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EDDIE TRUNK DISCUSSES “THAT METAL SHOW,” THE FIRST METAL ALBUM HE BOUGHT, WHICH BANDS HE WOULD LIKE TO SEE REUNITE, AND, OF COURSE, KISS

Keith Valcourt of the Washington Times conducted an interview with our very own Eddie Trunk. Highlights from the discussion appear below.

Q: What do you think is the secret to the success [of That Metal Show]?

A: I think people know that we are truly fans first and foremost. We fill a void for that 30- to 50-year-old guy who still loves this music, still loves these bands. But they have a family and stuff and don’t get to go out to shows and keep up with stuff as much as they once did.

For them, the show is kind of an escape and [a way to] reconnect into the past. Being on a network that is properly suited for what we do, a music channel, works. There is nothing like it on TV. There really hasn’t been since Headbangers Ball was on MTV over 20 years ago.

Q: Do you have a wish list of dream guests who have yet to do the show?

A: Certainly Eddie Van Halen is 1A on that list. We know Eddie watches the show. Last season, he sent us a guitar rig that we have on our set. But Van Halen is a notoriously press-shy band and rarely does anything with anybody. We have asked countless times, but had no luck.

I was very close to getting Jimmy Page on. And I still may. But Jimmy is kind of turned off from the fact that the word “metal” is in the name of the show — even though after a hundred episodes we have evolved into a rock show. We’ve had everyone from Foreigner to Leslie West [from Mountain] and Mark Farner [from Grand Funk Railroad] on. We’ve got a pretty wide net. But Jimmy doesn’t know that. He doesn’t watch the show. He lives in England.

Q: There are three obvious guests that are missing: Ozzy Osbourne and Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley from Kiss.

A: The fans would love to see them. Ozzy won’t do it because of some bias against us. That means Sharon. And Gene and Paul.

Q: You’ve been pretty vocal, and rightfully so, about Kiss putting other guys in Ace [Frehley] and Peter [Criss’] makeup and pretending it doesn’t matter.

A: The sad thing about that is so many people tell me privately they feel the same way. But so few say it publicly. For the few of us that do, it gets magnified, blown up and distorted, taken out of context, and that’s unfortunate. If those guys only knew how many people I talked to privately, even the bands they have toured with, who have told me they feel the same way.

Q: The hard-core fans may know the difference, but don’t you think they are tricking the casual fans?

A: The casual fans don’t know. The hard-core fans know Ace hasn’t been in the band for a long time.

One of the last times I saw Kiss, Peter was in; Ace was not. The next day I was at the hotel pool in the hot tub and some guys came in and they had Kiss T-shirts. They were talking about how cool it was to see the show the night before to see Ace back in the band. I said, “That’s not Ace.” We got into an argument. That was 10 years ago, and by now most people probably know it’s not him. Maybe in the beginning it was a thing to push that agenda. If people are cool with it, that’s fine, just not for me. It doesn’t sit right with me as a fan.

What I find unfortunate is that instead of coming on and having a healthy discussion and debate about that, they just kind of run from that. Shut you out and ignore that fact that 98 percent of the things I’ve said and done about Kiss have been positive. The worst part is their fans are the ones watching our show. We’ve had more Kiss T-shirt-wearing fans in our studio audience than any other band. We talk more about Kiss in our top fives than any other band. They always talk about pleasing their fans. Their fans want to see them on a show like ours. What is there to be so afraid of? We are huge Kiss fans. I would love to have a healthy debate and discussion with Gene and Paul but can’t get water from a stone. I’m thankful for the guests who get us and do come on

Q: What was the first metal album you bought?

A: The first album I bought myself was Kiss’ Destroyer. That album was a life-changer. It was 1976, and I was about 12. I remember dropping the needle on the LP for the first time and staring at the cover. Kiss became my obsession. After a while I had to acknowledge there was more than just Kiss. I discovered Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, Van Halen, AC/DC and more.

Q: As a metal fan, which band would you most like to see reunite?

A: I’m asked constantly about the original Guns [‘N Roses] reuniting. I think that would be pretty epic if it were to happen. Me personally? I’m a huge fan of UFO, as many people know. I love what they do now with Vinnie Moore, but I would love to see the lineup of UFO that did Strangers in the Night get back together. They did it back in the mid-‘90s. It would only require two members coming back in — Michael Schenker and Pete Way. With all due respect to what they do now, it would be just awesome to get one more taste of that lineup and band.

In a fantasy situation I would love to see [Led] Zeppelin. I’d love to see Thin Lizzy. But we all know those original reunions can’t happen.

