album, Power Drunk Majesty, 00:15:07.179 --> 00:15:09.940 I think at that point we had done a few shows. 00:15:10.679 --> 00:15:15.299 So we had some shows under our belt with different 00:15:15.299 --> 00:15:20.759 singers. Yeah, I think, yeah, then we had a pretty 00:15:20.759 --> 00:15:25.279 good idea of who, you know, who we'd want to 00:15:25.279 --> 00:15:27.639 sing certain songs. And, you know, we had some 00:15:27.639 --> 00:15:30.720 returning people. Like on that album, we had 00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:34.379 Mark Osagueda, who had been on the first album. 00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:38.080 But we had also done a bunch of shows with him, 00:15:38.139 --> 00:15:40.820 so it made sense to have him come in and try 00:15:40.820 --> 00:15:46.240 something new. Okay. Are there any tracks that 00:15:46.240 --> 00:15:49.799 for you are must plays at the Metal Allegiance 00:15:49.799 --> 00:15:58.080 shows? There are several. Yeah. The song, well, 00:15:58.139 --> 00:16:01.600 Pledge of Allegiance is a must play. Okay. That's 00:16:01.600 --> 00:16:09.960 sort of our peace elves. We can't not do that 00:16:09.960 --> 00:16:16.019 song. It's a bit of an anthem. There's another 00:16:16.019 --> 00:16:22.440 one, The Accuser, with the late Trevor from Black 00:16:22.440 --> 00:16:25.399 Dahlia Murder. Great guy. We all miss a lot. 00:16:26.299 --> 00:16:29.419 And that song, that's been sung by a couple of 00:16:29.419 --> 00:16:31.940 different people. I believe Chuck sang that song 00:16:31.940 --> 00:16:35.620 before. John Bush has really found a great way 00:16:35.620 --> 00:16:40.519 to do that one live. But that's, yeah, that's 00:16:40.519 --> 00:16:44.809 also become essential. That tends, whereas Pledge 00:16:44.809 --> 00:16:48.809 of Allegiance tends to be closer or near the 00:16:48.809 --> 00:16:53.289 end. The Accuser tends to be a good song to kick 00:16:53.289 --> 00:16:55.610 things off and put towards the beginning of the 00:16:55.610 --> 00:16:58.850 set. Okay. And are there, you guys are known 00:16:58.850 --> 00:17:01.149 for doing covers as well. Are there any covers 00:17:01.149 --> 00:17:04.529 that you feel like you have to play all the time? 00:17:06.670 --> 00:17:11.329 Not all the time. There are certain bands, I 00:17:11.329 --> 00:17:14.329 think, that need to be represented. Iron Maiden 00:17:14.329 --> 00:17:20.930 needs to be in there. Metallica's been there 00:17:20.930 --> 00:17:28.670 quite a bit. There's a few others. Yeah, we've 00:17:28.670 --> 00:17:32.309 definitely covered some others. And sometimes 00:17:32.309 --> 00:17:37.650 it depends on who's with us. If Chuck's there. 00:17:38.670 --> 00:17:40.950 kind of makes sense to do a testament tune and 00:17:40.950 --> 00:17:47.269 uh yeah if um troy is there you know a mastodon 00:17:47.269 --> 00:17:50.069 tune so those bands tend to be represented but 00:17:50.069 --> 00:17:53.849 as far as uh bands yeah that we always know we're 00:17:53.849 --> 00:17:57.069 gonna cover yeah it's at least iron maiden and 00:17:57.069 --> 00:18:00.049 metallic okay is there anything that you haven't 00:18:00.049 --> 00:18:07.240 covered that you'd like to cover um You know, 00:18:07.259 --> 00:18:09.779 I wouldn't mind covering a bit more Rush, even 00:18:09.779 --> 00:18:13.099 though they're not metal per se. You know, they're 00:18:13.099 --> 00:18:17.700 like an honorary metal band. It's not that we've 00:18:17.700 --> 00:18:22.359 never done it, too. We did. We have done some 00:18:22.359 --> 00:18:26.279 Rush, you know, tribute to Neil and his passing. 00:18:26.420 --> 00:18:29.240 And then actually the very first metal show, 00:18:29.480 --> 00:18:32.319 metal legion show that I did, I remember we did 00:18:32.319 --> 00:18:36.299 Tom Sawyer. Okay. And it was really fun. I had 00:18:36.299 --> 00:18:39.920 never played it live. I mean, that's such a classic. 