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DOWN BOYS …
Ex-Warrant Drummer Bobby Borg once said to Jani Lane: “You’re Going To Be Dead In 10 Years, If You Keep This Sh*t Up”
#bobbyborg #warrant #janilane #jerrydixon #erikturner #heaven #jameskotakk #downboys #cherrypie #rickstier #leftfordead #beggarsandthieves #thehairmetalguru #metalsludge
https://metalsludge.tv/down-boys-ex-war ... is-sht-up/

“We used to call Jerry (Dixon) Mr. Bill… short for belligerent.
— Bobby Borg

“So, a lot of the drinking nights… weren’t just like laughing and fun. It was also like… a lot of times some ugly, evil, hurtful sh!t that like happened on the bus.”
— Bobby Borg on touring with Warrant

“I don’t know, you know again I apologize if I am pissing anyone off, but he drank like a fish, and he was insane, and he would just do crazy things like smash hotel rooms, and smash drum-sets, and smash whatever… it was almost like… um, (pauses), like a genius savant.”
— Bobby Borg on James Kottak

This interview is 2 hours... and WOW... there is some serious Sludge in here... damn!

$ludge

Old school Sludge is always appreciated.

10 years?? Wow, he gave him a long runway. So Jani said 'Fuck it. I'll get my shit together in 8 or 9!"

HottKarl777 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 21, 2025 9:05 pm Old school Sludge is always appreciated.

absolutely!

Off topic but Bobby had an excellent album with his band Left For Dead
Warrant even covered one of their songs quite often live, which was called The Turtle
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iVlLTworf ... hyohjO8%3D

Never heard of Bobby Borg. During what era was he in Warrant?

Spongie wrote: ↑Tue Apr 22, 2025 7:39 am Never heard of Bobby Borg. During what era was he in Warrant?

Mid 90s. He's on the Live album.

Anthrax442 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 22, 2025 8:19 am

Spongie wrote: ↑Tue Apr 22, 2025 7:39 am Never heard of Bobby Borg. During what era was he in Warrant?

Mid 90s. He's on the Live album.

He's on 3 of their albums... it's ALL in the article!

https://metalsludge.tv/down-boys-ex-war ... is-sht-up/

$ludge

Fantastic interview!

gtrjay wrote: ↑Tue Apr 22, 2025 1:01 pm Fantastic interview!

Right!

Straight shooter... not afraid to offend anyone... including the surviving members of the band!

Pretty telling... especially when he says how nice everyone in the band was to him, UNTIL he got a super hot GF, then they all hated her and started treating him like sh!t.

I am not surprised by any of what he's saying... and it's also why Metal Sludge made sure to expose all of this kind of stuff going way back... with that band, and others.

$tEvil

gtrjay wrote: ↑Tue Apr 22, 2025 1:01 pm Fantastic interview!

Agreed. His answers would help anyone starting in the music business. Obviously a smart guy.

Only Jani Lane could have saved Jani Lane.

Hoosier-daddy wrote: ↑Tue Apr 22, 2025 1:55 pm Great interview.

If they really wanted to someone could have saved Jani Lane.

""""""""If they really wanted to someone could have saved Jani Lane.""""""""""

Really?

So... the 3 wives, band members, managers, agents, family and friends who tried just that for 47 years could have done more?

Wrong... like Kottak, Weiland, Cobain and others... some people are broken... and it's not anyone else's fault for not being able to fix them.

Bobby's one comment is very eerie and telling, as he told Jani point blank on the bus: "You're going to be dead in 10 years if you keep this sh!t up."

And he was right...

I can tell you... I know some people who played with him in his solo band, and friends who were close to him... pretty much EVERY single person said similar things.

The word that stood out was... 'Dark'... someone you ALL know from his name in the business said: "It's not good... it's VERY dark... it's sad"

I was told that by someone... and soon after... Jani was dead!

$tEvil

Fat_Elvis wrote: ↑Tue Apr 22, 2025 3:30 pm Only Jani Lane could have saved Jani Lane.

This!

$tEvil

If the Bobby Brown accusations are to be believed, gives a lil insight into the darkness Jani never got past

MetalSludgeCEO wrote: ↑Tue Apr 22, 2025 4:18 pm

Hoosier-daddy wrote: ↑Tue Apr 22, 2025 1:55 pm Great interview.

If they really wanted to someone could have saved Jani Lane.

""""""""If they really wanted to someone could have saved Jani Lane.""""""""""

Really?

So... the 3 wives, band members, managers, agents, family and friends who tried just that for 47 years could have done more?

