Paul Lidel – Photo: Td Lep
“I went from playing guitar a couple hours a day to playing all day everyday. Seeing him was absolutely life changing for me.”
— Paul Lidel on Randy Rhoads
METAL SLUDGE ENTERTAINMENT — In our first interview of 2026 we’re bringing you a cool piece with rock guitarist Paul Lidel.
Lidel was originally in Dirty Looks and then became part of Dangerous Toys, he’s also got a new project coming out called Hot Shöt.
Lidel has plenty of news about all kinds of music both new and old, along with his new TV show ‘Sunday Night Rocks with Paul Lidel‘ on Roku TV.
We hope you enjoy this cool interview with Paul Lidel as shared below.
METAL SLUDGE: Tell our readers about what you’re up to with music, projects, and plans for 2026!
Paul Lidel: Lots of things happening in 2026! Dangerous Toys will be out playing shows including the Monsters Of Rock cruise in April and the Mountain Music Fest in August! We will be releasing new music in 2026 as well!
My band Paul Lidel’s Scream Therapy will be out promoting our 2nd album “Are You Ready” available on Perris Records the new songs are going over great at the shows! We’re also writing songs for album number 3 which will probably be out later in the year.
Jason McMaster and I, along with Jack Pyers of Dirty Looks , David McClain formerly of Sacred Reich, and David Beeson are also working on an album. That project is called Hot Shöt, and will have kind of a Dirty Looks – ish vibe to it. That will be released at some point in 2026 on Kenyon Records.
METAL SLUDGE: Your new TV show is a few months old, how is it going? And has it been better, lesser or different than expected?
Paul Lidel: My TV show, which is called “Sunday Nights Rock – with host Paul Lidel” on the New Bands New Music channel and is really picking up steam! It’s a great way for people to keep their finger on the pulse of new hard rock.
I introduce videos from some of the best new up and coming hard rock bands as well as videos of new music from well known, established bands. I enjoy interviewing members of the bands and having them share their stories, it gives the viewers a chance to get to know the artists. We also have a Facebook Group called the “SUNDAY NIGHTS ROCK- Community page” where people can chat in real time, while they watch the show, with me and members of the bands that are on the show!
It’s a unique opportunity for people to chat with stars, and soon to be stars, in real time, in the comments section of the chat post! I’ve got months of great shows planned with a bunch of fantastic, some already legendary, guests lined up. I’m thrilled to have been asked to do the show!
I want it to be similar to the classic MTV show Headbangers Ball, but with the added opportunity of being able to chat with the bands. People can watch SUNDAY NIGHTS ROCK on ROKU TV, Fire TV, on the New Bands New Music channel, or they can download the New Bands New Music App, and watch on their phones, iphones and Android.
They can also go to NewBandsNewMusic and watch it there.
METAL SLUDGE: You’ve recorded and toured with both Dirty Looks and Dangerous Toys… have you ever played in a cover / tribute band? If so… how do they differ from an original project?
Paul Lidel: I’ve played many different styles of music on different instruments over the years. I was the drummer in a working jazz band, the piano player in a working blues band, I’ve played and sung in solo acoustic gigs, and played guitar and sung in a wide variety of styles of bands like rock, blues, funk, country… Each one is its own unique experience. I love performing regardless whether it’s cover songs or originals, but there is nothing like the feeling of playing music that you’ve helped write, for an audience that appreciates it.
METAL SLUDGE: Going back, we’re sure you did a few runs in the mighty and always fun Tour Bus! When was the last time one of your bands used a Tour Bus for a run, and what are the Pros and Cons of the big ole Tour Bus versus a Van?
Paul Lidel: Oh, touring on a tour bus is completely different than a touring in a van. On a bus it feels like you just live in this small apartment, and the front door opens to a different city each day. To me, touring on a bus never felt like work. Dangerous Toys would play 14 shows in a row on tour, very few nights off, and I always loved it. Touring in a van is totally different, Dirty Looks toured in a van on our first tour and we rarely got any decent sleep. Our second tour was in a bus and it was much, much better.
METAL SLUDGE: Just for fun… give us your Top 5 favorite guitarists, and a short 1-2 lines what you like about them?
1. Randy Rhoads – Because after seeing him play live, I went from playing guitar a couple hours a day to playing all day everyday. Seeing him was absolutely life changing for me.
2. Eddie Van Halen – Because hearing him had a lot to do with me switching from drums to guitar. I was obsessed with Van Halen after hearing the first album.
3. Michael Schenker – His phrasing and overall style had a big influence on me. I learned a lot early on, from trying to figure out his solos and cop his smooth style.
4. Slash – His Rhythm playing, his solos and his songwriting all inspire me to play. I think he has the right balance between technique and feel.
He has also improved so much since the early days of G n R, his newer stuff blows me away.
5. BB King – Some of my favorite shows I’ve attended were BB King shows. He could be completely captivating with only a few notes. His playing sounded just like his singing, he would just make the guitar sing, I loved that.
6. Alex Lifeson – I learned to play guitar by listening to early Rush albums and figuring out the guitar parts.
METAL SLUDGE: List in order, your Top 3 favorite records growing up, and how they shaped your future in Music?