00:18:39.940 --> 00:18:44.279 And does covering a song like that get you nervous 00:18:44.279 --> 00:18:47.319 to try to get it kind of perfect, to make it 00:18:47.319 --> 00:18:53.180 the perfect tribute to that band? Well, you definitely 00:18:53.180 --> 00:18:56.660 have to put some more work into it than some 00:18:56.660 --> 00:18:58.480 of the other songs, you know, because it's just 00:18:58.480 --> 00:19:05.130 so precise and so well. just the level of execution 00:19:05.130 --> 00:19:09.410 of Rush is higher than average. Right. Yeah. 00:19:09.609 --> 00:19:13.730 You know, because they weren't trying to be like 00:19:13.730 --> 00:19:20.650 groups like Maiden and Priest, you know, as tight 00:19:20.650 --> 00:19:24.990 as they are. Yeah, Maiden, yeah, sorry, Rush 00:19:24.990 --> 00:19:27.490 was, you know, they were listening to Genesis 00:19:27.490 --> 00:19:32.619 and King Crimson. Sort of going for that level 00:19:32.619 --> 00:19:37.180 of precision. Right. Okay. And to you, what's 00:19:37.180 --> 00:19:39.660 the funnest Metal Allegiant song to play live? 00:19:42.599 --> 00:19:48.700 I really like playing Let Darkness Fall, which 00:19:48.700 --> 00:19:52.519 has Troy Sanders on vocals. And it's just got 00:19:52.519 --> 00:19:55.960 this really cool breakdown in the middle. Kind 00:19:55.960 --> 00:19:58.839 of Master of Puppets style, where everything 00:19:58.839 --> 00:20:02.019 stops. And then you build the song back up again. 00:20:03.680 --> 00:20:09.380 And it's got a section where there's nylon string 00:20:09.380 --> 00:20:15.240 acoustic guitar. And we did a couple of shows 00:20:15.240 --> 00:20:19.160 where it was tricky to work that into the show 00:20:19.160 --> 00:20:23.640 because I have to switch guitars and I play on 00:20:23.640 --> 00:20:26.000 a separate stand. It's called a Gracie stand. 00:20:27.339 --> 00:20:30.220 So you wear your electric guitar, but you switch 00:20:30.220 --> 00:20:32.539 to this acoustic guitar that's on the stand. 00:20:32.700 --> 00:20:36.160 Right. It used to be a challenge, and somebody 00:20:36.160 --> 00:20:39.140 forgot to push a button. There was no sound. 00:20:39.299 --> 00:20:41.440 We've got to have been through the ringer. But 00:20:41.440 --> 00:20:45.380 this last time, we really got it. And the sound 00:20:45.380 --> 00:20:47.700 came through, and it worked. I think we finally 00:20:47.700 --> 00:20:50.059 figured out how to do it. So that's a fun one. 00:20:50.160 --> 00:20:54.160 Let darkness fall. Is it challenging to get the 00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:59.420 nylon guitar to cut through? Uh, it is, it is, 00:20:59.420 --> 00:21:02.279 you know, you definitely, uh, you wouldn't want 00:21:02.279 --> 00:21:04.140 to do that without a sound check. That's for 00:21:04.140 --> 00:21:09.859 sure. Yeah. Okay. Um, is there anyone that you, 00:21:09.980 --> 00:21:13.519 um, would like to work with in the future on 00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:18.599 a metal allegiance track? Um, I mean, there's, 00:21:18.599 --> 00:21:23.960 there's always people. Yeah. Um, Yeah. Rob Halford, 00:21:23.980 --> 00:21:27.920 give us a call. There you go, Rob. If you're 00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:32.720 watching, give him a call. So this is a standalone 00:21:32.720 --> 00:21:36.799 single that's just come out. Excuse me. Is there 00:21:36.799 --> 00:21:42.380 a full length in the works? Not at this moment. 00:21:42.420 --> 00:21:50.839 Okay. But I think the, yeah. This song has certainly 00:21:50.839 --> 00:21:56.079 inspired us and it's created some excitement 00:21:56.079 --> 00:22:00.700 and some momentum. So I can't promise anything, 00:22:00.819 --> 00:22:04.240 but it's not impossible that this momentum will 00:22:04.240 --> 00:22:07.779 somehow channel itself into more music. Okay. 00:22:08.339 --> 00:22:11.119 Let's hope. Do you think it makes more sense 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:14.059 to maybe work on a single at a time or maybe 00:22:14.059 --> 00:22:18.900 an EP as opposed to doing a full length? I think 00:22:18.900 --> 00:22:22.480 at this point, yeah, doing a single at a time 00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:27.940 is a lot more convenient. Because doing a full 00:22:27.940 --> 00:22:31.660 -length LP really requires blocking out a big 00:22:31.660 --> 00:22:36.339 chunk of time in one's calendar that a lot of 00:22:36.339 --> 00:22:40.880 us just don't have these days. When we did the 00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:49.539 debut Metal Allegiance recording, 2014, it was 00:22:49.539 --> 00:22:55.200 just miraculous that we had the time. I had wrapped 00:22:55.200 --> 00:23:02.599 up a couple solo projects. I had done a