Rock N Roll Universe Interview

[RR-ElectricAngel]

March 2, 2007 interview with Bernie Torme excerpt:

Rock N Roll Universe: Bernie, around a year later after you left
GILLAN, in '82, you were called upon by Ozzy Osbourne to fill in on
very short notice when Randy Rhoads was tragically killed, playing
several dates on the tour before finding it wasn't working for you,
and you left, with Ozzy bringing in Brad Gillis. Brad has stated that
doing that tour was the most depressing situation he's ever been
involved with. What was the mood when you stepped in, and what do you
recall about those shows?

Bernie: It was absolutely awful. To put you in the picture, at the
beginning, I'd just come out of Ian's band, and I thought, "I'm going
to go and form a band, tour and record an album." It was at the part
of recording at that stage. That was the project I was involved in. I
got the call, and it was like, "Can you go out to L.A. tomorrow and
play with Ozzy?" I said, "Well, no I can't. I'm sorry what's happened,
I'd love to help, but I can't." So they called again, and they said,
"Please, please, please, there isn't anyone else." I said, "Look,
you're telling me I don't have to audition?" They said, "No, there's
nobody else, just you." I said, "Well, I CAN'T." So they called up
again and said, "It's 2,000 pounds a week." I was absolutely fucking
penniless at the time. I hadn't got a penny. So, I said, "It's 2,000
pounds a week? I'll think about it. I'm not auditioning, right?" They
said, "No, you're not auditioning, it's 2,000 pounds a week, and it's
only a month." So I said okay, I'll have a think about it. So I put
down the phone, and I thought, "2,000 pounds a week... that's an awful
lot of fucking money." This was 1982. I called back and said, "Okay,
if I'm not auditioning, and if you pay me a week's pay up front." That
sounds awfully mercenary, but the thing is, I'd been on Jet Records,
with the Ardens, prior to joining Ian. So there was this feeling of I
really didn't trust what I'd been told. They then said, "Yeah, okay."
The money never arrived, so I never went out. Then, it did arrive, and
I went out. And there were 3 other people auditioning. (Laughs) So I
was thinking, "Well, at least I'm probably the only one who's been
paid up front." (Laughs)

So I auditioned, then Sharon says, "Bernie, are you able to come
'round to the back of the amps?" Then she said, "You've got the gig."
I said, "Oh great!" She said, "But the pay isn't 2,000 pounds a week,
it's 500 dollars a week." So then... David Arden, who's her brother,
whom I'd spoken to, I said, "David said it was 2,000 POUNDS a week."
Sharon said, "Bernie, David doesn't know what he's talking about, he's
on drugs, it's 500 dollars a week." So I'm standing there thinking
I've been paid 2,000 pounds, I'm not going to be paid again. (Laughs)
(2000 pounds worked out to being about $3000 at that time.) So anyway,
I liked Ozzy, and it was a great band, so I figured I'm already here I
might as well try it. Because at that time I thought it's only a
month. Then it started to turn into gigs in Hawaii, and Alaska...
three months away, and I'm kind of saying, "Well hold on, I wasn't
told about any of this. I have an album coming out, I have a band, and
a tour. I have a project to do. I can't let people down." But to
return to your question, I went out of the rehearsal rooms, Ozzy's
crying, and it was just absolutely not the kind of situation that
anyone would enjoy being in. I have to say, both Ozzy and Sharon were
great, really nice to me. But it was chaos. Because they'd had all of
this drop on them, and Sharon, I think, was just trying to have it
carry on, because if Ozzy stopped he'd never do anything again. I was
going around at the beginning, staying in hotel rooms that had been
booked as "Roy Rogers," which was Randy's hotel name. It was so
depressing, just so depressing.

Rock N Roll Universe: Were you aware of Randy's playing before getting
the call, and how daunting of a task was it for you to learn the set
list in such a short time?

Bernie: I hadn't actually heard much of anything. I'd heard "Mr.
Crowley" on the radio, once, and I thought wow, he's great. I hadn't
actually taken it in at all. So I'm asked, and being an arrogant
guitarist, I thought yeah, of course I can handle it. I got the albums
just before I left to go to the U.S., and it was just like, "Shit!
What a player!" He was incredible.

Rock N Roll Universe: Was there ever a sense for you after hearing the
albums of "What the hell have I gotten myself into here?"

Bernie: Definitely, oh definitely. Because the difference between his
style of playing and mine was that he was basically a classical
player, and I was not. So it was such a struggle. We were playing
almost an hour and a half, and the only song I knew on it was
"Paranoid", basically. To take it in, in terms of arrangements, licks
and subtleties was completely utterly impossible. I just wasn't able
to. I was jet lagged, tired, and scared, because also I hadn't any
idea of how it was going to be. I didn't even know if Ozzy was playing
clubs.

Rock N Roll Universe: Well, these weren't club dates, we're talking
about playing Madison Square Garden...

Bernie: Yeah. And I go out, and it's like, "Shit!" It was this big
stage production, and one of the problems was that you couldn't
fucking hear anything on stage. Tommy Aldridge is on top of a pyramid,
to actually hear the high hats, or toms, was completely impossible.
All I had was 2 wedges down there I wasn't able to hear anything at
all. It was just so hard. Having done a few gigs, I remember thinking,
"I'm not enjoying this AT ALL." I just thought I can't hack it. But,
in retrospect, hearing the bootlegs of me with Ozzy, I was amazed it
was as okay as it was. Because my memories of it... the first gig, I
had a hired guitar, and I had Randy's pedals because mine hadn't
arrived. I really didn't want to use his pedals. I mean, his pedals
turned on and off, and I wasn't even close to them. Everyone's saying,
"Oh, it's damp." Well, I've never had a pedal turn on and off because
of dampness. I'm looking at the lights, and I could see the chorus
pedal turning on and off. And I remember thinking I really do not
want to be here. It wasn't as if the wrong pedal was going off at the
wrong time, it was the right pedal but it was a raw situation in terms
of emotions. In all honesty, all the way along, I was thinking, "Well
hold on...if this had happened... If I had been in GILLAN, and I had
died, would I have wanted the band to carry on?" And I don't know how
I would answer that. It was a problem I personally had with all of it.
I can see Sharon and Ozzy's point of view that it HAS to carry on.
There wasn't any point in stopping. But being Irish, we pay a lot of
attention to the dead, probably too much. So it was a problem for me
personally.

For the rest of the article go to:
http://rocknrolluniverse.com/rocknrolluniverse_453.htm

[frank]

good post. it gives further insight to the mood at the time. my hat's off to bernie.

[Trigger]

I can only imagine how tough this would have been turning up with the band in peices, guitar almost imposible, paymants being slashed, no gear for the opening night

I do agree with Bernie had Ozzy not got back on stage he would have been a footnote in music history and so would Randy. I can't as a drummer imagine how it must have been for Tommy, when you have a great guitarist you feed off each other and form duets (almost) through song structures. when Randy was removed without notice Tommy would have gone back onto stage and all the duets he had created with Randy would still be there but now 50% emptier.
Those shows before Brad joined and the band started to feed off each others style again must have been the most soul destroying any of them have ever played.

The only person who I know who could describe what the loss would have felt like emotionally (for the band) is Frank, He talked about this in another thread a while ago.

[Paul Wolfe]

I think it's interesting how they begged Bernie to come bail them out and then lied to him about everything. I would have given them back the money and walked away had I been him.

Listening to the boot I have of Madison Square Garden, I am so impressed by Bernie's ability to handle these songs at all having only heard them for such a short time. He is truly underrated.