During an ongoing career spanning five decades, the year-old Californian has electrified stages with Montrose, Van Halen, Chickenfoot and The Circle and as a solo artist. That was a kid who wanted fame and fortune so bad that he would have done anything to get it.
I had real belief that I could make it. Did that knock your confidence? No, because just having the chance to make a record meant my foot was in the door. Oh yes, I was very promiscuous. I looked at that as part of the rewards of stardom. When Ronnie broke up Montrose at the end of their first European tour, how did you feel? Ronnie was getting more and more distant, so I knew something was coming, but it was devastating.
Ronnie was a piece of work, he liked to get everyone uncomfortable. Montrose producer Ted Templeman passed on signing you as a solo artist.
Did that serve as motivation to prove him wrong? It was disheartening initially, because Ted was very powerful at Warners, and all his projects got attention. But I think the reason he passed was because of the politics with Ronnie. In you played at Madison Square Garden for the first time, with Kiss. It should have been a dream show, but it ended up being a nightmare, with the audience booing you off.
The Kiss fans wanted to kill me. And I was like: The next show, I walked out thinking: In you became only the third signing to the newly formed Geffen Records. What convinced you to sign to that label? Looking back, I get it. The record company was freaked out.
