John Gallagher of Raven Talks About Metal Militia on No Life 'Til Leather

0:04 Hi, you have done to censure Wow for you, young man. This is the Pipe Man here on the Adventures of Pipe Man W four c Y Radio. And I'm very excited about our next guest and why we're talking to him once again because definitely one of my favorite fans definitely a song they did just recently that I absolutely love the rendition of. So let's welcome to the show, John Gallagher from Raven How are you? I am doing good, pipe How are you, Hi, I'm doing phenomenal. So, like, what I love about doing this interview right now is we're talking about doing the No Lifetill Leather tribute to Metallica's kilm All my favorite Metallica album by the way, and the fact that you guys did Metal Militia. But most importantly, what I'm really excited about is I was at that show at the Country Club in LA when you played with Metallica in August of nineteen eighty three.

1:31 That was a hell of a show. I mumble that, yeah, oh my god, like and you know, that is what amazes me. There were so many iconic type shows in the eighties. That always amazes me that when I bring up certain shows like that, that artists, I've been doing it as long as you have, Like, those are the shows that stick in your mind. Well, it was a It was a big deal and it was pretty funny as well, because we hear laws and particular, oh man, LA sucks, LA sucks, l A suck. We go to LA and all of a sudden these boxes come out with the brand new symbols and he's polishing. Guy, what's this what you've been playing those shitty symbols all to it? He goes, it's l a man. So that was pretty funny, but it was you know, California, here we are. It was great, you know for three kids from Newcastle. That was a pretty big deal. We've seen on the TV shows.

2:38 You know, right right, And I mean I had already listened to your music, but then when I saw it live, I was like, oh my god, that's amazing. Because one of the things about your band two is you sound just as good live as you do on a studio album, which isn't always the case with bands. No. And the other thing is when you hear a music which is rather crazy and energetic, and then you see you play on stage and we're rather crazy and energetic exactly. I remember. I remember the first time I saw Motorheads. I'd heard them like, wow, this is kind of really rough row and basically it must be crazy on stage. And when I saw them, they could barely stand up. They were so drunk. It's like, nah, it doesn't quite work.

3:33 Oh that was most of LA though. I mean I grew up in Jersey and my dad moved me to LA in nineteen eighty. Imagine a time to move to LA and be a teenager. I was, I was twelve. That was You were there when it was all happening. That's pretty cool. I know, right, it was wild. And you know, it is funny what you're saying about LA, because it was true and that it was really bad once Metallic en Slayer left LA and went to the Bay Area, because then we weren't left with anything in LA, and me and my bro used to like hitchhike up to the Bay Area so we could go to real shows. Because, as you know, the whole dynamic of metal change at that point in time.

4:20 Yeah, it was sponsored by Sepporra. I think, right, Oh my god, but I saw the video for Metal Militia. Well, first of all, the minute I got the email from Liz, I'm like, I responded immediately, which I don't always do. I'm like, are there an interviews for this? Because this is cool, you know, just the whole idea of doing this tribute to kill the ball. And then I watched a video for Metal Militia and oh my god, that same eighties energy that you had then you have in that video now.

5:01 Oh yeah, I mean, it's that's what we do. Ah. There's there's nothing more, I guess, uninspiring than to see a bunch of old guys trading on past glories. Like you know, they will turn the guitars down a bit and we'll be the jangle and here's the acoustic folk, uh, you know, drugged out version of what we used to do. Now that we've always said that ever happened shoot me in the head, you know. Ah, we are more energetic now than we were then. And you know, we may be old thoughts, but we're definitely crazy old thoughts. Let me tell you.

5:49 You know, it's funny you should say that because I just turned fifty nine, and I could tell you I'm probably in better shape for the marsh pit now than I was at sixteen. Yep. You know, so, I mean it's so true, like you see bands like yourself, you know that are up there still. Like I think about it too, like how many people can really still stay true to their music of when they were, you know, back in the eighties today. And that's what's so cool about Raven because I like, it's true, you guys are just like just as fast, loud, energetic, and brutal as you ever were.

