Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, Detroit Wheels, mister Podell Tommy clof Fundus calling from Nashville, Tennessee.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
How are you.
Speaker 3 (00:06):
I'm doing pretty good, Tommy.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
How are you holding up after all of the events
the past couple of weeks.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Well, it's I mean, when you lose a guy like
Ozzy Osbourne, which it never happens, it's a shock to everybody,
and it's been a shock to everybody around the world.
And you can see in the responses he deserves the
ovation that he's getting. And I was one of the
few fortunate people that got to sit behind him on
(00:34):
stage and have the time of my life. For fifteen years.
I got to play drums behind Ozzy Osbourne, and every
gig was awesome, every backstage was awesome, Every car ride,
every plane ride, everything was a moment to remember and
I'll remember it forever. God bless Ozzy Osbourne.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
God bless him. You know, he was really beloved, and.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
When you look back on you know his history and
just how innovative he really was.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Uh, people didn't give him a whole lot of.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Credit for that early on, but certainly now he's getting
a lot of credit for being a real innovator When
it comes to music.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
But usually the innovators aren't given the credit because because
people don't get it when you're really great at something,
people don't really get it. When you make things look easy,
people don't get it exactly. When you're when you're when
you're when you're great, that's what it is. When you're
when you're pretty good, it's easy for people to get
(01:39):
and they can connect. They don't get as usually. If
here's what I think, if you don't like Ozzy Osbourne,
it's because you're jealous. That's all there is. That's all
there is to it. Yeah, that goes with sports figures
or or certain people. Usually the the the dislike or
the hate is usually out of jealous So I know
(02:01):
there was a lot of people jealous. And you know
Ozzy was great. He had this power in his voice
and this and this sound that came out that it
didn't matter how high you could sing, or how low
you can sing, or how pretty you sang, you couldn't
do what he did. What he did was special and
it was unattainable.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Well, it certainly was a historic moment and you got
to be a big part of it. Playing in Ozzie's
band up there. But as you were getting ready for
this event back to the beginning concert, I mean, had
you talked to Ozzie? Obviously he had talked to him
at least in advance. But so when all this was
going down, who was it that contacted you?
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Was it Ozzie?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Ozzie is in charge of his band, and he said,
I want you to play drums. I said, I'll be there.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Well, it turned out to be an historic event and
you were a big part of it, and a big
part of the Black Sabbath Final tour as well. And
you've done well for yourself there, mister Detroit, no question
about it. Over the years, you've played with so many
great bands, and we're gonna see you with Ted NuGen
coming up here real soon for a number of his
(03:15):
dates as well.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
So talk about back to the beginning. Yeah, I'm really
looking forward to playing playing on the same stage as Ted.
You know. I Ted was one of my first real
big gigs, and he gave me a great opportunity and
I learned so much playing for Ted and I can't
wait to get up there and showing my new band
and look forward to him seeing a little bit of
(03:38):
what I'm doing now and how I'm playing now, and
I'm going to get up there and I am going
to rip, and my band rips, and we got new
songs that we're going to play. It's you know, I'm
a middle aged rocker, but I play like I'm nineteen, unhinged,
full throttle. And there's not a lot of bands, especially
opening bands out there, that are gonna rip like we're
(04:01):
gonna rip because we know Michigan and Detroit requires nothing less.
It's gonna be a kick ass rock and roll show.
Whether you like rock and roll or whether you like
blues or whether you like country, you're gonna appreciate the
effort and the sweat that is going to take place
in the Michigan summertime.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Well, you've been in.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Enough different bands to bring so many great songs to
the forefront. But yeah, you touched on it for just
a second. You've got some new tunes, and I know
you've had some success with your own recordings, But tell
me about your band, tell me about the guys in it,
and you know about maybe another upcoming new album.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
Is that possible?
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Yeah? Well, my band is me and three young guys.
They're all in their twenties, Max fry j Tsh and
Victor Adril, they're all in their twenties. They all live
fifteen minutes from me, and we all rehearse at my
house and we all get together and we laugh, and
I'm a little older than them, so I'm teaching them
the way, and the way is get in there every
(05:06):
day and your practice and you sweat and you go
over things over and over and over. I think they
didn't know what to think of me when they first
started playing with me, but now they're kind of getting it.
