 I'm welcome to the metal voice again once on the show once again The one and only mr. Adrian Vandenberg who is currently on tour through the United States It's gone on Adrian Hey man, how you doing you guys? It's both you guys doing is not what I need to know. Yeah Well, we had so much fun the last time we had you on talking about the last album We thought we'd do it again. So now even more news good news. You're touring the three North America Yeah, it's it's it's such a great thing, you know as people as you know as you guys know And it's been more than 30 years ago that it toured the states for the last time Well for the let's see the last time I toured the states wasn't in the 1990 90 with one snake for a slip of the tongue tour so for me is an interesting Interesting emotion because United States has been my home away from home for such a long time and I've toured everywhere, you know, and every you know, whenever we're on the on the highways as he City fly by where I've played and it's How it is in Holland, too, you know, I've been doing shows in Holland ever since it was 15 or something so wherever I drive There's always a village or a town or a city where I've played a number of times over the years But Holland is about this big And it's a different story. So It's just really great, you know, I really love to bring the states I love touring anywhere, you know, the states, of course logically because I've done so much work over here Well, I made the mistake of calling it work because it doesn't feel like work even though people say it is but Really happy to be here until you know to see all the smiling faces in them You know holes again whenever, you know, you play the stuff that you love playing So what do you miss about the states that what what does the United States have on tour that you don't have in Holland and Europe? I mean in and out burgers. I don't know Well, I love life on the road because you're in that kind of a bubble, you know that goes for any tour anywhere But in the States is just more extensive. But what I always loved about playing the states ever since the first time with the original Vandenberg lineup in 1983 is The position that show business in this case rock music has in society, you know, people are Really excited about it and they take it They respect it, which is great because in Holland still after all those years sometimes I run into people that go So what is your real work? No, it's still that's the way it is. You know America is show business country number one worldwide everybody knows, you know, so For you guys, it's it's normal because you live here and you've grown up in that in that vibe But for me, you know, whenever I play here, it is a different kind of excitement even though the crowd that you play for now, of course is a lot more mature because They've been grow that they grew with us with this kind of music And for people, it's a time machine and for me too because we play a lot of what's next of and That I was involved with in for such a long time, you know, 12-13 years And it's great to play that again for the people that Made it that big and everybody's got a big smile on the face and they sing along and everything, you know So it's a great machine. It's really wonderful So are you just doing the white-stay songs from slip of the tongue or? No, no, it's it's all the big stuff that I was involved in slip of the tongue and 1987 album with Blake rain and rain still tonight. Here we go again It's his love, you know, all the all the good stuff because I Played a song for such a long time and a bunch of them I was involved in the writing together with David So it's yeah, it's special kind of big, you know, yeah Sorry, you step into the time machine People join you in the time machine and you you just fly through the the set and it's over before you know it You know, it's just wonderful. Now, what about the vandenberg castle? I was gonna say that's what I was going to say. Yeah, same thing. You know, it's songs like you love and you love is in vain of course burning heart Wait bill the Shit is the plan and I'm but I'm not I'm aware of the fact that You know, and you could say anything you want on radio. So You don't know anything about that that you're not supposed to be in the states But everybody uses the words anyway, you know, so I never understood what the big deal was, you know, but When I started doing interviews on the first Vandenberg tour in 83 supporting Ozzy Osbourne And it did my life radio interviews And I mentioned what like the shit is a fan Yeah, it's everybody uses it, you know, it's not like a bless for me or something. It's just that's the way this so Were you on the tour when Ozzy bit off the head off the bat? No, unfortunately not no or Yeah, but I mean Ozzy's such a great guy and he was so incredibly generous to us we had sound checks We could use the old PA all the lights Oh, see, you know, he's like the sweetest guy and he's the funniest guy That's one of the best memories I have of the early Vandenberg tour was and throwing with Ozzy When you when you did a when you did your second album He did like songs like Friday night Welcome to the club. I love those songs actually to me There's the happiest, you know, go out and party kind of songs, right? Yeah, was it was it? Would you guys specifically say, you know, we're gonna write something for the radio this Is going to be on the radio or did you just go naturally there, you know When I write I wrote the music and the lyrics and all the vocal melodies and stuff for all those songs It comes out of me