GREG D’ANGELO (WHITE LION) 12/13/2022 PRE-RECORD TO 12/14/2022 AIRDATE
THIS THAT AND THE OTHER RADIO SHOW ON WWW.DIRTYRADIO.FM CHANNEL (2) DIRTY RADIO CLASSICS WITH HOST TROY PATRICK FARRELL

“IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO WHAT DO YOU WANT? DO YOU WANT TO BE IN A “BAND”?  IF YOU’RE GONNA TAKE THE LEAD ROLE,  YOU ALSO HAVE TO TAKE THE ROLE OF RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE IT’S FAIR FOR EVERYBODY & THAT EVERYBODY IS HAPPY”

“THAT’S REALLY WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO, IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT TAKING THE DOUGH AND RUNNING, YOU REALLY NEED TO BE A LEADER AND MAINTAIN THAT STABILITY, IT’S A RESPONSIBILITY”.
GREG D’ANGELO ON LEAVING WHITE LION

SHOW NOTES:

00:00        INTRO & SHORT BACKGROUND ON GREG D’ANGELO (ANTHRAX, WHITE LION, STEPHEN PEARCY BAND).
02:34         GREG D’ANGELO ON THE PHONE

04:25         WE DISCUSS ANTHRAX (WHETHER GREG WAS IN THE RECENT ANTHRAX YOUTUBE DOCUMENTARY)
05:35         REGRETS LEAVING ANTHRAX?  EVER THOUGHT YOU COULD’VE BEEN IN THE BAND BEYOND THE EARLY YEARS?
                    AND HE DISCUSSES WHY HE LEFT “I WANTED TO PLAY WITH BETTER MUSICIANS”, “IT WAS TOUGH PLAYING WITH THE BASS PLAYER”
07:00         ANTHRAX HAD PUNK INFLUENCES, (SEX PISTOLS, RAMONES), “I WAS MORE LED ZEPPELIN, BAD COMPANY, DEEP PURPLE”

08:45        THE BAND CITIES (W/ AJ PERO (TWISTED SISTER) ON DRUMS)), GREG D’ANGELO REPLACED AND THEN WAS REPLACED BY AJ PERO
09:30         WE DISCUSS SOME OF THE PIONEERS IN THE NEW YORK, EAST COAST AREA FOR EARLY 80’S HEAVY METAL; PRIMARILY DRUMMERS
                   (BOBBY RONDINELLI, JOE FRANCO, TONY PETRI, JOE MARKOWSKI, CARMINE APPICE)

12:00         JACK STARR’S BURNING STARR W/ BRUNO RAVEL (DANGER DANGER)- SESSION WORK ONLY

14:00         WE DISCUSS PLAYING TOP 40 MUSIC, MULTIPLE SETS ETC IN THE SCENE (AT THE END OF THE INTERVIEW, HE REFERENCES THAT HE IS     ESSENTIALLY DOING THAT NOW IN THE LEGENDS OF CLASSIC ROCK (WITH CHUCK WRIGHT (QUIET RIOT) TERRY ILOUIS (XYZ-GREAT WHITE)) ETC

14:45         GREG DISCUSSES GETTING INTO WHITE LION, THE AUDITION PROCESS AND WHAT HAPPENED TO NICKY CAPOZZI (HE LEFT DUE TO HEALTH RELATED ISSUES) + “THINGS WEREN’T GOING RIGHT FOR THEM”, DROPPED BY ELECTRA (ALBUM SHELVED), SO THEY NEEDED “NEW BLOOD”

16:30         GREG DISCUSSES HIS AUDITION PROCESS AND HIS THOUGHTS ON MEETING THE WHITE LION GUYS, AND THEIR STYLE OF MUSIC

17:30         “I HAD TO DO A MENTAL ADJUSTMENT, PLAYING IN A POP GIG, PLAYING FOR THE SONGS, AND UNDER PLAYING”.  HE ALSO DISCUSSES THE DIFFERENCES FROM THE 2 YEARS OF PREP THEY HAD FOR PRIDE, A FULL BAND EFFORT TO A 2 WEEK PREP FOR THE OTHER ALBUMS ESSENTIALLY BECAUSE OF TOURING AND GETTING THE ALBUM OUT “YESTERDAY”.  IN ADDITION TO WOOD-SHEDDING THE SONGS AS A BAND MINUS SINGER MIKE TRAMP WHO WOULD COME IN AT THE END WITH MEDLEYS HE CREATED WITH DEMOS FROM REHEARSALS.