And I've created three little monsters, so I mean it's
They're really a great bunch of guys and they give
(05:27):
me all they have and that's all I ask. So
I'm really proud of them. I'm proud of the music
that I've made and I want to say it's successful
because well, it's always been successful, even since I was
a little kid in Michigan, starting playing drums when I
was seven, because anytime I got on stage, I went
and gave it all I had. And my bands were
(05:48):
going to get up there and we're going to give
it all we have and will we record more music, yes,
will it be an album. I don't know it's probably
going to be. I just we just did two songs
and we're probably gonna keep doing two songs at a time,
whether that's an album or not. I don't know what
Avenue is gonna take. But but this group of guys
think we're onto something and it's kind of really heavy,
(06:12):
heavy in the attitude and the and the energy. I
want to say it's it's not metal, it's more hard rock.
So but it's it's really driving Detroit rock is really
what it is. That's really where my heart for rock
and roll is. It's got to be driving and it's
got to have some kind of energy to it, you know.
(06:35):
And I don't think the songs are. The songs are
pretty catchy too. So we have a new song coming
up called my Baby Likes rock and Roll. My Baby
Likes to Rock and Roll, and another one called My
Wild Child that will be playing on these Michigan shows
coming up. And they're just in your face rockers and
that's it. Man. We're just a cool rock and roll band.
I hope people dig it. We're sweating, we're skinny, we're
(06:59):
long hair, high energy.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Well, the energy that you bring on stage, you know
with when you're playing with guys like Ted NuGen, Alice Cooper,
Rob Zobbie, they expect and they expect nothing less than
everything you've got when you're on stage. So you've learned
from the best as well coming up through the ranks.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
And I have learned from the best. I have learned
from the best, And the one best person I learned
from was my father, who taught me in Detroit. No
matter if we were playing in front of five people
or playing in front of five thousand, or when I'm
playing in a fifty thousand, I've learned to always approach
it the same way. Everything you've got you leave up there.
(07:42):
And that doesn't even mean in a physical aspect. It
may be playing quietly in the corner, playing with little brushes,
But it's the intent and the the focus and the
drive to be the best that you can be that
no matter what your situation is. And I think that's
a big Michigan thing. It's kind of ye. It is
whether you're going to work on the line, you wake up,
(08:03):
you get there, you get there on time, and you
work hard and you provide for your family. And I'm
lucky enough to do that through music. And I've learned
the hard way that it's you get up there and
the more you put in, you know, it takes a
real long time to see any return on things. But
that's kind of life, you know what I mean. But
(08:24):
you don't stop. You keep pushing, You keep pushing, you
keep pushing, and sometime, you know, when I play back
to the beginning concert and there's forty five thousand people,
that's the culmination of years of playing in front of nobody.
But Black Sabbath played in front of nobody in the beginning,
and everybody has done that, and in order to get
(08:45):
to that level, you've got to play with that same
intent and focus when there's nobody there. You do it
for the audience, but you only you also do it
for yourself, and you do it for your pride and
the pride in the in your craft. That's what we're
going to bring to these shows. Yea, through my young guys.
(09:06):
It's not just playing music, it's who you are when
you play. So that's what I'm going to bring. And
I think that's kind of lacking in a lot of
newer groups and older groups. Even if you get loaded
loaded with money, you can't lose the edge and the
intent for when you do it. When I go see
Bob Seeker eight nine years ago and I would watch
(09:28):
him play a show, and he's in his late seventies,
he is still going up there with the intent and
the edge to be the best that he can be.
That's why his bands are great. When I say nugent,
he still goes up there with the intent. Ozzy on
his last gig, he's sitting in that chair. He's going
up there to be the best that he can be
(09:50):
to the end, which turned out to really be the end.
And what a way to go out. There's no other
way to be successful is then to always give it
what you got, what a less And I've learned through
playing music, and I learned it in Detroit. Baby.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
You know, some of us even said that right after
we had heard that Ozzie passed away, that it's going
to be difficult for aging rockers now to uh just
fade away after the spectacular event that you know, Ozzie
put on with Sabbath and his solo stuff and all
of the guys and all of the bands and all
(10:24):
the musicians.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Nobody, nobody is going to top. It's impossible.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
So you might be right.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
I know I was very you know, I'm not going
to say I was his best friend, but I consider
myself very close to him, and we shared many magical moments,
and I think I knew a little bit of the
inner workings of him, I can guess. And I imagine
him up there going top that you sons that you
know what top that I can I can just stand
(10:51):
them up there going yep, I got you again, din
and I.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Boy, that's true.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
What was that atmosphere like? I mean, obviously, and I'd
heard other people who were there already talk about the
fact that they had no idea that Ozzy was in
that grave of shape, I guess. But at the time
when he was, you know, doing the rehearsing and all that,
how did all that go?
