Post by HARD ROCK UNIVERSE on May 25, 2006 9:48:05 GMT -5
Bobby Rondinelli Of Rainbow/Black Sabbath/B.O.C./The Lizards
Interview by Nightwatcher
July 29, 2005
Breaking into the major league of rock drummers back in 1981 when he joined Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow replacing Cozy Powell, Bobby Rondinelli has been a consistently in demand drummer for some of the biggest bands in hard rock and metal, working with The Scorpions, Quiet Riot, Black Sabbath, Riot, Doro Pesch and Blue Oyster Cult, as well as his own band Rondinelli along the way. Now part of bluesy hard rockers The Lizards, who also include Riot frontman Mike DiMeo, Rondinelli continues to impress with his fantastic work on the skins, proving that after 25 years of being in the elite class of rock drummers, he's still going strong into the new millenium. Recently I had the pleasure of talking to Bobby not long after he finished a U.S. tour with The Lizards alongside hard rock legends U.F.O., and the results of our conversation are contained below.
Special thanks go to Billy James at Glass Onyon PR for coordinating this interview, and a BIG thanks to Bobby Rondinelli for doing this interview for Rock N Roll Universe!
Rock N Roll Universe: Bobby, first of all I'd like to thank you for taking the time to talk with us, we really appreciate it.
Bobby Rondinelli : Thanks, I appreciate you taking the time.
RNRU : If you were to encounter someone who's never heard The Lizards, how would you describe the music?
BR : I think the new Lizards are kind of Classic rock sounding, with a bluesy and sometimes funky twist.
RNRU : How was the tour with U.F.O.?
BR: That went well. I think it was a good mix. It always amazes me, because I'm used to being in headlining bands. Most people we play in front of have never heard us, so we go over really well.
RNRU : How was the response from the U.F.O. fans?
BR: Very good. None of these people knew us, and at the end a lot of people said they were fans, so it went very well.
RNRU : Were you a U.F.O. fan before the tour?
BR: I liked U.F.O., they used to open up for Rainbow when I was in the band, so I've known some of those guys for 25 years. It was good, and they're a good band, I think they're actually as good or better than ever now. Which is nice, because a lot of times you hear bands that have been around for awhile, and they shouldn't be. (Laughs) Those guys are still rockin'.
RNRU : The first two, if you count the live album that you did with The Lizards were with (ex Sir Lord Baltimore vocalist) John Garner, who has since been replaced by Riot's Mike DiMeo for 'Cold Blooded Kings'. How did you get together with Mike?
BR: Well, I recently did the last Riot album, 'Through The Storm', recently being a couple of years ago, and I was really impressed with the way he sang on it. When John split, he was the first guy I called actually. I called him and a few other guys, we heard Mike first, then I called the other guys and told them don't bother. Because it just worked.
RNRU : What do you feel that Mike brings to the band that wasn't previously there?
BR: He sings great, and he plays keyboards also, so that's whole other dimension. We have the option of having keyboards in certain songs, not having keyboards in certain songs. Which is nice, because if you have a keyboard player, he's got to be in every song, and sometimes you don't want keyboards. But, if it's the singer, you can just say, "Hey, this one would sound better if you just sing," which is nice, it adds another dimension.
RNRU : On 'Cold Blooded Kings', it seems like there's more of a 'Epic' quality to the music. The sound has gone more towards a Zeppelin, Purple type of sound. Was there a concious effort to go in this direction, or did it just progress naturally?
BR : It's more natural. We don't ever say, let's write this kind of thing, that kind of thing. We've got some epics on the next one. I think the band, over the last six months, is really starting to find it's niche. Some bands don't write a lot, we write SO much it's unbelieveable. We're always rehearsing and writing. I think the new stuff, the new direction, is really more musical. I'm very happy with where the band is going.
RNRU : You've had the opportunity to play with some the best guitarists in the history of Hard Rock and Metal, Blackmore, Iommi and Buck Dharma to name just a few. Which one would you say your style was the most compatible with?
