WRIF Virtual Rock Room with The Scream's John Corabi
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00:00Thank you so much for watching Riff TV.
00:02Now, this interview is obviously with video, but I don't interview everybody on Zoom.
00:07That's why I put it on my Talkin' Rock with Meltdown podcast.
00:10We talk to rock artists from all over the genre.
00:13So check out Talkin' Rock with Meltdown wherever you get your podcasts.
00:16And now, to today's video interview.
00:20I'll tell you what, John, I've done a lot of interviews,
00:22but I've never done one where somebody's been actually getting tattooed at the same time.
00:26This is a first.
00:27It could be worse.
00:28It could be my balls, but whatever.
00:30That would be worse.
00:32There's no doubt about that.
00:33But how are you doing there?
00:35I'm good, buddy.
00:36Good to see you.
00:37Where are you?
00:38Are you in Nashville?
00:39Yeah, I'm home for a little bit.
00:42I just went out and did a few shows and then had a week of rehearsal with the Daisies
00:50and just getting ready to go back out on the road with Tom Kiefer and Winger.
00:56We'll get all that stuff here in just a few minutes.
00:58I saw you post the other day something that's near and dear and close to my heart.
01:00You pulled the Harley Davidson out, eh?
01:02Yes.
01:03It was a beautiful day.
01:07It's been really warm and sunny in Nashville, so I'm like, I hadn't ridden it for a bit
01:14because I was up in New York and everything.
01:16So I'm like, all right, time to pull her out.
01:18Take it for a putt.
01:19Yeah.
01:20Yeah, it sounded healthy, man.
01:21It sounded really good.
01:22I've had mine out for a couple months.
01:24As a matter of fact, I should have hit you up.
01:26It's my bad.
01:27I was down in Nashville in April and I was actually, I brought my bicycle down there as
01:31well.
01:31And I was riding around on Shelby Bottoms.
01:33You know where that is?
01:36Very familiar.
01:36I'm literally, this tattoo parlor that I'm at is like five minutes away from that.
01:41Okay.
01:42Yeah.
01:42I was riding my bike around there, you know, getting some miles on it.
01:45So it was beautiful.
01:46And then I come back up here and it's like 60 something, but it was in the eighties out
01:50there.
01:50It was awesome.
01:50But hey, before we get started here, I just wanted to thank you for signing this record.
01:54I mean, this is really what friends are all about right here.
01:58Um, yeah, I like the other side better.
02:06The other, the actual debt, no, the, the actual dedication to you.
02:11Right.
02:12Exactly.
02:14That is fantastic.
02:15I got that.
02:15I'm like, that's awesome.
02:17I love that professionalism at its finest, at its highest form.
02:20So, so yeah, I just mentioned, uh, the, uh, live and loud tour with, uh, Tom Kiefer and,
02:26uh, winger.
02:26So talk about that a little bit.
02:28Well, we start August, uh, or I keep saying August, June 15th.
02:34I start with them in Atlanta and, um, we go all through, uh, all the way up the East coast
02:43and then we start heading West.
02:45And then, um, we end the tour or I ended with them.
02:51I don't, I think they're going longer, but I end with them here at the Ryman theater in
02:56Nashville on August 18th.
03:00And, um, then I unpack, repack and then get back on the plane.
03:05And I head up and, and head out with the dead daisies for the.
03:10Now, have you, uh, have you played the Ryman auditorium before?
03:12No, I'm very excited about that.
03:16Yeah.
03:17That's a cool place.
03:18I was, I was there for, you know, the kid rock thing there last month, uh, in April as second
03:22time I was in that place.
03:22It's really cool.
03:23Yeah.
03:24I can't say that I won't drop to my knees and lick the spot that Elvis stood on.
03:28Um, it's going to be fun.
03:31I, I, I've been there for, uh, God, I, I saw Tesla there, uh, Ted Nugent.
03:40Um, I've actually, uh, my wife and I went to go see Chris Isaacs there and it's a great
03:47room.
03:47Sounds great.
03:48So I'm looking forward to it.
03:50Yeah.
03:50For people that never been there before, uh, there's no real seats.
03:53There's like pews, which is kind of neat.
03:55Yeah, I think it was an old church, right?
03:59But it's just, you know, I mean, for forever, it was like the country music, all like Mecca.
04:07Right.
04:08And, um, they've started opening it up now to some rock acts.
04:13So I'm just, you know, it's a piece of history, man.
04:16It's like, I, I've had the good fortune of playing, you know, places like Pine Knob when
04:22it was Pine Knob and, and Stevie GVs and, you know, the Troubadour and the Roxy and
04:29the whiskey.
04:30And, you know, this is just one on the bucket list, the Ryman Banner.