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Was he doing well at the time? And what was
that atmosphere?
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Like? I mean, he wasn't the same physical Ozzie that
he was, and everybody's you know, seen the clips, and
but he still went in there and did it. I mean,
when I sat behind him, I heard his voice coming
through my monitor speakers and it sounded like Ozzy and
his voice it came out. When you watch the set
(11:41):
we did I think we played five songs. The voice
was not gone, it was still there he and he
gave it up. So, you know, all those kind of
things are inconsequential. You know, whether he was running around
or throwing buckets of water to me. The proof was
that all those things that he's well known for, the
(12:02):
running around at the end of the day, that guy
could do it with a smile and just the power
of his voice. He was so magnetic. That is proof
that all the other stuff was just icing on the cake.
He was incredibly gifted, incredibly talented, and stuck to a share.
(12:22):
He entertained forty five thousand people who were getting tears
in their eyes.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
Yeah, so there's not many.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
People who could do that. And I honestly mean that.
I honestly mean that. And it just wasn't because people
thought it was the last gig. It was, but it was.
He had a magnetism that really will probably be unparalleled.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
I think when people saw the event itself, they really
thought that maybe that you know, maybe it wasn't exactly
the end the end, that there would be other projects,
that there would be other recordings, there would be.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Well, you can say, what if everybody could say what
if or we could discuss, but it turned out it
was the last one, and all I got to say
is God bless them, and what a way to go.
We can you know, you can talk about what if
and how did you feel on the day of the show,
But for me, I'm just going to go back to
(13:21):
it was special and I wanted to be I was
happy to and proud to be there for Ozzie's last gig,
just like I was happy and proud to be there
on the first ever gig that I did. Was Ozzie
the last or the first, or the fiftieth or the fourth.
I have a hard time this separating one from the other.
That one is more special because it's the last. It's
(13:43):
it's not how I operate, and I don't think Ozzie
did that way either. It was always the last gig.
That one happened to actually just be the last one, yep.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
And it was a good one too, And it was
great to have somebody like yourself and also Chad Smith,
where I read that you two guys were kind of
standing on stage a couple of detroiters hanging out and
just you know, just being amazed at the whole thing
and watching Black Sabbath from the side of the stage
and representing the motor city out there. You know, it
(14:15):
is amazing how Detroit seems to work its way into
a lot of big things when it comes to rock
and roll, and maybe that's one of the biggest and
you and Chad were there for it, so congratulations on that.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Yeah, yeah, me and Chad are very similar except for
our bank accounts. There to God bless Chad Smith and
the Red Hot Chili Peppers are.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
So you do have some diverse dates.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
You know, you're talking about diverse diversity when you're playing
the drums. You've got some shows with Ted coming up,
and they're like five in a row, right, You're playing
every single night Saginaw and and that'll be interesting. But
Luddington is the one where you know you're playing in
that very small room too. Shows, so those are so intimate,
(15:03):
so awesome events. And then popon Michigan and then ultimately
August thirty first at Freedom Hill the Michigan Lottery Amphitheater
in Sterling Heights with Uncle Ted opening up, and give
me an idea of your set list and what you're
going to kick out just a little bit up on
that stage.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
We play ninety original of Tommy's rock Trip is the
name of original of my own music, and we'll play
one or two, but there was in We're playing a
very short set, but we are gonna blast so hardcore
you're you're gonna be like, what the hell just happened.
(15:45):
It's gonna be an our full worse of music in
thirty minutes. And except we get a longer set on
the Freedom Hill Show, what we sneak little Michigan Detroit
rock tidbits in there and a couple of little tricks
in there that people are gonna be very familiar with. So,
(16:07):
but I really want to do my own thing. I
don't really, you know, I'm much as much as a
lot of guys are doing tributes and tribute bands and
tribute things like this, I didn't really want to do that.
It's not where my heart is at. So I'd rather
kind of like I'm making it hard on myself and
trying to play our own music. To be honest with you,
(16:28):
but I think our own music, if you come and
see it, you're really gonna be surprised and really gonna go,
Holy Moldy. That really, that's that's kind of has power up.
