Ronnie James Dio

hai perfettamente ragione

 

ok, mi arrendo.

 

o per i Dokken

 

esatto lo volevo dire io... oppure i van halen

 

lo so che non c'entra nulla..ma anche i Marilyn Manson

 

Eccovi un'intervista di pochi giorni fa a Ronnie James Dio (reperibile anche a questo link

You just had a new live CD/DVD that came out this summer (2006). Was that your or the label’s idea to put out a new live album?



I think in this case it was probably both, because we were doing something that we haven’t done before by doing the whole album Holy Diver live and because we’ll probably never do it again. So, it seemed sensible, I think, for both parties, but I don’t remember who suggested it. It really didn’t matter, because we both wanted to do it.



What do you remember back to that show?



Well, videos are always difficult. At least for me. Only because of the mindset that you have to get into. I like to play in front of an audience, that gives me satisfaction, but when you know that you have to do this other thing as well and there are 8 or 9 or 10 cameras all over the place on you, sometimes you play to the camera. You’re trying not to do that, but it’s just distracting for me from the music. You realize that you have to do it and you do the best job that you can possibly do, and so far it’s always worked for us. But, it’s harder than most people think it is.



What if there are some mistakes that happen during the show? Do you re-record it, or just adjust it in the studio?



Most things you can do in the studio. I mean, it depends on how bad you’ve messed up with the video itself, but you have so many options when you do this. It’s like recording. If you record something and you’re putting a vocal on it, and you sing a wrong note or the wrong word, then you stop and you just do it again ... just as in a recording process. So, the same thing happens when you’re doing a video unless it’s something that cannot be covered up in any way or shape or form, then you’re kind of doomed with what happens. But, for the most part, you can go into the studio when you mix it anyway and you can take care of most of these problems in the studio. It’s not really that difficult if you performed well, but if you’ve done very badly I’m sure it can be very difficult. Luckily I’ve been in bands that haven’t had that problem.



What are the most important things about live recordings for you?



Well, the most optimum thing you can have would be to have a good soundcheck. To have a chance to play and to know what it’s going to sound like. That happens most of the times, but there are times when you go into the situation and you don’t have that kind of control, because of the place that you’re playing or you can’t get in early enough. Those problems make everything really really really difficult, and it makes the soundcheck difficult ... and again, that’s the most important thing I think that you can have. I think the second most important thing that you can have is that the band was played for a while. We had played for a couple of months. We’ve done a month in Russia and then a month in the UK and a few other dates, so we were very prepared. The band was playing well and performing our material really well. I think that made a great difference, but the most important thing really to me is having a soundcheck, being able to test out your equipment, especially for guitar players and bass players and drummers. I think it’s probably more important for them than it is for me. But luckily, we had a chance to do that.



Do you like watching your recordings?



Well, I don’t. I’m just not one of those people who likes to see himself, because I’m always very critical. “I should have done that, I should have done this” or I don’t like what I look like. It’s different for different people. Some people, like our drummer, he loves to watch it. He just watches it non-stop, because he sees it differently than I do, I think. But, I don’t like to watch it because I’m too critical. So, for me it’s a matter of we do it and we did the best job we could and I hope this looks good for everybody. And I know it’ll sound good, but it’s up to the people to judge.



How about watching music DVDs of other artists?



I don’t mind watching those. Those are okay. I don’t get too critical about what they’ve done. It’s just very personal when you do it yourself and watching yourself perform. I don’t mind watching other people, that doesn’t bother me. (Laughs)



Do you have any favorite DVDs that you think are top notch?



DVDs? Ah God, I don’t know. I’ve rather watch old DVDs, things of 30 years ago. I’ve got an old Procol Harum that was done in Germany in 1969 or something like that, and I love to watch that because of the performance. They’re great players that wrote great songs and to see them do it live under those circumstances ... it’s great. I mean 30 years ago you didn’t have all the technology that you have now. Other one was Humble Pie with Steve Marriott, and it was great because it was so natural.



