UGLY KID JOE's WHITFIELD CRANE Looks Back On His Friendship With LEMMY: 'I Really Appreciated His Wisdom A Lot'

In a new interview with Rocklahoma Live, UGLY KID JOE singer Whitfield Crane reflected on his longtime friendship with MOTÖRHEAD leader Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister. Asked how he connected with Lemmy in the first place, Whitfield said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, basically, when UGLY KID JOE broke, Klaus [Eichstadt, UGLY KID JOE guitarist] and I, in any interview we ever did, first of all, we couldn't believe anyone was interviewing us in the first place, but no matter what the interviewer asked us, we would have, like, 'Ozzy' [Osbourne] written on our knuckles, and we'd just say, 'Ozzy rules.' And I figured that that must've gotten back to that Ozzy camp, and then we started selling a bunch of albums or whatever format you wanna call it. And then all of a sudden we got this opportunity to play the Randy Rhoads — Randy Rhoads rules — Randy Rhoads tribute show, which originally was somewhere else, but it ended up at Irvine Meadows. And we were kids. We'd never been on a bus or anything like... It wasn't even that. So we got the opening slot for that gig, and we were so stoked. Ozzy Osbourne? Rad. And the lineup was UGLY KID JOE opening up — Irvine Meadows, celebration of Randy Rhoads; I mean, super cool — and then it was MOTÖRHEAD, and then Ozzy Osbourne. And I'd been to Irvine Meadows many times — I've seen AC/DC there; I've seen all kinds of shows there — but I didn't ever expect I would get to perform there. And there we were backstage — not backstage in the dressing room; it was a backstage where all the amps are — and I was like, 'No way. We're gonna play this room.' I'd never played a big room — never. And I was, like, 'Well, this could be a little daunting,' but I [was] excited, is a fair description, and then there was Lemmy. And he walked up, and he was super cool. [He was] smoking a cigarette, and virile and powerful — I mean, you know how he looked. And there he was. And we became friends, like instantaneously. So I knew him for years. I would visit him at his apartment in Hollywood. I would ask his wisdom. I really appreciated his wisdom a lot. He was such a wonderful guy to talk to, just in general about a myriad of things. But, yeah, he was the real deal. Ozz was the real deal. Ed [Van Halen] was the real deal. So, yeah, I met Lem at that show."

Asked why he thinks those guys instantly befriended him, Whitfield said: "Well, I'm a superfan. I was so excited to meet those dudes, like a kid. And then I was singing songs in a band, so they kind of accepted me in that form. I don't know the answer to that question. I mean, I was genuine. I suppose I was genuine in my admiration and just being a fan. I mean, I'm a rock fan. We all are. So, I don't know that answer."

In a 2015 interview with Songfacts, Crane recalled the time when he served as the fill-in singer for BLACK SABBATH rehearsals during the late '90s. He said: "I jammed with BLACK SABBATH December 3rd, 4th, and 5th 1997 in Birmingham, England when they were recording those particular dates for a live SABBATH record. They had Thom Panunzio back there with an 18-wheeler truck, with a full-on studio backstage at the NEC. So it was the first of a series of reunion shows that included the original SABBATH lineup — that includes [drummer] Bill Ward."

He continued: "So when I got there, I was like, 'Holy shit. This is so awesome — we're going to see BLACK SABBATH... the real SABBATH.' And they needed to run daily through soundchecks to get their stuff tight, whether it be the studio backstage or just the players themselves. Their sound is kind of like a jazz band if you think about it, and they needed a vocal cue."

Crane added: 'From what I can gauge, Ozzy [Osbourne, BLACK SABBATH singer] was like, 'I don't want to sing a whole set and then sing another set.' And fair enough — I wouldn't want to, either. But of course, I would. [Laughs] And I got a note on my door at the hotel in Birmingham, that said, 'We need your help,' and that included me going to jam with BLACK SABBATH for three days — the full set, on the full PA, on Ozzy's mic, with the band loud as fuck, in Birmingham at the NEC. That did happen, and what a good trip."

UGLY KID JOE recently completed work on the follow-up to the "Rad Wings Of Destiny" album, which came out in October 2022.

In the spring of 2023, UGLY KID JOE staged its first U.S. tour in 27 years.

After a 15-year hiatus, UGLY KID JOE reformed in 2012 and has toured extensively throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

The band released the EP "Stairway To Hell" in 2012 and the full-length "Uglier Than They Used Ta Be" in 2015.