record 00:23:02.599 --> 00:23:05.539 with my trio a couple years before and didn't 00:23:05.539 --> 00:23:07.759 feel I needed to rush back in the studio. I had 00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:11.319 just done a big acoustic world music album called 00:23:11.319 --> 00:23:17.539 Planetary Coalition. testament was wrapping up 00:23:17.539 --> 00:23:20.900 an album cycle and had some time off so it was 00:23:20.900 --> 00:23:26.000 just kind of it just felt like um you know the 00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:30.799 the stars aligned in that case but uh the way 00:23:30.799 --> 00:23:33.059 things have been especially in recent years uh 00:23:33.059 --> 00:23:36.740 we've just been so busy uh but we yeah we can 00:23:36.740 --> 00:23:41.720 one song at a time we can certainly manage so 00:23:41.720 --> 00:23:44.380 who knows maybe yeah maybe you'll see more singles 00:23:44.380 --> 00:23:47.839 i would That would be great. Okay, cool. You 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:51.920 just mentioned Testament. Parabellum, at least 00:23:51.920 --> 00:23:56.519 on my show, was voted the listener's second favorite 00:23:56.519 --> 00:24:01.000 album of the year. For some reason, Alice Cooper 00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:03.960 snuck in there and got number one. No one saw 00:24:03.960 --> 00:24:08.000 that coming. Okay, well, you know, if we're going 00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:12.440 to be number two to somebody, it might as well 00:24:12.440 --> 00:24:15.480 be Alice Cooper. So there you go. We'll take 00:24:15.480 --> 00:24:18.660 it. The one thing that was brought up consistently, 00:24:18.799 --> 00:24:21.839 there was one word that was associated to you 00:24:21.839 --> 00:24:25.980 throughout people's feedback. And even when we 00:24:25.980 --> 00:24:28.859 reviewed the album a few months ago, when it 00:24:28.859 --> 00:24:34.059 came out, the one word was magic. And it was 00:24:34.059 --> 00:24:37.519 associated to your soloing specifically on the 00:24:37.519 --> 00:24:42.720 album. Oh, thank you. One of the reviewers that 00:24:42.720 --> 00:24:45.440 does the shows with me. who's a guitarist himself 00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:50.099 mentioned how he felt that your playing was just 00:24:50.099 --> 00:24:53.960 at a different level on Parabellum and felt that 00:24:53.960 --> 00:24:57.960 it, you could kind of notice that a lot of work 00:24:57.960 --> 00:25:01.539 went into not only the compositions, but the 00:25:01.539 --> 00:25:04.140 actual soloing, like none of the soloing was, 00:25:04.140 --> 00:25:08.599 was throwaways. And we talked about how, you 00:25:08.599 --> 00:25:11.480 know, there's opposed to how Testament started 00:25:11.480 --> 00:25:14.680 out. where you guys were probably rushed to put 00:25:14.680 --> 00:25:17.579 albums out and stuff like that. Now you guys 00:25:17.579 --> 00:25:19.519 are much more conscious, it seems like, when 00:25:19.519 --> 00:25:24.819 you're writing and putting things out. So that 00:25:24.819 --> 00:25:28.380 was what was brought forward, just how important. 00:25:28.779 --> 00:25:33.940 That's so nice. How do you feel your writing 00:25:33.940 --> 00:25:37.240 process and your soloing has changed from the 00:25:37.240 --> 00:25:42.109 beginning to now? Well, I just think experience 00:25:42.109 --> 00:25:44.970 has a lot to do with it. You know, there's just 00:25:44.970 --> 00:25:51.630 no comparison. You know, having done quite a 00:25:51.630 --> 00:25:55.950 few records. Right. And just knowing what that 00:25:55.950 --> 00:26:00.569 process is like and knowing what to expect versus, 00:26:00.690 --> 00:26:04.349 you know, the beginning when, you know, you haven't 00:26:04.349 --> 00:26:08.519 been in the studio. You look at the mixing console 00:26:08.519 --> 00:26:11.779 and it just looks like this thing from outer 00:26:11.779 --> 00:26:18.599 space. And you just have no concept of what is 00:26:18.599 --> 00:26:23.019 supposed to happen. When do I get to play? The 00:26:23.019 --> 00:26:28.900 process. When did the drum tracks get laid down? 00:26:29.039 --> 00:26:32.720 When did the bass rhythm tracks get laid down? 00:26:34.140 --> 00:26:35.980 The whole thing. And having been through it, 00:26:36.079 --> 00:26:38.200 you know, I, I just think, I think it helps. 