Hard Rock Hideout's Rob Rockitt has issued an interview with EXTREME frontman Gary Cherone. Gary talks about the reuniting of Extreme, the new DVD Take Us Alive, the now classic 'More Than Words' ballad and his true feelings of being the lead singer for VAN HALEN.

The following is an excerpt:

Q: Gary, what is the Extreme rock 'n' roll story behind Take Us Alive?

A: "It's our first live CD/DVD, the story behind it is surprisingly, after a thirteen year break, we have never played or felt stronger. Take Us Alive documents the 2009 tour and covers the full spectrum of the Extreme catalog of albums."

Q: Seeing the fans sing the lyrics to 'More Than Words' on Take Us Alive gave me those good and cool chills, did it have an effect on you while on stage?

A: "Absolutely! This song has been a blessing and a curse over the years for Extreme. The band resented this song for a while because it was the one and sometimes only song people knew from us. We learned to embrace it though, now it's a special song to us. After thirteen years, coming back to see the fans sing along to it live, every night, makes for one of the highlights of the night."

Q: Were there any vintage, live rock albums over the years, that influenced you to one day make a live Extreme album?

A: "You are absolutely the first writer to ask this question and I've been waiting for this! KISS Alive and Alive II, CHEAP TRICK At Budokan, THE WHO - Live At Leeds, and THE J. GEILS BAND had three terrific live albums. There are too many of them really, to mention. Just recently, I was sending emails to the guys saying, 'hey, we finally have our KISS Alive out!' It's exciting after all these years to to have our live album. We recorded the show in Boston, at the House of Blues, it's our hometown and it meant a lot to us to have it filmed there."

Q: Gary, 'Last Hour' from Saudades de Rock I point to as a career highlight for you vocally. Did you reach for any personal emotion to record this song?

A: Thank you very much. 'Last Hour' is one of my favorites on this record. I always start on a personal level then lyrically go in different directions. I try to translate emotion onto tape. STEVE PERRY (ex-JOURNEY), he came a few times during the making of Saudades de Rock. This was the only song Steve Perry hung out with us on in the control room."

Read the full interview at this location.