Wrong... like Kottak, Weiland, Cobain and others... some people are broken... and it's not anyone else's fault for not being able to fix them.

Bobby's one comment is very eerie and telling, as he told Jani point blank on the bus: "You're going to be dead in 10 years if you keep this sh!t up."

And he was right...

I can tell you... I know some people who played with him in his solo band, and friends who were close to him... pretty much EVERY single person said similar things.

The word that stood out was... 'Dark'... someone you ALL know from his name in the business said: "It's not good... it's VERY dark... it's sad"

I was told that by someone... and soon after... Jani was dead!

$tEvil

Same. I know somebody who told me in early 2011 that Jani would be dead in a year if he kept doing what he was doing, and he was dead in August. When Jani died, this person also texted me before TMZ and most of the world knew. It was shocking that it actually happened but after hearing so much over the years, it also wasn't, if that makes any sense.

It's natural to have those thoughts "if only somebody could have talked to him" or "if only I had been there and stopped him from going over to Ralphs and buying that vodka...." but it's almost like he was on a mission to take himself out. It's just a sad situation that I don't think anybody could have stopped.

Hoosier-daddy wrote: ↑Tue Apr 22, 2025 3:55 pm

Fat_Elvis wrote: ↑Tue Apr 22, 2025 3:30 pm Only Jani Lane could have saved Jani Lane.

Thats like saying that only Elvis could have saved Elvis.

Correct.

Hoosier-daddy wrote: ↑Tue Apr 22, 2025 7:53 pm

LitaStrauss wrote: ↑Tue Apr 22, 2025 6:43 pm

MetalSludgeCEO wrote: ↑Tue Apr 22, 2025 4:18 pm

""""""""If they really wanted to someone could have saved Jani Lane.""""""""""

Really?

So... the 3 wives, band members, managers, agents, family and friends who tried just that for 47 years could have done more?

Wrong... like Kottak, Weiland, Cobain and others... some people are broken... and it's not anyone else's fault for not being able to fix them.

Bobby's one comment is very eerie and telling, as he told Jani point blank on the bus: "You're going to be dead in 10 years if you keep this sh!t up."

And he was right...

I can tell you... I know some people who played with him in his solo band, and friends who were close to him... pretty much EVERY single person said similar things.

The word that stood out was... 'Dark'... someone you ALL know from his name in the business said: "It's not good... it's VERY dark... it's sad"

I was told that by someone... and soon after... Jani was dead!

$tEvil

Same. I know somebody who told me in early 2011 that Jani would be dead in a year if he kept doing what he was doing, and he was dead in August. When Jani died, this person also texted me before TMZ and most of the world knew. It was shocking that it actually happened but after hearing so much over the years, it also wasn't, if that makes any sense.

It's natural to have those thoughts "if only somebody could have talked to him" or "if only I had been there and stopped him from going over to Ralphs and buying that vodka...." but it's almost like he was on a mission to take himself out. It's just a sad situation that I don't think anybody could have stopped.

Bullshit. It was a sad situation that someone definitely could have stopped if he had of been around different people at the time.

But he wasn't. He preferred his enablers.
Who could have stopped it?
No one. Anyone whoever cared about him tried. But that's not the way it works with addicts.

Metal Sludge wrote: ↑Tue Apr 22, 2025 8:57 pm

Hoosier-daddy wrote: ↑Tue Apr 22, 2025 7:53 pm

LitaStrauss wrote: ↑Tue Apr 22, 2025 6:43 pm

Same. I know somebody who told me in early 2011 that Jani would be dead in a year if he kept doing what he was doing, and he was dead in August. When Jani died, this person also texted me before TMZ and most of the world knew. It was shocking that it actually happened but after hearing so much over the years, it also wasn't, if that makes any sense.

It's natural to have those thoughts "if only somebody could have talked to him" or "if only I had been there and stopped him from going over to Ralphs and buying that vodka...." but it's almost like he was on a mission to take himself out. It's just a sad situation that I don't think anybody could have stopped.

Bullshit. It was a sad situation that someone definitely could have stopped if he had of been around different people at the time.

But he wasn't. He preferred his enablers.
Who could have stopped it?
No one. Anyone whoever cared about him tried. But that's not the way it works with addicts.

Someone could have wrestled his keys away to prevent a drunk driving mishap or something similar.
But you can’t be with someone 24 hours a day unless you lock him up

Wonderful stories, great interview

Borg's recent interview on The Guru, and even looking back at his 20?'s from 20+ years earlier... clearly he was spot on in his assessment way back.

As for those on here talking about how he could have been saved, and nobody cared, etc... all nonsense.