That's more. That's an original song. I wouldn't think that
was You're gonna be brought into what we're doing because
I think the music has the power and the energy
and it has some hooks that people are gonna go,
(16:50):
oh yeah. I wish. I wish some of these these
legacy acts wrote some of these new tunes like this.
I think you're it's kind of classic hard rock, but
it's new.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
Well, as a Detroit or, I have faith in you.
Tell me that you're going to deliver, no question about it.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
And if they don't like it, I'm gonna make them
like it.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
There is your attitude right there. That's what I love.
So I'm reading that you're also now.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
In the Dead Daisies and those guys. Whenever they come through,
we love them here in Detroit.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
Yeah, it's something I've kind of been in and out of,
you know, due to everybody's schedule. They kind of call
the they call the phone here and if I'm available,
I go and yeah, everybody and their brother's been in
that band. So I'm one of the brothers. You know,
when the when the when the time is available, and
I'm happy to do it and They're happy to have me,
and it all works out. Actually, I leave in a
(17:46):
few days. I've been to the UK like this will
be my third time in three weeks. So I leave
in a few days to go back to the UK
to do a few weeks with them, and I get
home really late. The next day we drive twelve hours
from Nashville, Tennessee to Detroit, and then the next day
we start with the Nugent Gigs in Michigan. Wow.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Well, I know it's been a rough couple of weeks
for you, and we certainly appreciate you taking the time
to get.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
To loss here with I feel weird taking I feel
awkward taking condolences, to be honest with you, you know,
because as much as I love the guy, I really
feel sorry for Missus Osbourne. I know her heart is
broken and his family's heart is broken. So I will
miss playing on stage with the man. That's what I will,
honestly miss. I will. It's hard to develop that connection
(18:40):
with anybody ever since it's slowed down playing with Ozzie
and he had his accident, I've really missed that connection.
So to get that to do that one last time
with him and steel that way God, I felt glowing
after playing with it. It's just it's just it was there,
you know, it felt where I should be. That I
that's what I'm going to miss the most is being
(19:03):
up there and getting that really one hundred and ten
percent feeling of you're doing what you should be doing.
So thanks to Ozzie forgiving that to me. For fifteen
years I had the pleasure of doing that. And sorry
to all the fans out there that aren't going to
get to see him live anymore, but his memory and
his voice will live on through his music forever.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Absolutely Well, it was special and you were special.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
You know.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
It's almost hard to put it in words as to
you know how we all felt that day we heard
about it, but you got to experience it. You got
to be there and you got to play with the
man for the very last time, and that is going
to be with you forever, and that is pretty special,
pretty special.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
I think people are having such a hard time because
Ozzie seemed like a guy in a weird way that
he would never die, that he would never he was
like an institution, like you can rely on, Well, Ozzie's
he's there, and I think he just seemed like he
was always going to be there, so I think, you know,
it was a shock to people because you couldn't imagine
(20:08):
that you weren't going to see a commercial with him
or a little something pop up or something new come up.
What's he going to do now? He was always surprising you,
since he does. He came on the scene in the
in the late sixties. So what a career, what a
legacy and will live on. I'm it's like I you know,
(20:29):
I told a very close person in his family, I said,
everybody here, you know, everybody here has stories that they
attribute that are so special that everybody has an Azzie
story that makes them feel like it's only them who
have that special memory. He made you feel like you
(20:51):
were very special and let in on something. But he
had that quality, and he had that quality with his
fans and they felt connected. There's certain artists that that's
why there It's not just the music, it's not just
the voice, it's not just the songs. It's how they
make you feel through the music and through their personality.
(21:12):
That that's why people are so upset at the loss
of Ozzie. So God bless them. So nice talking to
you hear you, Doug. I look forward to seeing the
people in Michigan and seeing Uncle Ted Nugent, and we're
going to bring some MotorCity rock from Tennessee up back
to where it belongs. I'm going to beat the hell
out of them drums, and you were going to see
(21:33):
me sweat and work for my money up there.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
All right, Well, thank you, Tommy.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
We're looking forward to seeing you with Ted Nudge in
August thirty first Michigan Lottery Amphitheater, along with the other
shows with Uncle Ted.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
And we're excited to see you, Tommy, so Billy
Speaker 1 (21:47):
You so much, all right, brother, thank you,
Hello, Detroit Wheels, mister Podell Tommy clof Fundus calling from Nashville, Tennessee.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
How are you.
