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What is in your eyes the band of your dreams, including death musicians? 
Axel Rudi Pell: If I don't count my own musicians, it will be Ronnie James Dio (vocals), Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), Jon Lord (keyboards), Gary Thain (bass, ex-Uriah Heep, RIP) and Ian Paice (drums). If I can write a song or two and produce the album I would be over the moon. Unfortunately the reality looks different......Rock Hard Magazine Germany, May 2007  There were two very short stints with a couple of great bands in your career, URIAH HEEP in 1971, and RAINBOW in 1977. Did you record anything with Rainbow? 
Marc Clarke: As for RAINBOW... It's so strange because just like the day COLOSSEUM passed on URIAH HEEP to me, so did Ritchie Blackmore. The very day I decided to knock NATURAL GAS on the head, within two hours the phone rang, and there was Ritchie. He came right out with "Do you want to join RAINBOW"? I was in shock but after about a minute I said, yes. Within a week, I was living in LA, and I don't remember how long we were there, but it was many months. From there we went to Paris, The Chateau [studios], for about two months. This is where we had our falling out that lasted about ten years, but now I consider him, when I see him, a friend. By the way, that was the "Kill The King" LP (the record's called "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" - DME), and I'm also on just two tracks on that. [Why did you left?]
With Ritchie, it was the music: I didn't like it. [Where do you think Blackmore heard you play?]
Well, he knew of me from COLOSSEUM and then, in LA, from NATURAL GAS. We rehearsed in the same studio, Pirate Sound. It was the old Columbia Pictures lot; it's where they filmed "The Wizard of Oz". In fact, the yellow brick road was right under our stage, I remember walking on it.Let It Rock, DMME.Net, December 2006 [click here for full interview] You auditioned for Rainbow? 
Marc Storace: Yeah, that was like a flash in the pan. In London I formed Easy Money and I was still in pubs and we had a publishing deal, writing songs, and we were actually coming to a point where we were gonna sign a deal with Chrysalis and they had Genesis on the label and there was talk about signing the deal with Chrysalis and touring the US with Genesis. It was great, but internally, within the band, it was not gonna work... the chemistry. At the same time I was approached by an A&R guy during a rehearsal with Easy Money and he took me a side in the office and asked me if I wanted to fly to Geneva for a week or so. Anybody would fly to Geneva for a week! (laughs) And on top of that, auditioning for Rainbow. I would do it even if I wasn't interested (laughs), to be able to meet Richie Blackmoore, a guitar idol, and Roger Glover and Cozy Powell and the keyboard player Don Airey. It was great, but I was badly equipped. I didn't know the Rainbow songs yet and I think this was after "Since you've been gone"...no no no, after Dio because one of the songs that I knew was "Mistreated". I learned that one and listened to it in Cozy's room and he showed me his whole weapon collection. Lovely daggers and everything. Richie came up with a bottle of whiskey and said "Do you want this for courage?" and I said it was no good for my vocals. I never drink whiskey, I drink white wine, but only before singing. So anyway, I was nervous but we just started to jam. Richie said "Sing what you feel!". We did "Mistreated" and then we jammed. They had this one song which they wanted to put on the next album and they played it and I sang whatever I felt and then later on, the last test was sitting on the sofa in front of this huge fireplace. We were in a castle and there were white horses outside. I was... I saw millions behind the band and here's me landing in this situation.Metal Shrine, April 29, 2007 [click here for full interview] How did you originally become involved with Krokus?
Marc Storace: I had my own thing going in London after my time with Tea…which was my first professional band. After Tea, I returned to London, got Eazy Money going and then Krokus called me. I had know Krokus already because they had opened for Tea (laughs). I had just done an audition with Rainbow with Ritchie (Blackmore), Roger Glover, Cozy Powell and Don Airey, so I was really at a kind of crossroads because I was slightly insecure about Eazy Money due to certain politics. I was searching to see if there was anything else that might grab me. It didn't work out with Rainbow and when Krokus called me about a month later, I said I'd fly down to Switzerland so we could have a jam. It was nice for me to return to Switzerland, to have some typical Swiss food, drink some Swiss beer and speak Swiss German again (laughs). That’s how it happened, ya know?Blasting Zone, April 2007 What do you think of Blackmore’s Night? 
Ian Gillan: I think Ritchie's wasting his time. I know he's always loved medieval music. He always used to play Greensleeves and he is eccentric. He spent a lot of time playing with Screaming Lord Sutch and I think some of it rubbed off.He's an amazing guitar player, a phenomenal, articulate player - just incredible. And I think a lot of fans would like to hear him lay rock'n'roll again. But he's found a niche that keeps him happy and as far as I'm concerned, if he's happy we're all happy. The Sun February 16, 2007 What do you think of Blackmore’s Night? 
Ian Paice: I don't think it's what he should be doing. I think he can write a devastating rock'n'roll album. He’s a master of creating riffs. If he had the urge to do it I'm sure he could do it tomorrow.But whether he'll ever let the monster out again, I don't know. Good luck - but to me it's the waste of a really great rock'n'roll guitarist. The Sun February 16, 2007 Your relationship with most of your mates from Deep Purple is good, obviously. Do you ever talk to Ritchie Blackmore?
Ian Gillan: No, I don’t talk to him at all. That asshole — I will never speak to him again, as far as I’m concerned. I loved Ritchie, though. I used to be his roommate and everything was fine. We all respect Ritchie for what he did - the foundation. But he turned into a weird guy and the day he walked out of the tour was the day the clouds disappeared and the day the sunshine came out and we haven’t looked back since. And there are certain personal issues that I have with Ritchie, which means that I will never speak to him again. Nothing I’m going to discuss publicly, but deeply personal stuff. As far as I’m concerned, the divorce came a long time ago. I never want to see or hear of him again.KNAC.com December 21, 2006 Late drum legend Cozy Powell (Rainbow, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath) played on your Facing The Animal album… what was it like working with him? 
Yngwie Malmsteen: The first show I saw in my whole life, my first concert ever when I was 12 years old, was Richie Blackmore’s Rainbow on the Rising tour: Dio, Blackmore, Powell - man I was fucking speechless for a month. I was only a little kid. His double bass drumming on the Rising album is just so there. Then I have him in my studio recording… amazing! Let’s put it this way: Ian Paice is a monster technically, but Cozy had this thing… he was like a fucking freight train, man. God bless him.Xpress Mag, Australia November 16, 2006 You got the idea for a scalloped fretboard?
Yngwie Malmsteen: I got that from seeing an old 17th century lute. The really ironic part is that when I was a little kid and Ritchie Blackmore was my god, I didn’t know that he had scalloped necks. Back then there was no internet, there was no source for information, your saw pictures on the records and that’s it. I discovered it all on my own.Xpress Mag, Australia November 16, 2006 On a scale of one to 10, how big a pain in the ass was Ritchie Blackmore?
Ian Gillan: A one and a 10. In the early days he was great. I used to room with him. He had a great sense of humour. We were buddies. But later in life, he became something of what is commonly called a control freak. I would put it closer to megalomania, to be honest. He's a difficult guy. But he's gone now. We hope he's happy, but the divorce is final and all the clouds have blown away now.The Winnipeg Sun August 31, 2006  |