I had heard regularly, from multiple people in those various camps, what a true nightmare it was (at times), and it all pointed at 1 person!

Several people all said very similar things, and nobody, and I mean nobody on the inside was shocked when it happened. It was expected, sadly.

Same with Kottak... the guy had a dream gig, playing globally in arenas and stadiums, flying 1st class, 5 star hotels, and the rest.

But... made decisions to drink himself into a stupor, and act like an absolute idiot whether in private or public.

The things that both of these guys were doing, went way above and beyond partying, which is exactly why, Bobby said what he said to Lane, point blank, and he was right.

And to anyone who has an issue with any of this... I guess there is always that old saying; "The truth hurts!"

Saying these guys weren't a massive liability who were living a Death Wish, is like saying Sebastian Bach is fun to be around.

$tEvil

DangerZone wrote: ↑Wed Apr 23, 2025 5:16 pm

Metal Sludge wrote: ↑Tue Apr 22, 2025 8:57 pm

Hoosier-daddy wrote: ↑Tue Apr 22, 2025 7:53 pm

Bullshit. It was a sad situation that someone definitely could have stopped if he had of been around different people at the time.

But he wasn't. He preferred his enablers.
Who could have stopped it?
No one. Anyone whoever cared about him tried. But that's not the way it works with addicts.

Someone could have wrestled his keys away to prevent a drunk driving mishap or something similar.
But you can’t be with someone 24 hours a day unless you lock him up

But he wasn't driving.
He died alone in a Woodland Hills Best Western, or something like that with a big bottle of vodka. There was nothing anyone could do about that.
It's incredibly sad

"They" could have saved him? "Someone" should have done something? Fuck outta here.

Despite the best efforts of his bandmates, parents, siblings, spouse(s), exes, friends, managers, and countless others, Jani Lane just wanted to drink himself to death.

And it's a free country man - if you wake up wanting to drink sunup to sundown and have the cash in your pocket to buy a handle and a case of beer, there is no one that can stop you.

"They" can't. Neither can "Someone".

You, and only you, can make that call.

Jani chose to go another way.

Sometimes the drinking and or drugs just gets ahold of someone and never lets go. You have to wonder how many simply dont care, and are fine if it kills them. Others may think well, it will never happen to me.

To blame anyone but Jani is delusional. He is an adult, he knows the dangers. You cant help anyone who wont help themselves.

if someone wants to go out that way I don’t see any problems except for leaving behind children

I liked hearing about Jani. The good, the bad and the ugly.

But throughout the interview Bobby gave that "I'm too good for this" attitude. Very pompous. He didn't like Warrant. Called them a bunch of posers. Didn't like Beggars and Thieves. Takes credit for Jeff Blando's success. Didn't like the 80's scene at all but then started a band with the dude from Hericane Alice and Trouble Tribe! (2 names I haven't heard in awhile but yes, I have both albums!)

He didn't come across as a very likeable guy. But still an interesting interview.

Hoosier-daddy wrote: ↑Wed Apr 23, 2025 8:01 pm He was a famous musician whose death could have been prevented if someone was around to monitor him.

Rob Halford "monitored" him and look what happened.

Did they ever find out who was with Jani the night before he died? I heard he only had a note in his pocket saying who he was.

CEO - spill the Sludge

Hoosier-daddy wrote: ↑Wed Apr 23, 2025 8:48 pm

Metal Sludge wrote: ↑Wed Apr 23, 2025 8:39 pm

DangerZone wrote: ↑Wed Apr 23, 2025 5:16 pm

Someone could have wrestled his keys away to prevent a drunk driving mishap or something similar.
But you can’t be with someone 24 hours a day unless you lock him up

But he wasn't driving.
He died alone in a Woodland Hills Best Western, or something like that with a big bottle of vodka. There was nothing anyone could do about that.
It's incredibly sad

Most likely someone that had been drinking with him before he died wrote a note that read " I am Jani Lane " and put it in his pocket.

You can't be serious. There is no conspiracy here. Anyone who he might have been with him (and there's no evidence of that), wouldn't have known who Jani Lane was at that point. Some young girl? Some old lady? Come on now!

It's a pretty well known fact around town that he alienated most everyone before he ended up there.
So many people tried to help. Not the hangers on, or the ex wives, but real people in the local rock community, just friends.
I don't recall anything about a note, but I could be wrong.
No one ever thought it was suicide, he just drank himself to death. It's that simple.
It's just the same sad end, of many rockstars, booze, drugs, whatever.
Stop looking for things that aren't there.