Too funny not to share: RANDY RHOADS SAVED ME FROM THE POLICE by Brian Tichy... OK.. I forgot to mention this in the press release last year and I forgot to tell the story on stage at all the RRR shows... so here it is. In 7th grade, 1980, I was listening to an Ozzy interview on the radio and they played a tune from Blizzard of Ozz. The LP was just coming out. They played I Dont Know. When the guitar came in I was hooked, floored, and everything else! All the fills in between the riffs were like little surprises of greatness that just got me more and more excited! I listened with such intensity and couldnt believe how amazing it was! Then the solo came in and it was like an avalanche of all things cool on the planet plowing me down. Thats my first memory of Randy Rhoads! I was just getting into guitar and this record was the one I tried so hard to figure out. I barely knew what I was doing but tried to imitate every note of Randys... Ok.... fast forward to 2000. I hear Ozzy is looking for a drummer. I make some calls and get an audition. So Im in Burbank doing the 3rd of 3 auditions. But things are running late and I have to get to Santa Monica with my drums because I have a gig with Gilby Clarke. So I jump in my car and get on Hollywood Way. Maybe Im not within the speed limit at that time... All of the sudden... woooh!!! wooh!!! wooh!!! ... a cop is pulling me over... He walks up and asks for my license and all that. He then says, after looking at the drums in the back of the car... where are you going? I said, (with full intent on hoping all the name dropping does some good) sorry officer, I just auditioned for Ozzy Osbourne and Im late to play a gig in Santa Monica with Gilby Clarke from Guns N Roses. He says, wait here... So Im sitting there like, hes giving me a ticket.. shit.. traffic school.. fines...this sucks... he may make me sit here for like 30 minutes just to stick it to me because I have a gig and was speeding... So a couple minutes later he walks back and says... The first concert I ever saw was Black Sabbath ...and ...I pulled Randy Rhoads over on this same street. Slow down and get out of here. And if you get the Ozzy gig I want a T-shirt. Im Officer Madrid. !!!!!!! Come on!!!!! How cool is that!!!!!! So, at the end of the Summer, after being Ozzys drummer for the 2000 Ozzfest (one of the biggest highlights of my life...playing with Robert Trujillo, Joe Holmes and John Sinclair, playing songs that Ozzy wrote with Randy Rhoads!) I sent a T-shirt addressed to Officer Madrid at the Burbank Police Station! So yeah, thank you Randy Rhoads and Ozzy for being a part of the folder in my life called Cool Shit That Has Happened To Me!!! Come see our badass Randy Rhoads Remembered show on Friday Jan 23rd at the Observatory in Santa Ana and Pre-Order the RRR VOL I CD now at californiamusicfest RE: The vid below. I may be incorrect, but I believe the riff to Suicide Solution was the first one Randy played when he plugged in that got Ozzy excited... (Also.. other cool footnote... we are the only version of Ozzys band that played Diary Of A Madman live! We opened with it 3 times!!! Its on youtube too...) OZZFEST 2000: Suicide Solution youtu.be/m8JCf2g8cH4
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 17:29:16 +0000