Bravewords.com correspondent Deb Rao recently spoke with bassist Rudy Sarzo in an exclusive interview Check it out below:

The legacy of QUIET RIOT will forever live on in metal history. Recently, VH1 debut Cum On Feel The Noise at #41 on the VH1 Top 100 Hard Rock Songs episode. Bassist Rudy Sarzo has checked in with Bravewords. Com and spoke to Bravewords. Com Correspondent Deb Rao regarding the legacy of Quiet Riot, his book Off The Rails, working with BLUE OYSTER CULT, and current project MONSTER CIRCUS.

Bravewords.com is proud to present this exclusive interview with legendary bass player Rudy Sarzo, as he pays tribute to former band mates Kevin Dubrow and Randy Rhoads and shares his thoughts on the evolution of metal leading up to the current state of metal in 2009.

Q: Rudy, You recently appeared on VH1 Greatest 100 Hard Rock Songs regarding Quiet Riot's debut at #41 with Cum On Feel The Noise. How does it feel to be part of the legacy with Quiet Riot in helping put metal at the top of the music charts?

Rudy: "It is always nice to participate in something like this. It doesn't matter what number you are, it is just an honor to be included. I was still playing with Ozzy Osbourne, when I got the call from Kevin Dubrow to go and come down to the studio and just record one song, which was 'Thunderbird'. That was the first track we did as a tribute to Randy. This was a song that Kevin wrote after Randy left Quiet Riot to join Ozzy. I used to play it with Kevin in DUBROW before I joined Ozzy.

So after we finished tracking 'Thunderbird', the producer and the guys said, 'Listen do you remember 'Slick Black Cadillac'?' It was another song that I used to do with Quiet Riot and Randy. I suggested we to go over it a couple of times to refresh my memory and then we tracked it. Then after that we continued doing songs that I was familiar with from playing in Dubrow. So by the time I left there, I had already tracked four songs from the album. But I was still a member of Ozzy, I hadn't left Ozzy yet. After I left the recording session, I felt a certain sense of serenity from playing with old friends such as Kevin and Frankie. Frankie I had been playing together since the '70s in Florida. It was refreshing to actually step outside of the sad situation that Ozzy's band had become after Randy died."

By the time Metal Health was ready to be released, nobody had any idea of how big the record was going to be. There were a lot of things that came into play. One of them was MTV, without the support that we got on MTV, it would have been impossible. Also, we were able to get on some amazing tours to promote the record. We started off with the Scorpions, then from the SCORPIONS we were asked to The US Festival in 1982. That was a major breakthrough for the band. Then we carried on and opened up for bands like ZZ TOP, IRON MAIDEN, LOVERBOY, and BLACK SABBATH. By the time we were on tour with Black Sabbath in November of 1983, that is when the album reached #1. We also did some headlining tour on our own with QUEENSRYCHE supporting us. A lot of people worked very hard to make the record a success."

Q: So success really didn’t happen overnight for the band. It was a long haul and through a lot of touring and a lot of hard work Quiet Riot hit #1 with Cum On Feel The Noise.

Rudy: "It was a lot of hard work. We were #2 for weeks and weeks before we reached #1. We had records like Thriller and Synchronicity jumping over us. Synchronicity would got to #1 then Thriller would go to # 3. Then we switched and Thriller would be #1 and Synchronicity #3. Then we would stay at #2. Then one week Boom, we went in there and made #1."

Q: Do you remember where you were when Cum On Feel The Noise hit #1? Were you performing at Madison Square Garden?

Rudy: "We were actually in Rockford, IL when it got to #1. I remember because Rick Nielsen was backstage and we went to his house after the show. We partied with him. When we played the Garden, we were on tour with Iron Maiden. That was a spectacular night also. Anytime you play The Garden it is a privilege. That is one of those moments in your life that you never forget".

Q: That is an amazing story. It is great for you to be part of the MTV era, because times have changed so much.

Rudy: "Back in 1983, MTV only had on their playlist a few videos We were basically on every half hour with 'Cum On Feel The Noise'. I could look at my watch and it was 8:30 and 'Cum On Feel The Noise' would come on." (Laughter)

Q: Also, it was really heartwarming to hear your tribute to Kevin Dubow, one of rock's greatest singers on the VH1 show.

Rudy: "Basically, when you do an interview with VH1 or MTV, they just roll tape and ask you a few questions then they edit it. I talked about how hearing of Kevin’s passing and how it affected me. I mentioned that it had hit me like a sledgehammer. But I also mentioned that as most people are aware that Kevin and I were not in the best of terms at the time of his passing. And even though our relationship was strained and we hadn't spoken in about four years the news of his passing had a definite impact. This was somebody who at a point in my life was a friend of mine. I never expected his death to come so soon."

Q: You and Kevin worked together for so many years. It was so tragic.

Rudy: "Even though we had our differences, like I said before it was not anything that could not have been fixed with a phone call patching things up."

Q: What did you most admire about Kevin Dubrow, as a frontman and performer during your time together with him onstage?

Rudy: "Kevin was not only very passionate about Quiet Riot but he was a fan of rock and roll. Which is something I like to consider myself, a fan of rock music. The reason why I got into music was I love the people in it. I find it very interesting, the larger than life characters in it. That is one of the things that really attracted me to becoming a musician.