00:26:38.200 --> 00:26:46.200 And, um, it also just adds to the, um, you know, 00:26:46.240 --> 00:26:49.380 the process of creating something that you would 00:26:49.380 --> 00:26:52.759 want to listen to. Right. Right. That excites 00:26:52.759 --> 00:26:58.400 you instead of, um, you know, just going in and 00:26:59.440 --> 00:27:02.059 you know hope playing a bunch of takes hoping 00:27:02.059 --> 00:27:05.319 for the best okay i can live with this one just 00:27:05.319 --> 00:27:07.660 yeah really working on it let's make this something 00:27:07.660 --> 00:27:11.339 that you know i would get excited about as as 00:27:11.339 --> 00:27:14.440 a listener right and knowing how to do that but 00:27:14.440 --> 00:27:18.400 that that just comes with experience so um it's 00:27:18.400 --> 00:27:21.200 true a lot a lot more does go into it i think 00:27:21.200 --> 00:27:25.240 it's also helped uh that we're not as dependent 00:27:25.240 --> 00:27:30.140 on recording studios as we used to be um the 00:27:30.140 --> 00:27:34.240 drums still need to be recorded in a proper recording 00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:39.619 studio but you know overdubs such as the solos 00:27:39.619 --> 00:27:44.220 don't necessarily need to be and uh just so to 00:27:44.220 --> 00:27:46.920 be able to take your time and just say instead 00:27:46.920 --> 00:27:50.960 of booking uh some high -end recording studio 00:27:50.960 --> 00:27:55.000 by the hour and feeling the pressure of you know 00:27:55.000 --> 00:28:00.150 the clock ticking and knowing it's costing a 00:28:00.150 --> 00:28:04.109 record label money money that the band is gonna 00:28:04.109 --> 00:28:08.210 have to pay back you know not having that it's 00:28:08.210 --> 00:28:13.630 like oh you know um i have a free evening tonight 00:28:13.630 --> 00:28:17.130 i'm gonna uh here's how i'm gonna i'm gonna work 00:28:17.130 --> 00:28:21.609 out these solos i feel like you know um after 00:28:21.609 --> 00:28:25.630 midnight i'm gonna be really feeling good about 00:28:25.630 --> 00:28:29.519 this and but yeah I could do that. Whereas that, 00:28:29.539 --> 00:28:32.259 you know, so that it makes a big difference just 00:28:32.259 --> 00:28:34.660 having all these options, such as being able 00:28:34.660 --> 00:28:37.660 to record at home. Yeah. And, and it's cool that 00:28:37.660 --> 00:28:41.799 you guys went in and recorded actual drums where 00:28:41.799 --> 00:28:46.380 as, as a wannabe musician myself and messing 00:28:46.380 --> 00:28:48.700 around with superior drummer and stuff like that, 00:28:48.740 --> 00:28:51.200 you hear albums and you're like, well, you know, 00:28:51.200 --> 00:28:55.609 those symbols are this patch or, you know, So 00:28:55.609 --> 00:29:00.329 it's refreshing to hear live drums on an album. 00:29:00.410 --> 00:29:03.690 It gives it a whole different energy and vibe 00:29:03.690 --> 00:29:06.430 to it. To me, I think it's so important, especially 00:29:06.430 --> 00:29:10.890 in metal music. Yeah, to me, there's no comparison. 00:29:11.690 --> 00:29:17.529 I just, you know, I think the drum programs are 00:29:17.529 --> 00:29:23.579 fine for demos. That's amazing. I've made my 00:29:23.579 --> 00:29:28.420 own demos of parts that people have asked, who's 00:29:28.420 --> 00:29:33.019 playing the drums? It's great, but it's true. 00:29:33.079 --> 00:29:38.480 When it comes to an actual album and the song 00:29:38.480 --> 00:29:42.039 that's going out into the world, it really makes 00:29:42.039 --> 00:29:44.779 a difference just to have it. Play it live. Yeah. 00:29:44.900 --> 00:29:48.319 I think of a lot of classic albums as well. Like 00:29:48.319 --> 00:29:50.559 we touched upon Maiden. You think about a lot 00:29:50.559 --> 00:29:52.740 of those Martin Burch albums that he did, whether 00:29:52.740 --> 00:29:56.160 it's some of those albums with Dio and Sabbath 00:29:56.160 --> 00:29:59.759 or even, you know, Power Slave or Peace of Mind, 00:29:59.819 --> 00:30:02.799 where you listen to those albums and they still 00:30:02.799 --> 00:30:05.500 sound fresh and vibrant today, like as if you're 00:30:05.500 --> 00:30:09.599 in the room with them, with the drum sound so 00:30:09.599 --> 00:30:13.640 alive. That's so true. So I think it's so important. 