BR: That's a rough one, because I liked playing with all of them. I'm not just saying that. That's not a bad choice, I mean who do you like playing with better, Ritchie, Tony or Buck? All for different reasons. Straight out heavy, you've got Tony Iommi. For like classical, more straight hard rock you've got Ritchie, he's the King. Buck, with Blue Oyster Cult, some of the stuff was kind of progressive at times, quirky. With B.O.C., we had some crazy arrangements. Buck's a great soloist. Honestly, I'm friends with all of them still, and I enjoyed playing with all of them.
RNRU : Along those same lines, out of all the vocalists you've worked with, and disqualifying Mike for obvious reasons, who would be the most talented in your opinion?
BR: Ray Gillen was really talented. Tony Martin was really talented, Joe Lynn Turner's talented, that's a rough one.
RNRU : Didn't mean to put you on the spot...
BR : Well you are.(Laughs) I know it's your job, but it's my job to skirt around it also.
RNRU : What is your favorite performance on record? Is there a particular song or album that you're especially proud of your performance on?
BR: I'm very happy with the way that I played on the last Lizards record. But, I think the new one's going to be even better. My solo record, Rondinelli 'Our Cross, Our Sins', I thought I played really well on that. I'm hard on myself usually, so for me to say that I think I played well on it, I really do. (Laughs)
RNRU : On the flip side, are there any songs or performances that you'd rather not hear again?
BR : I think I've been a little lucky, because there's nothing I really hate. I like certain things better than others, certain mixes. With me, it's usually more the mix, like if the drums are too low, something like that. Usually, if you're making a record, you don't have to do it once. I'm smart enough not to leave something that's really crappy. I'm not lazy, I'll do it again until I get it right. It's more that I have records that I either like the drum sound, or I don't like the drum sound. I think I've learned to deal with the studio better now than when I did when I was younger, so I actually enjoy recording more now than I used to. There's nothing I really hate.
RNRU : Has there ever been a song where live, you've been like "Oh my God I don't want to play this again"?
BR: No, but a funny story, when I was in Rainbow, we used to play a song called "All Night Long." I used to play that in a cover band, and we did it wrong. We did the intro wrong, the timing of the intro we did different than Rainbow. So, I couldn't get that out of my head. So, everytime Ritchie would start that song, I'd start sweating, because I'd have to remember the timing on when to come in, because we used to play it for a couple of years in a cover band, wrong. Now I had to do it right. I didn't realize I was doing it wrong until I was playing it with Ritchie. (Laughs) That kept me on my toes. But, I didn't really hate playing any songs.
RNRU : What was the moment when you decided you wanted to become a musician?
BR : I started at 11, probably by the time I was 13, 14, I knew this was what I wanted to do .
RNRU : Who were your early influences?
BR: Ginger Baker, Carmine Appice, Dino Dinelli from The Rascals, Buddy Rich, people like that.
RNRU : Growing up on Long Island, there was, and still is, a very healthy music scene. Who else was around at the time when you were coming up there?
BR : Guys like The Good Rats, Zebra, Twisted Sister, there was a really good Long Island music scene.
RNRU : You joined Rainbow in 1981, replacing Cozy Powell. How did that come about?
BR : Basically, a friend of Ritchie's saw me in a club, brought Ritchie down to see me, a guy named Barry Ambrosio. I was in a band called Samantha, our equipment got stolen, our truck. Zebra and Twisted Sister were doing a benefit for us. At the sound check, I was showing the drummer from Twisted Sister at the time, Tony Petri, the fill that I do. I showed him the fill, and one of Ritchie's friends was at the sound check. The guy was in jail, but he got out, he had a pass to get out for a few hours. I swear to God this is true. He comes to the sound check, he hears me showing this guy something, then tells Ritchie about me. I'd been trying to get in touch with Ritchie, with basically no success. About a week later, I'm playing in this place called Hammerhead's, and this guy comes up to me, and says, "Hi, my name's Barry, I'm a friend of Ritchie Blackmore's." I go, "Really? I've been trying to get in touch with him." He said, "Good, because he's here, and he wants to meet you." That's how I met Ritchie.
RNRU : Later on, you were replaced by Cozy in Sabbath for the 'Forbidden' album. Did you ever get the chance to spend time with Cozy and compare notes?
