Drummer TOMMY CLUFETOS Has 'Nothing But Great Things To Say' About ROB ZOMBIE

Away-Team.com recently conducted an interview with drummer Tommy Clufetos (TED NUGENT, ALICE COOPER, ROB ZOMBIE, OZZY OSBOURNE). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Away-Team.com: So how did you get the gig with Ozzy? Did you have to audition? Or did they call you and say "Hey, what are you doing? We want you to play with us"? How did that work out?

Tommy Clufetos: I was kinda in the right place at the right time. I was brought in to help out during [guitarist] Gus G.'s audition. He came in from Greece, and their drummer at the time couldn't make it, so I was asked to do it just so Gus could be comfortable and focus on playing guitar… and the music would be solid. So that's what I came in to do, and then they asked me to play at a thing called BlizzCon in California, which, again, Mike Bordin, who's an amazing drummer, could not make due to commitments with FAITH NO MORE. They asked me to do that, and out of those couple experiences they asked me to join the band. So I was very lucky, and excited, and so ecstatic to say, "Yes."

Away-Team.com: So now you left Rob Zombie's band to take the gig with Ozzy. I understand Rob was a little bitter when you left him. Have you spoken to him since and managed to salvage your friendship?

Tommy Clufetos: I have not spoken to him. But I have nothing but great things to say about Rob and my time spent there, and, ya know, I base our relationship on what I saw when I was there and I have nothing but great things to say about that. I wouldn't say anything negative, just because of a couple statements in the press. So, no hard feelings on my end. I wish him, his wife Sheri, and all the guys nothing but the best. I still think the world of all of them. So, that's how I feel.

Away-Team.com: So these days Ozzy seems to be a bit more energized than he has been in the past few years. I'm sure in part it has to do with some of you younger guys being around. With guys like yourself and Gus being closer in age to Ozzy's kids, than the man himself; do Ozzy and Sharon treat you with more of a parental instinct? Or are you still just one of the guys?

Tommy Clufetos: The age thing doesn't really come into play. We play in his band, and it's business. But this is more like a family than anything I've ever been involved with. They're super-cool and super-nice, and ya know, we just played an L.A. show and Ozzy's whole family was out there. They couldn't be better to us, they treat us all great despite the age. Whether you're old or young, it's all the same thing.

Away-Team.com: So of all the legends that you've played with — Ted Nugent, Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie and Ozzy — what's the best advice any of them has ever given you?

Tommy Clufetos: Best advice anybody has ever given me… that's a tough one. (pauses) I have no idea. I learned alot from Ted Nugent, he gave me my first big break, we're both from Detroit, share alot of the same influences, come from the same place and look at things the same way so I learned a lot of things from him. But most of the stuff, my parents gave me the tools, I knew what I was doing. I was ready when anything came down the pipeline. I'm talking emotionally, and mentally I was ready. The best advice I can give somebody, if they wanna do this, is to keep the music number one. If something else comes in front of your music, or whatever you wanna do in your life, you will not make it. Everything I do during the day has to do with me wanting to play music for the rest of my life. And when you get away from that, when you start getting into drugs, and start drinking, when the partying becomes too much eventually, it may take years, you're gonna fall. I don't care who you are, when you stop practicing as much you will lose your chops. You will lose it, I've seen so many drummers that are like, "Oh yeah, I don't really pick up the sticks in between tours." WHAT? You don't pick up the sticks? I have to pick up the sticks, I have to play, I have to stay hungry for it. Or year after year after year you will become dull, and you will lose it slowly. You gotta keep the hunger, and you gotta keep the music number one. So that's my biggest advice, and everybody who I've worked for, that's what they do and they have 42-year careers because of it. So they may not say something, they may not say the advice, but if you're smart enough and perceptive you can pick it up on your own. Watch and learn.

Read the entire interview from Away-Team.com.