Metal Sludge Gossip Board

Apologize if this has been posted before, but this is a great interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqa3XqkjaW8

It's interesting to hear what his relationship with music is like.

Caught DL a few nights ago, and he seemed like he was having the best night of his life. Perhaps cause he just got back from a health thing, or whatever...dude looked like he was just enjoying the hell of the show.

Did Dio promise him a cut or not?

He definitely peaked early . Was it Dio being a bit of a task master ,that brought out the best in him ? Vivians work in Whitesnake and Def Lep have been completely forgettable.

kytepunches wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 6:58 am He definitely peaked early . Was it Dio being a bit of a task master ,that brought out the best in him ? Vivians work in Whitesnake and Def Lep have been completely forgettable.

It's probably a great payheck though. I'm curious how much his pay increased.

Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 7:08 am

kytepunches wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 6:58 am He definitely peaked early . Was it Dio being a bit of a task master ,that brought out the best in him ? Vivians work in Whitesnake and Def Lep have been completely forgettable.

It's probably a great payheck though. I'm curious how much his pay increased.

I watched this about 10 days ago.
He claimed they, (him, Bain and Appice), all made $100/week until after Sacred Heart album.
They had been promised raises every tour, but never got them
This is why he was fired. He raised a stink about it.
Dio claimed he quit.
Pretty good interview

No doubt he's making way more money and feeling a lot more appreciated in Def Leppard than he was in Dio, but I never fully bought his story about not getting any royalties and surviving on $400 per week, but still having enough money to buy a Ferrari 308 GTB. (Know anybody these days making $80 000 driving a $250 000 to 300 000 car because they saved really hard? Me neither.) I believe he said it was like saving up for his first Les Paul, but a great guitar and a luxury sports car aren't exactly in the same category. Anyway, he's apparently happy and healthy these days, so good for him.

Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 5:55 am Did Dio promise him a cut or not?

They never denied promising a cut. Wendy has always talked around the issue.

She actually more or less confirmed what Viv has said at one point, saying something along the lines of "Viv was demanding to be paid equally to Ronnie - that's ridiculous, Ronnie was the star."

But if that's what Viv was promised - take low money on the front end to be brought in as an equal partner once they hit it big - of course that's what he was going to demand.

I'm sure he would have been fine with a cut that was not equal to Ronnie's. Did he sign away his publishing? If so, that's his own fault.

Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 9:31 am I'm sure he would have been fine with a cut that was not equal to Ronnie's. Did he sign away his publishing? If so, that's his own fault.

No publishing from the Dio albums.. he was promised equal share of royalties for the 3rd album.. but that didn't happen.. so nothing

kytepunches wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 6:58 am He definitely peaked early . Was it Dio being a bit of a task master ,that brought out the best in him ? Vivians work in Whitesnake and Def Lep have been completely forgettable.

1. The guitar in Dio was more in Viv's comfort zone, he's good at headbanging NWOBHM but not much more - check the Riverdogs album which is a different style but his playing is still NWOBHM style. 2. Two words, many riffs: Trev Fleming.

FreddyFender wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 9:11 am She actually more or less confirmed what Viv has said at one point, saying something along the lines of "Viv was demanding to be paid equally to Ronnie - that's ridiculous, Ronnie was the star."

Ronnie promised it on his own, and she didn't feel she was obligated to abide by that promise.

Just further evidence she's a garbage human being.

NeonKnite wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 10:26 am

FreddyFender wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 9:11 am She actually more or less confirmed what Viv has said at one point, saying something along the lines of "Viv was demanding to be paid equally to Ronnie - that's ridiculous, Ronnie was the star."

Ronnie promised it on his own, and she didn't feel she was obligated to abide by that promise.

Just further evidence she's a garbage human being.

Sounds like the Jay Leno/Helen Kuschnik relationship...she was an absolutely ruthless snake of a manager, and Leno let her handle everything and play the good guy that didn't know what was going on....or at least pretended to.

Pretty loose using of the word legend.

pieceofme wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 1:10 pm Pretty loose using of the word legend.

Yeah he's a scab.

Def Leppard legend? No one goes to see DL to hear any of the songs Viv recorded with them. He was great on the Dio stuff, but did nothing of note after that. Played a few tracks on a forgotten Lou Graham solo album, Riverdogs was a bomb and so was Shadow King.

I guess it would boil down to how much money was actually coming in . I know lugging around that giant stage production couldn’t have been cheap. When i saw the tour with Malmsteen , it was in a 3000 seat arena. How much of the records money went to the label ? What did he owe for the tour production ? I’m sure Dio want starving to death , but it’s quite possible there wasn’t that much to pay out until after record 3.

I can't stand this idiot.

kytepunches wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 4:29 pm I guess it would boil down to how much money was actually coming in . I know lugging around that giant stage production couldn’t have been cheap. When i saw the tour with Malmsteen , it was in a 3000 seat arena. How much of the records money went to the label ? What did he owe for the tour production ? I’m sure Dio want starving to death , but it’s quite possible there wasn’t that much to pay out until after record 3.

When the Sacred Heart tour came to Melbourne they left the production at home.
Ronnie mentioned it at the end of the first song.
I was disappointed Viv didn’t make the tour, but thought Goldie did ok, except his solo was way way too long.
I was surprised to read years later that he had cut it in half for the Oz tour from what he was doing wherever they were before us.