Back in the '60s and '70s, when I was a kid living in Florida a lot of the bands would begin their tours in Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. Someone would come up to me and say, 'Hey you won't believe this, YES is rehearsing down the street' or 'I just saw Stevie Winwood from TRAFFIC going into a record shop.' I couldn’t believe that these people who were rock gods were actually in the same place that I was. So even today there still a little bit of that boy in me. I don't want to lose that. I still want to be a fan who can’t believe that such great talented people walk among us."

Q: You have begun a new era of your career. You are in Blue Oyster Cult. How did that gig come into fruition?

Rudy: "To make a long story short, I met Eric Bloom, back when we were both doing Hear N' Aid. Ronnie Dio's Tribute for USA For Africa. The metal contingency in LA wanted to participate and for some reason we were not allowed to participate. So Ronnie said, 'Well screw this I am going to make my own.' He created Hear N' Aid. That is when I met Eric. Years later ran into him at Vivian Campbell’s house while they were working on some songs. We have a mutual friend, Denise Ames, who is a Talk Show personality and interviewer here in Los Angeles. So through her we connected again. And when Bllue Oyster cult needed a bass player, he rang me up and asked me. It has been almost two years now since I joined the band. Right now we are on a bit of a break while Donald 'Buck Dharma' Roeser recuperates from an injury he suffered at home during the holidays. He is recovering nicely and should be resuming our touring by June."

Q: Are there any other projects that you are in at the moment?

Rudy: "I don't know if you heard about this? I am also in a band called Monster Circus. It’s basically a combination of 80's rock and a circus at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel on the same stage where Elvis did over a 750 shows. The band just got signed to do a run dates starting in March. It is one of the most unique performances that I have very done. I have never played with a circus onstage. The production is spectacular. If you can imagine some of your favorite shows that you ever saw in the 80's with big production stage and fireworks and the performers. You know how cost prohibited it is to do that nowadays. So we do it in one place at the Hilton. Instead, of taking it on the road, the audience comes to us. To go onstage every night where Elvis stood is great. It is one the biggest stages that I have ever been on, so there is plenty of room for everybody to run around. Monster Circus has been in the works for about two years now. It actually came into fruition when we did our first show in December. "

Q: Are you going to be signing copies of your book, Off The Rails this weekend at NAMM?

Rudy: "I have five signings. I am going to be at Dean Markley on January 15th Thursday at 1 P.M., Friday January 16th Peavey at 11:00 A.M., Saturday January 17th Peavey at 11:00 A.M., 1:00 P.M. at Ampeg, and 3 P.M. at Chesbro."

Q: What kind of response are you receiving from the fans who have read Off The Rails? Do they come up to you and say Thank you for doing this chronicle on Randy Rhoads and keeping his legacy alive?

Rudy: "The question I’m mostly asked when I toured around the world is 'What was it like to play with Randy Rhoads? What was it like in those days with Ozzy?' The reason why I wrote the book is just to answer those questions. In a five-minute conversation, I could never really those questions. That is why I wrote the book, just to be able to relate everything I could about Randy."

Q: What did you most admire about Randy Rhoads as a performer. You and Randy spent so much time on the road together. What did Randy teach you a musician?

Rudy: "That goes without saying. When I met Randy, he was Randy Rhoads from LA. He was a local guitar hero. When I got to play with him in Quiet Riot and I saw the guitar hero. I saw the incredible magnetic personality that he had onstage. He was a very quiet guy off stage and very private. Onstage he was larger than life. He had that rock star aura about him. But once he strapped the guitar on he became the Randy Rhoads everyone’s familiar with. Besides that he was a teacher. I got to see another side of Randy when I was teaching at his mother’s school Musonia in North Hollywood. He really cared about his students. Randy really cared about everything that he did, whether it was his compositions or performing in front of a large or asmall crowds. It didn't matter, he always gave 100%. He had a lot of integrity and he new what he wanted to do with his life. He knew exactly the road that he wanted to take. He knew who he was and he knew who he wanted to be in the end. He had a very clear vision about what he wanted out of life. Unfortunately, it was cut short."

Q: What advice will you be giving your fans, who are aspiring musicians at NAMM this weekend?

Rudy: "Number one is make it fun. Being a musician is a calling and you should have fun whether you are playing at the Madison Square Garden or if you are playing in your bedroom or if you are playing in a garage band. It is all about having fun. There are so very few of us that have the privilege and the blessing to make a living out of doing this. I see some great musicians who are not necessarily professional musicians. The difference between them and me is I make a living; I feed my family playing the instrument. But as far, as being a musician, we are both on the same level. Being a musician or having another job, whether it is a dentist or a lawyer or somebody working at Home Depot, we are still musicians. It is not a title that is bestowed upon you if you go to school and you graduate and get your diploma. It is a state of being. You are a musician the moment you fall in love with music and you are able to communicate with your instrument. That is what makes you a musician. Not the fact that you are going onstage and making huge amounts of money and driving a Ferrari. That doesn't make you a better musician than the guy that works in the Home Depot and can actually communicate emotion with that instrument. A painter paints a message and story with their brush and their canvas and the colors that he chooses. A musician does the same thing. Whether you are playing a harmonica or you are playing a grand piano. You are conveying an emotion and a story with that instrument. I take my hat off to all musicians in the world, whether you are making a living playing music or not. That is what connects us. We are storytellers with our instruments."

Q: What do you hope to accomplish in 2009? You have a long and illustrious career that is still going strong in 2009.

Rudy: "We are going to take Monster Circus to the moon. (Laughter) It is just to get better at what I do."