I posted this at the TK a few years back. I thought I'd share it here. This was done in 3 email sessions and then put together. My friend and I came up with the questions. ENJOY!
1. When & what did he tell you about the Ozzy audition?
Randy didn't tell me about the audition. We only spoke about twice a month then, as I was in Vegas. By the time he told me about it, it was a done deal. And then he was gone. He was embarrassed by it and it was
awkward to tell me about it. When he did tell me,he just looked at the ground as he told me about it.
2. Did he tell you he was quiting QR? And if so did he say how that went over? (especially with Kevin)
As far as QR, he told me the Ozzy thing was temporary and that he didn't really know what he was going to do after it was over. He had no idea it would turn into what it did. His outlook for the future was very day to day from there on out. I know Kevin was very hurt when Randy left. As I've said they were very good friends.He would often call Kev for advice when he was out with Ozzy. While Kev was hurt, I'm sure he was also very mad. Understandable. Randy no longer being in QR was something that went unsaid. He knew it, and Kev knew it and moved on. There never was an actual quit by Randy.
3. How often did you guys keep in touch when he was in England?
When Randy went to England, I didn't hear much from him. No one did. His mother and girlfriend did but that was about it. Back then, phone calls weren't as cheap as they are now. Randy was paid a salary, not much either, so he kept his overhead down. He was good with money and very good at saving it. Mostly, I would hear from him on tour. Especially the closer he got to Vegas. That was cheaper.
4. Was it wierd when Blizzard took off and people started to dig his playing?
When he "got big', I did not see a rush of players running out to copy his style. In fact, most of the attention was on Ozzy. Randy got really famous after he died, as is so often the case.
5. What did you say to Randy when YOU quit QR?
As far as me quitting QR, I was more fired than quit.The situation came to a head with an incident that happened as a result of my friction with Kevin. I don't mind talking about it but it takes a long explanation and I'm not able to get into it right now.{time} But the gist of it is, there was a bad fight between me and Randy regarding Kevin. From that, I threatened
to kill Kevin, and then ended up in jail. It's a long story and time has proven my point at the time. The management, felt that this person {me} who had guns and an intense hatred for the singer, and was always in trouble anyways, was no longer fit for the band. It was recomended that I be shown the door. Kevin and Drew were all for it, but Randy was not and said he would stick by me no matter what. But I didn't want to put him in that position, it meant enough to me that he would stick by me, besides I was quite sick of Kevin and Drew and wanted a life without them. So I
told Randy to carry on without me and that we had worked so hard to get as far as we were. As friends, we didn't need a band to maintain our friendship. So I let them have their way and have never regretted it
except that I feel Randy would probably be here if I had not left. But such is fate. His death is not my fault and I feel that. But it's easy to look back and blame events on your past for things that happen.
6. Did he try and talk you out of it?
(see above)
7. Did Randy ask YOU to be in Ozzy's band?
Randy never asked me to be in Ozzy's band. The reason being is that I had become a paramedic and was so far out of music that it was obvious I'd never return.
8. Did Randy tell you why Bob and Lee were out of Ozzy's band?
As far as Bob and Lee, Randy never mentioned it to me except he might have been refering to it when he told me there was too much bullsh*t with this project
9. Did he have a say in it, or did he even care?
I don't think he had much of a say. Ozzy and them are control freaks. I don't even think Randy brought Rudy into the band, as Rudy was not a tower of talent, something very important to Randy
10. How much stuff about getting that band and 1st album together were you privy too?
As far as knowing what went on with putting that band together, Randy never really spoke about it to me.
11. How long did it take QR to become the house band at the Starwood?
The Starwood. A very, very cool club in it's day. You could be 13 years old and walk up to the bar and order a beer and get it. Perhaps while standing next to future rockers like Motley, Ratt or someone. I used to look down from the stage and see those guys studying us. It was about a
year of playing for beer before we were hot sh*t there. And then we spent a couple of years there. I felt like I lived there. But it was good because it
was our playground. We could have whatever and whoever we wanted. Randy and I would search the floor after we finished and the club would empty out. As the barmaids cleaned up, we would find money, wallets, jewelry, cigarettes even drugs which we would give to someone else in exchange for favors. It was a treasure hunt for us. We loved it. Our bandmates loathed the practice. But it kept us in gas money and cigarettes.
12. How did you guys react?
(See above)
13. What did you guys think of Sabbath?
As far as Black Sabbath, we thought they were old fogies and a joke. NOW I think they're cool.
14. Was the Alice Cooper song "Second Coming" & "Ballad of Dwight Fry" an influence for "Revelation Mother Earth"? ("Love It to Death" album)
I don't know if Randy was thinking about those AC songs when he wrote Revelation. I will tell you this, those songs in particular were a HUGE influence on us. Some of the first stuff we ever learned. And we would
jam them for hours.We knew them note for note. I can't even tell you how imporatnt those were to us. Later songs of Alice, always the spooky ones, were what we liked. "I Love The Dead", "Dead Babies", "Halo Of Flies" was another one we would jam for hours. I liked it because it was so bass heavy and it served to help me cut my chops. We liked 'Killer' and 'Desperado' as well. I still listen to them quite a bit.
15. Were you into the Ozzy albums that Randy played on? Did you like them?
As far as the Ozzy albums, I thought they were very good and I listened to them alot.
