“That was his coffin for a long time, those Hotel rooms.”
— Shawn Zavodney on his friend Jani Lane
YOUTUBE — In a brand new episode on The Hair Metal Guru the guest is Shawn Zavodney.
At first glance, not many people will recognize the name Shawn Zavodney, but he was a good friend of Jani Lane‘s and also played keyboards for the late Warrant singer on various tours.
Zavodney also an Ohio native like Lane, was very close to the singer and shares many personal stories, and details about the years of friendship they shared.
In this rare interview the keyboardist encapsulates 20 years (1991-2011) with Lane, the band Warrant, and the various band-members and key figures who were involved with the different lineups over the years.
Zavodney shares stories about Lane‘s good side, his ugly side and everything in between as he tells listeners about both an amazing and tragic journey.
The following is transcribed by Metal Sludge as Zavodney says: “That was just a monkey on his back, that he was never gonna kick. And I’ll tell ya, there is going to be some people that watch this interview, and I told people for years, and years, and years. Especially in the later years, I said you know… (pause) and I would tell Jani (Lane) this too I’d say; ‘Which side of the casket do you want me to hold man? Cause you’re done. You’ll never make it to 50!'”
And I would tell people, ‘That guy never makes it to 50, no way’, and I said, ‘They’re going to find him in a room, with booze’. And then when it happened I can’t tell you how many people called me and said, ‘Oh my gosh, did you see where they found him?’, and I said, ‘There was never a doubt in my mind that that’s where they were going to find him and that’s what (booze) was going to be by his bed-side.'”
That was his coffin for a long time, those Hotel rooms.” added Zavodney.
Lane was the youngest of 5 children and was born John Kennedy Oswald, but later his name was changed to John Patrick Oswald.
By the age of 11, the blond haired, blue eyed mid-west boy (mainly a drummer) adopted the stage name Mitch Dynamite and was rocking in bars with older musicians.
Oswald, or Dynamite if you will, eventually changed his name to his official pka, Jani Lane (in the 80’s).
Lane was beyond gifted musically, however also troubled.
“I was close with his brother (Eric who played acoustic on the “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” intro), I was close with his sisters (Marcine, Michelle and Victoria). You know, we all met after he passed and you know… nobody asked why or, you know… ‘how did this happen?’ (said sarcastically with a casual laugh), that never came up. Because it was just… when. Not how, or if, it was just when. And…. horrible night, horrible phone call for me that night, but… you know our manager called me, and he was in the room with him, and I’m like, well, here we go.”
That was the night he died. When they found him and our manager went in the room and they called me and said; ‘He’s gone’, and I said; ‘Okay, now what?'” Zavodney adds with sadness in his voice.
The subject of the Bad Boys of Metal tour comes up next, which kicked off in late July 2004 and featured; Kevin DuBrow (Quiet Riot), Jani Lane (Warrant), Steven Adler (Guns N’ Roses) and Joe LeSte (Bang Tango).
Metal Sludge covered much of this tour, which also included Chuck Wright (Quiet Riot) on bass and Alex Grossi (Quiet Riot) on guitar.
Sadly since that tour the world lost both DuBrow in 2007 and Lane in 2011, while LeSte has had a few serious health scares of his own over the years, as has Adler.
Zavodney says here with the Hair Metal Guru, there was a lot of crazy stuff going on and describes the Bad Boys of Metal tour as a ‘train-wreck‘ and how it ‘imploded‘ almost from the start.
Hair Metal Guru then asks; “What happened on the Bad Boys of Metal tour, and I mean, I can imagine….”
Zavodeny jumps right in; “How fun. How fun. Well, him (Jani Lane)… I mean he implodes. But he wasn’t the only one on that tour that imploded either.”
The two then riff back and forth mentioning the names of those involved; Lane, Dubrow, Adler, LeSte, Grossi and Wright.
“Man that was toxic!” says Zavodney.
“From the beginning?” asks Guru inquisitively.
“Pretty close, pretty close. Yeah.” adds Zavodney.
Zavodney then shares with Guru how Lane and he talked about religion a lot, what happens after you die, and how the keyboardist says he feels like the singer had ‘an experience‘, apparently referencing a religious experience and that he hopes Lane had said ‘a few prayers of his own‘ before his demise.
Zavodney then says how he told Lane, “Then something has to take that place“, meaning something in place of the alcohol, whether it was religion, perhaps a hobby, or anything to take him away from the alcohol (abuse) he was seemingly addicted to, or he would end up in a worse place.
“Otherwise, you know jail or… (pause) we got in a fight about that often too.” adds Zavodney.
