RONNIE JAMES DIO- 2005
No intro necessary....
You
have been touring for the last year promoting ‘Master of the Moon’
beginning in Russia & then through Scandinavia, Mainland Europe,
Britain, Central & South America , The States, Japan & back
to Europe again. That is a busy itinerary by anyone’s standards.
How do you compare previous tours to this one?
I only find a tour different because of the songs
we have chosen for it. This will be different because we're including
all of the Holy Diver album, something we've not done before.
Have advances in technology made touring easier?
I haven't found technology making a great difference
to the band per se, but I'm sure the production crews must have noticed
the difference. We still travel the same way and technology hasn't seemed
to make the bus ride any smoother or less boring.
How many
of these countries are you playing for the first time?
We've just returned from Bulgaria where it was
our first time, but all the others we've played before, including Russia
on two prior occasions.
I have read a few reviews of some of your shows on this tour & the
response has been overwhelmingly positive. It would appear that your
career is going through a renaissance of sorts.
How much satisfaction do you get when things are going well?
The only time I am satisfied is when things are
going well. We expect every show to be brilliant and that's why the
band is so consistently as good as it is.
Do you ever
get a chance to reflect on these highs?
I don't often look behind myself, so once the
show is over, it's on to the next challenge. Basking in an achievement
doesn't get the job done the next time.
Speaking of the Renaissance, Ritchie Blackmore’s current style of music….only joking.
I have a videotape of a Rainbow gig from Germany in 1977 which had one
of the best if not the best Rainbow line ups of you, Bob Daisley, Mr.
Blackmore, Cozy Powell & David Stone. It’s one of the best
live shows I’ve seen, everyone in the band was on fire & you
all looked happy (well, as happy as Mr. B ever looked). How would you
rate that time in your career?
That
show had been cancelled for two days while we awaited Ritchie's release
from an Austrian jail. He had struck a security guard who was pummelling
a young fan and was arrested for it. I'm sure he was smiling in great
relief.
It made for a special performance because the band were great and the
circumstances were so unusual.
How
close were Rainbow to reforming if at all, before Cozy Powell’s
tragic death?
We
came close to agreeing to one show in Tokyo for a DVD and CD, and then
call it quits, but as usual business got in the way, and with Cozy's
passing it became clear it would never happen.
I read a recent interview with Bob Daisley in which he talked about
touring Scandinavia with you back in 1998. He stated that he thought
you were less ‘intense’ than your Rainbow days & that
despite the recent death of his father he enjoyed the experience. I
would have thought that leading your own band would have made you more
‘intense’ not less.
Would you
agree with this assessment?
If so what do you put this down to?
From his point of view he remembered a time when
we were all much younger and crazier. Time mellows out your antics,
but the intensity is still and always there in the music.
Do you often meet other guys you used to work with?
Once
you're gone from a band the circle seems to close and leave you on the
outside, so unfortunately I've not had many chances to see those people,
and it seems to be a big circle.
After
Rainbow your next port of call was Black Sabbath where you helped create
2 absolute METAL classics.
What kind of shape was Sabbath in when you joined?
They were unhappy and I think realized the futility
of carrying on the same way, especially Tony. They still believed in
their talent but needed another piece of the puzzle.
Did you ever
encounter the same management problems that dogged the other members
of Sabbath for decades?
We had managerial problems, but compared to what
they'd been through before it was only a ripple in the water. We managed
to survive it all because the music soared way the business area.
Which was most rewarding and why? Your first success with Rainbow, helping
to re-establish Black Sabbath as a force in Heavy Rock or putting together
the initial line-up of Dio, which was also very successful in it's own
right?
I
think the Sabbath times were more rewarding. Rainbow was never dismissed
as invalid like Sabbath were, and Dio was more an extenuation of my
prior successes with some magical musicians involved. I felt a great
sense of pride and accomplishment in being part of a band that proved
everyone wrong.
The
90’s were a tough time for Metal & its fans but you battled
through, consistently releasing albums. How tough was it from your perspective?
There
were times when it was tough. Music needs to be heard and that just
wasn't happening, but I knew the loyalty of the audiences and that we
were making music for people who were out there understanding it.
You last played Ireland back in the mid 80’s but have had to cancel
a couple of shows in Belfast since then once with DIO & the other
with Sabbath. Are you looking forward to drinking a few pints of Guinness
in its hometown?
One
of the joys of visiting Ireland and Belfast in particular, is the incomparable
pints of Guinness that are an absolute necessity to consume at great
length. Heaven on earth!
Pre-dating MTV’s ‘Cribs’ by about 15 years you showed
a camera crew from the short lived “Hard ‘n Heavy”
video magazine around your L.A. home which you had a castle theme in
a few of the rooms & a bar with Guinness on tap. Do you still live
in that house?
I'm
still here and still have the tap.
What
is the latest news on the Tenacious D film? Have you filmed your part?
I've
filmed and recorded my bit. I say recorded because I have a singing
part as well. The crew and cast couldn't have been more like a family,
and Jack Black is an immense talent. The film by the way is entitled,
Tenacious
D "The Pick Of Destiny."
Did you enjoy the orchestral tour with Deep Purple?
I
had a great time but would have loved to sing more songs with such a
brilliant band. We've been mates for a lot of years and there's nothing
better than hanging out with your friends and making music.
If you had to choose 3 songs representative of your career what would
they be?
The
Man On The Silver Mountain, Heaven And Hell, and Holy Diver. They were
all the beginnings of three separate and wonderful careers for me.
Its now
2005 and the Dio machine is still going strong, did you think that you
would’ve been doing this after so many years?
I've
never thought about stopping, so I've never given consideration to how
long I would be doing this. It's always tomorrow for me
What are your plans for after this tour?
We
have another Dio album to make, and we're going to repeat the process
of
Hear'n Aid for a charity I've supported for twelve years called Children
Of The Night. Children Of The Night is concerned with sexually abused
runaway children. We'll do one song featuring five or six great guitarists
and the same number of vocalists and an album of unreleased songs contributed
by some great bands. I guess I'll have to put the film career on hold.
Thanks,
Ronnie James Dio
With
special thanks to Diana from Niji her help with this interview &
Sav for contacting Niji & passing on the interview. Also, thanks
to Dixie & Sav again for additional questions.
www.ronniejamesdio.com
http://www.childrenofthenight.org
Contact KELLZ with any comments at kellz@freeuk.com