Speaker 3 (00:06):
I'm doing pretty good, Tommy.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
How are you holding up after all of the events
the past couple of weeks.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Well, it's I mean, when you lose a guy like
Ozzy Osbourne, which it never happens, it's a shock to everybody,
and it's been a shock to everybody around the world.
And you can see in the responses he deserves the
ovation that he's getting. And I was one of the
few fortunate people that got to sit behind him on
(00:34):
stage and have the time of my life. For fifteen years.
I got to play drums behind Ozzy Osbourne, and every
gig was awesome, every backstage was awesome, Every car ride,
every plane ride, everything was a moment to remember and
I'll remember it forever. God bless Ozzy Osbourne.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
God bless him. You know, he was really beloved, and.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
When you look back on you know his history and
just how innovative he really was.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Uh, people didn't give him a whole lot of.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Credit for that early on, but certainly now he's getting
a lot of credit for being a real innovator When
it comes to music.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
But usually the innovators aren't given the credit because because
people don't get it when you're really great at something,
people don't really get it. When you make things look easy,
people don't get it exactly. When you're when you're when
you're when you're great, that's what it is. When you're
when you're pretty good, it's easy for people to get
(01:39):
and they can connect. They don't get as usually. If
here's what I think, if you don't like Ozzy Osbourne,
it's because you're jealous. That's all there is. That's all
there is to it. Yeah, that goes with sports figures
or or certain people. Usually the the the dislike or
the hate is usually out of jealous So I know
(02:01):
there was a lot of people jealous. And you know
Ozzy was great. He had this power in his voice
and this and this sound that came out that it
didn't matter how high you could sing, or how low
you can sing, or how pretty you sang, you couldn't
do what he did. What he did was special and
it was unattainable.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Well, it certainly was a historic moment and you got
to be a big part of it. Playing in Ozzie's
band up there. But as you were getting ready for
this event back to the beginning concert, I mean, had
you talked to Ozzie? Obviously he had talked to him
at least in advance. But so when all this was
going down, who was it that contacted you?
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Was it Ozzie?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Ozzie is in charge of his band, and he said,
I want you to play drums. I said, I'll be there.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Well, it turned out to be an historic event and
you were a big part of it, and a big
part of the Black Sabbath Final tour as well. And
you've done well for yourself there, mister Detroit, no question
about it. Over the years, you've played with so many
great bands, and we're gonna see you with Ted NuGen
coming up here real soon for a number of his
(03:15):
dates as well.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
So talk about back to the beginning. Yeah, I'm really
looking forward to playing playing on the same stage as Ted.
You know. I Ted was one of my first real
big gigs, and he gave me a great opportunity and
I learned so much playing for Ted and I can't
wait to get up there and showing my new band
and look forward to him seeing a little bit of
(03:38):
what I'm doing now and how I'm playing now, and
I'm going to get up there and I am going
to rip, and my band rips, and we got new
songs that we're going to play. It's you know, I'm
a middle aged rocker, but I play like I'm nineteen, unhinged,
full throttle. And there's not a lot of bands, especially
opening bands out there, that are gonna rip like we're
(04:01):
gonna rip because we know Michigan and Detroit requires nothing less.
It's gonna be a kick ass rock and roll show.
Whether you like rock and roll or whether you like
blues or whether you like country, you're gonna appreciate the
effort and the sweat that is going to take place
in the Michigan summertime.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Well, you've been in.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Enough different bands to bring so many great songs to
the forefront. But yeah, you touched on it for just
a second. You've got some new tunes, and I know
you've had some success with your own recordings, But tell
me about your band, tell me about the guys in it,
and you know about maybe another upcoming new album.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
Is that possible?
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Yeah? Well, my band is me and three young guys.
They're all in their twenties, Max fry j Tsh and
Victor Adril, they're all in their twenties. They all live
fifteen minutes from me, and we all rehearse at my
house and we all get together and we laugh, and
I'm a little older than them, so I'm teaching them
the way, and the way is get in there every
(05:06):
day and your practice and you sweat and you go
over things over and over and over. I think they
didn't know what to think of me when they first
started playing with me, but now they're kind of getting it.