naturally, you know, I'm Die-hard optimist I'm never in a bad mood and I'm really lucky, you know, because I got it from my parents There was never a problem in a house and up until I was about 607 I thought it was the same for everybody else too, but it's not as we know, you know, so it made me feel even more privileged that Yeah, you have them the fortune to grow up and a warmness like that and it was always laughing My dad and I and my brother used to watch stuff like Monty Python and faulty towers together We would be rolling on the floor together, you know, my sister my mom would sit there. What what's so funny about this? Well, that's some things haven't changed That was funny enough in itself, you know, because they were sitting there. What's so funny? And that might laugh again, you know, yeah, so That's how I am and that's how I wrote and that that that in retrospect that was probably one of the important elements that said van den Berg apart from most other bands in That came out of you know, I lay in and those days came out of everywhere, but then it was a positive kind of Rock basically and still heavy and still, you know musically challenging So we were about to your touring and who you're touring with Jeff Tate. I heard Sorry, are you touring with Jeff Tate? Is yeah, yeah, and so I think it's a great combination As we all know, you know, it's it's a different kind of rock and at the same time it really overlaps So it's not like people are hearing two very similar bands Go ad lining, you know, I like we're deep and we really compliment each other I think as far as You know our genres so it's great. They're great people, you know, having a great time We Shown shakes no problem. You know, everybody's accommodating for each other, you know, it's fantastic and the crowd loves it So I could see I could see you and Jeff doing something together like, you know, musically, I don't know I think it would be a good combination. Yeah, you know, you know, you never know Things happen for for a reason, you know, that's I've always believed in that, you know, and if they happen, it's it's great It's a cosmic if the cosmos wants it to happen a lot. Yes The cosmos wanted wanted to Let me check out the burger from five guys I think I did a lot of those in europe too though Yeah, I've seen a few of them in europe. I've never tried them and a couple of days ago. I did great There's no advertisements, you know, I'm not endorsed by this guy. I wish but I'm not so But that was one of those cool american things, you know, you you you park the tour was somewhere and and there's always Like interesting typically american food, you know, and i'm a foodie big time, but I you I am very consciously into Staying healthy Getting shitload of vitamins and stuff, but those burgers are great Oh, they are there. They are so fries. Yeah, I mean any plans Okay, so you wrote an album now. It's been a while. I guess has it been a while sin? How long has it been? It's not that long ago six or five Soon it's a couple of months. I think inside Yeah, yeah, is there what do you what are you planning on doing musically in the future after the tour? Is there any other plans that you have going on? Oh, yeah, yeah There's a lot of i'm gonna tour two more tours in holland one um With with most of the the classic vandemort material And later in the year i'm going to do the same thing as what i'm doing right now is um Let set the balance to um predominantly white snake stuff for my white snake years Uh, there's a lot of interest for that because as we know white snake is not touring anymore and um In holland white snake was really big when it was in the band It was a part of a patriotism Uh involved which is which is always good, you know in a positive way We did one stadium show in holland which was fantastic. It was one of the best memories I've ever had Both my parents were still alive. They were there my brother my sister all my friends We had like a whole area. I would just uh, you know people that were close to me and it was a beautiful summer night it was a slip of tongue tour and um It was it was wonderful. Well, actually the funny thing is my tour manager Ralph he was in the crowd. He was turning he told me I didn't even know, you know, he was He was in his 20s at the time, you know, and And he was there, you know, a lot of other people I talked to over the years actually the singer for my moon king's band He uh, he he drove there on his on his on his bike And and wasn't the show as well. So um And he become he has become a great friend We did great stuff at moon kings, but we couldn't get out of the country because young the singer He has two huge farming companies And he he's used to keeping an eye on it, you know, so um Um, but he couldn't leave the country and I really missed international touring, especially, you know, the united states Japan the rest of europe, you know, so that's actually why I put uh, moon kings in the in the in the fridge so to speak Yeah, you never know. We go maybe I'll pick it up at some point and when young soldiers farm or something We'll see who's who's in the band on this tour with you Um, I got an amazing lights lineup. Um, the singer is matz Leven. He's from sweden And he sings the weissnik material amazing a lot of people thought it was david But that's got us it don't twist to it. He does not imitate david, but he's got the same palmer So he really does justice to the stuff, you know, check it out on youtube when you go, oops At the same time he does his own version of of classic random work stuff like Like burning heart