How Close Did C.C. DEVILLE Come To Joining STRYPER? MICHAEL SWEET Responds

In a new interview with Guitar By Emily, Michael Sweet confirmed that C.C. DeVille auditioned for STRYPER before joining POISON and achieving multi-platinum success as the latter band's guitarist. Regarding how he met DeVille in the first place, Sweet said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I was standing on Sunset Boulevard in front of Gazzarri's [famed nightclub in West Hollywood], and this guy comes up, and we ran into each other. And I'm, like, 'Oh, this guy's cool. He's got a cool look and he's fun.' And I consider myself to maybe be fun as well; I don't know. But we hit it off, and we started talking, started laughing. And he was out from New York, looking for a better way, trying to break, like every other musician at that time. A lot of people were moving to L.A. L.A. was the hot spot — not Nashville, Austin. It was L.A. That's where you wanted to be if you wanted to make it. And C.C. came out, and we became friends."

The STRYPER frontman continued: "We eventually invited him down to the garage in La Mirada, about 45 minutes from Hollywood, and we jammed. And we were actually considering, from both sides, [about him joining STRYPER] and the thing that made him make the decision to say no was the whole yellow-and-black [image of STRYPER]. That's what I recall. Yeah, that's what I recall. And you might get a different version from him if you interview him, but I remember him specifically saying, 'Yeah, I'm not into the yellow and black. I'm more into pink and purple.' He actually said that. That's what kept us from moving forward. And we also jammed and auditioned and talked to Doug Aldrich [DIO, WHITESNAKE, THE DEAD DAISIES] about joining the band as well."

Sweet previously discussed the possibility of DeVille joining STRYPER in a 2014 interview with The Weeklings. Asked how STRYPER would have worked "theologically" with C.C. in the band, Michael replied: "I don't know. C.C. believes in God. Spiritually and philosophically, I think it could've worked. But musically? I'm just not sure. What would POISON have sounded like with Oz [Fox, STRYPER guitarist] on lead guitar? There was a real tight network of musicians around the Strip in that day, so there are all sorts of mutations that could have taken place. But C.C. wasn't really into the yellow and black."

Sweet also reflected on DeVille's STRYPER audition in his 2014 book "Honestly - My Life & Stryper Revealed". He wrote: "During the audition process to find an additional guitar player, we auditioned a new guy in town from New York by the name of Bruce Johannesson, otherwise known as C.C. DeVille. I had met C.C. previously and we hit it off. He seemed like a great guy and we got along well. Our band had been playing out as a trio for a quite a while, with me handling all the guitars, but we were actively seeking a fourth member. C.C. came in to our rehearsal studio and we went through a typical audition process playing some covers and some of our tunes, just to get a feel on how we'd gel together. Musically, it felt great, but at the end of the night, he inquired about the yellow and black. Rob [STRYPER drummer and Michael's brother Robert Sweet] was adamant about keeping the yellow and black, so when C.C. suggested he wasn't really into the color scheme, I could sense Rob's defense mechanism kick in. The yellow and black was Rob's baby and he was convinced we should stick with it. So no matter how good C.C. was, if he couldn't wear the colors, he wasn't going to be in the band. C.C. politely declined the opportunity, stating he really wasn't digging the yello-and-black thing and that he was more of a pink-and-purple kind of guy. And our auditions with others continued. But to think, had our color scheme been pink and purple, C.C. DeVille just might have become a member of our band."

He added: "Just another one of God's miracles, both for him and for us, I'm sure. I can't imagine POISON without C.C., and I'm certain he is thankful as well for the path he took."

Several years ago, Robert Sweet explained the inspiration for STRYPER's yellow-and-black look, saying: "I wanted STRYPER to stand for something and be remembered. You may either love or hate the yellow and black, but that was my thing. Music is about music and should always be first, but I was also a very visual guy. Sometimes people would say they didn't know our names, but they knew we were the guys with the yellow-and-black stripes. I never took it as an insult and always smiled because it worked."