20 Questions with Paul Shortino, 9/17/02

 

20 QUESTIONS WITH…

Rough Cutt & Ex-Quiet Riot Singer Paul Shortino

Over the years, we’ve actually had quite a few people email us and request 20 Questions with Paul. We have no idea why, but who are we to deny our fans?

Some of you younger Sludgeaholics might not remember Rough Cutt, but they were around in the early to mid 80s and featured a guitarist named Amir Derakh, who went on to end up in Orgy. Paul then replaced Kevin DuBrow in Quiet Riot for a while. Recently, Paul did a weekend worth of shows with Quiet Riot, and is even putting together the original Rough Cutt lineup for a show next month, so we figured now would be a good time to do 20 Questions with him. Enjoy!

1. What are you currently up to? This is the only chance to promote your shit.
I just finished a 2 year project that will be available at some record stores and www.musicworks1.com. This CD has numerous guitar players on it, so I could finish the CD. People were dropping like flies, from Guitar players, Bass players, to engineers. This CD is about good old Rock n Roll. I am also producing a young Band called LEVEL and working with my son, Paul. Thanks for giving me this opportunity to promote my shit.

2. You recently played some shows with Quiet Riot again. Tell us how that all came about? Yes, I recently played some shows with QR and it was fun to get back out and play. Carlos called and asked me if I could help them out .The only draw back was I had to learn 10 songs in three days and it’s been 12 years since I’ve listened to QR. So I got out the old music stand and was honest with the fans and did what I was hired to do, sing.

Paul in Quiet Riot

3. Rough Cutt was known as a heavy metal band. Even though you didn’t have huge success, what was your opinion when 3/5s of the band joined a much more commercial sounding Sunset Strip band named Jailhouse?
My old band mates from RC had to do what they had to do.

4. What hard rock/heavy metal band should give it up and call it a day?
My feelings about this question are if you can rock till you drop, more power to you.

5. Rate the following singers on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 being somebody who sucks and 10 being an incredible singer.
Jani Lane = 6
Kevin DuBrow = 6
Stephen Pearcy = 5
Don Dokken = 8
Axl Rose = 6
Vince Neil = 5
Ronnie James Dio = 10
Sebastian Bach = 6
Danny Simon = 5
Jizzy Pearl = 5

Paul and Amir

6. How often do you listen to Amir and his latest project Orgy? Thoughts? To be honest, I have listened to the first CD once and the second CD once Not my piece of cake but I wish them the best of luck. 7. You recently did some shows as Rought Cutt with Sean McNabb (Bass) and Jimmy Crespo (Guitar). How come original members Matt Thor & Amir Derahk didn’t contribute? The reason Matt and Amir did not contribute because they were busy doing other projects.

8. Back to Quiet Riot. Kevin was literally kicked out of a band that he formed. You then stepped in to fill his shoes. How hard was this and do you think it was a little easier than Sammy Hagar or John Corabi’s job? After all, those bands were much bigger than QR at the time.
Filling someone else’s shoes is not an easy task.

9. Your current guitarist Jimmy Crespo played in Aerosmith while Joe Perry went solo.
Has Jimmy shared any outrageous Steven Tyler stories with you and if so, what are they?
Not really, Jimmy keeps to himself.

10. What do you remember about the following years:
1970 = I was playing music and recorded my first single titled ” Follow Me”
1974 = Still playing Music
1978 = It was my sons 2nd birthday and I was still playing music
1982 = Met Ronnie and Wendy Dio, started recording with the 1st RC line up.
1990 = Formed a Band called “Badd Boyz” and started recording a record
1994 = Lived in Germany for a year working on a Shortino CD “It’s About Time”
1998 = Toured Europe opening for Kingdom Come to promote the “It’s About Time” CD. Also recorded a live CD titled “Booked, Toured, Released”
2002 = Releasing the “Sacred Place” CD and Producing my son Paul and a Band called LEVEL

11. Rough Cutt debuted in 1985 and soon after the cock rock hairbands of the world began to take over. What was your view on these new groups like Poison, Faster Pussycat & Warrant? My feelings on these bands are they made it work and laughed all the way to the bank.

Rough Cutt

12. What was your biggest music related check for and what did you buy with it?
My first royalty check from RC and I bought a new 5.0 mustang.

13. Of all the bands you’ve toured with, who treated you the best and who treated you like complete shit?
The best was Dio, who is a class act. As far as the worst, RC was opening for Accept and Krokus. We did not even get a sound check, until one night we were ready to go on stage and the Road manager from Krokus asked if I was Duke Fame from Spinal Tap. I said yes he asked if I would follow him to meet the band. I said I would love too. From that moment on we were in like flint.

14. What Rockstar deserves a big smack in the mouth and why?
I personally don’t have anyone in mind that I can think of.

15. The last of Paul Shortino:
Last rock star you had dinner with = Rudy Sarzo, Carlos Cavazo, and Frankie Banali
Last magazine you bought = People magazine
Last concert you attended = Trans Siberian Orchestra.
Last time you sang a Rough Cutt song = Last year sometime
Last time you shit your pants = When I was 2 years old
Last year you got a royalty check = 2002 from QR and Spinal Tap
Last drunken stupor was = I don’t Drink anymore so 1970’s
Last time you wanted to strangle a bandmate = Mitch Perry in Tahiti, this year we were playing a concert and I was sick
Last tour you did in a tour bus was With QR
Last time you talked to Amir = I talked to Amir the 3rd of August to do a RC reunion at the Viper Room with all original members.

16. Do you think if Rough Cutt had a better look or more of an outrageous image you could’ve sold more?
I don’t think it was about the image as much as it was the timing of our release date.We lost are A&R man at Warner Bros. And with Tipper Gore doing her thing with the PMRC we had no chance of radio play. So it was all about timing, my friend not about image.

17. You had a band in 1994 called Badd Boyz. Did you think the year was 1984 with a name like that, complete with a ?z? at the end and two ?d?s.? Who?s silly idea was that?
The Badd Boyz was put together in 1990, it was a group effort.

18. When you recently played with Quiet Riot, you had a music stand in front of you so you could remember the words. Do you have a hard time remembering the words “Bang your head – Metal Health will drive you mad?”
I used a music stand to be professional. I can’t think off the top of my head who would of done the shows in such short notice and pull it off. And I don’t go around singing QR songs, Bang your Head I do know.

19. The current line-up of Rough Cutt is roughly 240 years old. What advice would you give to some of the younger bands out there?
Go to College and get a real Job.

20. Time for Metal Sludge?s Word Association. We mention a name and you give us your thoughts.
Wendy Dio = Dark Princess of Rock N Roll
Rod Stewart = Pop Star
Matt Thor = Nice Guy
Jake E. Lee = Jerk
Gene Simmons = Mentor for Success
David Alford = Pain in the back
Stuart Smith = Full of Himself
Nikki Sixx = Good song writer
Lars Ulrich = Porn Star/Napstar
Tommy Thayer = Good guy
Frankie Banali = Good Drummer

Thanks to Paul for getting this back to us rather quickly.

By the way, the original Rough Cutt lineup is doing a show on October 21st, at the Viper Room in L.A. For more information on that and other things, you can visit Paul’s website at www.MusicWorks1.com.