Ex-AC/DC / DIO drummer Simon Wright recently spoke with Classic Rock Revisited founder Jeb Wright about the new RONNIE JAMES DIO tribute projectm DIO DISCIPLES. An excerpt from the interview is available below:

Jeb: Wendy Dio has been doing great things to keep Ronnie’s legacy alive, however, there are a lot of, what I call Jack Wads, out there who are saying mean things about her being a gold digger. Now, you are in the situation, with this band, where people can say the same thing about you. How do you feel about that?

Simon: "(Laughs) Everybody has an opinion, and it can either be a good one or a bad one. I’m trying to be very diplomatic about this. We are really doing this from the heart and if some of those naysayers would just give it a small chance then they might just like it. We’re doing this for all of the right reasons. We all knew Ronnie, we really knew him. He was my best friend for a long time; that is not to take anything away from anyone else in the band. I’m not saying I am the holy best friend. I know why I’m doing this and I know why the rest of the guys in the band are doing this. We’re all doing it because we loved Ronnie. He wrote some of the most groundbreaking, classic epics in heavy Metal. He was our leader and he was our boss. He was a cool boss at that. This is not brain surgery. We are doing this to honor him, so if you like the songs then come check it out; that’s all. If anyone out there does not think that this is a good idea then don’t go to the shows. It’s that simple."

Jeb: Ronnie set up his business before he passed away in order to keep his legacy alive. Do you think Ronnie would give his approval on this band?

Simon: "I believe it would have been something that he would have approved of. He approved of the record company and all of the things Wendy is doing. Everything that Wendy and he talked about has all come to light. It is really a shame that he is not alive to see it. He wanted the record company and he worked it all out before he died. I wish we didn’t have to do this project. I wish we were not having this conversation. I wish we were talking about a new Dio record, like you said earlier."

Click here for the complete interview.

The Dio disciples tour schedule is currently as follows:

June

15 - Wolverhampton, UK - Sleigh Rooms
16 - Manchester, UK - Academy 2
17 - London, UK - Islington Academy
19 - Uden, Netherlands - De Pul
20 - Aschafensburg, Germany - Colos Saal
21 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
22 - Berlin, Germany - C Club
24 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop
25 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix
27 - Vienna, Austria - Szene Wien
28 - Lucerne, Switzerland - Konzerthaus Schuur
29 - Milan, Italy - Magazzini Generali *

July

1 - Bilbao, Spain - Rockstar Live *
2 - Madrid, Spain - Heineken *
3 - Barcelona, Spain - Bikini *

* DORO PESCH to guest on vocals as Tim “Ripper” Owens will be leaving the tour at this point to attend to his daughter's wedding.

To read Martin Popoff''s interview with Dio Disciples, click here.