They Were the #1 Rock Band in the WORLD...1 Interview RUINED Them OVERNIGHT! | Professor of Rock

Poll: What is your pick for the GREATEST Heavy Metal or Hard Rock record of the rock era?

I was a kid in high school, writing for my high school newspaper...I told the teacher in charge of the newspaper that I wanted to interview a rock act. He said there was no way I could do it...challenge accepted! I used the school phone to call New York, home of their label. They directed me to their publicly people in LA. I called LA and they directed me to people in San Francisco. I got ahold of them, and put me on the guest list for backstage access in Salinas, CALIFORNIA! I interviewed Quiet Riot just weeks after Metal Health came out. It was glorious. I received an award from the local newspaper for journalistic excellence...much to my teachers dismay. I love Quiet Riot.

I was 34 and a restaurant manager in Denver in the mid 90s. Of course we had quite a few young people working there. There was a young guy, 19 years old, who was a bus boy. He was a good kid, but he came from a troubled family. He had moved out from his parents’ house at 17. The only way he could make ends meet was to have a roommate and he and his best friend shared an apartment. His best friend got in trouble and went to prison for 5 years. This young man was going to lose his apartment and become homeless. As his boss, I told him he could stay at my place until he found another roommate. He was rough around the edges. He had long hair and hadn’t finished high school, but he always seemed to be a good kid at work. Well, he wound up being an amazing house guest. One day when he was off, I came home from work to find him cleaning and listening to music. I was surprised to find him listening to a mix tape he had made and it included Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, Van Halen and more bands from the 80s. He said he couldn’t stand rap and wasn’t into grunge. I let this kid live with me for six months while he tried to figure out his life. One day he came to me and said he enlisted in the army. He would be leaving in less than a month. I was happy for him, but was a little sad that he would be leaving. He thanked me for giving him some stability and a chance to get on his feet. He went to boot camp in August of 1996. He still stays in touch. He emails me often and texts weekly. He’s married and has two kids now. He did so well in the army he went through officer training school and is currently a captain, planning a retirement from the military. He recently shared a music playlist and Metal Health was on it.

In 1983 I was 18 a Metalhead and managing a small indie Record Store. "Metal Health" was a big seller at the time. While I found the album OK I thought it was a bit Cheesy. Fast forward 10 years and I'm sitting at a booth in a bar with my girlfriend across from my girlfriends friend and her new boyfriend. The guy looked familiar but I couldn't place him, about 20 minutes later it came to me "He's Kevin DuBrow". We became friends that night and everything I had perceived about him was wrong. I had always thought he was some know it all blow hard, but he wasn't. Never once in all the times we hung out did I ever hear him say "Don't you know who I am"? Or pull any "I'm a Rock Star" crap. Yes, Kevin had some Demons but we all did back then. He was a genuine good guy and I miss him.

Mental Health was the first song I learned to play in 1983. Playing the guitar created an entire career for me that I still work in today.

One of the greatest 18 months of my life: Pyromania, Metal Health, Shout at the Devil, Stay Hungry and VH's 1984.

Whenever I hear about Quiet Riot I think of that Simpsons episode: Dick Clark: "And that was Whitesnake!" Guitar player: "We're not Whitesnake, dude! We're Poison!" Bassist: "I thought we were Quiet Riot?" Drummer: "It says here we're Ratt!"

I had the amazing luck to see and meet the classic lineup of Quiet Riot in a small club during their tour in 2000. Picture this, people were literally playing pool during the show. I was right up by the stage with the few dozen other diehards and couldn’t believe it. They were great, but it must have been very humbling. I’m looking around at the other people that weren’t playing attention like, what the heck are you people doing?!?! This is Quiet freaking Riot and they’re so close you can almost be on stage with them! Anyway, they had a meet and greet and signed autographs after the show. Kevin Dubrow could not have been any nicer. Super cool, down to earth, seemed legitimately grateful that I was at the show and excited to meet them (I was 24). He was actually really handsome, friendly and just left such a good impression on me. I was very sad when I heard he died. Carlos Cavazos was also great. We talked guitars for a minute and he was also down to earth and just very cool. Frankie really wanted to get out of there and Rudy? I actually felt for him. He had this attitude like how did I end up here? I played with ozzy, whitesnake, huge stadiums and now I have some kid at the back to back club in Lafayette trying to chit chat with me. 😅 Bottom line is that they do not get enough credit. Just like Twisted Sister, they were thrown aside very quickly after they finally made it. I was really lucky to be able to see a whole concert with them from ten feet away and then have a moment with them. RIP Kevin and Frankie.

When I was 17, I was driving some friends to a nearby town. We wrecked and ended upside down. This tape was in the player and was still going when we stopped.