16. Was he the type of person to verbally express himself of did he just put it into his playing?
Randy was a very verbal person. when he spoke, it was always very wise. He didn't say stupid things that he would regret later. As far as putting emotions into his playing, whatever that was, never came out in his words. It was a whole different side of him.
17. Did he ever express his feeling of what music/guitar playing meant to him?
He really didn't say anything about how he felt about playing. It was obvious and needed no words. He would only talk about his equipment and tone.
18. How much did his father's absence affect him? Were they close at all?
His father was never around at all, he lived on the east coast and only visited once. He worked for Ovation guitars and that was a big deal
to us. But he did nothing to help us really, he did give Randy a guitar, a red semi hollow in the shape of an ES 335. He played that for years. And we had a light set up that he gave to the household which we used. His mother was such a strong independant woman that a man around the house would've gotten in the way, so Randy didn't really miss his Dad, he hardly knew him.
(guitar nerd section)
19. Will there be any research into the years/dates of his equipment? (ex: serial # on Les Paul, Marshall heads, wah pedal components, mxr dist pedal etc.)
As far as his gear, I don't know much about it. He didn't care what year something was as long as it played and sounded good.
20. What are the plans for his gear? (Rock n Roll Hall of Fame??)
His stuff he used with Ozzy, I guess Mrs. R has it, but she's very secretive about where it is, not even telling his brother. Hall of Fame people have been contacted but nothing ever seems to gel.
21. What other interests did he have?
His other intrests, well, he loved toys and he liked to draw. He liked to go places, anywhere, he liked parks and would sit in the park and play an acoustic. I would borrow an acoustic and play bass on it. He liked clothes and he liked to drink, preffering somewhat exotic drinks to my beer. As far as girls, he didn't go out and chase women like the rest of us did.
He used to make me so mad cause I'd meet a girl and bring her to a jam or practice and she'd fall all in love with him. He didn't even do anything to cause it, but I'd give him hell for it anyway. It's never said, but one of his first girlfriends was Teresa Russell the actress. It was when we were in about 8th grade, I went out with her sister. It wasn't a long term thing,
just kids stuff.
22. How important was his image to him?
His image was very important to him even before he even knew who he was, that's why I went up to talk to him in school, he didn't look like the other kids. If he wasn't playing his guitar, (90% of time except for sleep) he would be in the bathroom playing with his hair or trying on clothes.
The two of us learned how to sew, by hand, when we were about 13, it became easier to make our clothes than to find the wierd things we liked to wear. And only a very confident person would be so into how they looked.
23. Was he a confident person?
(see above)
24. There has to be more footage of Randy with Ozzy.
Is there? What do you think?
I think there is tons of footage that Ozzy has. He builds this big huge stage set up and then doesn't video it? No way! And has no plans for a live video? If you've been in bands, think about how much video
you probably have, and the reasons you shot it, you want to see how the whole thing looks.
25. Now that your older & you can look back, what are your thoughts, feelings & assesments of that time in your life and Randy as a person/friend?
On being older now and looking back, I think I was so lucky. If a person can enrich your life, then I am a billionaire many times over. No one was like him. He was so unlike other people that he must have been an alien or an angel. The amount of charisma he had was unbelievable.
26. Do you really think Diary was going to be the last Rhoads/Ozzy collaboration?
Even though we didn't get to talk much after he left with Ozzy, I still heard from other people how much he would talk about me. I do think Randy had done all he was going to do with Ozzy.
27. Where were you when you heard the news of the tragedy?
I was at a friends house, he told me. I was dating his sister and he told me to come to his house after work and that he had something to tell me. I thought something happened to the sister from his tone. People kept coming up to me all day and asking me if I was alright, it was all over the radio, which I don't listen to, but no one dared to tell me.
28. Out of all of Randy's work what song do you personally feel is his best? Which is your favorite?
Of all the songs, I like "Diary of a Madman" because it was the most Alice Cooper-like. I can hear Randy using that influence in the leads.
29. During the late 80's alot of guitarists (Steve Vai & Joe Satriani)were doing instrumental albums. Do you think Randy would've pursued something like that? Or do you believe he would've been just strictly
playing classical music, leaving his rock playing behind?
I think Randy would've released an album of hard rock classical, a combo of the two.
30. Did Randy have a good ear? (ie. perfect pitch). Was he able to figure things out pretty quick? Or did he have to develop it?
That's a very good question you have there. Randy didn't have "perfect pitch", but he did have a very good ear in that it only took him a few seconds to find a pitch, assuming he was near a guitar or piano. As far as figuring things out, he was very good. It only took him a few tries to figure things out.
Bonus question: You guys were so skinny in QR (ala Bowie), what did you guys eat!?
We lived on junk food, Jack In The Box and Taco Bell our two favorites, I don't know why we were so thin. Maybe because we willed it, thinking tall
and thin with high heels was cool looking. I'm still thin and he would be too.
Kelly Garni
Kelly Garni interview
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Thanks Andy, you should join in more 
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everyones welcome Cologne she'll wear silver and americard, She'll drive a beetle car and beat you down at cool Canasta. And when the clothes are strewn don't be afraid of the room touch the fullness of her breast feel the love of her caress she will be your living end.
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