2002-10-09
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On March 30, 2002 Mick Brown, ex-LAG guitarist Mick Cripps, ex-Enuff
Z Nuff/Vince Neil Band drummer Vikki Foxx, ex-Quiet Riot bassist Rudy
Sarzo, and ex-Poison lead guitarist Blues Saraceno were spotted at
Studio 1 in L.A. and SIR (Studio Instrument Rental) in New York City
between late March and early May '02. Although touring and other
projects meant they couldn't go everyday, the five would find days
and join up and jam. A then studio tech who now handles the East
Coast PR arm of MCA Records passed on to my offline ezine the Kramer
Report back in August. (Most of these quotes are directly from my own
issues and I stand behind them 110%.

Who were these musicians working so hard for? What motives did they
have to play all this Deep Purple, Dream Theatre, and Aerosmith to
stay in such perfect tune for? The answer was DAVID LEE ROTH! It
seems that Billy Sheehan's rejection to work with Diamond Dave, made
him seek out the best in the business and he assembled this band.
Guys like Cripps, Foxx, Saraceno, and Sarzo to an extent were
virtually free to do whatever they wanted. Sarzo had some tensions
with DuBrow but they were settled, as Kevin didn't want to lose his
bass player. Mick however was NOT free at all. Touring and recording
compromises should have flagged him from the beginning to turn the
new DLR band gig down, or QUIT Dokken. He did neither.

Don found out in June 2002 that Mick was secretly working with David
Lee Roth and confronted Mr. Diamond Dave and band at New York's SIR
in Manhattan. I don't have a full account, but Sarzo told my zine
that Don arrived with two menacing bodyguards, wore black sunglasses,
an armani double breasted suit, and looked very professional. He
introduced his lawyer Bruce Chatreaux and CMC Rep Tony Alexander and
basically red Mick the riot act in front of everyone. He also told
Diamond Dave that he could have Mick, but would have to recover his
end of the obligation to CMC, basically a sum $135,000 in full and
within 90 days. David Lee Roth didn't hesitate a second and fired Mick
and later Rudy, for fears of a similar attack by Kevin Dubrow and
their label RLS/California Records.




Regards,

Russ Blomstedt
http://blomstedt.jwdx.com