Jimmy Kay spoke to Jonny Zazula (also know as Jonny Z) on The Metal Voice Facebook via Zoom on May 9, 2020. In the interview Jonny Z talks about the new audio book 'Heavy Tales' which will be released on July 21, 2020.

The Metal Voice asked Jonny Z about bringing Venom to America for the first time in the early ‘80s and the challenges he faced. Jonny Zazula told the Metal Voice, "Venom were booked in the USA before Metallica were even a thought. My wife Marsha and I were bringing Venom over to do some shows at the Paramount Theater in Staten Island, New York for their first time in America. The shows were booked and we thought that would be a great launching pad for Metallica on the East Coast with Venom. Nobody by the way knew who Metallica were but the word got out very fast."

Zazula continued," Venom came to America with Nine people and I had no money or room in my house to put up nine people and they all came from Newcastle England and stayed at Casa Z (my house) and it was really rough. Venom wanted pyro, so they brought a guy who wasn't a pyro guy but knew how to run a board. So they brought a board that was used by the IRA that would set off bombs in England. They smuggled it on an airplane and brought it to my house and left it in the middle of my living room and then they were waiting for the dynamite to come. Then I said ‘what are you doing?’ Then when the show came, Venom were delayed for hours after Metallica played because they didn't know how to hook up the flash pods and the dynamite caps and all that pyro. The flash pods looked amazing in 1982 but what is funny when the flash pods went off the whole audience was covered in sud. Venom also blew about a 6 foot hole in on the stage of the Paramount Theater. The whole thing was dangerous, totally unregulated. And when the shows were over on Sunday I was sitting up on the balcony and right below my feet was the bottom of a flash pod, the pan, which could have taken someone's head off right up in the balcony."

An audio edition of Megaforce Records founder Jon Zazula’s acclaimed autobiography, Heavy Tales: The Metal. The Music. The Madness. As Lived by Jon Zazula, read by the author himself and featuring more than two hours of bonus material, will be available July 21 via Audible.

Like the print edition, the Audible book contains Testament vocalist Chuck Billy’s foreword, also read by Billy himself. The bonus material expands upon the book, with Zazula - known the world over as Jonny Z - offering further insight into his life and career, and more behind-the-scenes stories, through material culled from a never-before-heard question and answer series with the Brothers Grimm radio show on CraniumRadio.com.

“When asked why I decided to record this audio book myself and not use a professional actor it was as simple as could be to answer - I am from the Bronx and the whole story would be weird if told by another, more well-spoken person,” Zazula laughs. “It wouldn’t be the same. We used a good studio and production team to bring my story to life. The bonus 147 minutes of live Q&A on the radio is lots of fun and makes this a very complete package.”

For a sneak peek, visit jonzazula.com/audiobook and listen to samples from the audiobook and bonus Q&A.

Released last year in physical format, Heavy Tales is the detailed, story of how Jonny Z founded legendary New Jersey-based label Megaforce Records with his wife, Marsha, and built a dynasty unmatched by others, forever changing the scope of heavy metal.

Born in 1952, Zazula began his extraordinary journey as a renegade youth who went from living on the streets of the Bronx in New York City, to later working on Wall Street, and eventually (and unexpectedly) transitioning into the music business and discovering Metallica, Anthrax and others. Today, Jonny Z remains one of the most respected names in heavy metal.

After Wall Street, Jonny Z began selling records at a flea market store in 1981 to put food on the table for his family. Dubbed Rock N’ Roll Heaven, the store eventually blossomed into a major record store that influenced the heavy metal movement as we know it today. In the winter of 1982, Jonny Z received an unexpected demo tape from unsigned underground band called Metallica. Eager and determined to have the music heard by the entire world, Jonny and Marsha founded Megaforce Records the following year and released Metallica‘s debut album, Kill ‘Em All. Through this release, Megaforce cemented its position as the de-facto music label in America for heavy metal. The bands they would go on to work with released some of the most important albums in heavy metal history, giving it its Golden Era.

Heavy Tales details the stories of how Jonny Z worked miracles by managing and releasing albums by Metallica, Anthrax, Testament, Mercyful Fate, Overkill, Exciter, Stormtroopers of Death, Method of Destruction, Raven, Ace Frehley, King’s X, Minisrty. Mindfunk, Nudeswirl, Warren Haynes, Disco Biscuits and others.

The stories told in Heavy Tales were captured and compiled by Harold Claros-Maldonado, a lifelong fan of heavy metal who originally contacted the Zazulas to write a report on early Metallica. After several discussions, Zazula felt Claros-Maldonado would be the ideal partner to help him tell his story in the book.

Pre-order the Heavy Tales audiobook, or pick up a physical copy here.

(Photo - Eddie Malluk)