JACK RUSSELL: 'I'm Not Taking Pills To Get F**ked Up'

John Parks of Legendary Rock Interviews recently conducted an interview with GREAT WHITE singer Jack Russell. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Legendary Rock Interviews: I did a couple of interviews with both Terry Ilous and Mark Kendall [who are currently members of a separate touring version of the band GREAT WHITE]. Both of them were very kind and gave me great interviews and I even enjoyed seeing them live but they were very tight-lipped on your status [in GREAT WHITE] when I asked about you coming back or whether Terry was [the] permanent [replacement singer]. I got a little bit out of Terry who told me he wasn't sure about his status and whether you were coming back but that he talked with you about singing your songs and what an honor it was to perform the catalog. It was all really confusing from a fan standpoint.

Jack Russell: I know, and that's bullshit that they didn't make it clear that I would be coming back. I did talk to Terry and tell him thank you for doing a great job and everything after the situation with Jani [Lane, late WARRANT singer, who filled in for Russell for a number of GREAT WHITE shows] and there was even a point during the shows where Terry was telling people, "Jack's getting better and will be back," and all that, and that all started to change only recently. I was on the phone with our manager so much to the point that he was like, "Jack, I'm not gonna tell you again… This is your band, you're the singer in GREAT WHITE, we're here for you. If the guys don't wanna play with you anymore, we will fire them. Michael's on board, Kendall will just go where the money is and Audie might not like it, but once he sees you rehearse and sees you're fine, then he will be okay with it." Again, sneakily and ironically, Michael Lardie sent me a text December 6th which was the day before they filed for the rights to the name and the day after my birthday. Lardie sent me an email that said, "Happy belated birthday, you old fart…haha, super busy, gotta go, loves Mikey." and then the very next day they filed for the trademark without me. It was like, "Really, Michael??? What the fuck is up with that shit? Can't you have the balls to call me and say, 'Look, Jack, we're really sick of your shit and we don't wanna play with you anymore so we're gonna call it a day and let's go fight it out in court and see how it goes?" Sending me a text and wishing me a happy birthday the day you take my band away from me was just really sneaky and telling, if you ask me.

Legendary Rock Interviews: Prior to that point were you completely supportive of their efforts to keep the ship afloat with Terry and Jani and Paul and those guys?

Jack Russell: Yeah! I told the guys, let's keep this thing together, let's keep this going, and I'll call Jani Lane and Jani was, like, "Well, I really don't wanna do that and I'm really not comfortable with that, but for you, I will do that," and he even said that in the last interview he ever did on "That Metal Show". He said, "Jack Russell, my friend, called me and wanted me to fill in for him," and he did. He did an amazing job, too. I was talking to his widow, Kimberly, and was like, "You know, Kim, Jani saved my life because I woke up from my last surgery on August 11th and the first thing I heard my wife say to me was, 'You know, your friend Jani died today of alcohol poisoning,' and I couldn't believe it. I was in a state of shock that Jani was gone and a few days later Steven Tyler called me and said, "Jack, what the hell are you doing?" and I just said, "I don't know, man" and Steven said, "Jack, you gotta get sober, buddy," and I did. I really did. Yeah, I gotta take pain medication, I probably have to take it for the rest of my life, because my back is so screwed up, but you can tell from talking to me or watching me sing that I'm lucid, I'm not all fucked up.

Legendary Rock Interviews: I saw the NAMM video, the interviews and the performances and was just even more confused by the GREAT WHITE statements about you because you sounded and looked great.

Jack Russell: Well, thank you, that's very kind. This is it, this is where I'm at, and I am fine. I'm not taking pills to get fucked up; I'm taking what I need to take to get by and do my best. This is what I do, and I'm not on medications that I abuse or make me confused or falling all over the place, incoherent or whatever. I've got a new doctor and new medication that works for me and allows me to do this without having me be a mess and I am very thankful.

Legendary Rock Interviews: Well, that's another question that's been raised this past year or two. How much of your problems were addiction-related and how much were full-blown health problems? I do understand that one does sometimes blend into the other.

Jack Russell: Here's the deal: I was taking a lot of meds. I was taking prednisone which is for inflammation and swelling and I was getting worked too much, my voice was starting to take a beating. So, the prednisone helped with that but it does all this other bad shit to your body and screws up your bones and ravages your immune system and everything else.

Legendary Rock Interviews: The GREAT WHITE guys were putting it out there in some detail via a press release about your addictions, medical issues and abusing your pain meds which pissed off some of your faithful that they would go public with your problems. Thoughts?

Jack Russell: I was taking pain pills but they were just making me a mess and all I really needed was time away and time to rest and heal. I needed to take a break from that schedule that they were so adamant about and it did hurt that they decided to make so much of my problems public but I get it. I was having problems with the medications I was on the last time those guys had worked with me. I was having issues with a lot of those pills and the oxy contin was making me an idiot, I was falling down and forgetting the words to my own songs and shit like that. I was nodding off and just wasn't the same old Jack, I understanded that is a major problem, I get that. Do I think that my own band should believe me when I tell them that I have a new doctor and new meds and I'm sober now? Yes. Do I think I should have to take a piss test or be off my pain pills in order to be in the band I started? No. I have a new doctor who just has a different approach, I have new medications that make the pain tolerable. Trust me when I say that I am by no means cured from pain, it's not that I'm not in pain anymore it's just that it's manageable and tolerable now and I'm able to be myself and be coherent and perform the way I expect myself to.

Read the entire interview from Legendary Rock Interviews.

Performance:

Signing session:

Jack Russell's GREAT WHITE