“Growing up in the Valley was pretty cool—head shops, pinball arcades, being in local cover bands—It was like Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”
— Jizzy Pearl
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW — We are digging in today with an old friend of the site, Mr. Jizzy Pearl.
Pearl as most know is the singer of Love/Hate, but he has also worn some other singer hats, including his dual-stint with Quiet Riot, who he has been fronting again since 2019.
Pearl was part of the treasured years on the Sunset Strip, and has since kept himself relevant and on the go well after the major label record deals and MTV exposure went by the way of the dinosaur.
With that… we’re going to give you a quick little Q&A with Jizzy Pearl.
We hope you enjoy it….
Metal Sludge: Tell our readers about your latest record “Rock N’ Roll Fiesta”… and is it a Love/Hate record or a Jizzy Pearl (solo) release?
Jizzy Pearl: Well first off it’s called “Punk Rock Fiesta!” (Kenyon Records) —this is a Love/Hate record. I’ve never stopped being Love/Hate since the Original Love/Hate broke up in 1997.
Sludge: In checking out your discography, it appears you’ve been part of upwards of 20 records with Love/Hate, L.A. Guns, Quiet Riot, Adler’s Appetite, your Jizzy Pearl solo releases and Data Clan. Aside from the debut and follow-up Love/Hate records… if you had to pick 3 of these, above the others as some of your Best work… which 3 releases would those be?
Jizzy: The Sony records Blackout in the Red Room and Wasted in America are probably the best overall but I like my last three records the best–
All you Need is Soul, Hell, CA and of course Punk Rock Fiesta!
Sludge: Curve ball… you have no kids. Was this planned, or was it never in the cards? And does a home pet or animal take their place?
Jizzy: Yes I was blessed never to have kids (I know some would beg to differ on this!) I have had dogs all my life–my most recent French Bulldog Maggie died 8 months ago and it sucked.
Sludge: On average, how many gigs per year do you do with Quiet Riot, and how many per year with Love/Hate? Adding, have you ever totaled up or have an idea of how many individual flights you take per year to keep the QR & LH schedule?
Jizzy: I generally do over 60 shows a year with Quiet Riot and a few weeks of shows in the UK with Love/Hate. As far as flights go there are too many to count. But this is normal, if you asked Great White or Slaughter or Warrant they’d tell you the same thing.
Sludge: It’s no secret that many artists from the 1980’s are now well into their 50’s, 60’s and some in their 70’s. You recently turned 67, but have maintained yourself, physically and you appear to be in better condition than most guys a decade or more your junior. Do you care to share with our readers what is your daily routine at home, and/or on the road?
Jizzy: Doing the Keto lifestyle helps a lot—I suggest people give it a try, it’s not as hard as you might think. Being sober helps—I’m also a runner and that’s cool and I do rehearse singing when I’m at home. Doesn’t everyone?
Sludge: You have authored and released a handful of books… and in recent times taken on the Vlog world. Which do you like better, writing or doing video journals?
Jizzy: YouTube is better for me (my YouTube channel is JPEARLTV) because I don’t have the time to devote 6 months to write another book—on YouTube I can just write a story and put it up. Writing a 300 page book is hard, I’ve done it—it makes you respect people like Stephen King.
Sludge: To go along with the age question, the vocals on both the QR & LH catalog are very challenging. Do you warm up (every night)? Do you ever warm down, post show? And on off days, when at home… Do you do any vocal exercises on a regular basis? If so… please explain.
Jizzy: A lot of this is talked about in my ‘Art of Singing’ series on my YouTube channel JPEARLTV. Yes I warm up before shows, I think everyone does…or should. I don’t do all those vocal scales or the Bird Chirping nonsense—I just make sure I’m in the ‘Zone’ before going up on stage.
Sludge: Of course we’ve done something similar with you way back in our previous interviews, but let’s do it with a different approach. What do you remember about the following decades:
1970’s =Being Stoned
1980’s =Trying to get signed on the Sunset Strip, getting signed on the Sunset Strip
1990’s =Being on Sony records, touring with AC/DC, Dio, Skid Row, Ozzy, being on MTV—then Oblivion for a few years waiting for Rock to come back–then back touring again in 1998 with L.A. Guns
2000’s =Being in RATT, Doing Love/Hate, touring, writing books, almost had a movie deal with IFC for one of my books, making records—Just trying to Survive.
2010’s =Being in Quiet Riot, keeping Love/Hate alive, writing books &making records, got married–
2020’s (to date) =Being Sober, making $, seeing the World stare at their phones like Zombies.
