Shredder DARREN HOUSHOLDER Recalls Almost Being In DAVID LEE ROTH’s Band – “He Wants All His Band To Be Bachelors”
January 26, 2016, 8 years ago
In episode 88 of The Double Stop, host Brian Sword is joined by ‘90s Shrapnel shredder Darren Householder. As a part of the later wave of Shrapnel shredders, Darren Housholder missed out on the exposure of some of his counterparts that came out in the ‘80s, but his three records for Shrapnel in the ‘90s set the bar high for shred. They cover his entire career including his album with Love/Hate, his brief time working with Jeff Pilson's War & Peace, W.A.S.P, Enuff Z'nuff and a near-miss with David Lee Roth. They also cover how he ended up with George Lynch's famous bomber jacket - and its return to Lynch.
On his brief stints with Enuff Z'nuff and W.A.S.P (35:00): "I got the call to join Enuff Z'nuff. I learned all their stuff - they were getting rid of Derek, their guitar player. Because he was a drug addict and all that stuff. And he's since died from that disease. I went to Chicago - I was in the band - I stayed up all night recording demos, and the next day they decided they were going to give him another shot. A couple of weeks later I got into W.A.S.P for his Crimson Idol CD. I learned his stuff note for note, went to rehearsals for about a week. After a week, I had asked him over lunch 'Hey Blackie, so we're doing these Monsters Of Rock shows, what do you think about a guitar solo?' He deadpans 'Guitar solo? Why don't you just open up the show?' He was pissed. He fired me the next day."
On almost getting the David Lee Roth gig in 1999 after John 5 left the band (52:30): "I sent over a tape, and he liked it, and I went over to Dave's house. Just me and him. ... And I wrote some more music and he liked it. And I went back to his house again. Then he walks me to my truck, and I've got a kid and I just started my business, and he sort of looks at me and asks 'how's the family doing?' And I say 'we're doing well, thanks Dave'. And that's the last I heard from him. Two things happened. 1 - He wants all his band to be bachelors. 2 - Bart Walsh had gotten through to him."
On the famous Bomber jacket that Housholder recently returned to George Lynch (1:11:22): "When he saw me wearing it in 1990 when playing (with Jeff Pilson's War & Peace) George goes 'Where'd you get the jacket?' And I go 'Michael (Bassist - War & Peace) gave it to me'. And he goes 'He GAVE it to you?'. And years and years go by, and I'm like - I've got to give this jacket back."