During a conversation with Planet Rock, Disturbed frontman David Draiman talked about Ronnie James Dio.
Here’s the complete statement:
“One time I went to see him in Chicago at the House of Blues and was fortunate enough to go backstage and say hello.
“And he’s doing his usual – he’s got a glass of wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other. And I was just so taken with the opportunity to meet him – one of my greatest sources of inspiration and an idol of mine; one of the most majestic rock voices that ever existed.
“And I pulled him to the side for a minute. I’m, like, ‘Ronnie, could I ask you a question?’ ‘Sure. What would you like to ask?’ ‘What do you do for your warm-up? How do you get ready for the show?’
“And he goes ahead and puts his hand on my shoulder and he looks me in the eyes and he says, ‘Brother if you have to warm up, you don’t have it.’ [Laughs]
“And I was crushed. I literally felt like four inches tall at the time. And he said that he was messing with me. But literally, the man never warmed up – the wine and the cigarettes was the warm-up.
“So, God bless him and his memory. I have nothing but the highest level of reverence for the memory and the legacy of Mr. Ronnie James Dio.”
1 comment
Not a hard feat making that guy seem small