22:00         WE DISCUSS THE MANY HITS OF BANDS THAT HAD HUGE HITS WITH SONGS THAT DIDN’T HAVE ANY DRUMS, BUT IN CONTRAST THAT RADAR LOVE (A #1 VIDEO ON MTV), HAD AN ACTUAL DRUM SOLO IN IT WHICH WAS VERY DIFFERENT FOR THE TIME.

WE DISCUSS HOW MICHAEL WAGENER (PRODUCER) INSTRUCTED GREG TO DO HIS OWN BIG SOLO IN RADAR LOVE, AND HOW HE CAME UP WITH THE PARTS AND THE DYNAMIC OF PLAYING IT LIVE.

27:00         WE DISCUSS THE MANY BANDS THAT WHITE LION OPENED FOR/TOURED WITH AND A FEW PRANKS AND STORIES HE REMEMBERS FROM GETTING HAZED.  (WHITE LION TOSSED AN ADULT MAGAZINE “FORUM” AT THE STRYPER SHOWS BECAUSE STRYPER TOSSED OUT BIBLES).

29:55         “YEAH, THE BUSINESS IS WHY WE LEFT”, “I THINK THE BAND COULD’VE LASTED”.             WE DISCUSS THE CLIMATE MUSICALLY (BOTH IN WHITE LION AND WITH GRUNGE COMING IN) WHICH ULTIMATELY CONTRIBUTED TO JAMES LOMENZO AND GREG D’ANGELO DEPARTING THE BAND.  GREG BLAMES “OUR GROWN-UP MANAGERS” WHO LACKED SKILL AND DIRECTION.



31:00         WE GET INTO THE ZAKK WYLDE CONNECTION (JAMMING W/ ZAKK WHILE ON TOUR W/ OZZY).  THE BAND WENT OUT AS “LYNYRD SKYNHEAD” AND WOULD ULTIMATELY BECOME “PRIDE AND GLORY” OF WHICH FOUND GREG D’ANGELO EXITING 1 WEEK BEFORE TRACKING THE DEBUT ALBUM.

WE DISCUSS “FARM FIDDLIN’” AND “BABY PLEASE DON’T GO”- THE ONLY TWO RELEASED “PRIDE AND GLORY” RELATED RECORDINGS RELEASED WITH GREG D’ANGELO ON DRUMS IN ADDITION TO JAMES LOMENZO AND ZAKK WYLDE.

GREG SAYS THAT THE ENTIRE PRIDE AND GLORY ALBUM WAS FULLY RECORDED (DEMO’D) BEFORE HIS EXIT WHERE BRIAN TICHY WOULD TRACK THE ALBUM THAT WAS RELEASED



34:30         GREG DISCUSSES WHY HE LEFT WHITE LION- WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN DISCUSSED PRIOR TO THIS INTERVIEW THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SOURCE.  WHILE HE DOESN’T NAME “SPECIFICALLY”, BOTH WHITE LION/PRIDE AND GLORY AND HIS DEPARTURE IS WHAT WE WE’RE SPECIFICALLY DISCUSSING.

IT AGAIN LEADS TO BUSINESS ISSUES (PUBLISHING, SONG WRITING ETC, HOWEVER THE BAND WERE EQUAL PARTNERS).  IT APPEARS THAT LIKE WHITE LION, PRIDE AND GLORY WOULD LEAVE THE RHYTHM SECTION TO NOT GET EQUAL CUTS OF ALL OF THE BUSINESS ASPECTS (I READ THAT AS PUBLISHING, SONGWRITING).

                “IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO WHAT DO YOU WANT? DO YOU WANT TO BE IN A “BAND”?  IF YOU’RE GONNA TAKE THE LEAD ROLE, YOU ALSO HAVE TO TAKE THE ROLE OF RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE IT’S FAIR FOR EVERYBODY & THAT EVERYBODY IS HAPPY”

“THAT’S REALLY WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO, IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT TAKING THE DOUGH AND RUNNING, YOU REALLY NEED TO BE A LEADER AND MAINTAIN THAT STABILITY, IT’S A RESPONSIBILITY”.

