THE RATT GANG (TRG): I saw the shows last night and tonight. They were great. Wonderful shows!

Warren DeMartini (WD): Thank you.

TRG:You are happy with the current line-up, aren't you?

WD: I am. Very!

TRG: How did you choose the songs for the set list?

WD: Basically, it's mostly the stuff that is played on the radio. That's the main... because right now without a new album now, people want to hear stuff they know really well. So we include them in the set. What we work on the most is where we put those songs.

TRG: Yeah. You changed the song order yesterday and today.

WD: Yeah.

TRG: What was the main reason for that? Because you thought a lot of people would come to both the shows?

WD: No, because once we get the set that works, we generally stick with that through our whole run, but in the beginning we arrange the set. For example, "City To City" didn't work too well because it was too late in the set. It's kind of a slow-tempo song, so we moved it up to the beginning. And... another change was... let me think... "Walking The Dog" also. We moved it, too.

TRG: I noticed that you only used two guitars yesterday and you used three guitars today.

WD: Yeah, I had a tuning problem today. I use the same one all night if it stays tuned, but that's kind of a crusher sometimes, you know. It depends on how much I move the guitars, I guess. (Laughs)

TRG: How about the arrangement. Did you change the arrangement for the current line-up?

WD: Yeah, actually there are quite a few different things; endings and segues.

TRG: Because now you have a second guitar player who is also one more background vocalist, you can do more than the former tours.

WD: John Corabi has been an incredible asset to the sound. His playing style mixes so well with my playing and he is a lead singer so he is a perfect replacement for Juan Croucier. (Laughs)

TRG: Only one new song was played: "Over The Edge." I think you really like the song. Don't you?

WD: Yeah, it's our favorite. It has great four-part vocal parts. It's really fun to play. Fun to sing. Everybody is on. It the only song like that where everybody is doing different things.

TRG: Jizzy sang the vocal melodies close to the record version. Did you ask him to do that?

WD: When you are in the studio, one person can create almost unlimited numbers of tracks. That one person can create the whole chord himself. In the studios, it's very easy to create a wall of background vocals and make it sound really good. But live is a different story. John joined the band, we have more chances to do better. And we knew what Jizzy could do, so we were sure we could do exactly what we did on the records. We are doing great.

TRG: Is Jizzy's vocal range almost the same as Stephen's?

WD: Yeah, actually it is. He can sing even higher, in key that is. He still likes singing higher. (Laughs)

TRG: How do you feel about the combination with Jizzy?

WD: I think he has what anybody has who came out of the eighties. His band LOVE/HATE really missed the eighties' wave. Because their debut album was released in, I think, 1990. By then NIRVANA was out and so was PEARL JAM and things were changed with MTV and everything. But when I listened to some of the material from LOVE/HATE, I thought everyone was good. Probably better than most bands who came from that period. So that was something I was excited about, to play with Jizzy Pearl. His caliber and musical sensibility is the same as everybody else's in the band. He is a unknown veteran to me. And he is very focused and very dedicated. It's that work ethic and his standard of performance that makes me really wanna continue this.

TRG: Is he easy for you to interact with on stage?

WD: Yeah, he is. He is a great technician and a great showman. He has the techniques to do a great show. Jizzy came on board and I hadn't noticed the same energy since '83 or '84. The vibe within the band. Something was missing... after that. When we got back together in '97, there was a gear missing. It just wasn't in the same spot. And then Jizzy came in. He has enjoyed what he does. It just brought whole thing to the energy level that I hadn't noticed since back then.

TRG: But were there some other candidates for the vocalist?

WD: Oh yeah, we auditioned lots of people. Actually we didn't choose Jizzy immediately. He came down several times. First couple of times, it wasn't a big day for both of us. We videotaped all the auditions. And we watched them, we selected some people we might want to try again and asked them to come again and again. And the third time was completely different, and it just worked out. Yeah, we did try several people. Some of them were horrible. (Laughs)

TRG: I remember that Bobby wrote on the message board on the official website that you would play some new songs, so I was looking forward to hearing them thinking you would be writing new songs with the current line-up. But what's happening? Have you been writing new material in the current line-up?

WD: Yeah, we've been writing all the time. We have lot of ideas in the can and when the time is right, I think when we're gonna do a new record, it's going to be done really easily. There is an easiness to what we do now. As if with that type of energy in the eighties, we feel we can complete the things with easiness. I have never experienced that before.

TRG: You have been on the road for a long time.

WD: Yeah, but we took a whole month off.

TRG: And you'd like to continue the tour... like, until Christmas time?

WD: Yeah... on and off, though. We are gonna do it for probably about a month, it will all depend what happens.