How’s your upcoming studio album shaping up?



We’ve been writing 3 or 4 things at the moment and preparing to do this after we tour. So, we’re trying to get some ideas together at the moment, so that we can have something to work on when we do have the long break to properly do the album. So, it’s started already, but it’s in very beginning form. I have no idea about the release date, but it’s probably going to come out sometime next year.



Do you have any idea of where the album’s direction will go?



Well, we want to make this a faster album as far as tempos go. The last album was a bit more medium tempo. Of course, there will be some songs like that, because that’s what we do, but I’d like to make it a faster album with more faster songs.



Have you ever tried any musical directions that you were unhappy with in the end?



Well, probably when we were doing Angry Machines, I think that was starting to go some place that I didn’t want to go to, but it was kinda forced too, because of those of us who were writing. With that band it was a little bit more difficult and it was at a very strange time, so the songs became a little bit more modern. That would be the time I would think I was the least happy with the material that I was partly writing. It’s not that I’m blaming it on anyone else, because I was there too.



Now you have Craig back in the band. How much did you miss him?



I didn’t miss him terribly when Doug was playing, because he’s so damn good. It’s like changing out two good parts. It’s not that I didn’t miss him as a person, of course I did, but talking strictly musically, it was very easy to do it with Doug, because he’s so good and he knew all the material, because he played with us before. But yeah, I missed Craig from a personal standpoint and it’s always nice to have him back knowing just how confident that he is and just how easily we work together.



What was the reason he left in the first place? There were rumours about being ill and also personal reasons ...



No, no, it wasn’t personal at all. He hurt his arm, I guess, and he just couldn’t play anymore, so he had to get that rehabbed ... and now that Doug is back with Whitesnake, luckily for us Craig is back with us.



Was it obvious for you that Doug was to continue with Whitesnake?



It was pretty obvious to me that Doug wouldn’t be coming back. He had committed himself, I believe, to Whitesnake. We never really talked directly about it. A lot of times when someone joins the band and they’re having a good time, you talk about the future, but I never really counted upon that happening. I assumed that he would be playing with Whitesnake again and that the Whitesnake schedule would, of course, get in the way of ours, and I’m not about to work around someone else’s schedules. I’m just glad that Craig is back.



You made a guest appearance on Queensryche’s new album. How come?



Geoff (Tate) called me and told me about what he was doing at the time, and they were doing kind of an extension of Operation Mindcrime. We’ve toured together very early in their career, so I got to know them very well and I always respected them so much ... especially Geoff as a singer. When he asked if I would play the part of Dr.X, I thought it was very interesting, because it was a great project that they have done, so I agreed to do it. I don’t do a lot of things like that, but that one was a bit more special to me, just because I admire Geoff so much and because I like him so much. And, it was fun to do. It was easy.



You also played on Eddie Ojeda’s solo album where you performed a typical Ronnie James Dio song ...



Yeah. (Laughs) I guess that’s Eddie’s perception of me. That’s what he thinks I am, I guess. Eddie is another great friend for a long time and a really great person. And I’d do anything for Eddie. The song was not what I would have written, but it was for Eddie, so I did the best I could and I was happy that he liked it.



Journalists are always asking you about Black Sabbath and Rainbow reunions. When will you get fed up with these questions?



Well, you know, it’s easy enough to say it’s not going to happen. (Laughs) I don’t have to explain that. I think it shows that people remember something that happened so long ago and consider it to be good enough to hear it again. It doesn’t bother me. I mean I think people will eventually get the idea that it’s not going to happen with me in the band anyway. It may happen with someone else. It’s very possible that Ritchie would get that band together and who knows who he will choose. It’s not gonna be me. As far as Sabbath goes, they’re releasing a box set called Black Sabbath – The Dio Years, and Tony and I are going to write a couple of songs for that project. But, that’s it. I’ve created a different life for myself and I’m not about to leave this band for anything else. What comes along comes along, but at this moment it’s just Dio that I’m concerned about.



Would you see yourself writing a solo album together with Tony?



