Issued in May 2011 via Jawbone Press, "Crazy Train: The High Life And Tragic Death Of Randy Rhoads" chronicles just that, the life and death of the Ozzy Osbourne axe-slinger whose demise came in March 1982 at the untimely age of 25. Written by veteran biographer Joel McIver, the tome includes a foreword by Zakk Wylde as well as an afterword by Yngwie Malmsteen. Among others, the following musicians share their thoughts on Rhoads: Phil Demmel (Machine Head), Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), Gary Holt (Exodus), Jeff Waters (Annihilator), Ron Jarzombek (Watchtower, Blotted Science), Pat O'Brien (Cannibal Corpse), Mille Petrozza (Kreator), Jack Owen (Deicide), Ralph Santolla (Obituary), Jeff 'Mantas' Dunn (ex-Venom) and Tomas "Samoth" Haugen (ex-Emperor and Zyklon).
Arriving the same month through Omnibus Press, meanwhile, "
Overkill: The Untold Story of Motörhead" includes a foreword from
Glenn Hughes. Speaking of the erstwhile
Deep Purple and
Trapeze alumni, fronting
Black Country Communion nowadays, his autobiography "
Deep Purple And Beyond: Scenes From The Life Of A Rock Star" surfaced in a luxury first edition in May too. Published by Foruli Publications, the book was co-written by McIver and has a foreword from
Metallica's
Lars Ulrich - a late 2011 paperback publication is imminent.
To discuss his latest books, Joel McIver was interviewed via email.
UG: How did you come to co-write 'Deep Purple And Beyond: Scenes From The Life Of A Rock Star', the autobiography of Glenn Hughes?
Joel McIver: I interviewed Glenn for Bass Guitar Magazine in 2007 and asked his manager Carl Swann afterwards if he'd ever thought of writing an autobiography. It turned out that Glenn had been considering it for ages but hadn't hooked up with the right co-writer, so we discussed some terms and quickly found a lot of common ground. He was really keen to get a book done, and – having written something like 12 books of my own by then – I was interested in moving towards co-writing autobiographies, so we were both eager to begin work and it all got moving very quickly. It's been a blast from start to finish. I've been very lucky to have worked with a subject who was so motivated. Glenn always picked up the phone and answered emails instantly, despite his other commitments, which really made it easy for me. Also, Carl is a decent guy – not at all like the usual rock manager cliché – which was a big help too.
Are there any anecdotes you can share from co-writing the book with Glenn? Memories?
Lots. I remember visiting his house in January 2008 in Palos Verdes in Los Angeles and talking about his childhood: it was dark outside except for the panoramic view of LA and the pool lights, which slowly changed colour every few seconds. It was pretty atmospheric. I also interviewed a lot of other people for Glenn's book – mostly musicians that he's worked with over the decades, but also his family and friends outside the music business. They all had crazy stories to tell and I spent a fair amount of time in the Cannock area meeting them. David Coverdale, Joe Bonamassa and Tony Iommi are always fun to interview anyway, and I'll never forget meeting a few unexpected Hughes fans like Tom Morello and Julian Lennon.
"I'm in a minority here but I prefer the current Motorhead lineup."
Without meaning to sound like a pretentious dickhead author, there's something very rewarding about sharing someone's journey through their life story. I think it's because the co-writer has to guide the subject along, using intuitive judgement about what shapes their story and which elements need to be expanded or explored: it's a very immersive experience in that sense. The process is inevitably very emotional for the subject and, given the people I work with, there are always plenty of eye-opening stories. I'm currently co-writing the autobiographies of three famous heavy metal dudes that you've heard of (no, I can't tell you who they are at this stage) and in each case every interview leaves me speechless. It takes a few minutes to emerge back into real life, especially if you've just been talking about a particularly emotive experience. Anyway, I still like writing my own books so I imagine I'll continue to do both jobs – as long as people keep asking me to do them.
What compelled you to write 'Overkill: The Untold Story of Motörhead', and what was writing that like?
It was funny. The process of getting a book commissioned can be agony at times – you have write a massive pitch and sample chapters, and go back and forth with your agent and blah blah blah – but when it came to the Motörhead book, Omnibus Press – who I've written books for since 2000 – just asked if I had any books in mind. I said 'How about Motörhead?' and they said 'Sure. How about X grand to do it?' and I said 'OK then'. And that was it… Writing it was great. I had to keep a careful eye on how much focus fell on Lemmy, because I wanted the book to cover the whole band and not overlap with his 2002 autobiography, but that was easily done. I think it's turned out well.
Where you do you lie in the debate between which lineup is / was superior? Lemmy, 'Fast' Eddie Clarke and 'Philthy' Phil Taylor or the current lineup of Lemmy, Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee?