BR : No, but we were friendly. We were very friendly. In fact, when I got the gig in Sabbath, he had called me up and said, "Bobby, Cozy here, I'm gonna give you my girlfriend's number mate. You've done just about everything else I've done, you might as well do her too." (Laughs)
RNRU : Right before you landed the Rainbow gig, you auditioned for the spot in KISS, and it came down to you and Eric Carr, and in the end they picked Eric. In retrospect, are you happy with how things turned out in that situation? Can you see yourself wearing all the makeup and wardrobe?
BR : Very. We respected those guys, but I was never really a KISS fan. Hey though, for the right price, I would've wore the makeup and the wardrobe.(Laughs) Actually though, I was a Rainbow fan, so when I got the Rainbow gig, I was excited about that.
RNRU : While you were with Rainbow, the band enjoyed its highest level of commercial success, "I Surrender" was a big hit in the U.K., and in the early days of MTV you guys got plenty of exposure with "Stone Cold" being played on a pretty regular basis. With that success, what did you see that changed for the band after that?
BR : We started playing the big places. We were on MTV a lot, it was the beginning of MTV, videos and arena tours. The band just jumped from theaters to arenas.
RNRU : Was there a difference in the people that started showing up at the shows?
BR : Yeah, about fifteen thousand. (Laughs) And you get more girls.
RNRU : With that success, and the more streamlining of the sound, there were people that began to think the band had sold out, abandoning the harder rocking roots of the earlier albums in order to get that success...
BR : To be honest with you, I like the earlier stuff better, even though I wasn't on it. I know the stuff we did was great, but I liked the heavier edge of the Dio, Cozy era. But that was more production and direction I guess, we were trying to be a bit more commercial. I think we pulled it off, where we were commercial, but not wimpy. Not many bands could do that.
RNRU : What was the songwriting process when you were in Rainbow?
BR : Usually we'd get together in a room, Ritchie'd come up with a riff, we'd come up with music, put it on tape, then Joe and Roger would usually work out melodies. That's the way it worked out.
RNRU : Would you like to work with Joe Lynn Turner again?
BR : Anything is possible. I'm still friends with Joe. I'm happy with what I'm doing at the moment. The doors are always open. We don't hate each other, we're friends. He's busy, I'm busy, everybody's busy.
RNRU : What was your favorite Rainbow song to play live?
BR : Either the Beethoven piece or "Spotlight Kid," something like that.
RNRU : It's pretty well documented that Ritchie has had a strong interest in supernatural matters. When you were with Rainbow, were there any strange occurances that went on?
BR : There was always weird Sh*t, but with Ritchie you could never tell whether it was a practical joke or you were possessed by the devil. (Laughs) He was a practical joker, too.
RNRU : Speaking of that, Ritchie's quite the practical joker, which kind of goes against the conception of him being this serious taskmaster. Did you ever fall victim to any of his mischief?
BR : Oh yeah, he'd always pull stuff. He hated that I could sleep. I was one of the few guys on the road that could sleep like a log. So, when we were doing the 'Straight Between The Eyes' tour, he made a cassette loop of Kate Bush's "Rolling The Ball," it would just say "Rolling The Ball...Rolling The Ball," he got a boom box and put it outside my door every morning, whenever he woke up. He figured if he couldn't sleep, nobody should sleep. (Laughs)
RNRU : What prompted your departure from Rainbow?
BR : I would've probably got thrown out if I didn't leave. We just stopped getting along. Things changed. Rainbow went through a lot of people man.(Laughs)
RNRU : If Ritchie were to call you and say, "Hey, I'd like to put Rainbow back together," would you be willing to do it?
BR : I don't know, I'd have to see what I'm doing at the time. I didn't get that close so I don't have to worry about it. I'm really not a good "What if?" kind of guy. I'm like, when it happens, it happens.
RNRU : You also played on The Scorpions' 'Love At First Sting' album, even though you weren't credited. I know that you've stated that you made a lot of money from that, but would you like to see your name credited on the album?
BR : Sure, I would love to see my name credited. That sold more records than any other album I'm on.(Laughs)
RNRU : Why were you called in for that? What was the situation with Herman Rarebell at the time?
BR : He wasn't feeling well, he was having problems at the time.
RNRU : You also worked with Steven Tyler and Aerosmith?