And I've created three little monsters, so I mean it's
They're really a great bunch of guys and they give
(05:27):
me all they have and that's all I ask. So
I'm really proud of them. I'm proud of the music
that I've made and I want to say it's successful
because well, it's always been successful, even since I was
a little kid in Michigan, starting playing drums when I
was seven, because anytime I got on stage, I went
and gave it all I had. And my bands were
(05:48):
going to get up there and we're going to give
it all we have and will we record more music, yes,
will it be an album. I don't know it's probably
going to be. I just we just did two songs
and we're probably gonna keep doing two songs at a time,
whether that's an album or not. I don't know what
Avenue is gonna take. But but this group of guys
think we're onto something and it's kind of really heavy,
(06:12):
heavy in the attitude and the and the energy. I
want to say it's it's not metal, it's more hard rock.
So but it's it's really driving Detroit rock is really
what it is. That's really where my heart for rock
and roll is. It's got to be driving and it's
got to have some kind of energy to it, you know.
(06:35):
And I don't think the songs are. The songs are
pretty catchy too. So we have a new song coming
up called my Baby Likes rock and Roll. My Baby
Likes to Rock and Roll, and another one called My
Wild Child that will be playing on these Michigan shows
coming up. And they're just in your face rockers and
that's it. Man. We're just a cool rock and roll band.
I hope people dig it. We're sweating, we're skinny, we're
(06:59):
long hair, high energy.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Well, the energy that you bring on stage, you know
with when you're playing with guys like Ted NuGen, Alice Cooper,
Rob Zobbie, they expect and they expect nothing less than
everything you've got when you're on stage. So you've learned
from the best as well coming up through the ranks.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
And I have learned from the best. I have learned
from the best, And the one best person I learned
from was my father, who taught me in Detroit. No
matter if we were playing in front of five people
or playing in front of five thousand, or when I'm
playing in a fifty thousand, I've learned to always approach
it the same way. Everything you've got you leave up there.
(07:42):
And that doesn't even mean in a physical aspect. It
may be playing quietly in the corner, playing with little brushes,
But it's the intent and the the focus and the
drive to be the best that you can be that
no matter what your situation is. And I think that's
a big Michigan thing. It's kind of ye. It is
whether you're going to work on the line, you wake up,
(08:03):
you get there, you get there on time, and you
work hard and you provide for your family. And I'm
lucky enough to do that through music. And I've learned
the hard way that it's you get up there and
the more you put in, you know, it takes a
real long time to see any return on things. But
that's kind of life, you know what I mean. But
(08:24):
you don't stop. You keep pushing, You keep pushing, you
keep pushing, and sometime, you know, when I play back
to the beginning concert and there's forty five thousand people,
that's the culmination of years of playing in front of nobody.
But Black Sabbath played in front of nobody in the beginning,
and everybody has done that, and in order to get
(08:45):
to that level, you've got to play with that same
intent and focus when there's nobody there. You do it
for the audience, but you only you also do it
for yourself, and you do it for your pride and
the pride in the in your craft. That's what we're
going to bring to these shows. Yea, through my young guys.
(09:06):
It's not just playing music, it's who you are when
you play. So that's what I'm going to bring. And
I think that's kind of lacking in a lot of
newer groups and older groups. Even if you get loaded
loaded with money, you can't lose the edge and the
intent for when you do it. When I go see
Bob Seeker eight nine years ago and I would watch
(09:28):
him play a show, and he's in his late seventies,
he is still going up there with the intent and
the edge to be the best that he can be.
That's why his bands are great. When I say nugent,
he still goes up there with the intent. Ozzy on
his last gig, he's sitting in that chair. He's going
up there to be the best that he can be
(09:50):
to the end, which turned out to really be the end.
And what a way to go out. There's no other
way to be successful is then to always give it
what you got, what a less And I've learned through
playing music, and I learned it in Detroit. Baby.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
You know, some of us even said that right after
we had heard that Ozzie passed away, that it's going
to be difficult for aging rockers now to uh just
fade away after the spectacular event that you know, Ozzie
put on with Sabbath and his solo stuff and all
of the guys and all of the bands and all
(10:24):
the musicians.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Nobody, nobody is going to top. It's impossible.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
So you might be right.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
I know I was very you know, I'm not going
to say I was his best friend, but I consider
myself very close to him, and we shared many magical moments,
and I think I knew a little bit of the
inner workings of him, I can guess. And I imagine
him up there going top that you sons that you
know what top that I can I can just stand
(10:51):
them up there going yep, I got you again, din
and I.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Boy, that's true.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
What was that atmosphere like? I mean, obviously, and I'd
heard other people who were there already talk about the
fact that they had no idea that Ozzy was in
that grave of shape, I guess. But at the time
when he was, you know, doing the rehearsing and all that,
how did all that go?