00:30:14.880 --> 00:30:16.619 Yeah, I mean, it wouldn't have been the case 00:30:16.619 --> 00:30:19.839 if those albums had been done with drum programs. 00:30:20.079 --> 00:30:25.900 Right. They just would not have the level of 00:30:25.900 --> 00:30:30.039 intensity that they have. Yeah, absolutely. How 00:30:30.039 --> 00:30:34.460 important is it for you as a musician to have 00:30:34.460 --> 00:30:37.440 all the outlets that you have? Does it help recharge 00:30:37.440 --> 00:30:40.789 your... you know, when you're recording with 00:30:40.789 --> 00:30:43.970 Testament, does doing your trio help because 00:30:43.970 --> 00:30:47.250 you're getting, you know, a certain sense of 00:30:47.250 --> 00:30:50.150 energy or creativeness through writing for the 00:30:50.150 --> 00:30:53.210 trio. Then when you go back to Testament, it's 00:30:53.210 --> 00:30:55.650 a different sort of release for you or, or is 00:30:55.650 --> 00:30:58.809 it all kind of the same? No, it's very different. 00:30:58.950 --> 00:31:03.230 Yeah. It's very, it's very helpful, you know, 00:31:03.230 --> 00:31:08.390 because of the, the trio albums. I, I steer the 00:31:08.390 --> 00:31:14.150 ship on those. I decide on the songs. I obviously 00:31:14.150 --> 00:31:16.609 consult with the guys in the band and respect 00:31:16.609 --> 00:31:21.950 how they feel about parts. But I have the final 00:31:21.950 --> 00:31:27.670 say. And I can say, oh, yeah, here's, I produced 00:31:27.670 --> 00:31:32.970 this. I composed and arranged this. And I can 00:31:32.970 --> 00:31:35.460 point to that and just say, yeah, I can. take 00:31:35.460 --> 00:31:39.339 credit for for all this and i'm no less proud 00:31:39.339 --> 00:31:41.859 of my you know my work with testament but it 00:31:41.859 --> 00:31:47.259 is of you know it's a collaborative effort and 00:31:47.259 --> 00:31:52.920 um you know i have my role there right as a lead 00:31:52.920 --> 00:31:57.539 player and i do the best i can i i make suggestions 00:31:57.539 --> 00:32:01.490 they're not always taken um sometimes later i'll 00:32:01.490 --> 00:32:04.109 agree uh you know that they were right not to 00:32:04.109 --> 00:32:08.529 take that but sometimes they are um and then 00:32:08.529 --> 00:32:10.309 you know they're just they're very different 00:32:10.309 --> 00:32:18.509 musical situations and i'm yeah i it they balance 00:32:18.509 --> 00:32:23.609 each other out because you know i i'm not dependent 00:32:23.609 --> 00:32:28.589 on testament to be this thing that you know where 00:32:28.589 --> 00:32:32.819 i have all this creative control. I have that. 00:32:32.839 --> 00:32:35.519 I have other projects where I, where I can do 00:32:35.519 --> 00:32:38.680 that. Yeah. And it's interesting because, you 00:32:38.680 --> 00:32:42.180 know, a lot of people get hung up on the best 00:32:42.180 --> 00:32:45.319 of this or the best of that. And you even mentioned 00:32:45.319 --> 00:32:48.539 it with rush before there's different proficiencies 00:32:48.539 --> 00:32:51.900 in music, depending on styles and different things. 00:32:51.960 --> 00:32:56.339 You may like a certain style more, but I think 00:32:56.339 --> 00:32:59.400 with music and all the arts, there's like no 00:32:59.400 --> 00:33:02.039 definitive best of. It's whatever speaks to you, 00:33:02.099 --> 00:33:05.779 you know. So to absolutely say, oh, well, you 00:33:05.779 --> 00:33:11.079 know, Alex is best at this. Right. You know, 00:33:11.079 --> 00:33:13.240 it's kind of, I don't know, kind of putting a 00:33:13.240 --> 00:33:16.920 ceiling on you as far as being a creative person 00:33:16.920 --> 00:33:20.640 or, you know, an artist where you're trying to 00:33:20.640 --> 00:33:23.500 kind of paint different pictures with the different 00:33:23.500 --> 00:33:27.799 things that you're doing. Yeah. And, you know, 00:33:27.799 --> 00:33:31.519 there are a lot of opinions out there. Definitely. 00:33:32.059 --> 00:33:36.220 And that's fine. You know, I mean, everybody's 00:33:36.220 --> 00:33:40.779 entitled to their opinion, but nobody really 00:33:40.779 --> 00:33:45.400 knows what goes on or what an artist's intention 00:33:45.400 --> 00:33:49.819 is, except for that artist. Yeah. So, yeah, a 00:33:49.819 --> 00:33:53.299 lot of people get too caught up in their own 00:33:53.299 --> 00:33:56.980 opinions, I believe. Yeah, it seems, and especially 00:33:56.980 --> 00:34:01.240 in recent years where with social media and everything 00:34:01.240 --> 00:34:04.660 else, people feel that they know an artist. You 00:34:04.660 --> 00:34:08.280 know, you've become the soundtrack of my life 00:34:08.280 --> 00:34:12.119 all these years. So all of a sudden I know you 00:34:12.119 --> 00:34:15.239 because I can interact with you on social media. 