I'm in a minority here but I prefer the current lineup. Their musicianship is far superior to the old 1970s band, although the songs that the Lemmy / Eddie / Philthy line-up came up with are obviously iconic. One of the themes I address in the book is how the current band is capable of everything that the old line-up did, and more, and how the common perception of the old band as the definitive Motörhead should be challenged, because it makes no sense.
In writing 'Crazy Train: The High Life And Tragic Death Of Randy Rhoads', what were your motives? In writing the book, what did you wish to achieve?
It was simple. I wanted to tell the truth about Randy and his giant contribution to heavy rock, which I think has become underappreciated because it's so long since he died. Most of the visitors to your site will know about the importance of Randy's playing, of course, but the general public does not, even though most of them know who Ozzy Osbourne is.
This is the second time you've written a book focusing on a deceased metal musician, the first being Cliff Burton. What challenges does that present, when the subject hasn't been with us for quite some time?
The Cliff and Randy books aren't identical by any means, but they do share certain similarities, notably that in their absence I pulled in several of their closest friends and colleagues to recall what the guy was actually like and what his playing really meant. Of course, one person's recollection is not like another's, and so I interviewed a broad spectrum of people, all of whose memories add up to a more or less accurate picture of what the subject was like. The main challenge in a situation when the guy isn't around to give his own testimony is that the author is at risk of portraying him inaccurately. Many biographies of dead heroes basically place their subjects on a pedestal, which I've never done, as no-one is a saint and nobody benefits from that kind of lazy approach. In the specific case of Randy, a couple of his ex-associates are pretty unbalanced, and several more are in conflict with each other about how to handle his legacy – a situation which required me to keep a clear head at times. I like to think I managed to rise above the petty stuff.
Zakk Wylde wrote a foreword for the book while Yngwie Malmsteen wrote an afterword. How did that come to fruition?
I asked them, and they very kindly said yes. The same went for the other guys interviewed in the book: I wanted the input of accomplished shredders who really knew what they were talking about and I was fortunate that guitarists such as Phil Demmel, Alexi Laiho, Ron Jarzombek, Pat O'Brien, Jeff Waters and Ralph Santolla stepped up, as well as Zakk and Yngwie of course.
Randy Rhoads first came to the attention of the music world through Quiet Riot, recording 1977 and 1978's ‘Quiet Riot' and ‘Quiet II'. What are your views on his Quiet Riot material?
The Quiet Riot songs are a bit glam for me and I'm not a fan of that stuff, although I respect Randy's songwriting and playing, of course.
"I wanted to tell the truth about Randy and his giant contribution to heavy rock."
Inspired and meticulous. Randy really seized the opportunity to make his mark on that album, acoustic and electric, and the songs stand up incredibly well to this day. Credit for 'Blizzard' should also go to Bob Daisley, whose lyrics and arrangements really make the record what it is along with Randy's riffs and solos.
In what ways did Rhoads arguably broaden his wings on 'Diary Of A Madman', and possibly hint at the direction he might've taken his playing on future Ozzy albums?
The sad thing is that while Blizzard and Diary are both excellent showcases for Randy's playing, he was nowhere near the peak of his talent and I don't think he ever got to show us what he could really do. Had he appeared on a third studio album, we might have seen him take the leap forward that the first two albums suggested might be coming. As for his future direction, Randy would doubtless have begun to incorporate more of the same technical moves that many of the shredders adopted in the late 80s – sweeps, tapping and so on – but I like to think that he would have retained his melodic identity. Also, of course, he might well have quit Ozzy's band and returned to LA to study classical guitar, as he told Ozzy he wanted to do.
In your opinion, what is Randy Rhoads' lasting influence upon the world of hard rock and metal? Some musicians influenced by him talk about his influence in the book.
Firstly, Ozzy's career was given an enormous boost by Randy's playing, and whatever you may think of Ozzy's music you have to admit that his presence in the world of heavy music has been huge. Secondly, Randy's neoclassical style can be heard today in the work of several world-class guitar players. Then there's his unique guitar designs: the polka-dot Sandoval V and – very importantly – the Jackson sharkfins. Finally, there's his performing flamboyance, both in his image and his choice of notes. Add all that up and you have a highly influential musician who died 50 years before his time in one of the most pointless, easily avoidable deaths ever. His loss is still a huge tragedy, almost 30 years later.
You previously wrote ‘The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists', but discounted Rhoads as you feel he was a rock guitarist. So with that being said, where does Randy Rhoads figure in a potential list of the hundred greatest rock guitarists?
That's a difficult one. But if – as with the earlier book – the criteria are technique combined with influence, he'd be in the Top 10 along with Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Pete Townshend, Keith Richards, Eddie Van Halen, Angus Young and Ritchie Blackmore. Jimi Hendrix would have to be No. 1 – an uncontroversial but obvious choice, I'd say. I actually don't want to write that book: there are too many possible candidates!
Interview by Robert Gray
Ultimate-Guitar.Com © 2011