04:34Yeah, no doubt.
04:35It's, it's, it's back to Pine Knob by the way, but yeah, you're just, you just mentioned
04:38like the Roxy and Troubadour and all that stuff, uh, when you were out probably with
04:41the scream and I put that record on when I first got it and boy, did I just flash back
04:46to memories of my career starting out.
04:47And of course that was when you started out, it's your career as well.
04:51Yeah.
04:52And it's funny because I remember coming to Detroit and doing, you know, multiple interviews.
04:58I don't want to say I was, I, I actually went to one of your competitors as well, but I remember
05:03coming to, uh, you know, rip and, and, uh, you know, uh, just having a blast in, uh, Detroit
05:13as well.
05:13So, well, I was in Buffalo when you, when you guys first came out, when I got here in
05:171995, there was about 18 rock stations.
05:19Now there's only a few left, but, uh, you know, the rift still, uh, still staying strong.
05:24Awesome.
05:24Yeah.
05:24So you're going to be here actually, uh, coming up in a district, uh, July 12th.
05:28You just doing the solo thing that night, eh?
05:30Yes.
05:31Yeah.
05:32Uh, it was a couple of days off.
05:34So they, they put me up at, uh, what's it district?
05:3842.
05:39Yeah.
05:40Yeah.
05:40So I'm looking, but I guess it's a new venue.
05:43Yeah.
05:44It's a new venue.
05:44It's beautiful.
05:45It's going to be a great night out there as well.
05:47And, uh, and then of course, you know, uh, you mentioned the dead daisies now that just
05:50was announced, uh, you know, a couple of weeks back or a week ago or so.
05:54Why is there this, this, like this constant change of band members in that band?
06:01You know, it's, it's just weird, David, when David put it together, he put together,
06:05you know, an awesome lineup, knowing that everybody else was doing other things.
06:13So it's just, just kind of how it played out.
06:17Um, obviously I was there for, um, you know, four years, uh, from 15 to 18.
06:25Um, and, um, you know, I just kind of had to take a little break and catch my breath for
06:31a minute cause it was out of control or schedule, but, um, you know, they called me up, they
06:38told me Glenn's going back out now to do his 50th anniversary of, uh, the deep purple burn
06:45album.
06:46And then I think I'm not totally sure, but I think he's actually even doing some black
06:53country communion stuff as well.
06:56Um, so they just said, Hey man, you want to, do you want to come back?
06:59And I said, yeah, okay.
07:01You know, we worked some things out as far as the scheduling.
07:05Um, you know, and I'm just happy, honestly, happy to be back.
07:09It was, there was never any bad blood between us and.
07:14And, you know, I was really kind of proud of a lot of the stuff that we did.
07:20So why not?
07:23You know what I mean?
07:24Yeah.
07:24And you got a new bass player as well as coming into the fold.
07:27Yeah.
07:27Michael Devin, um, who it's, it's funny, like, you know, everybody, everybody's like, Oh,
07:33do you, have you ever worked with Michael before?
07:36Do you know Michael?
07:36And I'm like, actually, I go back with Michael to probably 1999 or 2000.
07:42Um, when he first moved to LA from Boston, he actually, oddly enough, dated my ex-wife.
07:51Is that right?
07:53And, um, but he, he was looking for work and, uh, at the time, nobody really knew that he
08:00could play bass, you know?
08:01And so he, he came out and he worked, he, we hired him as a tech for me and Robbie Crane
08:12when we were in rat.
08:14So I've known Michael for, you know, like I said, since 1999 or 2000.
08:21How many times have you seen the dead daisies?
08:24Uh, obviously when you weren't in the band.
08:27Never.
08:28Oh, really?
08:28Is that right?
08:28Okay.
08:29No, only because only because I was, uh, when they were here in Nashville, um, I was out
08:38doing shows.
08:39I never, I never saw them with John Stevens or with Glenn, you know, unfortunately.
08:47So I'm, you know, uh, I actually stay in touch with John Stevens via the internet.
08:55Um, I just, just actually Glenn commented on the bike post that as well.
09:03So Glenn and I stay in touch with each other.
09:06I have nothing but mad respect for both of those guys.
09:10And, um, but unfortunately I was never able to see the band when they were, when they were
09:15singing.
09:16Yeah.
09:17I saw him with, uh, Glenn and, uh, Tommy Clifetus on, uh, drums, uh, last time they were
09:21here.
09:21And, uh, Glenn is like, um, he's kind of like one of these guys.
09:24He's the perfect example of, if you take care of yourself, uh, you can do this for a long
09:28time.
09:29And he didn't take care of himself for a long time.
09:31Um, that guy is genuinely a freak.