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Was he doing well at the time? And what was
that atmosphere?
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Like? I mean, he wasn't the same physical Ozzie that
he was, and everybody's you know, seen the clips, and
but he still went in there and did it. I mean,
when I sat behind him, I heard his voice coming
through my monitor speakers and it sounded like Ozzy and
his voice it came out. When you watch the set
(11:41):
we did I think we played five songs. The voice
was not gone, it was still there he and he
gave it up. So, you know, all those kind of
things are inconsequential. You know, whether he was running around
or throwing buckets of water to me. The proof was
that all those things that he's well known for, the
(12:02):
running around at the end of the day, that guy
could do it with a smile and just the power
of his voice. He was so magnetic. That is proof
that all the other stuff was just icing on the cake.
He was incredibly gifted, incredibly talented, and stuck to a share.
(12:22):
He entertained forty five thousand people who were getting tears
in their eyes.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
Yeah, so there's not many.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
People who could do that. And I honestly mean that.
I honestly mean that. And it just wasn't because people
thought it was the last gig. It was, but it was.
He had a magnetism that really will probably be unparalleled.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
I think when people saw the event itself, they really
thought that maybe that you know, maybe it wasn't exactly
the end the end, that there would be other projects,
that there would be other recordings, there would be.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Well, you can say, what if everybody could say what
if or we could discuss, but it turned out it
was the last one, and all I got to say
is God bless them, and what a way to go.
We can you know, you can talk about what if
and how did you feel on the day of the show,
But for me, I'm just going to go back to
(13:21):
it was special and I wanted to be I was
happy to and proud to be there for Ozzie's last gig,
just like I was happy and proud to be there
on the first ever gig that I did. Was Ozzie
the last or the first, or the fiftieth or the fourth.
I have a hard time this separating one from the other.
That one is more special because it's the last. It's
(13:43):
it's not how I operate, and I don't think Ozzie
did that way either. It was always the last gig.
That one happened to actually just be the last one, yep.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
And it was a good one too, And it was
great to have somebody like yourself and also Chad Smith,
where I read that you two guys were kind of
standing on stage a couple of detroiters hanging out and
just you know, just being amazed at the whole thing
and watching Black Sabbath from the side of the stage
and representing the motor city out there. You know, it
(14:15):
is amazing how Detroit seems to work its way into
a lot of big things when it comes to rock
and roll, and maybe that's one of the biggest and
you and Chad were there for it, so congratulations on that.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Yeah, yeah, me and Chad are very similar except for
our bank accounts. There to God bless Chad Smith and
the Red Hot Chili Peppers are.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
So you do have some diverse dates.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
You know, you're talking about diverse diversity when you're playing
the drums. You've got some shows with Ted coming up,
and they're like five in a row, right, You're playing
every single night Saginaw and and that'll be interesting. But
Luddington is the one where you know you're playing in
that very small room too. Shows, so those are so intimate,
(15:03):
so awesome events. And then popon Michigan and then ultimately
August thirty first at Freedom Hill the Michigan Lottery Amphitheater
in Sterling Heights with Uncle Ted opening up, and give
me an idea of your set list and what you're
going to kick out just a little bit up on
that stage.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
We play ninety original of Tommy's rock Trip is the
name of original of my own music, and we'll play
one or two, but there was in We're playing a
very short set, but we are gonna blast so hardcore
you're you're gonna be like, what the hell just happened.
(15:45):
It's gonna be an our full worse of music in
thirty minutes. And except we get a longer set on
the Freedom Hill Show, what we sneak little Michigan Detroit
rock tidbits in there and a couple of little tricks
in there that people are gonna be very familiar with. So,
(16:07):
but I really want to do my own thing. I
don't really, you know, I'm much as much as a
lot of guys are doing tributes and tribute bands and
tribute things like this, I didn't really want to do that.
It's not where my heart is at. So I'd rather
kind of like I'm making it hard on myself and
trying to play our own music. To be honest with you,
(16:28):
but I think our own music, if you come and
see it, you're really gonna be surprised and really gonna go,
Holy Moldy. That really, that's that's kind of has power up.