00:34:15.340 --> 00:34:19.039 But as you're saying, you know, you don't really 00:34:19.039 --> 00:34:22.519 know the artist. You don't know what's 100 % 00:34:22.519 --> 00:34:25.539 what's going on behind. just what you're interpreting. 00:34:26.639 --> 00:34:30.380 Yeah. I mean, on the one hand, social media can 00:34:30.380 --> 00:34:34.920 be great because it does give artists an outlet 00:34:34.920 --> 00:34:37.920 to present ourselves the way we want to be presented. 00:34:39.239 --> 00:34:45.159 You know, when Testament does a promotional photo 00:34:45.159 --> 00:34:51.079 shoot, it's the photo that each of us like can 00:34:51.079 --> 00:34:55.460 live with that. You know, there's there's plenty 00:34:55.460 --> 00:34:58.719 of photos that one of us will say, no, please 00:34:58.719 --> 00:35:04.780 don't use. I hate the way I appear. And that's 00:35:04.780 --> 00:35:07.519 why many photos are taken. And then, you know, 00:35:07.519 --> 00:35:11.480 OK, there's a small batch where everybody likes 00:35:11.480 --> 00:35:15.159 it. And it may not be my favorite photo of me, 00:35:15.219 --> 00:35:19.239 but it's OK. It's, you know, but, you know, you're 00:35:19.239 --> 00:35:25.059 limited with. Just promotional photos or just 00:35:25.059 --> 00:35:30.159 magazines or, you know, just traditional media. 00:35:30.260 --> 00:35:35.019 I'm having social media, especially as an individual 00:35:35.019 --> 00:35:40.300 artist. You can put up any photo you want. You 00:35:40.300 --> 00:35:45.820 can put up any type of playing you want, you 00:35:45.820 --> 00:35:51.820 know. And so I like that aspect of it. So on 00:35:51.820 --> 00:35:56.139 the other hand, like you're saying, it amplifies 00:35:56.139 --> 00:35:59.300 opinions. There's always been a lot of opinions 00:35:59.300 --> 00:36:04.519 from listeners out there, and now they're amplified. 00:36:04.599 --> 00:36:09.260 Now we're all sharing this giant bulletin board 00:36:09.260 --> 00:36:15.579 electronically. So we're bombarded with opinions, 00:36:15.659 --> 00:36:20.000 and that can be a little overwhelming. Understood. 00:36:22.240 --> 00:36:24.500 Another band that you had been involved with, 00:36:24.719 --> 00:36:29.679 Savatage, is putting out an album this year. 00:36:31.000 --> 00:36:33.940 Do you have any involvement at all in that album? 00:36:34.039 --> 00:36:36.860 Were you asked to appear on it at all as being 00:36:36.860 --> 00:36:43.340 a previous member? No. I mean, they have a two 00:36:43.340 --> 00:36:48.059 -guitar lineup with Chris and Al. They don't 00:36:48.059 --> 00:36:52.820 need anybody else. I'm happy for them. I'm so 00:36:52.820 --> 00:36:58.119 glad they're finally up and running again. Because, 00:36:58.119 --> 00:37:03.820 you know, Testament got, we reunited and then 00:37:03.820 --> 00:37:09.139 it really led to this whole resurrection of the 00:37:09.139 --> 00:37:14.579 band. And so I always knew if Sabotage got together 00:37:14.579 --> 00:37:17.460 again, especially in Europe with all the European 00:37:17.460 --> 00:37:22.980 festivals. The opportunities would be there, 00:37:23.059 --> 00:37:25.420 and there's such appreciation. Just the one record 00:37:25.420 --> 00:37:29.400 I did with them, I'm asked about it often. There's 00:37:29.400 --> 00:37:35.340 just so many dedicated fans of the band, for 00:37:35.340 --> 00:37:41.199 sure, but also of that album. So I'm happy for 00:37:41.199 --> 00:37:45.920 them, and I'm happy. They'll be just fine without 00:37:45.920 --> 00:37:52.590 me. And you're a small company of people that 00:37:52.590 --> 00:37:57.469 got to play with Ozzy. There are so many rumors 00:37:57.469 --> 00:38:01.349 about people like a Michael Shanker, like a Bernie 00:38:01.349 --> 00:38:06.289 Torme and Alex Skolnick being able to play with 00:38:06.289 --> 00:38:09.710 Ozzy, even if you didn't make it on an album. 