“I won a contest on tour with Rod Stewart in Australia who could bang the most chicks .. I won!!!”
— Carmine Appice
CLASSIC METAL SLUDGE — In another of our endless list of Classic Metal Sludge interviews, this week we’re re-sharing our official 20 Questions with Carmine Appice from 25 years ago.
That’s correct… 25 years later, almost to the month, we’re giving you a great flashback to our interview with one of the music world’s greatest ever drummers, Mr. Carmine Appice.
Below is exactly what we shared back on May 2nd 2000, from Carmine Appice.
We hope you enjoy this…
20 QUESTIONS WITH… Carmine Appice.
May 2nd 2000
This week’s 20 Questions are with Carmine Appice. Stuart Smith hooked us up with Carmine, because like Stuart, Carmine has been around forever! Carmine has drummed for Stuart as well as pretty much half the music industry. He was in Vanilla Fudge and has worked with Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, Ted Nugent, Ozzy Osbourne, Cher and his biggest accomplishment was that he was the drummer in King Kobra!!
Who needs to write with Rod Stewart when you can play the drums behind 4 guys with spandex and blond hair? So here our 20 Questions with Carmine Appice.
1. What are you currently up to? This is your only chance to plug your shit.
Carmine Appice: I have been doing my own projects… Guitar Zeus…..My trio , Tony Franklin ..Bass, Kelly Keeling..vocals ,rhythm guitars etc. …sort of Blue Murder meets Sound Garden meets…Beatles…Cool songs with friends of mine (Guitarist friends) playing solos for each song…Friends like Brian May, Mick Mars, Zakk Wylde, Steven Seagal, Richie Sambors etc. Checkout www.guitarzeus.com for a total list and stories..buy cd etc….Also I just finished Guitar Zeus Japan cd ,An instrumental solo cd and a tour of Japan..ending up Dec.25 at the Budohkan in Tokyo..a live CD of that show called CBA live…….is out on Japan now doing well.
2. Did anyone ever tell you that you look like Aladdin, the magic genie in a lamp guy?
CA: No…but people sometimes people ask me if I am the guitarist from Black Sabbath…some guy last year asked if I was Frank Zappa…he has been dead for years…or I get asked if I am Vinny Appice!!!!
3. What hard rock/heavy metal band should give it up and call it a day?
CA: Most of them.!!!!!..some are cool…though.
4. You toured with Ozzy for a while back when Ozzy was really fucked up. What’s your best Ozzy story?
CA: Yeah…he was having a great time on tour…he was blasted alot !!! One night in Germany…Ozzy had fun destroying my hotel room…So, I had to do the same to his room…I don’t know who paid the bill….also ..I had Purple and Black hair (Natural of course) and when I went up to a hotel check in…I looked so crazed that they said “Here is your key Mr. Osbourne”…Sharon didn’t like it!!!
5. Rate the following drummers on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 being somebody who couldn’t carry time in a bucket, and 10 being a drum god.
Lars Ulrich = 10..great speed and taste
Tommy Lee = great showman 8
Neil Peart = great player 10
Rikki Rockett = he’s getting better 4.5
Dave Grohl = great player..8
Alex Van Halen = 8..cool player
Vinnie Paul = fast feet …good player 8
Peter Criss = needs to practice 6
Randy Castillo = kicks ass!!7
Joey Kramer = solid…8
6. 2 Part Question: Have you ever banged 3 chicks in one day and what’s the most amount of groupies you’ve banged in a week?
CA: oh yeah 3 in a day ..breakfast, lunch and dinner….dozens and dozens..in a week..I won a contest on tour with Rod in Australia who could bang the most chicks ..I won!!!.
7. Do you like bleach blonde guys in spandex that stand directly in front of you as you drum?
CA: No…I would rather have a bleached blonde naked woman in front of my drums ..or behind my drums….
8. Would you rather
A: Be unable to perform sexually unless witnessed by a major league baseball umpire;
Or,
B: Have daily phone sex with Stuart Smith?
CA: I would say the umpire …The last time I called Stuart he wasn’t feeling well..he got his knob caught in his bathroom door !!!…sex ,sex, and more sex…that all you guys talk about!!!.
9. You have a brother who also plays drums. How come you’ve gotten more press, fame, and gigs while he just gets the shaft? What’s up with that?
CA: I like the phone and he doesn’t!!!!…..The phone is my secret weapon…besides he gets some great gigs…and he just doesn’t want to play with just anyone…just big gigs like Black Sabbath reunion in Europe playing to 60,000 people..
