SAIGON KICK/Ex-SKID ROW Drummer PHIL VARONE Talks To SRO MAGAZINE INC. (Audio)
April 22, 2014SRO Magazine Inc. writer Alicia Williams recently conducted an interview with former SKID ROW and current SAIGON KICK drummer Phil Varone. Varone spoke about past experiences with bands and musicians that he has played with, including SAIGON KICK, SKID ROW, PRUNELLA SCALES and MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.
Varone, who claims he's had sex with over 3,000 women, published his book, "Un-Philtered: Real Life On And Off The Rock 'N' Roll Tour Bus", in April 2013 via Riverdale Avenue Books. The e-book and trade paperback is available through RiverdaleAveBooks.com, Amazon.com and other online venues.
In "Un-Philtered: Real Life On And Off The Rock 'N' Roll Tour Bus", Varone shares his thoughts on what it's really like to be a rock star on a bus for weeks on end, the man-band bonding rituals, and the endless groupies. He tells the inside story of what it was like to sleep with more than 3,000 women — and remember only half of them. In one of the most riveting chapters of the book, "I Said/She Said — A Look into the Groupie Mind," the reader meets many of the women he bedded, It features often explicit stories from numerous women in his life, juxtaposed with Varone's memories (or lack thereof) of their encounters.
"Un-Philtered" takes the reader through Varone's childhood on Long Island, his role in founding SAIGON KICK, and his bizarre journey through the '80s and '90s rock scene. Throughout the rock 'n' roll memoir, Varone tells readers how he sees the world in a no-holds-barred riff on American culture — from what makes it so unique and great to what makes it funny and often sad.
Readers of "Un-Philtered" will find out what Varone thinks about Donald Trump, Mitt Romney and reality TV, and will finally learn what happens when the bathroom doesn't work on the tour bus.
Varone closes the book with this thought: "I hope this book made you laugh, cry, mad, disgusted, shake your head or want a refund. The idea is to touch on emotions and even if it's for a split second, make another person think. I had the time of my life writing this for you and I hope to have made a few friends and fans along the way."
Over the years Varone has been branded as a sex addict and has appeared on VH1's "Sex Rehab With Dr. Drew" show. "They've got an addiction claim for everything you can do, but I never considered myself a sex addict because sex never screwed up the rest of my life or my ability to function at a high level," Varone says.
Varone has appeared on many TV shows, including "Miami Ink", "Californication", "NUMB3RS", "Oprah", "The Tyra Banks Show", "The Today Show" and many others.
In 2010, Phil responded to ex-SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach's claim that Varone's decision to pose nude for the cover of the December 2010 issue of Playgirl magazine is "further proof that the name 'SKID ROW' has completely lost all credibility, cool, accuracy and is now devoid of all meaning in every way." Varone told the New York Post, "I'm grateful and proud of my time in SKID ROW and sorry [Sebastian] feels that way." Playgirl representative Daniel Nardicio defended Varone: "This coming from a man [Bach] who preceded David Hasselhoff in 'Jekyll & Hyde' on Broadway? Now that's the epitome of uncool."
Varone joined SKID ROW in 2000 — about four years after Bach parted ways with the group.
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