6:41 Yeah, and fun. I mean, we definitely have a lot of fun and we like to pretend to be stand up comedians for at least occasionally. But you know, Church would ast, they say, right, Butch would talk about that later. But I can still hit all the notes I could hit when I was you know, twenty two, twenty three. Man, that's a man of like you're hot tool like work to do that because I don't know, I sang thrashold metal for a little while while as a teenager.

7:23 I would never be able to do it today, Like I couldn't. I hown't know many bands that can holding that. Even Slayer like Tom can't really do those screams he did back in the eighties. Well he's he's got those neck is shoes hasn't he I mean. Nuts, yeah, that stuff. I know how he feels. My next cricked out like three days ago. And I've been in agony. But you know, all part of the fun of getting old, I know. And me, I have osteo arthrais in neck and I still had bang at every show I go to and I still go in the pit and I'm like, I'm still an idiot. I remember way back and let it be a teenager. I would head back at shows like at the country Club, and I would get like this migrain headache and just keep doing it till the adrelline pumped so hard I didn't feel a headache anymore.

8:15 But old seeing you don't stop having fun because you get old. She get old because you stop having fun. Yes one, you know, look at Ozzie. I mean we're. Eighteen year old with fifty years experience exactly. Listen. I have four kids, eight grandkids. None of them can keep up with me. I'm like, what's wrong with you people? You should have the energy and here I am, like I was just saying to my grandson today. I was like, you know, why can't you keep up with me? I'm your grandfather. Come on I'm a chose, right, So what how had this come about that they you were, you know, recruited to do Metal Militia for this album.

9:07 But we were actually recording the that was the last album that wasn't the EP. It was the last album All Hell's Break and Loose, and it was the first record for silver Lining, and they said, uh, you know, as part of the deal, here, could you guys do a Metallica cover for a Metallica cover album we're doing, you know, and there's going to be diamond Head and Saxon And we're like, yeah, why not, that'd be fun. But what song? And they give us a choice, so, like, I don't know, four or five songs, and it was like, Metal Militia, that's the craziest song. Let's do that, and let's rev it up and let's have you know, let's let's twist. So we you know, we put a put a few things in and unfortunately make us take a few things out because of standards and practices and synchronization rates and so I can't even tell you. I can tell you there was a bit at the end which was really funny and we had to take it off unfortunately, But we did get to do a jazz version of a song at the beginning, which no one will be able to figure out, but we know what it is.

10:25 I had to slip a little bit of cliff in the middle, and we changed the arrangement, added a few extra riffs and cut a few down and venized it. But it's still true to the original, you know, because the original is crazy. So we wanted to keep that spirit. And one thing that came right up is Mate went, Mark should sing this. He's got the voice for this. I'm like, yeah, you're absolutely right, because he's got that rough kind of bond scored and for this he actually sounds like James On. It's hilarious, you tas kind of you know, like I was wondering that at first. I was like, okay, so I'm curious before I even saw it, I'm like, I'm curious why chose Mark to sing on it? And then I saw I was like, oh, that's perfect.

11:21 You know, that's the first time Marks some leads since rock hard back in nineteen eighty two. It's like the secret weapon, absolutely right, all right, long Overdube. So we got to do that. I sing Hormonies for a change, and it's it's just great and Mike's insane on it on the drums of course, so it was a no brainer for us. We banged that up with the arrangement very quickly. We say, what do you think of this? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Everyone stuck a ten cents into it there, put that cool down dun dunk dun dun dunk dun dun dund a little bit like that. They're riffing it great, great fun, and did it and forgot all about it until it was like, yeah, finally the other bands have done this stuff, so it's going to come out. It's coming out like three weeks. Can you do a video? What? So we said, well, it's there's the Metallia connection. We have a strong connection with Metallica from day one. Let's use video from the show we did with them a couple of years ago in Fort Lauderdale, the tribute to John and Marsha's Zula. Yeah, a bunch of classic photographs. So that's definitely a freeze frame.

