Category Kansas City – KQRC – 98-9 The Rock!

Joined on the phone by Mike McCready from Pearl Jam. Seems like Pearl Jam are taken way too seriously. As if, because they came from the “grunge scene,” they have to be moribund. Not sure why this is the case. I’ve always found the band to be fairly outgoing and gregarious. A little-known fact; Mike is *really* into the band UFO! In fact, he has a cover band that plays a benefit for Colitis research every year. Not the first thing I’d have considered out of Pearl Jam. Proves my point a bit. We talk about that, and the “return” of Pearl Jam.

Jeff and the guys in Tesla have been close friends for a long time. It’s so ironic to me, considering I got my first gig as a singer in a band by doing “Modern Day Cowboy” during the audition. And years later, I actually had a chance to sing “Comin’ Atcha Live” with them on stage. This turned out to be the final interview of my Kansas City career. This show was on a Friday night, and I got the axe the following Monday. Good way to go out…hanging with a good friend. Check out www.teslatheband.com to keep up on what these guys are doing. They’ve always been solid in every way.

This band had a good year in 2009. Now, we wait to see how they come back from “instant success.” This is from when they came back to play Rockfest 2009 in front of over 50,000 people. They were still new, and enjoying what was happening in their world. I like them. They can hang, and appear to be good guys. Plus…they’re diving right in to rock scandal-world with both feet! Always like seeing a band embrace the lifestyle with good humor. Saving Abel, do that.

One of the most welcome comebacks in recent music history is Alice In Chains. “Black Gives Way To Blue” is a cool new record, and everyone is pleasantly surprised at how great William DuVall is doing. Trying to “replace” Layne Staley is truly impossible, but he’s stepped in and handled the pressure amazingly. I was told he was not much of a talker. But, it turned out he was really personable. We went for a while and he handles himself well. A true pro. Glad I had a chance to get to know him a bit here.

If you’ve listened to my show over the years, you know I count Zakk Wylde as one of my few “show business” friends. I have been lucky enough to make friends with a few of the bands I’ve talked to over the years. And Zakk is one of those guys that has kinda become more than that. We’ve really got to know each other. So, when I heard that Ozzy was replacing him with Gus G. from Firewind (who?), I blew a call in to see what the hell was going on. Turns out Zakk was PISSED! I’ve never heard him angry at Ozzy before. This interview ended up getting national attention due to his response. And then…very soon after, Zakk started to go through his health issues. Thankfully, he’s doing well physically, and hard at work on a new BLS CD (featuring new drummer Will Hunt), tentatively called “In Search Of Women’s Clothing.” Maybe. Zakk’s not exactly known for being organized or disciplined. We’ll see!