That's more. That's an original song. I wouldn't think that
was You're gonna be brought into what we're doing because
I think the music has the power and the energy
and it has some hooks that people are gonna go,
(16:50):
oh yeah. I wish. I wish some of these these
legacy acts wrote some of these new tunes like this.
I think you're it's kind of classic hard rock, but
it's new.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
Well, as a Detroit or, I have faith in you.
Tell me that you're going to deliver, no question about it.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
And if they don't like it, I'm gonna make them
like it.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
There is your attitude right there. That's what I love.
So I'm reading that you're also now.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
In the Dead Daisies and those guys. Whenever they come through,
we love them here in Detroit.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
Yeah, it's something I've kind of been in and out of,
you know, due to everybody's schedule. They kind of call
the they call the phone here and if I'm available,
I go and yeah, everybody and their brother's been in
that band. So I'm one of the brothers. You know,
when the when the when the time is available, and
I'm happy to do it and They're happy to have me,
and it all works out. Actually, I leave in a
(17:46):
few days. I've been to the UK like this will
be my third time in three weeks. So I leave
in a few days to go back to the UK
to do a few weeks with them, and I get
home really late. The next day we drive twelve hours
from Nashville, Tennessee to Detroit, and then the next day
we start with the Nugent Gigs in Michigan. Wow.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Well, I know it's been a rough couple of weeks
for you, and we certainly appreciate you taking the time
to get.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
To loss here with I feel weird taking I feel
awkward taking condolences, to be honest with you, you know,
because as much as I love the guy, I really
feel sorry for Missus Osbourne. I know her heart is
broken and his family's heart is broken. So I will
miss playing on stage with the man. That's what I will,
honestly miss. I will. It's hard to develop that connection
(18:40):
with anybody ever since it's slowed down playing with Ozzie
and he had his accident, I've really missed that connection.
So to get that to do that one last time
with him and steel that way God, I felt glowing
after playing with it. It's just it's just it was there,
you know, it felt where I should be. That I
that's what I'm going to miss the most is being
(19:03):
up there and getting that really one hundred and ten
percent feeling of you're doing what you should be doing.
So thanks to Ozzie forgiving that to me. For fifteen
years I had the pleasure of doing that. And sorry
to all the fans out there that aren't going to
get to see him live anymore, but his memory and
his voice will live on through his music forever.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Absolutely Well, it was special and you were special.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
You know.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
It's almost hard to put it in words as to
you know how we all felt that day we heard
about it, but you got to experience it. You got
to be there and you got to play with the
man for the very last time, and that is going
to be with you forever, and that is pretty special,
pretty special.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
I think people are having such a hard time because
Ozzie seemed like a guy in a weird way that
he would never die, that he would never he was
like an institution, like you can rely on, Well, Ozzie's
he's there, and I think he just seemed like he
was always going to be there, so I think, you know,
it was a shock to people because you couldn't imagine
(20:08):
that you weren't going to see a commercial with him
or a little something pop up or something new come up.
What's he going to do now? He was always surprising you,
since he does. He came on the scene in the
in the late sixties. So what a career, what a
legacy and will live on. I'm it's like I you know,
(20:29):
I told a very close person in his family, I said,
everybody here, you know, everybody here has stories that they
attribute that are so special that everybody has an Azzie
story that makes them feel like it's only them who
have that special memory. He made you feel like you
(20:51):
were very special and let in on something. But he
had that quality, and he had that quality with his
fans and they felt connected. There's certain artists that that's
why there It's not just the music, it's not just
the voice, it's not just the songs. It's how they
make you feel through the music and through their personality.
(21:12):
That that's why people are so upset at the loss
of Ozzie. So God bless them. So nice talking to
you hear you, Doug. I look forward to seeing the
people in Michigan and seeing Uncle Ted Nugent, and we're
going to bring some MotorCity rock from Tennessee up back
to where it belongs. I'm going to beat the hell
out of them drums, and you were going to see
(21:33):
me sweat and work for my money up there.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
All right, Well, thank you, Tommy.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
We're looking forward to seeing you with Ted Nudge in
August thirty first Michigan Lottery Amphitheater, along with the other
shows with Uncle Ted.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
And we're excited to see you, Tommy, so Billy
Speaker 1 (21:47):
You so much, all right, brother, thank you,
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