00:38:13.260 --> 00:38:16.119 From what's out there on the Internet, you played 00:38:16.119 --> 00:38:19.159 a few shows with him and then nothing else materialized 00:38:19.159 --> 00:38:23.260 after that. But like we're saying, you know, 00:38:23.260 --> 00:38:25.860 no one knows the full truth outside of people 00:38:25.860 --> 00:38:29.880 that were actually involved. So can you share 00:38:29.880 --> 00:38:35.260 what actually took place? Yeah, I'm clearly I'm 00:38:35.260 --> 00:38:39.039 in very good company because, you know, the list 00:38:39.039 --> 00:38:43.489 of players that play either. played with Ozzy 00:38:43.489 --> 00:38:46.849 or Alma were in the running to play with Ozzy 00:38:46.849 --> 00:38:50.789 is, is, is great company to be in. Just some 00:38:50.789 --> 00:38:53.789 amazing players. So yeah, it's a big honor. And 00:38:53.789 --> 00:38:57.590 I actually did get to play with them. It was 00:38:57.590 --> 00:39:02.650 one show. Okay. It was a few rehearsals. And 00:39:02.650 --> 00:39:08.989 the one show was in Nottingham, the UK venue 00:39:08.989 --> 00:39:15.769 called rock city. Okay. And Ozzy had done other 00:39:15.769 --> 00:39:20.789 shows there before. He would do an unannounced 00:39:20.789 --> 00:39:26.690 show, and it would often be booked last minute. 00:39:26.989 --> 00:39:32.389 This is my understanding. The venue would have 00:39:32.389 --> 00:39:36.889 a local band or a tribute band or somebody they 00:39:36.889 --> 00:39:42.699 could bump and reschedule. Right. And then, you 00:39:42.699 --> 00:39:46.639 know, it's, it's, it's this, and then that day 00:39:46.639 --> 00:39:49.480 tickets would go on and say, Oh yeah, it's, it's 00:39:49.480 --> 00:39:52.699 the Aussie secret show or whatever. And so that, 00:39:52.739 --> 00:39:56.679 that's what this was. And the show sort of followed 00:39:56.679 --> 00:40:03.159 like a regular audition, a full rehearsal. And 00:40:03.159 --> 00:40:05.739 yeah, I basically spent, I think it was about 00:40:05.739 --> 00:40:09.550 a week or a week and a half in their orbit. And 00:40:09.550 --> 00:40:12.469 it was fascinating. You know, it was my first 00:40:12.469 --> 00:40:15.730 time being around a celebrity at that level. 00:40:16.710 --> 00:40:20.289 And I mean, you know, it really hadn't been that 00:40:20.289 --> 00:40:24.369 long since I'd been in high school. You know, 00:40:24.369 --> 00:40:27.070 just all me and all my friends were idolizing 00:40:27.070 --> 00:40:32.050 Ozzy. And here I was playing guitar for him. 00:40:32.250 --> 00:40:36.090 And also Geezer Butler. Geezer was playing bass 00:40:36.090 --> 00:40:42.090 for him at that moment. um and so half of black 00:40:42.090 --> 00:40:46.230 sabbath and uh you know doing aussie songs at 00:40:46.230 --> 00:40:48.690 this point you know there had been zach there 00:40:48.690 --> 00:40:52.530 had been jakey lee in addition to randy who was 00:40:52.530 --> 00:40:57.250 one of my big idols so um it was a lot i was 00:40:57.250 --> 00:41:02.269 i was given a lot of songs to learn probably 00:41:02.269 --> 00:41:08.739 i think 20 okay and um I think we probably played 00:41:08.739 --> 00:41:13.619 about half that many in the end. But it was certainly 00:41:13.619 --> 00:41:19.760 a crash course in all things Ozzy. Okay. And, 00:41:19.920 --> 00:41:24.760 yeah, from what I was told, the show went really 00:41:24.760 --> 00:41:29.940 well. And the crew thought I was a good fit. 00:41:30.000 --> 00:41:31.760 Everybody around them thought I was a good fit. 00:41:31.800 --> 00:41:36.800 The Ozzy. told me he wanted me to play fun but 00:41:36.800 --> 00:41:40.960 uh the only person that didn't seem excited was 00:41:40.960 --> 00:41:46.179 sharon okay and um i've talked about this before 00:41:46.179 --> 00:41:50.500 but uh you know knowing what i know about showbiz 00:41:50.500 --> 00:41:54.699 and people in the entertainment industry i think 00:41:54.699 --> 00:42:00.440 she had gotten used to zach and zach's presentation 00:42:00.440 --> 00:42:11.889 and um I think, you know, my guy was Randy. Like 00:42:11.889 --> 00:42:17.389 this kind of guitar nerd. Right. That was sort 00:42:17.389 --> 00:42:21.690 of, you know, put into, given a flashy guitar 00:42:21.690 --> 00:42:26.670 and put into, you know, a leather vest and just, 00:42:26.769 --> 00:42:29.510 you know, did this great thing. And I, you know, 00:42:29.510 --> 00:42:32.409 I related to that because I was sort of nerdy. 