“Cuz, I would tell him, you’re going to jail,’ I said, ‘Honestly, I think you should be there for a little bit’, (laughing) what kind of friend would say that?’ seemingly implying Lane asked him why he would say that.
Zavodney also says he was talking to the Doctors when Lane was hospitalized over the years, and telling the singer; “You don’t have many of these left… you’re at the end of the rope bud”, and he’d keep pushing the boundary.
“I would have rather seen him in jail.” added Zavodney.
Guru then asks about Lane‘s arrest history and DUI‘s that happened in the final years leading up to the singer’s death.
Lane was arrested for a DUI and allegedly hitting a parked car on Ventura Blvd. in Woodland Hills California in June of 2009.
The Warrant singer was also charged with hit n’ run, and was looking at 6 months in jail.
According to a TMZ article from July of 2009, Lane was sentenced to 2 mandatory days in jail, 36 months probation and to complete 3 months in alcohol education classes and report for 30 days of Caltrans road work.
Lane was also fined $395.00, while the hit n’ run charges were dropped.
In February of 2009, Lane was to appear in court, on 2 different occasions and failed to show up both times. With that, the Judge (ironically) issued a warrant for his arrest.
Lane‘s lawyer (at the time) told the courts that the singer was in the hospital, and that was the reason for his inability to make the court dates. It could only be assumed, that at that exact time, Lane was likely in some type of a treatment facility or rehab of sorts.
Roughly 1 year later, in May of 2010, Lane was arrested yet again for a DUI after he blew twice the legal limit in a breathalyzer.
For the 2nd offense according to TMZ the singer lost his driver’s license for 3 years, was required to complete a 30-month alcohol education program and upon pleading no contest, Lane was subsequently sentenced to 120 days in jail.
Ironically, the Woodland Hills DUI took place within walking distance of the Comfort Inn Motel on Ventura Blvd., the same location where he would be found dead in August of 2011.
Zavodney on Lane and his DUI arrests: “He spent some time. Yeah, well that cost him. And I said; ‘Yeah, you need it,’ and he (Jani) said, ‘Why would you say that?’, I said, ‘Cuz, I really do care about you.'”
Guru then asks if Lane was ever remorseful after the fact, or was he embarrassed or did he ever apologize for the on-going cancellations and decisions that were made that affected everyone involved.
Guru then suggests, perhaps what Lane might have said, stating: “Guys, I am sorry. You know… I f#@ked up!”
Zavodney answers: “No. No. We didn’t get apologies. No.”
“There were quite a few shows where he (Jani) didn’t get paid. But, all the guys in the band, would always get paid. He paid them.” added Zavodney.
“He was so out of it, when he was drinking.” says Zavodney.
Guru then asks about the time frame when Warrant reunited with all original members, around 2008.
According to records, it looks like the band with Lane, did a small handful of shows on their much anticipated reunion tour in the summer of 2008 but that also imploded quite quickly.
According to Wikipedia the band’s booking agent William Morris Agency announced in early January 2008, that the band was going to do a reunion tour with all 5 classic Warrant members; Jani Lane, Erik Turner, Jerry Dixon, Joey Allen and Steven Sweet for the summer of 2008.
A fan’s review from a July 5th 2008 show at the ‘Sunset Amphitheater‘ in Henderson Nevada was summed up with the following: “Not only did Jani Lane fall off the wagon, he smashed the damn thing into a brick fucking wall and summed up his career in a shaken, drunken, word forgetting debacle that was just embarrassing.”
By September of 2008, the band announced Lane was no longer in the band and that Robert Mason (ex-Lynch Mob) was going to fill the vocal slot to finish the 2008 tour schedule.
Zavodney talks about what happened when the Warrant 2008 summer reunion tour started to fall apart: “He (Jani) called me… he called me on the first day he drank, and he tried to blame it on, you know this and that… I won’t go into details, but I said, ‘You know who you’re talking to?’, and he (Jani) goes, ‘Well, I just, I am gonna quit’, and I says, ‘Well, you probably can’t do that either but, it’s not this or that, or what you’re saying’, I said, ‘YOU CAN’T DRINK!’”
Zavodney continues: “He (Jani) said, ‘You’re supposed to be my friend’, I said, ‘I am your friend but I am just telling you the truth’, I says, ‘Now you’re in for a nightmare because they’re not going to be nice to you.”
Zavodney adds: “You know he thought they were gonna, try to help him, or be nice to him, well no, they were sick of him man. I would imagine, I never talked to Jerry (Dixon) or Erik (Turner), but I know what Jani told me, and I have been on stage with Jani when he does, what he did with those guys in ’08, and… and I bet they were embarrassed… you know. Because that’s… that’s Erik and Jerry… let me tell you those guys went to court and they battled, in the early 2000’s. Erik and Jani and Jerry, and I mean, they worked everything out, how they wanted to do it and in the end, Warrant is Erik and Jerry. Erik (Turner) and Jerry Dixon, that’s (Warrant), (it’s) theirs.”