I don’t know, I don’t know. I’ve never given that any thought. I’m not sure. That’s interesting. As long as it doesn’t get in the way of what I’m doing here, then I would consider it. But, there’s an overriding concern for me as I don’t want this band to slip away, and that’s a very easy thing that could happen when you get tempted by these things. I’ve played for enough people in my life, I don’t really have to worry about that. I don’t have to be tempted by those kind of things when I know what usually happens: it breaks up the good things that you have, because you can’t keep a band on the sidelines and you can’t keep good players from not playing. So, for those reasons I would only consider doing something that would not harm this band.



How does it feel when people call you the greatest voice ever in Heavy Metal?



I’ve heard compliments a lot, and that’s wonderful. I’m very glad that people compliment. I know what I am, I know what I can do and I know what I can’t do. Knowing what you can’t do sometimes doesn’t allow you to say, “Yes, I am the greatest.” You can’t be the best if you can’t do everything. But anyway, I know what I do and I think I’ve been lucky enough to kept creating a sound that has been copied by some other really good singers, and I helped to bring their careers along just by what I’ve done with other great bands like Rainbow, Sabbath, and Dio. So, I’m very pleased with the compliments. It’s very very nice. Usually those are things they say about you after you die, so I guess it’s even better that I’m still alive and I can enjoy the compliments. I’m very happy that people think I’m that good and I always try to be that good for them because if they think I am that good, then I should be.



Also, there have been a few tribute albums lately. Have you heard any of them?



Yeah, I’ve heard a couple of them. I’ve heard one that was quite good. It had Yngwie on it with “Babylon,” Doro did a great job on “Egypt,” and they did “Temple of the King.” I thought that thing was all excellent. I mean they weren’t all exactly, of course, like they were performed originally (laughs), but I thought that album was really good. I thought Doro’s “Egypt” was exceptional. It was a wonderful thing to do. I never thought that musicians would give me a tribute, but it’s very nice.


Magic!

Ronnie James Dio

 

bellissima e bellissimo il sito.. mi chiedo come mai non esista una radio con un sito simile in Italia.. c'è Radiorock, sarà straordinaria la radio, ma il sito fa quasi pietà

 

Ciao a tutti, conosco Dio da quando sono bambino, non sono certo il suo fan n. 1 ma ho sempre apprezzato molto questo artista, infatti avevo già alcuni suoi cd, tra cui gli imprescindibili Holy Diver e Dream Evil. Ieri ho trovato usato a 10 euro l'ultimo Master of the Moon e l'ho preso. Per ora l'ho ascoltato 3 volte, a me sembra un buon lavoro, magari non al livello dei suoi classici, ma comunque si sente tutta la classe del singer e degli ottimi musicisti che lo affiancano. Però guardando su riviste e il web ho notato che questo cd è stato abbastanza bistrattato, e anche quando è stato trattato bene ha strappato in generale solo una sufficienza. Ripeto, l'album in sè non diventerà mai un classico, però volevo sentire il parere di alcuni di voi su questo Master of the moon. Grazie.

 

i Dio sono il mio gruppo preferito, ma master of the Moon non l'ho proprio mandato giù. rasenta a stento la sufficienza, niente di più.

 

Sottoscrivo!
Master of the moon non aggiunge nulla alla discografia magnifica di questo straordinario artista!
Gli anni sono molti ed è leggittimo che , chi ha trenta anni di carriera alle spalle ormai lasci parlare altri.
Impossibile dimenticare comunque uno stile unico e imitatissimo, e dischi che hanno fatto la storia...la carriera di Ronnie James Dio è...divina!

 

nn ho sentito master of the moon, il mio preferito è holy diver, seguito da dream evil e the last in line

 

bravo, cominciamo a considerare di più The last in line che è un autentico capolavoro!

 

giusto, solo un sordo potrebbe sminuire la perfezione di The Last in Line!

 

e ma holy diver nn se batte.

 

Credo sia un pò datata in quanto non fa cenno al §tour con i Sabbath.