QUIET RIOT Singer: 'We Are Not Trying To Reinvent Ourselves'

The Mercury News recently conducted an interview with QUIET RIOT drummer Frankie Banali and vocalist Kevin DuBrow. Several excerpts from the interview follow:

On the common perception that QUIET RIOT — along with the other acts on the Rock Never Stops tour, CINDERELLA, RATT and FIREHOUSE — slipped into complete oblivion after MTV made the switch from POISON to PEARL JAM and that only by the grace of VH1 has this music managed once again to garner an audience:

Frankie Banali: "The interest in this type of music has been there all along. For instance, QUIET RIOT has been touring solid since the early '90s. We wouldn't be able to do that and earn a living and still enjoy it and have fun if people weren't coming out to the show. The difference now is that some media outlets like VH1 and certain radio stations are paying a little more attention to it. But the interest has always been there. It's just that the media hasn't always been there."

On being considered a "true party band":

Kevin DuBrow: "It's not a band based on rage or anger. It's a band based on the celebration of life. It's a form of escapism. A lot of bands today are based on negativity. We are based on being positive."

On experiencing more ups, downs and abrupt changes in direction than a roller coaster at Great America can deliver:

Frankie Banali: "There have been a lot of different versions of QUIET RIOT. The first version of QUIET RIOT, which, of course, included the late, great guitarist Randy Rhoads, split up in the late '70s. What we ended up calling the 'Metal Health' version of the band began in 1982, and that had constant personnel changes from about '85 all the way through '89. Then there was no QUIET RIOT from that point until about 1992. I rejoined the band in 1993; so I've been back in the band now longer than I was in it originally."

On why they continue to release new music:

Frankie Banali: "The reason we continue to write new material and put out new records certainly isn't because we expect to top the charts and sell a lot of records. We do it because it's healthy. We do it because we still enjoy playing music. We do it because we still enjoy being creative and writing new material."

Kevin DuBrow: "We are not trying to reinvent ourselves, but I think, unless you want to become something like the MONKEES or PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS, you need to at least internally continue to be creative. That's really important, if just for your own sanity and to keep in mind why you started doing this."