12:43 What's this? What's this? What's this? So it's you know, it bears from beat the viewing for sure. And then as an old score that was definitely me when I started seeing the pictures, I'm like, oh, wow, it's actually funny because funny story, I was the first quote unquote merch dude for Armored Saint. Oh way back way back when. Joey and I have talked about this because we've been friends this day, but we've talked about it on interviews, and he like blew my mind one interview because he brought something up I didn't even know. So it basically happened. I was like, I don't know, fifteen or something like that, fourteen and me and my bro went up to Armored Saint. They didn't have any merch and we see them all the time, like we became like friends with them, and we're like, hey, if we make your T shirts and pins, can we sell them at your show and we'll give you fifty percent.

13:44 They're like sure, you know. And so. During this interview, Joey goes to me, you know that famous picture, and it reminded me when I saw the old pictures he had in the video. There's this famous picture of Lars when he was like fifteen or something like that, you know, really young. He was wearing an Armored SAT shirt and holding a guitar and it's like you can find it on the internet. It's like all over and he goes, you know, that's your shirt. I'm like, oh my god, you're shitting me. And he goes and Lars still has it and I'm like, no way, I don't even have it anymore. He goes, neither do I.

14:25 I'm like, that's the coolest thing. So then I go on tour and I do festivals, doing interviews at festivals and press coverage all over the US, UK, Europe. And I was doing one festival and I was interviewing Lars k and Lar's kids who have a band, and it was like the second time I was interviewing. And usually when I interview the kids, like I've interviewed all the kids of Metallic, it's pretty funny, but I don't bring up the parents like they're there to make their own mark. So like, I'm not interviewing you so we can talk about Metallic or Lars, I'm interviewing you for your band. But it was so funny. We were talking off the interview and I'm like, yeah, I didn't really want to talk about your dad on the interview because its all about you. But and I told him that story. I'm like, I wonder if he does really have it and he goes and his kids go, Yeah, he probably does. He has a whole big closet of like every shirt he's ever had that's a metal shirt.

15:28 Yeah, I think. I think him and Jim's are the hold us for sure. I love it though. I mean, that's so cool. I have this image in my head now walking into his closet and it's like some big shrine to medal. Yeah. Well, we went up. It was we were recording the All Hell's Break and News record. It makes place when he lived in LA and I don't know how it came about. It was like, why don't we go up and talk to Jim's laws record it, you know, if they're cool with it, and talk about the Killer more for one tour, just so we got it. If we need it for anything in the future or whatever. Yeah, perfect, let's do that because we've done something for them along the same lines. They've been trolling around getting video and interviews with everyone on God's So we went up and James wanted to do it. So we go into Metallic RHQ and it's very cool. So the room you see on all the videos and let's go to the other room.

16:37 They have a second room because apparently Journey owned half of it and Journey left, so they spread out. So they have the studio. They have some cabinets that are all walled off for recording, and there's a big space and some gear. Yeah, we'll put a table here, we'll do it here. And as we walk in there's a flightcase and it had Burke Shaley Budgie. I, me and my brother freak out. Wow because next to it is the one by freaking eighteen vox bass camlet that we saw Budgie playing through in nineteen seventy five. Wow, and the two hundred what Marshall major bass that he played through.

17:22 So we're freaking and James comes in. He goes, oh, what do you think? I said, I don't care that. What about this? Yeah, that's my collection Harbard. I had to go to a good home, you know, because Burke had died. So yeah, And when we went in the studio, producer Greg said, have you seen this? And there's Burke's bass. Oh, I'm like the bass too. He goes, yeah, he ever played it? I says, I have once. We played with Budgie way back and they were lovely guys. He goes, that's the best Fender decision I've ever recorded, and it's all over the new album. So that's all over seventy two seasons.

18:06 Robert clay on that. Wow, how cool is that? And then of course James says, that's not it. There's more. He's going the hole in the tomb, look up on the wall and there's the mirrored logo of Thin Lizzie with the lights all round it. Wow. When Phil Lennet died, they threw all the trash out from the lock up and the skips and the dumpsters, and one of the rudies went nah, pulled out the thing and kept it in his house for like whatever fifteen twenty years before selling it. And somehow James saw me, I'm having that. Wow. They got all the flags and stuff from fans all over the world and right in the middle of the Thin Lizzy logo.