Click here to read Eddie’s entire with Washington Times.

source: washingtontimes.com

VAN HALEN SCHEDULED TO APPEAR ON “THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW” ON APRIL 2ND, BAND STREAMS “UNCHAINED” FROM “TOKYO DOME LIVE IN CONCERT” ONLINE

According to a posting on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show web site, Van Halen will be guests on the show on April 2nd.

The site states, “They are ‘what dreams are made of’… a legendary, ‘unchained’ world-renowned rock band that continues to tear up the stage four decades since their beginning. Van Halen is here! In a daytime exclusive, the California rockers will take over Ellen’s stage to perform one of their favorite songs as they embark on their greatest hits tour!

They’re some of the most talented, wildest and most exciting musicians of all time. Nearly all of Van Halen’s albums have gone triple platinum, featuring iconic records like You Really Got Me, Runnin’ With The Devil and Dancing In The Street. Ellen and her audience will be dancing through the aisles when Van Halen brings the heat to the room!”

Van Halen will be releasing its first-ever live album featuring original singer David Lee Roth, Tokyo Dome Live In Concert, on March 31st. Listen to Unchained, from the forthcoming release, below. The songs Runnin’ With The Devil and Panama, can be streamed here.

SO DOES EDDIE TRULY LOVE OR HATE “STUMP THE TRUNK?” READ HERE TO FIND OUT

Lauren Wise of the Phoenix New Times spoke with our very own Eddie Trunk, read excerpts from the interview below.

Phoenix New Times: This 14th season of That Metal Show has been pretty exciting so far, especially with all of the diversity. While I know you were most excited about Geddy Lee, whose debut on the show are you most pumped for?

Eddie: Hmmm… it’s hard to, um… it’s hard to pinpoint any one thing. But actually, as of just a few seconds ago, I think we pretty much can say that we’re done with locking in Kirk Hammett from Metallica to come back on. That’s an interesting story because the last time we had Kirk on, was when we had the Scorpions original guitar player, Uli Jon Roth, on the show. And Kirk and I bonded over the fact that we love stuff like that. He’s a huge UFO fan, as am I.

After we did that show a few years, Kirk said that it would be amazing to do a show like that again, with [former UFO guitarist] Michael Schenker on. And I was just like, maybe we can make that happen. So somehow it looks like the stars aligning, and it’s something I’ve been working on right up until the second I’m now talking to you, and it looks like we’re going to have a show coming up, probably next month, where we’ll have Kirk Hammett from Metallica and one of his heroes, Michael Schenker, on together. That’s about 99 percent at this point, but if that happens that will certainly be one of the highlights.

Phoenix New Times: So, do you truly love or hate Stump The Trunk?

Eddie: Ummmmm. That’s…that’s a two-edged question. Well, listen: it’s great to be known for something. It’s funny. I guess it would be like asking a band if they love or hate a hit record that they might be tired of playing. Laughter. It’s a blessing for sure, because it’s great to be known for something so much like that. It’s become crazy; even internationally when I travel people will come running up to me needing to “stump the trunk.” I do a live feed show, both on my own and also with Don and Jim, in clubs and stuff around the country. When we do that show, the majority of people there are pouncing ready to do “stump the trunk” because we do live trivia at the end of the show. It’s funny to me, because I don’t think I know it all at any stretch. But I do know more than the average person, because I’ve been doing this my whole life; it’s what I do. So I get that people find it fun and get into it.

So it is a blessing, as long as everyone doesn’t take it too seriously and understand that it’s a bit. The thing I always want to stress is that I’m the last guy in the world to run around and say I know it all. And while it’s fun when I get it right, what’s most fun for me is when I get it wrong, because I’m learning. Being in this business over 30 years, it’s always good to learn.

Phoenix New Times: ..What 2015 albums are you most looking forward to?

Eddie: Hmm, well, there’s a few out already that I absolutely love and they’ve come out already. One is, the new album from Black Star Riders, which used to be Thin Lizzy. Their second record just came out called The Killer Instinct, which is an early candidate for my album of the year.

Phoenix New Times: Speaking on technology and constant information provided on screens, how do you think social media affects the mystique of music? Like do you think Arthur Brown, Sabbath and Alice Cooper would still be the icons they are if there had been a YouTube and Twitter when they were starting out?

Eddie: That’s really tough to say. And I honestly don’t know. But I do miss some of the mystique of music in bands. I do think that is something we’ve really lost. And there are still bands from the ’70s that sort of keep that mystique up a little bit — like AC/DC for example. They are very, very stealth in the way they do things! You never know what’s coming or what they’re going to do. They actually just recently launched an official Twitter, which is obviously run by someone not in the band. And then there’s Van Halen, who is very cagey about what they do. And Iron Maiden is never gonna tell you what they’re gonna do until the last second they have to and every single thing is in line. So there are bands that are able to control and manage the information that gets out about them. And I think that’s cool.