Zavodney also notes that he does not blame Warrant for getting a new singer, and going forward.
The history of Warrant dates back to 1984, when the group formed in the San Fernando Valley of the greater Los Angeles area.
The original Warrant band was Erik Turner, Jerry Dixon, Josh Lewis (guitars), Adam Shore (vocals) and Max Asher Mazursky (drums).
As time evolved, by September of 1986, Warrant parted-ways with Adam and Max (who also named the band), and a month later Erik and Jerry sought out Plain Jane frontman Jani Lane.
Lane showed interest, but according to some, Lane insisted he was a package deal and wanted his drummer Steven Sweet (also from Plain Jane) to be in the band as well, which ultimately worked as Warrant had just lost both of those positions.
Fun Fact: Adam and Max formed a new band called Hot Wheels around the same time, which also featured a teenage bassist named Robbie Crane. Ironically decades later, Crane would become a regular substituting for Dixon over the last 5 years.
As 1986 unfolded and into early 1987, Lane according to some historians wanted a better lead guitar player, and the band parted-way with Lewis to bring in the final classic era member in Joey Allen sometime in the spring of 1987.
As the near 2 hour interview winds down Zavodney also shares stories about Lane as the sober friend, as a great friend, and by all accounts – a very generous friend as well.
When asked by others: “How can you play with this guy?”
Zavodeny answers with: “I says, well this isn’t the only Jani. I mean, I know what you’re seeing, but this isn’t the only Jani. I mean, there’s my friend in there too. It’s not just this guy. And you know what, when I went through stuff, he was there for me, so. You know, I didn’t go through alcoholism, but I went through other things, and that guy (Jani) was 100% there for me all the time!”
“Let me tell you, when I first started out in music, he (Jani) took me to a Guitar Center in Los Angeles when I first got there, and he said, ‘What do you want?’, and I wasn’t even in his band. You know what I mean he goes, ‘Pick it out. What do you need for your set-up?'” added Zavodney.
As the interview comes to a close Zavodney makes sure to add: “He was my friend. He was… (long pause) you know, could he be a jerk? Yeah… but he had a great side. He (Jani Lane) made my dreams come true.”
To listen to the full interview with Shawn Zavodney on the Hair Metal Guru as shared below.
Stay tuned to Metal Sludge for Breaking News, Updates and Features along with both new interviews and classic 20 Questions.
Read more on Jani Lane, Warrant and related articles/interviews all linked below here on Metal Sludge.
August 7th 2025 > WARRANT … Madison ‘Maddi’ Lane talks at length to The Hair Metal Guru about her late Father Jani Lane
June 16th 2025 > THE FIRST TIME EVER … WARRANT “Ultraphobic” gets Vinyl release by DEKO Entertainment to Celebrate 30th Anniversary
March 27th 2025 > OUTSPOKEN … Kip Winger on Jani Lane: “We did an Acoustic Tour one time, and We Were All on a Bus, but He Was Such a Dick… We actually Kicked Him Off the Bus”
March 18th 2025 > SAVED By An ANGEL – Bobbie Brown recalls how she was Addicted to Meth, Weighed 90 Pounds and Partying on New Year’s Eve back in 1994, and Shares this Chilling Photo
June 5th 2022 > BIG TALK … Metal Sludge Exclusive: 10 Questions with Original Warrant Guitarist, Hollywood Heyday Local and Anita Squeeze Singer Josh Lewis
November 18th 2021 > IN DEPTH … Bobbie Brown talks on Sexual Assault that was a ‘Hurtful’ and ‘Humiliating’ situation for Jani Lane
September 2nd 2021 > BACH OFF BRO … Bobbie Brown says Sebastian Bach forcibly kissed her, while she was pregnant from Jani Lane
February 4th 2021 > RIP … Jani Lane’s 3rd wife Kimberly Nash-Lane has died
January 5th 2020 > JANI ADMITS IT … Industry Sources corroborate Bobbie Brown’s claim Jani Lane was Raped! >Audio Int. of Jani<
Below are some more Warrant / Jani Lane related interviews on Metal Sludge over the years.
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Warrant Guitarist Joey Allen – July 6th 1999
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with ‘The Cherry Pie’ Girl Bobbie Brown – April 11th 2000
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Warrant vocalist Jani Lane – January 2nd 2001 (Unedited)
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Ex-Warrant drummer Bobby Borg – September 30th 2003