TRG: You said John Corabi is a great asset to the band...

WD: Yeah.

TRG: ... but do you think he will stay in the band?

WD: Oh, I hope so, you know.

TRG: Because I heard that his band, UNION, is starting something soon...

WD: Yeah, I know that they have some offers in Argentina and, I think, maybe in Scandinavia. I already told him unless it conflicts with what we do as RATT, "You should do it." Because I think UNION is pretty successful. It doesn't bother me. They should continue playing, and there's time for him to do other stuff.

TRG: Stephen did some interviews with web magazines and he said what he wanted to say about his position regarding the departure and the cancellation of the tours. If there is anything you would like to say... and it's wise not to say anything, but...

WD: But?

TRG: The Japan tour was cancelled, so many people were disappointed. There was some official comment from the band, and then after that, Stephen made HIS comments in various types of media. After that, Bobby Blotzer said something, but he just confused the situation more. If you would like to say something, what would it be?

WD: Well, I don't know what his official statements were, but of course he left the band and can't tour with us...

TRG: Yes.

WD: We always operated on one rule. Once something was on sale, once a deal was signed, we would always turn up and complete the obligation. There is a huge line drawn between doing that or not, you know. That standard just completely evaporated and I don't think that could be reconciled, personally. And I was really disappointed... And that's bad for him, too. 'Cos he turned his career away basically.

TRG: Do you have any messages to the Japanese fans who were disappointed by the cancellation of the tour?

WD: Oh, yeah. We were anxious to get over there back in 2000 and now it's 2001 and maybe 2002 before we get back, but we really really look forward to touring this band in Japan. I think that people will really enjoy it.

TRG: I heard that the SWORD guitar will be reissued.

WD: Yes, that's right. I think Wayne Charvel sold his company, so it can't be called Charvel. It's called Wayne Guitars, but he and his son, Michael, are gonna be building guitars and I gave them a license to do that to the sword guitar and the James Dean guitar and the snake guitar. But it's the new company working on it and they are gonna try to stay away from major manufacturing, so it's gonna be slow at first, but I am very excited about it. Wayne Charvel... When I first picked up the Charvel guitar... that was 19... 1982 or something like that. It really took everything great about the '58 Fender Strato and it was kind of just made modern. I'm glad that we can work together again.

TRG: Are they going to make exactly the same graphics as the original guitars?

WD: Yeah. But I am going to continue my working with Performance Guitar. That's primarily what I play. I don't have any guitars from Wayne yet, so I don't know if I will be incorporating that in the live set situation. I will judge when I get it, but, everything with Performance is going to stay the same.

TRG: Do you still have the original sword guitar and the James Dean guitar and...?

WD: Yes, I still have them.

TRG: I also heard that Performance is making Warren DeMartini Signature Models. Please tell us how you are involved.

WD: Yeah, I signed to 15 guitars. Really nice necks. They didn't have the body done by that time. They are assembling them now. When I met Frank Zappa, a Performance guitar was there and I picked it up and really liked it. He gave me Kuni's number, and Kuni (the president of Performance Guitar) still had Frank's (guitars') dimensions on file, so I just had him make it exactly like Frank's. That's the black guitar. And then we changed the headstock a little bit and we changed the pickup configuration a little bit, but it's not that different from the Soloist Strato kind of thing.

TRG: And what is this all about that you are trying to sell a wireless system?

WD: Kuni has my wireless system, which I used on the... 85, 86, 87 tour. There's now been outlot, so you cannot use it. What is that? Who controls the frequency? FAA? (Someone told him "FCC.") Yeah, FCC outlot my frequency of my wireless system. (Laughs) So they charge you seven grand ($7,000). (Laughs)

TRG: Is there anything else you are involved in besides RATT?

WD: I've been writing with Billy Sherwood, but other than that, focusing on trying to get RATT's business together and get us all in a new situation where we can seek out a record contract.

TRG: How soon do you think it will happen?

WD: I think by February of 2002 we will be able to start soliciting deals. That's my plan.

TRG: Are you going to make some demos first, and then...?

WD: Well, yeah. Generally we play a lot together on the road and when we warm up, we try some new ideas and stuff, but... I like to have things on in a sequence. For example, we write songs in three months or whatever, then with those songs going to get a contract, you know what I mean? Right now, we are just not in the situation where we can make a deal because of this nonsense going on with Stephen, so, once things are settled, we will go further.

TRG: OK. I hope that you can come to play in Japan before 2003. (Laughs)

WD: Yeah. (Laughs)

--Thank you, Warren!!!

(This interview was taken on September 7, 2005)