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Iggy: Getting back to the lyrics. I know Ty offered up most of the lyrics on the
album.
Rod: Yes.
P4Y: I noticed that the album seems to be seeded in highly personal subjects. You
don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to. Namely like Ty’s busted marriage.
Does that concern you in any way at all?
Rod: Nahh.
Iggy: I know the last two platypus albums were in that same direction, but if your
paying attention to the lyrics, and you read the lyrics, you hear what he’s writing
about. It doesn’t come off in that way. It comes off like a very fun album.
Rod: It’s interesting that you say that. Let’s see, for one, I think lots of lyrics
are about relationships, and I think most people can relate to a majority of the
stuff only because they experience it. It may not be exactly the same way, but
certainly similar type relationships problems and mishaps. So that doesn’t bother me
at all. It’s interesting it really wasn’t until quite recently that I ever took much
of an interest in lyrics. Most of my life and career I’ve been an instrumentalist
focusing on the musical aspects of the music that I play. And then also, the
melodies, but necessarily the words that go with the melodies. So I think there’s a
lot of people that come from a little bit of a jazz background that are probably not
nearly as in touch with the lyrics as other people are.
Iggy: Do you find yourself listening to this album?
Rod: Yes.
Iggy: So you love it.
Rod: I don’t consider myself a jaded musician, but normally by the time a record is
completed, my thoughts are elsewhere on to the next thing and never listen to it. I
remember when Ty sent me the final mix of this record. I was listening too it in my
car. My car has a really good stereo and I was by myself. I was cruising down the
highway and screaming because I was excited about it.
Iggy: That must have been an experience.
Rod: That hasn’t happened in a long time.
Iggy: I got to tell you when I first got the CD. I put it on my home stereo system,
turned up the music, and went wow! This is special, and I’m not trying to sugar coat
this interview. I’m being totally honest, I love this album.
Rod: I really appreciate that. I’ve had friends say similar things like, “Hey Rod,
this is the best thing that you’re on and that I’ve heard in years”. Not that they
don’t like all the other stuff that I’ve been on, there is something different about
this.
Iggy: That’s so cool, you know every song is like a radio friendly song except for
the last track, they would never play it.
Rod: You know they played it on BAB radio.
WBAB is one of the big rock
radio stations in Long Island, New York. I did an hour and a half long interview
with them. They were one of the earlier supporters of the Dixie Dregs back in the
seventies, and they were very supportive of Winger, and a lot of the stuff that I
have been a part of. When they got the Jelly Jam record, they checked it out, loved
it, and said hey come on in and let’s hang. So they played half the record and said
play whatever you want to play. That was one of the 6 tunes they played.
Iggy: So you’re happy with the new record.
Rod: Extremely happy.
Iggy: How is the sales coming along?
Rod: I don’t have specific numbers, but I know that Inside Out is very happy. I
think this is one of the records that’s getting more interest in airplay than any of
their other records. So that’s great!
Iggy: Are there any plans in the future for a second Jelly Jam release?
Rod: You know what - the drums, bass, and rhythms are already done!
Iggy: Ohh man!
Rod: We did it in December.
Iggy: Fantastic.
Rod: Only cause Dream Theater was going to be out all of this year. I know I was
going to be out on tour a lot this year. Ty has been out with Kings X,
and is going out with Dream Theater, and
Joe Satriani in
August. So we had a window of opportunity in December and got it all done. As soon
as Ty gets off the road in the fall, he will be able to put his vocals on it.
Iggy: So you guys plan to work together for a while longer. Does the group plan to
tour to support the new album?
Rod: All three of us can’t wait to do that. It’s just a logistics thing, plus just
one record you really don’t have enough music. But once we get the second one
completed, we’re going to try to figure out how to do it.
Iggy: I would love to check that out.
Rod: Yeah. It’s too good not to do dates for.
Iggy: Now for some personal questions. During your day light hours on a concert
tour, what do you enjoy doing when you’re not playing? Do you practice or do you
prefer quite time in between shows?
 Rod: I definitely try to spend at least an hour with my sticks somewhere. It’s a
drag that there isn’t a drum set, so I have to do a makeshift kind of drum kit. Like
finding a couch and a chair that will do so I can at least get a little bit of
motion going. Do cross over kind of things, which helps in the dexterity. I try to
take walks or a jog. I do some kind of stretching exercise in there. I also have
some reading materials out here with me.
Iggy: Do you like to mingle with the fans, or do you prefer your own private time?
Rod: I love to chat with people that come to see us. They deserve it. They’re the
ones that enable musicians to do this. Essentially, we don’t really work for a
living. Most of it is like all this creative stuff. I’m thankful everyday that I
wake up, and I can’t believe I never had a real job.
Iggy: What a beautiful life.
Rod: Yes, that’s not to say that it’s all honky dory to play for one hour or two
hours and then you have 22 hours of travel between cities. Even though we’re on a
beautiful tour bus, it’s still 12 hours, and you sleep some of it. You just can’t
wait to get to the next destination. There is a lot of waiting time and a lot of
confusion sometimes. When you have a bunch of people on the road, one person wants
to do one thing; another person wants to do another. But you’re all in the same
vehicle, you can only do so many things.
Iggy: There is an incredible amount of dedication that goes along with it.
Rod: Oh yeah.
Iggy: Who has been your greatest influence as a drummer?
Rod: I can just mention one. The inspiration for becoming a drummer was Ringo.
Iggy: Really?
Rod: Seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show as a little kid did it to me.
Iggy: What do you think of
John Bonham
the drummer from Led Zepplin?