18:51 Oh man, See, I love hearing stuff like that because it just, you know what it says. To me that they're fans like everyone else. They got exactly, they got deep apartets, but they're fans like all the way or you know, so that's cool. See that's the best part of a lot of musicians that I know and metal is their fans first musician second, you know, and you. Got to be because that's what that's what got you, that's what pulled you in in the first place, is the music. Yes, you know, blessed to grow up in that period of time. And where we lived, Newcastle, Upontayne in the northeast of England. The venues there was two venues and they both held about twenty twenty five hundred people.

19:41 One was the theater and one was a club. And so you'd see all the bands out in America they'd be playing arenas, but when they came to England, this is all I was. So they played there. So the worst seat in the house was one of the best seats in the house in America. You're right there. Oh there's Richie Blackmore, Wow, the wishborn ash status, cool slid whoever, you know. And we got to see almost all the bounds up close and personal. And that was our education. That was our YouTube, that was our you know, guitar tablet and all that. Watching these guys watching your ayah heap go and freaking ape shit. Yeah, that's what it was.

20:23 All about yeah, yeah, and that's what it felt like in La too, you know. And and then it's funny. I told this story a lot to old school metal heads because they all like, wow, you know. I used to go to this record store in the valley not far from the country club, and that's where I would like find all my new metal music. As there was this record store clerk there. Every time we walk in, he'd say, oh, you gotta check this band out. And that's, by the way, that's how I found out about Raven and uh, I think it was the wiped Out album. Like he's like, you gotta check this album out. And so that was Brian Slagel.

21:07 Yeah, we met. We met Brian in Newcastle in nineteen eighty two when we were we were opening for Girls' school and he came to Newcastle and he gave us all the stickers the New Heavy Metal Review. And Mark was in a car accident when Kim and Rob were going down to London to do an interview and you know, got freaking tea boned by a semi and Mark's pants burst open. So he spent the week with the New Heavy Metal Review stickers holding his pants. Ah, that's good stuff. Man, that's good stuff. So ah, I can't believe here we are all these years later and like no life till Leather. I mean to me, this is probably one of the most amazing releases this century.

22:04 I'll just put it that way, this century. But a little bit I've heard. The cool thing is because often there's these you know, compilation cover records, and it can be a little bit cheesy, they can be a little goofy, but I think genuine respect for sure, and it's it's a cool album, you know, it's not just you know, I hate when people just retread when they do a cover song. Let's play it, because yeah, you may have modern production, but otherwise, what's the point you're not bringing You got to bring someone, give yourself into it. No doubt it gets somewhere. So I think, you know, I'm still waiting in my copy of that.

22:56 But the few i've heard people have absolutely done the songs just cool. You know. I think the coolest part about it too, is like you're talking about different bands are on there, like You and Saxon and diamond Head. I mean to me, I think it's pretty cool diamond Head coming on this album to make a Metallica song, you know, like it's like full circle type of thing. And then you know, you guys having the tour with Metallican and like Saxon having Metallic open for Saxon. I was at that show too, and it's like it's a tribute to the people that in some ways made Metallica in a sense, you know, yeah, like you.

23:42 Know, we we were all there, right, I mean Metallica's early shows. They famously played with Socks and lost, famously slept on the floor and trilled around with diamond Head, I mean, and we brought them out on tour. So uh, there's a definite connection where it's, yeah, let's bring four or five guys. Remember the plague of records that came out in the late eighties early nineties, all these guys in Eliot, come on, let's pick five guys going record a bunch of rock songs. Let's go Yeah, just throwing together it Really this wasn't thrown together, was done you know, with a with a love for the music, so that I think it speaks with that absolutely.