But I don’t know if we would still look at some of those bands and feel like they still had the same aura about them in social media was around when they started. But I think there’s a “right” balance that can be struck, where fans can get information but the band isn’t too open where there’s no mystique or surprises. I think the biggest key is to find that balance. I know for myself, personally, handling Twitter is what I do most. I’d say about 95 percent is stuff about music and what I’m doing in my world, and maybe 5 percent is personal, which is extremely rare.

Phoenix New Times: You’re a big supporter of the Ronnie James Dio Cancer fund. Wendy Dio asked you to host some of the fifth anniversary events this May, so can you elaborate on some of the activities you’ll be involved in?

Eddie: Wendy reached out to me for us to discuss in t he next week or two actually, so I don’t have an exact idea of what I’m going to be doing specifically. But basically I’m there as she needs me. I had the incredible honor of hosting Ronnie’s memorial service five years ago when he passed away. So I know there will be a similar event to mark five years at his burial site which is open to the public. That will be a major event. I know there’s a bowling event and a motorcycle rally; three days and three events. But I’m basically there to help as she needs me, whether it’s interviews, hosting, meet and greet, helping with the raffle… whatever help she needs. The Dio Cancer Fund is a wonderful cause and I’m thankful to be a part of it again.

Read Eddie’s entire interview with the Phoenix New Times, here.

source: blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com

METAL HAMMER INTERVIEWS EDDIE TRUK, READ IT HERE

Joe Daly of Metal Hammer spoke with Eddie, the interview appears in its entirety below.

Metal Hammer: We’re entering a period now where a lot of our legends – like Malcolm Young – are reaching an age when they simply can’t carry on any further. Before discussing the next generation of legends, let’s talk about the defining characteristics of a truly iconic metal band.

Eddie: As far as I’m concerned, the first thing that grabs you about an all-time great metal band is the riffs, and of course, the all-time riff king is Tony Iommi. Secondly, great bands convey a sense of power and aggression, particularly the guitars. Third – and this is probably counter to what some people feel – I need vocals and melody. I know there are a lot of different styles of metal out there and there’s a large number of fans who love the more extreme styles, like death metal. That’s not for me, that’s just my personal taste. A song must have some sort of singing and some level of melody in the vocal for me to like it. I’m not saying that everybody’s gotta sound like Freddie Mercury or Geoff Tate or Dio, but there has to be some melody.

Metal Hammer: How important are lyrics in metal?

I think it’s nice when there are lyrics with some thought behind them, but in all honesty, I don’t think that it’s a make-or-break proposition when it comes to hard rock and metal bands. I think that a lot of it is about the energy, the aggression and embracing metal as a way to blow off some steam and escape the problems of the world or what you’re dealing with that week.

Metal Hammer: Do you think that it’s gutsy or lazy when a classic band modifies their sound to keep up with prevailing trends?

Eddie: A lot of the bands who have tried to do that have pretty much failed. Def Leppard comes to mind. They made Slang in the mid-90s, where they got away from being Def Leppard and tried to get more into the sounds of the mid-90s and it failed. Fans didn’t like it because it wasn’t what they wanted from Def Leppard. I like when artists stay true to what they are but also try different things throughout their career that build on what they’ve already done, rather than chase a new sound that’s become popular.”

Metal Hammer: Leppard come to mind as one of those bands that came up short on their overhaul, but conversely, Anthrax’s The Sound Of White Noise might be one of the better examples of a band modernising their sound without appearing cheap or abandoning their roots.

Eddie: Without a doubt, that’s a great example of a record where the band stayed within their wheelhouse. They didn’t get too far out there. If I’m not mistaken, Dave Jerden produced that record and he had done stuff with bands like Alice In Chains and Jane’s Addiction, so there are definitely different sounds on there and it is a great record, but mainly because it encompasses a lot of the classic Anthrax elements, like the speed and the aggression. Although the counter to all that is that they were also one of the first bands to introduce rap into metal. As a fan, that was a little bit too far out of reach. The Sound Of White Noise was great but I’m not a rap fan. I’m a fan of metal. I know that some people will say that I should have an open mind, and I do, but I like what I like, and I like singing and not rapping.

Metal Hammer: To what extent, if at all, do significant lineup changes dilute a band’s legacy?