and like you love some vein, you know He really made it makes it his own And so he's he's like fantastic. And then I have an amazing young drummer Uh, joey joey the boor He's he's like a young tommy always. He's really amazing. I mean, wow I was stunned and tommy is his biggest hero. So and he grew up His dad and his and his father are huge weissnik fans. So Ever since he was eight they played in it All the time for joey to come to two weissnik concerts when I was involved And Now he finds himself in his band freedom. It's a dream come true. And for me It's a dream come come true to play with them like a version of tommy olridge again Bass players weren't even else and he's really really good too. He skips a generation in musical influences because he's 30 years old But he grew up on let's say playing and rainbow and the purple and all the stuff And then this time I brought a keyboard player Lend them the lock and any the same thing, you know, he is heroes that guys will like get done airy and joe lord you know those kind of stuff so Great lightning. I'm really really happy with him. Yeah, it sounds amazing Are you gonna planning to record some of the music on on live? You know sort of for a live record, perhaps or maybe do a dvp or or a documentary of anything Yeah, it's interesting. You mentioned it. I'm really thinking about doing some live stuff, you know recording Some tracks live and put them out, you know, it's um It's gonna be cool No, again, all right. We got the you know, I got starkers in tokyo I mean, are you doing any of that in the acoustic with just you and the singer on this tour? Yeah on the store where the singer and me are doing A shorter version of silent shapes acoustic Okay And it comes out great because you have you bring the whole tension down and you build it up from there again and then After that, there's a bunch of big blockbusters that We have the shows that we've been doing It really gives me goosebumps because I haven't experienced before Playing in big theaters where people are sitting down, you know, and I've never played anywhere where people sitting down These are these are big theaters and people sitting down and last couple of songs Slowly, but surely they stand up and they go wild and and I get goosebumps on my arms every night. They go, holy shits You know, this is amazing. It's it's really emotional for me, you know, because That's what you try to do with music You're trying to convey an emotion and if people feel that emotion And they react to that that way that that's for me There's no money that can You know Buy that emotion for me. That's that's what I do it for. I could sit on my ass if I want it But but they're gonna have to drink me of stage kicking and screaming, you know when I like it when I'm grown And you know for Just for the other guys that are you know that are might thinking about doing the same that that's your age That how has the turnout been has it been a good a good fan participation got attendance on this store I'm sorry. It's been a good attendance. There's been uh, yeah Going up yeah good. Yeah, and yeah the first couple of shows was it was a little bit up and down and it started to get stronger When people realized we were actually touring, you know Yeah, and it's not like the early days when we were all uh keeping an eye on in the in the big Rock magazines and stuff like circus and metalizing all the stuff you know, these people all the jobs that are in the hole now and then They like all of us basically well, this has become my job, but it does feel like one No, it's it's a lot of people Uh, reacted on my social media and my my facebook and instagram pages It's the oh man. I wish I would have known you guys were in my town. I go, man, you know So it's a different kind of time. So it it's rise a bit but um My uh American touring agent reliant agents, uh, we have lying talent from Nashville Um, my agent was at the other show the show where the day before yesterday And he literally said I'm blown away. I didn't expect any of this and The crowd was going bad. So he said man, I'm immediately going to get to work and and and and Who the second leg of this tour together? So we're going to be back, uh, soon in the then then you were like So you're saying you're coming back to the United States, but just oh, yeah different different city. Oh, this this is like a test run well, yeah, it It looks like it was a test run for my touring agent, which makes sense. He was um He's also the touring agents for white snake and for people out of John Wade BB. Can you name him? You know, he's he's done a really big big acts And and he was curious how it would go down and he was there at the show. He said man I couldn't have wished for for a better response on this and he was blown away. You know, so That's literally what he said and he was The beer the beers were going down like like water at the evening I mean when you look back, okay, you come out with your first van der berg debut album, right? Yeah Did you think you'd be here today still doing music? Well, you're recording, you know your first album the feeling of recording your first album. What was that like and did you think? 