Longtime US-based writer Bryan Reesman spoke with THE RODS drummer Carl Canedy for his Attention Deficit Delirium blog. Carl talks about his group's reunion, current album, what 'The Code' is really about (it was not inspired by the movie), playing in a country band when he was younger, getting coerced into teaching musical theater through his daughter, on writing songs for his daughter when she was a child, the misguided management and A&R; people The Rods had back in the day, and what lies in the future, including his solo album and possible catalog reissues.

An few excerpts follow:

On reuniting - "My concern was I don't want to be the Holiday Inn or the lounge version of The Rods. If we're going to do this, I want it to be really good and heavy and energetic as it was. Sometimes I've heard bands that just were a bit watered down from what they were before. I think we've kept the energy, even though it's an album we've done [twenty-five] years later."

On 'The Code' with RONNIE JAMES DIO - "It is bittersweet for all of us that it became part of his legacy because it was never meant to be that. It was only meant to be something between Ronnie and his cousin [The Rods' David 'Rock Feinstein']. It was a tragic thing. They had talked about doing an ELF reunion, and Ronnie had a lot of plans musically to do in the next few years. It was hard for us to come back to mix it... and hearing Ronnie for the first time since he had died. It was hard."

On his current lyrics - "My lyrics are much more political now as opposed to some of the embarrassing lyrics I wrote years ago. I don't know what I was thinking in some of them."

On Rods reissues - "We have a couple of things, and we'll be talking more with Niji about that. I personally would love to see all the CDs repackaged. Hollywood and Heavier Than Thou have never been released on CD officially. Somebody was telling me there was one from Greece, which I'd love to have myself. I'd love to see that happen, so I think you'll see that happen at some point."

On his upcoming solo album - "I want to finish my solo album, which I'm about halfway through. All the songs are written. I'm just in the process of starting to do drum tracks. John Hahn is playing some guitar [on it]. [Ex-Rods frontman] Shmoulik Avigal has agreed to sing."

On his introduction to TWISTED SISTER's Dee Snider before a gig - "I'm sitting on a low windowsill in the dressing room of the Paramount, and in walks Dee ready to go onstage, high boots on, and he goes, 'What's this I hear about you not knowing about Twisted Sister? What are you saying in the press about Twisted Sister?' So I'm sitting on the window sill, and I'm looking up at this guy who seemed like he was seven feet tall giving me this dirty look. I'm immediately going, 'Okay, he looks like he wants to kill me, but I don't remember saying anything bad. I love these guys. But did I say something bad? Did I have a total lapse of memory here?' Then he started laughing. 'No, man I'm busting your [chops]. Now we can say we know each other.' He's always been a great guy, but it was an interesting way to introduce himself."

On taking drum lessons from CARMINE APPICE on Long Island - "That was incredible. First of all, he was a hero as well as a great drummer. I was living in Boston at the time, so I would drive in for my double lesson. He was such a huge help to me as a drummer. He changed my style. When I got to Carmine, I had bad habits but also some things that were kind of cool. He changed a lot of things but also kept the things that I was doing that were cool, and he helped me break the habits. It was a big turning point [for me] as a musician."

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