Rock N Roll Universe has issued an interview with GUY-MCCOY-TORME (GMT) guitarist Bernie Torme and bassist John McCoy, conducted by Keith Langerman. The following is an excerpt:

Q: Bernie, around a year later after you left Gillan, in '82, you were called upon by OZZY OSBOURNE to fill in on very short notice when Randy Rhoads was tragically killed, playing several dates on the tour before finding it wasn't working for you, and you left, with Ozzy bringing in Brad Gillis. Brad has stated that doing that tour was the most depressing situation he's ever been involved with. What was the mood when you stepped in, and what do you recall about those shows?

Bernie Torme: "It was absolutely awful. To put you in the picture, at the beginning, I'd just come out of Ian's band, and I thought, 'I'm going to go and form a band, tour and record an album.' It was at the part of recording at that stage. That was the project I was involved in. I got the call, and it was like, 'Can you go out to L.A. tomorrow and play with Ozzy?' I said, 'Well, no I can't. I'm sorry what's happened, I'd love to help, but I can't.' So they called again, and they said, 'Please, please, please, there isn't anyone else.' I said, 'Look, you're telling me I don't have to audition?' They said, 'No, there's nobody else, just you.' I said, 'Well, I CAN'T.' So they called up again and said, 'It's 2,000 pounds a week.' I was absolutely fucking penniless at the time. I hadn't got a penny. So, I said, 'It's 2,000 pounds a week? I'll think about it. I'm not auditioning, right?' They said, 'No, you're not auditioning, it's 2,000 pounds a week, and it's only a month.' So I said okay, I'll have a think about it. So I put down the phone, and I thought, '2,000 pounds a week... that's an awful lot of fucking money.' This was 1982. I called back and said, 'Okay, if I'm not auditioning, and if you pay me a week's pay up front.' That sounds awfully mercenary, but the thing is, I'd been on Jet Records, with the Ardens, prior to joining Ian. So there was this feeling of I really didn't trust what I'd been told. They then said, 'Yeah, okay.' The money never arrived, so I never went out. Then, it did arrive, and I went out. And there were 3 other people auditioning. (Laughs) So I was thinking, 'Well, at least I'm probably the only one who's been paid up front.' (Laughs)

So I auditioned, then Sharon says, 'Bernie, are you able to come 'round to the back of the amps?' Then she said, 'You've got the gig.' I said, 'Oh great!' She said, 'But the pay isn't 2,000 pounds a week, it's 500 dollars a week.' So then David Arden, who's her brother, whom I'd spoken to, I said, 'David said it was 2,000 POUNDS a week.' Sharon said, 'Bernie, David doesn't know what he's talking about, he's on drugs, it's 500 dollars a week.' So I'm standing there thinking I've been paid 2,000 pounds, I'm not going to be paid again. (Laughs) (2000 pounds worked out to being about $3000 at that time.) So anyway, I liked Ozzy, and it was a great band, so I figured I'm already here I might as well try it. Because at that time I thought it's only a month. Then it started to turn into gigs in Hawaii, and Alaska... 3 months away, and I'm kind of saying, 'Well hold on, I wasn't told about any of this. I have an album coming out, I have a band, and a tour. I have a project to do. I can't let people down.' But to return to your question, I went out of the rehearsal rooms, Ozzy's crying, and it was just absolutely not the kind of situation that anyone would enjoy being in. I have to say, both Ozzy and Sharon were great, really nice to me. But it was chaos. Because they'd had all of this drop on them, and Sharon I think was just trying to have it carry on, because if Ozzy stopped he'd never do anything again. I was going around at the beginning, staying in hotel rooms that had been booked as "Roy Rodgers," which was Randy's hotel name. It was so depressing, just so depressing."

The entire interview can be accessed at this location.