Sludge: Sobriety question. Some people share their ‘date’, or the amount of time they were using and now how long they’ve been sober. Your past going back to the Sunset Strip and your younger years, appear to imply you were using, drinking, etc… When did you stop, and was there a “come to Jesus” moment when you realized, “It’s time to stop!”?
Jizzy: No ‘Come to Jesus’ moment–I just stopped. I stopped smoking weed and other things years before. It wasn’t hard, I guess I don’t have that Addictive gene. People ask me about being Sober and they think I stopped drinking because I had a problem with it—No—as you get older it was just common sense to stop drinking so I could stay competitive musically and for health reasons.
Sludge: Aside from it being known for Porno, Charles Manson’s hang-out hood and old Western Movies (Gunsmoke, Bonanza) being filmed… what do you recall about growing up in Chatsworth California?
Jizzy: Growing up in the Valley was pretty cool—head shops, pinball arcades, being in local cover bands—It was like Fast Times at Ridgemont High–then when I reached my Twenties it was time to grow up and try to get serious musically.
Sludge: The United Kingdom seems to have been a solid ‘go to’ for you in your career, touring, etc… Aside from all the stateside shows, are there any countries you’d like to play or tour in, and check off the ‘Bucket List’ before it’s all said and done?
Jizzy: Yes the UK has always been good to me—as far as touring goes I’ve toured pretty much all over the world. There is no Bucket List—I’ve pretty much done it all.
Sludge: It’s 2025… how much longer can this go on… and where do you see yourself in 2033 when you turn 75? In short.. What’s next for Jizzy Pearl?
Jizzy: I’d like to be able to keep going as I am—physically fit, good singing, making music that’s relevant and cool, supporting myself and my family–in short—keeping the Status Quo. That’s the best definition of Success.
If you would like to go back in time, to the Classic Years of Metal Sludge and check out more Jizzy Pearl, like his original 20 Questions from back in May of 1999 (Go HERE) or his ReWind Interview from May of 2000 (Go HERE), or read any and all Jizzy Pearl related/tagged articles (Go HERE).
Also, please be sure to check out the latest Jizzy Pearl music releases, merchandise, vlogs, books, tour dates and more using the social media links below.
Jizzy Pearl @ Facebook – YouTube – Instagram – X/Twitter – Store – Tour – Spotify –
Love/Hate @ WebSite – Facebook – X/Twitter – Store – Spotify – Tour –
Quiet Riot @ WebSite – Facebook – X/Twitter – Store – Tour – Spotify –
Kenyon Records @ WebSite – Facebook – YouTube –
Want to read more classic 20 Questions on Metal Sludge? Check out these interviews below.
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Warrant vocalist Jani Lane – January 2nd 2001
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with ‘The Cherry Pie’ Girl Bobbie Brown – April 11th 2000
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee – October 10th 1999
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Warrant Guitarist Joey Allen – July 6th 1999
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Winger’s Kip Winger – November 27th 2001
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Producer Extraordinaire Michael Wagener – May 13th 2003
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Producer/Song-Writer Jack Ponti – June 21st 2005
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Beautiful Creatures guitarist DJ Ashba – October 15th 2002
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Tracii Guns of L.A. Guns – December 2nd 1998
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with QUIET RIOT drummer Frankie Banali – April 10th 2001
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Britny Fox bassist Billy Childs – Sept. 28th 2004
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Paul Gilbert of Mr. Big & Racer X – April 27th 2004
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Share Ross, VIXEN – April 20th 2004
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Alice Cooper – October 30th 2001
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Jan Kuehnemund of VIXEN – November 9th 2004
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with C.J. Snare lead singer of FireHouse – December 19th 2000
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Rick Ruhl of Every Mother’s Nightmare – October 2nd 2001
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Lupus from The Bloodhound Gang – November 19th 1998
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with David Michael-Philips of King Kobra – Sept. 28th 1999
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Great White’s Tony Montana – October 5th 1999
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Poison drummer Rikki Rockett – March 27th 1999
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with John Corabi – January 7th 1999
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Jizzy Pearl of Love/Hate – May 3rd 1999
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Kane Roberts – September 7th 2004
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … 20 Questions with Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister – March 20th 2001
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … ReWind with Jizzy Pearl of Love/Hate – May 18th 2000
SLUDGE FLASHBACK … ReWind with Rainbow’s Joe Lynn Turner – March 17th 2005
Stay tuned to Metal Sludge for Breaking News, Updates and Features along with New interviews and Classic 20 Questions.
