At the recent NAMM convention, drummer Carmine Appice and bassist Tony Franklin were interviewed by the The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show, and they discussed Blue Murder, the band which included both Appice and Frankin, along with guitarist/vocalist John Sykes (Tygers of Pan Tang, Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake).
Appice said (via blabbermouth.net): “People wanna see [Blue Murder play again], but we can’t get John out of the house.”
He continued, “I saw John last year at the Heavy Metal Hall Of Fame, and he told me he was going out with Tony and this little kid drummer [Fred Boswell Jr.]. And he said, ‘The kid wants to meet you,’ and I met him. He said [his solo] album’s coming out, and they’re gonna tour. And I said, ‘Good. When that’s all done, then let’s do Blue Murder.’ He said, ‘Okay.’ Now, nothing’s happened. It’s been a year.”
Franklin went on to say that he speaks to John “regularly” and he explained that there have been “some issues” with Sykes’s record label, resulting in a delay in the LP’s release. He said, “There are so many dynamics to the story, but it doesn’t have to be so complicated. He could just get out there and play music.”
“I think one of the things with John is that he has a problem embracing the new business for what it is,” Tony continued. “And it is different, and you do have to embrace it.”
Carmine concurred, saying: “[John] was always more into the creative part, and the business part he always left to other people. And I know when we were together, he would always ask me, ‘What about this? What about that?’ So I’m sure he’s having a problem embracing the business now. We all are, really, a bit. I mean, I can’t believe the way the business is. I’ve seen it change from 52 years ago. So I’m sure that’s part of it with John.”
Last November, Sykes announced that he had parted ways with Golden Robot Records, less than a year after signing with the Australian company. At the time, John accused the label of making “little attempt to move things forward despite our best efforts and patience.”
Listen Appice’s and Franklin’s interview below.
8 Responses
John is still recieving handsome royalty checks from the Whitesnake album so it’s not like he needs the money. I have heard reports that when he signed with Whitesnake he was granted the most money on a per album basis than anyone else in the band, including Coverdale. David wanted him so bad after seeing him play with Thin Lizzy on the Monsters of Rock 1983 I guess they didn’t negotiate back and forth very well. Most likely the main reason why John was fired from the band.
I always suspected a part of the reason he was fired, was jealousy.
I remember reading an interview with Coverdale, back in the good ole days. He said after he hired Sykes, his mother met John, and she said to Coverdale, “Is that your new guitarist?” and he replied “Yes,” and then his own mother said to him, “You will never get any girls with him in the band.” He was laughing as he recounted that story, but who knows if that didn’t bother him? I cannot imagine that one would feel great after their own mother is saying your guitarist is better looking than you. I always remembered that statement, and wondered if that would become an issue down the road?