10. Please rate the following chicks on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 being a nightmare and 10 being a piece of ass.
Cher = 3
Marcie Free = 1…TBA
Pamela Anderson = 10…get acting in that movie with Tommy
Claudia Schiffer = 10
Blondie = needs to loose weight 5
Mariah Carey = 8..since divorced…we are seeing more of her hardly dressed…
Lita Ford = 8…..great ass shot
Courtney Love = good actress 5 slutt-ee and likes it…
Farrah Fawcett = use to be a 10 now 8
Cameron Diaz = 10 something about…..
11. What rock star deserves a smack in the mouth and why?
CA: Axl …for breaking up a great band….
12. Who did more of the following:
A. Johnny Rod doing coke….. Did johnny do coke???my vote here
B. Mark Free sucking cocks….. Who is Mark Free ????
C. David Michael-Phillips being a nobody….. Dave is a great guitarist!!!
13. At one time David Lee Roth mentioned that he was playing with you and that you were in his band. What was up with that? Did you work with Dave and how was he to deal with?
CA: Well, Dave and I talked about a new band, with me, him and Billy on bass….but Billy knew nothing about it…we played one day, without Billy (because he knew nothing about it), Dave came to the rehearsal studio in an outfit that was made from a Holiday Inn bed spread and curtain set…we were checking out this guitarist …I said to Dave…NICE PJ’s DUDE!!!!…After that day I never heard from Dave again….
14. Who was the most talented band you saw that was never a huge success?
CA: KING’s X …should have been huge…did I tell you about my Guitar Zeus Project!!!???
15. You co-wrote the song “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” with Rod Stewart. How much money have you made off that song over the years?
CA: After taxes,Marriages,Sex,Drugs…and Rock n Roll…about $1.45
16. What do you remember about the following years?
1968 = Touring with Jimi Hendrix ..with my band Vanilla Fudge..having 3 albums in top 100 and top 5 single ..lots of free sex
1972 = Touring with Jeff Beck…having lots of sex and orgies
1976 = Joined up with Rod Stewart….played very big concerts…meeting movie stars…Britt ….Rod’s girl at that time…had many, orgies …mother and daughter teams
1980 = Did my first drum off contest in LA drew thousands of people..to tower records parking lot on Sunset Blvd. created mass traffic jam…Hangin’ with KISS guys…lots of parties recording with Rod..Foolish Behavior..lots of sex and orgies in the studio….
1984 = Toured states with Ozzy, aids introduced to the road …that sucked a big one!!!…started King Kobra…sex with rubbers
1988 = started recording Blue Murder CD …..sex with rubbers…..
1992 = Toured with Edgar Winter no money but a great time
1997 = Great times in Japan …played with a group called PEARL with Tony Franklin …Cd hit Japan national charts at # 7..went gold…sex in Japan
17. Of all the touring you’ve done, what’s one of the most fucked up things you’ve ever seen?
CA: Country Music taking over BIG ROCK SHOW Productions…that is FUCKED!!!!
18. Marq Torien sang with you guys in King Kobra after Mark (Marcie) Free left to become a woman. You also played on Paul Stanley’s solo album. Do you find it ironic that you’re always playing with a fruit bag on the mic?
CA: Most singers are fruit bags!!!!…maybe not Ozzy!!!
19. Who’s the most overrated band today?
CA: Limp….what ever their last name is!!!
20. Have you ever enjoyed the benefits of Viagra?
CA: Yes, …but it worked opposite ..for me ….I stopped sex…so now I just take…spanish fly…instead…
21. Time for Metal Sludge’s Word Association. We give you a name and you give us your thoughts.
Rod Stewart = Great Singer ..nice guy
Nikki Sixx = cool redish purple hair…but I did it first..I like Nikki
Tommy Lee = Master on Madness…cool drummer…marries great chicks
Ted Nugent = wildman…high energy…totally straight
Paul Stanley = i like Paul, looks good in make up
Bret Michaels = He gets great chicks also….
Ozzy Osbourne = Great guy……hard worker
Limp Bizkit = ????
Howard Stern = he gets some great chicks..on his show..howard is cool!!!
MTV = sucks!!!
That was a cool story about Carmine telling David Lee Roth that he had nice PJs. We can dig that.
Note to future DLR members: Don’t rip on Dave’s fruity clothes if you want to keep your job!
For more info on Carmine Appice and all his past and future projects, check out his official WebSite!
Stay tuned to Metal Sludge for Breaking News, Updates and Features along with both New Interviews and Classic 20 Questions.
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