37:30         WHY DID WHITE LION FAIL WHEN GREG AND JAMES LEFT BEFORE THE US TOUR IN 1991?
                    GREG GOES BACK TO DISCUSSING THE DEMISE OF THE BAND DUE TO THE DEMISE OF THE BROTHERHOOD.  “YOU NEED TO HAVE ELEMENTS OF THOSE IDEAL IN ANY BUSINESS, IF YOU’RE NOT TREATING SOMEONE FAIRLY, THEY’RE GONNA SPLIT; YOU NEED TO TREAT PEOPLE FAIRLY”.

HE DOESN’T BLAME MIKE AND VITO, HE BLAMES MANAGEMENT THAT WAS AS I INTERPRET AS SHORTSIGHTED.

39:40         GREG BELIEVES BEYOND THE BUSINESS ISSUES, THE BAND COULD HAVE SURVIVED IN OTHER MARKETS DESPITE THE MUSICAL CLIMATE CHANGING.

40:30         I ASK POINT BLANK- “HOW DO YOU GET TO THE GOAL LINE OF RECORDING/RELEASING THE S/T DEBUT PRIDE AND GLORY ALBUM AND BAIL.  HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?  “SIMILAR ISSUES”

WE DISCUSS IF GREG KEEPS UP WITH THE OLD WHITE LION GUYS, (ODDLY ENOUGH HE TALKS LEAST WITH JAMES LOMENZO WHOM HE DEPARTED THE BAND WITH AS WELL AS A RUMORED LAWSUIT).

42:30         WE DISCUSS IF GREG HAS ANY UPDATE WITH VITO BRATTA AND WHAT THE LAST MEETING WAS LIKE.

43:15         I ASK WHAT GREG THINKS OF “TRAMP’S WHITE LION” AND HIS OPINION OF THE WORD “SCABS” AS OUTLINED BY ANOTHER INTERVIEWER.
“I THINK SCAB IS A LITTLE EXTREME”, “EVERY BAND OUT THERE WOULD BE A SCAB BAND”, “PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR THOSE SONGS”

46:00         GREG RESPONDS TO SEEING “TRAMP’S WHITE LION” WITH MIKE TRAMP’S 2005-2009 VERSION OF THE BAND. “I WAS SMILING WHILE I WAS WATCHING IT”

48:15         WHEN’S THE LAST TIME YOU PLAYED A WHITE LION SONG?  GREG PLAYS “RADAR LOVE” IN THE LEGENDS OF CLASSIC ROCK BAND WHICH DID EXTENSIVE TOURING OF 60 PLUS DATES IN 2022.  WE TRANSITION INTO WHAT’S GOING ON NOW WITH THE LEGENDS BAND.

50:20         WE DISCUSS HIS BRIEF STINT IN ROUGH RIOT (PAUL SHORTINO/CARLOS CAVAZO)

52:00         MEETING STEPHEN PEARCY OF RATT “I WAS GETTING MY MAIL- HE WAS WATERING HIS ROSES”
                    HE LEFT BECAUSE “IT RAN IT’S COURSE, IT WAS TIME TO DO SOMETHING ELSE”

                    GREG D’ANGELO WAS CONSIDERED TO BE IN RATT “THAT WAS PART OF A CONVERSATION FOR AWHILE”, “STEPHEN WARREN AND JUAN COULDN’T SEE EYE TO EYE, WHAT A SHAME”, “THEY REALLY SHOULD BE OUT THERE PLAYING”.

GREG DOESN’T BELIEVE THERE IS ANY MANAGER/MANAGEMENT THAT COULD GET RATT TOGETHER. “WHAT’S THE NUMBER”? (MONEY)

56:15- WRAP UP
FINAL PLUGS FOR THE LEGENDS OF CLASSIC ROCK-

BRIEF UPDATE ON HIS STUDIO ENGINEERING, GEAR

GREG HAS PLATINUM AND GOLD ALBUMS IN HIS BATHROOM

GREG DISUSSES MOVING LA WHEN HIS SON GRADUATES HIGH SCHOOL.  “I’M GONNA PULL UP TO GRADUATION IN A U-HAUL”.

GREG DISCUSSES A FEW OF HIS COOL CARS (ASTON, FERRARI, McLAREN)

WE DISCUSS OUR “NET WORTH”

FINAL GOODBYES!