24:33 One million and so I'm I will tell you too, going back to what you said your beginning of metal militia that kind of blew my mind too, okay, and now that you explained it a little bit, But first I was a little thrown off at first, and I was like, well, so this is really cool. And what I thought was really cool about is songs don't have that today. Like back in the eighties, some of the best songs had these intros that led into the song that you did not expect what was coming next, like You Take Battery by Metallica. If you only listen to the first ten seconds, you don't even know what the song is. Or the most famous of all is Fast as a Shark, like that beginning, like you just.

25:24 You knew something, something loud was coming, and it was just, you know, for Germans, that's a hell of a sense of humor. Let me tell you, all right, totally you know so and Wolf and the boys did very good or not. That was and we played with them the first year of that tour of this in Belgium. That was. That was very cool, absolutely, and they were very friendly and very helpful. But I forgot what the hell I was going to see. Yeah, the beginning of that song, I can't tell you what it is, but someone with a more maybe a musical sense of what's going on might be able to figure it out. And I love the mystery, god the idea. Oh, let's take a bit of this and put the beginning and say it's too ordinary.

26:18 What if we did fifties jazz and we will roll around the floor. Often it's like, yeah, go for it. I love it, and then of course bang it slams in, so it really works. See. I think that's what was the best about a lot of melo songs back then that you don't really have now is is the surprise, like it in a. Face, dynamic and a bit of surprise. It's I mean, that's basically how we write all our music. There's there's form, this function, but there's left turns. Yeah, boom, what slat in the face? What the hell was that? And not If you do that all the time, then it's just fusion.

27:03 You know, there's no point of reference. But if you have okay that what the hell was that? Let me listen a lot again, and that's that's the fun part, you know, absolutely totally. Well, you guys are badass, always have been, always well be I love that you were on this album and everybody has to get a piece of this album because this is a piece of history. And I thank you for participating and giving us great metal all these years, and thanks for being on the adventures of pipe Man on it all. And this was very timely because I don't know if you knew, I've had an accident where I had have brain surgery. I heard getting I'm getting it back together.

27:49 So this was very timely and filled a little hole. So it keeps the ball rolling until next year. And you know, we'll be touring in the spring, will be in the States, is what we're planning, and Europe and new recordings, blah blah blah. We should be very busy. I love it. I hope to see a lot more of you next year. And man, God bless you for you know, going through all you're going through health wise, and I wouldn't be able to notice. So there you go. Wow, I just occasionally keep doing that, So let's do anything fuck And I have the great excuse for anything I screw up. I just talked to Mark and maintain, don't you realize I had brain surgery.

28:39 There you go, that is like the best excuse, right there. Get a jail cord for everything. Scripts there it is well, you haven't lost a step ever, and uh man, I look forward to seeing a lot more of you in twenty twenty six at festivals I'm at, you know, hopefully you're there and we'll have to I'm pleaning this out there in the world. All Danny Wimmer festivals in the States, they have to put you on, which. Say that again, it would be nice go strangle him and get us on. Let's do it. And I have one last story I want to tell you reference to Metallica and festivals. So I was at Download a couple of years ago doing press coverage Metallica. I go there every year, but Metallica was headlining. So apparently they have this new type of sound system Metallica specifically that no matter where you are in a festival, it sounds like you're right up at the rail right and okay, so and you know what it's like up you know, at Download, like there it's Farmlands Forever, fifteen miles away. People were calling the police and complaining because the music was too loud. They could hear Metallica loud and year in their house fifteen miles away.

30:04 You got over it. I know, I wouldn't complain I'd be like, huh, free show great, I love it. Get the recorder of Right Right like the old days. Exactly. Well, John, it's been a pleasure. And uh man, you did medal militia some justice as somebody. That's an old score myself five times. Like you said, with covers, it's kind of tough to beat the original or to even come close. But you did put the Ravens spin on it, and it did you know with your brother singing, I mean it was almost like James was channeling in to him.

30:50 That's the way we saw it. But thank you and we'll see you in twenty twenty six. Have a grande Thanksgiving. And you you have a great rest of the holidays, and keep on rocket, I'll do. Thank you for listening to the Adventures of Patement on w for CUI Radio.