Rush “All The Worlds a Stage”
I used to play along this album on both drums and guitar. I learned a ton from figuring out Alex Lifeson riffs and solos. I started off being an enormous fan of drummer Neil Peart, and as I moved to guitar I also became a fan of guitarist Alex Lifeson.
Van Halen “1”
It’s still inspiring. I get a kick out of listening to Eddie’s isolated guitar tracks from this album on YouTube.
Guitar playing changed overnight on Feb. 10, 1978 when this album came out, and its effect is still evident today.
Ozzy Osbourne “Blizzard of Ozz”
This was the album that inspired me to get really serious about practicing and trying to get better. Randy Rhoads was my role model, I heard about how much he practiced, how he studied classical guitar and was a guitar teacher, so I followed suit by practicing hours a day, studying classical, and becoming a guitar teacher. Teaching guitar remains one of my passions to this day. In 1999, I published “The Pro Guitarist’s Handbook”. I also have a YouTube guitar instruction channel where I share insights about guitar. I teach on zoom and have students from across the country. My teaching schedule is pretty much full at the moment, but serious students can contact me through messenger on Facebook and Instagram.
METAL SLUDGE: Give our readers some quick thoughts, memories, of the following years?
1980 = My sky diving injury led to my switching from drums to guitar.
When I was a drummer, I would get guitar lessons from the guitar players in my bands. After injuring my ankle sky diving, I couldn’t carry my drums home from rehearsal, so I started playing guitar several hours a day.
1985 = Joined the biggest local band in Rochester, named Pantera (it turns out there was another band with the same name in Texas, lol! ) I played regionally in and around the Rochester NY area, and I was practicing guitar constantly around this time. I also worked midnight to 8:00am in a mini mart, where I learned to sing by singing for hours every night.
1988 = Dirty Looks “Cool From The Wire” was released on March 4th. I had moved from Rochester to a band house in Pennsylvania that had no furniture. We bought 18 Marshall cabinets with our advance from Atlantic Records and they served as our tables and chairs in the empty house. We hit the road for our first national tour around April.
1992 = Dirty Looks had finished the “Turn Of The Screw” tour which was our first tour in a tour bus. While I was on tour with Dirty Looks, I met Jason McMaster of Dangerous Toys backstage at their show at the Opera House in Austin Tx. It was pure coincidence that they were playing in Austin that same night. I was already a huge Dangerous Toys fan, and they had chosen the producer of their first album, Max Norman, because they liked Dirty Looks and the sound of “Cool From The Wire” ( I recently learned that Lynch Mob also chose Max Norman to produce the “Wicked Sensation” album for the same reason ) . Members of Dangerous Toys would come to Dirty Looks shows whenever we played in Texas, especially Jason, who would travel hours to Houston and Dallas to see Dirty Looks play.
1995 = I had joined Dangerous Toys in January of ‘94, after Dirty Looks split up. We immediately recorded the album “Pissed” in LA, and toured heavily into ‘95. We started writing the next album. The musical climate was changing to grunge, so we wrote an album with the idea of “anything goes, except anything that sounds like what we had done in the past”. This album would be named “The Artist Formerly Known As Dangerous Toys” because it sounded so different from previous albums. Bass player Mike Watson was on hiatus from the band and Jason played bass on the album and on the tour.
METAL SLUDGE: This is always a fun one… what was your biggest music related pay check for?And what did you buy with it?
Paul Lidel: You mean some people actually get paid for doing this?? Lol!
METAL SLUDGE: What are 3 things that you wish you would have done differently over the years in music?
Paul Lidel: I think about this often, and I can’t think of anything I would change. I feel extremely fortunate to have been able to make a living playing music since 1986. I set out to have a career as a professional musician and I’m still going strong. I’m grateful to have played with so many amazing musicians, and wonderful people.
METAL SLUDGE: Any last words? Plug your stuff? What’s to come in 2026 for Paul Lidel?
Paul Lidel’s Scream Therapy – We’re playing shows to support our 2nd album ARE YOU READY. We’re also writing, recording and releasing album number three. We have a website ScreamTherapyBand if anyone would like more info.
Dangerous Toys – We’re playing the Monsters of Rock cruise, the Mountain Music Festival and other shows around the US and possibly abroad.
We’re also releasing new music, possibly a new studio album.
Hot Shöt – Our debut album will be released.
My rock TV show SUNDAY NIGHTS ROCK – with host Paul Lidel on the ROKU & Fire TV channel NEW BANDS NEW MUSIC – Every Sunday night at 8:00pm Eastern, 7:00pm Central, 5:00pm Pacific.
The show features interviews and videos of the worlds fastest rising new rock bands as well as interviews and new music from established bands.
People can watch the show on the New Bands New Music channel on Roku or Fire TV, on NewBandsNewMusic or they can Download the New Bands New Music app, available in the app store for iphone and in the google play store for Android.
Viewers can also watch all previous episodes of SUNDAY NIGHTS ROCK on the app or on the TV channel.
Thank you, Metal Sludge
Paul Lidel’s Scream Therapy @ WebSite – Facebook – Instagram – TikTok – YouTube
Dangerous Toys @ WebSite / Dirty Looks @ WebSite
Stay tuned to Metal Sludge for more Breaking News, Updates and Features along with both New Interviews and Classic 20 Questions
