QUIET RIOT drummer Frankie Banali was recently interviewed by Barbara Caserta and Primo Bonali of Italy's Linea Rock. The full conversation can be heard below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): On playing this year's Frontiers Rock Festival, which marks QUIET RIOT's first-ever concert in Italy: Frankie: "It's really amazing when you think about the fact that we recorded the 'Metal Health' record in 1982, it came out in 1983, and in 35 years, we have never, ever played Italy. This is historic. I am so looking forward to it. I've been to Italy before, with my parents, and I actually was in Milan in 1989 with W.A.S.P. We were supposed to play a show, and something happened and the show didn't happen, but I had very good pasta." On deciding to film the band's performance at the festival for a live DVD: Frankie: "I'm going to have one very special surprise in one of the QUIET RIOT songs. It's going to be something that we have never, ever done before like this." On what he would say to anyone claiming that the group's current lineup is not the "real QUIET RIOT": Frankie: "I think first of all, it's important for everybody to understand that I have been involved with QUIET RIOT since 1980. The bass player that's with us, Chuck Wright, has been a part of QUIET RIOT on and off since we recorded 'Metal Health'. Alex Grossi, our guitarist, has been in the band for 14 years. The new singer is James Durbin, who was on 'American Idol' during the tenth season. I think it's also important to understand that in the history of QUIET RIOT, there have been nearly 40 different members. It hasn't just been myself and Rudy Sarzo, who is my dearest and closest friend and a big supporter of me doing QUIET RIOT, and Kevin DuBrow, who of course passed away, and Carlos [Cavazo]. That was the iconic lineup, but if you look at any band these days, they're not all original members either because people have left, people have passed away, but you're going to get a wonderful representation of QUIET RIOT." On his memories of Randy Rhoads: Frankie: "Randy... was one of the sweetest persons I've ever known. An incredible guitarist. I never saw him without a guitar in his hands. It's really funny because when he started playing with Ozzy [Osbourne], he called me at my apartment in West Hollywood and said, 'Hey, Frankie — you wanna go play with Ozzy?' I said, 'The guy from BLACK SABBATH?' He goes, 'Yeah,' and we rehearsed for a week together. It was a great experience, but ultimately, they decided to record ['Blizzard Of Ozz'] in England, not in L.A., and they would only take one person, and of course they took Randy. Everybody knows the rest is history. Randy could have done so many great things, but sadly, he was taken away from all of us very young." QUIET RIOT's latest album, "Road Rage" — the band's first with Durbin — was released last August via Frontiers Music Srl. Durbin, who became known as the "metal guy" on 2011's season of "American Idol" after performing "Living After Midnight" and "Breaking The Law" with JUDAS PRIEST, hooked up with QUIET RIOT after the dismissal of Seann Nicols (a.k.a. Sheldon Tarsha; formerly of ADLER'S APPETITE). Nicols was with QUIET RIOT for just a few months, but long enough to record the vocals for an early version of "Road Rage".
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