Dave Starr
WildeStarr
•
October 7, 2012
Thanks Cedric, great to be here with you! I know this is our 2nd go round with Metal Temple…. so its nice to be back! As for VR, I was in the band from 84-93. I was fired in late 93, for reasons that I still don't understand. It wrecked the band, and started the long slow death of VR that sadly continues to this day with Geoff not being able to keep a lineup together or come anywhere close to matching what the real band did back in the day. Larry and Mark both admitted to me later on that it was a mistake to fire me. Geoff never has and he never will, since he never admits his mistakes. Its all in the past now, but I was there for the glory years of the band… so that's all that really matters. I did come back to VR from 2005 - 2007 for the Warball CD, but if I had to do it over again…. I would not have done it. It was pretty much a waste of time. I know the VR fans were happy to see me back, and I understand, appreciate, and respect that. But it was just wrong for me to do that CD. Mark decided not to come back, and I was not happy about that. Other things went on that I was not happy about. Drugs and alcohol were everywhere in the studio, and it was a very unprofessional situation. The only proper way VR could ever be resurrected is for the 5 of us to get back together, and that obviously won't happen with Carl gone. The surviving 4 of us could do something in the future, but that probably won't happen since I refuse to have anything to do with drug addicts, alcoholics, and thieves. And those guys don't like me because I am not a drug addict, alcoholic, or a thief. I have moved on with my life and my career, I am not stuck in the past.
Carl was a great guy, great talent, and very funny. One of the funniest people I have ever known in my life. I brought Carl (and Mark) into VR in 1986, and that solidified the great lineup that the fans cherish to this day. Sadly, after I left VR in 1993…. Carl and I never spoke again before his death in 1995. For whatever reason… Carl never reached out to me after I was fired. He was not there when it happened, and I kept thinking I would hear from him because of all that we had been through for all those years. But it never happened, and to this day I do not know why.
I met Geoff back in 82 or 83 when he was playing with an early version of VR at a club in SF. I thought he was really talented, and just walked up to him one night and said hello. We stayed in touch, and the rest as they say… is history!
That was singer Kate French's idea, to get Larry and I in Chastain. David Chastain needed a new bassist and drummer, and Kate recommended Larry and I. It was great to work with David Chastain, he is a really great guy. Total professional. London Wilde also worked on that CD, she engineered the bass tracks for me!
No, not at all. I never really had feelings one way or the other about working with women. I know some guys are close minded and not into it, but that's their problem. I try to work with the finest, most professional people I can, that's all that really matters! London is the best singer I have ever worked with, and she is right up there with Carl Albert, Rob Halford, Geoff Tate, Bruce Dickinson, etc.
London and I met about 25 years ago. She used to come see me play in VR, and we became good friends. We got married almost 11 years ago.
It was not easy at first, I had to get clean and sober in 2005. That's how it all began for me. But, I was very serious about not just playing guitar… but saving my life. The harder I worked at it, the better I got. And, I got very good very fast! By the time we recorded the ARRIVAL CD, I had only been playing guitar seriously for a few years. I do still play bass, I did all the bass tracks on both of our CD's.
I am a guitar player now. I won't play bass live, that's for sure. If we tour, we will put a very strong lineup together. We have a few people in mind. We shall see how the new CD does and how the label feels about things.
I see the Priest comparison, and my background with VR is obvious. Anytime we get compared to great bands…. that's OK with me! VR was a great band, and I think some of that rubbed off on me, its only natural.
I think its a great album, and the reviews are slowly coming in that back me up! "Arrival" was the best CD I was ever a part of, and "A Tell Tale Heart" is even better!
After "Arrival", I just started putting riffs together for the new songs. I try not to think to much when I write, not to over analyze things. Just let it flow. Josh Foster did a great job on drums, he really added alot to our sound. I think London and I have grown as a band and as song writers and musicians in the last few years. I think all artists want to do just that, just keep getting better. It was not really our idea at the start to have this CD become conceptual… I think that is something evolved over time as London wrote lyrics.
With the passing of Ronnie James Dio, London wanted to do something special, and Neon Knights was the song we picked. I love the way it turned out. I changed the solo section alot, and came up with my own solo. I wanted to do my own thing, and not play things note for note like the original version. We are not a tribute band.
(in no order) KISS Alive!, Judas Priest "Unleashed in the East", Judas Priest "Screaming for Vengeance", UFO "Lights Out", X-Japan "Jealousy", Rogue Male "First Visit", Halford "Resurrection", Thin Lizzy "Live and Dangerous", Thin Lizzy "Life/Live, Scorpions "Tokyo Tapes",
Thanks Cedric, any time my friend! Thanks to all those out there who have supported London and I since we began WildeStarr!
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