BR : I did about four or five shows with Aerosmith in like 83, 84, when Joey Kramer was ill. It was great. Steven's one of the coolest guys I was ever on stage with, he's like a master on stage.
RNRU : In 1993, you joined Black Sabbath for the 'Cross Purposes' album and tour. How did you get the gig with Sabbath?
BR : I got a call saying Sabbath needed a drummer, and they gave me Iommi's number, and I called them out of the blue, left a message, and he called me right back and said, "We had your name on the list, and we were gonna give you a call." We talked, and I flew over a couple of days later.
RNRU : What was the main difference between working with Ritchie and working with Tony?
BR : There weren't that many differences. Tony was really easy going. He'd say, "Play what you want," basically.
RNRU : You were supposed to be part of the reunion shows when the band got back together with Ozzy. What happened there, and were you taken by surprise at all by their decision?
BR : Where'd you hear I was supposed to be part of the reunion shows?
RNRU : In an interview you did...
BR : There was talk about getting Ozzy back, that's all. This is what Iommi was telling me, then next thing you knew the whole band's back together and you're hearing it from MTV. That's the reality. (Laughs)
RNRU : Would you be interested in working with Tony again?
BR : I like Tony a lot. Tony's a gentleman, anything's possible.
RNRU : Have you ever been approached by Sabbath to come back since you left the band?
BR : They asked me to do an Ozzfest at one point, but I was busy with Blue Oyster Cult. Like one Ozzfest show or something. That wasn't worth it for just one show.
RNRU : How did you get hooked up with Blue Oyster Cult?
BR : Danny Miranda, who was the bass player suggested me. Danny's playing with Queen and Paul Rodgers now.
RNRU : What brought on your decision to leave Blue Oyster Cult and join The Lizards full time?
BR : We just started getting real busy with The Lizards, and I couldn't do both anymore. I was doing both for a long time. I was with Blue Oyster Cult for eight years, and it was time for a change.
RNRU : Is there anyone that you haven't played with that you'd like to collaborate with?
BR : I would love to play with Jimmy Page for ten minutes, just to say I did it. I think he's a genius.
RNRU : Due to you being a member of Blue Oyster Cult for so long, do you have people yelling out at shows, "More Cowbell!"?
BR : I get it ALL the time, bro, ALL the time. (Laughs)
RNRU : You should sell T Shirts, "Bobby Rondinelli Gives More Cowbell," you'd make a lot of money...
BR : Yeah really (Laughs)
RNRU : You do have an upcoming Lizards live CD and DVD. How's the progress going on those?
BR : We have four shows that we filmed, multi-camera shoots. We're editing, looking at stuff. It'd be a lot easier if it were just one, but we've got four of them to sort through. It's gonna be good.
RNRU : When's that scheduled to come out?
BR : Hopefully by next year. Definitely by next year, maybe sooner.
RNRU : You're also working on a new Lizards studio album. Any projected release date for that yet?
BR: Again, I would say by early next year.
RNRU : What advice would would you give to someone who's just starting off in the business?
BR : Practice, Practice, Practice. The harder you work, the luckier you get, and I mean that.
RNRU : What's your opinion on the hard rock and metal scene in the U.S.? Do you think it's getting healthier?
BR : I don't know, I don't really like much of the new music. But I think the old music is still alive because the new music isn't as good. I think it seems to be getting a little better. People seem to be receptive to Rock again, I think. I don't know why that is, but I'm glad it is.
RNRU : Are there any drummers or bands that you've heard recently that have impressed you?
BR : There's tons of good drummers, so many you can't name them. A lot of the direction of the music I'm not really thrilled about, maybe because I'm older. (Laughs)
But I don't think so. I like guitar solos and stuff like that, I like guys that actually sing. I like all that kind of stuff. That kid Jason Bittner from Shadows Fall, he's a really good drummer.
RNRU : Anything new that you listen to that's caught your interest?
BR : Not particularly, no. I'm always playing so much and working, I don't listen to music as much as I should I guess. (Laughs)
RNRU : Anything else that you'd like to say to the fans?
BR : I'd just like to say, if you hear The Lizards are coming to town, come and see us, I hope you like it. And thanks for all the support over the years.