Eddie: I think it’s a case-by-case. Look at AC/DC – with the arrival of Brian Johnson, they actually got even bigger. That band is as big as any band in the world and they don’t have their original lead singer. To some degree, I think Van Halen with Sammy Hagar were able to pull it off. Actually, not to some degree – they truly did. Van Halen with Sammy, whether you like that lineup or not, was enormously successful. For a younger audience, that’s their generation of Van Halen. I think about this a lot – the band completely ignores that era of their history because of the falling-out with Hagar. I can’t think of another band that has a catalog of music that includes maybe five or six records with legitimately ten or twelve hit songs that will never be performed or heard again. Songs that have completely been ignored! They’re on the shelf and there’s no way they’ll ever be played again unless Hagar goes back to Van Halen, because there’s no way David Lee Roth can sing that stuff. I just read that the Roth records are going to be re-mastered – again – but to this day, they still haven’t (re-mastered) the Hagar catalogue. Listen, it doesn’t hurt Van Halen because they’re huge and the stuff with Roth was great, but what other band could afford to leave that many hits on the shelf?

Metal Hammer: Please pull out your crystal ball for the final question. We know the Ice Age is coming when a lot of legendary acts won’t be around anymore. Looking around at who’s playing now, who are going to be metal’s living legends in 2025?

Eddie: Ten years from now, some of the bigger bands from the ’80s should still be able to do it. So I’d think that puts Metallica at around age 60, so they should still be able to hold that throne if they do things smart and take care of themselves. In the newer school of bands, you have to hope that a band like Avenged Sevenfold or a band like Slipknot – bands who have laid down some pretty deep roots by now and already are huge – can continue to grow, continue to evolve and continue to come up with original stuff and carry metal forward into the next era. Five Finger Death Punch are huge. You hope that these bands that are younger and newer can carry the flag, not implode and keep writing at a high quality. They need to continue to find their own voice as well. They all show their influences very proudly – some would say that some do a little too much ha ha – but I think that’s fine at this point in their careers because they’re still relatively young. I was very encouraged when I saw Avenged a year ago. You can say what you want about how original the last record was, but to me it was encouraging to see all these really young kids in the audience, wearing concert t-shirts and fully-engaged in a guitar-based, heavy rock band. You’re right though — some of these guys currently carrying the flag should have stopped ten years ago and they’re still going, unfortunately hurting their legacy. But I’ve never been more encouraged by new music than I have been recently. I really love Kyng, I love Rival Sons and I really like Monster Truck. Big, loud, guitar-based stuff with great vocals. I hope this continues to evolve and that we see more of these guys in the years to come. And one more thing – I just saw Alice Cooper a couple weeks ago, and something tells me that we’ll still be seeing Alice in 2025!

JAMEY JASTA OF HATEBREED AND ARMORED SAINT’S JOHN BUSH & JOEY VERA DROP BY THIS WEEK’S “THAT METAL SHOW”

With Season 14 of That Metal Show already making history (the Season 14 premiere was the second most watched Season Premiere in the history of the series) VH1 Classic’s centerpiece in original programming returns this week with an all new episode that welcomes Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed alongside John Bush and Joey Vera of Armored Saint. Jamey Jasta talks about the upcoming Hatebreed tour, the podcast he hosts, recounts how a recent tour they did with Black Label Society was one of the best he has ever done, and even gives a compilation CD to each member of the audience. John Bush and Joey Vera talk about their forthcoming seventh album Win Hands Down, their upcoming tour with Saxon and recall memories from their time in Anthrax.

The episode also features shred guitar maestro Michael Angelo Batio making his debut on That Metal Show as the guest musician. Michael amazes the crowd with his double neck, v-shaped guitar and demonstrates why he is one of the fastest guitar players on the planet. He also fills the hosts in on his upcoming career retrospective Shred Force 1: The Essential Michael Angelo Batio, which is slated for release next month. Jason Becker also checks in to the show via the Metal Modem. Through his interpreter he discusses working with David Lee Roth and how he developed a way to speak using his only his eyes through a computer. He also talks about his career and his ongoing love for guitar and music.

Jamey, John, and Joey candidly reveal their love of coffee and beer in the Put It On The Table segment. Eddie has a difficult time with Stump The Trunk this week with one lucky fan taking home a signature Michael Angelo Batio guitar from Dean guitars. Take It Or Leave It has the hosts discussing the recent surge of VIP experiences from artists at concerts, and the TMS Top 5 tackles the Top 5 Replacement Members in Bands who weren’t singers. Notable musicians such as Kirk Hammett, Neil Peart, Adrian Smith, Jason Newsted, Zakk Wylde, and Gary Moore all become part of the discussion until the final 5 make it to the top of the board. The Throwdown pits the first two Dio era Black Sabbath albums against each other when Heaven And Hell goes up against Mob Rules.

Fans can watch all previous episodes, exclusive bonus clips and the new That After Show segment at ThatMetalShow.VH1.com and on the new VH1 app.

Audience tickets for upcoming tapings are now available via Gotham Casting at gothamcasting.com/gothamrsvp/.