In a new interview with Metal Edge, Winger frontman and bassist, Kip Winger, discusses the new I Wanna Rock documentary, grunge and being a ‘hell of a lot better than average’. An excerpt from the chat follows...

Metal Edge: Why do you feel Winger has been able to keep all its original members?

Kip Winger: "Because we're friends. We were just always friends. We never had any fights. We've always had a great time doing it and still do. We have fun hanging out even when we're not at a gig, you know? And even when we couldn't get a gig, we didn't let that ruin things; we remained friends. We have a good attitude, too.

Even though we're self-deprecating, it becomes a serious thing when we get onstage. We may not be doing this at the level of Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard; we're mostly in theaters and stuff like that. But the vibe is always fun. But it also comes with a grain of salt because we got the shit knocked out of us, and we came in late to the game back in the day."

Metal Edge: What were the most significant challenges that Winger faced?

Winger: "Getting tours and getting the albums to hit was always the biggest challenge. If the video for 'Seventeen' hadn't done so well, I don't think we would have made it. But we were lucky that it did, and even more lucky with the tours we got because we were dead in the water for the first six months.

We were good performers, which helped us, but there were always obstacles. You had to hope the record company would give you enough money to make a video, do various radio promotions, etc. You do it yourself now, but back then, you had to wait and see if the powers that be would give you the money. That's what would make or break you."

Read the complete interview at Metal Edge.

Winger's new album, Seven, was produced by Kip Winger and recorded in Nashville, distributed worldwide by Frontiers Records. Order on CD/LP/Digital here.

Seven tracklisting:

"Proud Desperado"
"Heaven’s Falling"
"Tears Of Blood"
"Resurrect Me"
"Voodoo Fire"
"Broken Glass"
"It’s Okay"
"Stick The Knife In And Twist"
"One Light To Burn"
"Do Or Die"
"Time Bomb"
"It All Comes Back Around"

"Tears Of Blood" video:

"It All Comes Back Around" video:

"Proud Desperado" video:

(Photo - Christopher Carroll)