For more information on what Bobby's up to, or to learn more about The Lizards, go to www.thelizardswebsite.com/
Interview by Nightwatcher
July 29, 2005
Breaking into the major league of rock drummers back in 1981 when he joined Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow replacing Cozy Powell, Bobby Rondinelli has been a consistently in demand drummer for some of the biggest bands in hard rock and metal, working with The Scorpions, Quiet Riot, Black Sabbath, Riot, Doro Pesch and Blue Oyster Cult, as well as his own band Rondinelli along the way. Now part of bluesy hard rockers The Lizards, who also include Riot frontman Mike DiMeo, Rondinelli continues to impress with his fantastic work on the skins, proving that after 25 years of being in the elite class of rock drummers, he's still going strong into the new millenium. Recently I had the pleasure of talking to Bobby not long after he finished a U.S. tour with The Lizards alongside hard rock legends U.F.O., and the results of our conversation are contained below.
Special thanks go to Billy James at Glass Onyon PR for coordinating this interview, and a BIG thanks to Bobby Rondinelli for doing this interview for Rock N Roll Universe!
Rock N Roll Universe: Bobby, first of all I'd like to thank you for taking the time to talk with us, we really appreciate it.
Bobby Rondinelli : Thanks, I appreciate you taking the time.
RNRU : If you were to encounter someone who's never heard The Lizards, how would you describe the music?
BR : I think the new Lizards are kind of Classic rock sounding, with a bluesy and sometimes funky twist.
RNRU : How was the tour with U.F.O.?
BR: That went well. I think it was a good mix. It always amazes me, because I'm used to being in headlining bands. Most people we play in front of have never heard us, so we go over really well.
RNRU : How was the response from the U.F.O. fans?
BR: Very good. None of these people knew us, and at the end a lot of people said they were fans, so it went very well.
RNRU : Were you a U.F.O. fan before the tour?
BR: I liked U.F.O., they used to open up for Rainbow when I was in the band, so I've known some of those guys for 25 years. It was good, and they're a good band, I think they're actually as good or better than ever now. Which is nice, because a lot of times you hear bands that have been around for awhile, and they shouldn't be. (Laughs) Those guys are still rockin'.
RNRU : The first two, if you count the live album that you did with The Lizards were with (ex Sir Lord Baltimore vocalist) John Garner, who has since been replaced by Riot's Mike DiMeo for 'Cold Blooded Kings'. How did you get together with Mike?
BR: Well, I recently did the last Riot album, 'Through The Storm', recently being a couple of years ago, and I was really impressed with the way he sang on it. When John split, he was the first guy I called actually. I called him and a few other guys, we heard Mike first, then I called the other guys and told them don't bother. Because it just worked.
RNRU : What do you feel that Mike brings to the band that wasn't previously there?
BR: He sings great, and he plays keyboards also, so that's whole other dimension. We have the option of having keyboards in certain songs, not having keyboards in certain songs. Which is nice, because if you have a keyboard player, he's got to be in every song, and sometimes you don't want keyboards. But, if it's the singer, you can just say, "Hey, this one would sound better if you just sing," which is nice, it adds another dimension.
RNRU : On 'Cold Blooded Kings', it seems like there's more of a 'Epic' quality to the music. The sound has gone more towards a Zeppelin, Purple type of sound. Was there a concious effort to go in this direction, or did it just progress naturally?
BR : It's more natural. We don't ever say, let's write this kind of thing, that kind of thing. We've got some epics on the next one. I think the band, over the last six months, is really starting to find it's niche. Some bands don't write a lot, we write SO much it's unbelieveable. We're always rehearsing and writing. I think the new stuff, the new direction, is really more musical. I'm very happy with where the band is going.
RNRU : You've had the opportunity to play with some the best guitarists in the history of Hard Rock and Metal, Blackmore, Iommi and Buck Dharma to name just a few. Which one would you say your style was the most compatible with?
BR: That's a rough one, because I liked playing with all of them. I'm not just saying that. That's not a bad choice, I mean who do you like playing with better, Ritchie, Tony or Buck? All for different reasons. Straight out heavy, you've got Tony Iommi. For like classical, more straight hard rock you've got Ritchie, he's the King. Buck, with Blue Oyster Cult, some of the stuff was kind of progressive at times, quirky. With B.O.C., we had some crazy arrangements. Buck's a great soloist. Honestly, I'm friends with all of them still, and I enjoyed playing with all of them.