40 years later, you're still doing yeah, I would never have thought I really I mean I always thought even also in the white snake days when we were number one, you know biggest band in the states or in the world or whatever um Every day in the morning. I woke up with a man if it's over tomorrow Nobody's going to take those memories away from me and I'll go back to painting Which I love too. Yeah, I'm a lucky bastard as I mentioned before And I realize it so I don't take anything for granted and the first album, you know we recorded in jimmy pagey studio And I met jimmy page for the first time and a bunch of times afterward. I I went out into tokyo one night, you know, which was an unforgettable night and um It was one of the biggest hangovers I had in my life Yeah What was he like as a person like was he everything everybody thinks he is or is he different? Uh, he's he's a he's a great guy. He's very intelligent British sense of humor We all know he's an incredible talent and um It was just a pleasure and honor to To meet him in the first place and at the same time I would never have expected, you know, it would be Like a guy's among among each other uh situation. That's the kind of guy he is, you know And you still listen to le zeppelin like the rest of the world with a little bit of musical taste, you know It's it's timeless stuff. It's it's like, you know What modes at embarrack and Beethoven after classical music zeppelin is for rock as we all know, you know And you know, I have to give a shout out to my friend cork. I mean he bought that first I guess it's over here the first vandenberg. I'm just because of that design on the album cover Oh, cool Because of that logo and then we all started listening to it I mean, I got that I actually got it twice on vinyl. I love it so much in case I wore the grooves out the first time I got a backup copy. So yeah, man, it's so good to hear that I designed that logo when I when I just stopped the teaching art and There had to be a graphic designer and I I designed it secretly In the studio that I was working as a graphic designer because I had, you know The timing between and stuff and people people think it's airbrushed, but I did it with with um with crayon with And well, it worked it worked to me was the shark to me was the shark Yeah, well, I brought shark it'll always be about the sharks It right Midair kind of like down there. Yeah That's why I brought him back on the cnl. I mean, I thought it would be cool Um, because everybody was wondering where the sharks Well, I let them fly straight into new york Uh, new york the apple. So and then the connection with the snake and the apple See so for me that was like the the brain I like that album cover too. That's a great album cover the green shark. Oh, yes the apple. Yeah The last time we interviewed you I said I was going to ask you if we had a chance to interview again about Manic Eden I got the cd behind me over here Was that was that I always thought that was while david went off with page and did his little cover their page The rest of the white state guys you rudy and tommy did that album. Is that how it worked out? It worked out great. It is one of the favorite albums. I've ever done. It's actually getting re-released this month by by muskud records um Yeah, it was great. We recorded it old style in two weeks. It was all done pretty much live Um, I think it's a great album. I still play for my personal entertainment, especially in the car You're sitting right in the middle of the recording session, you know, this we went all the way back to Like a 70s vibe not polished like in in the 80s because it was in the middle of the grinds period, you know So we thought We're going to do something we love, you know, and that's what we did And ron young I just love him and it's little guys are he's done Well, we'll talk a bit about him on that album his voice. I just I just always thought he was a great singer He's a great singer and he's As you know, you know, you you you can pick his voice out of a million other voices He's very very characteristic And it worked out perfect for the records, you know, very bluesy Yeah, the only record I've ever done where I only used the strats And whenever I play strats, it it wakes up the Hendrix and Steve Varevon invited me, you know when I let it go. I went with the flow without pocket, you know It's completely different. I agree. It's a bit different than anything you've done. I think so Yeah, it is at the same time. It's very connected to my very very first album the teaser album From 90 I recorded in 76 So I was three years old When I record But it's very it's very connected to that and also to moon kings. It's um There's more connection than you would think uh at rigorous, but um Yeah, this actually we played a couple of the songs with moon kings when we when we started out. So Oh, well, who knows what might happen in the future, you know, like James Bond saying never Never say die. Yeah, there's it. Where's that? I don't remember. Did you do the mannequin in an album cover? Yeah, oh, yeah, my style changed and in the period I do it with white snake Because I used to not to appreciate this kind of style when I was in art college I never would have thought that after Eight nine years and not having the time to paint And I saw a blank canvas in front of me. I thought I'm gonna attack it and see what happens So yeah, my style changed and the scene album cover was actually going back to That time I thought hmm, I'm curious if I can still do that, you know, because In what 35 years or something So it could very old be, you know next time I have time to paint again and it's gonna go Like somewhere in between those two styles the guy. Thank you very much, Adrienne Hey, thank you. It's always a pleasure. There's so much Thank you guys. Good luck on the tour Don't hesitate to come down whenever we're in New City and um And don't don't bring your earplugs All right. Have a nice day. Thank you so much