I met Rudy Sarzo and Randy Rhoads brother & sister at an RR Remembered event and what a class act Rudy is, truly amazing person. Kathy Rhoads is an absolute sweetheart and Kelle has amazing stories about growing up with Randy… I’m honored to have met all of them!!

I was 14 in ‘83… What a time it was!

The term "bang your head" came from when Randy was recording with Ozzy, he called Kevin from England and told Kevin, that the UK fans do something called headbangers (of the new wave of British heavy metal) bands. Kevin goes 'what's that?' Randy said they 'bang their heads' in time to the music. That's where Kevin got the inspiration to use the phrase and wrote it into the reformed 'no more booze' song and changing the lyrics. I talked to Carlos (Cavazo), and he verified that story. As for Kevin's big mouth, well, he was brutally frank and didn't pull any punches, and called it like he saw it. Very outspoken. I met him on the first night I was in L.A. at the Troubadour club, and he gave me my first warning; "welcome to L.A., remember the O'Jays song 'Backstabbers'? That's exactly what L.A. is; there's always somebody looking to stab you in the back and steal your gig. However, Kevin was always nice to me, he even called me years later to invite me to replace Rudy for their South American tour. Ironically, all the people who distanced themselves from Kevin, were all showing their true fake colors, and suddenly, were all crying over Kevin's passing away. Such is the plastic Hollywood scene. I recently worked with Carlos (and Stet Howland), in the two Freakshow videos on YouTube, until the bandleader's toxic attitude just ruined the whole experience.

It was early 1996 and being married with my daughter on the way, me and my wife went to a riverfront concert in Montgomery, Alabama where they performed. It was an amazing experience and afterwards, we met the band and got them to autograph my greatest hits CD. Kevin, Carolos, Rudy, and Frankie were extremely nice and we, mainly me, just soaked up the opportunity to speak with them. One of my best concerts I have ever attended even though it was only in front of a few hundred people. The band definitely resonated with me as a teen growing up in the 80s. Fast forward to 2017, I was in the Army and home on leave from a deployment. I saw them at a festival in Junction City, kansas where I met Frankie, the only original member, and let me tell you, he was the most humble and respectful person I had ever met. We got pictures and autographs but I will never forget the impact he had on me. Awesome video! Thanks!

Halloween 1983, I was nine years old. I was such a huge Quiet Riot fan. My mom had a cool black leather motorcycle jacket, the real deal. And so that sparked the idea I could wear it backwards as a straight jacket, like the album cover. I didn't stop there. I cut up some cardboard into the shape of the iconic metal mask, complete with cardboard straps exactly as they were shown on the music video, so I could wear the mask. All I had to go by back then was the album cover, but then got to see different angles from the music video so I could get all the details right. Like the little chain that hangs down on one side. I made that chain out of paper clips haha! So that was my Halloween 1983 costume. I thought I was the coolest nine year old on the planet, destined to meet the band and go on tour!

Quiet Riot's success story really owes much to Slade. Slade was about 8 or 9 years to early, but had some real melodic gems. I still watch Slade's videos every now and again.

I had the pleasure of meeting the band back in 2001when the original Metal Health lineup reunited and toured with Poison and Enuff Z'Nuff. All of the band members, including Kevin DuBrow, were extremely pleasant and very appreciative of the fans. They signed my CD and chatted for a while, and I'm very glad I got the opportunity to tell them what an impact their breakthrough album had on my life way back in '83. Such a tragedy that DuBrow would be gone just six years later.

I was 13 yr old and can still plainly remember exactly when and where I was when I heard that drum intro and then that legendary first strum of that beautifully lush sounding guitar followed by Kevin's screaming vocals. I can even remember what car I was in and what clothes I was wearing. That's how significant that song is.

True story, I went to high school with Kevin DuBrow, Grant high in Van Nuys, CA. He was my nemesis, he was a shag haircut, with platform heals and a big mouth. We had a few run-ins, but we were all cool. But, I was friends with the Porcaro brothers, Jeff, Mike, and Steve. They didn't play a lot of hair music. Eventually, they would become Toto. We were all in school at the same time, and music was everywhere. I was fortunate to have seen Jeff Porcaro play with Steely Dan and meet the band. It's good to know the drummer. And go figure, Kevin DuBrow becomes a metal icon, life can be very strange. It wasn't the water.

1983! What a great year for Metal, Along with Quiet Riot. Motley Crue's "Shout at the Devil" Ozzy's "Bark at the Moon" and Dio's "Holy Diver" among others ruled my walkman.

Absolutely correct professor! I was 9 years old and I remember seeing the Metal Health video at my friend’s house. It seemed like it was being played every hour on MTV back then.