00:42:33.630 --> 00:42:36.289 I was thinking about going back to music school, 00:42:36.349 --> 00:42:38.989 which I actually did after this whole experience. 00:42:39.489 --> 00:42:44.190 And that's where I was coming from. But I think, 00:42:44.190 --> 00:42:47.349 you know, she really liked the sort of biker 00:42:47.349 --> 00:42:55.690 image of somebody like Zach. And, you know, it 00:42:55.690 --> 00:42:58.329 ended up just being that one show. But still, 00:42:58.409 --> 00:43:00.329 it was a great experience. And it puts me in 00:43:00.329 --> 00:43:04.090 company with all these amazing players. Yeah. 00:43:04.090 --> 00:43:07.809 It's a nice little feather in the cap, I guess. 00:43:09.030 --> 00:43:11.650 Yeah, absolutely. I mean, there's very few people 00:43:11.650 --> 00:43:15.269 again that can say, Hey, I got to get up there 00:43:15.269 --> 00:43:17.650 and do an entire show. I mean, it's not like 00:43:17.650 --> 00:43:20.630 one of these shows where he gets up on stage 00:43:20.630 --> 00:43:23.630 or, you know, one of these usual like tribute 00:43:23.630 --> 00:43:29.110 type shows. Yeah. It wasn't an event or an award 00:43:29.110 --> 00:43:32.610 show or something like that. No, it was like, 00:43:32.630 --> 00:43:36.440 it was a, full -fledged Ozzy show. Yeah. Was 00:43:36.440 --> 00:43:40.639 there any song out of that catalog? I mean, you're 00:43:40.639 --> 00:43:44.559 saying that you're a Randy nerd. Was there any 00:43:44.559 --> 00:43:47.739 specific song that you were really glad that 00:43:47.739 --> 00:43:52.300 you got to play with him? Mr. Crowley, you know, 00:43:52.300 --> 00:43:58.360 because to me, that's just so definitive of Randy, 00:43:58.519 --> 00:44:04.530 you know? Yeah. It's just, and it just got to 00:44:04.530 --> 00:44:06.550 me that captures so much of what i liked about 00:44:06.550 --> 00:44:13.369 ozzy i felt like that song really had the modernness 00:44:13.369 --> 00:44:16.590 that he had i mean there were other songs i love 00:44:16.590 --> 00:44:20.250 you know obviously crazy train and you know so 00:44:20.250 --> 00:44:23.710 many others are you know felt like current and 00:44:23.710 --> 00:44:28.449 post 70s but i felt like mr crowley just it had 00:44:28.449 --> 00:44:32.420 the darkness of blacks out though with that sort 00:44:32.420 --> 00:44:35.400 of freshness that we were hearing in the early 00:44:35.400 --> 00:44:38.659 80s, the post -Van Halen period. Yeah, makes 00:44:38.659 --> 00:44:43.420 sense. And that was also the first guitar solo 00:44:43.420 --> 00:44:49.599 of Randy's that I'd ever heard. Oh, wow. Yeah, 00:44:49.800 --> 00:44:52.099 because most people, I guess, would have heard 00:44:52.099 --> 00:44:54.719 Crazy Train or something like that, which there's, 00:44:54.719 --> 00:44:57.480 I mean, that's a great solo as well, but the 00:44:57.480 --> 00:45:02.019 Mr. Crowley solo is... Yeah, I had some friends 00:45:02.019 --> 00:45:07.900 who were, you know, when I was in, I must have 00:45:07.900 --> 00:45:10.099 been in junior high school at the time that knew 00:45:10.099 --> 00:45:13.599 I was a Van Halen fan and knew I would play guitar. 00:45:13.780 --> 00:45:15.840 And they say, you have to hear this guitar player. 00:45:15.980 --> 00:45:18.519 And that was the first thing that they played 00:45:18.519 --> 00:45:21.800 me. So it was a very full circle moment to play 00:45:21.800 --> 00:45:24.800 that song. But I just got a message. I'm supposed 00:45:24.800 --> 00:45:27.400 to be on another interview right now. They put 00:45:27.400 --> 00:45:29.340 all these interviews back. Yeah, no, that's fine. 00:45:29.440 --> 00:45:32.150 I was. I was going to wrap things up anyway. 00:45:32.289 --> 00:45:39.409 So I do appreciate your time, Alex. No problem. 00:45:39.590 --> 00:45:41.690 Thank you, Victor. I appreciate it. All right. 00:45:41.690 --> 00:45:53.829 Thank you. See you. Okay. Bye -bye. Thank you 00:45:53.829 --> 00:45:56.030 for listening to the signals from Mars podcast. 00:45:56.510 --> 00:45:58.690 You can subscribe to the show on all your favorite 00:45:58.690 --> 00:46:01.829 podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 00:46:02.230 --> 00:46:06.230 Google Podcasts, Amazon, and more. Go to signalsfrommars 00:46:06.230 --> 00:46:08.889 .com for more information. This concludes our 00:46:08.889 --> 00:46:09.110 show.