RNRU : Along those same lines, out of all the vocalists you've worked with, and disqualifying Mike for obvious reasons, who would be the most talented in your opinion?
BR: Ray Gillen was really talented. Tony Martin was really talented, Joe Lynn Turner's talented, that's a rough one.
RNRU : Didn't mean to put you on the spot...
BR : Well you are.(Laughs) I know it's your job, but it's my job to skirt around it also.
RNRU : What is your favorite performance on record? Is there a particular song or album that you're especially proud of your performance on?
BR: I'm very happy with the way that I played on the last Lizards record. But, I think the new one's going to be even better. My solo record, Rondinelli 'Our Cross, Our Sins', I thought I played really well on that. I'm hard on myself usually, so for me to say that I think I played well on it, I really do. (Laughs)
RNRU : On the flip side, are there any songs or performances that you'd rather not hear again?
BR : I think I've been a little lucky, because there's nothing I really hate. I like certain things better than others, certain mixes. With me, it's usually more the mix, like if the drums are too low, something like that. Usually, if you're making a record, you don't have to do it once. I'm smart enough not to leave something that's really crappy. I'm not lazy, I'll do it again until I get it right. It's more that I have records that I either like the drum sound, or I don't like the drum sound. I think I've learned to deal with the studio better now than when I did when I was younger, so I actually enjoy recording more now than I used to. There's nothing I really hate.
RNRU : Has there ever been a song where live, you've been like "Oh my God I don't want to play this again"?
BR: No, but a funny story, when I was in Rainbow, we used to play a song called "All Night Long." I used to play that in a cover band, and we did it wrong. We did the intro wrong, the timing of the intro we did different than Rainbow. So, I couldn't get that out of my head. So, everytime Ritchie would start that song, I'd start sweating, because I'd have to remember the timing on when to come in, because we used to play it for a couple of years in a cover band, wrong. Now I had to do it right. I didn't realize I was doing it wrong until I was playing it with Ritchie. (Laughs) That kept me on my toes. But, I didn't really hate playing any songs.
RNRU : What was the moment when you decided you wanted to become a musician?
BR : I started at 11, probably by the time I was 13, 14, I knew this was what I wanted to do .
RNRU : Who were your early influences?
BR: Ginger Baker, Carmine Appice, Dino Dinelli from The Rascals, Buddy Rich, people like that.
RNRU : Growing up on Long Island, there was, and still is, a very healthy music scene. Who else was around at the time when you were coming up there?
BR : Guys like The Good Rats, Zebra, Twisted Sister, there was a really good Long Island music scene.
RNRU : You joined Rainbow in 1981, replacing Cozy Powell. How did that come about?
BR : Basically, a friend of Ritchie's saw me in a club, brought Ritchie down to see me, a guy named Barry Ambrosio. I was in a band called Samantha, our equipment got stolen, our truck. Zebra and Twisted Sister were doing a benefit for us. At the sound check, I was showing the drummer from Twisted Sister at the time, Tony Petri, the fill that I do. I showed him the fill, and one of Ritchie's friends was at the sound check. The guy was in jail, but he got out, he had a pass to get out for a few hours. I swear to God this is true. He comes to the sound check, he hears me showing this guy something, then tells Ritchie about me. I'd been trying to get in touch with Ritchie, with basically no success. About a week later, I'm playing in this place called Hammerhead's, and this guy comes up to me, and says, "Hi, my name's Barry, I'm a friend of Ritchie Blackmore's." I go, "Really? I've been trying to get in touch with him." He said, "Good, because he's here, and he wants to meet you." That's how I met Ritchie.
RNRU : Later on, you were replaced by Cozy in Sabbath for the 'Forbidden' album. Did you ever get the chance to spend time with Cozy and compare notes?