09:37Like the fact that he still sings the way he sings just is mind boggling to me.
09:42It's insane.
09:44Yes.
09:45That's cool.
09:45So have you done any rehearsals you saw with those guys or not yet?
09:49Yeah, we did.
09:49We did a week, uh, uh, I guess maybe about two weeks ago.
09:55And, um, then I had to come home and get ready for my tour.
09:59Um, but, uh, there, there's a week where, um, there was a little gap in the tour after
10:09Chicago.
10:10So I'm literally going to get dropped off at the airport in Chicago from the tour.
10:16I'm going to fly to New York, rehearse with the daisies for a week and then fly back and
10:20pick back up with the guys in Texas.
10:23Okay.
10:25So, uh, how did it feel like getting back in?
10:27It was like getting on a bike again or what?
10:30Yeah.
10:30The first day it was a little iffy for me.
10:33Um, but once we started getting into the groove, it all came back and it was by the end of the
10:39week, I'm not saying, you know, we're not a hundred percent there yet, but, um, I'd say
10:45we were about, you know, we were probably about 70, 75% there.
10:50We're going to get back together again in July.
10:53And, um, by then we should be firing on all cylinders.
10:58So is this one of these things where like, you kind of get back in the room and get back
11:01together and you kind of rehearse a little bit and play and stuff.
11:03And then they announced that you're back in the band.
11:05Is it kind of like that's how it works?
11:07Well, that's what we did.
11:09Okay.
11:09Obviously that, you know, those guys are great with their social media stuff.
11:15They film everything.
11:17So, uh, I walked into the room.
11:20We all gave each other a hug.
11:21They were filming everything.
11:23And then they said, all right, you know, sounds great.
11:25Nobody's lost a beat.
11:27So let's put it out.
11:29You're back.
11:31That's cool.
11:31Well, we're going to look, going to look forward to seeing you out with that project.
11:34I don't think the Tom Kiefer and winger tour is coming through here, but like I said,
11:38July 12th at a district, anything else you're working on?
11:41Any other projects, anything going on in Nashville?
11:43No, I just wanted to let you know, though, that I, I did get, I did get a promotion.
11:47I'm, I'm now the night manager at the seven 11.
11:53Which on Dickerson Pike.
11:56Yeah, that one.
12:00By the way, you know, you can't just sit here and get tattooed while we're talking to you
12:04and not at least, you know, tell us what it is or not even show us.
12:07Hold on.
12:08I will show you right here.
12:09All right.
12:10Can you see that?
12:11Oh yeah.
12:12Okay.
12:12Perfect.
12:13Yeah.
12:14Kind of like finishing up, huh?
12:16Yeah.
12:17So he's basically, he's basically tattooing my hand because I wanted to have a catcher's
12:23mitt when I go on tour this summer.
12:28Hey, by the way, you know, I know you get to ask a lot about like Motley and stuff.
12:33Have you seen any of these shows that have come around or no?
12:35No, I'm, you know, honestly, and I don't mean this as a slag, but I really, I don't care,
12:44dude.
12:45Yeah.
12:45I get it.
12:46Yeah.
12:47I've been getting asked about, you know, what do I feel about the Mick thing?
12:51And it's just like, you know, that's something that they need to work out.
12:55I lived it.
12:56I bought the shirt.
12:57I've actually worn the shirt out and I blew it away and onward and upward.
13:04I got it.
13:05Yeah.
13:05John five is from here, you know, so I haven't seen this tour yet, but I know John's a huge
13:09Motley fan and I bet you could play every, every, every song of the album.
13:13You're on note for note as well.
13:15So.
13:17Yeah.
13:18Yeah.
13:18Well, John, thanks so much for the time, man.
13:20Can't wait to see you on July 12th here at a district one 42.
13:23Awesome place.
13:24Of course you got all the vinyl off Tom key for the dead daisies.
13:27It looks like you're getting things back and cranked up again.
13:30Well, listen to dude.
13:32If you ever, this is the guy right here, Adam,
13:35ever back in Nashville and you want to get some of that ain't touched up.
13:39So you need to come, uh, come here to custom thrills.
13:44I got it.
13:45Yeah.
13:45The last time I tried to give him a plug, I said, cheap thrills, whatever.
13:51I have, I have a, I have a Bob Tyrell tattoo.
13:55See if he knows who Bob Tyrell is.
13:57Oh yeah.
13:58Yep.
13:59He knows very well.
14:00Drink plenty of tequila with that.
14:02Everybody in the tattoo world seems to know Bob.
14:05So, but, uh, anyways, we'll give him my best.
14:07And, uh, John, thanks so much for the time.
14:09Appreciate it.
14:10Awesome, brother.
14:11Good to see you.