Rod: He was one of my next influences, but before him came
Mitch Mitchell. Mitch Mitchell, to
me, was truly the first fusion drummer. He wasn’t a rock drummer, but he was playing
with the rock band of doom. Playing with one of the greatest guitarists who ever
lived, Jimmy Hendrix. What he was doing with the music; the freedom that he had. The
fact that this whole new realm and so many things were popular and things weren’t
tied down. Like, well we have to have a hit song you have to reel it in and keep
everything simple. Every time those songs were played, he played them differently;
he stretched the limit of the imagination. I can name so many Hendrix tunes that
have these signature drum parts on them. I also really enjoyed Ginger Baker back
then he was also an innovator. Then Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham and Jethro Tull’s
Clive Bunker. They were the next two drummers that turned my head around.
Then the two more after that were
Billy Cobham and Tony Williams. Billy
Cobham had a dramatic effect on me because the Mahavishnu Orchestra. If I had to
pick one band that really spearheaded the kind of drummer I became, I would have to
say Billy Cobham and Mahavishnu. When I heard that music, it took me to a place I
felt I’ve never been before. Jethro Tull, Zeppelin, and Hendrix also did something.
But in terms of maturing as a musician, and getting into some of the more complex
harmonic, it was Mahavishnu.
Iggy: Do you think “Under the Tree” might have a little bit of influence with that?
Rod: Absolutely, very good! You know what else really did? I don’t know if you
remember the song on the first Platapus album “Chimes”. I wrote that and I played
everything on there except for Ty’s ebo solo. But to me, that’s really Mahavishnu
inspired.
Iggy: Your favorite drum kit for touring?
Rod: Well, I’m currently enjoying the
Premier Gen X
drum kit.
Iggy: Will there be a second Rudess / Morgenstein project?
 Rod: Yes, in fact we’re in the mist of it. Last summer both Jordan and I were around
for a few weeks. So we got that one started. I say almost all of the music is in
the mold. It’s in the recording mold. A lot of Jordan’s keyboards are done. We
always wait to put the drums on after all of his stuff gets done. So my guess is
probably towards the latter part of this year. Dream Theater won’t come off the road
until probably Thanksgiving. Right around that time, Jordan and I are going to try
to hit it hard so we can get that one done. Get it out by the first half of next
year. But we are both very serious about our duel. We think that somewhere in the
cards something cool is going to happen with that. You know, we always felt that
that music will be perfect in some kind of combination with other mediums. Visual
mediums, we could see ourselves in a planetarium.
Iggy: Would you do a festival?
Rod: We would do anything. Jordan is one of my best friends. The thing that’s really
cool about a duel, there’s no band dynamic. Every band has a little bit of weirdness
somewhere. It’s just bound to happen, because you live in close quarters for weeks
and months on end. Certainly when you get involved in music, which is a real
creative experience, your bound to have clashes in personalities in one way or
another. Like in a two man band it’s either you get along or you say forget it. We
think alike in so many ways and really enjoy each other’s company. It’s a perfect
situation.
Iggy: Favorite all time gig?
 Rod: In the early days of the Dixie Dregs, I think it was our first time playing in
California. You know we were an east coast band out of Atlanta, Georgia. We’re going
to the west coast but not only that, we’re going to do three nights at the Roxy in
LA opening for the Billy Cobham band. Billy’s band consisted of Randy Jackson on
bass, and John Scofield on guitar. It was an awesome band - we did two shows a night
for three nights, so we did six shows. Here we were fresh out of college, and we’re
finally doing it. We had our idols. On one of the evenings in the audience they were
like simultaneously watching our band a bunch of them happen to be there. John
McLaughlin, Michael Waldon, Stanley Clark.
Jaco Pastorius, Lenny
White. I’m not sure if that night Jeff Beck and Joni Mitchell were there, but at one
point they were. For the encore of Billys show, they all came on stage, minus Joni
Mitchell and Jeff Beck. Michael Walden and Lenny White
were up there with Billy Cobham, and John McLaughlin. Next to Randy Jackson you had
Joco on base and Stanley Clark. So these were the guys we all learned from, they
were our idols. It was like sensory overload. It was almost too much for us to
take. It has to be just about the most memorable things and then having them come up
to us and go you guys are awesome. It was a moment where I felt like we were sort
of being welcomed into the crowd. We went from being young geeky outsiders, to all
of a sudden going, “Oh my God”!
Iggy: No longer going who are these guys, it’s wow these guys are great. That’s a
memory, thanks for sharing that one with me.
Iggy: Your favorite album of all time?
Rod: The Inner Mounting Flame, Mahavishnu Orchestra.
Iggy: What bands would you like to tour with in the future if you had a chance to
tour with them?
Rod: I would like to tour with Jeff Beck. It would be fun to tour with Jethro Tull
and/or
Robert Plant.
Iggy: Is there a message you like to convey to all your fans?
Rod: Thanks for listening, and for giving all the musicians and me that I play with
the opportunity to keep making music. Without your support it doesn’t happen. So
it’s nice to be continually giving the opportunity to keep putting out music. If you
are a musician, kind of follow your heart. Do it not for any financial or other
reason other then there’s a drive in you have to do it, and just do it for the
satisfaction of having created something that has your signature on it.
Iggy: Very cool! Nicely done. I want to thank you very much for your time. It
was an honor to do this with you.
Rod: Thank you very much. It was my pleasure Iggy.
Visit the artist website >>>
performed with:
The
Dixie Dregs
Platypus
Rudess Morgenstein Project
Jazz Is Dead
Paul Barrere
Tom Wright
Paul Winger
Dave LaRue
Reb Beach
Jordan Rudess
Mark Parrish
Ty Tabor
Derek Sherinian
John Myung
Paul Taylor
Mark O'Connor
Kip Winger
Steve Morse Band
T. Lavitz
Jerry Peek
Andy Timmons
.....and many
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