BR : No, but we were friendly. We were very friendly. In fact, when I got the gig in Sabbath, he had called me up and said, "Bobby, Cozy here, I'm gonna give you my girlfriend's number mate. You've done just about everything else I've done, you might as well do her too." (Laughs)
RNRU : Right before you landed the Rainbow gig, you auditioned for the spot in KISS, and it came down to you and Eric Carr, and in the end they picked Eric. In retrospect, are you happy with how things turned out in that situation? Can you see yourself wearing all the makeup and wardrobe?
BR : Very. We respected those guys, but I was never really a KISS fan. Hey though, for the right price, I would've wore the makeup and the wardrobe.(Laughs) Actually though, I was a Rainbow fan, so when I got the Rainbow gig, I was excited about that.
RNRU : While you were with Rainbow, the band enjoyed its highest level of commercial success, "I Surrender" was a big hit in the U.K., and in the early days of MTV you guys got plenty of exposure with "Stone Cold" being played on a pretty regular basis. With that success, what did you see that changed for the band after that?
BR : We started playing the big places. We were on MTV a lot, it was the beginning of MTV, videos and arena tours. The band just jumped from theaters to arenas.
RNRU : Was there a difference in the people that started showing up at the shows?
BR : Yeah, about fifteen thousand. (Laughs) And you get more girls.
RNRU : With that success, and the more streamlining of the sound, there were people that began to think the band had sold out, abandoning the harder rocking roots of the earlier albums in order to get that success...
BR : To be honest with you, I like the earlier stuff better, even though I wasn't on it. I know the stuff we did was great, but I liked the heavier edge of the Dio, Cozy era. But that was more production and direction I guess, we were trying to be a bit more commercial. I think we pulled it off, where we were commercial, but not wimpy. Not many bands could do that.
RNRU : What was the songwriting process when you were in Rainbow?
BR : Usually we'd get together in a room, Ritchie'd come up with a riff, we'd come up with music, put it on tape, then Joe and Roger would usually work out melodies. That's the way it worked out.
RNRU : Would you like to work with Joe Lynn Turner again?
BR : Anything is possible. I'm still friends with Joe. I'm happy with what I'm doing at the moment. The doors are always open. We don't hate each other, we're friends. He's busy, I'm busy, everybody's busy.
RNRU : What was your favorite Rainbow song to play live?
BR : Either the Beethoven piece or "Spotlight Kid," something like that.
RNRU : It's pretty well documented that Ritchie has had a strong interest in supernatural matters. When you were with Rainbow, were there any strange occurances that went on?
BR : There was always weird Sh*t, but with Ritchie you could never tell whether it was a practical joke or you were possessed by the devil. (Laughs) He was a practical joker, too.
RNRU : Speaking of that, Ritchie's quite the practical joker, which kind of goes against the conception of him being this serious taskmaster. Did you ever fall victim to any of his mischief?
BR : Oh yeah, he'd always pull stuff. He hated that I could sleep. I was one of the few guys on the road that could sleep like a log. So, when we were doing the 'Straight Between The Eyes' tour, he made a cassette loop of Kate Bush's "Rolling The Ball," it would just say "Rolling The Ball...Rolling The Ball," he got a boom box and put it outside my door every morning, whenever he woke up. He figured if he couldn't sleep, nobody should sleep. (Laughs)
RNRU : What prompted your departure from Rainbow?
BR : I would've probably got thrown out if I didn't leave. We just stopped getting along. Things changed. Rainbow went through a lot of people man.(Laughs)
RNRU : If Ritchie were to call you and say, "Hey, I'd like to put Rainbow back together," would you be willing to do it?
BR : I don't know, I'd have to see what I'm doing at the time. I didn't get that close so I don't have to worry about it. I'm really not a good "What if?" kind of guy. I'm like, when it happens, it happens.
RNRU : You also played on The Scorpions' 'Love At First Sting' album, even though you weren't credited. I know that you've stated that you made a lot of money from that, but would you like to see your name credited on the album?
BR : Sure, I would love to see my name credited. That sold more records than any other album I'm on.(Laughs)
RNRU : Why were you called in for that? What was the situation with Herman Rarebell at the time?
BR : He wasn't feeling well, he was having problems at the time.
RNRU : You also worked with Steven Tyler and Aerosmith?
BR : I did about four or five shows with Aerosmith in like 83, 84, when Joey Kramer was ill. It was great. Steven's one of the coolest guys I was ever on stage with, he's like a master on stage.
RNRU : In 1993, you joined Black Sabbath for the 'Cross Purposes' album and tour. How did you get the gig with Sabbath?
BR : I got a call saying Sabbath needed a drummer, and they gave me Iommi's number, and I called them out of the blue, left a message, and he called me right back and said, "We had your name on the list, and we were gonna give you a call." We talked, and I flew over a couple of days later.
RNRU : What was the main difference between working with Ritchie and working with Tony?
BR : There weren't that many differences. Tony was really easy going. He'd say, "Play what you want," basically.
RNRU : You were supposed to be part of the reunion shows when the band got back together with Ozzy. What happened there, and were you taken by surprise at all by their decision?
BR : Where'd you hear I was supposed to be part of the reunion shows?
RNRU : In an interview you did...
BR : There was talk about getting Ozzy back, that's all. This is what Iommi was telling me, then next thing you knew the whole band's back together and you're hearing it from MTV. That's the reality. (Laughs)
RNRU : Would you be interested in working with Tony again?
BR : I like Tony a lot. Tony's a gentleman, anything's possible.
RNRU : Have you ever been approached by Sabbath to come back since you left the band?
BR : They asked me to do an Ozzfest at one point, but I was busy with Blue Oyster Cult. Like one Ozzfest show or something. That wasn't worth it for just one show.
RNRU : How did you get hooked up with Blue Oyster Cult?
BR : Danny Miranda, who was the bass player suggested me. Danny's playing with Queen and Paul Rodgers now.
RNRU : What brought on your decision to leave Blue Oyster Cult and join The Lizards full time?
BR : We just started getting real busy with The Lizards, and I couldn't do both anymore. I was doing both for a long time. I was with Blue Oyster Cult for eight years, and it was time for a change.
RNRU : Is there anyone that you haven't played with that you'd like to collaborate with?
BR : I would love to play with Jimmy Page for ten minutes, just to say I did it. I think he's a genius.
RNRU : Due to you being a member of Blue Oyster Cult for so long, do you have people yelling out at shows, "More Cowbell!"?
BR : I get it ALL the time, bro, ALL the time. (Laughs)
RNRU : You should sell T Shirts, "Bobby Rondinelli Gives More Cowbell," you'd make a lot of money...
BR : Yeah really (Laughs)
RNRU : You do have an upcoming Lizards live CD and DVD. How's the progress going on those?
BR : We have four shows that we filmed, multi-camera shoots. We're editing, looking at stuff. It'd be a lot easier if it were just one, but we've got four of them to sort through. It's gonna be good.
RNRU : When's that scheduled to come out?
BR : Hopefully by next year. Definitely by next year, maybe sooner.
RNRU : You're also working on a new Lizards studio album. Any projected release date for that yet?
BR: Again, I would say by early next year.
RNRU : What advice would would you give to someone who's just starting off in the business?
BR : Practice, Practice, Practice. The harder you work, the luckier you get, and I mean that.
RNRU : What's your opinion on the hard rock and metal scene in the U.S.? Do you think it's getting healthier?
BR : I don't know, I don't really like much of the new music. But I think the old music is still alive because the new music isn't as good. I think it seems to be getting a little better. People seem to be receptive to Rock again, I think. I don't know why that is, but I'm glad it is.
RNRU : Are there any drummers or bands that you've heard recently that have impressed you?
BR : There's tons of good drummers, so many you can't name them. A lot of the direction of the music I'm not really thrilled about, maybe because I'm older. (Laughs)
But I don't think so. I like guitar solos and stuff like that, I like guys that actually sing. I like all that kind of stuff. That kid Jason Bittner from Shadows Fall, he's a really good drummer.
RNRU : Anything new that you listen to that's caught your interest?
BR : Not particularly, no. I'm always playing so much and working, I don't listen to music as much as I should I guess. (Laughs)
RNRU : Anything else that you'd like to say to the fans?
BR : I'd just like to say, if you hear The Lizards are coming to town, come and see us, I hope you like it. And thanks for all the support over the years.
For more information on what Bobby's up to, or to learn more about The Lizards, go to www.thelizardswebsite.com/